Chapter 153
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[That’s how buying information works.]
[How much they tell you, and how far they go, is entirely up to the seller.]
[Isn’t there a reason information brokers are either rich or dead? (LOL)]
—
While buying information line by line, if I followed that bastard’s advice and bought “Collector’s Dilemma” again…
‘How much is slipping away?’
Even if some things were obtained for free, if I kept picking up clues like this one by one, I’d end up back at square one.
‘Even if I was going to spend it anyway.’
This was money I didn’t have to spend right now.
I needed to think first. Why was [Collector’s Dilemma] necessary? Was there even a collector there?
‘Was there an agent who was a collector?’
In joint events, there are no “third parties.” Instead, agents take that role.
What kind of logic is it to send a collector-type agent into a collapsing world?
At the very least, one thing was clear: that collector agent had something for me… for us, to gain.
‘If it’s a collector…’
They’d have things. Probably a lot. Though if things went wrong, we’d be the ones getting looted.
I let out a sigh and frowned.
No more information. If I kept buying it line by line, the expenses would definitely balloon.
“How much are you selling [Collector’s Dilemma] for?”
In the end, that was what mattered. Even if I heard all the information, if the item itself was overpriced, I might not be able to buy it.
As far as I knew, [Collector’s Dilemma] wasn’t high-grade.
Instead…
‘It’s more like a delicacy ingredient.’
Like a special cut of meat. Not a rare, high-quality piece with low yield, but something with average quality and taste that still had steady demand.
That kind of cut whose price fluctuates wildly.
‘13’ looked at me for a moment, then, as if it were obvious, quoted a high price.
“Quite a few people have been looking for this.”
Fuck, you didn’t say that when you bought it for cheap.
There are too many bastards in this world.
***
In the end, after some haggling, I repurchased it for four times what I sold it for.
It was infuriating, but what could I do? That was already reduced significantly from eight times the price.
What Lee Hoin chose was a pair of katana twin blades. Anyone could tell they were high quality. Not a bad choice.
Kim Taekjin, perhaps sticking with what he knew from using a crossbow, picked up a bow.
Having a ranged attacker would be nice, but…
“That’s too much of a longbow.”
It’s only good if you can actually draw it.
“Try pulling it. You won’t be able to.”
For Kim Taekjin, the bow reached down to his thigh. A longbow that rests on the ground would be better than that one… You have to hold and support that one entirely with strength, which would just drain stamina.
At my words, Kim Taekjin trembled, unable to even properly draw the string.
“It’s a good bow, though.”
It was clearly the most expensive and best-looking bow on the stall. You could tell just by its appearance.
But what’s the point if you can’t use it right now?
‘Planning for the future? Is some ancestor going to carry it for you?’
And chances are, you’d find an even better bow later anyway.
Something usable now. Something decent that could be used immediately.
I picked up a different crossbow. Even for me, it was much easier to draw than that longbow, and it wasn’t bad.
“This one has additional options.”
Every shot carried fire-element magic.
—
[Fire-element magic…]
—
At a glance, it looked good… but if that magic burned the arrows themselves, it’d be useless.
So…
“I’ll buy this too. Use them together.”
A bow scope. It had fitting options, clearly designed for this bow.
“It has an option that prevents elemental magic from applying to the arrows themselves.”
Of course, they’d sell these separately. Miserly merchants wouldn’t bother selling set items when they could make more by splitting them apart.
Even if you didn’t buy the scope now, it wouldn’t matter.
‘After using it a few times, you’d notice the problem anyway. Then you’d either come back or buy something else. Either way, they profit.’
The crossbow was taken as compensation, and I bought the scope separately.
Then, while rummaging through items, I found…
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[Blue Piercing]
In one world, piercings for mages were once in fashion.
At first, mages used rings, glasses, and piercings as auxiliary devices.
Eventually, they wore them simply for style.
Isn’t that how all trends go?
Ahahaha!
At the very least, this piercing offers some support.
※ When equipped, the [Output Stabilization] skill is unlocked.
—
Output stabilization.
Stabilizing magical output was exactly what I needed right now.
That’s what my master had tried to teach me.
But without a teacher, practicing alone had its limits.
For now, I’d stabilize things with gear.
‘Once it stabilizes more, it’ll be easier to summon my master too.’
Right now, my condition is a total mess.
Like a tiny pot with a hole in the bottom… water keeps pouring in and leaking out, and somehow I still have to cook, wash, and clean with that water.
It was complete chaos.
This was just a temporary patch to plug the leak.
‘Once we get out of here…’
We leave immediately. The moment this event ends, we will go far away.
No telling where Sa Jaeheon might be.
“Travel safely, customers. We look forward to your next visit.”
Leaving behind ‘13,’ who bowed politely, we immediately dropped back into the labyrinth.
***
Clearing the labyrinth wasn’t difficult.
Sa Jaeheon had already wiped everything out.
Everywhere we went, there were only corpses.
“Fuck, seriously…”
Lee Hoin frowned and exhaled.
Still, it wasn’t a pleasant environment.
His shoulders were tense, raised high with caution.
Not knowing where Sa Jaeheon might appear from, we suppressed our breathing and moved along the walls, dimming the light.
Just wearing the piercing made it easier to control the light, reducing it or keeping it outside my hands.
—
[Sometimes, talent can be compensated with money.]
[Isn’t it fortunate that even bottom-tier talent can be offset like this?]
—
The way it talks…
I slowed my breathing, breaking it into small, steady exhales as we advanced.
Even at the very end of the labyrinth, we didn’t relax for a second.
At the exit, I said:
“The moment we get out, run toward where the car was. Stick to the forest and trees.”
After firmly telling the two, we moved.
Clear notifications flooded in.
Ignoring all of them, we burst out.
Beyond the distant Namsan, in the corner of my vision, I spotted the red sports car Cha Hyeongseo had arrived in.
Either they hadn’t come out yet, or they had and were waiting.
We quickly got into the car, started it, and left immediately.
Somewhere far behind, I thought I heard an engine.
Ignored it.
I turned sharply in a direction Sa Jaeheon would never take.
Watching the speedometer hit 120, I shouted to the back:
“Seatbelts off!”
The two grabbed not just their seatbelts but also the overhead handles tightly.
I exhaled.
***
Sa Jaeheon stood still for a while.
He had already come out long ago.
Right in front of the parking lot.
Just standing there, waiting.
“Hey, what the hell is wrong with you…?”
Only Cha Hyeongseo, clueless, frowned.
From her perspective, she had no idea why Sa Jaeheon was acting like this.
The people they were dealing with had even saved her life once.
Cha Hyeongseo could only fidget helplessly.
Both sides were her benefactors.
So she thought… maybe if they met, they’d actually get along.
Nam Muyeong was surprisingly accepting of people.
Sa Jaeheon liked talented individuals.
Just from the people he’d met before, it was obvious.
Though in the end, he always ended up sticking with just Cha Hyeongseo.
‘If it were Lee Hoin or Nam Muyeong…’
They had great synergy.
One was like a zombie who never tired, even after pushing his stamina to the limit.
The other always gave precise instructions.
That was the most important trait of a leader.
Even if the orders could be wrong, they had to inspire trust in those who followed.
If the leader wavered, everyone wavered.
Sa Jaeheon lacked that.
He didn’t explain anything.
But Nam Muyeong was different.
He explained everything and inspired trust.
He was an unshakable leader.
So even if they were in the same group, he could become the center.
Sa Jaeheon would cut through everything with overwhelming force, while Nam Muyeong would act as the core from behind.
Perfect team plays.
That’s what Cha Hyeongseo thought.
So she spoke freely about Nam Muyeong and Lee Hoin… and the moment Sa Jaeheon heard it, his expression subtly changed.
‘…Did I mess up?’
Anxiety crept in as Cha Hyeongseo looked at him.
And Sa Jaeheon… was staring exactly at the place where Nam Muyeong and Lee Hoin had disappeared.
Without even the slightest error.
As if watching where they were going.
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