Chapter 115
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Auction House, African Civil War - 1
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[Item Information]
- Name: White Lotus Painting Fragment #8
- Effect: Unknown
"Wow! 4.8 million dollars—we have today's highest bid!"
The atmosphere in the Black Wood Auction House was gradually heating up.
This was the highest price fetched for any item today.
- Wow... Is there something special about that item?
- Right? Those two don't look like they're planning to back down.
Murmurs and puzzled voices could be heard from all around.
The value of most items that appeared here was uncertain.
As a result, excessive bidding wars were rare.
But now, two bidders were locked in a fiery contest.
"Alright, folks, the auction continues! 4.9 million dollars, do I hear 4.9 million? Ah! The gentleman from seat 14 has raised his hand for 4.9 million dollars!"
At this, everyone turned to look at the gentleman in seat 14.
The man, his face hidden by a mask... was none other than Lee Hyun-wook.
Meanwhile, anxious voices filtered into his ears.
- Damn it, this is pretty much our last shot. Five million dollars, we can't go any higher.
- Who the hell is that guy? He's not a spy from the 'Ndoze Alliance,' is he?
- I don't know who he is, but he's loaded. Can't we request more funds?
- They said their situation isn't great right now, so they can't pull any more...
They were members of the African branch of the Humanitarian Player Alliance (HPA), the ones competing with Lee Hyun-wook for the bid.
But as he had overheard, the maximum funds they had prepared were five million dollars. They must have thought that would be enough to win the auction...
- Ugh! Sophie, should I just go over there and smack the back of that bastard's head?
- David, please calm down. For now... *sigh*—we'll see this through to the end.
"Alright! Five million dollars, do I have five million dollars?"
Soon, one of them slowly raised their arm.
But now, her forearm was trembling.
"Ah! The lady in seat 46 has offered five million dollars! What is going on here? Have the gentleman in seat 14 and the lady in seat 46 discerned the true nature of this item? As their race continues, let's move on to 5.1 million dollars!"
The moment the auctioneer finished speaking, Lee Hyun-wook raised his hand.
"Ah! And just like that, the gentleman in seat 14 immediately goes for 5.1 million dollars!"
- Ha... Checkmate.
- That bastard came here fully prepared.
"The bid is now 5.2 million dollars. Do I hear 5.2 million?"
The auctioneer's gaze naturally shifted toward seat 46.
However, she could only lower her head slowly.
"Ah, the lady in seat 46, do you feel it's not worth that much?"
The auctioneer called for bids a few more times, but no one responded.
"—And so, this mysterious item goes to the gentleman in seat 14!"
*Bang—!*
In the end, Lee Hyun-wook had obtained what he wanted.
"The gentleman in seat 14 has graced us today by winning two items for a total of 5.9 million dollars. Thank you once again!"
Lee Hyun-wook had won the 'Belt of the Northern Merchant' and 'White Lotus Painting Fragment #8'. A staff member soon approached to explain the collection process. While listening, Lee Hyun-wook kept his ears trained on the HPA members.
- Damn it, without that, we can't get the <Old Peace> Guild to dispatch their troops, right?
- Probably, yes...
- Is it really over for saving the CAR? The resistance forces there are waiting for us. What do we do? Sophie, isn't there any other way?
CAR, the Central African Republic, was a poor nation in the heart of Africa. It shared a border with the Republic of Chad to the north, but unfortunately, being on the fringe of the World Tree's influence, it received few benefits.
'And it's currently in the midst of a fierce civil war.'
To be precise, it was under the oppressive rule of a Player military junta.
A few years ago, civilian Players rose up in resistance, sparking a war.
And the HPA, naturally, was supporting the resistance forces.
- You heard the intel, right? The Ndoze Alliance's container ship docked in Chennai and is buying up all the Living Armor on the black market. If that ship reaches the CAR, the 'Puppeteer's' army will become much stronger. So... if we can't get the <Old Peace> Guild's help this time, the resistance is truly finished.
This was the voice of the woman who seemed to be their leader, Sophie.
Judging by their conversation, they had likely requested military support from the <Old Peace> Guild, one of the influential guilds in the neighboring Republic of Chad, and the condition was to find and hand over the 'key' to the <Labyrinth of Vishnu>.
- ...At this point, there's only one way. We follow that man.
A brief silence followed Sophie's declaration.
- ...Huh? Sophie, what are you planning to do? You're not thinking of taking it by force, are you?
- I don't fucking know. Either way, we have to get it somehow, right? And that man... he definitely doesn't know the true value of that item.
- That's true. We only found out after receiving a quest...
- He probably... saw us bidding so tenaciously and won it recklessly, thinking he could resell it for a profit. You often find quick-witted merchants like that at these auctions...
'They've got the wrong idea entirely.'
After hearing that, Lee Hyun-wook stood up from his seat.
- That man, he's moving.
- Follow him quietly.
'Just as planned.'
There was no way they would give up on this.
In other words, they took the bait.
However, Lee Hyun-wook could detect another movement besides them.
- There are three of them in total. Yes, they're the ones who were active in the CAR.
It was a movement tailing the HPA members.
- They're in the auction house now. Looks like they'll be leaving soon.
- Is that so? Follow them naturally.
- ...Do we take care of it here today?
- Yes, today's the day.
***
"...That way."
Two male members of the HPA were walking through the alleys of the black market.
To be precise, they were tailing a man.
Both of them were using the 'Stealth' skill for that purpose.
"Where the hell did that bastard get a room? Why is he going this way?"
The black market here in Chennai was so vast that its alleys were as complex as an ant farm. The deeper one went, the more secretive shops appeared.
"Seeing him head this way, he doesn't seem like a clean guy, does he?"
- Phil, David, both of you watch your mouths. Are you even trying to tail him?
The voice of their leader, Sophie, came through the mana messenger.
She had gone to the other side of the alley and was waiting.
But, at some point...
"...Huh? Where'd he go?"
The man had vanished from sight.
- What? Hey! Don't tell me you lost him.
"No, it's just..."
The two men stood awkwardly at a fork in the alley, looking around.
It was then.
"...Are you looking for me? I'm over here."
An unfamiliar voice came from somewhere.
On the second-floor terrace of a dark building on one side of the alley,
stood the man they had been following.
Lee Hyun-wook looked down at the two men and gave a little wave.
At that, one of the men was startled and drew a pistol.
'Hm, he seems quite flustered.'
Meanwhile, mana could be detected from the gun; it was clearly an enchanted item.
"Tch! You, did you know we were following you?"
"Well, using a stealth spell doesn't guarantee you won't be found, does it?"
"Then... don't tell me you lured us here!"
"No... Good grief, I'm the one being tailed. Why do I have to be the one to explain?"
It seemed they lived in a rather high-strung environment.
"Shut up! You... were you sent by the Ndoze Alliance?"
Here, the Ndoze Alliance referred to the Player military junta controlling the CAR.
Lee Hyun-wook feigned ignorance, tilting his head.
"Sorry, but I'm a foreigner, so I have no idea what you're talking about."
"...Don't play dumb! If not, why were you after our item?"
"Your item? Are you perhaps referring to the one I won at the auction?"
Lee Hyun-wook scoffed as if he found the notion ridiculous.
"I don't see how that's your item. I paid for it with my own money."
Just then, a woman came running from the opposite alley.
"Hey! Damn it, what are you doing?"
She ran up and pushed away the gun the man was holding.
"Dammit, why'd you suddenly pull a gun! Are you trying to screw things up?"
"Sophie, that guy is really suspicious! He must be up to something!"
"Hey! We're the ones who were tailing him in the first place. Who are we to be suspicious?"
After her outburst, she turned to Lee Hyun-wook.
"Um... I'm truly sorry for following you."
Judging by her deferential posture, she seemed ready to negotiate.
"I'm number 46, the one who was bidding against you at the auction. Do you remember?"
"So... you tailed me because of that item?"
"Yes, that's right. It's because... we'd like to buy that item from you."
At her words, Lee Hyun-wook tilted his head.
"I'm having a little trouble understanding. You failed to win the bid because you lacked the funds, right? But now you want to buy it back from me? That doesn't sound very trustworthy."
Since 'humanitarianism' was their core ideology, they likely had no intention of taking it by force, but Lee Hyun-wook took a step back, feigning unease.
"No, we have absolutely no intention of taking it by force. And while we don't have the cash right now, we can get it. Let's talk this over slowly."
But Lee Hyun-wook shook his head firmly.
"Well, I won that item because I need it, too. If that weren't the case, I wouldn't be stupid enough to invest a sum as large as 5.2 million dollars, would I?"
At Lee Hyun-wook's words, she couldn't hide her incredulous expression.
"You're saying you didn't buy it to resell, but because you need the item itself?"
"Hm? Isn't that obvious?"
"So, you're saying you know what it's used for?"
A smirk spread across her face, an expression that said she had seen through his lie.
The potential item was the key to a hidden stage inside a gate that opened in the CAR. In other words, one couldn't possibly know without having been there.
"No, that's absolutely impossible. It's a type of quest item. It's something we've been looking for for a long time, and many lives depend on it. So, we'll pay you more than 5.2 million dollars. Otherwise, you won't be able to sell it for its proper value anywhere else."
She pressed her point confidently.
In response, Lee Hyun-wook shook his head without hesitation.
"I don't need the money. That item is..."
The words that Lee Hyun-wook uttered next left the three of them stunned.
"...a puzzle-type key for a hidden stage inside some gate, right?"
The three didn't answer, but they couldn't hide their stiffening expressions.
It was a secret known only to a very few. No one knew besides the leaders of the CAR resistance, the Old Peace Guild Master, and those who had mediated between them.
'Could it be... Did the information leak from the <Old Peace> Guild?'
Amidst their silence, Lee Hyun-wook spoke first.
"If you know its location and are collecting these... how about I join you in clearing that hidden stage?"
An incomprehensibly bold proposal came out of nowhere.
They stared at Lee Hyun-wook with blank expressions.
The situation had changed so suddenly that it was difficult to grasp the context.
"No, wh-who are you to make such a strange proposal?"
"If we clear it together and you let me have about ten percent of the hidden stage rewards, you won't have to pay me separately."
Lee Hyun-wook paid them no mind and continued with his self-serving proposal.
"That's... not a matter we can accept so easily."
The reason was simple. They weren't clearing it themselves; they had a contract to hand over the clearing rights to the <Old Peace> Guild.
"Is that so? In that case..."
Lee Hyun-wook took 'White Lotus Painting Fragment #8' out of his pocket.
The moment their gazes were fixed on it, he put it back in his pocket.
"This negotiation is over."
*Gulp—*
Their eyes trembled.
"No! The issue you just proposed isn't something we can decide here. We, uh, we have to talk to our superiors, so let's negotiate slowly..."
But just then, Lee Hyun-wook raised his left hand.
"Wait. It seems we'll have to continue this conversation later."
"Pardon?"
"What, you were tailing me but didn't realize you were being tailed yourselves?"
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head as if he found them pathetic.
"What? Tailed...? What do you..."
"It's not just one or two. You'd better be careful."
At his words, they turned their heads and scanned their surroundings.
"Damn it, he's right..."
Soon, a dozen or so strange men began to emerge from the darkness of the alley.
"—Well, look who it is! Mwahaha!"
A large man in a Hawaiian shirt shouted from among them.
"Well now, if it isn't our kind-hearted friends from the human rights group we often see in Africa. My, my, how did we manage to run into you all the way out here?"
He bantered as he lumbered closer.
Behind him stood men armed with automatic rifles.
Seven in total, with another four approaching from the opposite alley.
"Damn it, William Tell... How long have you been following us?"
Sophie growled the question.
And Lee Hyun-wook recognized him as well.
'William Tell the Eye Gouger. As far as I know, he wasn't a Villain.'
But it was certain he was just as vicious.
The man was a mercenary and a Red Player active mainly in Africa, and it seemed he was currently employed by an extremist faction supporting the Ndoze Alliance.
And if Lee Hyun-wook hadn't caught the Shadow Baron and Okita Kaito, the three of them would have later joined forces to form an international criminal organization.
"Oh, I was just looking around the market when I heard a familiar voice."
William Tell grinned, taking off his sunglasses and winking.
"This son of a bitch, talking nonsense..."
Soon, with Sophie in the lead, the three drew their weapons.
"Whoa—Sophie Green, is there any need for this in a foreign country?"
"Then is your hometown the CAR, for you to be causing such a ruckus there?"
"Ah, can you even call that place a country? Wasn't it a cage for beasts?"
At that, a burst of laughter erupted from the group of men.
"Ah, Sophie, don't be like that. We all have to go back to the African continent anyway, right? We have a ship at the docks here. Want to ride back with us?"
"I know all about your goddamn ship! I also know you're buying up a ton of toys to offer that 'Puppeteer' bitch, so you'd better not get on that ship if you can help it. You'll end up as fish food—!"
After hearing all that, Lee Hyun-wook spoke up.
"Excuse me, sorry, but if I were to handle this..."
But Sophie gave Lee Hyun-wook a slight push, as if telling him to stay back.
"Don't worry. We're the ones who got you involved in this. Even if we die, we'll get you out of here somehow."
Then she held out a cell phone and whispered very softly.
"If you have this, my superiors will contact you. At that time, that item... please, negotiate with our side. We really need it."
After leaving what sounded like her last words, she looked at her two subordinates.
"If this man dies too, we'll have committed a great sin."
The two men nodded in agreement.
But Lee Hyun-wook sighed and shook his head.
"You, Sophie Green, was it? You seem to be an HPA member, correct?"
"...Yes, that's right."
"Right, Sophie. You seem to be doing good work. But what if I..."
Lee Hyun-wook's left hand slowly rose.
"...take care of them for you? Could we adjust that contract percentage up to 20%?"
She looked at him as if asking what he meant.
"Hey, what are you all keep talking about?"
Gun barrels were closing in from all sides.
"There's no time, so I guess we'll have to negotiate after the fact."
Lee Hyun-wook's left hand shot forward.
In that instant—
*Clang!*
A mysterious iron box that had been sitting on one side of the second-floor terrace,
burst open, and thirty Adamant Stars poured out.
They scattered in all directions, descending upon the approaching men.
*Shwee—shwee—shwee—shwee—shwee—!*
They flew precisely toward the twelve targets scattered around.
They never missed.
Because, floating in the darkness of the sky, was 'Hugin'.
Within his perception, their locations and vital points stood out with crystal clarity.
*Shhh-shk-shk-shk-shk—!*
Not even a small scream was heard in the process. The heads of the thirteen men, including William Tell, had been cleanly severed in a single strike...
*Thud—thud—thud—thud—thud...*
Only the sound of bodies collapsing echoed in succession.
"......."
The three watched the scene with dumbfounded expressions,
then slowly turned their heads to look at Lee Hyun-wook behind them.
The Adamant Stars had returned and were now rotating around his body.
*Whir—whir—whir—whir—whir—!*
And at some point, Hugin had landed on his shoulder.
"Ah... You're, d-don't tell me..."
Sophie's mind was filled with a single thought.
A Player who could manipulate metal so freely and powerfully... As far as was known, there was only one such person.
He spoke first.
"If you knew who I was, would the contract negotiations go a little more smoothly?"
He took off his mask, and the three of them exclaimed in unison.
"—Lee Hyun-wook!"
He nodded, then held up four fingers.
"From what I just heard, it seems there's a troublesome ship here... If I take care of that too, would it be possible to raise the contract terms to 40%?"
He was still continuing with his self-serving proposals.
And Sophie, looking at him, thought to herself.
'Wait a minute, if he joins us... we don't need the Old Peace Guild, do we?'
That the contract percentage might not be 40%, but 100%...