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Chapter 578: The Black Zone (10)

“That’s the Black Zone?”

Yeongwoo widened his eyes.

What Kejen pointed at was a bizarre, colossal object floating in the middle of space.

It looked like someone had torn off a giant piece of tree bark and just tossed it there.

“A ship can look like that…?”

Yeongwoo muttered in disbelief, and Kejen pointed a finger at the Black Zone’s rough, uneven outer surface.

—What you’re looking at is the surface of the Black Zone. You could call it a moving city.

In fact, the Black Zone’s size rivaled that of a large continent on Earth.

—And from what I know, no one’s ever actually seen it… but the real hull of the ship should be underneath, supporting the city.

“Under the city? I mean, sure. But how has no one seen it? If you enter from the opposite end, wouldn’t the bottom be visible?”

—That’s how it should be… but the Black Zone’s hull is in a transparent state.

“Transparent?”

—You can’t see it with the naked eye or with normal scanners. And whatever tech they’re using, it doesn’t even show up on radar.

“Wait—ships can be made transparent?”

—It’s similar to the cloak you’re wearing.

Except, Kejen explained, regular ships only used transparent films, like stickers—one-time use.

And transparency films still showed up on radar.

—But the Black Zone’s camouflage doesn’t show up even on radar. Who knows how the hell they’re doing it.

“But they couldn’t hide the entire city, obviously.”

—That’s practically impossible. Countless small ships and transports pass through the city constantly. You can’t hide all their traces.

“Then why bother hiding the hull at all? The top is visible anyway.”

—One of the Black Zone’s many mysteries. Stop trying to dig too deep. For now, worry about surviving long enough to get out of there.

“……”

But Yeongwoo—whose curiosity ranked somewhere in the upper cosmic percentile—couldn’t stop thinking about the enormous hidden hull supporting that city.

Kejen only managed to divert his attention when he abruptly accelerated.

FWEEEEEEEEE—!!

Because the aircraft was basically scrap with wings, the engine’s acceleration shook the interior violently, and the first to turn pale was Jeonggu.

“I-Isn’t this a bit too fast?”

—We need speed to punch through the Black Zone’s atmosphere.

Then Kejen turned toward Yeongwoo.

—And stop getting distracted. Start preparing to fight. Thought I was joking? Once we land, you really will have to fist-fight.

“What kind of fist fight? If we lose, do they kick us out?”

Kejen’s whiskers twitched.

—You can’t win anyway. The goal is to last as long as you can.

“…What?”

A fight where winning didn’t matter—only enduring longer?

How did that even make sense?

“What do you mean we can’t win?”

—It’s not a match designed for visitors to win. Your entrance pass grade depends on how long you last against the Gatekeeper.

“Ah.”

Hearing that, another question popped up for Yeongwoo.

“Is the Gatekeeper that strong? Some people won’t even last a second before collapsing.”

Kejen responded with utter calm.

—That’s fine. That’s what the Gatekeeper is for.

“…Huh?”

—If you drop instantly, you get the general admission pass.

“Fail instantly, basic pass?”

So the fight truly wasn’t meant to be won.

“Then what’s above basic?”

—Grade-5 pass. With that, you can start selling things inside.

“What…? So basic passes can only buy, not sell?”

—You can still trade in the open bazaar. But you can’t use the Black Zone’s official listing system.

Meaning, if you were willing to conduct trades in the open street—where anyone might interfere—basic passes were fine.

—But I don’t recommend bazaar trading. Just having others see what you’re carrying seriously increases the chance of trouble.

“Then what’s the advantage of using the official system?”

—You get a private trading room. At least then you only have to fight your trading partner.

“…So fights still happen.”

—But that’s far better. On the street, if a fight breaks out, every bastard nearby swarms in. Sometimes you get hundreds brawling at once.

“If you’re ridiculously strong, that might actually be better.”

—And you think the guys camping the bazaar didn’t consider that? They jump in because they think they can win.

Kejen smirked.

—And among them are real masters who slip in through the chaos and just snatch the goods.

“…You mean you.”

—A thief steals. A robber fights. A thief doesn’t need high martial strength.

Kejen’s “thief philosophy.”

But Yeongwoo—unlike Kejen, and firmly in the robber category—was far more interested in pummeling everyone and being the last one standing.

“Fine, so street trading is suicide. Then what’s above a Grade-5 pass? Grade-5 already lets you trade.”

—Ah, that.

Kejen raised a fist.

—The stronger your fists, the lower your commission.

“There’s a commission?”

—Yep. Using the Black Zone’s system comes with fees. Basic pass: 15%. Grade-5 pass: 10%.

Street trades had no commission—but were death traps.

—So basic pass folks basically have to pay 15%.

“Then Grade-4 is 5%?”

And Kejen said something Yeongwoo couldn’t help but perk up at.

—Yep. Grade-4 is 5%. Grade-3 and above: zero commission.

“WHAT?”

—If you’re strong enough to earn a Grade-3 pass, you’re no normal visitor. Just having monsters like that loitering around boosts Black Zone security. So they don’t charge them.

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“Then what about Grade-2…?”

—No clue. Maybe they give you a free room or something.

“There are rooms?”

—I told you—this place is the safest sanctuary for criminals. It’s a marketplace, but also a hideout and refuge.

“This is basically…”

Yeongwoo’s ideal version of the Earth Fleet.

And someone had already built it.

‘The universe really is huge. Makes sense that a place like this exists somewhere.’

But Yeongwoo still believed he had a shot.

‘Still, the Earth Fleet has potential. With a few more conditions met… we could become a superior version of this.’

Accidentally, he was conducting market research.

‘I should check property prices and rent here.’

While Yeongwoo was thinking that, Kejen placed his hand on the controls.

—Hold onto something. We’re breaching atmosphere.

Almost immediately, the front window began glowing red-hot.

CRRRRRRRRACK!!

At last, they entered the Black Zone’s upper atmosphere.

TATATATATATATAT!

There were no windows near Yeongwoo, Jeonggu, or the Golden Goblin, but they could tell the hull was rapidly being torn apart.

“Are we even going to make it? I don’t want to burn to death over a black market.”

—Trust me. You’re alive this far because of me, right?

Fair enough—if the landing failed, Kejen would die too.

So Yeongwoo put his faith in Kejen’s survival instinct.

“Where exactly are we landing? Do they have parking lots here?”

—One wing will break off on the way down, so we need to ditch in the lake. There’s a big one right in front of the Black Cliff passage.

“Black Cliff?”

—Think of it as the Black Zone’s outer wall. The Gatekeeper is blocking the only entrance.

And that Gatekeeper was the examiner who judged a visitor’s status.

—As we approach the passage, the Gatekeeper will throw us an emblem. Whoever catches it is the representative and takes the test.

“Simple enough.”

—The fight ends quickly too. So don’t stress too much. But getting at least a Grade-5 pass would be best. You need to sell the Seal and your ingot, remember?

CRACK!!

A loud snap echoed—one of the wings tore off exactly as Kejen predicted.

—That’ll be the joint we welded on Dik. Still, it did its job.

“It detaching in mid-air counts as doing its job?”

—Wings aren’t needed for water landings anyway. Useful, but not essential.

Kejen fell silent.

The craft was plunging diagonally at high speed, fully taking the brunt of the Black Zone’s atmosphere.

He needed full concentration.

—Here we go!!

With Kejen’s shout, the aircraft shifted angle.

The turquoise upper atmosphere vanished, replaced by a black expanse stretching endlessly—like a night ocean.

The infamous black market finally revealed itself.

“Holy…”

Jeonggu covered his mouth, stunned by the size.

Yeongwoo glanced down at his fists.

‘One Gatekeeper keeps the entire city in line?’

What kind of monster was he?

GUUUUOOOOOOOONG…!

The craft banked sharply toward the lake before the outer wall.

—Impact incoming. Everyone sturdy?”

Right as Jeonggu asked,

“How sturdy?”—

KWAAAAAAAH!!!!

A violent roar erupted from below.

Their bodies slammed around like dice in a cup.

“What the—?!”

“UWAAAAA!!”

The hull tore open and water blasted in.

FWOOOSH!!

Yeongwoo realized they were skimming across the lake.

Then he saw Kejen shoot upward with the cockpit section, and it became very clear the bastard knew he’d survive.

“That son of a—!”

“G-Goblin! Grab your friend!”

Jeonggu screamed.

Yeongwoo kicked Jeonggu aside, lunged for the Golden Goblin rolling toward the tail, and grabbed him.

THUP!

The goblin’s tiny body was covered in dark bruises.

—Kiii…

Right—unlike Yeongwoo or Jeonggu, the goblin wasn’t superhumanly tough.

“What, you’re not dying yet, right?”

Then the hull split again and water poured in like a waterfall.

“UWAAAGH!”

Jeonggu flailed in panic.

Yeongwoo cut open the opposite wall.

SHRRAAAAAK!!

Water burst in, revealing a vast dark void—

the aircraft was sinking.

“We’re almost—!”

Water rose past his philtrum and into his nose.

Yeongwoo kicked the wall out, grabbed the goblin and his father, and forced their way outside.

WHOOSH!

Below them lay mountains of wreckage from past visitors’ ships.

The lake bottom was a graveyard.

‘This place is insane.’

Yeongwoo stared in disbelief, then swam upward fast.

Only when he reached the surface did he meet Kejen’s eyes—

the thief waiting at the shore.

SPLASH!

Yeongwoo burst out of the water.

Kejen stepped back, shaking droplets from his whiskers.

—I knew you’d make it. I can’t do this deal without you.

“You crazy bastard… I saw you eject by yourself.”

—I need to stay alive to find the Seal, right? I simply chose survival.

He held out a hand.

—And I mean it—you’re essential for this deal. I can’t take that guy’s punch.

Kejen looked behind them.

Heavy footsteps echoed.

THOOOM…!

The Gatekeeper of the Black Cliff sensed the newcomer’s arrival.

Yeongwoo crawled onto shore and instinctively reached for his belt.

Tap.

“Ah—no weapons allowed.”

—No. Do not mess with the Gatekeeper.

“So shields are out too.”

—Your hands must be empty. Feet and mouth as well.

“Ah.”

Apparently someone had tried charging in with a knife in their mouth before.

“And without coordinates, I can’t bombard him either…”

Yeongwoo rolled his eyes once, then asked very carefully:

“Then… what about Sword Mountain?”

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