Chapter 9: Find the Value of the Function (3)

The bald giant frowned.  

For two reasons.  

One, the woman was so stunningly beautiful it was almost intimidating.  

The other, the strength twisting his wrist was no joke.  

“Ugh!”  

The giant yanked his wrist free and stepped back.  

His wrist was red. 

What kind of strength…  

Contrary to his expectation of a muscular man grabbing him, what he saw was a woman as beautiful as a movie star.  

“A foreigner?”  

At the word “foreigner,” Nayeon tilted her head, glancing at the man behind her. 

She didn’t bother responding.  

“Whoa… what’s this? She’s gorgeous, huh? An actress? A foreign star? A gravure idol? Here for a shoot?”

The man, eyeing Nayeon’s toned yet voluptuous figure, licked his lips.  

Her distinctive cold, indifferent eyes scanned him up and down.  

At the same time, the man’s eyes widened, trembling.  

Kwaaak… 

It felt like an invisible hand was strangling his throat.  

She subdued him with just her gaze.  

As he struggled to breathe, sensing something was off, he shook his head and signaled the other man to back off.  

“I-I’ll let it slide just this once.”  

The two men gave up on Junseok’s backpack with surprising ease.  

An aura they couldn’t dare challenge.  

It was a spectacle where any man became a timid fool in her presence.  

But Nayeon didn’t seem inclined to let them off so easily.

“Stop right there.”  

The men froze, their faces uneasy.  

They couldn’t comprehend why they were so terrified, but it was clear.  

It was pure survival instinct kicking in.  

Hooook!  

As Nayeon took a step forward, the men’s hair whipped back as if caught in a gust.  

“Retract the insult you just uttered. Otherwise…”  

It was as if she was ready to challenge them to a duel for defamation.  

Swish.  

Her hand moved to her waist as if to draw a sword.  

But, as expected, there was no sword at her side.  

“Tch.”  

Nayeon lightly bit her red lips in frustration.  

The two men stood frozen, blinking rapidly. 

Did she just cause a gust of wind by taking a step?  

It couldn’t be a mistake. 

This is indoors…  

No fan or air conditioner could have caused that breeze.  

It was a danger signal they’d never felt in their years of back-alley dealings.  

Their crisis detection instincts kicked in immediately. 

Both raised their palms and stepped back.  

“I… I didn’t mean any harm.”  

“It was just a compliment…”  

“Who.”  

Nayeon’s sharp interruption made them choke, wetting their dry lips.  

The pain was like a hand striking their Adam’s apple, cutting off their words. 

“Who dares to compliment me?”  

“Huh?”  

“A compliment is something a superior bestows upon a lesser being.”  

“!”  

Nayeon lightly flicked her finger.  

As if beckoning them to come forward.  

The two, who had been retreating, bowed their heads submissively, as if facing a gang boss.  

An overwhelming pressure they couldn’t defy.  

It’s like facing a being in the Tower with a level difference of 30 or more.  

As unofficial players operating in the black market, they knew that sensation.  

The presence of a boss monster.  

She spoke with that commanding aura.  

“You should worship me, not compliment me.”  

“I-I’m sorry. My vocabulary’s limited because I dropped out…”  

The pressure was like the air itself was crushing them.  

It wasn’t a question demanding a response.

The force was so intense they strained their bodies to avoid collapsing to their knees.  

The air felt sharp, as if it were piercing their skin.  

They had never felt such a sensation outside the Magic Tower.  

Just as their knees were about to buckle, the pressure suddenly lifted.  

Because Junseok had glanced at Nayeon.  

“Get lost.”  

“Y-Yes! Thank you!”  

Nayeon, arms crossed, watched as the two stumbled backward.

Their legs are trembling?  

Junseok, standing beside her, looked puzzled, unable to comprehend what kind of magic Nayeon had worked.  

If their legs are shaking that much, what kind of fear did they feel?  

To him, standing right next to her, Nayeon seemed no different from usual.  

I looked at her like, ‘Is she crazy right now?’  

When their eyes met, she quickly turned her gaze to the second floor, as if she hadn’t been looking at him. 

It was the usual cold, indifferent Nayeon.  

Richard I.  

Nickname: Lionheart.  

In Korea, known as the Lionheart King or the God of War.  

Looks like I need to buy his biography.  

She seemed hostile at times, yet suddenly appeared to help him.  

Maybe sending the American brokers away pleased her?  

As Junseok watched the two men scurry away, Nayeon spoke.  

“There are armed forces on the second floor.”  

“It’s a black market, so that’s expected.”  

“They don’t seem to be monitoring the outside.”  

Her keen observation was spot-on.  

Their purpose wasn’t to watch the outside.  

It was to prevent and control gangsters or thugs inside.

“They’re watching us.”  

“You should hide. You stand out too much.” 

“Are you saying people will recognize me as a summon?”  

“No, that’s not it… Never mind.”  

Even if he explained that her beauty drew attention, she’d tilt her head and ask why that mattered.  

“For a ruler, using ‘no’ three times in one sentence is unbecoming.”  

Her clear, slightly unhinged eyes turned toward Junseok.  

“Let’s move. I’ll follow.”  

“No, I’m fine alone. Avoid attention and unsummon yourself.”  

“I refuse.”  

She wouldn’t come when called, disappeared whenever she pleased, and now refused to leave?  

Nayeon immediately explained why.  

“It’s dangerous.”  

“The people on the second floor aren’t—” 

“They’re not the problem. We’re being followed.”  

Followed?  

Junseok’s brow furrowed.  

His pace quickened slightly.  

Is that true?  

Junseok, I’m just an ordinary person outside the Tower. How would I know?  

Oh, right.  

Yoo Junhyuk was just an ordinary person outside the Tower, protected by special forces.  

Utterly useless outside.  

I hear you. 

Yes, sir.  

Perhaps some group found Nayeon’s earlier actions suspicious. 

Regardless, with the family’s cash reserves nearly depleted, he couldn’t return empty-handed.  

He quickly found the first merchant with ease.  

An old man reading a newspaper had his feet propped up on the stall.  

The newspaper was a disguise to hide the display on the desk.  

A surveillance camera was hidden at the lower-left corner of the stall’s entrance, angled to see customers’ faces.  

A subtle way to assert dominance.  

One of the many tactics black market merchants used to gain the upper hand.  

As if saying, “I can size you up without even looking up from my paper.”  

Nayeon, standing calmly beside Junseok, spotted the hidden camera on the floor.  

And without hesitation—  

Crack!  

She smashed it with her foot.  

Her characteristic unflinching demeanor remained unchanged.  

Rustle!  

The man irritably folded his newspaper and glared at Junseok.  

He nodded toward Nayeon, as if asking who she was, but Junseok ignored him and set down his bag.  

It might seem trivial, but asserting dominance from the start made a difference in negotiations.  

A hidden CCTV camera.  

She spotted it instantly?  

It wasn’t something customers would easily notice.  

In his three years of business here, this was a first.  

“Lizardman thigh meat, lizardman skulls, and scales.”  

That wasn’t all.  

“Tail meat, venom glands, spine bones… You take hearts too, right?”  

Listing them one by one, it was clear this wasn’t the work of a novice dismantler.  

The merchant, sensing this wasn’t an ordinary customer, pulled his chair closer and sat down.  

“What, did you stuff an entire lizardman in that bag?”  

“Whole? If you need it whole, just say so. I’ve got one. Drained the blood after cutting the Achilles tendon…”  

“You’ve got it?”  

At that, another merchant cautiously approached Junseok.

“I’ll buy it! I’ve got a client looking for a stuffed lizardman! Sell it to me!”  

The first merchant’s eyes sharpened at Junseok’s words.  

“Hey! Get lost! Can’t you see this is my turf?”  

Then, rubbing his hands like a fly, he said warmly, “Well, well, we’ve got a big shot here. Come on in, sir.”     

The profit from the sale was a mere 780,000 won.  

Thanks to Junseok negotiating up from a lowball offer, it was a decent sum.  

Considering he risked his life for about an hour a day and earned just under 400,000 won per session, it wasn’t bad.  

But it wasn’t exactly satisfying either.  

Even selling every part of the lizardmen and orcs at the highest price possible, the black market was either outrageously expensive or dirt cheap. 

Since buying items from the Magic Tower without oversight from the Player Management Office was prohibited, selling in the black market meant it was already outside normal trade channels.  

As a result, sellers struggled to get fair prices.  

Junseok, satisfied with the cash, tucked it into his pocket.  

It slipped into the God of War’s Bag with a swish.  

Putting dirty money in my bag!  

Dirty? It’s money earned with blood, sweat, and tears.  

He decided to sell the magic stones later.  

Not only because of the tail, but magic stones weren’t something to trade lightly.  

While other items might be overlooked if caught, magic stones were a different story.  

If caught illegally trading or distributing them, the consequences were severe.  

Guess I’ll have to be content with this for now.  

The main entrance is dangerous.  

Nayeon’s voice spoke internally.  

At the same time, he noticed the black market guards on the second floor moving busily.

They were likely connected to the tail.  

Having visited the black market for more than a day or two, Junseok naturally pivoted his steps.

He planned to slip out through one of the escape routes and take a bus or subway.  

As he exited through a side door, out of sight, his bag vanished into his inventory with a srrrk. 

Free of the backpack’s weight and bulk, Junseok’s steps quickened.  

Nayeon followed swiftly, half-jogging to keep up. 

They navigated a maze of narrow alleys.  

Though complex, Junseok moved without hesitation.  

Moments later, he emerged into the open.  

Ordinary citizens walked about, and the towering black structure of Suseo Magic Tower came into view.  

Junseok chose a bus to keep his distance and prevent any reckless moves by his pursuers.  

Blending in with civilians seemed safer in many ways.  

On his way to the nearby bus stop, passersby murmured about Nayeon.  

“Is she a celebrity?”  

“Who does a woman like that date?”  

Amid their chatter, Junseok placed his baseball cap on her head.  

Nayeon tilted her head and asked, “A helmet? Its defense is low.”  

“It’s a cap.”  

“For covert movement, I see. Understood.”  

She got the gist, more or less.  

The cap didn’t fully conceal her striking appearance, but it drew less attention.  

Well, sort of.  

“Hey, look at that lady… She’s stunning.”

“Is she a celebrity?”  

Her beauty was undeniable.  

Junseok hopped on the first bus that arrived at the stop.  

Beep!  

He swiped his card, but Nayeon, following him, had no idea about such things.  

As she boarded, the driver called out, “You need to swipe your card!”  

Nayeon, wondering if he was addressing her, stared at the driver.  

The driver met her gaze clearly through the rearview mirror.  

“Who dares block the king’s path—”  

“Two people.”  

Bip!  

[Multiple passengers processed.]  

Junseok swiped his card again, preventing a potential disaster.  

The passengers’ eyes were glued to Nayeon, but she didn’t seem to care.  

The tail?  

I think we lost them in the market.  

Nayeon, too, seemed to sense the danger had passed.  

She vanished with a srrrk in a place free of onlookers after getting off the bus.  

But her absence didn’t last long.  

She soon reappeared, sensing danger again.  

When Nayeon emerged, Junseok was holding bags of chicken and bossam, entering the refugee village.  

Be cautious.  

Junseok nodded as Nayeon appeared behind him with a srrrk.  

His eyes caught sight of black vans surrounding his container shelter.  

“Are you Choi Junseok?”  

“That’s me. Who are you?”  

“I’m from the Player Management Office. Team Leader Kang Jinsu. Call me Kang Jinsu or Team Leader Kang.”  

Junseok remained expressionless at his greeting.  

“Come inside. We’ve been waiting.”  

Junseok frowned and spoke.  

“Who gave you permission to enter my home?”  

Mimicking Nayeon’s commanding presence, he spoke sharply.  

The corner of Nayeon’s mouth twitched upward slightly.  

The man in the black suit, flustered, stammered as he tried to guide Junseok.  

“Uh…”  

“Get them out. Only the representative stays. Everyone else, leave. What, you here for a gang fight?”  

“S-Sorry, we’ll do that.”  

In the world of players, one thing mattered most.  

Taking control from the start.  

Junseok’s tactics worked instantly.  

The man hurriedly whispered into the radio on his suit collar, telling the agents inside to come out.  

Then, with a business-like smile, he bowed to Junseok.  

“I haven’t eaten dinner yet. Let’s talk at a nearby café after I eat. That okay?”  

“Of course. We’ll wait as long as it takes.”  

He meant he’d wait until Junseok finished dinner.  

As Junseok passed by, the agent thought, Is that woman… the summon Junseok got as the first-floor hidden reward?  

He activated the common skill [Detection] on Nayeon.  

At that moment, a notification appeared before his eyes.  

[Attempting to detect a target with a significant level difference may result in death.]  

And that wasn’t the only warning.  

[Attempting to detect a target with a significant rank difference may result in death.]  

[Attempting to access an item with a significant level difference may result in death.]  

His mind reeled.  

But the last warning lingered clearly in his eyes.  

Item? What item?  

Dizziness overwhelmed him, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.  

“Team Leader Kang!”  

“Team Leader Kang!”  

The voices of his subordinates, rushing out of Junseok’s house, faded as he lost consciousness. 

Just before passing out, he gave advice to his team, as if it were his last will.  

“Never… never… detect her…”  

But the warning was meaningless.  

Another subordinate, out of habit, used the detection skill.  

He, too, let out a short scream and collapsed with a thud.  

“Argh!”  

Thump!  

Junseok, closing the container door, openly clicked his tongue at the sight.  

“Tch.”  

“They’re putting on quite a show.”  

Moments later, a tense radio transmission reached the heavily armed strike team waiting nearby.  

“Mission aborted! Mission aborted! The target has a summon!”  

“Repeat, hunting operation canceled! He’s no easy prey. Switch to Plan D.”  

The heavily armed strike team members surrounding the house vanished from the scene in an instant.