NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 79: Auction
I’ve completed my mission at the Item Box, and the profit from the Red Gate has finally been deposited. So, there’s no need to delay any further.
Let’s cut straight to the chase.
I’m out shopping today.
‘Still looks incredibly clean.’
The Hunter Market, which I haven’t been to in a while, hasn’t changed much from before.
A newly constructed building spread out horizontally. Awakened people coming and going. And the traces of magic felt everywhere.
For an Alien Magic Scholar, there’s no more fascinating place than this.
‘Hmm.’
But I didn’t even glance at the stands at the entrance and headed straight to the second floor.
This time, I already decided what to buy.
‘I need a magic tool to resist Kang Chang-ho.’
I currently have about 54 million won in my bank account.
Of course, this includes the amount I earned from the external appraisal work at the Magic Tower. Even considering that, isn’t it an impressive amount?
In just 5 days, and even after deducting Ahn Yoon-seung’s share, I still have this much money left!
‘Thanks, guys!’
At this moment, the main characters in my hunting stories flash back in my mind.
The results of the Red Gate operation over the past five days were thanks to the collaboration between Ahn Yoon-seung and some S-Class.
‘To be honest, Kang Chang-ho’s help was quite significant too.’
The last S-Class Hunter in Korea.
Thanks to him providing a safety net, I was able to challenge the B-Class Gate solo.
Well, that’s that.
‘Murder threats are a different matter.’
Kang Chang-ho was a potential danger who would snap my neck at the slightest misstep.
To avoid the worst-case scenario, I needed to prepare to some extent.
‘Oh.’
After browsing several shops, I finally found a tool that met my criteria.
[Pyromancer Necklace]
[Grade: Rare]
[Effect: A necklace that allows you to freely create flames. Can perform attacks up to C-Class level.]
The embedded magic is decent.
The price is good too.
Perfect. A necklace wouldn’t look too weird to carry around.
‘If I tuck it under my shirt, can I hide it somehow?’
I happily called over the staff of the shop.
“Excuse me. I’d like to buy one Pyromancer Necklace.”
But apparently, I mistook the price on the display.
“Ah~ Hunter-nim, that 4.5 million won is for the ring next to it. The price for the necklace is on the card below.”
The staff gently pointed to a spot.
[59,800,000]
One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand…
What the hell.
“Are you serious? 60 million won for imitating a mere C-Class flame skill?”
I couldn’t help but blurt out in disbelief.
But the staff’s reaction was something else.
“Oh my, Hunter-nim, that price is actually a fantastic deal. Among similar items, it’s a real value for money!”
“Really?”
“If you have one of these, think of how easy it would be in a Gate. Plus, unlike water attributes, it can light up the way!”
This lousy thing, with a capacity as small as a mouse, requires a full 24-hour recharge after summoning a C-Class flame, and it costs 60 million won.
A headache was creeping in.
Ah, I prepared myself, but I didn’t think it would actually exceed my budget.
‘I can’t even buy it with all my assets…’
Feeling desperate, I scoured the other stores but couldn’t find anything more suitable than that necklace.
“Dammit! It’s a urgent situation, it’s not just a few bucks that I’m short on!”
I left the shop without strength.
But what’s this?
Just a while ago, it wasn’t this chaotic. Suddenly, the shopping mall lobby was buzzing.
“Huh?”
Finding the source of the commotion wasn’t hard.
The person at the center of the incident had a distinctly eye-catching appearance even from a distance.
“Ahh~ It’s Esther!”
“Do you think she’ll sign if I ask?”
“Hey, hey, asking for signatures between Hunters is a bit much!”
Wine-colored hair and a glamorous-patterned dress that highlighted her silhouette body.
But above all, a definite proof of her identity was that immense magical power!
‘Ah, so that’s why everyone’s in a frenzy!’
I spotted the Guild Master of the Korean Magic Tower.
She was waving to nearby Hunters as she descended the moving walk.
‘Should I greet her?’
For some reason, Esther had been reaching out to me with frequent messages since the last external appraisal, so I decided to respond to her kind interest with a greeting.
Thanks to the pressure of being an S-Class, not many Hunters approached closely, so I quickly closed the distance.
“Hello, Esther.”
Before long, we faced each other directly.
“It’s nice to see you here. Did you come to find some items?”
But…
For some reason, Esther’s reaction was different from what I imagined.
Whoosh.
As soon as she heard my greeting, she stopped smiling and turned her head away.
‘Huh?’
Then Esther pouted her lips and showed a clearly displeased expression.
I gulped down hard at the sight.
‘D-did I make some mistake? But I’ve been responding to her texts diligently!’
It was quite baffling since I thought we maintained a good relationship until now.
*
‘Hmph!’
Esther sulked for a while.
And the reason for this situation was undoubtedly because of some Alien.
[Message Records]
[Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter-nim! What are you doing today~~? You’re not telling me you’ve already had dinner at this hour, right? Haha!]
[Yes, I’m currently eating pork ribs with a friend.]
Right. Gi-ryeo has rejected the S-Class’s dining invitation a total of three times…!
Of course, he didn’t intend to refuse, it just so happened that the timings never aligned.
‘Eating dinner at 4 PM?’
Unaware of this, Esther simply felt that he was drawing a line.
‘Hmph!’
However, in truth, she had no complaints about such treatment.
That Awakened person had been cold for a long time. What could she gain from sulking over trivial matters like this?
‘A Hunter as capable and attractive as me asks to have a meal, and he completely ignores it!’
Seo Esther bit her lip and thought.
‘He seems to prefer the non-intrusive type!’
That’s right.
This was the real reason she had stiffened her expression.
Despite making efforts to establish a connection first, Kim Gi-ryeo didn’t seem too keen on it.
Esther decided to change her approach.
She deliberately distanced herself from that F-Class to pique his interest.
“Hello, Esther. It’s nice to see you here. Did you come for some items?”
But when it came to face him, her actions didn’t match her plans.
‘Huh? T-this guy greeted me first?’
It was strangely nice that someone who usually found it hard to say a word to her took the initiative to greet.
She thought if she ignored it, she might miss out on a precious opportunity for conversation.
“W-well, I just stopped by for a moment, but I’m actually here to check out the auction.”
Finally, Esther blurted out a response that was no different from usual.
“The ‘Hayangsae’ is finally up for auction!”
“Hayangsae?”
“An S-Class should have at least one movement item! So today, I’m going to participate in the auction.”
What advantage does the Hunter ranking bring?
Despite her appearance, Esther stood as the second-highest ranked Hunter in Korea.
Thus, she received various benefits from the association.
“In this country, I’m the second-in-command, so I’m entitled to preferential treatment in bids.”
One of those benefits was various privileges for participating in auctions.
Such as being able to participate in desired auctions, and being exempt from commission fees.
“Ah.”
Gi-ryeo showed significant interest in this story. After all, it was a system he had never heard of.
“So, that auction is the building across the street, right?”
Esther nodded.
“Oh, come to think of it, you’re F-Class, so your rank is low, and you probably haven’t been to an auction.”
It seems that the Hunter ranking strongly incorporates a grading adjustment.
“Gi-ryeo, why don’t you join me and check out the auction?”
Esther casually suggested, without much expectation, so she didn’t expect such a reaction.
“Sure.”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you for offering.”
He accepted so readily!
This was an opportunity. When would a Hunter like Kim Gi-ryeo have free time again?
“Oh my, really?”
Esther’s face lit up with an undoubted smile as she led the way.
-♪~ ♬♩~
“Ah, just a moment, I need to take a call.”
“Go ahead!”
And the good news didn’t stop there.
Even right after that call, some delightful news emerged that made her smile widen significantly.
‘No way, the Neo Sisters Guild left Kim Gi-ryeo hanging in the lobby for six hours? What a crazy move!’
Hahaha!
She was able to participate in the auction in great spirits.
*
“180 million, got it. Any more bidders?”
“195 million, 200 million, 205 million. From now on, bids increase by thousands.”
“280 million. Sold.”
Before long, we arrived at the auction house.
The solemn atmosphere was punctuated by the voice of the professional auctioneer.
‘Oh ho……’
Seated, Kim Gi-ryeo thought this place oddly resembled a cinema.
The large screen in front, the dim lighting. If only the chairs weren’t so stiff, they would feel identical.
‘The screen displays the current bid and simple information about the item, right?’
Gi-ryeo crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.
At this moment, the auctioneer was proceeding with new items for bid, but frankly, he wasn’t too interested.
He had just come from a significantly different auction.
“Hey, Esther Hunter, but where do we exchange the items that are won?”
“After the auction ends, there will be a separate announcement.”
Gi-ryeo briefly recalled the auction for the Hayangsae item he had just witnessed.
-Urgh! 5.1 billion!
-6 billion.
-66, 6.6 billion!
-7 billion.
-Ahhh!
-Ugh……
Last auction had been a total annihilation.
Esther snatched up the item with ridicule as the new bidders raised the price in units of several billion.
‘Those guild masters must be loaded.’
The outlook for an F-Class Hunter appeared cold-blooded, but if you opened his head, he would often have irrational thoughts.
‘So jealous.’
As Gi-ryeo started to envy Esther’s wealth, the next item was announced.
“I’ll now introduce the next item.”
Before long, a beautifully bound book with golden edges appeared on the front stage.
As soon as that book was unveiled, the ambiance in the venue erupted.
“What the heck—it’s the ‘Sealed Magic Book’!”
“No one mentioned it would be up for auction!”
“Ugh, if I had known, I wouldn’t have bid on that earlier…!”
Moreover, it wasn’t just the Hunters getting excited.
“What do you think of that item?”
Esther immediately sought advice from her staff as the last auction item was revealed.
She always brought along the guild’s appraiser when participating in auctions.
“It’s a jackpot! A rare [Sealed Magic Book]! There are no other major players today, so you could easily acquire it!”
At her appraiser’s words, Esther flashed a satisfied smile.
And mere seconds later, the auction for the last item commenced.
“The auction starts at 2.3 billion, with minimum increments of 1 million won.”
Upon that statement from the auctioneer, many hands shot up.
The bidding price soared rapidly.
However, Esther thought that no matter how high the ants raised the price, it wouldn’t be a problem at all.
After all, no one could outmatch the financial might of the Korean Magic Tower guild in this arena.
‘Instead of raising the price right from the start, let the heat die down a bit, and then I’ll jump in.’
Esther casually kicked her feet and enjoyed her leeway, then raised her hand with a beat of delay.
But just at that moment, an individual stood up to block the bid.
“Excuse me.”
Kim Gi-ryeo spoke softly as he noticed her hand rising.
“Don’t bid.”