Chapter 8: Black Market
Because a massive war had been prevented, the 1st Floor <El Land> remained perpetually peaceful.
But the brighter the light, the deeper the shadow.
With no wars occurring at all, the Black Market—where all kinds of goods were traded—thrived more than ever.
“The Black Market? There’s no way that exists.”
“Just some dumb rumor. People who failed or were hallucinating spread that nonsense.”
“If something like that existed, major guilds like <Light Bringers> or <Murim Alliance> would’ve cleaned it out already.”
Most players treated it as a baseless myth, but the underground auction house definitely existed.
‘I used it plenty myself.’
In fact, the most valuable commodity in the Black Market was information.
Before regression, Lee Jinhyuk had heavily relied on several information guilds there—not just during his five years on the 1st floor, but even as he climbed the Tower.
That’s why he knew their tendencies and unspoken rules well.
‘I have no need for their info now… nor the points to pay for it.’
Fiddling with <Burning Frost>, Jinhyuk murmured to himself.
‘Just need to quickly power this guy up and leave.’
He knew dozens of “mouse holes” to sneak into the Black Market.
‘Right here.’
After reaching a deserted back alley and stepping in a specific pattern on the ground, a hidden door opened.
Clatter…
Following the steps down, he emerged into a dazzling district full of nightlife.
In contrast to the warm sunlight above, artificial neon signs and fluorescent lights lit the area.
A sweet aroma mixed with strange-smelling smoke wafted through the air, and eyes full of greed—not caution—scanned Jinhyuk from every direction.
The shadow of the 1st Floor.
The Black Market.
“Hey, bro! How about a drink and some powder that’s good for the body, heh.”
“Big brother! Am I not your type?”
“You interested in a ticket that guarantees passage through the 2nd Floor Trial?”
All sorts of shady characters approached him.
The best way to deal with them?
Ignore them. Even a hint of acknowledgment and they’d cling to you relentlessly.
‘This place hasn’t changed.’
As he moved deeper into the Black Market, the shop he sought appeared.
[Buy, Sell, Repair – We Do Everything!]
Just as he was about to enter, an old man grabbed his arm.
“Hehe… Young man. Just remember one thing.”
“Here, there’s no set price, no fixed product, and no limit to what’s possible. If you’ve got the points, you can buy or sell anything.”
“The only rule in this place… is that if you get scammed, it’s your own damn fault.”
‘He’s not wrong.’
After hearing the old man out, Jinhyuk glanced around at the weapons on display.
“Come in, come in!”
It was like one of those bustling stalls from Dongdaemun Market back in the day, but instead of clothes, it was gear and items.
“Hey! Stop right there!”
“Don’t you know it costs points just to check the stats on an item?”
“This one’s epic grade, man. Epic!”
Obvious scams.
People lying about normal-grade gear being epic. Others demanding points just to check item info.
‘Not like the info would be accurate anyway.’
Most of the items here were affected by the skill <False Oracle>—a skill that fakes an item’s effects for a set duration.
In a place where scams were more common than meals, that was just business as usual.
‘This is how the Black Market operates.’
Zzzzt…
In an area where equipment was lined up, Jinhyuk’s gaze settled on one spot.
“Oh! You’re here! This item is really great.”
Just as expected, a merchant immediately came over to scam him.
“It’s a rare item. There’s a small crack, but the performance? Still excellent!”
“It has a flaw, so I’ll sell it cheap. Just 100 points!”
“Mind if I take a closer look?”
“Of course! You look like a newbie, so I’ll even let you inspect it for free.”
‘Being allowed to check item info is considered special treatment, huh.’
Chuckling dryly, Jinhyuk inspected a few items.
‘I don’t care if the info is fake. As long as it’s related to cold energy, I’m good.’
[Inspecting item: <Frost Giant Leather>]
[Inspecting item: <Glorious Ice Knight’s Gauntlet>]
[Inspecting item: <Undine Pendant>]
As the seller said, they were all rare-grade—but Jinhyuk knew that was a lie.
So why was he inspecting them anyway?
Simple.
[<Burning Frost> absorbs cold energy.]
[<Burning Frost> absorbs cold energy.]
[<Burning Frost> absorbs cold energy.]
Exactly.
By pretending to inspect the gear, he was secretly letting his hidden item <Burning Frost> absorb the cold energy stored within the armor.
[<Burning Frost> absorbs cold energy.]
[<Burning Frost> absorbs cold energy.]
‘No visual change appears, even when the item’s state changes.’
The skill <False Oracle> only alters the text shown to players, not the actual effects—meaning any real changes went unnoticed.
“Thank you. I’ll come back next time.”
Jinhyuk was methodical.
He only targeted shops near the entrance of the Black Market—where mostly new, inexperienced merchants set up shop.
Even if their items changed in performance, they were too green to notice.
He also deliberately acted like a newbie.
Most Black Market merchants secretly installed a tool called the <Floor Identifier>—which tells how many floors a player has cleared.
It didn’t work on high-rankers or those with special items, but it was perfect for detecting low-floor players.
‘To them, a low-floor player is just an easy mark.’
To these merchants, Jinhyuk looked like a lucky rookie who had just barely cleared the 1st Floor.
So no one batted an eye at what he was doing.
[<Burning Frost> absorbs cold energy.]
Thanks to that, Jinhyuk was able to store a massive amount of cold energy inside <Burning Frost>.
<Burning Frost>
Grade: Epic
Type: Material Item
[Fire Attribute: 1] [Water Attribute: 20]
▶ Absorbs and stores heat or cold energy.
‘That’s enough for now.’
Satisfied with the result, Jinhyuk blended into the crowd and exited the Black Market.
The item naturally caps at 20 cold energy. To go further, he’d need help from a player with a special skill.
‘This’ll be used later to synthesize a new item.’
He smirked.
‘Status Window.’
{Status Window}
Name: Lee Jinhyuk
Race: Human
Level: 16
[Strength: 46] [Stamina: 47] [Agility: 49]
[Mana: 35] [Divine Power: 0]
‘Mana stat up to 35 already.’
Thanks to the synergy between <Burning Frost> and <Eternal Frost>, he had boosted his mana by 20 in no time.
‘Guess I really fooled them into thinking I’m a rookie. They let their guard down hard.’
After casually “stealing some frost,” he emerged from underground.
Even if he was back to a low level, Jinhyuk had practically lived in the Black Market before.
For someone like him, this was child’s play.
‘Though it’s just a temporary fix…’
To truly master the Tower’s mana—a transcendent power—it required specialized skills.
Like martial artists’ “Inner Energy Manuals,” mages’ “Circles,” or knights’ “Mana Techniques.”
Of those, the <Sun-Moon Manual> used by Chunhyangwoon left a strong impression.
‘I’ve got no guild, no contract with a Constellation, and no spare points. So for now, I can’t get any of those.’
He chuckled bitterly.
‘Revenge costs money too, huh?’
Then he moved again.
‘Still, I’ve got my own way.’
Jinhyuk possessed two things no one else in the Tower ever could:
The body of a Constellation, and a second chance to climb the Tower.
“Looks like I’ve got my next trial goal.”
“Secure a reliable method for raising my mana.”
The Next Day
After checking out of the inn, Jinhyuk spoke immediately:
“I’m challenging the 2nd Floor Trial.”
[Do you wish to challenge the 2nd Floor Trial?]
[If you agree, you’ll be transported to the trial waiting room.]
As he accepted, a pillar of white light enveloped him.
[Transporting to 2nd Floor Trial Waiting Room.]
He arrived.
Dark soil, walls lined with bones—an atmosphere designed to make anyone uncomfortable.
[Many Constellations are observing you after hearing rumors.]
[Constellation <The Flame That Killed the Mother Goddess> is watching you closely.]
[Constellation <King of Muspel> warns others not to covet you.]
Constellations could observe players during waiting and active trials.
It seemed quite a few had gathered to see Jinhyuk in person.
The stars in the sky above were proof of that.
“Nice to meet you all.”
[Constellation <Eternal Flame> shyly greets you.]
[Constellation <Dawn King of Zhonghua> is eager to see your swordsmanship.]
[Constellation <Blood-Red Hair> is excited to watch you fight.]
“The trial hasn’t started yet.”
[The 2nd Floor Trial will begin soon!]
[Remaining Time: 1 hour 22 minutes]
“Looking for players to team up with!”
“Let’s work together! Survival comes before competition!”
“Come gather here!”
Some players, already armed with knowledge, began forming teams.
The 2nd Floor Trial was called <Undead Race>.
As the name suggests, the goal was to reach the finish line within the time limit—while countless undead monsters blocked the path.
The faster you finished, the better the rewards.
‘Break the record, and the rewards get even bigger.’
In the Tower, the more impossible something seemed, the bigger the reward for achieving it.
He’d already gotten a Heroic-grade skill from the tutorial, and two Epic-grade items from the 1st Floor Trial.
<Burning Frost> even had potential beyond Epic.
‘Most players take 2 days to clear it. If you avoid fighting, it takes over 5 days—which means elimination.’
‘Considering the 3-day limit, time’s tight.’
Though technically a solo trial, forming a team was much more efficient.
Of course, once the finish line was in sight, betrayal was the unspoken rule—everyone aiming to rank higher.
‘If you don’t cross that line in 3 days, you die.’
After 3 days, the Tower initiates a “Clean-Up”, killing all remaining players.
Which is why cooperation was strongly encouraged.
[Constellation <The Flame That Killed the Mother Goddess> is curious about your thoughts.]
“Curious? That’ll be 500 won.”
[Constellation <The Flame That Killed the Mother Goddess> sponsors you with 500 points.]
‘Guess they don’t get the joke. Not many Constellations know Korean culture.’
Smiling faintly, Jinhyuk glanced at the other players.
“For now, I’ll blend in and move with them. Gotta clear the trial somehow, right?”
[Constellation <Dawn King of Zhonghua> insists he hates sweet potatoes.]
[Constellation <King of Muspel> reminds you that killing the other players guarantees 1st place.]
[Constellation <Eternal Flame> is moved by your selflessness.]
‘Selflessness? Oh…’
Jinhyuk laughed.
They must’ve misunderstood his actions on the 1st floor.
But his choices had been about maximizing personal gain, not altruism.
‘They think I’ll protect the others again?’
He had no such intention.
He had other goals.
‘But hey, if they want to believe I’m a good guy, I won’t stop them.’
As he muttered to himself…
“Gather here!”
“We’ve got priests too, so we’ll be fine!”
“Come, come!”
Jinhyuk naturally blended in with the crowd.
“Priests up front! Ranged attackers in the back…!”
And then—
[Time Remaining: 0 seconds]
[<2nd Floor Trial> begins!]
[You have acquired Main Quest: <Undead Race>.]
The second trial had begun.
