Solo Leveling- Ragnarok-Chapter 278

Suho’s newly founded bakery threw the market into chaos. Villains clamored to participate in the auction, flinging their money forth without hesitation.

“I-I have to buy that! I just have to!”

“When was the last time I even smelled fresh bread?!”

An entire bakery had appeared in the middle of an apocalypse. It was an event so outrageous that every villain in the market was drooling, their eyes practically rolling back in sheer ecstasy.

None of them had ever enjoyed eating magic beast meat. It wasn’t just unappetizing—it was downright disgusting. There was no real “flavor,” only the acrid taste of something rotten that made one retch just thinking about it.

Frankly, anyone would have an easier time choking down the bitter powdered contents of a pill than eating that foul meat. There was a reason that ordinary fruit had always been the most popular item in the market. Like a spoonful of sugar, its sweetness was the only thing that would wash away the awful taste of the meat.

“Fifty coins!”

“Sixty!”

“Over here! Eighty!”

The bidding war escalated at an alarming rate.

“A hundred!”

“A hundred and ten!”

“One-fifty!”

The heat of the auction flared hotter and hotter as bidders tried to outdo each other. Meanwhile, the intoxicating aroma of freshly baked bread continued to dominate the market.

The villains were utterly powerless against their hunger, but it wasn’t the only thing driving them into a frenzy. Everyone here was a seasoned trader, and having done business with countless villains thus far, they were capable of very quick calculations.

Right now the only move is to buy!

No matter how much it costs, buy the bread!

I’m gonna sell it for a markup!

The logic was simple: No matter how much bread was in that container, it was a finite resource. Once it was eaten, it was gone.

The market traders had instinctively realized just how precious it was. Beyond that, not everyone in the city was in this marketplace right now. In fact, there were far more people outside the market than within it.

That meant the bread’s prince didn’t matter—whoever bought it first could resell it later at an even more outrageous price. They could eat it themselves, but by hawking it to the people outside the market, they could make even more profit.

By that point, we could charge whatever we damn well want! the vendors thought.

The stage was set. All Suho had to do was sit back and watch as they screamed and competed with each other, pushing the prices higher and higher.

So they thought anyone who didn’t know the prices was easy prey, he mused.

He had known exactly what the merchants were thinking from the start. The night before, he had questioned the captain of the guard, now his shadow soldier, and learned everything about the city he could. Thanks to that, he had entered the market fully aware of the usual prices.

Who’s easy prey now?

But even if he hadn’t known the prices, it wouldn’t have mattered.

Because I can set them myself.

A slow, wicked grin spread across Suho’s face.

The saying was true—birds of a feather flocked together. At some point, Suho’s smile had begun to look a lot like Beru’s. Perhaps this had been the case for a long time, as the shadow ant had practically raised him.

“Young Monarch, the plan is a massive success! We’ve already sold half,” Beru whispered demonically beside him.

Suho’s smirk grew even wider. “What do you mean, ‘already?’ You mean we’ve only sold half.”

The massive amount of bread had finally caused the bidding war to slow down. With so many merchants in one place, the prices were naturally settling into a reasonable range.

But Suho had planned for this too. He had set aside the largest and most delicious items for this very moment.

“From this point on, all prices begin at 1,000 coins,” he declared.

The villains reacted in various ways. Those who had already bought bread sighed in relief, while those who had held back, watching warily to save money, froze in horror.

“Th-this isn’t fair!”

“That’s right! You’re taking things too far!”

“A thousand coins for a piece of bread?”

Those who hadn’t managed to buy anything yet protested loudly, mana bubbling instinctively in their fists.

Still, they didn’t dare attack. It was against market regulations to use force here.

While it was a different story outside the market, inside, the rules of the coalition were absolute. If someone broke a rule, nothing would stop the strongest among them from killing everyone else and hoarding all the goods. If that happened, the city itself would eventually collapse. Even the last man left standing would be unable to survive alone in the apocalypse. That was why the Free Market Coalition existed in the first place.

“Ugh! Damn brat! Where did you even learn to scam people like this?”

“You dare toy with food?”

Despite the protests, Suho simply shrugged, unconcerned. “If you don’t want to buy, then don’t. Nobody is forcing you.”

His tone was polite, but only barely, which made things even worse.

He wasn’t done, however. He seemed determined to press his advantage to the fullest and abandoned all sense of courtesy.

He glanced at the two men who had been the loudest in their complaints and reconsidered his stance. “Hmm. You two have changed my mind. All prices now start at 1,100 coins.”

The villains stared, stunned.

“Actually, no. Since there are two of you, it’ll be 1,200 coins instead.”

This isn’t fair!

It’s pure extortion...

The men shook with fury, but there was nothing to be done. Suho wasn’t forcing them to buy. They could walk away if they wanted.

They gritted their teeth, forced to suppress the mana that threatened to burst forth.

The other bidders turned their murderous gazes on the two who had complained. Under the sheer weight of the death glares, the men immediately shrank away, disappearing into the crowd.

They would have to lie low for a while. After all, while violence was illegal inside the market—but outside, nothing was stopping anyone.

W-we’ll see about this!

No matter how much money you make here, once we get outside...

The entire market gritted their teeth at Suho’s tyranny. Still, there was nothing to be done, and the auction resumed.

“Twelve hundred coins!”

“Thirteen hundred!”

The prices soared to insane levels, but nobody cared. Outside the market, they could sell anything they bought for even more.

Suddenly, a sharp metallic sound rang in the air.

Shing!

The noisy market fell silent.

Suho was puzzled by the sudden change.

What was that...?

Everyone in the now quiet market turned their eyes in the same direction.

Beru narrowed his eyes. “Kiek?”

A girl stood at the market entrance. She looked to be in her late teens, likely not yet out of high school. A massive scythe rested casually on her shoulder. It seemed the sound they had heard was its blade scraping against the ground.

“It’s Haseul the Harvester!”

“What is that crazy b*tch doing here?”

Instantly, the market’s atmosphere turned to ice. The faces of the people who had been brimming with enthusiasm just a moment ago were now filled with fear.

Suho, on the other hand, had a glint in his eye.

Haseul the Harvester.

According to Yeongjoon, she was one of the main people to watch.

“We call those who professionally harvest Álfheimr’s fruits ‘harvesters.’ And the most famous among them is...”

He had mentioned a girl named Haseul.

Her infamy ran so deep that even Suho, who had only just arrived in the city, had heard of her. Naturally, everyone in this place knew her name. More than a few villains had lost their heads to her huge scythe after trying to get overly friendly, drawn to her young age and beauty. Since every person in this city was a villain, there was no point in trying to tally how many she had killed.

Her cruelty aside, Suho could see right away how she had managed to distinguish herself among the harvesters.

She’s S-rank.

He recognized her level right away. Now it made perfect sense why her mere presence had thrown the market into such tense silence.

Haseul seemed used to it. She strode forward at a steady, unhurried pace, and the villains scrambled out of her way without a word.

Finally, she stopped directly in front of Suho. Their eyes met.

Sirka, standing beside Suho, muttered sharply in the elven language that only he could understand.

“Is she an executor, by any chance?” she asked.

An S-rank was more than qualified to be one. No one knew who the executors were, but that meant that they could be anybody and mingle with the populace without anyone knowing.

“That one,” Haseul said to Suho.

“Huh?”

He turned around. She was pointing at something.

“The strawberry cake. How much?” she asked.

Suho took a moment to stare at her. It was impossible to say for sure if she was an executor, but it was clear she wasn’t a girl of many words.

In the dead air of the market, Haseul quietly pointed to the strawberry cream cake that was on display, the scythe that had taken many a villain’s life resting on her shoulder. What stood out the most was her expression—or rather, her complete lack of one. Even as she stared at the cake, her gaze remained eerily blank like an emotionless doll’s.

Suho studied her closely, then after some thought, made a decision.

“Hey, you. That’s right. You’re the one who took this tone with me first,” he said, speaking brusquely.

He’s... insane!

Whispers erupted all around at “Beru’s” shocking behavior.

He must be completely out of his mind!

Does he have no fear?

He might be new, but does he have zero survival instincts?

Can’t he see how tense we all are? That should have told him something!

You can’t speak to Haseul like that!

Not even the infamous Haseul would harm someone inside the market, but the newcomer might eventually encounter her outside of it.

Harvesters were known for their incredible speed. It was impossible to climb Álfheimr, dodge the attacks of the spirits, and harvest the tree’s fruits without being inhumanly fast. If he ever met her outside the city, he would likely have a hard time running away.

This clueless rookie, however, simply grinned. He spoke again, his voice confident.

“If you want to buy the cake, you’ll have to bid for it like everyone else.”

“And if I don’t want to bid?”

“Then you can barter.”

For the first time, a slight crease formed between Haseul’s brows. Suho felt a small wave of pride at the achievement.

Meanwhile, the rest of the market had whiplash from this absurd conversation, their expressions changing every second.

Wait, what? Bartering was an option?

He just made that rule up, didn’t he?

Asshole.

But in the end, this was a free market. The seller was allowed to do what he wanted, and he could put things on auction or barter if he pleased. His wares—baked goods—were so terribly rare that it destroyed the usual logic of the market, but nothing that he was doing right now was against the rules.

Haseul knew this too. She glanced at the cake again, then looked Suho straight in the eye.

“What do you want?” she asked.

“Álfheimr’s fruit.”

Another shocked murmur passed through the crowd. At this point, they had lost track of how many times they had been surprised today.

Bread was rare, true, but it was unthinkable to trade it for the fruit of Álfheimr. This madman was trying to scam Haseul the Harvester. He was clearly unhinged.

“One fruit for one cake,” Suho said. “Oh, and the cakes with strawberries on top are special. Those are worth two fruits.”

The onlookers decided he must have as many lives as a cat—either that or he was somehow capable of resurrection.