Decision
A special VVIP auction hall in the underground black market, where glamorous chandeliers instantly caught the eye.
Underneath the spotlight on the stage, the host dressed in a tuxedo pulled back the silk cloth with exaggerated gestures, revealing a silver necklace radiating a brilliant light in all its overwhelming majesty.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for waiting. Today's highlight, a monumental item that will completely flip the destiny of magic-type players. Fresh out of the Tower of Trials, a piping-hot rare grade item, the 'Sage's Necklace'!"
The host's thoroughly excited voice boomed across the entire venue.
"Don't be shocked. A whopping Magic Power plus 40 and Skill Level plus 2!! An unprecedented, legendary effect! The item that will become the hope of all magic-type players is right before your very eyes! Well, does it need any more explanation? Let's start the auction right now!"
At that moment, the glass windows of the 2nd-floor VIP rooms flashed as red numbers began climbing like crazy.
The most frantic room was the VIP room where representatives of the Japanese government had gathered.
"Win this auction no matter what it takes! The fate of our nation rests on this. Clearing the 61st floor of the Okinawa Tower depends on us! With that necklace, Player Suzuki can clear the 61st floor within a month!"
In the room opposite them, the representative from the American side was manipulating a panel with a relaxed expression.
"Magic Power plus 40 and Skill Level plus 2? This is a splendid sample that our homeland's technical research institute would covet for analysis. Even if we spend big money, there's no way we'll lose out. 10 billion."
The Sage's Necklace, which had been lowballed for a mere 500 million at the Management Bureau's Trading Center, had already blown past the 10-billion-won mark.
And...
Unable to just sit back and watch, the purchasing team from the Republic of Korea Player Management Bureau also joined the auction anonymously.
"A special budget of 20 billion was allocated solely for Hunter Jeong Eunchae. That's how serious the government is about the Bureau's next-generation ace. We win this auction no matter what. 15.2 billion. Press it."
It was right when the venue was overheating as bid prices surged sky-high.
Someone in an anonymous participant seat turned on their speaker and requested permission to speak.
Although it claimed to be anonymous, everyone knew that the Japanese representatives were the ones betting from that seat.
"Wait! I would like to bid on the 'rental rights' of that item, not its 'ownership'! 10 billion for a 1-month rental, making it a total of 20 billion for a 2-month rental fee!"
In an instant, the venue became as silent as if cold water had been poured over it. 20 billion for a mere two-month rental, not even a permanent purchase? It was a daring bet that completely shattered common sense.
As the representatives from the American side and the Korean Player Management Bureau pulled their hands back from the buttons in shock, the host shouted with an excited expression.
"20 billion for a 2-month rental! Is there anyone offering better terms? If not, we will proceed with the countdown. Here we go: three, two, one!!! Sold. The Sage's Necklace has been sold for a 2-month rental fee of 20 billion!!"
It happened in a flash.
Unlike official large-scale exchanges, it was a ridiculous result born thanks to the black market auction system that stimulated greed and desperation.
Amidst this crazy battle of speed, it was only natural that a rigid system—which required submitting reports and receiving sign-offs before spending budget—could not win.
The American side, having lost a good analytical sample, merely smacked their lips in regret, but the situation for the Korean Bureau's purchasing team was entirely different.
"Haa... 20 billion just for the rental fee...? Are they fucking insane?"
"They told us to get it no matter what, so what do we do now...?"
"What do you mean, 'what do we do'? It was over before we could even make a move."
"Sigh... I really don't want to go back..."
"If they had done things properly when he came to request an appraisal at the Bureau in the first place, none of this would have happened!"
"What's the point of bringing up past stuff now?"
Stunned into despair, they now even began to turn on each other in infighting.
At the same time, in the office of Director Kim of the Player Management Bureau.
"What did you say? You failed to win the auction?"
At Director Kim's thunderous roar, the Trading Center Director stared blankly at the floor with a pale face.
"I-I'm sorry... There was nothing we could do with a 20-billion budget. Those Japanese bastards went completely crazy and called 20 billion just for rental fees, so..."
"You pathetic fool! If you had just given a proper appraisal price from the beginning, Center Director, things wouldn't have turned out like this!"
The Center Director couldn't offer any answer, but a feeling of injustice welled up inside him.
The fact that the Bureau's budget allocation method was incredibly stingy was a problem everyone in the center knew about.
That's why lowballing whoever came in had become a tradition of sorts. Seeing how the higher-ups—who hadn't offered a single word of praise when he drove down magic stone market prices or bought items dirt cheap—were now trying to blame everything on him made him feel extremely wronged.
Whether he knew of the Center Director's unfair feelings or not, as Director Kim grabbed the back of his neck and huffed in rage, Section Chief Choi—whose dark circles reached down to his chin from staying up for days—cautiously opened the door and walked in.
"D-Director... I have something to report regarding the identity of the 25th-floor SS-rank clearer..."
Section Chief Choi had concluded that coming clean about his conjecture as soon as possible was the only way to avoid an even larger disaster later.
"You found them?! Where the hell did this guy suddenly pop up from? Weren't all the promising players contracted with us?"
"That is... It seems that clearer is... Player Kang Seojin."
Silence.
Director Kim's jaw dropped.
"What? The Kang Seojin who pressed the button last week?"
As Section Chief Choi reluctantly nodded, Director Kim's pupils trembled frantically as if experiencing an earthquake.
"I know his stats went up because he pressed the button. But that guy originally— Ah!"
Only then did the same thought as Section Chief Choi's pop into Director Kim's head.
Kang Seojin.
He was also the guy who had brought the Sage's Necklace.
Just like when he brought the Stone of Time 5 years ago, the timing was far too exquisite to think he was just a guy with good item luck.
"Considering that what Kang Seojin was clearing before pressing the button was the 24th floor, and a global announcement popped up the day after he pressed the button, we can estimate that he cleared the tower two days in a row and received SS-rank—"
"Why are you only telling me this now!"
Director Kim's voice was now hoarse from shouting so much.
However, Director Kim was the one who had personally gone down to the site to offer words of encouragement when Kang Seojin pressed the button.
Even if it was merely a formal courtesy, Director Kim had definitely been right there.
Even if it made sense that as a high-ranking executive he didn't know every single detail about every player like Section Chief Choi did...
It was only right that Director Kim should have suspected to some extent what Section Chief Choi deduced.
It was a situation where he had to blame his own incompetent self as well.
"However! It is strictly my speculation! It could be an unregistered player hiding somewhere instead of that guy, Kang Seojin... And even if it is Kang Seojin, isn't the 25th floor low-tier? He might have just gotten lucky clearing a low floor once thanks to the button power-up. This might not be something we need to worry about to this extent."
Section Chief Choi's voice was filled with hopeful wishing.
"Isn't an SS-rank clear itself unprecedented in our country, no, in the entire world?"
No matter how hard they tried to deny it...
No matter how much wishful thinking they spun...
Thinking rationally, they were utterly fucked.
It was clear for one that they had sliced open the belly of the goose that laid golden eggs...
And perhaps the person the Bureau should focus on taking care of even more than current rank number one Player Kang Taeseok or the diligently growing Player Jeong Eunchae was Kang Seojin.
"I say this again, but it's just one floor, Director-nim. One floor! Do you know how much manpower and budget our Bureau wasted on that guy? When he brought the Stone of Time, we thought he showed some promise and invested so heavily, didn't we? But that guy betrayed our expectations for 5 long years. This time could also be just a coincidence. He's a guy with damn absurd luck! Well, seeing that he brought the Sage's Necklace this time, he might bring something else in another 5 years or so. But just because we feel a bit regretful about losing that doesn't mean we have any reason to cling to him—"
Bang!
Not only did the Director's office door burst open without a knock, but it opened with a loud sound, startling Director Kim, the Center Director, and Section Chief Choi.
As if she had resolved to break down the door...
The person who barged in aggressively was a very young employee, and skipping any greeting, she blurted out her business immediately.
"The global announcement for the 26th-floor SS-rank clear just popped up!!"
"...Haa."
As if he lacked even the strength to be shocked, Director Kim pressed a hand against his forehead.
"What the fuck... What is this even..."
Forgetting that Director Kim was right in front of him, Section Chief Choi unwittingly blurted out curses.
"Why the hell was he only screwing up when he belonged to the Bureau, and now he's pulling this shit?!"
Director Kim offered no answer to Section Chief Choi's muttering.
But soon after,
"Get him to sign a new contract."
"Director-nim?"
"Ah... No... Let's go together. I should go, too."
Never in the history of the Player Management Bureau had the Director personally moved to sign a contract with a mere individual player.
However,
Director Kim accurately grasped the severity of the situation that much.
If by any slim chance,
Kang Seojin, who was still in the 20th floors, climbed up to the 60th floors and became a player attracting the entire nation's attention...
The Bureau's pathetic conduct could be exposed to the entire nation.