Chapter 6: Chapter 5: Quest Cleared & Blackmarket

So now I have to run errands for a spider. What's next?

I walked down the corridor while turning every rock around in search of the key. Since this is a game, likely, the key spawned first after I met that guard-spider, so it may be somewhere I've already seen. Just have to look everywhere.

The Quest did mention some skill. Maybe this is something like a tutorial Quest for monsters with the Scout class and it gives us an idea of what skill to take? Let's take a look at it, at the very least.

Huh...plain. 

I looked at the list and found that there are various "Detect"-skills. [Detect Human], [Detect Monster], [Detect Trap], [Detect Tool], De-..., wait, what was that last one?

Let's pause that thought. I found the key! That was easy. Too easy, in fact...where's the rumored jewel? [Identifaction], please. Show your papers!

Oh, phooey. Of course, there had to be fakes mixed in. This is a Quest related to the Scout class after all.

I got to know the reason for that [Detect Tool] skill's meaning. Instead of being a tool to detect stuff, it's a skill that detects tools~. A little confusing without context. 

Still, if this is the worst that this Quest can throw at me, then no worries. I just need to Identify the keys I find until I find the right key~.

Not this one...neither this...not you...I don't even need to Identify this guy...unless it's a trap...nope. Zilch. Nowhere close...

Wait a minute! Isn't the [Identification] skill draining you of SP with each use? Then...! I only have 3 SP left! Phew, that was close. I would have been stuck here while waiting for my SP to slowly recover. Even just moving around can consume SP, but I'll be fine. I got that recovery mixture back in the Player Room.

After returning to the Room (and having yet another epic battle with the last boss), I went to the fountain filled with recovery...potion? Looking closer at this thing, it looks more like a black goop than something drinkable. This thing's description did go all the way to mention that it tastes "bad". Probably to inspire the players to spend time and materials to upgrade their fountains. Well, beggars can't be choosers. Bottoms up!

..........DFATGRH)"@£$€eTGFSGbf4£€gsFGTJ)"!!!!!!

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"AH, THANK YOU FOR FINIDN' MY KEY." - Red Rage Spider

After experiencing the forced log-out due to the machine noticing the danger signs my brain gave off due to the horrific taste of that...brew, I returned to the game and got [Detect Treasure] like a good girl and found the key...

"AS PROMISED, YOU'RE ALLOWED TO TAKE ANYTHIN' FROM THE STORAGE. HAVIN' TO GUARD LESS JUNK'S A BLESSIN' FOR US, SO TAKE AS MUCH AS YOU WANT!" - Red Rage Spider

Quest Cleared, I guess..., but now I can't obtain any more skills until I get enough AP for them. The cheapest skill would cost 1 AP if the chatters weren't lying, so..., it's 4 more level-ups away, unless I find another Quest that gives AP as a reward...

The red spider then walked away like any good NPC would do after you clear their quest in other games. Some of them do, at least. He didn't even bother to lock the door. Guess the key itself is more valuable than anything inside here. Let's hope their trash can be my treasure in some way.

Opening the door, I entered the..., "storage"? What the hell? Isn't this some office? There are even computers here! 

The whole room feels like it's been copy-pasted into the castle from some ruined, urban world. And I mean it when I say "ruined". There's barely anything here that's left in one piece. I bet that I would get "trash" if I tried to Identify these things. 

Not that I'm gonna do that. SP is precious. I don't wanna drink that... "substance" ever again. Half, no, two-thirds of the reason I went with [Detect Treasure] is so that I could find valuables that I could sell once I find a buyer and use those funds to upgrade that shitty Player Room of mine. Then comes the question of "where to find buyers"...

Let's keep the future renovation plans shelved for now. Isn't there any other way to recover SP? Like some potion? If I remember right, SP is shortened for "Stamina Points"..., food! Argh, I feel so stupid. To recover stamina, you need rest and food! But where am I supposed to get food from inside a Dungeon? 

Yeah, the Racial Start truly is a hell-mode. 

If that's the case, it's time to look for valuables! There gotta be something in here that's worth a dime. 

After breaking my back looking through all the half-destroyed office tools, I discovered a few items that could be of some value. One is a pair of earrings (which I can't use due to my lack of ears), some wedding ring (no usable fingers for that either), a fancy-looking fountain pen, and some strange coins. "Strange" as in that [Identification] didn't classify them as Sol, the only currency used in this game. 

That's the stuff that made [Detect Treasure] react. It takes the shape of a glitter that appears wherever there's something of value lying around.

Other than that, I also discovered some folders with paper in them that were in unnaturally good shape, meaning there's probably something going on with them. My gamer instincts are telling me that. But you have to have the [Linguistic] skill if you wanna read stuff in this game! The papers look like they're covered in mosaics! And I don't have any AP for that blasted skill!!

I'll take it all with me back to my Player Room so I can Identify them without worrying about-

"Kekekeke. That's some fine merchandises, demon." 

Whoaaa!? Who's there!? I know self-defense!!

I took up a pose while holding my hands ready to strike at the mysterious figure that had snuck up from behind my back. And "mysterious" is an understatement! What is this thing!? It looks like a blob of darkness wearing a dark-green robe over it. Only a pair of yellow-glowing eyes can be seen from underneath its hood. What's this, some new monster species?

"Kekekekeke. Glock's name is Glock. Wandering merchant. Demon, want to sell goods?" said this self-proclaimed merchant. 

As I wondered whether to flee and leave the items behind or test my luck and attack this suspicious creature, a System Message came to my rescue.

The "Blackmarket Union"!? Okay, that's the name of guys I don't wanna end up as enemies with. 

Still, isn't this a blessing in disguise? It depends on what this guy is selling, but now I may get some items that can help me with my current situation. And it's not like I have any reason to keep my "Karma Value" at its current number. Not seen anything yet that makes use of it. 

"...what do you sell?" - Garami

"Kekekeke. Demon, need Sol, to buy." - Glock

"...then, buy this stuff." - Garami

I shoved the various accessories except for the pen and one of the coins to the black-market merchant. The pen because there may be a use for it later on, and the coin because I'm suspicious of its origins.

For the same reason as the coin, I didn't offer any of the papers I found. Those aren't classified as "treasures" in the eyes of [Detect Treasure] after all, so their mystery is more worth than any monetary value they may or may not have.

"Kekekeke. Thanks for your patronage. Demon, this is Glock's offer." - Glock

A new window appeared in front of me as Glock grabbed the items I offered to him. In the corner of the window, I could see the value I could trade for..., 28.000 sols!? That much!?

SPRING HAS COME FOR ME!! Now, what should I buy? Weapons and such aren't something I can use, but let's look at them anyway. 

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..."Rusty Sword" for 500 sols? "Rusty Dagger" for 300? "Iron Sword" for 1.000? "Wooden Sword" for 200?

And I have how many times more...?

But I can't use any of this shit! Damn it all!!

Okay, what else is there? Potions, Emergency Rations, Accessories...maybe Accessories. My HP is so low that using potions to recover it would feel like a waste, and those Emergency Rations may recover SP, but it's a pain to carry them around...oh?

"Boulder-storing Bracelet". A fantastic item that lets you store up to 10 stones that you can throw at a moment's notice. Only 200 sol...huh. And the rarity and quality of the stones need to be damn low as well...let's splurge a little and order the 1.000 sol variant instead. Then I don't need to worry about the quality, even if I can store only 20 rocks. There's lots of "ammo" around anyway, meaning I can restock rocks in a flash.

That gives me..., 27.000 sol left to use...should I save the rest? This body of mine can't equip many different types of items, so...!?

"Player Room...modifications!?" - Garami

No way! To think that I could defeat that last boss (the door) this fast!!

"You! This! Room! Door! Change!!" - Garami

"Glock, scared..." - Glock

"You're a black-market dealer, for Pete's sake! Tell me how to get rid of that damn door!!" - Garami

"Glock, sick..., what door?" - Glock

"My Room's door! The place you deliver the goods to!" - Garami

"Demon buy a new theme. Themes changes every non-furniture thing." - Glock

That's it? Great! Now, themes, themes, My Room themes...?

• Demon's Cave - 5.000 sol
• Skeleton Parlor - 6.000 sol
• Dark Royal Clocktower - 15.000 sol

They all sound nasty-sounding! Ah, they are from the black market. Get it.

"Which one makes the door to the room easy to move?" - Garami

"Only Standard themes have big doors. Everyone else, smooth moving doors." - Glock

"...then, the clock-thing." - Garami

"*Cha-ching*! Thanks for the sale!" - Glock

Did that guy's eyes turn into dollar-signs...no, into sol signs there for a sec? 

"...what about fountains?" - Garami

"Medicine fountains, here. Good effect, everyone-" - Glock

"The one I can get with the remaining money and has the best taste then." - Garami

"*Cha-ching*! Thanks for the sale!" - Glock

And then the "Evil Blood Recovery Fountain" (fruits-flavored) was added to the basket, and I saw my money being reduced from 12.000 to 5.000. Well, I'm not regretting that. Those things had to be changed, and it's money I suddenly stumbled over anyway.

Finally, I asked for one of the Automatic Money Vaults (small) for 3.000 sols and a pair of Random Package items for 1.000 each. The last one sounds like a gacha, but there's nothing else I can spend the money on anyway. 

"Demon, good customer, even if wild. Glock, giving bonus. Putting it with other items. Have a good nightmare." - Glock

And with that scary-sounding goodbye, the shadow-ish creature disappeared just as suddenly as he had appeared. Freaky guy. 

And my Karma Value went down! Not that I know whether it's important or not.

I grabbed the papers and the trinkets and left for my Player Room to store these things before venturing deeper into the Dungeon. They may contain some clue regarding this place after all.

Luckily, the Angry Spider hadn't respawned, so I didn't need to drop my items to do battle...hmm? The last boss...did he get an upgrade?? 

The door leading to my Player Room has been replaced. Instead of the black vault door, there's now one made of black wood and golden gears on top of it. As I got closer to it, a small window appeared in front of me. It looks like a bell made of gold.

With a free "hand", I tried to push the bell and the gears on the door started to turn and move away from the door. And then the door opened! "Last boss", you're retired!

I hurried inside and saw that the room covered in black, metallic walls had been replaced with a room that was three times the size, with walls made out of golden gears and black background underneath them. There's even a dark purple wall-to-wall carpet on the floor! And it's super-soft! It can rival the thing I have back home! 

And the fountain! It looks like a black, gothic item fit for a vampire lord! And its contents are red! Blood red! No, it's actual blood! 

...*lick*...?! Strawberry... This is the kinda blood I would want to taste if I was some vampy! 

The only sorry-looking things left are my bed and the item chest. The new vault I bought is a different story. It's made of dark metal with a purple sheen and any money I may discover can be placed directly into it without having to return to the room! Perfect! 

And then there are my new items. One is the black bracelet I bought. It has several rings attached to the bracelet with chains, and I can store any rock I grab on with the hand equipped with this thing into it. And then there's...a business card? From the "Blackmarket Union"? Not sure what it is, but I doubt it's just some pleasantries. Well, their stuff seems to be good enough, so no worries there.

Aren't I starting to move up in this game life? Ge-hehehe! I'm number one! Ah, but not in combat. That's a subject I suck in. 

And finally, there are these two Random Packages. They look like Christmas gifts with black- and orange wrappings. It feels sorta out of season..., and now that I think about it, they're from some guy working on the black market..., they won't explode, will they? 

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