Chapter 281: Chapter 279

He was insane.

Absolutely insane.

'Does that guy even know the value of the fruit he's talking about?' Contrary to the shock the market people received, Suho was actually waiting for this moment.

'This is perfect. I've made quite a bit of money, so I was about to move on to the next stage.' Rather, he was grateful for Hasul's sudden appearance. His plan to rake in as much currency used in the market as possible was quite successful. As expected, the response was even more explosive when he introduced competition. Besides, he still had 'a lot' of bread left.

'So now it's time to sweep up other things.' And Hasul, the most famous Reaper in the city, who appeared just in time, had plenty of fruits. It was much easier and simpler than mingling with people and participating in the auction...

In the end, Hasul silently took out the 'fruits of Alfheim' from her pocket and held them out to Suho at his request. And there were...

Six of them.

Suho grinned as he accepted what she offered. "Oh my. Thank you, valued customer. Choose anything you like. You can have up to three strawberry cakes for six fruits."

Swish.

Hasul strode towards the shelves where the cakes were displayed as soon as Suho gave her permission. But although he called them cakes, they were all just slices. Unfortunately, Suho had swept up all the leftovers the bakery that was closing last night had. But Hasul began to carefully choose the pieces with the most vibrant and beautiful strawberries.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"...!" Everyone in the market was shocked at the sight.

Profiteering.

Tyranny.

And Hasul's behavior, silently accepting that absurd demand, was incomprehensible. The fruits of Alfheim were the most precious item in this city. No matter how many the Reapers had, they wouldn't exchange them for just a few pieces of bread. But Hasul, not caring about people's reactions, carefully chose three pieces of strawberry cream cake that she liked the most and put them in the plastic bag Suho handed her. And she left the market as silently as she came...

Once Hasul left, a sigh of relief swept through the market a beat later. It felt like a typhoon had passed. It was a testament to how many individuals had their necks sliced by Hasul's scythe. Anyway, people who were relieved that Hasul had left once again jumped into the competition for Suho's bread.

But Hasul's appearance, which seemed like it would end as a minor event, had already changed quite a few things. Suho, watching her retreating figure for a moment, smirked and changed the auction rules once again.

"Now, I'll change the auction rules a little. For those who have run out of money, you can now participate in the auction with the fruits of Alfheim."

"...Crazy!"

"Who would use fruits...!"

"Of course, I don't know when the price will go up again."

Pause

Suho's last words were decisive. At that moment, people realized. As long as there was bread left in Beru Baguette, And as that resource decreased, The competition would only become fiercer... Extreme scarcity. But now, it wasn't just a price war, the unit of trade itself had changed. Because of Hasul's appearance. In the end, Suho's bakery not only emptied the pockets of the market merchants but also made them take out their precious fruits.

'...I dedicate all this glory to Hasul.' And Suho,

"Beru."

[Yes, my liege.] Asked Beru in a low voice, watching the direction Hasul disappeared,

"Was she S-rank?"

[Indeed. But more importantly...] However, what Beru noticed wasn't the fact that Hasul was an S-rank villain, but the giant scythe she was carrying on her shoulder.

[I felt the energy of the outer gods from that scythe.]

Sirka also nodded in agreement. "I saw it too. That was definitely a weapon made with a starpiece. The same as the ones embedded in the high elves' eyes..."

Was she really an Enforcer? He needed to look into this.

"Beru, follow her. See what she's up to."

[Yes.] Beru immediately disappeared at Suho's command.

'And while we're at it...' Suho also gave separate orders to the other soldiers hiding in his shadow. To hide in the shadows of all the villains gathered in this market.

...And just like that, Under the vast shadow of Alfheim, Suho's own shadow began to spread throughout the paradise city without anyone knowing.

* * *

And a while later,

The executives of the Free Market Alliance finally gathered in one place. It was none other than the 'bank manager' who summoned them.

"Is everyone here?"

"..."

The bank manager clicked his tongue as he looked at the unusually gloomy faces of the fruit merchants. They were truly pathetic. Those who were always so confident and full of themselves had become like this overnight.

"...Beru Baguette."

Flinch.

All the executives flinched at that single phrase. Seeing their reactions, the bank manager sighed and said,

"Is this even possible? For the city's economy to be shaken by just one bakery?"

"..."

No matter how rare a 'bakery' was in this land, it was absurd for the city-scale economy to be jeopardized by just this. But it actually happened. Because...

"...He pulled out another container later."

That's right. It turned out that the newbie had not one, but two 'bakeries.' After the market merchants spent a considerable amount to buy the bread from the first container he took out. He suddenly summoned the second container. Everyone was shocked...

"...I don't know what kind of skill that is." Should they call him a container summoner...

But the problem at hand wasn't his title nor skill.

"That newbie swept up too much money in just one day."

"And he disappeared without spending a single penny."

Yes. That was the issue. There was no problem with someone earning a lot of money. That was the purpose of the market in the first place. But if he only earned money and didn't spend it, holding onto it, it became a big problem. The economy of this city was practically maintained by 'debt,' not money. No matter how much the debtors wanted to repay their debts, if there was no money itself, only the interest would continue to increase. And no one wanted the result of the debtors going bankrupt and exploding with their debts unpaid. Even the bank didn't want that. If all the debtors went bankrupt, the bank would also collapse.

"...At this rate, within a few days, the city's currency circulation will be severely contracted, causing major disruptions in transactions. As you all know, the amount of currency circulating in our city is very limited, and if that much money is tied up in one place, there won't be enough for other people's transactions, inevitably shrinking the market." Everyone nodded at the bank manager's lengthy speech. This city, with its small market size, was inevitably sensitive to such changes.

"And if transactions decrease due to lack of currency, prices will also..."

Mr. Park, the fruit merchant, who couldn't stand the seemingly endless lecture, finally spoke up. "Bank Manager, do we really need to worry about that now? Wouldn't that newbie eventually spend the money if we wait a little?"

"And how long will that be?" The bank manager glared at him with sharp eyes and retorted,

"First and foremost, when would that newbie alone spend all that money? No, does he even need anything? He even earned a lot of fruits at the end, what else would he need here?"

"..."

That's right. Actually, they all knew. What people needed to live was 'food, clothing, and shelter.' Here, 'clothing' meant armor. Not clothes to adorn, but armor to protect oneself. And realistically, there was no way to solve this because of the unique circumstances of North Korea. They had to procure it themselves. They had to fix the armor they were wearing before coming to North Korea.

Next was food. This usually meant magical beast meat or fruits. And the fruits of Alfheim. That was why things were so complicated today. Because of the sudden appearance of the bakery.

And the last one was 'shelter.' Lodging. The citizens of this city didn't have the concept of 'owning a house.' Everything was monthly rent. No, to be precise, it was 'daily rent.' Since they didn't know when they would die, all the lodgings in the city charged their guests daily.

"How about telling people to charge him a higher price for lodging?" Mr. Choi offered a good suggestion.

But that was the biggest problem. The bank manager's gaze swept over the executives of the alliance and asked sharply, "That's a good idea. So, does anyone know where that guy is now? Which lodging is he staying at?"

"..."

"Didn't you say you lost track of him as soon as he left the market after selling all the bread?"

"..."

That's right. He disappeared last evening, and he disappeared again tonight. He was truly elusive. A real ghost of a guy.

"Could it be related to that container skill...?"

"Maybe he's hiding somewhere and sleeping in that container that was filled with bread." The bank manager clicked his tongue in annoyance at someone's uncertain mutter.

"Then you should at least find that container! It would be a jackpot for you if you run into him outside the market!"

"...The Hunter Guild is already searching the entire city. We've also put out a separate request to the skilled ones."

The bank manager's words hit the nail on the head. Indeed, that newbie was practically a walking treasure chest. Today, that guy's container would be filled with shiny coins instead of all that bread. And since the use of force was allowed outside the market, whoever found and killed him first would become the owner of that vast fortune. Of course... the problem was what would happen next.

They all knew what would follow. Whoever caught him first would eventually be caught and killed by someone else. Then the money would go to someone new, and that person would also be caught and killed by someone else... An endless massacre would unfold in the city. This was literally a city of villains. In the end, the money would either end up in the hands of the strongest villain or the strongest faction, and only then would the incident be over. ...And all those outcomes were the worst for the city. No, it was a catastrophe.

"It doesn't matter who that newbie is caught and killed by anymore. The city's balance has already begun to crumble." A sigh escaped his lips.

The most absurd thing in all this was that this whole thing started with an incident caused by just one person in a single day. As the bank manager, who had to maintain the balance of the city, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Hmf. In the end, the best way is... to make the money he has flow back into the market. We have to make him spend that money somehow. Whether through the bank or other means." Yes. This was the best the bank manager could come up with.

"First of all, none of us gathered here have proper knowledge or banking experience. We just created this system to survive. The economic system we built is standing on a precarious balance that could collapse at any moment."

"..."

That's right. None of them had anticipated a situation like this. No... Actually, they all already knew that no matter how much they boasted about manipulating the city's market economy, their true nature would be revealed when something like this actually happened. No matter how much they acted high and mighty, they were just ordinary murderers who were chased and chased by the Association and eventually fled to North Korea. Rather than discussing difficult market logic or balance, they were people who were most comfortable just catching and killing someone.

"So what are we going to do?" Mr. Choi, unable to bear it any longer, finally spoke up.

"What you're saying, Bank Manager, is to find that guy and make him spend money, right? Even if it means using some drastic measures."

"Hmm. Drastic measures... That's a very good idea." As if waiting for those words, the bank manager's eyes gleamed like a snake's. And he shrugged with a hypocritical expression as he glanced at the other executives of the alliance.

"I never imagined something like this, but would it really be okay? Only this time, of course." The executives of the alliance inwardly gritted their teeth at his shameless expression.

'This snake-like bastard.'

'He was waiting for us to say it first.'

The bank and the Free Market Alliance never crossed the line they drew. That was the rule, the secret to how this city precariously maintained its balance. But to make an exception this time, regardless of the city's crisis or whatever, was practically ignoring the existence of the alliance. As the atmosphere ripened to his liking, the bank manager clasped his hands and said with a satisfied smile,

"Alright. Then according to your opinions..." It was then...

The door suddenly burst open, and a debtor rushed in.

"Bank Manager! It's terrible!"

"What? What's going on?" The bank manager turned his head with an annoyed expression, and the debtor shouted urgently,

"B-Beru! That newbie...!"

"Don't tell me! You found him?!" Everyone at the table was startled and jumped to their feet. But the debtor's answer was absurd.

"Th-that's... We found him, but he came on his own."

"What? Where?!"

"To the bank. He came to buy fruits."

"...What? Fruits?" The bank manager's expression hardened at those words.

'Don't tell me that guy?'

The debtor, intimidated by the bank manager's fierce gaze, replied nervously, "Yes. H-he asked how many fruits he could buy with the money he has..."

"..."

'Ah, I see.' A madman. The bank manager became certain at that moment.

Beru, that guy was definitely a madman.

"S-stop him! Go and stop him now!"

The bakery villain who appeared in the market was now targeting the fruits stored in the bank!