Chapter 38: Black Market (2)

“Three items, 230 million won,” the staff announced.

Still affordable for now.

“Any more Dragon Teeth?” Ion asked.

“Sorry, sir, we’re out of stock. Leave your name, and we’ll contact you when it’s restocked.”

Ion wrote down his name: On.

His black market alias from now on.

He considered Daon’s number for the contact but, feeling he’d burdened her enough, used Hong Insu’s instead.

The 230 million was wired directly from his Hunter account to the black market’s. He could’ve swiped a card, but his card limit was low, while his cash reserves were substantial.

He’d grinded countless low-paying dungeons.

A lot.

A whole lot.

Relentless dungeon-crawling, even with modest rewards, naturally piled up wealth.

“Payment confirmed. Thank you, sir,” the staff said, smiling brightly.

Buyers always stored items in inventories, so the staff didn’t offer a shopping bag.

Good thing I came prepared.

Ion pulled a reusable bag from his backpack. The staff’s smile turned peculiar.

Besides future-valuable items, Ion bought various small necessities.

Finished shopping, he headed to the meeting spot with Hong Insu. The red-masked man was already waiting.

“Yo, On! Found the guy you mentioned, but he’s on a restricted floor…”

“…”

“…”

Hong Insu’s jaw dropped at Ion’s armful of reusable bags.

“What… are those?”

“Bought some stuff.”

“Stuff here’s crazy expensive! And reusable bags? So uncool! You should’ve asked for a black market logo bag.”

He nagged about the green, plant-patterned bags.

“Where’s Harry Strange?” Ion asked.

“Man, the stuff’s so pricey. I wanted something, but it was way out of my budget!”

“Lead the way.”

“Oh, saw a lightweight planter Mom wanted, but it was insanely expensive.”

“…I bought two. I’ll give you one later.”

“…”

“Harry Strange?”

“Uh, fifth floor!”

Why was Harry Strange, who disliked gambling, on the fifth floor?

Puzzled, Ion got re-entry clearance and headed up. A skinny man in a green-feathered mask sat at an “Awakened Poker” table.

Must’ve been curious about the awakened-only card game.

Four others were at the table, Harry with the most chips. A man in a black mask on the far right stood, brushing his hands.

“Ugh, boring. High-rankers take everything this way. I’m out.”

“Awakened Poker still needs tweaks. You knew that,” a woman in a floral mask said, shrugging with a smile.

“Didn’t know it’d be this bad. You keep playing.”

“Sure, it’s fun. I’m fine losing—it’s spare cash.”

The black-masked man left, leaving an empty seat.

Ion swiftly exchanged chips. “I’ll join.”

“Perfect timing. Let’s start,” the dealer said, pulling a new deck.

Ion exchanged glances with the players. His youthful vibe, despite the mask, drew curious, friendly looks—except from the green-feathered man, who ignored him.

Hong Insu fidgeted behind Ion. “Yo, you ever played this?”

“Nope, but I know how. Stay quiet.”

“But…”

“Don’t hover behind a player. It’s seen as cheating.”

Hong Insu shut up and stepped back.

The dealer distributed cards. Same size and structure as regular cards, but blank—no printed numbers or suits. Instead, numbers were etched in ether, visible only to keen senses.

Gameplay was standard, but reading the ether etchings gave an edge. You could feel your own cards’ etchings with your fingertips, but shared cards? You had to focus mana in your eyes to read the faint ether marks—a tough skill. Overloading mana on a card would change its color, signaling cheating and forfeiting chips.

The game favored those with precise, delicate mana control.

The guy who left was right—high-rankers dominate.

Sadly, it never improved, becoming a game for elite Hunters, dubbed “GSS” (Great Superior Showdown) by the story’s end.

Which meant…

Ion couldn’t lose.

“Damn it! What trick did you use?”

“I’m done!”

“Me too. Lost all my chips.”

With Ion’s mana use not affecting ether, who could beat him?

The others, drained of chips, left the table.

Harry Strange started to rise. Ion quickly stopped him. “‘Strange’ sir, I’d like to talk.”

The translator in Harry’s ear likely caught “Strange” correctly.

The skinny, green-feathered middle-aged man scanned Ion, then Hong Insu, who’d crept closer. “Who are you? Take my money and now you want to talk?”

Auto-translated to Korean.

“I’ll give it back,” Ion said.

“Hmph, that pocket change…”

“I’ll tell you how I won. Curious how I read the cards without triggering a color change?”

“…”

“Mind talking somewhere quiet?”

“…Hmph. Follow me.”

This wasn’t Ion’s planned bait, but it worked.

Harry’s wrinkled mouth twitched as he led the way, Ion and Hong Insu trailing.

As a VIP, Harry stayed in a sixth-floor guest room, an exception to the no-lodging rule. It was modest, with a small bed and a desk.

Two chairs—Harry and Ion sat facing each other; Hong Insu stood.

“Explain first,” Harry commanded, legs crossed, posture domineering.

As expected.

The translator rendered polite Korean into formal English, so Ion spoke respectfully. “It’s simple. When the dealer finishes shuffling and sets the deck down, read the inner numbers. Only the back shows, so no one notices.”

“What? I only see the back—how do you read it?” Hong Insu asked, but it doubled as Harry’s question, so Ion continued politely.

“Instead of focusing mana in my eyes, I spread it outward, reaching the deck in the dealer’s hands. Through a thin mana thread connected to me, I sense the ‘ether structure’ and read its shape.”

“Like reading a tree’s form from the wind’s pattern?” Harry said.

“Yes. Then memorize the deck’s order. It takes a second for a color-changed card to revert, so reading it right after the shuffle is safer than reading each time.”

Hong Insu let out a deep sigh. “That’s possible?”

“You can do it too, hyung.”

“Me? I’m a genius, sure, but not your level of genius…” He shook his head, muttering, Crazy guy.

“Try it,” Harry said.

Harry slammed the table with his fist. A cylindrical pillar formed between his fist and the table, producing an unopened card deck.

Harry’s skill, Dreams Manifested.

Visualize an image, apply external force—like hitting a table—and kinetic energy materializes it. Larger objects needed bigger impacts; a card deck required just a fist’s tap.

When Ion reached for the cards, Harry stopped him, turning to Hong Insu. “You try.”

“Me? …No confidence, but I’ll try.”

Harry shuffled and set the deck down. Hong Insu summoned mana—not a skill, just a tiny amount, so no signature glow appeared.

He failed the first few times, the mana thread breaking. Ion stayed silent. Hong Insu soon figured it out, extending mana to the deck while staying connected.

“Whoa… I get it. The structure. It’s tough but wild. Like reading braille with a 1-meter thread. Mana can work like this?”

“Read the cards from the top,” Harry ordered.

“Uh…” Hong Insu focused, brow furrowed. “From the top… Two of Hearts, Three of Clubs, Eight of Diamonds…! But memorizing them all in a snap? That’s too much.”

“Withdraw your mana,” Harry instructed.

Hong Insu took five minutes to retract it. If he’d played earlier, he’d have been caught instantly—color changes linger if mana’s cut abruptly.

Harry tested it too. He failed initially but soon read the ether structures, retracting mana in three minutes—faster than Hong Insu.

Of course Harry succeeds. He’s S-rank.

But…

Ion glanced at Hong Insu, frowning. A B-rank succeeding after a few tries showed immense talent.

Perfect for Jin Seongha’s team. If only he’d stop with the sidekick nonsense, he’d be ideal for the Demon King subjugation.

“Can I state my business now?” Ion asked with a slight smile.

“…”

Harry tossed the deck with a scowl. “Hmph. Tell me what you need.”