The black market was set up in a small village on the outskirts of South Pyongan Province.
People wearing uniquely designed masks began entering the black market after undergoing thorough inspections.
Everyone entering the black market had to verify their admission ticket.
These tickets were electronic marks that reset every time the black market opened, and if lost, they could never be reissued.
Additionally, high-level magic circles were deployed both inside and outside the market, and warriors trained in magic—who seemed to be Baek Cheol-soo's subordinates—were stationed throughout the area.
"The location of the black market changes every time it opens. This is for security and safety reasons. The location is sent only to those holding admission tickets at midnight on the day of the event."
For a group composed mostly of local thugs and, at best, wanderers, it was a surprisingly well-structured system.
All of this was likely the work of Jeong Jin-soo.
'But even I can see the gaps in their security.'
This confirmed one thing.
Jeong Jin-soo was unable to fully showcase his skills.
And there was only one reason for that—
Baek Cheol-soo's incompetence as his superior.
If he had trusted and utilized Jeong Jin-soo better, the black market would have been far more solid, larger in scale, and structured more effectively.
"All of this is possible because I have full control over all the slums near the Northern Safe Zone."
Baek Cheol-soo continued speaking in a polite yet confident tone.
"If I were to serve your lord, I would dedicate myself with utmost loyalty. I, Baek Cheol-soo, am a rather useful man."
"You? Useful?"
Could a mere butcher of men truly be of use?
If my real seventh brother were here, he wouldn't even consider using someone like this.
He would employ a cleaner, more perfect method.
"Unlike others, I have no qualms about handling both clean and dirty work. Isn't that exactly the kind of person your lord is looking for, rather than some pretentious noble?"
Baek Cheol-soo glanced at Jeong Jin-soo.
Catching his gaze, I smirked.
'Is that wariness? Or jealousy? Must be because I only took Jeong Jin-soo with me into the warehouse.'
Either way, this was welcome.
I looked at Jeong Jin-soo, and he immediately averted his eyes.
"The auction will begin soon. Shall we proceed?"
Baek Cheol-soo grinned and gestured.
I nodded.
"Lead the way. And once inside, don't stay by my side—I don't want to attract attention. You've arranged a good seat, I assume?"
"Of course. I've prepared the best spot with a full view of the auction. Please, this way."
Together with Baek Cheol-soo, I moved toward the center of the black market.
Now, the real plan was about to begin.
***
The auction house was a two-story, circular space.
Participants observed from private rooms above while the auctioneer displayed items on a round table in the center of the first floor.
The atmosphere resembled that of an audience gathered for an opera.
In each room, masked individuals silently awaited the auction.
'Acting all sophisticated while attending an illegal auction, huh?'
I put on my face-concealing mask and surveyed the area.
Once everyone had taken their seats, the auction house was fully occupied.
'They've even stationed warriors in case something happens. Most of them seem to be around rank six or five. The Baekgol faction is more formidable than I expected.'
A significant number of them were positioned throughout the venue, ostensibly as guards.
But their real purpose was surveillance.
At that moment, the auctioneer slowly walked onto the stage.
"Now! Today's items are truly invaluable. We have procured numerous treasures for this auction, sure to please our esteemed guests with discerning eyes. Let us begin!"
The auction commenced.
I gently stroked the black blade at my waist.
"The first item is a book of sorcery. Sorcery is a unique discipline. In modern times, only those who have cultivated magical power can use it, but in ancient times, people wielded immense sorcery even without such abilities."
The first item placed on the table was a turtle shell engraved with ancient script.
"This item bears inscriptions of ancient sorcery. The starting bid is ten million won."
The bids, initially rising in increments of one million, quickly escalated into the tens of millions.
"Three thousand! Is there no one for four thousand? Ah! Guest number four, four thousand won, currently the highest bid. Guest number five, five thousand received."
Only when people gradually stopped raising their paddles did the final bid get confirmed.
'The first round is going fairly smoothly.'
Just in case, I examined it with my magic eye, but despite being labeled an ancient magical inscription, it was just an artifact that looked the part.
The bid reached a whopping fifty million won, but this was probably just a warm-up before the real auction began.
"Alright, onto the next item…"
I didn't place any bids.
As expected of an auction prepared by Baek Cheol-su for Baek Jeol, there were rare items that even I hadn't seen in storage. Still, I had no reason to participate.
Soon, it was time for the final item.
"And now, we will begin the auction for the item you've all been eagerly waiting for."
Two of Baek Cheol-su's subordinates carefully carried over Baek Jeol, encased in a glass container.
"This is the spear Baek Jeol, known to have been personally retrieved from the North Sea by Lee Jae-hak, the seventh son of the Soongmu family."
I narrowed my eyes and scanned the room.
I could feel the change in atmosphere among the masked attendees.
And just then—
Murmur.
From beyond the room, hushed whispers from the security personnel reached my ears.
They seemed flustered.
'It's begun.'
I grinned and activated my magic.
***
Baek Cheol-su was monitoring the entire black market operation from a nearby building.
"We've had plenty of visitors before, but never to this extent. Has anything like this happened before?"
In front of Baek Cheol-su were multiple screens.
Through the CCTV cameras and drones positioned throughout the black market, he could oversee everything happening within the area.
Many guests usually attended, but today, the number was unusually high.
Jung Jin-su responded in a dry tone.
"I contacted the guests. I told them we had many special items today."
Baek Cheol-su examined Jung Jin-su with a curious expression.
Jung Jin-su swallowed dryly, and Baek Cheol-su smirked.
"Hmph, good work, Director Jung."
"I'll begin packaging and shipping preparations right away. Once this is settled, we will be officially aligning with the Soongmu family, correct?"
"Haha! Director Jung, now that you've made up your mind, you're brimming with enthusiasm. I like it!"
Baek Cheol-su recalled what Jung Jin-su had said a while ago and grinned.
"That's… not it."
"Sure, sure, I get it. As long as we secure ties with the Soongmu family, our honorable Director Jung won't have to dirty his hands. That's a good thing, isn't it?"
Jung Jin-su pressed his lips together tightly.
Baek Cheol-su chuckled.
'Jung Jin-su. No matter what, you're still under me.'
The man who once acted so reluctant was now working so fervently. Smart, but easy to read.
In Baek Cheol-su's eyes, even with the Soongmu family's involvement, things were bound to get messier, not cleaner.
Lee Jae-hak wasn't investing in the black market because he saw great potential in it—he was aiming to dominate the underworld economy.
"Heh, get going now. You've got work to do, Director Jung."
"…Understood."
Jung Jin-su bowed his head and left the room.
Baek Cheol-su smirked.
'Director Jung personally confirmed that Lee Jae-hak's subordinate is involved… If this goes smoothly, I'll have grabbed hold of a thick, sturdy rope.'
As Baek Cheol-su indulged in his pleasant thoughts, leaning back into his chair—
"Huh?"
One of his subordinates, watching the surveillance footage, let out a dumbfounded noise.
"Huh? Uh, what…?"
Just as Baek Cheol-su frowned and began to rise—
Static—
"H-here, the entrance to Sector A—Aaargh!"
"North wall, here! Suddenly, some strange guy—he, suddenly! Suddenly…!"
"Gah!"
A series of urgent screams erupted from the radio.
Baek Cheol-su stood up in shock.
BOOOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the ground.
"What the hell is going on?!"
Static crackled.
On the surveillance monitors displaying the market's exterior, a group of intruders began appearing.
Armed with their own weapons, the warriors swiftly moved, taking down their foes as they advanced.
Their movements were so fast that even the surveillance equipment struggled to capture them properly.
"Hey! You bastards! What the hell is going on?!"
Baek Cheol-su shouted furiously, grabbing the subordinate in charge of the radio by the collar.
"T-that…! I don't know! It's definitely not the cops, but…!"
"Could it be the government's special forces?"
"B-but there's no way they would move this fast and this quietly!"
Before the subordinate could finish speaking, the ground trembled once again.
BOOM! CRASH!
The shock was strong enough to be felt even from inside the building.
Through the monitors filling the room, warriors could be seen swiftly surrounding and suppressing the black market.
"Doesn't matter if it's the cops or whoever—just hurry up and clean this up!"
Damn it.
Baek Cheol-su grit his teeth.
To be interrupted at such a crucial moment…
At this rate, everything with Sungmuiga was ruined.
But first, he had to escape.
Whoever had infiltrated this place wasn't just some random law enforcement.
"Chief Jung! You take the list and the ledgers—!"
Baek Cheol-su stopped mid-sentence, startled.
Jung Jin-su wasn't there.
Because Baek had sent him out earlier.
His last words and actions flashed through Baek's mind.
Static! Pop!
And in an instant, as if on cue, all the surveillance equipment shut off simultaneously.
Baek Cheol-su muttered blankly.
"Sungmuiga."
The veins on his temple bulged.
The pieces of the puzzle clicked into place in his mind.
"Jung Jin-su, you son of a bitch!"
He roared, his voice filled with rage.
"Get the men after Jung Jin-su and that traitorous bastard right now! No, screw it—I'll go myself!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
Gripping the dagger he always carried, Baek Cheol-su stormed out.
***
The auction hall plunged into chaos as soon as the operation began.
Explosions and screams echoed from outside the building. The sound of things shattering and bursting made it impossible to proceed with the auction.
"Uh, p-please wait a moment! We're trying to get a grasp of the situation… Headquarters? Headquarters, respond! What's going on?"
The auctioneer frantically called into his earpiece, but there was no response—either the connection was lost or something had happened.
Meanwhile, I stood up and reached out toward Mujin, displayed on the first floor in the form of Baekjeol.
Vwoooong—!
Mujin responded to my mana, vibrating.
"W-whoa, whoa!"
The auctioneer, startled by the sudden change, stumbled backward in panic.
And then—
BOOM!
The glass case surrounding Mujin shattered instantly, breaking through the second-floor window and landing directly in my hands.
"You scamming bastard!"
Too late, the Baekgolpa thugs burst through the door.
"That bastard has a weapon! Take him down!"
Four of them rushed at me at once.
A narrow room, filled with obstacles.
The Baekgolpa thugs wielded the standard longswords.
But Mujin could change form at will.
"W-what?!"
Their eyes widened in shock.
Kang Gi Gong, Yeomra.
A confined space—yet I activated an aura skill.
The Baekgolpa warriors, caught off guard, failed to react as Mujin shifted forms and struck them down in an instant.
"Hoo."
It didn't even take a full minute to take down all four.
I swiftly headed out of the auction hall.
There were too many guards outside.
Shaking them off wouldn't be an issue, but if Baek Cheol-su arrived, things would get complicated.
I had to secure the slate first.
"Huff… huff…!"
As I was about to leave the auction hall, a man appeared before me, drenched in sweat, his face pale.
"You got here pretty fast."
Jung Jin-su slowly approached me, his eyes filled with confusion.
I smirked and spoke.
"So, Jung Jin-su. Are you ready?"
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