Chapter 11- Ghost Marketplace
Fortunately, I didn’t have to sleep on the streets last night.
<Balance 38,830 won>
My wallet feels cold.
Even if this is a parallel world, the prices don’t have to be exactly the same….
‘…Ah, I miss home.’
By the way, last night.
Before moving to nearby accommodation.
My original studio apartment wasn’t far from the library. So I went to check it out, just in case.
As expected.
“…Who are you?”
“Ah… I must have the wrong house.”
Someone else was already living there. They said they’d been living there for 5 years.
Now all I have left is.
Less than 40,000 won in cash and the employee ID card given by that announcement guy.
Now I have no choice.
Due to financial limitations, sleeping on the streets is inevitable.
With less capital remaining than expected, it was hard to take the next step.
…However.
Now that I know this is truly the world of <Ghost Story Record Storage>,
There was one place I had to visit immediately.
It’s open 24/7, year-round. A core location for main characters in <Ghost Story Record Storage>.
<Ghost Marketplace.>
I could have come here last night if I wanted to.
…But honestly, it was too scary to go alone late at night.
So I headed straight there just as the sun was about to rise.
Exactly at 6:41 AM.
<In front of Seongsu Station Exit 1.>
I was standing in front of Seongsu Station Exit 1, a bit earlier than others’ commute time.
At the station entrance, there was an escalator for easy access and stone stairs right beside it that caught my attention.
I chose the stone stairs beside the escalator.Â
And at the original Seongsu Station Exit 1 I knew.
There were no stone stairs.
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â– â– :44
Ghost phenomenon observed at stairs beside Seongsu Station Exit 1.
=======
…Sigh.
A deep sigh that could sink the ground.Â
But I must move forward.
A sense of rejection felt with each step.
Park Yeon-jeong, at some point, softly muttered while stepping onto the stairs.
Step.
“…One.”
Step.
“Two.”
Climbing the stairs while counting each step one by one.
Originally, there were 43 stairs here.
Checking the time on the smartphone charged at the accommodation, when the minute hand pointed exactly to ‘6:44’,
Just as I was about to climb the 43rd step.
…It increased.
The number of stairs that should have ended at 43 increased by one.
Witnessing the bizarre moment when an additional block rose above what should have been the final level.
Step.
“…Forty-four.”
When I lifted my head that was facing the ground.
As if silence exhaled.
A quiet stillness arrived.
Behind where I was climbing stairs, thick darkness spread, and looking forward, pitch blackness that prevented seeing even an inch ahead greeted me.
A strange spatial transformation.
‘…I really hate this.’
The atmosphere itself makes me reluctant to visit <Ghost Marketplace>.
Flash.
But in such pitch darkness, a single light began seeping from the ground.
The yellow tactile blocks on the floor emitted a soft light.
It seemed like a device intended to prevent visitors from straying onto different paths.
=======
/Location
[Ghost Marketplace]
A place illegally selling items only issued by GRA. (However, ironically, GRA officials visit here the most.)
You can purchase unique items that cannot be bought at GRA. (Though most items are defective.)
Precautions when visiting.
Never proceed where tactile blocks are not marked on the floor. (Unless you want to wander underground shopping centers forever.)
But sometimes people who have returned alive are witnessed. According to their testimony…(See more)
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Don’t worry.
No matter what happens, even if the world collapses, I will never stray from these tactile blocks.
Never.
After all, I’m someone who can live without laws, with a strong sense of law-abiding spirit firmly instilled.
Step.
After silently following the tactile blocks for a while, at the end, a worn-down pawnshop stood out like the only bright lamp in this dark place.
‘…Then I thought.’
More run-down?
The Ghost Marketplace I only encountered in text was described as ‘having an appearance that looks like it could collapse at any moment’, but.
‘Isn’t this too extreme?’
The rotting wooden pillars looked truly precarious, as if they might crumble any moment.
Really, is it okay to enter?
More than dying from ghosts.
I worried about being crushed under debris.
Creeeak-
Along with a spine-chilling BGM, the marketplace’s eerie door opened by itself.
…Should I go back?
No. Get it together, Park Yeon-jeong.
You know well enough that you’re not in a position to be picky right now.
“…Excuse me.”
As soon as I entered by sliding the shop’s door sideways, I saw the scene.
My mouth gaped open at the shop’s serious state of disorder, exemplifying chaos itself from the floor up.
This is really extreme.
I wondered if the shop owner here actually intended to sell anything.
Rustle—.
“!!”
Park Yeon-jeong’s body instinctively shrank at something moving among the odds and ends he was looking at.
“…Ah. A customer?”
“…Yes.”
Fortunately… it wasn’t a ghost.
With unkempt long hair hanging down.
Between the long bangs that made me wonder if he could see properly, the man’s eyes sparkled.
Looking as if checking the time on the clock hanging on the wall.
“…You must have been, in quite a hurry. My, visiting the shop so early in the morning.”
“Yes… well. I’m looking for something.”
“Oh, is that so?”
The person who appeared to be the shop owner here stood up from his seat and shuffled off somewhere.
Pushing things that were piled up like mountains ruthlessly into corners with toughness.
Crash, bang, boom!
A table appeared in the place where things had piled up like mountains.
…I just understood why the store was in this state.
But the man entered into merchant mode, standing there calmly as if this kind of stuff was his daily routine.
“So what item is the customer looking for? It would be better if you knew the name.”
“……Do you have ‘Taste of Death’?”
“……Hmm, let me look for it.”
A moment of silence.
The man didn’t go far. He rummaged around right at his feet for a while.
“……Ah. Here it is.”
That fast?
This man found the desired item so quickly through this impossible chaos.
It was a characteristic trait of typical general store owners.
“The item you’re looking for. This is it, right?”
What the man held out was a long box containing incense that looked like something you’d see at a memorial service.
“……Yes. That’s correct.”
Found it.
This is definitely the item I was looking for.
“You’re lucky, customer. There wasn’t much left.”
When the man opened the box containing the incense, there were only three sticks left inside.
‘Only three left……’
I felt disappointed that only three remained.Â
But right now, there was something more important than that.
That would be the ‘price’.
“…How much is it per piece?”
My current bank balance is only 38,830 won.
It needs to be 10,000 won each for me to buy all three remaining pieces.
“100,000 won per piece.”
“……”
Not even close.
……Come to think of it, the very idea of buying an item imbued with supernatural power for a small amount of money was no different from a materialistic thought.
While I was seriously considering whether I should get a part-time job in this world.
Bzzzzt-
Suddenly feeling my smartphone vibrate in my left pocket.
Who could it be?
It was a natural question.
Along with the vague thought of whether spam messages come in this world too.
I checked my smartphone.
[Web Message]
『To Park Yeon-jeong
(Additional) Salary sent from â– â– â– â– â– â– Co., Ltd.
Performance bonus: 10,000,000
We sincerely thank you for your hard work.』
“……I’ll take them.”
“Pardon? Ah, how many would you like?”
“Give me all three.”
“You’re cool, our customer…ah, I’ll throw in a lighter for free.”
Ten million won was just directly deposited into my bank account.
Park Yeon-jeong’s favorability towards the announcement guy increased slightly.
‘…Should I look around for other items while I’m at it!’
In the current situation where self-control has been dulled due to the sudden increase in capital.
“How would you like to pay?”
“……Do you accept Samsung Pay?”
“……Pardon?”
A new difficulty began.
*****
Fortunately, after hearing the store owner say he would put it on credit, I safely obtained the ‘Taste of Death’.
“If you need anything else, I’ll take it. Just let me know anytime.”
“……I’ll definitely come back with money.”
My heart feels heavy.
But conversely, my hands and feet felt lighter.
Is this the joy of shopping?
Is this famous therapy for boosting working adult’s morale that I’ve only heard about?
Financial therapy.
But when such a large amount of money comes in, truly being professional means minimizing impulse purchases…
‘Where are some good items!’
…But isn’t protecting my life more important than money right now?
Therefore, this is a justified expense.
While looking at various items displayed on the shelves, an oversized knife and red scabbard caught my eye.
The fact that it caught my eye means.
‘I know this item.’
Originally, this should be an item possessed by an employee of the GRA organization.
“The ‘Pain Sharing Knife’.”
It was a murmur that should have been impossible to hear.
“Customer, you have a good eye.”
“!!”
This person, like a ghost, heard my tiny murmur and immediately entered merchant mode.
“No more, no less, I’ll take exactly 8.5 million won after tax. You won’t find anywhere else selling it at this price.”
“……”
Certainly.
If this is definitely that item I know, 8.5 million won is certainly a cheap price.
Even without my Top of the Class Glasses, I remember this item’s details precisely.
Whether in a good way.
Or in a bad way.
=======
If you love someone, shouldn’t you be able to share that much?
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[Pain Sharing Knife.]
One of the weapons introduced as ghost-suppressing equipment in a small knife size. The usage method of this weapon could be considered a major spoiler just from its name.
Pain sharing.
Literally sharing pain with a specific target, one of the items that made it onto my <List of Weapons I Absolutely won’t Want to Own>.
Moreover, to use this item, the blade must graze the target you want to share pain with.
Against numerous ghosts that can cause death just by grazing you.
What’s clear is.
I’ve already died in that process.
Even if I somehow managed to land an effective hit on a ghost that’s difficult to even approach.
The real problem comes after that.
As mentioned before, the Pain Sharing Knife’s premise is sharing pain with the target.
……Which means.
A crazy usage method with ‘self-harm’ as a basic premise.
The user who carried this weapon in GRA, whether fortunately or not.
Had a strong attachment to the ‘Pain Sharing Knife’ item.
However,
Though I’m not sure if my memory is correct, I feel like that knife’s user had a record of using the Pain Sharing Knife on their colleague within the organization…(That so-called yandere?)
It’s a memory I don’t want to recall anymore.
“……”
The fact that this weapon is still here means.
A sense of mission given to me that I might be able to prevent numerous future victims.
“Would you like to purchase it?”
That voice of a merchant asking about purchase.
“No.”
How could I?
I absolutely decline.
And I’m sorry. To the unnamed future GRA organization victims.
But……but.
Right now, I’m struggling just to save my own life.
Moreover, as long as ‘self-harm’ is embedded as an activation condition.
Even if I buy the item purely for the greater good, to me it becomes nothing more or less than just an ordinary knife.
Buying such an ordinary knife for 8.5 million won?
I immediately turned my gaze away from the knife displayed on the shelf and started looking for items to increase my survival rate.
And another item caught my eye.
An artificial sculpture.
Something that seems to be modeled after a human eyeball.
With a sloppy appearance as if roughly made with clay, making one wonder if a child made it.
I immediately pointed at the crude eyeball and asked.
“How much is this?”
“Ah……”
However, the man who had been introducing item prices with a merchant’s mindset showed hesitation this time.
“…Customer. As a seller, I won’t stop you if you insist on buying it, but.”
Through his long bangs, the man’s empty eyes were looking at me.
“That item… is ‘defective’.”
I know.
“…Sigh. I wasn’t going to say this much. It’s a defective item with an impressive record of killing multiple users already…”
“I know.”
“…What?”
The man revealed that this item, which looks quite crude like a child’s toy, has already been involved in fatal accidents.
“So how much is it?”
“…I’ll take 5 million won.”
3.5 million won cheaper than the previous ‘Pain Sharing Knife’.
An item that could demonstrate performance exceeding 5 million won if used properly.
An incredible sale price that shouldn’t be refused.
“I’ll buy it.”
“……”
The man didn’t try to stop me anymore.Â
The man who seemed to distance himself from me as I appeared happy to buy a 5 million won cursed item.
Tsk.
He clicked his tongue.
He seemed to have a lot to say, but he soon closed his mouth.Â
Probably because I wasn’t the only unusual customer like this.
But honestly.
While falling into the rationalization that ‘Aren’t I more normal than someone trying to buy that self-harm extortion item?’
The man rested his chin on one hand and kindly continued with additional explanations about the item I bought.
“Well, since you bought it knowing this. You probably know how to use it, but… I’ll explain as a warning.”
“Yes.”
“…Actually, it’s best not to use it at all.”
Until the end, his eyes were wary of the item I bought. Yet the man continued with his kind explanation.
“The usage of ‘Thousand Eyes’ that you bought is simple. Throw it hard on the floor of the building you want to use it in. And absolutely do not move when they have their eyes open.”
The seller’s voice lowered a level.
“…Remember, customer. You must never move when you feel their gaze. Absolutely do not move.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“……”
The man, seemingly deciding not to worry anymore about Park Yeon-jeong who appeared quite calm rather than tense while explaining the usage.
Changed the subject.
“You’re from GRA, right?”
“…What?”
…What??
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