The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
chapter-45

Seol slowly read through the post.

[ (NEW) [’s Post]

[Post Date: Just now]

[Title: ‘Private’ showed up in Nobira.]

Go check out the Points Leaderboard and confirm it yourselves. It seems like Han Yeo-myeong came over to Nobira! Halt right there, Heka! Yeo-myeong’s coming after you!

- Welcome Yeo-myeong~

- Yeo-myeong?! How dare you speak down to him like that?! You should call him Sir Yeo-myeong!

- Yeo-myeong came over? We’re safe!!!

- Nobira’s pretty interesting lol

[ (NEW) [’s Post]

[Post Date: Just now]

[Title: Who is Han Yeo-myeong?]

For the blind, He is the vision. For the hungry, He is the chef. For the thirsty, He is the water. If Han Yeo-myeong thinks, I agree. If Han Yeo-myeong speaks, I’m listening. If Han Yeo-myeong has one fan, it is me. If Han Yeo-myeong has no fans, I don’t exist.

- Han Yeo-myeong’s still in Kongory. Take down this post.

- What the fuck? Then who’s Private?

- I don’t know. Maybe they came to Nobira from someplace other than Kongory?

- I heard a lot of people with high scores are psychopaths… isn’t this more dangerous then? Yeo-myeong at least felt like an ally of justice…

- It ended up all just being fucking rumors then.

Luckily, thanks to the confusion from people believing that Yeo-myeong was Private, Seol’s true identity as Private was still not revealed.

It wasn’t actually a big issue if Seol revealed himself as Private but there was an increased chance of trivial quarrels happening because of it.

Even from just looking at the current situation in Nobira, Seol could tell that something would happen.

People were already hoping for the Private who recently arrived in Nobira to face off against Heka’s massive faction.

‘It’s completely unrelated to me.’

Seol read a few more posts before leaving the Adventurer Association.

This time, Seol was careful in the inn he chose to stay at for a month.

“Huh? A room that you can cook in?”

“Do you have none?”

“No, we do have a room… an outbuilding just happens to be available for rent. However, the charge for the room is a bit expensive.”

“That’s fine.”

Seol might not have had the minimum bid amount for a treasure like Gallotta’s Tongue, but he was still definitely rich.

Clang!

“You can use the inner outbuilding.”

“Thank you.”

As Seol walked deeper inside, he immediately spotted a moderately sized outbuilding. It was a place where you’d have to pay ten times the price of a normal room to stay.

Obviously though, the price wasn’t too important to Seol at all.

* * *

Translator - goguma

Proofreader - Karane

* * *

The next day, Seol went to the information guild in Nobira.

Of course, the first thing Seol asked for was information about Chao but there was nothing available on her.

“However, we do have information on the other things you requested.”

“Then please.”

Seol handed over the handful of gold needed and checked the information he received.

- The Gallotta’s Tongue that went on auction is confirmed to have come from one of the factions who recently went on an expedition to the ruins.

‘As expected, it came from the ruin hunters.’

Seol quickly read the next information.

- There is also a rumor that Kibo’s faction, one of the ruin hunter factions, previously had the weapon in their grasp, as Kibo is also a Shadow Summoner himself. This information hasn’t been confirmed, but it is definitely credible, as there is no other reason for Kibo to not respond to Heka’s continuous taunts.

‘Oho…’

- Kibo has been caught using his internal information network to frantically search for a certain item.

Seol burned the piece of paper while rubbing his chin.

The information he received was definitely worth the money.

‘Based on the current circumstance, Kibo likely laid his hands on the treasure and was poisoned by it.’

Gallotta’s Tongue might be a Treasure quality weapon but it was in fact no different from Abomination.

‘And the certain item Kibo’s searching for is probably the shadow venom’s antidote…’

Seol thought of a few things. He then combined a few of them and separated them into concrete plans.

‘Alright, there won’t be any problems if I do this first.’

Seol confidently came to a decision for the steps he’d take and headed to the auction house.

“There’s another Treasure!”

“Damn it… I’m not even surprised by that ridiculous price.”

“Who could it be?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you think it’s the same person who put up Gallotta’s Tongue?”

“There’s no way we’d be able to know that.”

Seol observed a few of the noisy merchants before noticing Rita who approached him.

He then gave a quick hello, “It’s nice to see you, Rita.”

“You came early today.”

“I was curious if there was any news.”

“Oh no… There really isn’t much news to give to you… Why don’t you come inside for now?”

Rita, the auction house manager, led Seol to a separate room. She then handed him some tea while taking glances at him.

“Please, have a drink.”

“I’m alright.”

“You must be parched though?”

“I don’t really eat or drink anything that other people give to me. It’s a habit from my work.”

“Oh no… Well, there are also other people like that among the people I manage as well, so…”

Rita tried her best to let the conversation continue.

“Snowman, no one has made a bid for the Shades’ Grace yet.”

“Is that so?”

“So, what do you think about lowering the price…”

“I won’t. I don’t plan on lowering the price at all. I might be open to an exchange but not to lower the price.”

“...An exchange?”

Rita’s face changed, it was exactly like a merchant who heard something interesting.

“An exchange, hm… Do you have something in mind?”

“Well, it would be worth a consideration if it’s something around the same price.”

There were only two Treasure-quality items that were listed on this massive auction.

The first was the Shades’ Grace that Seol owned and the second was the Gallotta’s Tongue which Seol assumed that Kibo owned.

Rita, who obviously realized Seol’s intent, lowered her eyes and stopped herself from speaking. She then gathered her hands. It seemed that she was also tense as it was an important matter.

“What do you think about… Gallotta’s Tongue which is at a similar minimum bid price as your weapon?”

“Gallotta’s Tongue, huh… That might not be bad either.”

Rita’s eyes instantly changed.

“...Shall I push forward with that?”

“Do you know the treasure’s owner?”

Seol was talking about Gallotta's Tongue here when he said ‘treasure’.

“I also happen to be in charge of them as well.”

“By ‘them’...”

“I apologize. I am not allowed to even give out a name.”

Rita’s attitude actually made Seol trust her more. Because this also meant that if someone asked her for his identity, she would also respond in kind.

“Then how am I supposed to come into contact with them?”

“I plan to ask for their intentions first as it is something for them to decide.”

“Is there any other way?”

“I believe that this is the best that could be done right now?”

Seol smiled and stood up.

“I also agree.”

“I hope to have a reason to contact you.”

After Seol left, Rita looked at the chair that Seol was sitting on for a second before leaving through a secret back door.

A man with a knife scar on his face was waiting for her.

* * *

Seol returned to his accommodation and took a rest.

Even though he was moving busily, there were still things Seol had to solve.

Slide…

Seol pulled out a black flower from his inventory.

It was something he received from Janet, the Merchant of Madness.

However, Seol had yet to find a summon he desired so much that he was willing to use the flower. It also wasn’t processed yet.

‘I gathered most of the materials, but…’

Seol still needed a few more materials to fully process it.

He gathered almost everything but there was one specific ingredient he hadn’t been able to get.

‘I really need to find the ‘gelatin of persecutory delusions’.’

Because it was such a rare ingredient, Seol was unable to find it even in Nobira’s auction house, one of the larger auction houses in the south. And even if he was able to find it, the expensive price would definitely be a burden.

Scarcity definitely played a role in the rare ingredients being hard to find but the deciding factor was how far he was from where they were originally found.

As time went on, Seol only traveled further south but the gelatin of persecutory delusions was found in the north. You had to extract it from animal bones or shells you found in the wild.

This meant that there was no reasonable way for him to acquire it himself.

‘It also just so happens that the shadow venom’s antidote also requires an ingredient from the north…’

The shadow venom’s antidote was also a problem as well.

If everything progressed according to Seol’s plans, there was a high chance that Gallotta’s Tongue would end up in Seol’s grasp.

For, if, and when that situation came, Seol needed to prepare a provision for the shadow venom.

‘I could also use the antidote as a negotiation tool as well.’

But the antidote required the correct ingredient to make it.

And that necessary ingredient was the grounded powder of the leaves of a poisonous herb that grew in the north. This meant that this too was also difficult to acquire in the south.

“Nothing’s easy to solve at all.”

Seol thought for a second before pulling something out once again.

It was a piece of paper with a demon design on it. It was the invitation to the Madness Shop that Janet had given to him before.

- You might find it uncomfortable if I just show up randomly whenever I want. Whenever you want to purchase something with Madness, tear up that invitation.

“I guess there’s no choice…”

Even though Seol was trying his best to avoid using it, this was the only option he had left.

Since the origin of his worries, the Shadow Flower, also came from the Madness Shop, Seol was confident that he could easily find ingredients which were less rare than it at the shop.

Riiiiip…

Seol ripped the invitation.

In an instant, an uncontrollable drowsiness overcame him.

It was late at night and eventually, Seol slowly eased into sleep in the armchair as he was planning for the future.

Snore…

You might not always have a dream when you fall asleep, but you have to be asleep to have a dream.

* * *

And it happened.

For the first time in a long while, Seol was dreaming.

Once again, it was also a lucid dream.

‘It worked properly.’

Lucid dreams were no longer a pleasant experience for Seol anymore. They were neither surprising nor interesting, they practically felt like a chronic disease.

Seol believed he had shook off what happened in the heavens but it still made him uneasy like a trauma.

[Someone seems interested in the Madness you have collected.]

[Many Merchants of Madness appear.]

‘Is it Janet…? No, wait… it says ‘many’?’

Seol’s surroundings were hard to decipher like a forest filled with dense fog.

Seol could just barely make out the silhouette of something beyond the grim atmosphere and fog.

Well, specifically it was ‘silhouettes’.

One of the silhouettes called out to Seol.

“It is nice to meet you, Snowman.”

“Are you all merchants of madness?”

“We are. You’ve met one of us before in a previous encounter though.”

“...Janet.”

“Huhuhu… so you still remember her. You have quite the memory.”

“Is she here as well?”

“I don’t know… I cannot tell you that.”

Seol gave an odd look while looking around himself.

He noticed close to ten individuals surrounding him.

However, because he could only see their silhouettes, he had difficulty telling what they looked like.

“Why are you doing this?”

“To maintain fair trade.”

“Fairness?”

“Snowman, you are at most an individual who has been caught up in the World Merge. However, you have also gathered a considerable amount of Madness that is enticing to every merchant.”

“So?”

“It means that anyone would want to trade with you. Just like how you have remembered Janet, the first merchant you traded with, we also wish to be remembered by you.”

“Definitely…”

Their reasoning made sense.

Even though merchants excluded any personal feelings when it came to making a deal, the customers were always bound to include their personal feelings.

It was normal to think a merchant was safe after you made a deal with them once after all.

“Then what do I have to do?”

“Nothing at all. Just like before, we will just show you some of our goods.”

“And?”

“If you like the goods we show you, all you have to do is pay Madness for it and buy it.”

“But I…”

“We already know of the deal you made with Janet. However, that isn’t a fair trade. In fact, a restriction has been placed on her for making that promise with you.”

It made sense. The promise that Seol made with Janet could definitely be considered expedient to the other merchants. Janet also wouldn’t have an excuse if that became an issue either.

“By the way, how much Madness have I gathered?”

“Roughly 13,000. It is a marvelous record.”

13,000.

Since he was able to buy the Shadow Flower for 3,000 Madness before, Seol had much more funds to spend this time.

“Then show me your wares.”

“As many as you want…”

“Then should I show you mine first?”

A somewhat arrogant merchant reached their hand out through the wall of fog.

Clatter…

Dozens of merchandise poured out.

“Now, keep your eyes open for this. I’ll start by explaining this one. So, this is…”

“Hold it.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t plan on looking through dozens of different items.”

“Huh? Then what?”

“I want you to only show me the things that I need the most. Let’s not tire each other out.”

The other merchants nodded their heads in agreement.

Since the items that Seol would buy were already somewhat decided, looking through the entire catalog of ten different merchants was definitely a waste of time.

“Then let me introduce you to this… and this.”

The merchant handed over a set of elephant earrings and a shiny suit of armor.

“These earrings explosively increase your strength once a day to give you immense power.”

“What’s the side effect?”

“Well…”

“The side effect?”

“Extreme muscle pain.”

The merchant felt awkward saying the side effect. And with that, the flow shifted in Seol’s side.

“And what about the armor?”

“Ah, now I’m really confident in this. So this armor…”

The merchant said many sweet words to explain how great the armor was.

However, after hearing everything, Seol then said this…

“I acquired a new set of armor recently.”

“Huh? Really? Then what about…”

“It’s alright. Is there anyone else who would like to show their goods to me?”

The merchants realized that Seol had a good eye for items and paused for a second. They then took turns showing and explaining the wares that they were confident in to Seol.

“This gargoyle is…”

“This is practically a powerful armament from the heavens!”

“Losing this would be losing the chance of a lifetime.”

“With just 10,000 Madness, you would be getting this incredible opportunity.”

“If you hand over all of your Madness, this is yours.”

Seol hated listening to all of it.

A powerful summon, an incredible armament, a scroll with a powerful spell imbued into it, etc.

Seol knew all of the items that the merchants were showing him. He knew that they were all extraordinary, but not only were they extremely expensive for their worth, but they were also all useless. That was why Seol didn’t buy anything.

Just like how a bird with wings doesn’t need gills, Seol’s priority was to find the things that he needed right now.

‘They’re all too busy thinking about how they could take all of my Madness.’

The final merchant waved their hands.

And when they did, two items, ones which paled in comparison to the items shown earlier, appeared.

The merchant, unlike the other merchants, didn’t say anything. They were speaking through their wares.

The first item was a blue-ish flat thing and the second item was a green powder.

Seol quietly inspected it for a second before saying,

“Janet, it’s you.”