Level -99 Archmage

Chapter 32. The Demon Merchant

‘It’s here.’

Park Chan-woo’s eyes gleamed. The reason he had remained inactive since clearing the Abyss of the Water God was now unfolding before him.

‘Fever Time.’

An event triggered when the probability of failing to achieve the target score drops below 1%. If he had cleared another dungeon right after hunting the Water God, this event would not have appeared. And ‘Fever Time’ had occurred in the past as well. The creators similarly assumed that South Korea would not reach 5,000 points. Pretending to be benevolent, they opened a trial and committed mass slaughter. Countless people, regardless of age or gender, met undesired deaths. All because of the ‘condition’ required to trigger the event.

‘Not having entered a dungeon until now means they are mentally and physically weak.’

A random 20% of people who had never entered a dungeon were selected. Most physically and mentally strong individuals had already experienced dungeons. Many others had entered out of curiosity. The problem lay with the rest. Patients who had difficulty moving. Those too young or too old to fight, all of them were thrown into a dungeon at random. The outcome was obvious without even needing to see it.

‘76.1%. The approval rate is even higher than before.’

The only difference from the past was the number of people in favor of ‘Fever Time.’ It had risen by nearly 10%. Was it because the early point gains had spiked sharply? As the rate of point accumulation slowed, people seemed to grow impatient. Opinions must have rapidly diverged on social media and online communities.

‘The Avatars and Han Shin aren’t moving. No wonder it’s hard to gain points.’

The reason was clear. Many Avatars had perished in the Abyss of the Water God. Since Avatars were classified as the strongest individuals at present, their deaths and injuries left a leadership vacuum. It didn’t matter much. Even if those guys tried their best to lead and save people now, the number of humans they would later slaughter would be ten times greater.

‘It’s surprising that even Han Shin isn’t making any moves…’

It was unexpected for that attention-seeker to stay quiet. Perhaps, after losing the Water God and his arranged setup, he had decided to observe for a while. Park Chan-woo soon shook his head.

‘No. Given Han Shin’s personality, there’s no way he would stay still in this situation. If he solves this crisis, he will become South Korea’s undisputed savior. The creator he contracted with… Aheta must have intervened.’

Or it could be Aheta’s own will. Aheta must have bet that South Korea wouldn’t be able to reach 5,000 points. But since the most difficult Abyss of the Water God had been cleared, she had already lost 1,000 points. If Han Shin made a move now, the target score would be achieved too easily.

‘Aheta must have placed quite a few coins on this.’

Park Chan-woo smirked slightly. One of the reasons he had been lying low had now disappeared. Han Shin and Aheta must have been searching for him with burning eyes. But if Han Shin was unable to act freely, the situation changed. After all, even in the past, Han Shin had been skeptical about achieving 5,000 points. He pretended to be a savior, but in the end, South Korea fell short by 500 points and faced the ‘Abyssal Invasion.’ As a result, over 200,000 people died. Had he acted more proactively, he could have hunted the Water God. As much as he hated to admit it, Han Shin was a monster. Unlike him, who relied on loopholes, Han Shin would have slain the Water God using conventional means. In any case, Park Chan-woo was now certain that Han Shin wouldn’t act decisively. Thanks to that, the creators judged the target score to be unattainable and proposed ‘Fever Time.’

‘Double dungeon rewards.’

It wasn’t entirely bad. In fact, for Park Chan-woo, it was an advantage. A ridiculous proposition of doubling dungeon clear rewards had been put forth. And that wasn’t all.

‘If I look at the sun, I can enter any dungeon instantly.’

To save travel time, dungeon entry was made more convenient. Previously, dungeon entrances only appeared before specific structures.

You had to be near an entrance to enter, but now, as long as the sun was visible, you could enter any uncleared dungeon from anywhere. However, the thing Park Chan-woo anticipated most was the third condition.

‘…I must find the Demon Merchant.’

The Demon Merchant!

They rarely appeared. For them to show up so openly like this was nearly unheard of. Demon Merchants were the only entities in the Abyss that enabled ‘trade.’ Of course, even in trades, only exchanges of equal ‘value’ were possible.

‘Perhaps I can cure my status ailments.’

If the value was sufficient, a Demon Merchant could provide anything. He had even heard rumors of someone acquiring the ‘Fruit of the World Tree’ from a Demon Merchant. A treasure beyond comparison with any elixir, capable of curing all severe ailments and curses! If he could obtain it, then erasing his ‘Weakest, Sickly, Frail, Terminally Ill’ condition would no longer be a mere fantasy. Park Chan-woo gazed up at the sky, looking at the sun.

『Currently, there are 13 uncleared dungeons in ‘South Korea.’』

『You will be transported to the selected dungeon among the 13.』

『You have chosen a dungeon.』

『Transporting to ‘Fire Dungeon (300)!’』

『The number of current entrants in the Fire Dungeon is 587,191.』

* * *

『Congratulations! ‘Han Min-oh,’ you have overcome a 20% probability and have been selected!』

‘W-What?!’

Han Min-oh looked around. Just moments ago, he had been in his room.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, everything before his eyes changed. A burning wasteland. Several towering pillars of fire.

‘What is that?’

No, they weren’t just pillars of fire.

“It’s… a tornado of flames!”

“Run!”

The area was filled with people who, like Han Min-oh, had been abruptly summoned. The fire-engulfed tornado swept over them in an instant.

“Aaaaah!”

“Save me!!”

No matter how much he thought about it, this wasn’t a dream. It was reality. Han Min-oh instinctively got up from his spot. And then, he started running like mad.

“C-Could this be the Abyss?”

The random 20% who had never entered a dungeon before. And he was one of the ones chosen. Dozens of people had already died before his eyes the moment it started. They were swept away by a typhoon or burned alive, screaming in agony.

Whoosh!

Whoooosh!

After running for a while, giant lizards appeared. Flame lizards with blazing backs flicked their tongues and snatched up the fleeing people. Han Min-oh immediately changed direction and ran east.

“Kikik.”

“Kikikikik.”

Then, along with sounds that seemed like mocking laughter, floating skeletons appeared. The skeletons spewed flames from their mouths, burning people to death. All around him were nothing but screams.

“Th-This is hell.”

Only then did Han Min-oh realize the reality of his situation. This place was a chaotic hell. There was only one direction left, west.

“Groooar!”

“Grrrk! Grrrk!”

…As he headed west, zombies appeared. The odd thing was that they were little more than bare skulls. It was as if the skeletons he had seen in the east had taken over corpses and evolved.

“Military uniforms? Are these soldier zombies or what?”

Most of the zombies were wearing military uniforms. They must have entered the dungeon earlier and met a tragic fate. Now, they had become zombies and were attacking Han Min-oh from all sides.

“D-Don’t come closer! Stay away!”

Han Min-oh, collapsed on the ground, screamed with tears and snot streaming down his face. He was terrified. He didn’t want to die. Never in his life had he felt such fear.

“P-Please save me…”

“Do you want to live?”

“…!”

A voice from beside him startled Han Min-oh, and he turned his head in shock. Before he knew it, a demon carrying a backpack was standing right next to him. With black skin, horns sprouting from its forehead, and two large wings, there was no mistaking it. It was a demon. The demon introduced itself.

“I am the great merchant, Dagon. As long as the price is right, I can even bring you back from death.”

The merchant, who called himself Dagon, smiled. Han Min-oh desperately grabbed Dagon’s feet.

“M-Money! I can give you as much as you want! If I tell my father, he can pay anything! My father is the chairman of Hanyeon Group!”

“Money? That is the most worthless thing in the Abyss.”

“T-Then what should I give you…?”

“For starters, ten fingers.”

“…What?”

“Do you refuse? Right now, the only thing you have to offer is your own body.”

“N-No! If it means I can live, my fingers are nothing…!”

Slash!

With the sound of something being severed—

Plop!

All ten fingers fell to the ground in a neat row.

“Aaaaaaah!”

Han Min-oh groaned in agony and fell to his knees. Dagon picked up the severed fingers.

“Hmm, their value is only 20? Nowhere near enough.”

“W-What do you mean…!”

“Your body is too weak. Its value is pathetic.”

“But you said you’d save me…!”

“I said ‘for starters,’ didn’t I? Looks like I’ll need at least two arms for this deal to go through.”

It was like he was hypnotized.

Without realizing it, Han Min-oh nodded.

“O-Okay, fine! I’ll give you my arms, just please…!”

Rip!

It was an unreal sight. Dagon grabbed both of Han Min-oh’s arms and tore them off.

“Gaaaaah!”

The pain was so intense that Han Min-oh’s eyes rolled back. Dagon, however, just shrugged.

“Sorry, but even your two arms are only worth 50. Maybe your heart will do.”

It was nonsense. Absolute bullshit. A person couldn’t live without a heart. Even if he gave it up, the only thing waiting for him was death. The only choice was whether to die at the hands of a demon or be torn apart by zombies.

“Does it hurt? I could at least kill you painlessly as payment for what you’ve given me so far.”

“Ahhh…”

It hurt. This was pain unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life. If there was any way to escape this agony, he would do anything. Getting eaten by zombies seemed a hundred times worse.

“P-Please, just…”

“Just?”

Dagon grinned, revealing his sharp teeth.

“Go on. Beg me to kill you.”

“If you do, the deal will be complete.”

“Kill me—!”

“Stop.”

At that moment. Someone appeared, interrupting Han Min-oh’s words. It was as if they had risen from the ground out of nowhere.

“…Hm? Where did you come from? Did you use invisibility magic?”

Even Dagon tilted his head in confusion. Complete invisibility was a high-level magic. But invisibility magic didn’t erase presence completely. Yet this person had appeared without any sign at all. Looking down at the unconscious Han Min-oh, Park Chan-woo spoke to Dagon.

“Isn’t his value at least enough to survive?”

“You suddenly appear and spout nonsense. What do you mean by ‘survive’?”

“You could have built a wall or at least set up a defensive barrier to keep the zombies away.”

“Listen. Value changes depending on the situation. A man who’s already as good as dead has nothing left to offer.”

“As good as dead?”

Growl!

From the hem of Park Chan-woo’s pants, a brilliant Anubis appeared, immediately growing in size and pushing the zombies back.

“Now he’s not going to die.”

“…….”

Dagon was at a loss for words. As he said, the future he had judged had changed. And the fact that the future had changed meant, in other words…

“Clearly… I must have been mistaken. I didn’t expect someone like you to show up.”

The value of the two arms he had severed from Han Min-oh had also changed. The deal itself had become unnecessary. Park Chan-woo spoke clearly.

“The deal is nullified, so attach the severed arms and fingers immediately.”

“······.”

Right. To nullify the deal, the arms had to be reattached right away. And to reattach the fully severed arms and fingers, at least a high-grade elixir would be needed. However, it didn’t make sense financially. The rule was that only equal-value deals could be made. That absolute rule was something even Dagon couldn’t escape.

‘To increase my merchant rank, I need to complete as many deals as possible.’

Even demon merchants had ranks. And right now, Dagon’s rank was ‘Ancient’. Among the demon merchants here, it was a fairly high rank, but it was still lacking to be called a ‘Great Merchant’. That’s why he was desperately trying to make deals with humans. The merchant rank could rise based on the ‘value’ of the deals made.

‘The problem is, if I get a high-grade elixir, my rank might drop.’

Naturally, to smooth over his mistake and obtain a high-grade elixir, Dagon would have to pay an equal value himself. A merchant’s value was based solely on their rank. Moreover, high-grade elixirs were rare and hard to obtain. That was why Dagon’s face was twisted. On the other hand, Park Chan-woo spoke in a flat tone.

“Why are you just standing there?”

“······.”

“If this man dies, your merchant status will be revoked.”

“······!”

For the first time, Dagon’s pupils widened. It seemed that the man in front of him knew the rules of the merchant’s world.

“You… What are you? How does a human know the rules of a merchant?”

His voice was almost filled with anger. Park Chan-woo smiled slightly.

‘Just as I expected.’

Dagon and all the other demon merchants were desperately wandering through the dungeon. They were trying to extract as much ‘value’ from humans as possible. Forcing deals to satisfy their own interests. If they rose to the rank of ‘Great Merchant,’ they could stand on equal footing with the Lords of the Abyss. However, excessive greed often brought trouble. Dagon’s situation was exactly that.

“Are you curious about how I know your rules? This information is quite expensive, though. You may not have the ‘value’ to pay for it.”

He suggested a counter-deal, taunting Dagon. The question was whether Dagon could afford the ‘value’ of the information. He was skillful. Dealing with demons was second nature to him. Dagon, however, kept glaring at him silently. It felt like he was facing another demon.

‘He must have bought this information from another demon merchant.’

Dagon was certain. He must have asked another demon merchant about the merchant’s rules. Basic information could be exchanged for the value of a unique-grade item. He must have used that to blackmail Dagon. He had probably been lurking, waiting for Dagon to make a mistake.

‘He knows the rules through a deal and intends to extract value from me to smooth over this situation.’

It seemed that the human was using the advantage of knowing the rules to try to get something from Dagon. How despicable. but, Dagon sneered inwardly and said,

“Fine, I’ll pay the value in exchange for the information. Now, tell me. Who did you hear the merchant’s rules from?”

He accepted the counter-deal. The fact that Dagon was willing to make the deal showed that this human was impressive. To surprise him to this extent meant the human had significant value. If he could strip this human of his value and buy the ‘high-grade elixir’, Dagon could smooth over his mistake. That was the plan.

‘What a fool. Does he not know about the non-disclosure clause?’

Such information usually had a non-disclosure clause attached. Most contracts were written in ‘Demon Language’, so unless the human could use translation magic, they wouldn’t understand. However, what was written in the contract was clear.

‘If he reveals the name of the demon merchant who gave him the information, he will have to pay ten times the value as a penalty.’

That was the standard clause. Dagon planned to use that against him. He would say that he would keep the secret or erase the relevant memories, but in return, Dagon would take half of the penalty.

‘The moment you reveal the name of the merchant, you’re finished.’

Having accepted the deal, it was over. The human might think he was threatening Dagon, but it was futile. The human had fallen into his own trap. Of course, the more significant the demon merchant who shared the information, the higher the value Dagon would have to pay. But Dagon was convinced that the information came from another demon merchant. Then, it happened. A grin spread across Park Chan-woo’s face as he spoke, “Sephiro.”

…Sephiro? Dagon tilted his head. There was no demon merchant by that name. But it sounded familiar. It was certainly a rare name.

‘Could it be?’

…For a moment, a certain entity flashed through Dagon’s mind.

But there was no way. There was no way a human would know that name. Even if it were true, there was no reason for such a being to have told a human about the merchant’s rules.

『The value assessment of the information begins.』

『The information is verified as truthful.』

『The deal is completed.』

『The estimated value of the information is at least ‘20,000,000’.』

『‘Dagon’ should pay as the said value.』