Level -99 Archmage

Chapter 33. Sephiro

The demon merchants are beings who trade valuable things. However, if one approaches them thoughtlessly, they will suffer greatly.

‘Demon merchants are all swindlers.’

To begin with, they do not have fixed prices. They do not display their goods on a stall with price tags attached. Instead, they vaguely assess “value” and enable transactions accordingly. However, the value of the same item can vary depending on the person and the situation. In short, they are fraudsters. There were even many cases where demon merchants deliberately created situations and drove humans into a corner. They were like thieves trying to take away a person’s body and life for a pittance. Murderers who killed under the guise of trade, that was what demon merchants were. Making a fair deal with such creatures? No one in their right mind would think of doing so. This was even truer for Park Chan-woo.

‘I’ve survived in the Abyss for a whole 20 years. In all that time, I’ve never once seen an honest demon merchant.’

There was never a case where he made a normal transaction with them upon first meeting. Demon merchants had a habit of trying to gain the upper hand in every trade. If they determined that they were at a disadvantage, they would disappear without a second thought. However, that did not mean it was impossible to make a fair deal with them. For example, one could subdue them by force, exploit their weaknesses, or present something enticing to make them willingly engage in trade. Of course, there was an even more effective method.

‘Even demon merchants can be driven to bankruptcy.’

That method was bankruptcy. The demons of the Abyss were not easy to kill. How could mere humans possibly hunt beings who were born and raised in the Abyss? However, even weak humans could sometimes kill demons. Through bankruptcy or oaths. Especially if one knew a demon’s true name, forcing them into bankruptcy meant an inescapable death. That was why demons, when on the verge of bankruptcy, would beg for mercy under the name of ‘trade.’ They would plead for their lives. Beg to be spared from bankruptcy. Promise to give up anything and everything, their very hearts and souls just to survive.

“H-how is this possible…?”

Dagon’s eyes trembled violently as he realized he had fallen into a trap. It was only natural. A name he could never have expected had just been spoken aloud.

“I warned you from the start that this was expensive information.”

Park Chan-woo clicked his tongue. Everything had been his plan from the beginning. He had anticipated Dagon’s every move.

‘He must have assumed I got the rules from a demon merchant.’

Demon merchants had appeared throughout the dungeon. Dagon had likely assumed that Park Chan-woo had struck a deal with one of them to learn the Rules of the Merchants. If that were the case, he would have also assumed that the deal had been made under a “Non-Disclosure Contract” as a fundamental clause. Then, Dagon would have attempted to make him reveal the name of the merchant who disclosed the rules, thus incurring a penalty for breaching the contract. And in exchange for lifting that penalty, Dagon would have demanded compensation. Since the details of contracts were written in demonic language, humans would have a hard time deciphering them. Thus, he must have been sure that Park Chan-woo would fall for the trap.Unfortunately for Dagon, Park Chan-woo knew the Rules of the Merchants better than anyone else.

“There is no way… a mere human could know that name…”

Dagon was still in denial. But denial would not change reality. The contract, written in demonic script, and the floating system message before his eyes made it all too clear.

Clench!

Dagon ground his teeth.

“How… How do you know a name that must never be spoken?”

A name that must never be spoken. Indeed, demons often referred to Sephiro in such a manner. They despised him as if he were their eternal nemesis. This hatred stemmed from an event in the distant past, when Sephiro slaughtered one of the Ten Great Demon Lords. Because of this, the once “Ten Great Lords” had been reduced to the “Nine Great Lords.” It was a tale so unbelievable that few could accept it.

‘Sephiro… I didn’t even believe it until I saw his true form.’

Even Park Chan-woo had been skeptical at first. The Demon Lords of the Abyss stood at the pinnacle of power. Even the Twelve Progenitors struggled against the Nine Great Lords. It was only after he had witnessed Sephiro’s true form, his Transcendental Dragon Body, that he finally understood. Sephiro truly had turned the Ten Great Lords into the Nine Great Lords. And just as the demons loathed Sephiro, Sephiro despised demons just as much. Most significantly, Sephiro had once distributed a “Demonic Codex.” Though this happened long ago, it had allowed Park Chan-woo to thoroughly learn about demon merchants. So, in a way, it wasn’t incorrect to say that Sephiro had revealed the merchants’ rules to him.

“Even just Sephiro’s name… holds an astronomical value.”

Just speaking his name had caused a debt of 20,000,000. Perhaps this was because Sephiro was a being whose name was not meant to be spoken. Even the greatest anonymous creators could not match such an absurd level of worth. Park Chan-woo, having sorted his thoughts, spoke up.

“You can figure out on your own how I know about Sephiro.”

“…….”

Dagon forced himself to calm down. One thing was certain, this human was no ordinary human. At this point in time, Earth had yet to make contact with other realms. Humans should not even be aware of the existence of the Twelve Races. And yet, this man knew. He knew Sephiro, the Dragon Sovereign. He knew the name of that despair-inducing being! This was a matter far more severe than mere Contracts of Incarnation with divine entities.

“A human… close enough to Sephiro for him to personally disclose the rules of the merchants…?”

Was that even possible? It was absurd. If Dagon told the other demons about this, they would mock him.

‘Could it be… that this human has made a contract with Sephiro? If it’s Sephiro, the Dragon Progenitor, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to transcend worlds and form a pact.’

The thought briefly crossed Dagon’s mind. But he wasn’t sure. Everything was uncertain. Perhaps the higher-ups would know, but at his current rank, there was no way for him to find out. The only undeniable fact was this, this human was toying with him. He knew everything. He had calculated everything.

‘A man more demonic than the demons themselves.’

But it was already too late for regrets. It was not Park Chan-woo who had fallen into a trap. It was Dagon. Then, Park Chan-woo spoke with an air of leisure.

“Dagon, it’s time to pay up.”

“…….”

“Or will you go bankrupt?”

For Dagon, bankruptcy meant death. Because Park Chan-woo knew his true name. Dagon struggled to open his mouth.

“…What do you want from me?”

“The Fruit of the World Tree.”

“That… is beyond my rank’s authorization.”

“Then go bankrupt.”

“W-wait! On second thought… it might be possible. A value of 20,000,000 seems like a fair deal.”

Sephiro’s name was valued at 20 million. Since even a high-grade elixir cost only 500,000, this was an outrageous sum. Dagon clearly could not pay that amount in currency. Instead, he offered “The Fruit of the World Tree.” Implying that it was equal in worth to 20 million.

Shwaaang—!

A radiant Fruit of the World Tree appeared in Dagon’s hand. Aside from its self-illuminating glow, it looked exactly like an ordinary apple.

“What do you think? If you accept my proposal, you can have it immediately.”

Dagon attempted to tempt him. But Park Chan-woo scoffed at the proposal. Even if times changed and circumstances shifted, some values remained immutable. No matter how exceptional the effects of the World Tree’s fruit were, 20 million wasn’t necessary.

“Ten million.”

Half of that, maybe. To be honest, even half was a generous offer. For Dagon to avoid bankruptcy, he had to sell his goods at the highest price possible. The only way to stave off bankruptcy was to reduce that 20 million figure as much as possible. Taking that into account, the offer was 10 million. The real negotiation had begun, with Park Chan-woo holding an overwhelming advantage.

“Fifteen million. Any lower, and I can’t do it. I need to make a living too.”

“Demons don’t need to eat, from what I know.”

“…I need to maintain a minimum rank to operate as a merchant.”

“The rare rank, you mean?”

“That’s right.”

Dagon’s rank demotion was already set in stone. The only question was whether he would merely fall in rank or be completely ruined.

‘This human… He really knows everything.’

Dagon felt utterly drained. For him to even know the conditions for maintaining a demon merchant’s rank, it meant he truly knew everything. Lying would only lead to losses at this point. Dagon shut his eyes tightly.

“I’ll be honest. My existence is worth 15 million. Since you have a debt of 20 million, the excess 5 million is set to be forcibly collected. That means I have to make up for that deficit through my dealings with you, or I won’t survive.”

Hearing Dagon’s words, Park Chan-woo contemplated. Should he drive him to bankruptcy or keep him alive for future use?

‘Killing a demon merchant would only get me a single coin.’

If a debtor was ruined and disappeared, proper settlement wouldn’t be possible. If Dagon decided to abandon the deal and accept his destruction, the only thing Park Chan-woo would gain was a single coin. Park Chan-woo spoke softly.

“You need to retain at least 6 million in value to maintain your rank.”

“That’s right. If you don’t let me keep that much value, there’s no reason for me to trade with you. I’d rather be erased.”

A determined expression. If pushed any further, he would rather choose death.

‘Dagon… He’s quite a capable merchant.’

In the future, Park Chan-woo had dealt with many demon merchants. Even compared to them, Dagon’s skills were remarkable. Despite lacking the rank to handle such items, he had managed to bring out the “World Tree’s Fruit.”

Demon merchants each had their own specialty, And the items they could trade were limited by rank. To obtain an item outside their field, or worse, of a higher rank, They needed approval from the “Demon Merchants’ Association.”

‘He summoned the World Tree’s Fruit instantly. Does he have backing from the association?’

That was a possibility. Bringing in items without the association’s approval meant he was either highly ranked himself Or had backing from someone with a high rank. But that wasn’t all. Even on the brink of bankruptcy, no demon merchant had ever been so forthcoming about their actual worth. Considering all this, Dagon was too valuable to simply kill.

“If we trade the World Tree’s Fruit for 10 million, how much will you have left?”

“…Nothing.”

“Nine million.”

“That would be a loss…”

“Eight million.”

“Damn it. Seven million! That’s the value of the World Tree’s Fruit!”

Dagon snapped, his voice filled with frustration. Park Chan-woo smirked. Even in this situation, his instinct to turn a profit was undeniable. Seeing this, Dagon hurriedly explained,

“As you already know, I can’t sell an item below its value. Also, I can’t conduct a deal with zero profit, and the lower my profit margin, the worse it affects my rank evaluation. If I barely scrape by with a 10% margin, I won’t even be able to maintain my minimum rank.”

Demon merchants always ensured at least a 1.5x profit margin. A 10% margin? That was disgraceful for a merchant. Park Chan-woo tested him.

“What if we sign an exclusive contract?”

“…Are you saying you’ll trade only with me?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… To sign an exclusive contract with me, you’d need to trade a minimum of 2 million in value every 30 days. Then, I might be open to negotiations on the profit margin.”

Dagon looked conflicted. Exclusivity was a two-way street. Dagon would only be allowed to trade with Park Chan-woo, and vice versa.

“But are you sure you can handle it? I know you’re not an ordinary human, But securing 2 million in value every month is no easy task. Even so, I can’t go below a 30% profit margin.”

“Five million with a 20% margin.”

“…?”

“I’ll guarantee a minimum of 5 million per month. In return, you keep only 20%.”

“If you fail to meet that, you’ll be subjected to ten times the agreed value in forced collection…”

Ten times 5 million meant 50 million. If he couldn’t pay up, he would be torn apart and reduced to dust. But if he could meet the quota, even at a 20% margin, he’d make 1 million in profit. That was more than enough to maintain his rank. He wouldn’t even need to trade with other humans.

‘No, more than enough, it’s excessive. If I can secure 1 million every 30 days, I could even rise to the next rank.’

As long as he could maintain it consistently. Dagon’s voice wavered with uncertainty.

“Why should I trust you and sign this contract?”

“You need tangible proof, I see.”

“Obviously. If I sign, I won’t be able to trade with other humans either.”

Suspicion filled his gaze. Park Chan-woo reached into his coat and pulled out a large handful of something. At the same time—

“H-huh…!”

Dagon was utterly shocked. Compared to this, everything else he had witnessed was nothing.

‘Madness. That’s all coins?!’

Not just one or two, but dozens. Exactly 21 coins rested in Park Chan-woo’s palm.

“Is this proof enough?”

“…More than enough. Far more than enough.”

For a brief moment, Dagon’s eyes gleamed with unrestrained greed. To demons, coins held immeasurable value. How badly must he have wanted them?

“W-wait.”

Suddenly, Dagon began trembling violently. He had realized another crucial fact.

“C-coins… 21?! H-how many Creators have you already bankrupted?!”

His face wasn’t just filled with shock, it now held fear. Creators were the Lords of the Abyss. For a human to drive them into bankruptcy was an incredibly difficult feat. Nearly impossible. And the Abyss had only begun a few days ago…

‘…Could this guy be…’

At that moment, Dagon arrived at a single conclusion.

Gulp!

He swallowed hard, his body shaking uncontrollably. There was only one possible way this could be real. A single, terrifying possibility.

‘C-could he be… the Sephiro himself?!’