The Trap in the Alley

There was something deeply wrong about setting up a magical booby trap behind a fried chicken shop at two in the morning. But Min Jae had passed the point of "normal" about twelve disasters ago.

He stood at the back door, hoodie up, gloves on, and a grim expression that screamed "Sleep-deprived magical entrepreneur."

Goji was behind him, chewing on a cucumber like it held secrets.

"Okay," Min Jae whispered. "Tripwire's set. Tracking spell's layered. Bait's in position."

He tapped a glowing rune on the wrapped black box—the same kind the Third Market had left the night before. Except this one? It was empty, rigged with detection glyphs, and contained a magical stink bomb that would activate the second someone touched it.

"Now," he muttered, "we wait."

---

The Waiting Game

It took three hours.

Min Jae passed the time by pacing, eating three bags of shrimp chips, and watching Goji build a nest out of shredded packaging foam.

He was about to give up when the tripwire rune pulsed blue.

"Someone's here," he hissed, diving behind a pile of old delivery crates.

The alley went quiet.

The faint rustle of silk.

A cloaked figure crouched by the box. Thin, hooded, fast hands.

They reached.

The moment their fingers brushed the ribbon, the trap went off.

A BLAST of bright blue smoke exploded upward, leaving behind a smell somewhere between fermented squid and rotting roses.

Min Jae lunged. "Got you—!"

But the figure was fast.

They flipped backward, dodged the net spell Minji had lent him, and bolted for the corner.

"Oh no, you don't—!"

Min Jae chased after them, sprinting down the alley.

---

A Shocking Reveal

The figure jumped a fence like it was made of air.

Min Jae vaulted it after them and shouted, "Portal track! Activate trace rune!"

A blue line appeared in the air, leading him like a trail of breadcrumbs.

He turned a corner and—BAM—ran into a pile of stacked crates.

By the time he scrambled up, the figure had slipped into the shadows.

Only one thing remained on the ground:

A small, round token made of bone. On one side, the same serpent symbol. On the other? A message etched in glowing ink.

> You're fun. We'll be in touch again soon.

---

Back at HQ

"You chased them?" Seojin asked, horrified.

"In the dark?" Minji added, impressed.

Sunwoo looked up from his ramen. "Did you get stabbed?"

"No," Min Jae muttered, throwing the token onto the table. "But they were watching. And they're fast. I've seen trained runners in Rivertown. This was different. Smoother. Like... teleport-lite."

Seojin picked up the token with tongs. "That's bone from a sky wyrm. Illegal. Also expensive."

"So they're rich and smug?" Minji said. "Perfect."

Sunwoo whistled. "They want something. And they're testing you."

Min Jae leaned against the wall. "Then maybe it's time I tested them."

---

The Bait Plan

They planned through the night.

"We fake a deal," Min Jae said. "We prepare a crate—real goods, minor enchantments, nothing dangerous—and we let them intercept it."

"They'll think you're playing along," Seojin nodded. "And they'll reveal more of their hand."

"I'll mark every item," Minji added. "Tiny trace runes. Hidden. One per object."

Sunwoo grinned. "And Goji can act like he's part of it. You know he loves espionage."

Goji immediately knocked over a potted plant in response.

"Perfect," Min Jae muttered. "That's the attitude."

---

Packaging the Lie

The crate was prepped within hours.

Inside:

A set of enchanted salt spoons (minor truth-detection).

Three bags of glow-crisps (mostly harmless, mildly addictive).

A fake keystone wrapped in illusion foil.

A handwritten scroll that read: "To our friends. More to come."

Min Jae hesitated before sealing the box.

"If this backfires…"

Seojin handed him a tracking tablet.

"Then we track it. And if it doesn't?"

Minji finished, "We learn who's playing games with you."

Goji climbed on top of the crate and struck a majestic pose.

---

Delivery Day

Min Jae opened the portal.

It flickered to life with a faint hum of ozone and mountain wind.

He pushed the crate through.

Then closed the portal.

"Now we wait," he whispered.

They didn't have to wait long.

—

Four hours later, the tracker pinged. The crate had landed near the outskirts of Rivertown—just north of a cursed orchard and dangerously close to the ruins of a burned-down merchant guild hall.

"Third Market territory," Seojin confirmed.

Min Jae rubbed his temples. "Why does everything always involve haunted places and illegal markets?"

"Because your goat's cursed," Sunwoo said, cheerfully.

Goji bleated and knocked over someone's coffee.

---

Secret Message #2

The next morning, another black-wrapped envelope arrived—this time slipped directly under their portal room door, bypassing every alarm.

Min Jae unwrapped it.

> You've shown initiative. A rare trait.

Come alone. Bring no guards. Ask the one-eyed baker in Rivertown where the moon traders sleep. You have until the next crimson dusk.\n>

—The Third Market

Min Jae sat back, holding the letter in one hand, the tracking map in the other.

Seojin looked at him. "You're not seriously thinking about going... are you?"

Min Jae didn't answer.

Not yet.

But his silence said enough.