For a crafting hunter, the process of making money should have been simple. The problem wasn't making the items—that was easy for Cheon Sol. It was selling them. The official Heonteo Market, the primary trading hub for all hunters, was off-limits to anyone without a valid license. [Only hunters with a valid license can trade here.] Cheon Sol’s lower lip jutted out in a pout as he read the definitive answer on KnowledgeIn. Just as his options seemed to have run dry, fate intervened. A series of headlines on a major news portal caught his eye. ["The Hotbed of Illegal Trade—Garlic Market. Can This Be Ignored?"] ["To Shut Down Garlic Market, the Anonymous Store Law Needs Reform…"] ["Garlic Market: The Tax Evasion Loophole for Hunters. Can Stores Avoid Responsibility?"] The articles didn't just condemn Garlic Market as a completely anonymous marketplace; they helpfully detailed exactly how to use it. The comment section was a storm of outrage, accusing the journalists of promoting illegal activity. To Cheon Sol, however, it was a godsend. He immediately downloaded the Garlic Market app onto his kindergarten-issued phone and meticulously studied its functions. Most transactions on the platform, he learned, were conducted in person. "But Cheon Sol can't go himself!" The idea of meeting hulking, intimidating hunters to broker a deal was far too dangerous for a small child. "I have to hide who I am." That part, at least, was simple. He had a skill perfectly suited for it. The real challenge was deciding on a disguise. Cheon Sol wanted a persona that would seem powerful and terrifying to other hunters. "Scary. Something that makes them shiver." He squeezed his eyes shut, picturing a simple diagram in his little mind. What was the scariest, most powerful thing he could imagine? The answer came instantly: Marionette. The older kids at the orphanage sometimes secretly watched horror movies late at night. One evening, Cheon Sol had stumbled upon them watching Marionette on his way to the bathroom. The images had seared themselves into his memory, leaving him trembling in his bed for two straight nights, unable to sleep. Shivering at the mere recollection, Cheon Sol solidified his new identity. To bring his vision to life, he spent the last of his savings. [You have acquired "Remote Control for Inanimate Objects (D)".] [You have acquired "Real-Time Recording (E)".] With his "Extract-Extract" skill, Cheon Sol pulled the function from each item and carefully fused them into his trusty teddy bear. [Item Created: Scrappy Auto Teddy Bear (D)] Only one step remained—the most terrifying and difficult extraction he had ever attempted. For one full week, Cheon Sol forced himself to watch Marionette every single night. [Skill "Extract-Extract" has failed.] [Skill "Extract-Extract" has failed.] He shuddered through each viewing, failing again and again, the gruesome scenes fueling his sleepless nights. Then, finally— [Skill "Extract-Extract" activated.] [You have acquired "Gaksi Mask’s Altered Voice (C)".] He had done it. He’d successfully extracted the distorted voice from the movie. "A C-rank skill!" All that was left was to merge it with his creation. [Scrappy Auto Teddy Bear with Altered Voice (C)] (Automatically converts speech into a distorted, robotic voice.) Cheon Sol picked up the remote and tested the bear. It lurched forward with an awkward, jerky gait, but it could walk. The small camera hidden in its eye broadcast a live feed to a nearby old TV. Satisfied, Cheon Sol cleared his throat for the final test. "Ahem. Cheon Sol is going to make money now." The teddy bear’s speaker crackled to life, his childish words instantly twisted and digitized into the chilling tone of Gaksi Mask. To Cheon Sol, it was the perfect sound for a powerful hunter. With his preparations complete, Cheon Sol researched the most in-demand items on the market and posted his first listing on Garlic Market. After a few successful sales, he even perfected his payment system: he would only accept Garlic Pay. It was far safer than handling cash. For a time, Cheon Sol thought his success was unshakable. His persona, ‘Doll Marionette,’ quickly gained notoriety, and his inbox was flooded with hunters begging to buy his items. "There are too many messages…" His level was still low. He couldn't possibly produce items in bulk or satisfy every custom order. He needed a new business model. After some trial and error, he landed on the perfect solution. A few months later, he had evolved from a simple online seller into a true merchant, personally visiting dungeons to provide hunters with essential supplies. Logging into Garlic Market, Cheon Sol checked his balance. My Garlic Pay Balance: 19,100,000 OP He stared at the long line of zeros, and a happy little tune escaped his lips. "This should be enough to find Mom and Dad, right?" And then, a sobering truth surfaced, a quiet premonition. The world wasn't as easy as he had thought. [Garlic Market Customer Support Inquiry] Q: Hello. My Garlic Market ID is KingWangJjang123, and I have a question. Recently, I tried to buy an Jigu Jelly at a supermarket using Garlic Pay, but the store owner said I couldn't use it. I tried at other stores too, and they all said the same thing. But the website says Garlic Pay can be used just like cash. So why can’t I use it? A: Hello, KingWangJjang123. Thank you for your inquiry regarding Garlic Pay. Garlic Pay can be used within Garlic Market, on crypto exchanges, and on similar platforms as a direct cash equivalent. However, it cannot be used in general retail stores. To use Garlic Pay at regular stores, you must first exchange it for cash. We offer a cash-out service through registered bank accounts, where your Garlic Pay balance (minus a processing fee) will be transferred to your account. To proceed, please register your bank account under [My Account (Link)], and we will process your withdrawal accordingly. Cheon Sol read the reply once, then twice, his eyes darting back and forth across the screen. "General retail stores? Exchange? Bank account?" The words swam before his eyes. It was a foreign language, a secret code he couldn't begin to understand. Utterly lost, Cheon Sol took the message to the one person he could trust: his kindergarten teacher. After her patient explanation, he wished he had never asked. "Hmm... Cheon Sol, a bank account is like an online wallet for real money. But you're still too young to open one." A thunderstorm crashed inside his head. Oblivious to his silent despair, his teacher smiled and handed him a colorful, play-money wallet from their classroom banking game, as if that would solve anything. Even after spending hours trying to study finance on his phone, Cheon Sol only learned one thing. His teacher was right. His Garlic Pay was nothing more than a string of useless numbers on a screen unless he exchanged it for cash. To do that, he needed a bank account. And to open a bank account… Unless he wanted to cling to his teacher’s leg and beg, or do the same with the orphanage director, there was no legal way for a kindergartener to get one. He was just a kid. A four-year-old with nearly twenty million won trapped in a digital marketplace, completely out of his reach. “I… I’m a failure…” Curled into a miserable ball, Cheon Sol glanced at the television. For a kindergartener with nowhere else to turn, the TV was his greatest source of knowledge about the real world. Right now, it was showing an interview with Heonteo On Joomin. The orphanage caretakers immediately stopped what they were doing, their attention glued to the screen. "Wow, is On Joomin actually doing an interview?" "It's so rare to see him on TV." "He's still ranked #1, isn't he?" "Of course. Some people are just born with everything—the looks and the power." "Seriously, that face is just perfect." "No kidding. The man is stupidly handsome." And he was. On Joomin was ridiculously good-looking, with a single, distinct beauty mark under his left eye. If not for the "Heonteo Special" caption at the bottom of the screen, anyone would have mistaken him for a model or an actor as he lounged in a plush chair, his long legs crossed with effortless grace.

Chapter 3: Prodigy of the Underworld