Solo Leveling- Ragnarok-Chapter 280 - 278

Suho's bakery turned the market into complete chaos. The villains scrambled to participate in his auction, throwing their money around without hesitation.

"I-I have to buy this no matter what!"

"How long has it been since I smelled bread?!"

'Bread!'

A bakery in the middle of the apocalypse! It was a major event that made all the villains drool and their eyes roll back. Honestly, who would eat magical beast meat if they had a choice? They taste bad? No... it's just terrible! It's so disgusting that it makes you want to throw up, let alone evaluate its taste. Frankly, even if one peeled the shell of a capsule-type pill and poured it into one's mouth, he could lick it up more deliciously than magical beast meat. There was a reason why fruits were the best-selling food in the market. It was the same principle as taking bitter herbal medicine and quickly popping a candy into your mouth.

"50 coins!"

"60 coins!"

"80 coins!"

Bidding prices began to soar at a terrifying rate.

"100 coins!"

"110 coins!"

"150 coins—!"

The market heated up endlessly as they competed with each other. Even as this was happening, the extremely violent and stimulating smell of bread dominated the market. The villains' hungry desires were helpless before that overwhelming scent. But it wasn't just hunger that drove them. Come what may, the people gathered here were all seasoned merchants. They were those who had been doing business with countless villains in the marketplace, so they were quick with their calculations.

'Let's buy it first!'

'I have to buy this no matter what!'

'I can just resell it at a higher price!'

It was a very simple calculation. No matter how much bread was in that container, it was ultimately a consumable, a limited resource that would eventually be exhausted. They instinctively recognized the value of that scarcity. The people gathered here weren't all the citizens living in the city. Rather, there were far more people from the market. So whoever bought more, regardless of the price, was the winner. They could eat it themselves, but they could also sell it at a much higher price to those who weren't here. And at that time,

'The price would be whatever I ask for!' Now, the stage was set. All Suho had to do now was smile and watch as they shouted their bids.

'They said those who don't know the market price are suckers...' Suho knew how they were looking at him from the beginning. It was thanks to asking the guard captain, who became a shadow soldier last night, about the city. Thanks to that, Suho already knew the exact market price before even entering the bazaar.

'Now who's the sucker?' But what did it matter if he didn't know the market price?

'I can just decide the price myself.' Birds of a feather flock together. Suho and Beru's smiles were becoming more and more alike. No, maybe it had been that way for a while. Beru was the one who raised Suho, after all.

[My liege, the plan is a great success. We've already sold half of it.] Beru whispered with a devilish smile beside him.

But Suho's lips curled up even more coldly as he replied, "Already? There's still half left."

Since there was so much bread in the container, the rate at which the auction price was rising was slowly decreasing. As this place was full of merchants, a reasonable rate was gradually being established. But Suho had saved the biggest and tastiest bread for this.

"Now, I'll raise the starting price of the auction to 1,000 coins."

"...What?!"

Mixed reactions arose among the villains. Those who succeeded in buying bread earlier by diligently raising the price were relieved, and those who were just watching to save money trembled in shock.

"Th-this is price manipulation!"

"Yes! This is too much!"

"1,000 coins for a piece of bread?!"

Those who hadn't bought any bread yet protested fiercely with angry expressions. Magic instinctively surged from their clenched fists. But they had to endure. Using force in this free market was a violation of the rules. Outside, it might be different, but from the moment someone started doing business here, it was the alliance's rule to strictly abide by the regulations of the market. The moment someone broke that order, the strongest person here would be able to kill all the merchants and monopolize all the goods. In the end, if that happened, this city would perish in the long run. And how would the last person left survive alone in this apocalypse? In the end, the 'Free Market Alliance' existed in this city to prevent that.

"Kuhk! This young brat, where did he learn such wicked things?!"

"How dare you play games with food?!" Despite the people's protests, Suho just shrugged with a shameless expression.

"If you don't want to buy, you can just leave." His polite tone was extremely annoying. And not only that, Suho began to blatantly abuse his position. He glanced at the merchants who were most fiercely expressing their anger and immediately changed his words.

"Hmm. I've changed my mind because of those men. Let's start at 1,100 coins."

"...?!"

"No. 1,200 coins since there are two of you."

'Ah, no!' This was too much! But the villains gritted their teeth at Suho's blatant abuse of power. What could they do? If they didn't like it, they could just leave. They had to suppress the magic power surging within them. And all the people in the market glared at the two individuals Suho pointed at. Those two turned pale from those murderous gazes and hurriedly hid among the crowd. It seemed like they would have to hide for a while. Although using force was prohibited inside the market, it was very possible outside.

'J-just you wait!'

'No matter how much money you earn here, when we meet outside...!'

Everyone in the market inwardly gritted their teeth at Suho's tyranny. But what could they do? The auction resumed helplessly.

"...1,200 coins!"

"1,300 coins!"

The price of bread skyrocketed, but they were still willing to pay, thinking they could just resell it at a higher price. It was then...

Clank—

The noisy market suddenly fell silent at the sharp metallic sound.

'What's that?' While Suho was puzzled by the sudden change in atmosphere, The gazes of everyone in the market were focused on one place. And at the end of those stares...

[Kieek?] Beru's eyes narrowed.

A young woman was standing at the entrance to the market. She looked to be around 17 or 18 years old. A girl who looked like a high school student was carrying a giant scythe that didn't match her physique on her shoulder. That sound just now must have been the sound of the end of that large scythe touching the ground.

"...It's the Reaper, Hasul!"

"Why is that crazy bitch here..."

The atmosphere in the market froze in an instant. The faces of the people, which were filled with excitement just moments ago, were now filled with fear. On the other hand, Suho's eyes sparkled.

'Harvester Hasul' She was one of the noteworthy figures mentioned in the information he heard from the guard captain last night.

[Those who specialize in harvesting the fruits of Alfheim are called 'Reapers'. Especially among them, the most famous one was...]

That girl, Hasul. Her fame had spread throughout the city, to the point where even Suho, who just arrived, could easily hear about it. There were countless villains whose heads were blown off by that giant scythe for hitting on her because she was young and pretty. Considering that this city was full of villains, it was pointless to count the number of people who lost their lives to Hasul's scythe. But apart from her cruel methods, Suho could immediately tell why she was able to become the most famous Reaper.

'S-rank.'

Suho immediately recognized Hasul's level. He understood why people were so nervous just by her appearance.

Clank.

Clonk.

Hasul, as if accustomed to this silent atmosphere, slowly walked towards them. People hurriedly made way for her wherever she passed. Eventually, Hasul stood before Suho. The moment their eyes met in the air, Sirka, who was beside him, muttered with sharp eyes in a language only Suho could understand,

"Could this human be an Enforcer?"

If she was S-rank, she was certainly capable enough. No one knew the identity of the Enforcers, but conversely, it meant they could be hiding their identity and living among the people. But...

"That."

"...Hmm?" Suho looked in the direction Hasul's finger was pointing with a puzzled expression.

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"Strawberry cake."

"..."

"How much?"

"..."

Hmm. He didn't know about the Enforcer part, but she was certainly a woman of few words. In the tense atmosphere, the Reaper Hasul was silently pointing at the strawberry cream cake displayed on the shelf. With the giant scythe that had blown off the heads of countless villains still slung over her shoulder. One strange thing was that he couldn't feel any emotion in her eyes as she looked at the strawberry cake. She looked like an unfeeling doll. Suho stared intently at Hasul and finally spoke with a firm resolve,

"Hey. You started it."

"...?!"

'He's crazy!'

Suho's shocking remark greatly agitated people.

'Is he really crazy?'

'Has he lost his mind?'

'Even if he's a newcomer to the city, does he have no sense of self preservation?'

'If we're this nervous, he should at least read the room!'

'How dare he say that to Hasul...!'

Of course, even the notorious Hasul wouldn't harm anyone in the marketplace. But what if they met outside the market? All Reapers, not just Hasul, were fundamentally fast. It was impossible to climb the tall Alfheim tree, evade the attacks of the spirits, and harvest the fruits without considerable speed. This meant that if he encountered Hasul outside the city, it would be difficult to escape. But that clueless newbie... With a grin on his face, continued to speak boldly, not caring about her at all.

"If you want to buy the cake, participate in the auction like everyone else here."

"...And if I don't want to?"

"Then barter."

"...?"

Hasul's, who had been expressionless, furrowed her brow for the first time, as if Suho's answer was unexpected. He felt a sense of satisfaction at that minute change in expression. On the other hand, the faces of the market people watching Suho and Hasul's suffocating conversation were changing by the moment.

'What? Bartering is also allowed?'

'It must be a rule he just made.'

'He's a terrible businessman.'

But in any case, this was a free market. It was their freedom to auction off precious items or barter. The problem was simply that the 'bread' Suho was currently selling was an overwhelmingly rare item that was disrupting the market. In the end, the business he was doing didn't violate the logic of the free market at all. Hasul also knew this fact. Eventually, she glanced at the strawberry cake and then looked Suho straight in the eye and asked,

"What do you want?"

"Fruits."

"...?!"

The market was once again in an uproar at Suho's bold request. They didn't know how many times they had been surprised today. No matter how rare pastries were here, to exchange one for the expensive fruit of Alfheim! A madman who dared to try and scam the notorious Reaper Hasul appeared. And he must be completely insane...

"One cake for one fruit. Ah, two fruits for cakes with strawberries."

...Yes. Perhaps this madman thought that he had two lives. Or maybe that he could be resurrected even after dying.