Chapter 38: The Auction (1)

A soft spotlight clicked on, and a middle-aged man got onto the stage. The emcee of the global auction was the famous Donny Lochifield. He was famous for being a pleasant, cheerful host, but today his face looked serious.

“Even a person as famous as him is nervous.”

“Well, think about where he is.”

Today’s auction wasn’t some talk show. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say all the most powerful people in the world were gathered here. People on the internet were even jokingly calling it a ‘global summit.’

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am your host for tonight, Donny Lochifield.” He looked a bit nervous, but he was professional. “First, I’ll explain how the auction will work. If you look at your seats, there will be a small remote.”

“It must be this.” Gong Ju-Ha picked up a remote from her large, comfortable seat.

.

“Bidding is simple. Simply press the green button and enter your desired bid.” It was an easy system even for those who’d never been to an auction since they didn’t need to know any of the unique gestures for an auction. “I’m sure you’re all excited, so I won’t keep you waiting. We will now begin the auction. The first item is the sword of the Lion King Richard.”

As the item was brought onto the stage, it was projected onto a large hologram screen.

“Mr. Snake Head, is there anything you want to get today?”

“Not really. How about you?”

“Well, me too…As you know, I’m not here as a bidder.” Gong Ju-Ha looked down at her security armband. She sat up straighter. “I’m a professional, so I have to do my job properly.”

‘I don’t think you can say that when you were gambling during working hours…’

Seo Jun-Ho replied half-heartedly as he got lost in his thoughts. When he read the memories of the Watchdog in a dark alley last night, he realized something.

‘I can’t defeat Arma alone.’

He was impossibly powerful. Seo Jun-Ho originally thought that he would be able to handle Arma alone, but that was a big miscalculation.

Arma was the third disciple of the King of Corpses Nazad Hallow of the Nine Heavens.

‘He wouldn’t have any problems if he went to the 2nd floor right now. That’s how strong he is.’

It was because he was a summoner. Summoners’ own levels didn’t matter as much as those of what they summoned.

‘Thankfully, I know what he summons because I saw the memories last night…’

But unfortunately, he didn’t have the confidence to deal with them alone and realized that he needed backup.

‘In Las Vegas where I have no connections, the only one who can help me…’

Seo Jun-Ho turned his head slightly to look at Gong Ju-Ha, who was sipping on her iced tea and watching the auction.

‘…Is Gong Juha.’

She was strong enough to defeat Arma. On top of that, she was the official security team leader of the auction, so she should be able to understand his concerns. Seo Jun-Ho looked down at the catalog he was holding.

‘Five hours until Heaven’s Breath comes onto the stage.’

The Watchdogs’ operation would begin then.

***

The auction proceeded for five hours without any problems. Seo Jun-Ho was starting to get nervous.

“Number 203, congratulations. You have won the Ice Crown.”

“Who the hell is number 203?”

“They keep sweeping away all the cold-attribute items.” As the other bidders complained, Seo Jun-Ho’s face was stoic. Obviously, he wasn’t number 203. He didn't have any reason to spend tens of millions of won to buy ice-affiliated artifacts.

“Wow, this is fun, this is fun~” Number 203 was the naive lady sitting next to him. She smiled brightly as she pressed on her remote. Including the item she had just won, she had successfully won over seven artifacts. They were all items that helped with fighting the heat.

“...Didn’t you say that you were a professional?” Seo Jun-Ho struck at a sore spot.

“W-well, a real professional...yeah! A real professional has to know how to multitask.”

It seemed that the requirements for being a professional kept increasing. Gong Ju-Ha cleared her throat as if embarrassed and turned to look at Seo Jun-Ho.

“Aren’t you going to buy anything?”

“If there’s something I like, then sure.” Seo Jun-ho responded.

“You don’t care much about gear?”

“...I do.” He cared a lot, but he also had unreasonably high standards.

‘There’s nothing that I like here’

He once used the best equipment in the past, so most artifacts wouldn’t catch his eye. The only thing he’d obtained so far was a necklace that prevented one from getting sick frequently. When he won it, Gong Ju-Ha had gotten curious.

“What’s that? Is it for your girlfriend?”

“Shouldn’t you ask if I have a girlfriend first?”

“Oh, sorry….then for your mother?”

“I don’t have a mother either.”

“...I’m sorry. I’ll shut up.” Gong Ju-Ha’s face went white as she turned away.

“This next item has a long story attached to it. Number 84 on the catalog, the Unknown Ball.”

“Unknown Ball…?” Seo Jun-Ho’s attention turned back to the auction. It was a small ball the size of two fists that occasionally emanated light.

Donny continued his story. ?“Twenty years ago, this ball was given as a reward for clearing the 2nd floor. But to this day, no one has figured out what it is. No item window pops up with it either. Thinking that it has some incredible hidden power, many people have bought it, but no one has ever been able to figure it out. Its current owner is Count Charlie of England, who intends to sell it. Bidding will start at 50,000 dollars.”

“It’s that ball again.”

“The auction has been here for 20 years, but no item comes in as frequently as the ball.”

“That’s because it’s resold so often.”

“Will someone even buy it? People who know about it wouldn’t.”

Seo Jun-Ho listened to the murmurs of the audience with one ear, but his eyes were concentrated on the ball.

‘…I have to buy it.’

He didn’t have a solid basis. It wasn’t rare for him to get this feeling. But whenever he felt a hunch like this, he left his decisions to his intuition because it was always right.

‘It’s probably because of one of my skills, Keen Intuition(B).’

As Seo Jun-Ho raised his remote, Gong Ju-Ha blinked. “Are you...planning to buy the ball?”

“Yes. I felt a pull.” He ignored the confusion on Gong Ju-Ha’s face and pressed the button on his remote.

“Number 173, going for 52,000 dollars.”

“Number 89, going for 55,000 dollars.”

“Number 114, going for 57,000…”

There were inevitably a few people that were curious among the hundreds of participants. As the race ended, Seo Jun-Ho won the mysterious ball for 150,000 dollars.

‘I’m excited.’

Just what about the ball set off the hunch?

The next item was brought onto the stage.

“...A lot of you came to Las Vegas to see this very item.” Donny gave a knowing smile, and the audience sat up straighter.

“It’s finally coming out.”

“Number 85. I’m sure of it.”

“I couldn’t even sleep because I wanted to see it.” All around the auction hall, people were swallowing in anticipation. Donny gave an elegant wave of his hand and introduced the item.

“Discovered in an ancient dungeon on the 2nd floor, this is the top-grade magic core, Heaven’s Breath.”

Pah!

Dozens of spotlights turned on, shining down on the gem. The audience erupted.

“Ohh, that...”

“Heaven’s Breath!”

“They say it’s as beautiful as if it was crafted by God himself.”

Most magic cores were spherical gems. Even the Frost Queen’s core looked like a round sapphire. Heaven’s Breath was in the same shape, sparkling white and gold.

“Wow, it’s really pretty.” It was aesthetically pleasing, but it also reminded one of the sky. Sure, it was pretty, but there were other parts to admire.

‘...It has an overwhelming amount of magic.’

Seo Jun-Ho now understood why there were rumors that it could single-handedly power a city. Such a ridiculously huge amount of magic was packed into a small core.

“Team Leader Gong, who discovered the core?”

“One of the Big 6 Guilds, Labyrinth, got it from an ancient dungeon in the frontier called ‘Tomb of Mercy.’ They put their lives on the line to clear the dungeon...it was a big risk, big reward operation, but they succeeded. They said they’re selling the core to make up for the losses.”

“How much do you think it’ll go for?”

“Hm…well, that will depend on what’s called, but in my personal opinion…” Gong Ju-Ha looked around and leaned in close. “It’ll go up to the trillions. These days, people prefer to use magic instead of gas or electricity. The people in the VIP seats are probably bidding with their country’s budgets,” she whispered.

“...Jesus.” Seo Jun-Ho glanced around, noticing something that the world leaders didn’t. He quickly pulled himself together.

‘Heaven’s Breath has come out, so it’ll begin soon.’

The Watchdogs would begin moving.

“The magic core crafted by God! Bidding for Heaven’s Breath starts at 1 million dollars!”

Beep- Beep-

The hologram screen displayed the bids in real-time. Perhaps to shake off normal bidders, the bid quickly reached 50 million. The audience held their breath in anticipation of who would win.

“...?” Gong Ju-Ha sensed something and wrinkled her eyebrows as she looked up. Seo Jun-Ho noticed a beat later and stared up at the ceiling.

‘They’re here.’

Craaaash!

The ceiling broke in with a loud roar, but no one in the audience was harmed.

‘There’s a reason why he’s called the Guardian Knight.’

Ranker Ha In-Ho.

In an instant, he had created a magic shield that covered the entire audience.

“Who the hell…! Wait, what’s that?” Gong Ju-Ha stood up abruptly and squinted at the things on top of the shield. “Skeletons?” Dozens of skeletons had broken through the ceiling.

“Skeletons…Is it the Skeleton Mage from the massacre in Turkey?” Seo Jun-Ho muttered gravely.

“Skeleton Mage? That could be it!” Gong Ju-Ha’s eyes shone as she hissed and tapped on her Vita.

“Evacuating the VIPs and the audience is our top priority! Recover the auction items after that. I’m leaving the skeletons to In-Ho. Move!”

She really was a pro. In an instant, she turned into a charismatic commander on the battlefield. Immediately afterward, she turned to Seo Jun-Ho.

“Mr. Snake Head. If possible, can you lend us your…huh?” Gong Ju-Ha tilted her head.

Seo Jun-Ho, who had been sitting next to her up until a moment ago, had disappeared like a ghost.