Chapter 47
Chapter 47
“Anyway, they’re releasing high-level martial arts at this auction.”
Although the Korean Union led by Sunghyung was small in size, Korea only had roughly ten thousand Slayers, it had been steadily earning a reputation for having Slaying skills that rivaled any other nation. The high skill level of Korean Slayers was one reason, but Sunghyung’s tactical brilliance was equally significant.
The auction didn’t have a fixed date, but roughly once a month, top-tier international Slayers, or the wealthy and corporations that supported them, participated. While this world was largely hidden from ordinary Slayers and the general public, Sunghyung naturally had access to this information.
Moreover, the Korean Union was known as the home of a Platinum Slayer, which strengthened its standing considerably. Updating auction item information was not a particularly difficult task for them. For Hyunseok, this meant he could focus solely on Slaying without worrying about other matters, the Korean Union handled everything else on his behalf.
“High-level martial arts, huh…”
This time, the auction was in Korea. The top Slayers of various nations, wealthy patrons seeking to train Slayers, and executives from Unions all participated, with the auction venue chosen by lottery. This time, Korea had been selected.
“Sunghyung must have gone through quite a bit of trouble,” Hyunseok thought.
But the lottery wasn’t entirely fair. To benefit Hyunseok, since if he arrived in a foreign country and discovered a dungeon late, he could miss achievements and suffer significant loss, Sunghyung had lobbied to ensure the auction was held in Korea. A perfectly honest observer might call this unfair, but it was still a testament to his ability.
Hyunseok attended the auction alongside Sunghyung. The event was secretive, and identities were strictly protected. It was inconvenient, but they had to wear masks. This extreme measure ensured no one could reveal which items anyone possessed.
Hyunseok whispered jokingly, keeping his voice low.
“Is it alright for a Union leader to come in person? You must be pretty free these days.”
“Other Union leaders will also participate directly. If they don’t send a proxy, we can identify which country they belong to. It helps to gauge each Union’s financial capability and desired items. That’s the benefit of a top-tier auction,” Sunghyung replied.
“So the Unions compete for influence?”
“Not directly. There’s no overlap in monsters, so no direct friction occurs. But understanding the other side isn’t a bad thing. Future power shifts are unpredictable. That’s why the American Union tried to scout you for 300 billion. It benefits them, but they also had to consider the Korean Union.”
“Hmm…”
It seemed natural that, wherever people gathered and organizations formed, struggles for dominance would arise. While monsters and dungeons were distributed separately across nations, each Union still monitored and assessed others.
“Sunghyung seems to release information about new monsters or dungeons too easily for control,” Hyunseok noted.
“That’s a deliberate image-making choice. We create a premium image by being the first to clear dungeons, provide information, and Slay monsters. As you know, our Slaying level is high but the numbers are low. We compensate for that with image,” Sunghyung explained.
Hyunseok chuckled softly. He had guessed some of Sunghyung’s reasoning, but hearing it directly felt reassuring. Perhaps it was because he found Sunghyung personally appealing, but being on the same “ship” as him gave him a satisfying sense of confidence.
The auction began. Items were extremely diverse. Some Monster Stones were deformed into shapes like hearts or stars, highly sought after by collectors, making them far more expensive than standard stones. Clearly, this world had wealthy collectors with vast desires.
“Of course, it’s not just Slayers here; the world’s rich participate too,” Hyunseok thought.
A high-level healing skillbook, which Sunghyung had previously obtained for roughly a billion won, now surpassed 3 billion easily at the auction. The aggressive bidding left even Hyunseok slightly intimidated.
Although Hyunseok himself was wealthy, with hundreds of Green Stones and Yellow Stones worth billions, these participants seemed to consider that trivial.
“The high-level healing went for over 5 billion. Then what about high-level martial arts…”
Support and healing skillbooks were relatively easy to acquire, so they were cheaper than combat skillbooks. Interestingly, among combat skillbooks, passive skills were often more expensive than active ones. While active skills were considered “techniques,” passive skills were regarded as “fundamentals.” Moreover, Slayers with very low M/P could not utilize active skills extensively.
Support and healing skills circulated fairly easily, but martial arts were not so accessible. Surely, there were others like Hyunseok aiming for high-level martial arts.
“Damn. Surely no one is short on money here.”
Hyunseok had entered the auction casually, but the world’s elite far exceeded his expectations. Observing it firsthand was far more overwhelming than imagining it.
Then, chaos struck. Armed guards were the first casualties. Though murder occurred before their eyes, the attendees barely flinched.
Given the presence of top-tier Slayers, Union leaders, and wealthy patrons, security was thorough, equipped with state-of-the-art systems. Observers assumed a reckless group had acted foolishly, but given the vast sums of money, they were prepared for such temptations.
For someone unprepared, attacking here was foolish. For those prepared, a coordinated strike could succeed, but this was the latter case. Even among calm observers, unrest began to stir.
❋ ❋ ❋
Historically, Slayers were not considered a major threat because modern weapons nullified their abilities and combat fields required monsters nearby. However, recently, support Slayers had begun opening combat fields without monster restrictions, occasionally straying into rogue behavior. Official PvP had become sports-like, with rules and strategies evolving to counter human-sized monsters.
Yet PvP was trivial compared to this. The Slayers invading the auction were armed with modern weapons, and their movements rivaled special forces. Observing the combat field confirmed they were Slayers. Even shotguns were ineffective.
“Without feeling pain, as long as I watch H/P, optimal movements continue seamlessly,” Hyunseok noted, hiding under a chair like the others.
“Few know this auction exists,” he continued. Only those with social status, wealth, or top-tier Slayer standing had information.
“Which means they know the security is strict and still went ahead,” Hyunseok thought.
With hundreds of billions moving like pocket change, if attackers intended a major heist, their reasoning was somewhat understandable.
“And there are wealthy patrons, top Slayers, and Union leaders here. That means they may not only target items but also weaken other nations’ Unions,” he considered.
The scale of the auction made it hard to conclude anything definitively. While one could argue they merely sought items, the scope suggested something more complex.
Most suspicious of all was the attackers’ confidence:
“They’re armed security. Even Slayers can’t withstand modern weapons, what gives them such confidence?”
They boldly confronted attendees head-on, taking items and cash from those nearby, not just a quick grab-and-run, but seizing everything.
Bang!
A massive gunshot rang out. A would-be resistor was shot dead, and the auction hall grew increasingly tense. Few could remain indifferent in the face of death, especially involuntary death.
Yet no armed guards appeared. There had to be a security force, so the implication was that everyone was subdued. Hyunseok flinched slightly as sparks flew from the chest of a masked man.
It seemed sniping had occurred but failed. Sparks flew again near the man’s head, but the attack was ineffective. Even Slayers couldn’t achieve that. Hyunseok himself could not guarantee survival if a sniper’s bullet pierced his head.
(End of Chapter 47)
Enjoyed the chapter? Share your feedback and help Hyunseok keep leveling up!
— Translated by Prime Works —