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Chapter 9
“How much were you planning to pay?”
Ian almost answered:
“Before that… how much abuse have you survived in your life?”
The words rose all the way to his throat.
He forced them back down.
“Be patient… Not yet.”
It wasn’t as though he’d never dealt with scammers before.
After years of dealing with people trying to rip him off, he’d become something of an expert at handling them.
It wasn’t exactly something to be proud of, but the survival skills he’d developed while working at a soul-crushing black company were still very much alive.
If he wanted, he could easily get everything he needed while minimizing his losses.
But this time…
Things were different.
No—
They had to be different.
“Looking at this Yongpal guy reminds me of that nightmare…”
One freezing winter years ago…
Ian had nearly been stabbed in the back by a supplier’s employee who also happened to have uneven eyes.
The man had secretly manipulated the parts list and pricing.
Ian caught him red-handed.
Not only had he secured a favorable deal…
He’d even delivered a thunderous lecture worthy of a martial arts novel hero.
Back then…
He’d thought he was unstoppable.
“It was the first time I’d ever completely dominated a business negotiation.”
His confidence had swelled.
Unfortunately…
It didn’t last long.
“I’m… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”
Not long afterward…
The youngest employee on Ian’s team had burst into tears, apologizing over and over with a deathly pale face.
After calming him down…
Ian heard an unexpected name.
“Taebon Industries? Why are they involved?”
“It’s all my fault… I’m sorry…”
The supplier had prepared his revenge.
He had hidden another trap inside the paperwork.
The rookie hadn’t noticed it.
Because of that single mistake…
The entire team had nearly lost their jobs.
Yet Ian never blamed the rookie.
“If I’d completely finished that bastard off the first time I exposed him, none of this would’ve happened.”
He should have crushed the man immediately.
Then no one else would have become another victim.
That incident taught Ian one unforgettable lesson.
“You never know when fate will force you to cross paths with someone again.”
“So if you’re going to cut someone off…”
“Do it completely.”
And by that standard…
Yongpal belonged firmly in the category of people who needed to disappear.
Leave someone like him alone…
And he’d keep pushing his luck forever.
So Ian made up his mind.
He would deal with him.
Right here.
In Amilreur.
“Hmm…”
Ian forced the corners of his mouth upward into an awkward smile.
“If you want to think I’m an easy mark…”
“Fine.”
“I’ll play the fool—for a little while.”
“Enjoy smiling while you still can.”
“You won’t have many reasons to grin after today.”
“Ahem… You know me, Yongpal. Normally, I only need one glance to know exactly what something’s worth. But I didn’t sleep well last night, so I’m not really at my best today…”
“Oh, I see. That’s unfortunate… If you don’t mind my presumption…”
Yongpal smiled warmly.
He pulled out a sheet of parchment and a feather pen.
Pretending to deliberate seriously, he frowned dramatically before scribbling something.
“…I really shouldn’t be doing this…”
He dotted the final number with exaggerated reluctance before showing Ian the parchment.
It read:
Human male slave, early forties — 250 Gold
“What do you think?”
“…”
“Since this is our first transaction, I’m giving you an exceptionally generous price.”
The moment Ian saw that friendly smile…
He secretly bit his tongue.
He almost laughed.
“People really are the same everywhere.”
“Scammers all use the exact same script.”
Suppressing his laughter, Ian continued acting like an idiot.
“Hmm… Two hundred fifty gold? Isn’t that a little expensive?”
“What?! Absolutely not! You’ll never find a slave of this quality anywhere else at this price!”
“I-Is that so?”
“Of course! And if you don’t buy him now, I can’t promise this price will still be available later. Slave prices fluctuate constantly.”
“…I see.”
“Fluctuate?”
“What are they, cryptocurrency?”
“Do prices change every second now?”
Trying not to laugh was becoming exhausting.
“Then… I guess I’ll buy him… for 250.”
“What an excellent decision!”
“Haha…”
“Since you’ve trusted me so completely, I’ll make another sacrifice.”
With obvious excitement, Yongpal crossed out 250.
Then he proudly wrote:
230 Gold
“There.”
“Two hundred thirty gold.”
“I guarantee, on my ten years of experience as a slave-market host, that this is the absolute lowest I can go.”
“Oh?”
“You guarantee it?”
“With your career on the line?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then I believe you.”
“I’ll buy him for 230.”
“Thank you. A wonderful decision.”
The moment Yongpal bowed…
Two enormous guards appeared from nowhere.
Or perhaps “wardens” was the better description.
Bare-chested and wearing sackcloth masks over their heads, they unlocked the cage.
The heavy iron door screeched open.
Nearby slaves instinctively turned toward the sound.
“I’ll have him prepared so you can collect him before you leave.”
“Take him.”
The wardens immediately grabbed Delan.
The frightened man struggled desperately.
It accomplished nothing.
He was dragged away toward the cave’s exit.
Ian silently watched him disappear.
Behind him…
Yongpal cleared his throat.
“If I may offer some advice…”
“We don’t have much time before tonight’s secret auction.”
“Oh? You’re right.”
“Then we’d better hurry.”
“Thanks for reminding me.”
“It’s simply my duty.”
Ian couldn’t hold it anymore.
“Pfft.”
He burst out laughing.
“This idiot really plans to make a fortune off me today.”
“The greedier you get…”
“The worse things are going to end for you.”
Completely unaware…
Yongpal enthusiastically continued.
“How about this slave?”
He eagerly introduced cage after cage.
Ian obediently played along.
He nodded.
Asked questions.
Pretended to be interested.
“Just endure it a little longer.”
“Just a little.”
***
“I think I’ve gathered enough data.”
Pretending to be an idiot had paid off.
Unexpectedly…
Yongpal had been remarkably consistent.
That made determining the market price of slaves surprisingly easy.
For example—
“This slave is… 170 gold.”
“No…”
“Since you’ve bought so many today…”
“I’ll lower it to 160.”
For prices in the 100-gold range, he always reduced them by 10 gold.
“This one really should cost at least 290.”
“…Sigh…”
“I suppose I have no choice.”
“Just this once.”
“270 gold.”
For prices around 200 gold, he always lowered them by 20 gold.
The same pattern continued with every price bracket.
Whether Yongpal realized it or not…
The formula never changed.
Over twenty separate transactions…
Not once had the pattern broken.
“The important number isn’t the discount.”
“It’s the original asking price before the discount.”
Suppose a slave was actually worth around 200 gold.
Yongpal would intentionally ask for 180 after pretending to “discount” it.
But any merchant expected customers to negotiate another ten or twenty percent off.
That meant…
The slave’s real market value was probably somewhere around 144–162 gold.
Then all Ian needed was to estimate Yongpal’s profit margin.
“If he had a conscience—20%.”
“If he needed money—30%.”
“If he found an easy sucker…”
“More than 30%.”
Given today’s circumstances…
“Definitely over thirty.”
“Probably around forty.”
That led Ian to his conclusion.
If Yongpal’s opening price was 200 gold…
The slave was actually worth around 86–97 gold.
In simple terms…
The bastard was pocketing roughly half the money.
“This guy has absolutely no conscience.”
He really lived as though there would never be consequences.
Considering Ian’s noble family’s reputation…
Yongpal was unbelievably fearless.
“Or maybe…”
“He plans to make one huge score before disappearing.”
Ian considered the possibility.
Then dismissed it.
That left only one explanation.
“He really thinks I’m an idiot.”
“Being funny is fine.”
“Being looked down on isn’t.”
Ian silently reminded himself to avoid giving that impression in the future.
People who underestimated you…
Always became troublesome.
Just then—
Yongpal stopped before the final cage.
“It seems we’ve reached the end, Lord Ian.”
“This is the last slave in the Pomegranate Cavern.”
“I see.”
“However…”
“Is something wrong?”
“Haha.”
“The last cage usually contains the lowest-quality slaves.”
“I normally wouldn’t recommend them.”
“I see.”
Ignoring him, Ian stepped closer.
His standards for choosing slaves were completely different.
Wrongfully accused.
Sold because of poverty.
Those were the people he wanted.
Their combat ability meant little.
“I’m freeing them anyway.”
He could complete the Slave Liberation side quest…
Perform a good deed…
Improve his buyer rank…
And qualify for the secret auction.
Three benefits from one action.
An efficient investment.
So ability shouldn’t have mattered.
It really shouldn’t have.
Then—
“What…?”
Cedric Conrad
Male, 21
Human
★★★★☆
A Genius Consumed by Despair
- Level: 21 ▼
- Strength: 8 ▼
- Intelligence: 89 ▼
- Dexterity: 12 ▼
- Constitution: 11 ▼
- Charisma: 8 ▼
Traits
- Versatile
- Natural Talent
- Financial Management
- Greed
- Ambition
- Weakness
- Slave
- Despair
Alignment: Neutral
Potential: S Rank
“What the…”
“Those reduced stats are because of his restraints?”
The young man inside the cage was painfully thin.
Unlike the other slaves…
He merely stared back with dull, indifferent eyes.
His abilities were unbelievable.
Not just his stats.
His traits.
His potential.
Everything about him was extraordinary.
“An S-Rank Potential…”
“This is the first one I’ve ever seen.”
Even Lulud Grace had possessed only A-Rank Potential.
Seeing an S-Rank almost made Ian laugh.
“And he’s a four-star slave.”
“A Genius Consumed by Despair…”
“Is that because of his traits?”
Whatever the reason…
Ian didn’t need to understand it.
The young man met Ian’s standards.
And his abilities were absurd.
Before anyone else could buy him…
Ian intended to claim him.
“Ahem.”
Trying to remain casual, Ian called over Yongpal.
Something about his reaction seemed strange.
“How much is this one?”
“…Pardon?”
“You want him?”
“What?”
“Is that a problem?”
“Not exactly…”
“If you insist…”
“I can simply throw him in for free.”
“…”
Ian stared blankly.
Had this idiot lost his mind?
Seeing Ian’s expression, Yongpal waved his hands.
“I don’t mean anything by it.”
“You can tell just by looking.”
“He’s completely useless.”
“When he first arrived, he was valued at around fifty gold.”
“But that was months ago.”
“Now he just wastes food.”
“We’d rather give him to you than keep feeding him.”
“…Fifty gold?”
Ian almost doubted his own ears.
Was Yongpal messing with him?
Apparently not.
Misunderting Ian’s surprise, Yongpal continued.
“Like I said…”
“That fifty-gold valuation is ancient history.”
“Now he’s worth maybe ten gold.”
“That’s well within my authority to include as a bonus.”
“…Ten gold?”
“Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“Our top slave appraisers determined his value.”
“It’s completely accurate.”
“Accurate?”
“I don’t think so.”
Ian looked back at the brown-haired young man.
Cedric Conrad.
He activated Appraisal once again.
The results were identical.
He hadn’t misread anything.
“Then could Amilreur’s so-called first-class appraisers actually be third-rate amateurs?”
No.
That seemed impossible.
Which meant…
“My Appraisal skill is far more special than I thought.”
The realization made Ian chuckle.
At that exact moment…
Their eyes met.
Cedric Conrad…
Looked directly at him.
