Raid on the Black Auction
The pre-dawn air outside the Hunter Dormitory behind the mask was brutally cold. But the purple mana coursing through my veins burned hotter than ever, surging wildly. As I walked, reviewing the "space grain" Kang Geom had taught me yesterday, I soon found myself in the shadows near the academy's main gate, where even the streetlamp light couldn't reach.
"You're here. Was about to leave without you."
Kang Geom, leaning against the wall, adjusted the greatsword on his back. He glanced over my face, then pulled a grotesque silver mask from his coat and tossed it to me.
"Old man Lee Si-an sent it. It's got 'perception interference' built in—wear it. No point getting spotted by Seongjin goons."
As I donned the mask, a chill mana enveloped my face, blurring the contours of my features. But Iris emerged languidly from my shadow, snorted derisively, and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Master, if you rely on that toy alone, they'll nab you at the door. Seongjin Group's security magic arrays use high-end detectors powered by special mana crystals."
She prodded my chest with her materialized finger.
"I'll wrap Master's mana waves in a thin space membrane. Make you look like a non-awakener... no, just a common street pebble."
Iris's Authority: Space Hiding
In an instant, the mana aura cloaking my body vanished like a lie. Even Kang Geom narrowed his eyes, staring at me in wonder.
"Ho, that spirit's got some real skill. Can't sense a thing. Alright, let's move."
In the heart of Gangnam, at the Seongjin Group's seven-star hotel "Astell". After passing through the opulent lobby, we boarded the VIP elevator. Kang Geom pressed the bloodstained security badge he'd shown me yesterday against the terminal.
Authenticated. Moving to Basement Level 7.
The moment the elevator stopped and the doors opened, an air utterly unlike the surface stabbed into my lungs. Gilded walls and dazzling chandeliers. But the undercurrent beneath was repulsively foul.
The auction hall was already packed with hundreds of tycoons and hunters. Hidden behind masks, they sipped wine, eyes gleaming with anticipation for today's "merchandise."
Following the usher's lead, Kang Geom and I took seats in the back row.
"Ladies and gentlemen! We've kept you waiting!"
The auctioneer in a red tuxedo spread his arms dramatically on the platform.
"Our first item today: a mana amplification potion for B-rank hunters, secretly refined at Seongjin Group's labs! Side effects under just 1%!"
Bidding buttons were slammed frantically. The price skyrocketed into the tens of billions in moments.
I clenched my fist watching the frenzy. That potion's formula... it had to be a twisted perversion of my parents' lifelong "mana circulation theory." Their noble devotion, offered for the world's sake, reduced to playthings for the filthy rich.
Rage made my fingertips tremble faintly.
"Calm down, Do Jae-hyun. We're barely at the entrance."
Kang Geom's low voice reached me. I took a deep breath, sharpening my senses.
As the auction hit its midpoint, the auctioneer's voice rose another pitch.
"Next up is something truly special. The last of its bloodline, captured alive from the Northern European dungeon 'Blacksmith's Tomb'! Dwarf blacksmith, Grom!"
A steel cage slowly rose onto the platform. A small, burly man with his head bowed, mana-suppressing restraints embedded in his body. His hands, callused from countless hammer strikes, were now just spectacle on display.
Master, look at that dwarf. I see a blazing flame in his chest core. He's got the "Essence of Fire". He can refine the metals for my subspace later. Secure him at all costs.
Confidence rang in Iris's voice. I met Grom's eyes. They were vacant, devoid of any hope.
Then a familiar face appeared on the massive screen.
Seongjin Group, Executive Director Lee Kang-jin
Participating via video feed, he smirked arrogantly. His eyes, hungry to solidify his claim as Seongjin's next heir, burned with greed.
"That dwarf's going straight to Seongjin's exclusive forge. 10 billion bid."
The moment Executive Director Lee Kang-jin's voice echoed, my eyes ignited with deep purple light.
Not content with murdering my parents and stealing their research—now turning living beings into Seongjin accessories.
"Kang Geom, where's the logbook?"
"In the 'relic box' coming up soon. That's why that bastard Lee Kang-jin hosted this auction. To erase his dirty secrets for good."
Finally, the auctioneer brought out a dusty old box.
"The final legacy of Seongjin Group's former chief researchers, the married couple... their secret research logbook!"
Lee Kang-jin's eyes flashed. To him, that log was the final evidence to bury his sins—and the key to greater power.
Utterly confident of victory, he spoke leisurely.
"I'll take that too. 20 billion."
The auctioneer's gavel sliced the air.
Thud—!
In that instant, Kang Geom and I exchanged glances. He grinned, drawing the black greatsword from his back.
"Hey, Do Jae-hyun. Time to put yesterday's lesson to use."
I rose, extending my hand toward the platform. The perception interference mask shattered like glass in response to my purple mana.
"Iris, lock coordinates."
Approved. Coordinates locked. Master, cut them down!
I recalled that smooth "grain" I'd felt slicing the desk in the dormitory yesterday. The air in the lavish auction hall cracked into shards.
Space was no longer invisible air. Before my eyes, countless thin glass panes overlapped in perfect clarity—the "grain."
Schwick—!
The space between platform and seats twisted along a purple line. Before security could rush in, I wrenched the coordinates of Grom's cage wholesale toward me.
Thud—!
The cage crashed at my feet, plunging the auction into chaos.
"Intruders! Grab them!"
Kang Geom leaped onto the platform, his greatsword snatching the logbook box. Elite security awakeners tried to block him, but his sword aura tore space gaps, scattering them like fallen leaves.
Lee Kang-jin's face twisted in rage on the screen. I ripped off the mask entirely and stared him down coldly.
"Lee Kang-jin, what you bought wasn't the logbook... it was your grave."
"Do Jae-hyun... how the hell did you get here?! Security! Take that bastard's head now!"
His scream echoed through the hall. Dozens of security agents surrounded us, drawing mana-infused weapons.
Master, 3 o'clock pillar has concentrated mana conduction circuits. Slash it, and the defensive barrier will backflow and explode.
Following Iris's guidance, I focused mana at my fingertips. A crushing pressure, worlds apart from slicing the desk, bore down on my body. Veins strained to burst, but I swung through the air without hesitation.
"Space Slash!"
"Space Slash"
The purple slash tore through the air and pillar—not mere physical force, but severing the causality of space itself.
Kaboom—!
The auction hall's supporting magic array overloaded in a chain reaction, exploding into darkness amid screams and flames.
In the hellish chaos, I kicked open the cage door. Grom looked up at me with dazed eyes.
"Wh... who are you...?"
I extended a hand to the blood- and dust-smeared dwarf.
"Grab my hand if you wanna live! I'll get that hammer back in your grip."
A faint spark reignited in Grom's eyes—the forge master's fighting spirit. As he clasped my hand tight, I prepared a mass teleport with Iris's aid. A massive purple magic circle shimmered beneath our feet.
"Kang Geom! Cover me!"
"Got it—hurry up! They're swarming!"
Each swing of Kang Geom's greatsword whipped up black winds, repelling the approaching guards.
"Iris! Help calibrate the mass teleport."
Teleport tuning in progress. Coordinates locked. 4 entities confirmed. Hold on a bit longer, Master! Initiating transfer!
Vertigo hit as space-time warped. The magic circle glowed, disassembling our bodies and hurling them beyond.
In my fading consciousness, I glimpsed Seongjin Group's secret auction crumbling.
My parents' logbook. The dwarf blacksmith.
What I'd claimed today weren't mere objects. They were materials for the "true revenge"—to take Lee Kang-jin's head.
When the purple mist cleared, we'd arrived on a quiet forest path in the academy's rear mountain.
In my eyes, Seongjin Group's heart seemed to collapse. Now, the real war began.