Chapter 893. Vacation (11)
Masked Scum Jin Cheong shook his head at the chaotic sight.
“Did they block the warp gate?” Jin Cheong questioned.
I didn’t answer because the answer was pretty obvious.
Han Sora had basic control of the warp gates. In addition, no matter what kind of core was stolen at the Magic Tower, we had control over which one to close and open.
Normally, we’d have all of them open, but in this case, it would be best to have them closed. After all, we could make the evil bastards here suffer.
I looked outside and couldn’t help but think that the situation was pretty interesting.
The entrance and exit had been sealed, so there was pandemonium.
The staffers of the black market told the people that they were handling it, and it was nothing more than a small hiccup, but monsters that were locked up were running rampant, so who would be able to remain calm?
‘The effects of the potion must be pretty good.’
“Kyaaaaaaaaah!”
Fear was spreading, and I was sure that the gnarly scene unfolding before everyone was quite confusing to them.
I cast a spell, and a small fire appeared at the tip of my finger.
I climbed up a chair and raised my finger up at the ceiling, activating the fire alarm spell.
A shrill alarm echoed, and flickering red lights came to life along with a gush of water.
Alarm bells rang everywhere, but there was nowhere to run.
I could hear the screams of the frightened people along with the roars of monsters.
Swooooosh.
“Roooooooooar!!!”
“Accccck!”
“Shit, what’s going on?! What is this?!”
“Run, damn it!!!”
“Kyaaah!”
“Move! Move it!”
“Please calm down, everyone. Follow the emergency procedures of the market! In emergencies, we are—”
“Where are we supposed to go? Where?!”
“Where are we supposed to go, you crazy bastards?!”
‘They wouldn’t know that.’
Even the staff had no idea where they were supposed to seek shelter, so a few people formed groups and just started running away toward the warp gate. However, an explosion occurred from the warp gate, making them scream and run away from it.
“Help! Help me... damn it!”
Running around in groups like that meant that they would most likely trip and get crushed to death. The situation was so chaotic that some even whipped out their weapons to protect themselves.
“Ahh!”
“Move, you fools!”
“Shit!”
The powerful figures were being protected by their bodyguards, so they were in a better situation, but I was very certain that dying here would be a better outcome for them.
“Lady Hennerys!”
“There you are,” Lady Hennerys said.
“I think it’s best if we combine our guards.”
“Okay, but... why is this suddenly happening...” Lady Hennerys asked.
“Surviving is the top priority.”
“R-Right, let’s do that,” Lady Hennerys stammered.
It seemed that the crowd thought that the safest place here was the place where the powerful figures were gathered.
“Help us!”
“Help!”
“Stop them! Make sure they don’t come in!”
“Ahhhh!”
“These bastards stabbed me! Damn it! They stabbed me! You bastards!”
“Push! Push, damn it!”
‘Things are about to get messy.’
It hadn’t even been ten minutes, but it already felt like we were in hell.
Jin Cheong looked around the chaos and said, “It’s a bad hobby.”
“I wouldn’t go that far. They’re just getting punished for betraying the light and surrendering to their desire. You reap what you sow. Ah, I’m telling you this just in case, but you need to protect me. Ah, I should also get some potions as well.
"There are a few potions that I would like to analyze. Do you remember seeing anything decent among the stolen goods? If possible, I’d like to get some of those as well. I might even be able to get some gold. Just how much is all this worth?” I said.
“...”
“By the way, everything here is my loot. Actually, it’s not mine... the Continental Protection Management Committee will be taking them away... I trust that you understand. It will be used to fund the development plan of the continent,” I added.
“I’m not even expecting anything,” Jin Cheong said.
“I’ll be sure to pay you for protecting me,” I told him.
“...”
“How about a hundred thousand gold?” I offered.
“...”
“Kyaaaaah!”
I flinched upon hearing a roar while I was in the middle of gathering as many potions as I could. Fortunately, Jin Cheong quietly stood in front of me, and I felt kind of relieved at the sight.
He raised his arms, which were as long and as sturdy as a sword, and rushed toward the monster. A radiant light erupted, pushing the monster back.
Boom!
The monster struck a distant wall, and Jin Cheong dusted off his clothes.
He had simply dealt with an Epic-rank monster, so I found is actions and pose to be quite a bit exaggerated. However, I was convinced that his pose and actions were to show me that he was protecting me, so I simply nodded at the sight.
“I’ll make a playground for you, Commander. The black market wasn’t part of my plan... but I don’t think it would hurt to have one. I just need to make sure that you can have fun with it, right? You know what they say about losing your card,” I asked.
Jin Cheong was walking confidently despite the chaos.
He wasn't doing much, but I heard consecutive explosions and saw the villainous bastards and monsters flying away.
“What’s next?” Jin Cheong asked.
“We need to find the manager. Capturing them alive is the best, and we'll ask them to lead us to their strongbox,” I replied.
“Looks like it won’t take long,” Jin Cheong commented.
“I hope so,” I said.
“Commander! Save me. Please... Please save me!”
“...”
“Go away,” Jin Cheong said.
The majority of the people here were figures whom Jin Cheong didn't want to become friends with, so he didn't bother helping them. Our situation was kind of unrealistic; there were screams everywhere, along with gory scenes.
Amidst the chaos, Jin Cheong and I were the only ones who were calm.
I actually found it amusing how we were walking around casually while looking around as if we were taking a stroll in our backyard. It was so unreal that it felt like we were in our own world.
“Ahhhh!”
“It’s the gladiators! Damn it!”
I wasn’t sure how they were freed, but the locked-up gladiators were outside, swinging their swords randomly.
Some of the black market's staffers were adventurers, but I was sure Ha Yeon-Soo had already taken care of them. As for the slaves, we could just save them later. Anyway, the flickering lights were turning off one by one, and the place was soon plunged into darkness, which made some people run rampant.
“Kill them! Kill them all, damn it!”’
Some of them charged into the shops as if this was their one and only chance to make it big. I swept my gaze across them and noticed that they all had unique habits that were quite dangerous.
Now that I thought about it, only those full of greed would visit a black market, so it wasn't strange for them to take advantage of the chaos for their own gain. These greedy psychopaths definitely thought that this was their opportunity to get rich, and even the staffers thought the same. As expected, I saw people fighting over items.
“Let go, you bastard!”
“It’s mine, you bastards! Don’t come close! Stay away, damn it!”
“How disgraceful,” the Hero of Shadows mumbled.
“They’re the staffers of the black market. If they were honorable people, do you really think that they'd even come here? Ah, I’m not saying that you’re like them.
"I’m sure you have your own reasons for coming here. Ah! The bandits are coming this way. We’ll be running into them soon.” I pointed out.
The bandits' goal was obvious, but they had grouped up faster than I thought.
“Leave that woman behind, Commander of the Republic,” a bandit suggested.
“...”
“If you agree to this request, we’ll keep you safe. I’m not sure how this happened, but the place suddenly became a battlefield, and we need to be able to protect ourselves. We’ll include you in our group, but leave that servant of yours behind... we will keep her entertained for you,” the same bandit said.
“Know your place, you fools,” Jin Cheong said.
‘He’s charismatic and arrogant.’
“We outnumber you, and I don't think you can handle so many monsters when you're just a strategist in the rearguard. This is a win-win situation for both of us, so let's keep it at that, shall we?” the same bandit suggested.
“The only thing you have are numbers, so don't cross the line,” Jin Cheong warned.
“If you really want to be punished that badly, then we’ll have no choice but to accommodate. Boys!” the same bandit roared.
Boooooooom!
Jin Cheong waved his hand, and a few bandits were blasted away.
‘They’re dead.’
“Ahhhhhh!”
“D-Damn it! Run!” a bandit shouted.
Jin Cheong extended his hands out toward the bandits, and I heard a noise reminiscent of a gunshot. I saw something hitting the back of the bandits' heads. Jin Cheong had probably cast a spell against them, and he made quick work of them.
A few bandits managed to escape, but the majority of the ignorant bandits were killed.
Jin Cheong frowned, looking like he had wasted his energy.
He was probably thinking that he had wasted his mana on them.
“Cockroach scums,” Jin Cheong mumbled.
“You’re pretty strong, Commander,” a man complimented him.
“It was just the basics,” Jin Cheong said.
“And you’re still annoying,” the same man added.
‘So many people are coming here in droves...’
“I've been waiting for this moment, Jin Cheong! You bastard!” the man roared.
People with a personal grudge against Jin Cheong appeared from out of nowhere.
It seemed that they wanted to avenge themselves after losing against Jin Cheong in the latter's own game.
“It’s him! Bring me his servant!”
I saw some of the auction participants earlier.
“Who are you?”
When the story was about to reach its climax, Lee Ji-Hoo finally appeared.
‘Ah... damn it.’
“Young... Master?” I muttered.
“Noona. Is that you?” Lee Ji-Hoo said.
Moreover...
“...”
Kim Hyun-Sung appeared at the crossroads.
'Wait, why are you here?'
“Miss... Ki-Yeon?” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
Jin Cheong stared at Lee Ji-Hoo and grimaced as if he had gotten himself caught up in a ridiculous situation.
Meanwhile, Ji-Hye noona smiled upon seeing an unexpected figure.
Kim Hyun-Sung had no idea what to do.
The four of us ended up stumbling upon each other as if it were destiny.
It was like a memorable scene one would only see in soap operas.
- Lee Ki-Young, you bastard! What did you do this time?
'Play along. Just. This. Once.'
- Oppa, this is really awesome. I can’t believe this is happening. Is this really a part of your plan? Did you prepare this gift for me? You even called Kim Hyun-Sung. You’re so romantic. Are you proposing to me right now?
'How is this romantic? Just stay quiet and stop crying. You look so agitated, Ji-Hye noona.'
“Why are you...” Kim Hyun-Sung muttered.
'You shut up, too, Hyun-Sung. I told you to go make money, so what are you doing here, man?'