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Chapter 581: Trade Position (1)

At Yeongwoo’s call, one hundred seventy-five Sword Mountain began falling from the sky.

Perhaps due to the overload, the swords themselves were glowing red hot, looking more like pillars of fire pouring down.

KWA-AAANG!

Watching this, the bandit Kejen punched the ground in frustration.

–Th-that idiot! The duel is basically over, so why would he do that now…?!

He had explicitly told the kid.

If you break the rules of a fistfight, the Gatekeeper instead unlocks more power, becoming an even stronger opponent—and you get penalized in the final judgment.

But Jeonggu viewed things a little differently.

“Why exactly is it a problem to use Sword Mountain now?”

–What? You were the one who said he shouldn’t use it earlier.

“That was before Yeongwoo proved he could fight the Gatekeeper evenly. From where I’m standing, he’s shown enough guts and skill.”

Kejen wrinkled his nose and argued back.

–I admit the fight was way better than expected. But he still hasn’t received the entry token. The duel isn’t officially over. If he suddenly pulls something like that, he’ll get points deducted.

“But… isn’t that also a kind of guts?”

–What?

“Knowing he’ll be penalized, yet still doing whatever it takes to beat the opponent… If the purpose of the duel is to judge a visitor’s strength and courage, then Yeongwoo is still fighting a splendid duel.”

Kejen made a sour face.

Sure, it was borderline sophistry… but annoyingly, it had some logic to it.

–Father and son sure can spout nonsense equally well.

He pointed at the two fighters buried under the Sword Mountain.

–But because of your son’s stubbornness—or arrogance—he’s definitely getting a penalty.

“I don’t think ‘penalty’ is the right word.”

–Not the right word…?

“Yeongwoo is the one who fought. It’s not like you could’ve gotten this far anyway.”

–You…!

“So whatever the result is, you only benefit.”

While the two spectators argued, Yeongwoo was standing among the hundred-plus blades stuck into the ground—tangled together with the Gatekeeper, whose body was stained in violet.

The Gatekeeper’s white skin, which hadn’t reacted at all even to corrosive blood, was now wounded by the overloaded Sword Mountain.

“So your blood is purple!”

Yeongwoo exclaimed excitedly, and the Gatekeeper tilted his head.

–You laugh…? Are you not afraid?

The Gatekeeper was still gripping Yeongwoo’s right fist.

He had casually blocked the enhanced punch Yeongwoo threw while falling together with the Sword Mountain.

“Afraid? Why would I be? This is a duel to determine entry rights—so you’re not going to kill me. Probably.”

Right as Yeongwoo said this, his prosthetic “Gambler” arm detached from his body.

CLACK!

The Gatekeeper looked puzzled, still holding the detached prosthetic.

–…This is…

“Ah, what you just saw was my trump card. I can only use it for five seconds.”

Now Yeongwoo effectively had one arm—except that arm was broken earlier while blocking the Gatekeeper’s pounding.

Meaning he couldn’t use either arm.

The Gatekeeper, who valued fairness and rules above all, looked troubled.

–By the rules, I must now unlock my strength one level further.

But doing so when his opponent was practically incapacitated clearly felt improper.

Yeongwoo looked offended.

“Hey, did you forget we’re still fighting? Thinking a fight gets hard just because I’m missing two arms is a huge stereotype!”

At that moment, Yeongwoo’s Aratar leg snapped upward at an impossible angle.

SWEEEESH!

A high kick toward the Gatekeeper’s cheek.

The Gatekeeper finally hardened his expression and blocked the kick with one arm.

PAAANG!

–I have committed discourtesy.

The fact that he used the word “discourtesy” meant he had come to respect Yeongwoo.

So Yeongwoo immediately failed to hold back his natural stupidity.

“Then… what grade is my entry ticket?”

–Die.

The Gatekeeper’s pupils flashed red behind the arm blocking the kick.

SST!

The two tendrils attached to the Gatekeeper’s philtrum turned red and swelled.

“Uh… your mustache—”

Yeongwoo tried to point at the tendrils before realizing he had no arms left.

And his leg, still extended from the high kick, was firmly held by the Gatekeeper.

“Ah.”

He sensed everything at once.

The Gatekeeper swung him by the leg.

FWAAAASH!

“GRAAAAH!”

The Gatekeeper’s strength was on a different plane.

Once he unlocked his power, he was practically another creature.

‘Why the hell is a monster like this guarding the entrance to a black market?’

Yeongwoo was still admiring the absurd strength when his body slammed into the ground.

KWAAAANG!

“Ghk!”

The taste of blood filled his mouth.

But at that moment, his right foot felt a crater in the ground.

Yeongwoo scooped dirt inside it with his toes and kicked it upward.

FWAAAH!

Just to obscure the opponent’s vision for even a moment.

Shockingly—

–……

The Gatekeeper didn’t even blink as the dirt splattered across his face.

“Oh come on. This is not the same as opening your eyes underwater. How the hell do you endure THAT?”

While Yeongwoo stared in disbelief at the Gatekeeper’s white pupils, the Gatekeeper raised his fist.

Ssshhh.

He spoke as though delivering a farewell.

–Entry to the Black Zone is granted.

“What? Wait! What grade is—”

Before he could finish, the Gatekeeper’s fist came down on his face.

* * *

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

“U-waaah!”

Feeling like he was falling from a skyscraper, Yeongwoo opened his eyes abruptly.

The first thing he saw was a dark green ceiling.

Someone standing beside his head stirred.

–You’ve woken up. With that recovery rate, you’re essentially healed.

“Wha…? What are you talking about? Who are you?”

Yeongwoo flailed blindly, and another person approached.

“Don’t worry. That’s the doctor.”

He caught Yeongwoo’s searching hand.

Thump!

“…Huh?”

That was a familiar texture.

The person had human skin.

Yeongwoo looked up—and saw Jeonggu.

“Oh. Dad.”

“Good job.”

“What…?”

Yeongwoo tilted his head, and then his memories returned.

He had been dueling the Gatekeeper just a moment ago.

“Wait—where’s that Gatekeeper bastard?”

More memories followed.

“W-wait, my Bastard! Aratubank…!”

“Yeah, you almost got in huge trouble.”

Jeonggu, as if expecting this reaction, placed the sacred artifacts he had been holding onto Yeongwoo’s lap.

“Man, if you and that thief had come alone, your life would’ve been over.”

Yeongwoo sighed in relief, placing a hand on Bastard.

A familiar voice chimed in.

–Comments like that should be said behind someone’s back. Even villains have standards.

“Ah. You were here.”

Yeongwoo shrugged when he finally noticed Kejen.

The bandage-wrapped doctor nodded respectfully and walked away.

–Depending on the grade of your entry ticket, your medical fee is waived. Feel free to rest.

Then he strolled past Kejen and Jeonggu.

“That’s the doctor?”

The doctor looked like a giant walking mummy—only half-unwrapped.

“He’s assigned by the Black Zone. Since your ticket grade is high, the treatment is nice. We already got fed.”

Jeonggu’s comment triggered the last missing memory.

“Wait—the ticket! What happened to it? I only remember…”

The Gatekeeper unlocking his power and swinging a punch.

Kejen smirked and twitched his beard.

–What do you think happened? You broke the rules and got knocked out hard.

Jeonggu took off a dog-tag-like plate from his neck.

“This is the entry ticket you earned.”

Clink.

He placed a small rectangular metal plate on Yeongwoo’s lap.

The surface had several lines written in universal space language.

“So this is my prize.”

[Black Zone]

| Security Grade: 3

| Appraiser: Sezak

While Yeongwoo examined it, Kejen spoke while wiping his nose.

–It’s a Grade 3 ticket. Even though you broke the rules, he still gave you a 3. This place makes no sense.

“So this name here—is that the Gatekeeper?”

Yeongwoo pointed at Appraiser: Sezak.

Then realized something else.

His prosthetic was reattached, and his left arm fully healed.

–Yeah. That’s the Gatekeeper’s name.

“Gatekeeper Sezak…”

This was the first time he had ever blacked out in a fight.

And after Sezak unlocked his strength, Yeongwoo didn’t even get a proper exchange in.

“Appraiser… Strange title.”

–Well, he personally evaluates visitors. In a way, appraisal’s the right word.

“Hmm.”

Meaning Sezak could evaluate even the monsters who receive Grade 2 or Grade 1 tickets.

How?

Even if one couldn’t use their authority inside the circle, higher beings were on a whole different scale.

He couldn’t imagine the Chairman from the past—when he was still a prince—being evaluated by this Gatekeeper.

“So who gets Grades 1 and 2? You must know something—you’re local, right?”

Kejen shook his head.

–This is the first time I’ve even seen a Grade 3 ticket. I don’t know everything.

“Useless bastard.”

–But I do know what you can do with a 3-grade ticket.

“Huh? It does more than grant entry?”

–Hand it here for a sec. I only know because I’ve been on the receiving end.

Yeongwoo hesitated—Kejen was a thief, after all—but handed it over.

The phrase “been on the receiving end” piqued his curiosity.

“What happened to you?”

–You remember? From Grade 5 onward, you get a personal trade space.

“Yeah.”

–But from Grade 3 upward, you can design the structure of that space.

“Design the structure?”

–Meaning you decide how the trade works, your transaction style.

Kejen tapped the back of the ticket.

A holographic interface appeared.

FWOOM!

「Trade-Space Allocation Initiated.」

「Please select your trade position. Multiple selections allowed.」

Then absurd options appeared.

[1] You have no money, but want to obtain an item.

[2] You have money, but only want to obtain items.

[3] You have something to sell, but don’t know the price.

[4] You have something to sell, and you know the price.

[5] Kill or gain everything.

[6] There is a bounty on you, and you want to buy something.

[7] The item you hold is a living creature.

“What—how long does this list go? It never ends!”

Yeongwoo stared at Kejen, baffled.

Kejen raised one finger.

–‘Bloodless Trade’ should be the last one. From what I know, the options appear in order of popularity.

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