The Auction's Harsh Lesson
It had been back when Horizon first launched. And when the world recognized it as a true god game.
The most enthusiastic responses had come from disabled players.
“They have arms… arms!”
“This is… heh. Hahaha!”
In virtual reality, the limitations of reality meant nothing.
Disabled users who had received new bodies performed at least as well as—and often better than—real-world players. They quickly became the server’s named figures.
And the same went for animals.
Gyeongwang’s Luck. In the original novel, this white dog had been one of Flush’s strongest weapons.
‘I was also the number-one player in the animal category back then.’
Just thinking about it made him angry. Had he really gotten that for free?
‘This time, I’m the one taking it first.’
The auction had already been registered, so he had all the time in the world. While he wandered slowly through the market, Kim Ganghan decided to enjoy the natural air he usually couldn’t get.
‘Since I’m here, I should do a forest bath.’
He strolled through every corner of the district, savoring the natural air he normally couldn’t access!
From now on he would have to focus on the game, so for today at least he would set everything aside and take a real break.
“Even though this is the world inside the novel… still, the real air I drink for the first time in a while has a completely different flavor.”
Kim Ganghan sat in an open-air café sipping tea, taking a well-deserved rest.
‘Anyone who saw this would call me crazy.’
Investing tens of millions of won in a dog. Anyone would think he was insane, but Kim Ganghan didn’t. He had a plan.
‘Horizon will eventually cover the entire planet, and later even terraforming colonies on Mars and the Moon.’
The novel’s world already had space development underway, and the resource and land issues were being handled by Titan Corporation. That corporation’s all-in on Horizon meant the most trustworthy partners here were worth far more than fifty billion won.
‘The rumors haven’t spread yet, so even eight million won should be fine if there’s no major problem.’
With no prior information, who would buy a dog missing one leg? Not even Flush-level insane luck, but as an ordinary person, Kim Ganghan knew this was perfectly normal.
But trouble arrived. “We need to hold an auction?”
“That’s right.”
An old man spoke to Fafnir when the auction began. “A young man who bought every Asura Hound puppy has placed a bid.”
“……”
Asking who it was had been banned by the Kyeonwonhoe. The old man continued, “If anyone asks, tell them it was a bid from Ohsung Group’s Lee Si-woo.”
“Huh?”
If it was Lee Si-woo, the five-star guild leader and heir to Ohsung Group, that was fundamentally different from the show-off rich kids. ‘As expected, that guy already knows.’
Fafnir clenched his jaw. Lee Si-woo, master of Five Star Guild and third son of Ohsung Group, had invested early in virtual reality. Unlike his brothers, he would later turn that investment into overwhelming success and swallow Ohsung Group whole. In the novel he was the protagonist Flush’s greatest enemy, a colossal force that would dominate every major guild on the planet. ‘So he’s collecting information early.’
In the original story he hadn’t bought them, but who knew what would happen now. ‘Time to go.’
When the auction opened, Kim Ganghan headed straight to the stall. “This handsome fellow is a purebred German Black Hound Heinrich. Starting bid one thousand dollars!”
“Twelve hundred!”
“One thousand two hundred and fifty!”
The dog auction happened separately by stall. A large crowd always built excitement, and naturally fights would break out between the dogs. ‘Everything’s for sale. If they fight each other, I lose.’
The method they used now was to gather people for each merchant’s auction. It felt like a flea market, yet deals were sealed without a hitch. ‘I shouldn’t anger the Kyeonwonhoe or it’ll be a pain. Everyone just avoids trouble and buys or sells.’
“He’s here.”
The old man nodded when Kim Ganghan returned. Several men in sunglasses stood before him. “You’re the one.”
Between the sunglasses-wearing men, one strikingly handsome figure stepped forward. “Nice to meet you. My name is Lee Si-woo.”
“Same auction?”
“Exactly.”
Dogs needed to be imprinted with the fact that they had a master from the very beginning. That was why Lee Si-woo had taken the day off and come in person. “What are you planning to bid on?”
“Everything. I want every single one of these dogs.”
“Hmm…”
There was one test Kim Ganghan wanted to run. He asked, “Then how about you let me have this white dog? That guy probably wouldn’t even fight properly in the arena.”
“Well… long or short doesn’t matter; you’ll only know by watching.”
With that exchange, Kim Ganghan was certain. ‘As expected, he already knows.’
Soon the special virtual-reality capsules for dogs would appear, turning them into combat powerhouses—premium information! Even though he’d only read the novel, Lee Si-woo had clearly obtained that detail early. “Competitors, right? How about this?”
Lee Si-woo gestured. A subordinate handed over a paper bag. Inside were hundreds of yellow “Mr. Gentleman” coupons. “Thirty million won.”
“……”
“You can let the auction run, but since we’re already here, let’s keep it easy on both sides.”
In other words, take this money and drop the auction. In most cases that would be more than enough. ‘But I can’t abandon Flush’s dog.’
Kim Ganghan shook his head. “Sorry, I need an Asura Hound puppy too.”
“Ugh… I was trying to be nice.”
If this had been another market, the bodyguards might have done something, but this was Kyeonwonhoe territory. There was no way out if he kept refusing. “I have no choice. This one-legged dog for one hundred million. The others, three hundred million each.”
“……”
Lee Si-woo instantly doubled the starting bid. ‘The maximum was eight thousand.’
If they kept going, he’d lose everything. Just then—ding—a smartphone notification appeared. -Depositor: Horizon Market -Amount: 50,000,000 won -Content: Exchange deposit. The money from selling items to Jeraer and the Hwalbindang guild, plus the guarantee from Ludius’s broadcast. ‘One hundred and thirty million… I did bring in the cash as planned, but even if the deal goes through, it’s still a loss.’
Time for Plan B. Kim Ganghan shrugged and quoted a price. “One hundred and fifty million.”
“……Two hundred million.”
Exactly as expected. To shake Ohsung Group’s royal family, they needed at least several tens of billions. “Oh dear.”
Kim Ganghan casually raised both hands. The auction was over. “Woof! Woof!”
“Ruff! Ruff!”
Well-dressed men gathered the barking dogs. “That’s all for now.”
Lee Si-woo stood up. The men followed. Just then— “What?”
“I’d like to make you a proposal.”
“Proposal? The auction was already over.”
Lee Si-woo walked past Kim Ganghan without another word. “Five Star Guild Master Lee Si-woo.”
He didn’t even flinch. That fact was already public knowledge. Kim Ganghan closed his eyes. “If you hand the dog over to me, I’ll give you a very tempting offer.”
Click. Click. “A dungeon above level three hundred.”
Click. Click. Click. “Completely unknown to anyone, minimum Legendary rank or higher.”
The clicking stopped. “In addition, I’ll grant you a single request right from the upcoming war.”
Kim Ganghan opened his eyes and looked back. Lee Si-woo had his chin proudly raised, narrowing his eyes as he scanned Kim Ganghan up and down. “You’re serious?”
Kim Ganghan was overjoyed inside. He had him. ***
A quiet café far from the auction hall. It had always been secluded, but now it was completely empty. Lee Si-woo had rented the entire business hours. “You want the Asura Hound puppy in exchange for the dungeon location and information?”
Kim Ganghan took a sip of coffee and nodded. “Exactly. A dungeon above level three hundred. You can guess the value, right?”
Lee Si-woo glanced sideways and moved his jaw. “It sounds certain.”
The secretary standing like a screen answered quietly. ‘Only ten minutes since he rented the coffee shop and he’s already…?’
Right after entering, Kim Ganghan had told Lee Si-woo the location of a dungeon he knew. It was a place that would appear later in the novel’s plot—a place he himself had never visited. “It seems true. How did you even know about a place like this?”
“I made two offers earlier, didn’t I? That I can help with the upcoming war.”
Kim Ganghan set his coffee cup down. “I’m the King of Ten Thousand Weapons, Kim Chul.”
Lee Si-woo’s eyes widened. “Oh, the King of Ten Thousand Weapons… Kim Chul-nim. I was wondering who the player searching for high-quality dogs could be, but it’s you…”
Lee Si-woo’s tone grew a little more respectful. The King of Ten Thousand Weapons. A ranker inside the top one hundred in Korea, a lone rogue player. The hidden-class Kim Chul was famous for destroying large-guild PVP kill squads and solo-clearing five-man dungeons. ‘But he doesn’t write community posts or have many connections, so he’s perfect for impersonation.’
Lee Si-woo believed it, and Kim Ganghan smiled inside. The King of Ten Thousand Weapons was just the name he used himself. Most players called him the Ten Thousand God. He went on killing sprees in PVP, followed players into dungeons to slaughter everyone—including other users—not just monsters, and was obsessed with items. He even stalked famous users who had good weapons and stole them. ‘In short, he was so infamous that even big-guild kill squads would hunt him, yet he was still skilled enough to chase anyone down and eventually get their items.’
Lee Si-woo genuinely admired Kim Chul’s ability. In a Horizon full of top players and capitalist groups, a wandering expert was only possible with that much power. “So you accept my request for the Asura Hound puppy?”
“Yes, as you can see, I do have skill.”
Lee Si-woo nodded. Kim Chul openly committed terrible acts yet still worked as a mercenary. ‘Kim Chul, the player who knows skill when he sees it.’
He demanded high fees that matched his skill, and he was also famous for turning down requests he didn’t like. ‘But unlike his usual behavior, he has a principle of never stabbing his client in the back.’
“Just one more question. Why are you trying to adopt Asura Hound puppies?”
‘As expected, Lee Si-woo doesn’t hand them over easily. He’s trying to figure out if I’m really Kim Chul.’
Kim Ganghan answered calmly, “Soon the pet system is being added to Horizon, right? It’s going to be a little different. Companion update, I think.”
“How do you know…?”
“A client works in the related industry. That’s what I received as payment.”
‘He’s definitely Kim Chul.’
Lee Si-woo closed his eyes. “Good. The information and identity seem solid.”
“So you accept the proposal?”
“Asura Hound adoption… It’s a shame, but I’ll give you one.”
“If you could make it a black one, that would be perfect.”
“Oh, just a moment.”
Lee Si-woo raised a hand. The secretary came back. “Upon checking, the relic excavation will cost at least fifty billion won.”
“That means…”
“When I calculated the profit from excavating the dungeon, it probably won’t even reach three billion. That’s what I mean.”
Real estate prices varied depending on whether the land was in Gangnam, Gangbuk, had good schools, or avoided certain facilities. Development could be difficult, and conditions could change with surrounding quests. “Still, a promise is a promise. I’ll give you the Asura Hound puppy as compensation for the loss. Here.”
“Yes.”
One well-dressed man brought a cage. Inside, a puppy with its right front leg missing crouched. “This is the promised Asura Hound puppy.”
Kim Ganghan’s eyes sharpened. ‘With the information received, there’s nothing to regret. He calculated that the loss would be minimized.’
Reducing losses for Ohsung Group’s royal family was as natural as breathing. “I remember the first promise was for a black one…”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t afford more loss than that. If you don’t like it, we can forget it.”
Since the information was already out, backing out would only hurt Kim Ganghan’s side. He had received dungeon information and given half a dog. A thoroughly rational conclusion. ‘He’ll think that…’
“It seems you accept. Then we’ll be going. Everyone, let’s go.”
“Yes.”
When there was no reply, Lee Si-woo nodded and stood up first. The suited subordinates followed. Kim Ganghan sat there without a word until their backs disappeared. “Whew…”
As the coffee gradually cooled, Kim Ganghan picked up the cake from Lee Si-woo’s plate and smiled. ‘But it won’t go exactly your way.’
Lee Si-woo was an enemy that needed to be brought down anyway. He could focus on Flush, but hurting him on the side was always welcome. ‘He probably doesn’t think that.’
He would surely think he got a hidden dungeon for a cheap price and made a huge profit. It wasn’t a lie. In the novel, excavating that relic would definitely yield profit. ‘Now think of me as the fool. We’ll enjoy whatever’s in that dungeon later.’
Kim Ganghan grinned. A massive relic and powerful hidden pieces scattered across an ancient dungeon. The reason he was handing it over to the Five Star Guild, who would become his enemy someday, was simple and clear. The dungeon of Pacifia. In the novel it was the place where the “curse” that even the OP protagonist Flush suffered lived.