Chapter 81
Namgung Seojun stepped into the auction house and first checked the guide signs.
"Whoa! Five auctions running at the same time."
There were five large auction halls, each buzzing with real-time bidding from crowds of people. Seojun even joined the combat slave auction to watch firsthand. All sorts of races appeared as battle slaves, and eager bidders snapped up their favorites.
After two hours of wandering the halls, he lost interest. The reason was simple: the slaves fetched sky-high prices. Rare specimens came at a premium—that was the reality.
So Namgung Seojun left the auction halls and explored the other shops inside the auction house complex. As he browsed, he realized this wasn't just an auction venue. It felt like a massive department store back in modern society, complete with auction halls.
"They've got everything."
The auction house specialized in slaves, but the attached shops sold heaps of gear, potions, consumables, real estate, livestock—you name it.
While poking around, one odd shop caught his eye.
An antique shop?
Curious what passed for antiques in the Tower World, Namgung Seojun stepped inside.
"Welcome! This is our antique shop."
The clerk greeted him warmly, but one look at the displayed goods revealed the truth.
Ah, it's an unidentified items shop!
Merchants dumped unidentified items here, prettily labeled as "antiques." The shelves overflowed with them. These needed appraisal at a temple using Merit Points to reveal their true nature. But appraisal costs weren't cheap—often hundreds of points—so many adventurers just sold them off instead.
The 20th floor, compared to lower ones, had affordable mass-produced high-quality weapons and armor. Desperate for quick cash to upgrade, climbers dumped unidentified gear. Those ended up in shops like this, a lottery for those flush with Merit Points. Most were duds, but decent hits weren't rare, and jackpots happened.
Appraisal runs 300 to 1,000 Merit Points minimum. Waste that on junk, and you'd lose your mind.
Namgung Seojun had never paid much attention to unidentified items for that reason.
But!
What's this? Super Sense is screaming I need to check something out?
This antique shop triggered his Super Sense.
"Looking for anything specific?"
"I'll browse alone."
"Of course, just call if you need me."
He dismissed the clerk and slowly scanned the shelves.
Whoa... the scale... it's massive.
As a 20th-floor mega-auction house, the unidentified items numbered in the thousands.
Over 1,000 easy.
Passing hundreds of them, Namgung Seojun felt a strange thrill. He methodically checked each one, guided by Super Sense toward promising vibes. After 30 minutes, he picked three.
"14 gold total."
He bought the trio for 14 gold and bolted to the small temple next door.
"Appraise these, please."
The priestess replied routinely, "Appraising three unidentified items costs 900 Merit Points total. High chance of trash. Still want to proceed?"
She warned because most adventurers regretted it, but Namgung Seojun nodded. His Merit Points dropped by 900, and the appraisal began.
"Here, check them out."
He barely stifled a grin at the results.
◈ Dagger of an infamous assassin who slew countless foes.
◈ +3 Agility, +2 Intelligence to wearer.
◈ +2 Agility to wearer.
◈ Grants Endurance (P) skill to wearer.
A total jackpot, as expected.
On his third day on the 20th floor, Namgung Seojun prepared from morning and left his inn with his full 10,000 gold fortune. He was dead set on inspecting every unidentified item in sight. To him, they were hidden treasures.
The 20th-floor market district was huge, packed with unidentified item shops—antique shops everywhere.
"Welcome."
He entered a massive one at the market entrance and instantly felt great.
This place is a goldmine.
Super Sense pinged good vibes left and right.
Three hours later:
"I'll take these."
Namgung Seojun brought 31 items to the counter—daggers, shields, but mostly compact earrings, rings, necklaces, and bracelets.
The clerk tallied them up with a worried look. "This is a temple-certified shop, so I can say this: buying too many unidentified items isn't wise."
Unidentified appraisals were addictive gambling. In a Tower World without lotteries, they filled that niche. Rare broke even, top Rares profited, Unique or better was a mega-win—but most were Normal or cursed trash. And they guzzled Merit Points.
Namgung Seojun just smiled casually at the clerk's concern. "Total comes to 123 gold."
He paid, bagged them, and left.
In just seven days, scouring the market's antique shops, he snapped up 120 Super Sense-approved unidentified items. If he had more Merit Points for appraisals, he'd have bought more.
On the eighth day, bag in hand, he headed to the temple.
"Appraise these."
"Ha... "
The priest sighed at the 120 items and warned, "You sure about this?"
"Yes."
Checking his status, she noted Apostle Candidate of the Main God and muttered worriedly, "Gambling's bad... but if it's not gambling, that's worse."
Seojun chuckled and waited. She began appraising.
"Unique... Rare... Unique... Rare... Rare... Rare... Another Unique!"
She sighed with each reveal. Finally:
"Wait here."
"Huh?"
"Whatever your ability is, this many Rares and Uniques needs reporting upstairs. It's an issue."
So he waited. The high priest arrived, marveled at the haul, and smirked at Seojun.
"Apostle Candidate... you weren't planning to take all these, right?"
He replied with mild annoyance, "I didn't break any laws. These are from my Merit Points and ability."
"Hahaha... fair enough. But the Main God might not like it. Haha."
After pondering, the high priest offered, "Take some—say, a portion. I'll convert the rest to Merit Points for you, refunding appraisal costs too."
A portion meant exactly 30. Seojun reeled, but the next words shut down his complaints.
"Your donations will feed the hungry and free slaves. The Main God will credit you amply—more than you think. It'll factor into your 50th-floor evaluation too."
No reason to doubt the high priest; Super Sense agreed it was smart. Seojun nodded.
He picked the 30 best Uniques.
"All set?"
Regret lingering, he hesitated but nodded. The high priest praised his choice, summoned underpriests to collect the rest.
"Your Merit Points."
+30,000 Merit Points acquired.
30,000 Merit Points—not bad, but the high priest's next words made him laugh.
"Oh! The Main God is most pleased. Excellent choice."
A bit bittersweet, but he could always hit more shops. Except...
"The Main God says to stop now."
"......"
At Seojun's grumpy face, the high priest grinned. "You've made plenty already. Leave some fortune for others."
"Ha... fine."
Regretfully, he quit the item hunt. Still, 30 Uniques satisfied him. He equipped a few usable ones and sold the rest for over 20,000 gold profit.
One week left. Seojun pondered his options, then toured the slave market, eyeing guards to fill party gaps. He inspected promising warrior slaves and talented prospects.
Thus, the week passed.