BRDM 42

chapter 42

The thing Lee Hyun realized after running several missions with the Cheongroe Unit was this:

You must never get carried away during an operation.

On the contrary, you had to remain calm.

How will you lay out your plan? How will you respond when the unexpected happens?

You must shape the entire board to your own advantage.

Never give your opponent time to breathe.

The most important thing is to herd them into a single choice.

This time was no different.

The very first thing Lee Hyun wanted to do upon entering the Goblin Market was to resolve the dungeon quest.

The Goblin Market exists to lure outsiders and sell them desire. But what if those temptations and desires are never bought? No—what if they can no longer be bought at all?

Then wouldn’t the market lose its very reason to exist?

「Kak-kak-kak! Rosetti once wrote something similar! The sisters in the story kept buying apples under temptation, and each choice led to a different result!」

The hint tossed out by Sa Oh-jeong gave him the key to solving the quest.

[‘You have used the Sacred Relic: Fire-Eyed Golden Crystal to uncover the <Riddle> hidden within the dungeon, and have successfully found its answer.’]

[1. The inhuman merchants who sell goods]
[What merchants of the Goblin Market sell is precisely their “name.” The wider their products—infused with their abilities—spread, the greater recognition they gain, eventually becoming Named beings.]
[Once they earn a name, these inhumans become beings of status and, like outsiders, can begin writing their own narrative.]

[…]

[2. The customers who buy desire]
[Customers purchase goods imbued with inhuman abilities to fulfill their own “desires.”]
[But if there are no products attractive enough to fulfill those desires, the number of customers will naturally decrease.]
[In that case, the merchants will have no choice but to search for new customers in other markets.]

[…]

[3. The reason for the market’s existence]
[The market can only continue to exist when there is mutual agreement between merchants seeking to spread their names and customers seeking to satisfy their desires.]

[…]

The reason drug lords and cartels obsessed so much over security in the black market wasn’t merely for their own reputation.

If the black market became unstable and customers dwindled, the market itself would disappear with them.

[…]

[4. The ghost market, which opens only at certain times and vanishes without a trace once it ends]
[The Goblin Market persists so long as there are merchants and customers; in that case, time is judged to be “stopped.”]
[But once the customers leave, time resumes, and the market disappears.]

[…]

The quest description had already hinted that the Goblin Market was a “ghost market.”

In other words, it wasn’t a permanent marketplace—it was a fleeting, pop-up bazaar.

Lee Hyun had seized upon this point.

If he could restart the market’s frozen time and force it to close, the dungeon would collapse along with it.

There’s nothing better for throwing the Cartel into chaos.

When Lee Hyun had made his way to the butcher’s quarter, he hadn’t simply passed through. He’d discreetly dropped certain items all around the market floor.

[Electrified Fingers of the Hwangpoong Monster]
A one-time-use item crafted by carving the origin of Dokkaebi Wraiths into the many fingers of the Hwangpoong Monster, who loved sorcery. Wherever the fingers roll, the wrath of the wraiths drifts with them like phantoms.

• Type: One-time-use item, Debuff

• Origin: Myth “Journey to the West,” folklore “Dokkaebi Dance Contest”

Since he already embodied the legend of the Snow Queen, he no longer needed the older versions.

Instead, he had asked Old Man Docheol to inscribe his own legacy into the leftover fingers.

And as Lee Hyun fought against the Myung Family, the thunder energy spreading throughout the market resonated with the fingers—

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

KA-THOOM! RUMMBLE!

“Kyaaaaaaah!”
“Bombing! It’s a bombing!”
“Damn it! The guards weren’t doing a damn thing!”
“Is this a war with another cartel or mafia gang?!”
“Who’d dare use this place anymore! Let’s get to another market!”

Explosions erupted everywhere, and with lightning pouring down, the place turned into sheer pandemonium.

Hunters scrambled for the dungeon exit, merchants folded up their stalls and evacuated.

[The dungeon’s frozen time has begun flowing again!]
[Merchants and customers are leaving.]
[With no reason to sustain itself, the ghost market is closing.]

Normally, the security force would step in before the chaos grew too large, reassuring merchants and customers.

But they all took bribes from the Myung Family and vacated their posts, didn’t they? Ah, though by now their heads may have rolled at Camilla’s hands. In that case, calming people down will be impossible.

Camilla realized it too, her face twisting in frustration.

The balance in her mind’s scale swung frantically.

In the end—

“Damn it…! What are you doing, standing around?! Run! Stop time again, now!”

She spun around and bolted, her eyes filled with killing intent.

A silent vow: if she ever saw him again, she’d never let him live.

Of course, Lee Hyun only answered with a faint, mocking laugh before—

FWOOSH!

He vanished into the collapsing dungeon.

Lee Hyun emerged from the ruins, carrying Go Jin-woo on his back, and wasted no time.

SHWEEE—

「Where are you going? You can’t take him to a hospital, can you?」

Sun Wukong dangled from his head, asking.

Though Sa Oh-jeong kept applying curse-suture spells as emergency treatment, it wasn’t proper medical care.

Yes. If we went to a hospital, the enemy would discover him.

Camilla wasn’t stupid—she would scour every Hunter hospital and major ER in the country.

I plan to go to my mentor.

「Your mentor? The one who made you a Hunter?」

Yes. His wife was a healer, formerly a surgeon. She has many connections as well.

「And no risk of information leaking?」

If she were loose-tongued, would I have trusted them like family?

「Fair enough.」

I trust them like my own parents. If they ever betrayed me… well, I doubt I could ever trust anyone again.

「That’s how much they mean to you, huh? Fine. Where do they live now?」

Thankfully, they’ve retired and aren’t far. I’ll pick up the pace.

Lee Hyun thought this was perhaps the moment he was most grateful to Sun Wukong.

He’d lacked a decent means of transport—until now.

[Using thunder energy, your movement speed increases. The effect of Samadhi Divine Wind is added.]
[With accelerating momentum, the Wraith’s Sprint evolves into “Wraith’s Lightning Step”!]

[Wraith’s Lightning Step]
Dokkaebi can appear anywhere they wish, unbound by time or place, startling humans by flashing in and out of sight.

• Type: Sub-skill of “The Wraith’s Deep Breath (A).”

• Origin: Folklore “Curse of the Seven-Star Rock.”

FLASH!

A sudden blaze of light—

“What was that? Dry lightning?”
“Huh? Where? You half-asleep or something?”
“…Maybe. Hm.”

People near where Lee Hyun passed rubbed their eyes at the strange flash.

But thanks to the obscuring Duskgloom Step, it went almost unseen.

Here.

He soon reached a village not far from Uijeongbu.

THUD!

A two-story western-style house, standing somewhat apart from the village.

A Jindo dog lay dozing in the yard, while a neatly tended lettuce patch sat to the side.

The kind of home where a dignified elderly couple might settle after retirement.

Lee Hyun landed right in the middle of the yard.

BARK! BARK!

The Jindo suddenly leapt up, barking furiously at something unseen.

“What’s gotten into you, boy? They say guard dogs see things people can’t. Is that it?”

The old man chuckled from the garden, picking lettuce.

BARK-BARK-BARK!

“What’s the matter, really?”

The old man was about to get up, worried the dog might be ill—when he froze.

FZZZT—

The air shimmered in the yard, and a man in a white coat appeared, wearing a mask and carrying a bloodied figure on his back.

Suspicious to anyone’s eyes—

CLACK!

But the instant the man removed his mask, the old man’s eyes widened.

It was his beloved disciple, after four long years.

“…You… Hyun?”

“It’s been a while, General.”

“How did you… a skill like that…? No, more importantly, the one on your back—?”

“This is Jin-woo hyung. He’s gravely wounded. May I ask for Madam’s help?”

In a flash, the old man’s bewilderment vanished, replaced by the firm, commanding gaze of the Cheongroe Commander.

“My wife went to the market, but if I call, she’ll be back at once. Bring him inside.”

“Thank you.”

Lee Hyun followed the old man, Lee Goon-san, upstairs to a guest room and carefully laid Jin-woo down.

After the frantic run, Hyun himself was drenched in sweat.

“…His state is dire.”

Lee Goon-san let out a heavy sigh.

“The blood loss is a concern, but thanks to your first aid, with sutures he should be fine. The bigger problem is his hand.”

Lee Hyun clenched his teeth.

That was the reason he had been so enraged.

Compared to the rest, Jin-woo’s left hand… was in tatters.

Someone had started to amputate at the wrist, then changed their mind midway. Even so, if left as it was, he’d never use it properly again.

And Jin-woo was a doctor.

“I did bring potions.”

Hyun laid out what he’d taken from Huh Jae-woon and the Myung Guild members’ inventories.

“…High-grade potions, even Elixir Corporation’s finest treatment. This will do.”

At last, Lee Hyun could breathe easier.

「Thank heavens.」

Yes… truly.

He looked bitterly at Jin-woo, who, though deeply asleep, furrowed his brows as if still in pain.

“What in the world happened? And you—why are you like this now?”

Lee Goon-san asked cautiously, but Hyun shook his head flatly.

“It would be best if you didn’t get too involved, General. It could be dangerous.”

“That’s a little insulting. Are you saying an old retiree should just waste away in a back room?”

“…That wasn’t my intention.”

Hyun began to protest, but when he saw the older man’s playful grin, he could only laugh weakly.

Still, the gaze remained firm.

Once again, Hyun felt he couldn’t manage without this man’s help.

“You once served in intelligence, didn’t you? The NIS?”

“For a short while, yes. Why? Is this connected?”

“If I were to hit the Myung Family’s headquarters, where should I strike first?”

The old man’s eyes suddenly sharpened, cold.

It was the same look he had worn when facing enemies.

“Those bastards were already pushing the line back when I was still active… and now they’ve crossed it. They dared… to touch my boy?”

His eyes blazed as if ready to storm out immediately.

But—

“That won’t do.”

“What won’t?”

“I’ll finish this with my own hands. Please stand aside, General.”

Lee Goon-san stared at his former disciple.

What had happened in those years?

Since removing his uniform four years ago—no, since the death of his brother-in-arms, Moon Soo-chan—the boy’s eyes had been empty.

But the man before him now was different.

Different from four years ago, different even from his days as Jet.

“…If you insist that much, then I can’t stop you. But you won’t forbid me from helping, will you?”

“Of course not.”

When Hyun nodded, Goon-san finally smiled.

“Good. Then follow me. I’ve got some files in the study.”

After starting an IV with potion-mixed fluids for Jin-woo, he led Hyun down to the basement.

And then—

…A blast door?

Hyun froze, staring at the reinforced steel door, built bunker-style.

Hydraulic dog-gear mechanism.

The kind of thing meant to survive nuclear war.

“Unusual door, isn’t it? A normal study felt too boring, so I thought I’d make it a little more distinctive.”

“….”

This counts as “a little”?

Hyun’s head throbbed, wondering where to even start pointing out the absurdity.

CLANK!

The sliding door shifted aside, revealing the bunker within.

“Here it is.”

Seeing it, Hyun couldn’t hold back a low groan.

“…Were you planning to fight a war on your own?”