I’m Not That Villain

5 – Black Market (2)

The sales staff at the black market had a peculiar commonality.

Unlike salespeople in other stores, they didn’t approach first to recommend items.

If you were looking at something, they would quietly come closer. Watching from nearby was all they did. If you felt burdened by their gaze and turned your head, they would smile and speak.

“Are you curious about the product information?”

“Oh, no, it’s fine.”

“Okay. Understood.”

That’s it.

Really, that’s it.

There was no more solicitation beyond that. Did they feel that more customer service was unnecessary from the start?

I glanced around. Fortunately, I found a few items needed for the workshop facilities, but…

They were still expensive. Ridiculously so. This won’t do. I came prepared to spend all my money, but at this rate, my bank balance will hit zero before I even buy everything!

1.2 billion. It doesn’t matter if I spend all that money. As long as I can set up the basic facilities to earn money, I can spend as much as I want. That’s what money is for!

So let’s lower our sights a bit more. Yes. What’s wrong with junk? I can buy better equipment later when I earn more money.

As I slowly descended to the third basement floor, where the condition of the items was noticeably worse, Cha Seo-yoon asked hesitantly.

“This is a collection of items that barely ‘function’… Is this okay?”

“It’s not okay.”

“…?”

Even if it’s not okay, what choice do I have…

First, I need to get things in shape somehow.

For the first time in my life, twelve billion won didn’t seem like a lot of money. I glanced over the pile of junk that was on the verge of becoming scrap.

What was it again? That thing.

Antique! Yes! Although it’s old, it has the advantage of being vintage! If I decorate the workshop with these, it will definitely look great!

“…It’s a bit far from vintage…”

“Sigh!”

I held back the tears that were about to flow. Anyway, the condition of the items was a mess, but at least I could finally fit them into the budget.

“This is a superpower gene extractor.”

“…It’s a model I’ve never seen before… Is it old by any chance…”

“Oh. It’s only 20 years old.”

It’s a real antique.

But it has all the basic functions. It doesn’t have advanced features, but… it’s a model that can just extract superpower genes.

“How much…”

“One billion won.”

Hahaha!

The world has gone mad! One billion won for this piece of junk?!

But I had no choice but to grit my teeth and pay the money. If you know the principles, making it itself is not difficult.

The problem is how much time it takes to make it. Imagine being stranded on a deserted island. How long would it take to build modern civilization there…

Money, you see, had the significance of drastically shortening that process. Personally, it would also reduce the stress involved in that process, so it was a win-win.

So anyway, it’s a gain! It’s a gain anyway! I purchased the five most important items strategically.

First, the superpower gene extractor. Ah. It’s important. Very important.

The line that separates superpower holders from ordinary people. That is the superpower gene. Even modern science hasn’t fully uncovered it yet, but it’s a special cell that only superpower holders have.

Not only does it enhance all physical abilities, but it also allows one to handle unbelievable power. This must be included in equipment exclusively for superpower holders.

Next, the superpower gene storage device to store the extracted superpower genes. This was relatively cheap. It was like a high-end refrigerator that maintained extreme cold.

But it shouldn’t be taken lightly. It also served as an incubator, so it was an essential piece of equipment.

The problem was the next step. After extracting and storing the superpower genes, they needed to be refined into the desired form.

The device that does this is the superpower gene refiner.

This was the most expensive. I mean, why does it cost over five billion won to bring in an old machine? The purchase amount was so suffocating that I felt like I was going to choke.

But you see, you really need one of these. Without it, don’t even dream of making exclusive equipment.

It’s the minimum equipment that any workshop must have. Without it, it’s like… a bun without red bean paste. It’s just a hardware store with a workshop sign.

No. If this old, worn-out machine costs over 500 million…

How much did that latest model installed in the Black Chain Workshop cost?

Ah. The Black Chain Workshop.

You were truly a fairy…

“……? Mr. Seo-Jun Lee. Why are you suddenly tearing up…”

“I just felt nostalgic for a moment.”

Having purchased more than half of the machines, the next step was even simpler. A special furnace was needed to refine the improved supernatural elements into metal. Of course, since I couldn’t afford a large one, I had to be content with a small, compact furnace.

The last step was, of course, casting. By solidifying the supernatural element alloy material into ingot form, it would be easier to process later. After acquiring these five machines…

Now, I had to buy various machines used purely for manual work. Tools that would serve the purpose of processing.

Even though I chose the cheapest and most heavily used ones, most of the budget was gone.

Twelve billion won flew away in a flash. Now, with only a few hundred thousand won left, I turned to Cha Seo-Yoon.

“Do they lend money at the black market? I need some money to buy materials.”

“…I’ll negotiate with the higher-ups to add about two thousand.”

“I’ll call you sister from today.”

“Please don’t.”

Finally, the real basic equipment filled the infrastructure. It wasn’t rental, nor was it the latest model, but an old, outdated workshop with proper equipment was born!

Well, I heard it would take about a month starting from the workshop remodeling, but anyway, it’s completed…

…Hmm?

“Uh, Sister Seo-Yoon?”

“I’d prefer if you didn’t call me sister.”

“Since you’re giving it anyway, can’t you make it three thousand instead of two thousand? I don’t have any living expenses right now, haha.”

“…….”

Cha Seo-Yoon’s gaze was cold. But what could I do?

The more shameless, the better.

“Please.”

“Isn’t that too shameless?”

“Ah. Who will take responsibility for my life, which suddenly became that of a criminal…”

“I think I’ve already taken enough responsibility…”

With a sigh, Cha Seo-Yoon nodded.

“I’ll make it twenty-five hundred. But no more than that.”

“Wow! Charaemon!”

“……”

I now have enough money to live on for a while. That’s a relief.

What I needed next was to secure a supplier. A group that would provide me with various materials.

In the long run, the black market wasn’t a place I could use frequently. It wasn’t professional, and they just sold stolen goods.

The quality was also quite inconsistent. Moreover, getting supplies from there would cost more than it was worth…

It would be better to secure a suitable company with the military funds I had. I quickly searched the sites with the phone she gave me.

But, as expected, all the visible companies were beyond Seoul. The only companies within Seoul with their own sites were all large corporations.

Hmm. Is everything here done in a haphazard manner? If so, I guess I’ll have to do some legwork…

“There is a separate internal network in Seoul Special City.”

“What? There’s such a thing?”

“It’s a type of deep web. It’s an internet that’s hard to trace from the outside. You can only access it through a special app. If you install this…”

Following her words, I installed the app. A new search engine appeared on the screen.

A sea of unorganized information revealed in an instant. I was briefly amazed at this form of the internet I had never seen before.

This is…

A perfect place for crime! I must never upload personal information here!

I also installed the SNS app linked to the internet app. After creating a dummy account, I spied on famous influencers.

Photos that seemed to boast openly. But those were a kind of privilege that only the truly wealthy could post.

They had wealth and power that everyone envied, but they posted without hesitation because they had the ability to protect it.

As expected, most of them seemed to run accounts with little personal information. Well, I would do the same. If you flaunt what you have in a dangerous neighborhood, you’ll really get stabbed.

But, you know, there are surprisingly many empty-headed people. People who don’t have the ability to protect what they have but post their daily lives to get a little attention. Of course, they were only a minority, but the fact that they existed was quite amazing.

Aren’t they scared? I would be scared. Look at these comments. Wow. They even pinpoint the address.

…Oh. It’s deleted. Yeah. That’s normal.

Anyway, it’s chaotic. Chaotic. Both the linked SNS app and the internet network… both are chaotic.

But it’s a chaos I have to adapt to. I immediately searched for related companies that could provide materials. As expected, there were hardly any proper companies. Most of the places with phone numbers didn’t answer.

But even so, there were places where I could get information. It seemed possible to buy information with money on a special site called ‘Bath Bomb.’

“Do you know why the site is called Bath Bomb?”

“Because it’s cozy…?”

“…Hmm.”

Well.

No matter how the site operator names the site, it’s none of my business.

After joining the site, I spent about 100,000 won. I didn’t need any high-end information, my only goal was to find businesses similar to mine.

You see, my situation isn’t great, so I wanted the places where I buy materials to be in a similar situation. It’s about a win-win, I didn’t want to be the only one taking the hit.

If both sides are desperate, wouldn’t it be a good deal for both? I skimmed through the available information. Fortunately, I found what I was looking for and paid to view it.

People who either dig up basic materials themselves or import materials cheaply from abroad and sell them at a profit. I noted down the list of those businesses and started making calls.

[This is Daesung Metals. How can I help you?]

Several calls followed. And you know what? I realized something.

These b*stards aren’t desperate at all! They’re all just trying to scam me with their eyes wide open!

Oh, what a pity. Why is it so expensive? No, but I’ve placed orders for materials a few times before, as the youngest. So I know the average price.

But you know, even if this is a crime city, these b*stards are no different from those who are just waiting to catch a sucker.

Do I really have to put in the legwork to find the real deal?

I made a call to the last place on the list. If this doesn’t work out, I’ll have to find another way.

Click.

I heard the sound of the phone being picked up on the other side. But something was strange.

An old-fashioned clicking sound.

This is exactly that. The sound of a home phone that has almost disappeared these days?

[…Hello?]

The moment I heard the weak woman’s voice, I had a hunch.

You’re as broke as I am!