Bab 69. Pasar Perluasan
Pencurigakan dan Pengkhianatyang diam-diam!
Nama yang bisa didapatkan ketika seorang pengunjung menghancurkan tanda
seorang pengunjung lain untuk pertama kalinya. Persis seperti ini,
bermacam-macam misi tersembunyi tersebar di dalam "Abyss Malam Kedua."
Dan setiap kali sebuah misi ditemukan dan diselesaikan, hal-hal yang
diberikan seperti meningkatkan kualifikasi pribadi atau memberikan
keahlian istimewa.
‘Ini berguna.’
Park Chan-woo mengangguk sedikit. Judul yang baru saja dia dapatkan,
“Pengkhianat yang Diam-Diam,” memiliki efek yang cukup berguna.
Menghancurkan tanda seorang pengunjUNG memberikan sejumlah 400 poin sekaligus,
sebuah kondisi tertinggi. Tentu saja, ada juga risiko.
Pertama, tidak lagi mungkin untuk mendapatkan poin sumbangan dengan
menyelamatkan tawanan. Dan—
‘Tidak boleh ada yang tahu bahwa saya sedang menghilangkan gandaan.’ Jika
terbongkar, eksistensi dan identitasnya bisa terdedah kepada semua orang.
Meskipun ia tidak tahu persis bagaimana pengungkapan ini akan terjadi, satu
hal yang jelas, ia akan mendapatkan banyak musuh sejak terbongkarnya identitasnya.
Paling mungkin, baik pengunjung maupun pengejar akan mengejarnya.
Risiko tinggi, imbalan tinggi.
Pepatah yang mengatakan “tidak ada apa-apa di dunia ini yang gratis” pun
berlaku di sini.
‘Saya hanya perlu menanganinya dengan seacaaim dan rahasia mungkin.’
Park Chan-woo telah memutuskan untuk menghilangkan semua gandaan.
Jika dibiarkan, mereka akan bertumbuh secara eksponensial, dan ketika
mereka sudah cukup kuat, mereka tidak lagi lari.
Sebaliknya, mereka akan mulai menyerang pengejar dan warga Bumi.
Dan jika, dengan kebetulan, mereka berevolusi menjadi “Tuan Tanpa Nama,”
akibatnya akan katstrofik. Skenario terburuk ini harus dicegah dengan
segala cara.
Paling penting, “Non-Eksistensi” bisa dimanfaatkan untuk meminimalkan risiko.
Diam-diam dan rahasia— Entah menghilangkan pengejar dan tawanan sekaligus,
atau menyerang pengunjUNG sendirian untuk menjalankan rencana dengan efisien.
Park Chan-woo meracinkan semangatnya.
‘Beberapa pengunjUNG telah diganti dengan gandaan. Semua yang lain
tetap sama.’
Tidak ada apa-apa yang berubah secara signifikan dari masa lalu.
Perbedaannya hanyalah bahwa kelompok pengunjUNG telah diganti
dengan gandaan. Semua aturan dan perkembangan yang lain sama persis.
Dan tentu saja, sebagai seorang pengulang, ia sepenuhnya memahami
cara menavigasi “Abyss Malam.”
Ia juga tahu dengan pasti apa yang paling penting saat ini.
‘Ketika malam kedua berakhir, orang merasa menyesal.’
Kesalahan satu demuaskali membuat keputusan yang salah dalam
sebuah siklus tak berhenti-hentinya.
Mereka meninggalkan rekaman tak terhitung jumlahnya dari kegagalan
dan penyesalannya.
Park Chan-woo telah selalu memantau catatan-catatan itu.
Abyss Malam Kedua tidak berbeda.
Salah satu penyesalan yang umum dilamongi semua pemain yang selamat
adalah:
―― “Pada awal 'Kedua Malam', ini semua tentang misi.”
―― “Menyelesaikan misi tersembunyi adalah kunci untuk
menyempurnakan kemampuan baik pengunjUNG maupun pengejar.”
―― “Misi normal, misi rahasia, misi tersembunyi,
bahkan misi karya agung!”
―― “Seberapa kuat Anda dapatkan di awal menentukan
jalannya permainan di akhir. Kami menyadarinya terlalu lama.”
―― “Penyesalan. Penyesalan yang menghantui. Penyesalan yang membawa kami ke kegilaan!”
Pemain pemain lain mengabaikan misi.
Setelah semua, menyelesaikan misi hanya memberikan jumlah kecil
poin sumbangan. Mereka menganggap lebih efisien untuk menangkap
pengunjUNG atau menyelamatkan tawanan dari pengejar.
Tapi itu salah.
‘Misi adalah prioritas utama.’
Misi. Menemukan dan menyelesaikan elemen-elemen tersembunyi terlebih dahulu.
Dan menemukan misi sebenarnya tidak sesulit yang terlihat.
‘Kompas Misi.’
Park Chan-woo membuka peta dirinya.
Di sudut kiri bawah peta ada sebuah kompas— penanda yang menunjukkan
arah misi terdekat.
Ini memungkinkan untuk menyelesaikan misi-misi dekat dengan
secara sistematis.
Namun—
‘Menggunakan itu terlalu dasar.’
Ia mengangguk pelan.
Menggunakan kompas adalah metode paling dasar.
‘Saya hanya perlu membeli peta misi dari pasar.’
Di bagian bawah pesan, sebuah Tips muncul.
Sistem sesekali menyebarkan tips yang mengandung informasi penting
yang perlu diperhatikan oleh para peserta atau bahkan harus dilakukan.
Itu adalah jenis mekanisme keamanan, memberikan nasiiah untuk
membantu manusia yang disadvantage bertahan hidup di Abyss.
Park Chan-woo mengingat isi tips itu.
『Tips: Pasar khusus kini ditandai di peta.』
『Beli alat dan perlengkapan berguna dari pasar untuk
bertahan hidup di malam ini.』
Pasar menjual segala jenis barang.
Dan salah satunya adalah “Peta Misi.”
Buku yang menampilkan jenis dan lokasi misi,
sesuatu yang tidak tertandingi dengan kompas misi!
Tentu saja, berbelanja membutuhkan mata uang khusus,
tapi itu tidak mengkhawatirkan Park Chan-woo.
‘Saya memiliki cukup mata uang untuk dihabiskan.’
Bahkan setelah membeli segala sesuatu yang dibutuhkannya, ia masih
akan memiliki banyak tersisa.
* * *
Raja Lunar Aheta.
Ia membuka gudangnya.
Hanya para pemilik pasar yang memiliki akses ke gudangnya,
tapi itu tidak berarti semua pedagang iblis bisa menggunakannya
dengan cara yang sama.
“Selamat datang di 'Pasar Kontribusi Universal!'
Seorang pedagang iblis menyapa para pelanggan dengan senyum licik.
Bangunan batu besar, sebuah “Pasar Kontribusi” sebesar sebuah bendungan.
Di dalam bangunan, terdapat pameran harta karun yang cukup untuk
membuat seseorang tercengang.
“Pedagang, apakah kami hanya bisa menggunakan
poin kontribusi di sini?”
Seorang pria memasuki dan bertanya,
karena itu, pedagang iblis mengangguk.
“Ya! Anda bisa membeli barang menggunakan
'poin kontribusi.' Dan di antara semua pasar, kami
mempunyai koleksi harta karun terbesar!”
Semua harta karun ini berasal dari gudang Raja Lunar Aheta.
Setiap pasar memiliki batasan tentang berapa banyak barang
yang bisa mereka ambil dari gudang Aheta,
tergantung pada ukuran dan kedudukan mereka.
Dan Pasar Kontribusi memiliki batasan terbesar dari semua.
Secara alami, ini berarti juga memiliki pilihan barang terluas.
“…… ‘Anting Bulan’ berharga 1 juta poin kontribusi?”
“Dan ‘Pedang Pengejar’ berharga 5 juta?”
“Apakah ini benar-benar
ditujukan untuk dibeli?”
Di antara barang-barang itu adalah harta karun yang
ditampilkan hanya untuk dilihat dan terlalu mahal.
Namun, poin kontribusi adalah mata uang yang paling easy didapat di tempat ini.
Karena pasar sepenuhnya beroperasi dengan poin kontribusi,
jumlah penggunaannya melonjak.
“Tidak perlu khawatir tentang kinerja.”
Pemilik pasar, pedagang iblis senior Bibola, tersenyum lebar.
Ia bersaing dengan sengit melawan pedagang lain untuk
mendapatkan kepemilikan Pasar Kontribusi.
Dan berkat persaingan itu, kinerja pasar sangat baik.
Contoh sempurna dari seorang “pedagang yang beruntung lahir.”
Tapi itu bukanlah satu-satunya alasan kesuksesan pasar itu.
“Manusia begitu sederhana.”
Harta karun yang Bibola pilih dari gudang Aheta membuat
manusia tergoda, sehingga mereka dengan antusias
mengorbankan poin kontribusinya hanya untuk mendapatkan-nya.
Dan begitulah, mereka bergiliran untuk membeli.
Efektif untuk memanfaatkan psikologi manusia
dalam mengatur harta karun pasar ini.
Saat memasuki, para pelanggan kewalahan oleh
harta karun yang mempesona,
menyelesaikan satu putaran penuh di pasar itu.
Demi waktu mereka menyadari setelah
menyelesaikan satu putaran itu,
mereka telah memblokir seluruh kontribusinya pada pasar itu.
Bagaimana sederhana namun menakjubkan siklusnya.
‘Haruskah saya mengecek peringkat kinerja sekarang?’
Tentu saja, ia akan berada di posisi pertama.
Vibola tersenyum dan memanggil sebuah jendela.
『Peringkat Kinerja Pasar』
1. Pasar Kontribusi (Vibola)
2. Pasar Tanda (Paripim)
3. Pasar Daging (Kimering)
…….
…….
11. Pasar Koin (Shiad)
12. Pasar Reputasi (Dagon)
Di antara semua pasar yang memanfaatkan berbagai macam mata uang,
Pasar Kontribusi milik Vibola tidak bisa dipungkiri
menjadi nomor satu.
Senyum Vibola semakin dalam.
‘Paripim dan Kimering masih tidak bisa mengalahkan saya.’
Mereka adalah pedagang iblis yang bersaing.
Dan Pasar Tanda dan Pasar Daging adalah lapangan yang sangat kompetitif.
Pasar Tanda melakukan transaksi dengan menggunakan
tanda pengunjUNG, sementara Pasar Daging menilai dan
mendagangkan bagian tubuh mereka sendiri.
Namun, yang mengejutkan adalah Pasar Daging.
‘Saya tidak menyangka
Pasar Daging akan naik hingga ketiga.’
Ia mengira ia akan
turun ke peringkat menengah saja.
Manusia sensitif terhadap rasa sakit dan
menganggap tubuh mereka sebagai hal terharga.
Dan meskipun demikian, mereka dengan rela
mengorbankan bagian tubuh mereka ke Padang Pasar
untuk mendapatkan kekuatan instan.
Kemudian, mereka membeli dan mengganti
dengan tubuh gabungan yang disarankan oleh Kimering.
Namun…
‘Itu masih hanya ketiga.’
Jeda antara posisi pertama dan peringkat lainnya
seperti langit dan bumi.
Saat pandangannya perlahan beralih ke bawah,
ia sampai pada dasar daftar peringkat.
Vibola mencibir.
‘Dagon, tentu saja, Anda tetap di posisi terakhir.’
Dagon, pemilik Pasar Reputasi!
Ia tak pernah gagal memenuhi ekspektasi.
Ayah Dagon adalah salah seorang eksekutif
yang menjadi pengawas dari semua pedagang iblis.
Ia terutama terkenal sebagai seorang iblis
yang berhasil mencapai hasil luar biasa
selama masa-masa perdagangannya.
Seorang legenda hidup di kalangan
pedagang iblis yang telah mengumpulkan
prestasi dan naik ke jajaran eksekutif
guild pedagang!
Dan meskipun demikian, putranya Dagon terkenal
sebagai 'perpetuak posisi terakhir' dan 'kegagalan tak berhenti.'
‘Mengapa ia memilih Pasar Reputasi? Tsk tsk.’
Pada titik ini, reputasi yang terakumulasi manusia
pasti hanyalah sebuah butir.
Ia seharusnya tahu tentang hal ini,
tapi ia masih memilih untuk
mengelola Pasar Reputasi.
Apakah alasannya benar-benar ada? Tidak ada ketolongan
di dunia ini yang lebih besar
dari menyediakan pasokan di tempat
yang tidak ada permintaan.
Mungkin ia hanya terdesak untuk
mencoba berbuat yang terbaik.
Apakah ia berpikir bahwa jika
ia mengelola pasar itu, hasilnya akan berubah?
“Saya punya tempat untuk pergi. Jaga pasar ini.”
“Dimengerti, Tuan Vibola.”
Pada perintah Vibola, pedagang iblis junior benar-benar
membungkuk rendah.
Mengangguk bahu, Vibola meninggalkan pasarnya.
Kemudian ia berjalan cepat ke pasar-pasar lain.
Kompetisinya dan pasar-pasar
yang berada di peringkat rendah.
“Puhahaha!”
Saat tiba di peringkat ke-12,
“Pasar Reputasi,” Vibola tidak bisa
menahan dirinya untuk tertawa.
Alasannya sederhana.
“Ini seharusnya adalah sebuah pasar?”
Bangunan yang lapuk,
dirakit dengan papan kayu.
Dibandingkan dengan pasar-pasar lain
yang seperti benteng, ukurannya begitu
tidak signifikan.
Sepertinya Dagon telah
membangunnya sendiri.
Dengan
Chapter 69. Prestige Shop Stealthy Traitor! The name that can be obtained when a runaway destroys the mark of another runaway for the first time. Just like this, numerous quests were hidden within the "Abyss of the Second Night." And each time a quest was discovered and cleared, it provided benefits such as raising one's qualification rank or granting special abilities. ‘This is useful.’ Park Chan-woo nodded slightly. The title he had just obtained, "Stealthy Traitor," had quite a useful effect. Destroying a runaway's mark granted a whopping 400 points all at once, a top-tier condition. Of course, there were risks. First, it became impossible to gain contribution points by rescuing captives. And— ‘No one must find out that I'm eliminating doppelgangers.’ If discovered, his existence and identity could be exposed to everyone. Although he had no way of knowing exactly how this exposure would happen, one thing was clear, he would gain numerous enemies the moment he was revealed. Most likely, both runaways and pursuers would come after him. High risk, high return. The saying that "nothing in this world comes for free" applied here as well. ‘I just need to handle things as quietly and discreetly as possible.’ Park Chan-woo had already decided to eliminate all doppelgangers. If left alone, they would grow explosively, and once they gained enough strength, they would no longer run away. Instead, they would begin to attack pursuers and Earthlings alike. And if, by any chance, they evolved into a "doppelganger Lord," the result would be catastrophic. That worst-case scenario had to be prevented at all costs. Most importantly, "Non-Existence" could be utilized to minimize the risks. Silently and discreetly— Either wipe out both pursuers and captives at once or attack isolated runaways to execute the plan effectively. Park Chan-woo regained his composure. ‘The runaways have been replaced with doppelgangers. Everything else remains the same.’ Nothing significant had changed from the past. The only difference was that the group of runaways had been replaced with doppelgangers. All the other rules and progressions were exactly the same. And of course, as a regressor, he fully understood how to navigate this "Abyss of the Night." He also knew exactly what was most important at this moment. ‘When the second night ended, people regretted it.’ Humanity made one wrong choice after another in an endless cycle of mistakes. They left behind countless records of their failures and regrets. Park Chan-woo had always kept a close eye on those diaries. The Second Night was no exception. One regret was common among all survivors. ― “The early stage of the "Second Night" is all about quests.” ― “Completing hidden quests is the key to enhancing the abilities of either pursuers or runaways.” ― “Normal quests, secret quests, hidden quests, and even masterpiece quests!” ― “How much power you gain early on determines the course of the late game. We realized it too late.” ― “Regret. Overwhelming regret. Maddening regret!” Most people had ignored quests. After all, clearing them only yielded a small amount of contribution points. They had judged it more efficient to capture runaways or rescue captives from pursuers. But, that was a mistake. ‘Quests are the top priority.’ Quests. Finding and clearing hidden elements came first. And finding quests was actually not that difficult. ‘Quest Compass.’ Park Chan-woo opened his map. At the bottom left corner of the map was a compass—a marker that indicated the direction of the nearest quest. This allowed him to systematically clear nearby quests. However— ‘Using that is amateurish.’ He shook his head slightly. Using the compass was the most basic method. ‘I just need to buy a quest map from the shop.’ At the bottom of the message, a Tip appeared. The system occasionally scattered tips containing crucial information that participants needed to pay attention to or absolutely had to execute. It was a safety mechanism of sorts, providing advice to help disadvantaged humans survive the Abyss. Park Chan-woo recalled the contents of the tip. 『Tip: Special shops are now marked on the map.』 『Purchase useful tools and equipment from the shop to survive the night.』 Shops sold all kinds of items. And one of them was a "Quest Map." A book that displayed the types and locations of quests, something incomparable to the quest compass! Of course, shopping required special currency, but that didn't concern Park Chan-woo. ‘I have more than enough currency to spend.’ Even after purchasing everything he needed, he would still have plenty left. * * * Lunar Sovereign Aheta. He opened his vault. Only shop owners had access to his vault, but that didn’t mean all demon merchants could use it equally. "Welcome to the 'Universal Contribution Shop'!" One demon merchant greeted customers with a sly smile. A massive stone-walled structure, A castle-sized "Contribution Shop." Inside the building, there was an overwhelming display of treasures dazzling enough to leave one speechless. "Merchant, can we only use contribution points here?" A man entered and asked, to which the demon merchant nodded. "Yes! You can purchase items using 'contribution points.' And among all shops, ours has the largest collection of treasures!" All of these treasures came from Lunar Sovereign Aheta's vault. Each shop had a limit on how many items they could retrieve from Aheta's vault, depending on their size and prestige. And the Contribution Shop had the largest limit of all. Naturally, this meant it also had the widest selection of items. "...... 'Moon Pendant' costs 1 million contribution points?" "And 'Pursuer's Sword' costs 5 million?" "Are these even meant to be bought?" Among the items were ridiculously expensive display-only treasures. However, contribution points were the easiest currency to obtain in this place. Since the shop operated entirely on contribution points, its number of users skyrocketed. "No need to worry about performance." The shop's owner, high-ranking demon merchant Bibola, smiled. He had competed fiercely against other merchants for ownership of the Contribution Shop. And thanks to that competition, the shop's performance was excellent. A prime example of a "born lucky merchant." But that wasn’t the only reason for the shop’s success. "Humans are so simple." The treasures Bibola had selected from Aheta’s vault bewitched humans, leading them to eagerly spend their contribution points just to get their hands on them. And so, they lined up to make their purchases. It was effective to utilize human psychology in arranging the treasures of the shop. Upon entering, customers were overwhelmed by the dazzling treasures, making a full round of the shop. By the time they came to their senses after completing the round, they had already dedicated all their contributions to the shop. What a simple yet fantastic cycle. ‘Shall I check the performance rankings now?’ Of course, he would be in first place. Vibola smiled and summoned a window. 『Shop Performance Rankings』 1st. Contribution Shop (Vibola) 2nd. Mark Shop (Paripim) 3rd. Flesh Shop (Kimering) ……. ……. 11th. Coin Shop (Shiad) 12th. Reputation Shop (Dagon) Among the twelve shops utilizing all kinds of currencies, Vibola's Contribution Shop was undoubtedly in first place. Vibola's smile deepened. ‘Paripim and Kimering still can't compete with me.’ They were rival demon merchants. Moreover, the Mark Shop and the Flesh Shop were highly competitive fields. The Mark Shop dealt with transactions using the mark of fugitives, while the Flesh Shop valued and traded one's own body parts. However, what was surprising was the Flesh Shop. ‘I didn’t expect the Flesh Shop to climb up to third place.’ He had assumed it would barely reach the middle rankings at best. Humans are sensitive to pain and consider their bodies the most precious thing. And yet, they were willing to part with parts of their own flesh to use the shop? ‘Kimering is specialized in fusion-type products.’ It meant that the shop owner, Kimering, had been remarkably successful in sales. Kimering was a merchant well-versed in handling ‘fusions.’ He possessed an exceptional talent for finding artificial bodies or interactive monster bodies. Humans likely sold parts of their bodies to the Flesh Shop for immediate power boosts and then purchased and replaced them with the fusion bodies recommended by Kimering. Nevertheless… ‘It’s still only third place.’ The gap between first place and the others was as vast as heaven and earth. As Vibola's gaze slowly moved downward, it reached the bottom of the ranking list. Vibola sneered. ‘Dagon, of course, you’re dead last.’ Dagon, the owner of the Reputation Shop! He never failed to meet expectations. Dagon's father was one of the executives overseeing all the demon merchants. He was especially renowned as a legendary demon who had achieved extraordinary results during his merchant days. A living legend among demon merchants who had built up achievements and ascended to the merchant guild’s executive ranks! And yet, his son Dagon was infamous as a ‘perpetual last place’ and a ‘perpetual failure.’ ‘Why would he choose the Reputation Shop? Tsk tsk.’ At this point, the reputation accumulated by humans must be barely a speck. He should have known this, yet he still chose the Reputation Shop. What was his reasoning? There is no greater foolishness than providing supply where there is no demand. Perhaps he was just desperately grasping at straws. Did he think that if he managed the shop himself, the results would change? “I have somewhere to go. Watch over the shop.” “Understood, Lord Vibola.” At Vibola’s command, the lower-ranking demon merchants bowed deeply. Shrugging his shoulders, Vibola left his shop. He then scanned the other shops. His competitors and the lower-ranking shops. “Puhahaha!” Upon arriving at the 12th-ranked ‘Reputation Shop,’ Vibola couldn’t hold back his laughter. The reason was simple. “This is supposed to be a shop?” It was a shabby structure, roughly assembled with wooden planks. Compared to the other shops, which were like fortresses, its size was utterly insignificant. It seemed like Dagon had built it himself. In other words, the merchant guild had provided no investment whatsoever when constructing the shop. Well, of course. Constructing a building in the ‘Abyss of Night’ required significant value. It was obvious that Dagon would fail, so why would the merchant guild invest in him? Clicking his tongue, Vibola stepped into the ‘Reputation Shop.’ “Hey, Dagon! Do you even plan on selling anything?” “…Vibola. What are you doing here?” Dagon’s expression hardened instantly upon seeing Vibola. The two had trained in the same cohort before becoming merchants. Vibola had always been at the top, while Dagon had never escaped the bottom ranks. Dagon was the disgrace of the demon merchants. That someone like him had survived this long solely due to his father’s influence, of course, Vibola couldn’t stand him. Vibola scanned the shop and let out a sigh. “I expected this place to be filled with junk. But do you really think humans can afford these high-value items?” The items displayed in the Reputation Shop. Every single one of them was incredibly valuable. At this stage, there was no way humans had enough reputation to afford them, it was an impossible price range. Even more, the items themselves were highly unusual. It was questionable whether any human could even make use of them. ‘As expected of Dagon. He doesn’t even grasp the basics of being a merchant.’ Reputation shops were supposed to be stocked with ‘cheap’ items, but Dagon, as always, lacked even the fundamentals of commerce. “…Stay out of my business, Vibola.” “I would love to, but, just to make sure, this pathetic, barely-standing shop… you didn’t actually build this yourself, did you?” “…” “Hah, I thought so. The merchant guild really is cruel. Even if they have no expectations for you, they could have at least provided the bare minimum investment. Do you need my help?” “…I don’t need it.” Dagon spoke, suppressing his anger as much as possible. Vibola wasn’t the only one who came to mock him. Other demon merchants had already passed by, laughing at his shop. “How heartless. We were in the same training cohort! We should help each other out.” “…” “Haha! If you ever need my help, just say the word. Dagon!” Laughing loudly, Vibola turned his back and left the Reputation Shop. Left alone, Dagon closed his eyes and bit his lip. He had expected this kind of reaction. He knew he would face ridicule and scorn for making such a foolish choice. Why go through the trouble? Why insist on managing the ‘Reputation Shop,’ which all other merchants avoided? Moreover, why stock the small shop with treasures beyond reach? Thud, Thud At that moment. Footsteps echoed. Hearing the sound, Dagon turned his head, and the rigid expression on his face began to loosen. Then, a man stepped into the shop’s entrance. “…You’ve finally arrived.” Seeing the man, Park Chan-woo, Dagon smiled radiantly, something he had not done before. The long-awaited ‘savior’ had appeared.
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