Chapter 106: Times Square (3)
The tumultuous ad shoot had finally wrapped up. The crew emerged looking utterly drained.
“You were amazing! Perfect!”
The director flashed double thumbs-up, surrounded by a pile of empty potion bottles.
As they left the set.
Park Siwoo stuck out his tongue in exhaustion.
“Ads are no joke.”
“Five hundred billion won. Gotta earn it.”
“True. But it still doesn't feel real. All this for five hundred billion…? Not sure we deserve it.”
“You'll get used to it.”
Nodding at Kim Minwoo's words, the guy turned to Seo Yerim.
“Sis.”
“Yeah.”
“What're you gonna do with your cut?”
“Hmm. Donate some to Sword Sea Pavilion… save the rest for gear later.”
“The guild covers our gear.”
“Still. They can't get everything. Stuff that lasts forever is rare.”
“Fair. Top-tier gear's a pain to find.”
Gear you could use long-term.
Even with money, these were luxury items—usually legend-grade or higher.
They traded under the table among insiders, or governments controlled exports.
Gonna sell that?
No buyers among our awakeners?
We'll pay full price. Sell to the government.
What? Not selling?
Wanna see the country fall?
That kind of pressure. Gates made it possible—dormant until they burst, claiming countless lives.
Good gear shone in those crises.
Hence the controls.
Smugglers could sneak it overseas for profit.
‘Not easy, though.’
Individuals rarely scored such gear; guilds did, but leaks happened.
Caught?
Public backlash first.
Not selling cheap to the government!
Taking full price but risking national security for greed?
Only exception: Sky Auction House listings.
Nations got slots to qualify.
Skip it?
No invites for citizens.
Counterproductive.
Need archer gear, but only warrior stuff? Better list it, join, and bid on what we need.
Sky Auction favored cash-rich nations anyway.
‘Developed countries dominate.’
Listings there drew no flak—encouraged, even.
Awakeners sold high for low fees.
Nations gained access.
Buyers got funded to rebuy key items.
Not everything—impossible, even for the US.
But prime gear? They clawed it back.
‘Necro gear should be easier.’
Few users, fewer who maxed it.
No state frenzy.
‘Swordsmen and archers are the issue.’
Mainstream jobs.
Would cost a fortune.
Others prioritized them too.
“Swordsman and archer gear—I'll grab some at the Sky Auction if we qualify.”
“… Sky Auction?”
Seo Yerim's eyes widened, then she nodded.
“Makes sense. With your money and fame, you might get invited…”
“Right! Someone like bro's gotta qualify!”
“Who knows.”
“But can we afford it? Our gear's pricey…”
“Not all, but some, yeah.”
Auction participants backed by nations—groups with priorities.
Job distributions, fairness, spending limits to avoid backlash.
No blind billions on legends.
Standard price tiers per item.
Overbid? Taxes covered it—public gripe.
Here? Rich individual.
Pour billions on one piece? No complaints.
‘Overdo it, and it's trouble…’
Still, more flexible.
Winnable bet.
‘Money'll skyrocket soon.’
Plenty of ways to rake it in.
Rot had options.
“… If we hit the Sky Auction, I'll wire my full cut.”
“Me too, bro. Not much, but…”
“No guarantees yet…”
Then, a golden ticket appeared in Kim Minwoo's hand.
[Condition met!]
[You've been invited to the Sky Auction!]
“Huh?”
[Sky Auction Ticket] [Grade: Special] [Grants entry to the Sky Auction.] [Effect 1: Enter on May 5th.]
Seo Yerim and Park Siwoo gawked.
“That's…”
“Sky Auction ticket?!”
“Yeah. Early bird.”
Early March.
Tickets usually dropped in April—nearly a month ahead.
‘Sixty trillion investment?’
Probably cleared the cash threshold.
Fame?
‘Ad hasn't aired.’
Guild war buzz carried it.
NewTube subs at 70 million.
Level low, but thug-tier.
No harm in early access.
“We'll deposit our shares.”
He eyed them—determined to wire five hundred billion each.
Amusing.
Big for them. For most awakeners.
One trillion combined.
Decent legend haul.
‘What to upgrade…’
Accessories pricey.
Sorry, accessories are nuts.
‘Gear swap'd help.’
Both in rares now. Slot in one legend? Power spike.
Near Deathsword level.
“You've been grinding levels without me.”
“Bro, where to?”
“Yeah. Overseas trip.”
“… Overseas?”
Kim Minwoo nodded.
April: Super Rookie qualifiers.
Then Sky Auction in a week.
‘Only free time now.’
March money grind for auction rampage.
Annual event—max it.
Sixty trillion short.
Good accessory? Trillions easy.
‘Short? Duplicate.’
Off to print money.
* * *
[Breaking: Ilsung Phone ad sweeps globe! Pre-orders top 5 million…]
[Breaking: Ilsung Phone conquers Times Square!]
[Breaking: Lavish Guild model fees estimated in trillions?]
[Breaking: Ad costs recouped! Ilsung ecstatic!]
―Holy crap. Ilsung Phone up 50% from last, pre-orders at 5 mil? Wild.
―Ilsung's premium push. Phone's next. Gonna crush Apple leftovers lol.
―Selling like hotcakes tho lol
―Ad's slick. Refined design. Skull logo kills. Overseas nickname already.
―Nickname?
―Skeleton Phone. Skelphone lol
―Specs beefed up. Beats Apple in spots lol
―Normal pre-orders topped 1 mil tops? 5 mil start? Minwoo mania real.
―Siwoo and Yerim pulled weight. Ad fire lol
―Merhen eye-carry? No black swan clueless.
―For real US magic scene boiling lol. Solo aggro queen lol
―Boil away~ Magicless fact lol
―Water dragon summon? Different league lol
―For real lol
―Mages? Cut at Minwoo's summons lol
―Epic scale. Rake Channel hit 100 mil subs post-ad. Minwoo era incoming??
―100 mil lol. Kimchi soup pop x2 lol
―(True horror) Awakened 3 months ago??
―3 months? Not 30 years? Insane lol
―We live in Minwoo's era…
―Lavish Guild tho? Level grind?
―Siwoo/Yerim solo gating. Where's Minwoo?
―Hidden gate again?
Then.
[Breaking: Kim Minwoo heads overseas? Destination: Saudi Arabia!]
―Huh?
―Saudi?
―Oil kingdom sudden why?
―Dunno?