The Apocalypse Has Been Downloaded – Chapter 52

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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Creak… Hiss. Thud!

Creak… Hiss. Thud!

Creak… Hiss. Thud!

The sound of some unknown machinery working echoed from somewhere.

The loud noise of a pump and intermittent piston-like sounds made my head spin slightly.

‘What the hell is that noise…’

And it wasn’t just the sound that was grating on my nerves.

Pipes were protruding from the walls, ceiling, and floor, and the passageways were filled with trash and insects.

It was a difficult place to stay in for long.

Especially when the haphazardly placed pipes rattled and leaked contaminated water. An indescribable smell wafted through the air, stinging my nose.

“It’s awfully dark…”

It was darker than a moonless night.

It didn’t matter to me since I had Altered Vision, but it was so dark that an ordinary person would have trouble even walking straight here.

Moreover, no light sources, including flashlights, were allowed, so if you didn’t have a night vision skill, you would be hopelessly lost.

If you tripped over a pipe, you could be seriously injured. Or fall into that unknown contaminated water.

‘And if you get lost in a place like this…’

You would most likely never find your way back.

“Let’s see…”

I walked through the narrow alleyways while avoiding the pipes that were growing like plants from the walls, floor, and ceiling.

Since I didn’t know where to go, I followed the paths with fewer pipes and eventually reached a wider street lined with various shops.

It was like a large underground shopping mall.

And the open shops emitted a faint purple light, making it slightly better than the alleyways I had just been in…

“Huh…?”

The alleyway had disappeared. As if it had been a wall from the beginning.

The door was gone, and the alley was gone. This made me realize something for sure.

‘Fuck…’

The Black Market was a far more dangerous place than I had imagined.

I had to look around quickly and get back.

I had a bad feeling that I would probably spend the entire four hours just looking for the exit.

Just as I was about to turn back…

Thud.

“Ki-rara.”

“Ah. I-I’m sorry…?”

A dolphin?

It looked like it had a dolphin’s head. A strangely cute face that didn’t belong in a place like this.

“Ki-rere. Ki-ree.”

The creature I had bumped into made a strange sound and went on its way.

“Huh… What was that…?”

But I somehow understood its words.

It had clearly said, “Watch where you’re going, idiot.” I could understand it for some reason.

I figured it was the effect of the Mark of Myriad Demons I had received from encountering Kashnax. It was supposed to allow for smooth communication with myriad demons.

It was a relief. It would have been truly terrifying if I had encountered such a bizarre creature in this strange place and I couldn’t even communicate with it.

I was truly grateful that I could at least understand its words.

‘But there are… surprisingly many people here.’

They were all grotesque figures in black clothing.

There wasn’t a single human, and most of them were concealing their faces.

‘Cephalopods… Insectoids… What is that? Are they all aliens?’

They were all dressed in a dark, sci-fi style. Some were wearing gas masks and breathing heavily, while others were wearing black coats like something out of The Matrix, their collars pulled high.

There were also groups of people in black hoods who looked like cultists, and bipedal creatures crawling around while dripping slime.

If I encountered them on the street, I would have screamed and attacked them with my skills without hesitation.

‘This is… the Black Market…’

A place where various species with disgusting appearances casually walked around, buying things and chattering in strange languages…

The thought that there wasn’t a single human in this place, and that they might all be hostile aliens, made me slightly uneasy.

They seemed like beings I could never subdue and enslave. That terrified me.

And I could see figures watching the aliens from various spots. They must be the Black Market’s security guards.

They were large figures wearing brass diving helmets like something out of the Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and their tight black leather outfits made me uncomfortable just looking at them.

The insides of their helmets were completely dark, and they were scanning the area while emanating a strange sense of intimidation.

I wanted to approach them and ask where the exit was, but they subtly reached for their weapons at their waists as I got closer.

‘I guess I’ll have to find it myself…’

As I looked around while wondering where to go, someone approached me.

“Black Market. First time?”

It was a being with a box where its head should be.

“Me. Guide. Need help?”

No. This guy was definitely not a peaceful guide.

The ominous aura emanating from him made my skin crawl.

The box on his head was slightly open, revealing eyeballs of creatures I didn’t even want to identify.

[He’s dangerous. Step back.]

Indikron’s advice made me even more wary.

But Indikron’s voice sounded strangely faint, which was unsettling.

Like the connection was weak.

Still, the thought that she was watching me gave me some comfort.

“Help. If you want. Coins. Give me a few. Little one. Then. I’ll. Guide you. To a good place.”

He took two steps closer as I took one step back and mimicked human speech in an awkward tone.

“Ah, no.”

“Don’t refuse.”

He reached for my shoulder.

I quickly slapped his hand away and frowned.

As I channeled my Magic, ready to kill him with Summon Tentacles or Abyssal Maw if he tried anything else, he slowly backed away.

“He-help…”

“No, thank you.”

“Is that so? A shame.”

Boxhead clicked his tongue at my curt reply and went on his way.

As I watched him leave, something that looked like the face of a human woman missing its eyeballs popped out from his back and said something to me.

I couldn’t hear any sound, but her lip movements were terrifying.

She seemed to be saying “Help me.”

“Sigh… Fuck…”

I quickly left that spot.

I felt like more strange creatures would approach me if I just stood there.

I had to find the exit before I could even think about shopping.

This place was insane, beyond my imagination.

Just then, I turned my head at the sound of something boiling and saw a restaurant.

Bubble, bubble…

“…”

I was drawn to the strange scent, as if in a trance.

Even though I knew I shouldn’t approach strange things, my body naturally led me towards the source of the scent.

The sweet smell… made my head…

“Ugh…”

But as I reached the old restaurant, the source of the scent, I couldn’t help but gag and step back.

An insectoid creature was squeezing its abdomen, dropping maggot-like offspring into a boiling pot.

“That’s disgusting…”

I snapped out of it, covered my nose to block the smell, and ran to another place.

I couldn’t bear to watch the sight of the creature dropping screaming larvae into the pot while they called it “Mommy.”

Then someone grabbed my shoulder and stopped me.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“No running inside.”

“Uh… Yes.”

I had been warned by the security guards as soon as I started running.

I had no choice but to walk quickly.

‘This place is crazy.’

There were various restaurants along the street, but none of them were normal.

Since they catered to the alien customers, there wasn’t a single thing a human in their right mind could eat.

They were all creating absurd… dishes, or rather, concoctions that were too disgusting to even describe.

And the sight of the aliens enjoying those things made me want to vomit.

Nothing in this place was normal.

‘The rules mentioned poachers, slave traders, and drug dealers…’

The fact that only those three were specifically mentioned probably meant that they were the only ones who dealt with humans.

The others were probably best avoided.

I continued walking in one direction.

I wasn’t worried about getting lost. I didn’t know the way anyway. And just like the disappearing door and alley, the location could change at any time.

It was better to quickly find the exit than to waste time standing still.

‘There are no doors. Not a single one.’

This was driving me crazy. It had been almost an hour since I entered.

But there wasn’t a single door, as if they were intentionally preventing me from leaving.

They were all either tents or wide open.

Or even if there was a door, there was no keyhole.

Just as I was starting to feel anxious…

I passed by restaurants selling unidentifiable dishes and finally reached the end of a path.

“Ha…”

And there, I found a shop called ‘Poacher’s Shack.’

I hadn’t found the exit, but I had found one of the shops mentioned in the rules.

‘How much time is left…?’

I instinctively checked my watch.

It has become a habit to check my wristwatch every five minutes since entering the Black Market.

Two hours and fifty minutes left.

‘Should I go in?’

I might as well check it out since I had found it.

There might be a door with a keyhole inside.

If there wasn’t any, I could just quickly leave and retrace my steps.

Flap.

I lifted the tarp covering the entrance and went inside.

“A human after so long.”

The man sitting inside muttered to himself.

He was a grotesque figure wearing a black mask.

And he was wiping something that looked like an egg with a yellow towel.

‘Lots of cages… Are there no doors?’

I quickly looked around the shop.

The cages and glass jars hanging everywhere were filled with bizarre creatures, body parts of various insects and animals, some still alive and moving.

The shelves were packed with seeds and eggs of strange creatures. The entire shop was messy and disorganized, overflowing with various creatures and items with unidentifiable inscriptions.

The word “chaotic” perfectly described the atmosphere of the shop.

‘A door…!’

And behind the poacher, I found the door I had been searching for.

‘Ah…’

Unfortunately, there was no keyhole.

Moreover, it was a sliding door.

“You won’t find anything you can choose from here. The only thing I can offer a ‘Player’ like you is ‘Today’s Special.’ Would you like to take a look?”

“Uh, well…”

I checked my wristwatch. It hadn’t even been two minutes since I entered the shop.

Honestly, I was very curious about what he had.

I should probably leave quickly, but… wouldn’t it be okay to just look around for a bit?

‘Yeah, let’s take a quick look since we’re here. Just five minutes.’

I would quickly check out today’s specials and leave within five minutes.

I nodded at the shopkeeper.

“Good. You seem to be in a hurry, so I’ll show them to you quickly.”

He put down the egg he had been wiping on the display and then placed a few more items on the counter.

There were four items in total.

“These four are all I can recommend to you today. If you want to see something rarer, you’ll have to increase your… ‘favorability’ with me. Aren’t you curious about what’s behind that door?”

“Uh… Yes…”

The rules had said not to approach the breeding grounds. That door probably led to the breeding grounds.

I didn’t want to waste any more time, so I just smiled vaguely at his words and checked the items on the counter.

It would be a disaster if something terrible hatched from the carefully nurtured egg.

It was a bit tempting, but I didn’t know what Coral Parasites were, and it didn’t seem wise to gamble on a 30% success rate just for 70 Magic.

This Steven… Was he the owner of Steven’s Pillar, the dick I had offered to Kashnax?

This was a set that allowed you to raise a hamster-sized human. It was intriguing, but not enough to buy it.

They were all crazy items with ridiculously high prices.

Steven’s Tentacle was a bit tempting, but I couldn’t spend 50,000 coins right now.

“Huh. They’re too expensive… I’ll come back next time.”

“Well, that’s understandable. They’re hard to come by though. Take care.”

I left the Poacher’s Shack.

Fortunately, I was able to check the items and leave quickly.

But there was a problem.

“Where am I now…?”

The location had changed again.

The Poacher’s Shack was gone, and I was now standing alone in a place that looked like a sewer.

Did the location change every time I left a shop?

“I’m really fucked.”

My throat went dry from the tension.

I might have preferred the shopping mall with those creepy-looking high-ranking aliens.

Being alone in this dark and gloomy place was driving me crazy.

“Fuck… Fuck.”

I had no choice.

I had to keep walking.

I walked through the stench and unpleasant dampness, past the bones and sticky mud.

After about thirty minutes, I reached a slum area.

“Ugh… Please… give me some coins…”

“Medicine… Give me some medicine… Hey!! Don’t just leave!!!

“Hehehe. Hee… Hehehe… Fuuuuuck.”

This was a den of drug addicts.

Insectoids who had completely lost their minds, and some blob-like creatures…

There were even corpses scattered around that were being devoured by dog-sized rats.

I looked back, but I had already come too far. It would be better to enter that shop over there and then leave.

I kicked away the drug addicts trying to grab me and entered the shop with flashing neon signs.

“Welcome. Oh my, a cute little human?”

I was greeted by a crossdressing man with two heads.

Strangely, one of his heads was muttering something, as if drugged.

It seemed like he was experimenting with drugs on himself…

“Welcome to Drugs and Rush.”

It was a drug dealer’s shop.

And the crossdressing man gave me a cup filled with a drink while smiling brightly.

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T/N – Quite interesting. The Black Market is giving me an Alice in Wonderland but eldritch sort of vibe. Though nothing interesting has happened yet in this chapter, this brief visit to the Black Market has potential.

If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.