CH.56 Return and Inspection (1)
Han Hyun-min had collapsed. Seeing him suddenly spend 7 billion won, far more than the competitive price he had been battling at 1 billion won increments, it was clear that he had used up all the support funds from his clan’s remaining subsidies.
It seemed much easier to deplete his fortune than I had anticipated, but that was possible because I understood his disposition so well.
‘Han Hyun-min belongs to the ‘Sunset’s Flower’. He was dealt with once in the original work.’
Han Hyun-min is a gambler. He approached auctions more calmly than anyone else, and even if he thought it was crucial, he wasn’t afraid to bid fearlessly. Furthermore, he never underestimated his competitors. He didn’t dismiss them just because he saw them for the first time; he would resort to any means necessary to win, regardless of who the opponent was. He truly was a master of auctions. He shone more brightly in the auction house than on the battlefield.
‘You built up well from the start’. I thought to myself, aiming to catch his attention.
From the beginning of the auction, I introduced a unique auction method. I handled the opening bid for every item in the auction and then abstained from participating further. Thanks to this, I brought five items without appraisals. It wasn’t a groundbreaking achievement, but it was definitely an unconventional winning method.
And this had left a special impression on Han Hyun-min. A rookie Holder like me, appearing experienced in auctions? That was the impression I aimed for. He probably had been watching my auctions for a long time and had anticipated the moment when I would join the price competition.
He must have been certain that I had some sort of rune or item that allowed me to appraise items in advance. ‘It’s not like I would be in this situation if I had something like that…’
In reality, I was just bluffing with nothing. Han Hyun-min had gotten too immersed in the auction, and as a result, he had missed out on many basics. Nevertheless, I was a rookie Holder, and my financial resources were limited. There was no rune or item that could enable me to appraise items remotely. He must have believed that there was such a thing.
Actually, it was just an empty show. He was so confident in his skills in auctions that he believed all his decisions were correct. He had fallen into a form of self-assuredness. Thanks to that, I was able to eliminate the biggest competitor in the Magic Stone auction.
Han Hyun-min had even participated in the hunt for the Swirl Leviathan, that persistent fellow. He was the type of guy who was willing to risk his life to obtain a special auction ticket and even participate in hunting disaster monsters.
“Jae-hyun.”
“Yeah?”
Amidst all this, Kim Chae-eun sitting beside me called me in a quiet voice.
“Why didn’t you bid more? You had more money.”
7 billion won. It was a staggering amount, but in fact, I could afford to spend that much money. Before participating in this auction, I had signed a contract to borrow about 4 billion won from Kim Chae-eun. Although she had said she could just give it to me if I wanted, I had still written up the contract because I thought even 4 billion might not be enough to buy what I wanted.
In any case, thanks to that, I had 8 billion won in my funds. Even after purchasing five items without appraisals, I still had money left over.
“It’s fine. I wasn’t planning to buy it anyway. I told you, I’m going to buy a Magic Stone.”
I said in a hushed voice, just in case anyone might overhear.
Either way, the likelihood of purchasing a Magic Stone increased due to our recent operation. The A-grade Holders who participated in the hunt were more interested in regular auctions’ items than monster parts. The B-grade Holders were hesitant to spend more than 8 billion won on a Magic Stone. As for the C-grade Holders, they were less likely to participate in the auction in the first place. Although S-grade Magic Stones were rare, they were valuable mainly to researchers or creators, not combat Holders like me.
-I will make the final bid three times. 5.7 billion, 5.7 billion, 5.7 billion… Congratulations. The thirty-fourth auction item has been sold for 5.7 billion won.
‘Yes! Success!’
The auction proceeded smoothly after that.
The S-grade Magic Stone of the Swirl Leviathan was mine for a whopping 5.7 billion won.
Additionally, various other items, such as the gills and leather of the Swirl Leviathan, were auctioned off. Jeong Seon-young managed to acquire the gills she had wanted. With the remaining money, I purchased one more auction item.
[Frosted Staff].
A rare-grade staff highly effective for ice-type magic users.
It was a gift for Kim Chae-eun, who had willingly lent me an enormous sum of money. She had said she would just give it to me if I wanted, but due to my stubbornness, I ended up borrowing from her. I wondered if I might be taken advantage of in the future.
“S-grade Magic Stone, Frosted Staff, and five types of unappraised items. The recipients have been confirmed.”
After the auction concluded, we went to the sixth floor’s collection desk to receive our auction items.
I took a brief moment to check whether the Magic Stone I had acquired was indeed the Forgotten Dragon’s Stone.
[The Magic Stone of the Forgotten Dragon is being filled. The stone is enveloped in an aura of strange power.]
‘All right!’
Similar to the incident with Grizzly Drake’s Magic Stone, an information window popped up, confirming that this Magic Stone was the correct answer. Although I was pleased with my accurate prediction, I also felt a sense of unease.
After nearly facing death and putting in so much effort, spending an enormous sum of 5.7 billion won to finally fill one of the Forgotten Dragon’s Stones… I wondered how I would fill the remaining three.
Moreover, unlike the Swirl Leviathan, there isn’t any special information about the remaining creatures. I don’t know their monster rankings or their runes and characteristics, so honestly, it’s a bit daunting. ‘Still, well, somehow I’ll manage.’ I didn’t think obtaining legendary runes would be that easy. Furthermore, even Ji Yoon-jae, who belongs to the <Villain>, succeeded. My situation was even better. There was no reason for me to fail.
“Are you heading home now?”
Returning to the desk area, Jeong Seon-young asked me.
As she had mentioned before, she only purchased and acquired the gills of the Swirl Leviathan. She was truly a Holder with little ambition beyond her research curiosity.
“Yes, probably. Where are you headed, Senior?”
“Well, I didn’t have any plans…”
Jeong Seon-young’s gaze shifted toward Kim Chae-eun. Kim Chae-eun met her gaze and gave a mischievous smile.
What’s this about? Is there something I’m missing?
“I think I’ll be gaining a cute disciple.”
“Huh? Chae-eun is going to become your exclusive disciple?”
I was surprised and asked back.
Honestly, I had anticipated this possibility before.
Anyway, Jeong Seon-young was an A-grade Holder with top-level skills in ice magic, and Kim Chae-eun was talented enough not to be overshadowed in terms of ability. Their synergy was overflowing and exceptionally good. However, Jeong Seon-young was an independent Holder who hadn’t even joined a clan. Her sense of freedom made it difficult to hold onto her.
‘It’s good to know.’
So, I was just trying to be satisfied with the connection I made.
However, it seems to have worked out surprisingly easily.
The fact that Kim Chae-eun became her disciple seems positive, despite not knowing the exact details.
Jeong Seon-young replied with a light smile.
“Even if it’s not an exclusive disciple, she’ll be with me during the vacation for now. I’m on a break at the moment since I’m not participating in disaster-level monster hunts, so I have a bit of free time.”
“Then is Chae-eun going to follow you, Senior?”
“Yeah! I already told Dad in advance.”
She’s already informed her father. Typical Kim Chae-eun, who charges forward fearlessly when she’s determined to do something.
“Anyway, it seems you’ll be the only one going through the warp gate to Seoul. We’ll be heading down to Busan for a short while.”
“That’s fine.”
After all, there’s a lot to do once I get back to Seoul. I needed to organize the items I obtained from this auction, and there were many preparations to be made for joining <Judgment of Fire>. Most importantly, ‘I needed to conduct an inspection’.
After the hunt for the Swirl Leviathan and the auction had ended, I felt the need to conduct a comprehensive inspection of Holder information. Starting from the ‘Goblin Lair’, up to the Swirl Leviathan hunt, I had gained many new runes and grown through my existing ones. Particularly, I needed to confirm how far the special effect of [Swirling Tidal Wave] extended.
“Well then, shall we say our goodbyes?”
“Yes. Thank you for the past two days, Senior.”
“You’re welcome. You worked hard, taking the lead with your shield.”
There were many things I was thankful for to Jeong Seon-young. She played a vital role in the Swirl Leviathan hunt and accompanied me to the auction in Daegu.
As a senior Holder, she was someone who could be a good influence on anyone. Especially her temporary act of taking Kim Chae-eun as a disciple. Due to the nature of the rare magic rune [Freezing], meeting a master like Jeong Seon-young was not an easy task. For talented individuals like Kim Chae-eun, this was a blessing.
‘But really, why did you agree to it?’
I had been thinking about it since earlier, but I couldn’t find an answer. Something seemed to have happened between them last night when they shared a room…
Perhaps Kim Chae-eun’s kind and gentle nature had touched Jeong Seon-young’s heart. Unlike her cold appearance, Kim Chae-eun had a lovable personality that endeared her to everyone.
‘I hope I didn’t forget anything?. I even handed over items to her.’
I had given Kim Chae-eun [Frosted Staff] in advance. Was it because it was a valuable rare item?
After receiving the item, she had a delightfully happy expression, much like the one she had when she ate my [Cooking].
…it feels like some sort of PTSD is going to come up.
Still, since the recipient was happy, I felt good about giving the gift.
“Hehe. Thanks, Jae-hyun. I’ll contact you!”
“Yeah. Have a safe trip back.”
With that, we left the auction building and were about to go our separate ways. But just before parting ways, Jeong Seon-young suddenly approached me with quick steps. She then placed her hand near my ear and whispered in a low voice.
“Do Jae-hyun. Women get tired if they’re made to wait too long.”
“…Pardon?”
What’s she talking about all of a sudden? Although her unexpected words left me puzzled, Jeong Seon-young looked at me with a meaningful expression and continued.
“Hehe. It’s something that an aunt might say to her nephew. Think about it.”
And so, the two of them left for Busan. Left alone…
I sat on a building railing and pondered Jeong Seon-young’s words carefully.
“…….”
However, nothing specific came to mind.
It’s something an aunt might say to her nephew…
Honestly, it’s a bit too enigmatic. Oh well, I can’t figure it out, and I’m hungry.
“…I’ll just grab a meal.”
Before heading back to Seoul, I filled my hungry stomach by treating myself to a hearty meal of Daegu-style grilled intestines.
