When exactly did Sung Il-Hwan regain his memories from the past life? Beru didn't know for sure. But one thing was certain.
[The memories of a Monarch transcend time.]
Suho understood what Beru was trying to say.
'The Cup of Reincarnation'
[The divine tool that turns back time, the Cup of Reincarnation, has no effect on the consciousness of higher beings like Rulers or Monarchs.]
Beru recalled an old memory. A few decades ago. A time when all wars had ended and peace had come to Earth. The moment when Woo Jinchul, who had been living as an ordinary policeman not having any memories from his past life, suddenly regained all of them. In retrospect, the trigger was simple. Reuniting with Sung Jinwoo. That was all. But in reality, it was anything but ordinary. Who was Sung Jinwoo? The Shadow Monarch, the King who ruled over death, who had killed all other Monarchs and brought the entire dimension to its knees. What significance could an event directly involving such a great and noble higher being have on a person's life? Could such an event be dismissed as ordinary?
[...Moreover, Sung Il-Hwan is the father who lived with the Monarch for half his life and even experienced receiving the Ruler's power directly into his body.]
In other words, a son with the power of a Monarch and a father who had the power of a Ruler. The two had lived together under one roof for decades. Yoo Jinho had regained all his memories just by touching the key to the Shadow Dungeon, so what about Sung Il-Hwan?
"...So, you're saying that as long as something triggers him, it wouldn't be strange if his memories returned at any moment." Suho nodded in agreement with Beru's words. In any case, the conclusion was that his grandfather had disappeared somewhere with his memories from his past life...
'Then where did he go? And for what purpose?' Many questions floated in Suho's mind. But he decided to focus on the most important part for now.
'The Itarim.'
'To what extent were they involved in his grandfather's disappearance? And was he safe?'
'Let's focus on that.'
His grandfather might be in a similar situation to his mother, so finding him as soon as possible was the top priority, no matter what.
Suho asked Branch Manager Min Dae-Seok, who was talking with Park Kyung-Hye and Sung Jinah. "So, who was the last person to see my grandfather?"
Suho's grandmother had rushed here after receiving a call from an Association's employee today. Until then, the Association had been dismissing Sung Il-Hwan's disappearance, but today they finally confirmed that he was indeed missing.
"Um... We're not entirely sure yet." It was a new female employee who had personally brought Park Kyung-Hye here that answered Suho's question.
She glanced at Branch Manager Min Dae-Seok and then spoke. "Someone said they saw Mr. Sung Il-Hwan walking in a direction other than the fishing spot."
"Another place? Where is it?"
"Near the Merchants Association..."
"What?!" At those words, Branch Manager Min Dae-Seok looked visibly flustered and turned to the female employee. Then, he quietly scolded her in a low voice.
"Why is the Merchants Association coming up here? Are you sure about what you're saying? Can you take responsibility for those words?"
"N-no! I just heard that someone saw him walking in that direction! You know, Branch Manager, people don't fish there these days."
"Of course. That place is... ahem." Feeling the gazes of Suho's family, Min Dae-Seok coughed and closed his mouth. But it was too late to take back what had already been said.
"The Merchants Association..."
Shiver. Min Dae-Seok gulped. As he slowly turned his head and saw that Suho's aura was becoming increasingly murderous, just like when he first barged in. He fiddled with the Stardust necklace he had snatched from Min Dae-Seok's neck and asked,
"I think you said you received this necklace from the Merchants Association." His words were becoming shorter again.
'Does he have anger issues or something...?' Min Dae-Seok felt like crying at the volatile atmosphere Suho was once again emitting, looking ready to erupt at any moment.
"Answer."
"Y-yes! The Merchants Association is just a group formed by the merchants in Yangpyeong. It's like any other local association!"
"And…?"
"Actually, there's a separate Yangpyeong Merchants Association! The Merchants Association we're talking about is more like a private group of Hunters active in Yangpyeong! They're the ones making and distributing the Stardust necklaces!" Min Dae-Seok reflexively spilled all the information.
Suho felt a strange sensation at his words.
"Why would Hunters create a Merchants Association instead of a guild? For what reason?"
No one here would be unaware that it was much more profitable to enter a dungeon once than to waste time on such useless endeavors. Of course, there were cases where guilds engaged in business, but that was merely a supplementary activity.
"Th-that's..." Under Suho's cold gaze, Min Dae-Seok fidgeted, not knowing what to do. Then, he noticed the other employees avoiding his gaze and the Stardust necklaces hanging around their necks...
'There's something going on.' Suho intuitively realized.
Crack! The corner of Branch Manager Min Dae-Seok's desk, gripped in Suho's hand, crumbled loudly.
Beru whispered in Suho's ear like a devil. [Should I just kill him? I'll eat his brain and read his memories.]
Did he hear the whisper? Or did Beru's 'sincerity' get through to him? The moment his desk was shattered, Branch Manager Min Dae-Seok flinched and finally spoke.
"I-it's the black market! ...Hic." He blurted out and quickly covered his mouth.
"...The black market?"
As Suho's gaze grew even colder, Min Dae-Seok's face turned pale, and he hurriedly started making excuses. "Th-that is... To be clear, I have nothing to do with it. I only heard they were preparing it, so I don't know the details..."
"What is this black market you're talking about?" Sung Jinah, who had been listening to the conversation, asked, and Min Dae-Seok sighed deeply and explained.
"Well... Non-awakened people wouldn't know. It is a direct transaction marketplace used only by Hunters."
"A market?"
"Yes. To be precise, it's a place where transactions or auctions are held for tax evasion."
Tax evasion. Sung Jinah immediately understood. Even Hunters with superhuman abilities feared taxes. Especially for Hunters classified as high-income earners, the tax rate was a whopping 50 percent. Half of the money they earned risking their lives fighting magic beasts was taken away by the government. Of course it was used to rebuild the cities destroyed by dungeon breaks and to help the citizens affected by them. And the organization responsible for managing and supervising the proper use of those taxes was the Hunter Association.
"...But the Association is turning a blind eye to a black market used for tax evasion?"
"N-no! It was already going on before I came here, and I opposed it at first...!"
Crumble! At that moment, Min Dae-Seok's desk started being crushed like tofu. Slowly… Very, very slowly disintegrating right in front of him.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
"Gasp..." Witnessing the scene, the branch manager held his breath, feeling like he would soon meet the same fate. And he wasn't the only one feeling that way.
Suho stood up and swept his cold gaze across all the Association employees in the office. Those wearing Stardust necklaces, just like Min Dae-Seok, trembled with pale faces. Chairman Woo Jinchul would deal with the legal issues concerning them later. So Suho asked,
"Where is this Merchants Association?"
* * *
Yangpyeong was vast, almost as big as Jeju Island. However, unlike it, Yangpyeong had many development restrictions, such as water source protection zones and natural conservation areas. It was surrounded by mountains, forests, and valleys, with countless fishing spots. But the terrain was also quite jagged, making it a region where missing persons cases like Sung Il-Hwan's frequently occurred.
"...The fog is thick."
[Yangpyeong is a humid area. It's because of the many dams.] Que appeared and started sharing what he knew in response to Suho's mumbling.
[Little Monarch, I understand now.] Beru finally realized what the suspicion he had when he first set foot in Yangpyeong was about.
[It seems the Blue Mist is mixed within this fog.]
"So there is a dungeon hidden in here too?"
[Yes. Perhaps the Association didn't notice it because the Blue Mist hasn't seeped outside the fog.]
Que, a former villain and vice president of the Reaper Guild, recognized the value of this place at a glance. [If I knew about a place like this, I would have wanted to create a black market here too.]
A place where even the existence of a gate could be concealed. It meant that anything could be hidden there.
"Que, do me a favor and hit your head"
[Yes Master.]
Thud.
As expected of a former villain, Que deeply empathized with the criminals' mindset.
"I'm starting to get the picture."
Suho stopped walking. The mana of the gate, faintly felt within the fog, was starting to grow stronger.
"It seems like this entire area is a field-type dungeon."
Esil, walking beside him, also scanned the surroundings with her eyes gleaming. And she finally found something.
"There is a totem of the demon race here."
"Do you know what purpose it serves?"
"It's like a detection system that alerts them when beings other than demons approach."
"Beings other than demons?" Suho smiled faintly at those words.
"Then I just need to become a demon."
Suho took out the Item: 'Crow Mask' from his inventory and concealed his face. As it was something worn by the demons working in the Stardust factory. But of course, this alone wasn't enough to fool the barrier.
"Esil."
"Got it."
[Item: 'Vulcan's Horn' equipped.]
They were in perfect sync now. Esil immediately turned into spirit form and attached Vulcan's Horn to Suho's head. A crow mask and demon horns. Suho's appearance was now undeniably demonic.
[This should be enough...]
Listening to Esil's whisper, Suho confidently passed through the barrier. At that moment, his vision changed, and the black market the branch manager had mentioned unfolded before his eyes.