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Chapter 8
The roadside of the massive Seodaejeon Park.
Not far from a large supermarket, this open space had naturally transformed into a kind of marketplace as hunters passed through.
“Come on~ cheap, cheap! One bag of Choco Pie, just 1 coin!”
“Closing down! Warehouse clearance! The boss has lost his mind! Drinks for sale—one bottle of cola, only 2 coins!”
Most of these sellers exploited loopholes in the system to rake in huge profits, but there were a few who sold at fair prices. That was why hunters often stopped by.
“Sigh… looks like it’s just scalpers again today.”
“Before, you could get a whole box of Choco Pie for 1 coin…”
Hunters sighed as they felt the prices creeping higher and higher.
At that moment—
“Come one, come all! Check out these new goods!”
Jang Sunam, wearing his trademark crow mask, set up shop right in the middle of the park.
“A box of Choco Pie, 1 coin.
A box of Cola, 1 coin.
All food supplies, 1 coin per box.”
“““What!!!”””
It was a jaw-droppingly fair price—completely unlike the scalpers.
Eyes widened. Hunters scrambled to line up.
“I—I’ll take some!”
“One box of bread—no, make that two boxes!!”
In an instant, dozens of people formed a queue.
The profiteering vendors nearby immediately scowled.
“Damn it, what the hell is that?”
“Prices are already set here, and this guy just barges in….”
One burly man, clearly displeased, pulled out a club and marched toward Jang Sunam.
“Hey, Crow Mask. You must not know the rules here. Newbies should show respect to their seniors first. Come with me.”
The threat was clear: obey, or face the consequences.
The customers who had been buying quickly backed away, nervous. It was obvious the vendors had formed some kind of gang. That’s how they maintained their grip, through intimidation.
“Rules, huh…”
Sunam’s lips smiled, but his eyes were cold.
He remembered his first round, when his party, inexperienced and failing hunts, had been starved of coins. They’d arrived at a supermarket only to find it stripped bare—forced to buy from scalpers at impossible prices. They couldn’t afford food and went hungry for a week before finding a stockpile.
That bitter memory left a scar. And he knew—countless others were starving because of these men right now.
“Rules are made by those with strength.”
Sunam stood up and flicked his finger.
“Let’s see if you really have enough power to force your rules on me.”
“Hah! You’ve got a death wish, brat!”
The burly man raised his club high—
Whoosh! Wham! Wham!
Sunam’s fists were faster, striking vital points and dropping the man unconscious.
“Looks like you don’t have enough strength to make the rules.”
These guys might seem impressive among ordinary people, but to Sunam, they were no more than street thugs.
The other vendors panicked, whispering in a rush.
‘Here comes another trick…’
Sunam smirked as a few of them tried to casually drift closer.
“Excuse me… might we have a word?”
“……”
“Could we… buy from you directly? In bulk, I mean.”
A bearded man spoke politely, but his intent was clear: if they couldn’t beat him, they’d make him their supplier. Wholesale would still mean profit, and they could also gauge Sunam’s real intentions.
And this was exactly what Sunam had been waiting for.
“How much are you planning to buy?”
“If possible, everything you’re selling….”
“Fine. But there’s a condition.”
“Yes, yes! Anything you say!”
“First, the price may change.”
“That’s fine, we can negotiate….”
“Second, I sell everything, and you buy everything.”
“…? Well, sure. That works.”
The bearded man hesitated, but agreed.
That was all Sunam needed.
“Alright, then let’s deal. But I want to adjust the price to 10 coins.”
“10 coins? Oh… well, sure.”
Ten times the earlier price—but for boxes with hundreds of items inside, it still seemed profitable when sold individually.
Or so the man thought—
“You misunderstand. I meant 10 coins each.”
“…What!?”
Sunam’s tone had shifted to casual, almost mocking. But that wasn’t the issue—the meaning was.
“That’s insane! Who would buy at that price!?”
“You would. We made a deal, remember? I sell, you buy.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I’m leaving—”
Swish!
In a blink, the man’s head was separated from his body, rolling on the ground.
Moments later, his corpse vanished, and he resurrected nearby, pale and trembling.
“You’re lucky. You still had a life left.”
“Ghh… huff…!”
“From your expression, this was your first death. If you don’t want to experience a second, I suggest you comply.”
“W-why are you doing this? I only wanted a fair deal—!”
“Exactly. A deal is mutual. You made a promise, now you keep it.”
The bearded man’s face drained even whiter—because those were the very words they always used when forcing inflated prices on others.
“Buy as much as your money allows.
If you’re short on coins, I’ll take your lives instead.
And fetch the others who are watching, too.”
In other words—hand over everything you’ve got.
Having just experienced death, the scalpers dared not refuse.
[Hidden Achievement Unlocked – “Profiteer”]
By subduing the scalpers, Jang Sunam gained nearly 48,000 coins in profit—proof that they’d been gouging hunters for nearly a hundred days.
‘Now, let’s see….’
He opened his system menu.
[Title] – <Tycoon>
-
Effect 1: 10% discount when buying sealed items.
-
Effect 2: 10% discount when buying from hunters.
This was a title that normally required over 4,000 transactions and at least 40,000 coins in a single day—a near-impossible feat early on. Yet Sunam had achieved it all at once.
Combined with his title “Savior of Strangers” from defeating the tutorial boss, he now enjoyed a 10% discount across NPCs, sealed items, and hunters alike.
‘Still… I’ve got more food left than expected.’
Since the scalpers had run out of funds first, he hadn’t managed to sell everything in his inventory. Thanks to their reselling scheme, the stockpiles hardly looked touched.
‘Food is always good to have… but expiration dates are a problem.’
He pondered as he pulled out a canned drink from his inventory and cracked it open.
The cool fizz ran down his throat—it felt amazing.
In the first round, things like soda, chocolate, and coffee had been distant dreams.
He wanted to savor the refreshing taste—but then frowned.
‘…Wait. Isn’t this too cold?’
It had been over an hour since he bought it. Normally it should be lukewarm, yet this felt like it had just come out of a refrigerator.
‘Don’t tell me…?’
A thought struck him.
‘When my inventory became infinite… it also gained a preservation function?’
Originally, items had to be manually preserved with special skills. But now, just by storing them, their state was maintained.
It would help during future food shortages, sure—but there was something even more important.
‘This is exactly what I need… to prevent the first Bad Ending.’
Certain items, like the Zombie Virus Vaccine, lost half their effectiveness if stored above a certain temperature. Before, the only way was to stuff them in ice-filled coolers.
Now, that hassle was gone.
Clenching his fist, he nearly tripped over a root. Looking down, he saw what looked like dried, shriveled corpses.
‘Huh? Mummies?’
“W-would you… like to… use our shop…?”
‘Not corpses after all?’
They wore familiar armor, and beside them stood twin maids in identical dresses. Above their heads floated the word <NPC>.
“Please… mercy…”
They were so emaciated they couldn’t even shed tears.
Unlike hunters, NPCs earned no coins from killing monsters. The only way they could survive was to trade desperately with hunters.
‘Should’ve stayed in a smaller group….’
There were twelve of them—ten armored guards and two maids. That number made survival even harder, since hunters were limited.
Safety in numbers, yes—but at the cost of starvation.
‘An understandable choice, but a fatal one.’
After the tutorial, NPCs lost system protection. In a world where hunters killed even each other for coins, NPCs weren’t spared.
Hunters couldn’t loot the system’s shop inventories, but personal belongings were fair game.
‘A regretful choice indeed.’
In higher zones, NPCs grew stronger. Many were the final warriors of their ruined worlds, summoned into the system. And just as hunters killed NPCs, NPCs killed hunters—for coins, or for vengeance.
That was why NPC Favorability mattered so much.
‘The higher their trust, the less likely they’ll turn on me later.’
And it could even trigger hidden quests.
Sunam pulled porridge from his inventory and handed it over.
This wasn’t kindness—it was an investment in the future.
“Eat first. We’ll talk later.”
“F-food!”
“The heavens haven’t abandoned us!”
They devoured it with the last of their strength, taking a long time to recover. Finally, the twin maids managed to bow.
“Thank you, savior.”
“We wish to repay your kindness, even in a small way.”
They glanced at the guards, who all nodded in silent approval.
‘This reaction… could it be? A hidden shop?’
The crest on their armor confirmed it.
The elder sister maid opened a shop window for him. At first, the items seemed ordinary—until she revealed the hidden list.
‘Skill Enhancement Stones!’
Exactly the item Sunam needed—rare stones that could raise the rank of his skills.
