I’m Not That Villain

4 – Black Market (1)

The overall building design was completed.

But the remodeling manager asked me hesitantly. His gaze was following my attire.

“Sir. Just in case… are the equipment to be placed in the workshop prepared? We need to know the size in advance to give an accurate estimate…”

“Yes?”

The essential facilities for the workshop. The machinery needed to manufacture weapons.

It’s like the infrastructure to create something out of nothing by cutting metal and embedding technology into equipment…

Come to think of it, I hadn’t really thought about that.

But, well, it shouldn’t be a big problem, right?

I have a whopping 1.2 billion won in my hands!

“I’ll let you know in a few days. Nothing is set in stone yet. I’d appreciate it if you could start with the basic construction.”

“Ah, I see. Of course. After all… you’re a VIP of the black market, what was I thinking. Haha. I apologize for my rudeness. Please take your time.”

It wasn’t until a day later that I realized why the remodeling manager said that to me.

It wasn’t purely because of the estimate. He must have glanced over my financial status based on my attire.

When I looked at the estimate…

What the hell!

Even a single machine that I found extremely uncomfortable costs over a hundred million won!

“Why is it so expensive?!”

“…….? It’s common sense. Even for a small workshop, it costs at least several billion won to fill it with purely personal equipment.”

“That much?!”

I was planning to learn about the manufacturing process first and then learn about establishing a workshop later…

If I had known this first, I would have given up before even starting! What kind of ridiculous price is this?!

“But, there are many workshops, right?! There are small workshops all over Busan?!”

“Ah. Those are all rental facilities.”

“What?”

“I’m not an expert in that area either, but I have a rough understanding of the structure.”

Cha Seo-yoon raised his hand slightly.

“Since the manufacturing equipment used in workshops is expensive, it’s convenient to rent them for a set period. This way, you can significantly reduce the initial business capital.”

“A breakthrough!”

“…But that’s only possible where public order is reasonably maintained, and for people whose identities are guaranteed. Only those with a first-class artisan license can do that. Ironically, this place has the worst public order in Seoul… so it would be difficult to use the rental system.”

What kind of nonsense is that!

“…Isn’t there any way the black market can help?”

“If we support you to that extent, the belly button would be bigger than the belly… And more importantly, it’s not a recommended method for you, Mr. Lee Seo-jun. Renting means you have to undergo periodic inspections of the machines, making it easy for your identity to be exposed or tracked.”

“So, after remodeling the first floor into a neat workshop… I have to run an empty room with nothing in it…?”

The tension that had risen so high suddenly plummeted.

Simple blades? Well, I can make those. But they don’t really make much money. To make real money, you need…

Specialized equipment for those with abilities.

That’s the direction we need to turn.

But you see, that requires truly high-performance infrastructure. Starting with ability factor extractors, not to mention ability factor enhancers, and a whole lot of other cutting-edge equipment…

Doing all that by hand?

It would take a year to make a single weapon!

“My… glorious personal workshop…! I wanted to reach a day where 1.2 billion is considered pocket change, but not like this…!”

“Is the problem with the facilities?”

“Of course… Without them, it’s no different from making factory-made weapons… Moreover, the quality of factory-made mass-produced weapons these days is ridiculously good, who would buy handmade cold weapons from a personal workshop like mine… It’s not even my specialty… I make specialized equipment for those with abilities…”

“Hmm.”

Cha Seo-yoon tilted her head.

“Do you really have to get new ones?”

“Pardon?”

“Isn’t there an option for second-hand?”

“…….?”

Wait a minute.

It’s not that I haven’t thought about it. But you see.

“I mean, it’s not like we’re talking about used furniture from someone’s house… Do those things even circulate second-hand? I heard that when facilities in workshops break down, the company that made them usually retrieves everything to prevent technology leaks.”

“That’s true, but there are also pieces of equipment that aren’t retrieved. They’re called stolen goods.”

“…Stolen?”

“That’s Seoul for you.”

Ah.

I’m starting to like this city.

A place where they take weapon manufacturing equipment from workshops and sell them as stolen goods?

What a crazy town! Isn’t this a mad crime that even private military companies hired by corporations wouldn’t dare to commit!

“Ahem! The fact that they’re stolen bothers me, but…”

Well.

If it doesn’t bother me, then it’s fine. Besides, it’s not like I’m using them for anything bad.

You see, from now on, I won’t sell equipment to villains.

So, in a way, you could say this is a cycle of goodwill!

Just a slightly twisted start! Very trivial!

“Then, does that also go up on the black market?”

“Items of that kind cannot be registered on the site. Instead, the black market itself has a secret warehouse right in the middle of Seoul.”

“Oh… local trade? No. Then how do they move it?”

“The black market takes responsibility for the delivery as well. However, the secret warehouse owned by the black market charges a hefty fee.”

“How much…?”

“40% of the transaction completion value is taken as a fee.”

40%?

They’re robbers. Just plain robbers.

But, considering the security here, they must be working with a death wish. This place seems like the kind of neighborhood where anything could be stolen in the blink of an eye, even a whole truck.

40%?

Fine… I’ll endure it…

As long as I can buy everything cheaply, it’s a gain for me!

“Just to be sure, we don’t have to hand over cash directly in the transaction, right?”

“For a secure transaction, it goes through the black market. The black market holds both the item and the money, and once the transaction is fully completed, they are delivered to both parties. Of course, you can check the condition of the item first.”

“Great. Then let’s leave this to these people… and let’s go quickly…!”

Let’s go!

To the black market’s secret warehouse!

. . .

When you hear the word “secret warehouse,” certain images naturally come to mind.

A secluded place. Dim lighting.

People all wearing hats pulled down low, and suspicious briefcases being passed around.

That’s how it usually is in movies. So I looked up at the building with even more reluctance.

What is this? A high-rise building. And why is it so shiny?

“This is the secret warehouse?”

“Yes.”

There’s even a guard at the entrance. All armed, of course. And the scenes visible through the transparent glass inside… To be honest…

“Isn’t this a department store?”

It just looked like a successful department store built in a high-rise building.

Trading stolen goods here?

“…Were you expecting something different?”

“Well, I was expecting a bit of a criminal vibe…”

“The black market’s secret warehouse is one of the most famous places in Seoul. It has ties with various groups nearby and regularly trades with them. Even in Seoul, where the crime rate is low, it’s a place no one can touch. It’s best to think of it as the same as the ‘Red Mark’ spread throughout Seoul.”

“Hmm…”

The interior was cleaner than I thought. It was really crowded, just like a department store.

The prices were a bit high, but not to the point of being unreasonable. The important thing was that everything’s origin was unknown.

There were no individuals who looked like private sellers. Everyone selling goods seemed to be employees of the black market.

“Do they even do consignment sales?”

“They take a 40% commission.”

“Oh…”

Wow. Look at this.

Not only simple weapons but also a lot of furniture were scattered around. Some had slight scratches and were heavy, but there were also many cheap ones.

Although it was divided by themes, it was a place where all sorts of things were rolling around.

I put my foot on the escalator to go up.

But Cha Seo-yoon shook her head.

“Upstairs is usually filled with high-priced items. Also, you need a high credit rating to use the floors above a certain level.”

“…Credit rating? What’s that?”

“Literally, a credit rating. The more items you sell or buy in the black market, the higher your credit rating. To become a VIP, you need to sell or buy at least 1 billion worth of items here.”

What kind of hurdle is that high?

I reluctantly took my foot off. Well, I was a bit curious, but it wasn’t what I wanted anyway.

I got on the escalator going down. The items for sale became a bit dull and had more scratches, but I started to see the things I wanted.

There it is! The Ability Factor Extractor!

The essential device needed to create personal weapons for ability holders!

Wow! Look at how shiny it is! How much does it cost? Let’s see…

“…400 million?! It’s not much different!”

“It’s in quite good condition. With the original price plus the commission, it seems to be worth that much.”

“How is this different from buying it directly?!”

“Isn’t that why you came here in the first place, because you couldn’t buy it directly?”

“I never asked you to hit me with facts…”

“S-sorry…?”

I swallowed my tears and let him go.

Ah. Yes. There’s nothing I can do about it. I can survive. I can. But if I spend all my money on something like that, I won’t be able to buy other necessary tools.

I can’t spend a third of the military funds on something like this. In the end, I chose the next best option.

“…What happens if we go further down from here?”

“You’ll find items that are almost like antiques.”

O-okay.

Even if the condition is a bit bad, can’t I fix it and use it? Right?

Let’s set up the shop with the cheapest things!

Isn’t that how everyone starts?!