Rapid Growth and the Hunters' Night Auction
Soon, it was 6 a.m. Teammates began gathering one by one at the Public Guild. Nam Gyuil distributed Summoning Pills to them.
"What's this stuff again?"
Lee Chanu sniffed the Summoning Pill, wrinkling his nose. Then he scrunched up his face.
"Ugh, what the hell is this smell?! Is it cow shit or something?!"
Lee Chanu pinched his nose with his thumb and forefinger, looking like he might die from the stench. The Summoning Pill didn't smell pleasant, but that reaction was over the top.
Seeing this, Hwang Ilsu and Han Kangsu set their Summoning Pills down on the table. They rubbed their hands on some tissue paper, pretending to wipe something off.
Only Hong Shinu kept holding hers.
Nam Gyuil flicked Lee Chanu on the forehead hard enough to make him yelp.
"You idiot, calling a priceless elixir cow shit? Do you even know how rare this is?!"
Lee Chanu rubbed his head. It hurt like hell. So much that he worried his already bad brain might get even worse.
"Hyung, let's talk it out. That really hurts."
Lee Chanu whined timidly, lacking the guts to get angry.
Nam Gyuil sighed.
"Sigh, you make me feel like I'm aging prematurely with all these wrinkles. Why don't you ever change?"
"Isn't that my charm?"
"What charm?"
"The charm of never losing my beginner's heart."
"...Want another flick?"
Lee Chanu paled and shook his head vigorously. For the first time in his life, he thought his mouth had gotten him in trouble.
Nam Gyuil explained the Summoning Pills to his teammates.
"This isn't cow shit. It's an elixir. It's just a slightly different type from the ones you've had before."
"For real?!"
Lee Chanu's eyes widened. Hwang Ilsu and Han Kangsu nodded as if they'd expected it, picking up the Summoning Pills they'd set down. This time, they handled them with extreme care, like rare treasures.
Nam Gyuil shouted to everyone.
"Eat this elixir and cultivate your heart method—it'll boost your inner power. Doesn't matter if it tastes bad; just swallow it."
Hwang Ilsu led by example, swallowing his Summoning Pill first. Hong Shinu and Han Kangsu followed without hesitation. Only Lee Chanu gulped it down with a grim, determined face.
They settled into their heart method cultivation.
"Hoo."
Everyone exhaled. Thanks to the Summoning Pill, they all felt a sharp surge in their inner power.
Today, there was no martial arts training. They focused solely on cultivating their heart methods. Such a steep rise in inner power translated directly to combat strength, making this moment crucial.
Nam Gyuil stood guard to ensure no one disturbed them. About half a day passed like this.
Having fully absorbed the Summoning Pill's effects through their heart methods, the teammates rose from their seats. They could clearly feel the energy flowing through their bodies. They felt noticeably stronger.
Especially Han Kangsu, who looked like he'd had an epiphany. He gripped a wooden sword, steadied his breath, and unleashed sword aura.
"!!"
Everyone's eyes went wide in shock.
Han Kangsu, already prodigiously talented, had accelerated his growth even further thanks to the Summoning Pill.
Whoosh.
He swung the sword aura. He executed the Taeguk Sword, drawing a line that seemed about to break but never did. The movements were far more fluid and soft than before, with a subtle sharpness peeking through the mystery.
His understanding of the Taeguk Sword had clearly deepened.
Stimulated by the sight, Lee Chanu grabbed a wooden sword.
"I'm gonna use sword aura too!!"
He strained with all his might but failed to produce it.
Nam Gyuil advised him.
"To use sword aura, think of your weapon as an extension of your body."
"Huh? How do I do that?"
"Focus your mind that intensely."
Lee Chanu concentrated again, pouring energy into the wooden sword. A change occurred. A bluish light coated the blade before fading away.
"Hah... hah... hah."
Lee Chanu panted heavily. He'd succeeded in manifesting sword aura briefly, but he lacked the stamina to maintain it.
Seeing this, Hwang Ilsu tried too. He produced sword aura the same way, but it vanished quickly. Neither could sustain it long.
"Man, this is exhausting."
Hwang Ilsu muttered, wiping sweat from his drenched forehead with the back of his hand.
Hong Shinu relentlessly tried to produce sword aura but failed. Lee Chanu and Hwang Ilsu struggled to maintain it but could create it. For Hong Shinu, even manifesting it was the hurdle.
Still, with unyielding spirit, she persisted to the end.
About an hour later.
"I-I did it!"
Hong Shinu finally managed to produce sword aura, barely. Of course, she couldn't hold it long—just a flicker. But Nam Gyuil, Hwang Ilsu, and Lee Chanu applauded and cheered.
"Well done, Shinu."
"All that hard work paid off, huh."
Knowing how much she'd struggled, everyone celebrated with genuine joy. Han Kangsu clapped too.
Hong Shinu felt a swell of pride from their praise.
'I'm still far behind the others, but I've clawed my way this far.'
She still needed training since she couldn't produce sword aura perfectly, but the path forward felt visible now.
Nam Gyuil crossed his arms, marveling at his teammates' remarkable progress.
'Han Kangsu's mastered sword aura perfectly, and the rest have succeeded in manifesting it. Sure, only he can sustain it long-term, but that's still impressive.'
If everyone could wield sword aura, the Public Guild would grow even stronger.
'Though that's still a ways off...'
Nam Gyuil checked the clock. It was nearing 6 p.m.
'I've fed the team their Summoning Pills, so all that's left is gathering intel on the enemies.'
With Shy's psychometry, he could extract a wealth of information.
'But to do that, I need items they've used.'
Nam Gyuil pulled out his smartphone and searched for "Hunters' Night."
• Tonight at 9 p.m., the Hunter Association kicks off its monthly auction event.
• All hunters in Korea can participate, and this "Hunters' Night" has reportedly invited some special figures as well.
Nam Gyuil pocketed his phone. On the surface, Hunters' Night seemed like an ordinary event. Participants brought items they'd used and auctioned them off.
That was the key point.
'Meaning Shim Jeong-un's putting up an item he used before.'
This was great news. Bidding on Shim Jeong-un's item at the auction would let Shy's psychometry reveal tons of info.
Of course, Hunters' Night wasn't just a simple social gathering. It was rife with scandal.
'Plenty of suspicion that it's held to bribe certain hunters.'
And rightly so. Shoes or shirts from major guild masters were fetching billions.
Not special items—just used goods worth a few hundred thousand won, sold for billions. It was bound to look fishy. Practically no different from outright bribes, even if nominally transactions.
The funny part? They reported every won to the tax office and paid taxes.
'No tax evasion charges that way.'
That was how they pocketed fortunes.
Nam Gyuil planned to attend this Hunters' Night. Regrettably, he'd have to spend big at the auction. Idiots would throw money wildly to bribe Shim Jeong-un.
'Luckily, I've got more money than I know what to do with.'
He smirked.
Nam Gyuil arrived at Hunters' Night. The venue was the Hunter Association basement.
"Nice building."
Nam Gyuil muttered, scanning the interior. They'd hoarded so much cash, the facilities were insanely luxurious. Floors gilded in gold, red carpets adding old-world elegance. Corridors lined with pricey artwork.
He chuckled dryly.
'The Hunter Association should have weapons, not paintings.'
It rubbed him the wrong way.
Entering the underground auction hall, he saw a crowd buzzing. Hunters from every region, plus politicians he'd seen on the news.
And a familiar face.
"Long time no see."
Approaching casually was none other than the opposition leader.
Nam Gyuil was taken aback.
'Why the hell is the opposition leader here?!'
He couldn't make sense of it.
The opposition leader kept talking.
"You look confused why I'm here."
"Yes."
"I got a special invite. Plenty of others worked hard to get in too."
He nodded toward a spot. Shockingly, there were the ruling party leader and the president.
Nam Gyuil asked.
"So, the politicians here are the 'special invitees'?"
"Yes, exactly."
"Everyone's suddenly interested in the Hunter Association?"
"More precisely, since the orc incident. Personal power might soon surpass national might."
The opposition leader added.
"The era of hunters could dawn soon, so better to make our faces known early."
"To whom?"
"Hunter Association President Shim Jeong-un, obviously. He's a prime candidate for future power."
Nam Gyuil felt an indescribable disgust. These people had come just to curry favor with Shim Jeong-un.
He clenched his fist but quickly hid it behind a smile. He wasn't here to pick fights. He was here to buy Shim Jeong-un's items and extract info.
"Enjoy your time, then."
Nam Gyuil said and swiftly parted ways with the opposition leader. He took a front-row seat in the auction hall.
That's when Song Taesu of Cheongwol Guild and Hwang Hiryong of Unha Guild spotted him. They pointed.
"Nam Gyuil? Why's that punk here?"
"This is basically a legal tribute spot."
"Must be scared of Gold Dragon Guild. Then again, why piss off the big guilds?"
"Better watch his step and pretend to grovel."
They sneered.
Nam Gyuil ignored their pointing fingers.
The auction soon began. Nam Gyuil used his assets to snag items—mostly those linked to Shim Jeong-un.
Shoes, suits, pens. Everyday items worth a few hundred thousand won soared to 1 billion after bidding.
'Sucks that this cash goes to him.'
Still, he saw it as the cost of intel and spent freely. If tens of billions bought info to end Shim Jeong-un, it was a bargain.
In total, Nam Gyuil spent just over 10 billion at the auction. He took Shim Jeong-un's items home and checked them with Shy's psychometry.
Most were useless. Except for one.
'This is some pretty juicy intel.'
He'd grasped a fatal weakness against Shim Jeong-un.