The Skill Maker

“Who are they?”

“It’s under construction . Hopefully it gets done soon . ”

“What is it?”

‘The airstrip . ”

“…They’re really building one?”

“Of course . We don’t lie, my friend . ”

He assumed that’s what it was, but after seeing them actually work on the airstrip, Hyun-Soo was dumbfounded .

On top of that, it was huge!

“They’re just making adjustments since they just started, but the airstrip is going to be built not too far from here, so there’s no need to worry . ”

Kim Yoo-Na told Hyun-Soo that things were going to quiet down .

Kim Yoo-Na’s face was filled with exhaustion .

It’s because she’s been busy running around and taking care of things .

“I don’t understand why they’re controlling the information . No, I do know, but I don’t understand it . How can they do that?”

“Once you’re crazy over money and power, that’s what you become . ”

Eugene answered after hearing her ridiculous comment .

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, there’s an issue with one of the jobs that Yoo-Na did . ”

Eugene quietly told Hyun-Soo that the higher-ups must’ve lost their minds .

“Why are you controlling the information? You shouldn’t be thinking about the benefits . Lives are at stake here . First you threaten us with innocent lives and now you want to control the information? This doesn’t make sense . ”

Hyun-Soo felt energy being released from Kim Yoo-Na as she spoke .

Her eyes were burning . And…her fist was actually on fire .

And then she looked at Hyun-Soo for an answer .

You agree too, right?

Hyun-Soo unconsciously nodded .

It wasn’t because he was intimidated by her . At least, that’s what he wanted to think .

“Woah, Yoo-Na . Calm down . ”

“…Oh jeez . I guess you’re really upset . ”

Kim Yoo-Na cleared her throat when Eugene asked her to calm down .

“It was really upsetting when the information regarding the first colorful portal was revealed . ”

But why?

Even though Hyun-Soo was curious, at the same time, he knew why .

‘Those who have money and power are all the same . ’

On top of that, they wanted to reveal the information regarding the second portal .

And during that process, Kim Yoo-Na was feeling really upset .

Kim Yoo-Na tried to remain calm, but since she was really upset, it was obvious as to how things went .

“So, what did you do?”

Eugene asked her .

“Nothing . I just left . ”

“But, what about the information? It seems like they’re trying to control the hunters as well by the way they’re trying to control the information . They’re the types that feels relieved once they have the control . They work in an office, so what would they know?”

The way Eugene mumbled made it seem like he had a grudge against them .

“I’m going to release the information . ”

“How?”

Kim Yoo-Na gave a short answer when Eugene complained about how they would use everything within their power to gain control and would even cheat their way to obtain it .

“The black market . ”

“Wow, you’re being serious . ”

“If we can’t use the official method, then we have no choice but to use the unofficial method . ”

Hyun-Soo questioned his hearing when he heard their conversation .

Black market .

He heard of that place before .

He saw it on Hunter Net when he was reading the trends and issues .

But it was only a rumor that floated around the site like some ghost story .

‘I’ve heard people say that it exists, but I haven’t heard anyone say that they’ve actually been there . ’

Even those that wrote posts about their experience ended up getting reactions from the readers because it was false .

The comments mostly said, “Go to sleep” or “What’s the phone number to the nearest mental hospital?”

But there was one information that he remembered . It wasn’t a place that anyone could enter .

Of course, the readers reacted the same way .

That they were making things up and that they were writing up a story just to get some attention .

‘But a place like that really exists?’

After seeing how Eugene and Kim Yoo-Na acted, it probably did exist .

They had no reason to make this up, so it was more reason to believe them .

Hyun-Soo couldn’t contain his curiosity, so he asked .

“Um, does the black market really exist?”

“Yes, of course . ”

It seemed like Eugene’s nod was saying, “We said we’re going to use it because it exists . ”

“What kind of place is it?”

“You can say that it’s a place that pretty much has everything . ”

A vague answer came back when Hyun-Soo asked a broad question .

When Hyun-Soo stood there with a confused look, Eugene contemplated for a moment .

Eugene wanted to give a detailed explanation, but instead, he clapped his hands as if he thought of a good idea .

“Oh, you should visit there!”

Kim Yoo-Na added onto his suggestion .

“You’re right . That’s a good idea . There was something I needed to do for you anyways, so we can go together . Why didn’t I think of that?”

“For me?”

“Yes . Wouldn’t it be better to have some information regarding that egg? To see if there were any similar cases and if there are any special methods when hatching the egg . Even if it’s not in the database, there might be information there . ”

Even though it was Hyun-Soo’s egg, Kim Yoo-Na looked interested .

When checking with Interface, he could only confirm the information that was displayed .

Like Kim Yoo-Na mentioned, if they can get information from the black market, that wouldn’t be so bad .

On top of that…

‘I want to see!’

Since it’s been confirmed that the black market existed, he became really curious .

The name itself was the Black Market .

He imagined it being similar to the ones that appeared in those old Hong Kong noir films .

Once Hyun-Soo agreed, they came up with a plan .

“It won’t be good to go in a big group, so let’s make the group small . I’ll make note that you’ll be going too, Hyun-Soo . ”

And with that, their trip to the black market has been decided .

Since they had to make preparations, they decided to leave a few days later .

Since he had high expectations .

Time passed by fast and they were now on their way to the black market .

***

“……It’s clean . ”

It’s clean .

On top of that, it looked fancy .

Hyun-Soo blinked his eyes several times when he saw the large, luxurious-looking building .

“Haha . Were you expecting something else because of the name?”

Eugene laughed when he saw Hyun-Soo’s reaction .

“Well, the name doesn’t exactly match with the building . People that come here for the first time usually have the same reaction . ”

“I see…… . ”

It was understandable .

Hyun-Soo imagined a dark and shabby market that you can only find if you go through a dark alleyway .

“Stop making fun of him and put this on . You too, Hyun-Soo . ”

The item that Kim Yoo-Na handed over was a nameplate .

This was probably what they were preparing .

‘I guess it’s not open to everyone . The procedure is complicated . ’

Hyun-Soo wore the nameplate that Kim Yoo-Na gave him .

Eugene and also Katrina, who complained about leaving her behind, wore the nameplate .

“Nameplates, please . ”

At the entrance, the staff and guards checked the nameplates .

After that, they passed through a security check that was similar to the ones at an airport .

After passing a rectangular-shaped security desk, another staff approached to do a body search .

‘They’re not messing around . ’

Hyun-Soo quickly used Interface on the staff and became anxious when he checked their ranks .

They were all A ranks .

The black market was pretty famous and he could feel it from the entrance .

After everyone passed through security, they found the one elevator that existed in the building .

“The black market is located at the very top . ”

Kim Yoo-Na explained that the other floors were only important when they needed it .

– Ding!

When the elevator arrived, what Kim Yoo-Na said was true .

There were only three buttons they could choose from .

But there was only one button that has been activated .

When she pressed that button, the elevator moved to that floor .

When they stepped out, there was another security check .

They had to go through security again and after that, a fancy-looking door appeared .

When they stood in front of the door, the staff opened the door .

They were also A ranks .

“……!”

“What do you think? Is it similar to what you imagined?”

The room didn’t have the modern and luxurious details .

It’s like…… .

“I feel like I went back to the Middle Ages . ”

He didn’t know much about that time period, but he did see them in movies that appeared on TV and that’s what this placed reminded him of .

“The owner has an interesting taste . People that come here for the first time are surprised twice . First is when they see the building and second when they step inside . ”

It was decorated in a way that didn’t fit with the design of the building, which made it confusing .

Like, they were trying to be neat, but they were at their limit .

Something was really off .

“What are those?”

Hyun-Soo asked after seeing balls of paper stuck to one side of the wall .

On top of the one wall that was filled with paper, there were piles of paper in different areas .

“That? It’s a type of database . ”

“……That?”

“Yes, the owner likes old-fashioned methods…”

Eugene added that they were a very interesting person .

Hyun-soo continued looking around .

There were a lot of interesting things here .

From a monster’s corpse to rare scrolls to odd items .

They probably obtained it from a portal .

Hyun-Soo looked around as he followed behind Kim Yoo-Na .

There were a lot of items he was seeing for the first time .

‘Wow…the guy that wrote on the forum wasn’t a total liar . ’

It was like a general store that had everything .

This black market was like the general store for hunters .

There were probably a lot of items here that can’t be easily obtained elsewhere .

Meaning, they were rare and expensive .

After looking around, they arrived at another door .

This door was fancier than the first door they walked through .

“Eugene, wait outside with Katrina . ”

“Okay, go on ahead . I’ll look around with Katrina . ”

“Me too! Can’t I come with you?”

“Nope . Let’s go look around . ”

Even though Katrina begged to go with them, Eugene coldly refused and dragged her somewhere .

Katrina’s disappointed face soon disappeared within the crowd .

“Your appointment is ready . ”

When the staff at the door notified them, they confirmed it .

And moments later, they were guided into the room .

“Huh?”

A desk was placed in the center of the large room and a person was sitting on it .

They looked familiar to Hyun-Soo .

‘……No way . ’

After thinking for a bit, Hyun-Soo recalled someone .

It was the same person he thought of .

“Hello, Mr . Herhim . ”

“Nice to see you again, Yoo-Na . It hasn’t been that long since we last saw each other . ”

Not that long ago, Kim Yoo-Na kidnapped him and they ended up meeting at a restaurant .

And during that time, Hyun-Soo was introduced to a middle-aged man .

Hyun-Soo questioned his hearing when he was told that the man was Herhim .

But, if he’s here, that means…

“That gentleman looks familiar . Is it the same man I saw at the restaurant? I remember him as Mr . Kim . ”

“Yes, you’re right . It’s an honor to meet you again, Mr . Herhim . ”

“Nonsense . I’m very happy to see you again . ”

Hyun-Soo somehow managed to greet him .

He now understood why Kim Yoo-Na said it would be beneficial to know him .

She didn’t introduce him just because he was famous .

Herhim probably is…