Chapter 130
Chapter 130
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: The Fire at the Auction House
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I bolted out of the museum with Ares and Jeongwoo in tow.
The operations officer’s body modification was complete—what the hell did that mean?
And I couldn’t wrap my head around how a mere sub-NPC had altered the story’s flow.
Boom!
Another explosion rocked the air.
Glancing around, I saw soldiers rushing toward the plume of smoke.
“That way…”
“Kim Cheonjae, isn’t that the auction house?”
“Yeah. It’s the only tall building around here…”
Had the auction house been attacked?
If so, why had the modification complete message come to me? This was a global server where players from around the world gathered.
Was it really because of me alone that something this huge had gone down?
“…Let’s go, Jeongwoo.”
“Hang on, you planning to head into a fight with gear like this?”
“Don’t need it. There’s no one in this game stronger than us anyway.”
“…Aren’t you being a bit too cocky?”
“With what?”
“We’re high-level, sure, but we’re not PK pros.”
“…”
“Back in the day, we only won the tournament by steamrolling with levels and items. Honestly, we’d struggle against real PK experts.”
I shrugged with a confident grin.
“Don’t worry, just follow me. No matter who shows up, we’ve got this guy.”
I patted Ares on the back as I said it. Jeongwoo gave him a quick once-over and nodded like he got it.
We sprinted at full speed, and soon the auction house building came into view, flames roaring up from it. The fire seemed confined to the lower floors, so the upper levels looked okay.
-Ice Bolt!
-Water Splash!
-Frozen Square!
Mages from all over the world unleashed water- and ice-attribute spells at the auction house.
But the blaze was so fierce that both types of magic evaporated almost instantly.
-There’s a fire mage inside. Everyone, stay sharp!
-No, who the hell’s doing this?!
Wooo-woo-woo-!
A siren wailed through the streets.
Goblin Unit soldiers in their masks arrived with three fire trucks and started blasting water from the big hoses. The mages kept spamming skills to help them out.
Despite everyone’s efforts, the flames refused to die down. They spread uncontrollably, growing bigger by the second. Overseas players visiting Daegyeong grew deeply worried.
If this place collapsed, they’d lose access to the unique materials and items only available at the auction house.
Warriors and mages would hit growth ceilings, stagnating in certain rounds—a nightmare scenario.
I quietly called out to Ares while watching the auction house burn.
“Ares, think you can handle that fire?”
“…You entrusting it to me?”
“Yeah.”
Ares emitted a blue aura from his body. It gathered in his eyes, scanning the auction house.
I crossed my arms and watched him silently.
After staring between the first and second floors for a while, Ares kicked off the ground and launched himself forward.
Whoosh!
His red cape fluttered behind him.
Players reflexively cleared a path. Ares burst into the auction house in one go and bellowed.
“You bastard!”
Thud!
The flames surged even higher. It looked like he’d clashed with someone inside, but the outcome was clear right away.
The roar died down soon after, and Ares walked out of the building. At the tip of his spear was a redheaded woman impaled.
Her ‘Sage’s Robe’—wearable only by those with the top mage class title—marked her as a player for sure.
Step. Step. Step. Step.
With each step Ares took, the flames shrank a little.
When he reached me, he dropped the mage from his spear tip.
“Handled.”
“…Good job.”
Her health bar wasn’t fully depleted yet. Soldiers and players crowded around me, clamoring.
I called over one of the Goblin Mask guys and asked him to control the area.
Once I revealed who I was, the soldiers spread out fast, holding back the players.
-Everyone, please take one step back!
Right there in front of all the watching players, I held a dagger to the mage’s throat and asked.
“Why’d you set the auction house on fire?”
“…”
No answer.
She turned her head away, signaling she had no interest in talking.
“I’ll ask again. This is your last chance—answer wisely. Why’d you torch the auction house?”
“…”
“Guess you wanna die.”
As I stood, she clutched her bleeding gut and shouted.
“You’re Kim Cheonjae, right?”
“…You know me?”
“Yeah. I’m one of the players who made it to the tenth round with you.”
“…Huh?”
“I jumped to the seventh round with you.”
I tilted my head, studying her face closely. No Korean players had a mage class—how?
“You went to the tenth round with me?”
“Yeah, your friend knows me. That big white-bearded hunk over there.”
The red mage pointed at Ma Jeongwoo. He approached like he recognized her and greeted her.
“Howdy.”
“You know me, right?”
“…Yeah. Didn’t know you were a mage, though. Weren’t you fighting with a sword back then?”
“Enchant Fire. I’m a magic swordsman.”
* * * * *
After calming the crowd, I took the mage and moved somewhere quieter. Arson at a public auction house used by tons of players was a major crime in-game.
If the soldiers had caught her, she’d rot in a system jail for a month.
If other players had nabbed her, she’d have been beaten to death.
“…So you didn’t start the fire—you were fighting some unknown enemy?”
The mage nodded.
“Yeah… No! Not unknown—it was an NPC.”
“NPC?”
“You know, that guy with the wide face, short stature, glasses—among the soldiers.”
“…You mean No Hyoman?”
“That’s him!”
I couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief. A mage with the Grand Sage title duking it out big-time with a support NPC.
Was it because of me that other players saw the operations officer as modified too?
“…He was strong?”
“Strong… I guess? My spells barely scratched him.”
“Why’d he attack you?”
“No idea! I was prepping for the auction when he jumped me out of nowhere.”
“Out of nowhere?”
“Yeah. Came at me like a rabid dog—someone’d think he was virus-infected.”
Virus-infected.
The puzzle pieces clicked together, forming a clear picture.
So the operations officer had modded himself into a zombie.
No clue what passed between Dr. Oh and him, but this was a worst-case scenario that could derail the main story big-time.
It was bound to happen eventually, but I thought it was too soon.
“…Sigh. So what happened to him?”
“Dunno. Your summon attacked me mid-fight.”
“…So he’s still inside the auction house?”
“Probably?”
I rested my chin in my hand, pondering.
My odds of losing to him were near zero.
With my skeleton legion that dominated even hell, plus strong allies like Gawain, Park Gyuhwan, and Ares.
Still, I hesitated to fight the operations officer. My fortune from the ruined village this morning had been downright awful.
As my expression hardened, Ma Jeongwoo asked cautiously.
“Kim Cheonjae.”
“Yeah?”
“Want me to handle him?”
“…No. Too dangerous for you alone.”
“Why? With this gear, I could take down a modded zombie easy.”
“It might not be just one.”
“…Huh?”
I asked the mage.
“Anyone besides No Hyoman?”
“…Probably.”
“Yeah? If Dr. Oh’s doing open mods, he’d run at least five at once.”
“Not sure about five, but I sensed others nearby with similar auras.”
“Nearby? Where?”
“…Up in the auction house.”
Up in the auction house?
That nailed the target. He was gunning for the VIP room on the top floor.
“What’s your name?”
“My name?”
“Yeah.”
“…Call me Lina.”
“Got it. You know mine?”
“Obviously. You’re Kim Cheonjae. That’s Ma Jeongwoo. No way I wouldn’t.”
I nodded.
“Guild?”
“Nope.”
“So you’re solo?”
“Yeah, had one, but it’s gone now.”
“…I get it.”
“What, you gonna invite me to yours?”
I shot it down flat.
“Nah.”
She looked disappointed.
“I that bad?”
“Not really. Our group’s just full.”
“Oh…”
Kim Yeonhee often looked bummed too, but she had skills for huge plays in future rounds.
Not essential, but
“Weapon Breaker” and “Armor Breaker”—powers that’d outshine any spell.
I tossed my spent cigarette on the ground and asked Lina.
“Heading to the auction house now to hunt modded zombies. You in?”
She beamed.
“Honor. But… my wounds aren’t healed yet.”
Her injury from Ares was deep—her gut soaked in blood.
Jeongwoo checked her, then pulled a “Recovery Capsule” from his robe pocket and handed it over.
Makes sense—with Michael around, no chance to use them.
“Was saving it, but it’s yours.”
Lina smirked at Ma Jeongwoo’s generosity.
“Isn’t this rare? Not even in shops.”
“Whatever, eat it and heal fast. We’re short on time—gotta move.”
“…”
Lina swallowed the capsule in one gulp. Ruby light swirled over her head, restoring her health.
Watching them, I thought.
Ma Jeongwoo, you like this girl, huh. Otherwise, no way he’d give up that capsule.
He hadn’t even used it when Kim Yeonhee was on death’s door.
I smirked at Jeongwoo.
He glanced over, frowning.
“Why the grin?”
“Nothing. Alright, we ready? Let’s hit the auction house. Too late and they might bolt.”
“…But can the three of us take five modded zombies?”
“Easy. Hey Lina, you handle that one mod zombie solo earlier, right?”
Fully healed, Lina dusted off her clothes and stood.
“Could take two.”