“President? Please speak~.”
Perhaps the only goal of this shrewd-looking man in the first place was to draw everyone’s attention, and he immediately passed the floor as soon as the meeting started.
Dang Gyu-young who was standing in the head seat continued.
“As you all may have heard, there were quite a few unpleasant incidents at last year’s black market.”
Last year’s black market arrest rate reached an all-time high.
Despite the operation method being almost the same as before, this result indicated that the capabilities of the opposing disciplinary committee had greatly improved.
And at the center of it was Kwak Seung-jae who was a first-year at the time.
Although his fighting power was not exceptionally high for a disciplinary committee member, he possessed tracking abilities capable of finding the traces of second and third-year students.
His insight was remarkable and he was able to seize even the smallest clues and tenaciously pursue them in an instant.
And with his unique magic that connected rooms with wooden doors, he had been incredibly difficult to deal with.
Deals had fallen through left and right because wooden doors had suddenly popped up everywhere.
“I want to prevent the same thing from happening this year. I understand if our strength is lacking, but if we fall behind even in espionage, the very existence of the thieves’ club loses its meaning.”
One of the graduates nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. Although we live with people calling us thieves, we have our own pride and dignity. There are moments we can never back down from.”
The woman with the teardrop mole added her thoughts.
“It’s not just about pride. Negative rumors are already spreading among the mentors. They say proper deals might not happen. If these doubts become entrenched, the very foundation of the black market could be shaken. We need to restore our credibility.”
And the only way to restore credibility was to successfully complete this year’s Black Market.
Dang Gyu-young bowed her head slightly.
“Both of you are correct. That’s why we invited the seniors here to ensure everything goes perfectly this year.”
The graduates weren’t just helping because of their connection with Dang Gyu-young or the thieves’ club.
Each of them was also promised a considerable reward.
The fact that there were five such graduates showed their determination to make this black market a success, even at great cost.
Graduates A and B nodded their heads.
“That’s a good resolve. Indeed, President Dang has a unique courage. But… are we only supposed to guard this building? Is that really all?”
“Yes, that’s correct. This place is the core of our plan.”
Just like I had guessed from seeing the room filled with monitors, this building was the control tower.
A space prepared solely for Chae Da-bin.
Last year, the former president of the thieves’ club didn’t make full use of Chae Da-bin because she was a first-year.
But this year, Dang Gyu-young had finally taken control and was actively supporting Chae Da-bin to fully make use of her abilities.
When Dang Gyu-young signaled with her eyes, Chae Da-bin reported in a calm tone.
“We are in the process of taking control of the view inside and outside the meeting and trading spots, as well as the surrounding areas.”
When we briefly stopped by the room full of monitors, what I saw reflected on the screens were streets, secluded alleys, and empty rooms inside buildings.
In other words, what Chae Da-bin was controlling were the crime prevention crystal balls installed all over the place, and she intended to secretly use this view for the black market.
“What’s the progress?”
“It’s currently about 17% complete, and we’re planning to secure everything and start the stabilization process by Wednesday.”
“…That’s fast.”
One of the graduates uttered an exclamation of admiration.
Since these are crime prevention crystal balls with strict security, it’s hard to breach even one or two properly. The fact that she was handling dozens at the same time and would finish in just a few days was indeed impressive.
Dang Gyu-young continued speaking.
“On the day of the event, the control tower personnel will monitor various locations through the screens and will immediately report any suspicious situations they discover.”
In summary, this place serves as another set of eyes for the thieves club.
No matter what happens, it must not be exposed.
If the disciplinary committee occupies it, it would be akin to becoming blind and there was also the risk of being completely wiped out.
“For this reason, we ask the two of you to conceal and protect this place.”
“Understood. We’ll make sure not even an ant can approach.”
The two graduates responded with more serious expressions.
When they asked the question, they seemed doubtful about the necessity of having two people stationed there, but now they seemed to understand its importance.
Dang Gyu-young then looked at the shrewd-looking man, the woman with the teardrop mole, and graduate C in turn.
“As I mentioned before seniors, you need to assist on-site.”
Next, she raised her hand as if signaling everyone to watch. Shadows gathered and formed a map.
From my perspective, I was so familiar with it that I could tell immediately that it was a map of the downtown area.
Shadow-formed buildings then sprang up at several locations on the map.
“We’ve rented a few buildings for short-term use. Please make sure you remember their locations.”
Though this was crucial information they likely already knew, everyone stared intently at the buildings on the map, determined not to forget.
These buildings were the “exchanges” mentioned earlier.
All transactions for the black market would take place there.
When Dang Gyu-young turned her gaze to the woman with the teardrop mole, she responded with a gentle smile.
“I’ve personally set up formations in these exchanges. They should be enough to ward off any uninvited guests.”
For example, if a civilian or a student unrelated to the black market approached the exchange, the formation would automatically activate and direct them elsewhere.
If they felt the oddity of being caught in a formation, it would raise unnecessary suspicion, so it was designed to be natural and subtle enough to go unnoticed.
Given that the formation was crafted by a graduate of the Dragon Slayer Academy, its effect was beyond doubt.
Various formations were also set up inside the building, and with numerous such exchanges, she would be busy just maintaining and repairing them.
This meant there was no point in expecting more from her.
Next, graduate C spoke up.
“My role is similar. The difference is that I only need to worry about the interior of the exchange. Here’s the magic I’ve prepared. Watch closely.”
He leaned casually against the wall, and before everyone’s eyes, his upper body suddenly disappeared into the wall as if it were being absorbed.
A moment later, he emerged from the wall as if nothing had happened.
Throughwalk.
Throughwalk was literally magic that allowed one to pass through walls.
It demonstrated absolute power as a reconnaissance tool in dungeons designed with numerous walls to confuse intruders.
He seemed to be planning to apply this magic not just to himself but also to the “guests” entering the exchange.
This would make the walls exist yet not exist and would turn the building into a small maze.
Security would become stricter, and for the disciplinary committee that didn’t know of this, tracking would become much more difficult.
Dang Gyu-young continued the explanation.
“Of course, this might confuse the guests as well. To prevent such mishaps in advance…”
Just then, a member of the thieves club came in while dragging a cart that rattled as it moved.
The front of the cart had a large, eye-catching sign that read “Ice Cream!”
Dang Gyu-young placed her hand on the cart.
“Here, we’ll distribute the tickets from this ‘contact point’.”
The contact points of the black market sold various foods like ice cream, hot bars, or fish-shaped buns.
They disguised themselves as food stalls to distribute the tickets.
Dang Gyu-young, as if to demonstrate, slid open the ice cream cart and took out a cone.
She wrapped it in a napkin and handed it forward as if saying, “Don’t spill it.”
But she quickly tossed the ice cream aside as if it didn’t matter and lightly shook the remaining napkin.
For a brief moment, densely written spells were visible.
The ice cream and other foods were just decoys; the napkin was the real “ticket”.
“This ticket will serve as a guide for our guests.”
It would help them navigate through the confusing formations and prevent them from being driven away, and under the influence of the [Throughwalk], it would tell them exactly which walls to pass through even within a maze-like building.
To summarize the process in one go.
Those who wanted to participate in the black market would first visit a contact point disguised as a street stall, where they would receive a napkin imbued with a special spell. This napkin was essentially a ticket.
Following the lead of this ticket, they would move to the exchange and cross the formations and the walls.
Finally, at the designated location, buyers and sellers would meet to trade their goods and conclude the transaction.
Meanwhile, Chae Da-bin’s team at the control tower would monitor all situations and issue instructions.
Suddenly, the shrewd-looking man raised his hand.
He did so because, while the roles of the graduates were all clear, there had been no mention of his own.
“Manager? What should I do?”
“You are a reserve force. Stand by and assist if a situation arises.”
“If nothing happens, can I just relax?”
“If nothing happens, yes.”
Dang Gyu-young smiled slightly, but somehow that smile seemed to convey the underlying message that such a situation was unlikely to happen.
The disciplinary committee was determined to disrupt the black market so it was unlikely that nothing would happen.
The shrewd-looking man knew this, so his expression quickly turned weary.
No matter how you looked at him, this guy was the handsome version of Shin Byeong-cheol.
Dang Gyu-young glanced at the shrewd-looking man and asked Chae Da-bin.
“How far have we secured visibility?”
“Exchange A and Exchange E are safe.”
“Good.”
Dang Gyu-young looked around the group and spoke.
“Then let’s test if what I mentioned earlier is working properly. Everyone except the control tower team, move to the downtown area.”
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