No Matter How Many Times I Denied It...
No matter how many times he denied it, the way she kept pressing made one thing unmistakable. She was certain.
Yujun tensed.
How did she know?
Was it Behemoth's Blood? Precious few people understood how that item was used. Few—but not only him. HongdaePaepleJosop knew, and so did Joseon's Greatest Sword. So why was she looking at him?
Has she already eliminated everyone else and settled on me?
Do Jiyun was all too likely to know the others' identities already. Yujun let out a sigh. Lying any further would be pointless.
"How did you know?"
"...That's a surprise. Honorifics, all of a sudden."
"Want me to go back to speaking casually?"
"N-no. It's just a little awkward, that's all."
"Good to see you. It's been a while."
"Yeah. It has."
"This is the first time you've heard my voice, isn't it?"
"Right. We never did voice chat or anything like that."
Yujun decided to ask what he actually wanted to know.
"So how did you know it was me? Behemoth's Blood?"
"That was a hint. But it wasn't enough on its own to make me sure."
"Then what was?"
"The atmosphere."
"......"
"I just had a feeling. That you were No-Pay Casual Gamer."
"You're lying."
"I'm serious. When have you ever seen me lie?"
"I do remember things from five years ago, you know. And I'm pretty sure you lied all the time."
"Th-that was because I was young back then."
"And how old are you now?"
The eyes visible through Do Jiyun's mask went sharp.
"Are you asking a woman her age?"
"......"
Fair enough. They had gamed together for nearly five years, and another five had passed since then. She had every reason to bristle.
"Well, I'm not exactly young myself."
"How old are you?"
"Hmm. Still in my early twenties."
He had simply decided those five years didn't count. He was already speaking casually with Kim Heeyeon, and she was twenty-two.
"...What? You were that young? I don't think you were. Ah—first, let's exchange messengers."
At that, Yujun shook his head.
"I don't think I can."
"Why not?"
"Revealing my identity right now would be a little inconvenient."
Coordination was already on his trail. Nothing good would come of word getting out that he was No-Pay Casual Gamer.
"Fine. Then contact me through a Vision Orb."
"A Vision Orb. Now that you mention it, that would work."
Do Jiyun handed him a Vision Orb the size of a basketball.
"You can reach me with this."
"Right."
"You know you have to keep feeding it mana, yes?"
"Obviously."
"Ah, the auction's about to start. No-Pay Casual Ga— no. Sir Wandering Knight, what brings you here today?"
"What else would I be doing? Sell items, and if I make money, spend it."
"Didn't you make a fortune last time, selling that Legendary shield?"
"Didn't feel like it would be enough."
"True. Today, it might not be."
"Same for you, Rabbit Queen?"
The corner of Do Jiyun's mouth lifted.
"Yes. And I think I'll win today. I brought quite a lot. Points."
"I'll look forward to that."
"Oh my, look at the time... The auction's about to begin. I should hurry."
"I've got somewhere to stop by first."
"Then I'll see you in the auction hall."
"Yeah."
"Ah, one moment. Sir Wandering Knight."
"......?"
"So—are you going to join the guild?"
"I'll think about it. Probably not, though."
"......I thought as much."
Do Jiyun left with regret written across her face.
Yujun went to the building where Yoric was waiting.
"You've arrived."
"Yeah. Should I hand the items over now?"
"I would be most grateful if you did."
Yujun passed him the Helm of Radiance and the Dagger That Craves Blood.
Together they headed for the auction hall. A great many people were already in their seats, though there was still, fortunately, room among the sellers. He had heard the Black Market itself was putting up no small number of items this time, which explained why the sellers were few.
So the rest of them came just to look.
This auction was shaping up to be no small affair.
"Now, regarding what we discussed earlier..."
"Yes."
Yoric must have tipped them off in advance, because the auctioneer accepted Yujun's two items as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"These are the ones to be run at the very end, correct?"
Yoric nodded.
"That's right. Please handle them with care."
"Of course."
"Hold on."
Yujun stepped in between them.
"Yes?"
"Can't you start those as soon as possible?"
"You mean these items?"
"Yeah."
"May I ask why?"
"I need the points."
"But holding them until the end would have far more impact..."
"What's the point of putting them up after everyone's already spent their money?"
"Understood. Then I'll offer them as the first item."
"You can do that?"
"The first item was to be one of the Black Market's own in any case. For a piece of this caliber, I judged that first or last is best. Will that be acceptable?"
"Yeah. I like it."
"One moment. I have an even better idea."
This time it was Yoric. A flicker of irritation crossed the auctioneer's face.
"What if we schedule the Helm of Radiance first, and have the Dagger That Craves Blood appear at the very end?"
"Hmm... not bad. No—excellent."
"Then that's how we'll do it."
"Understood. I'll take my leave."
Afraid someone might change their mind again, the auctioneer beat a hasty retreat. The two Legendary items were transferred into a box draped in black cloth.
Figures. Good merchandise comes with privileges.
Freshly reminded of one of the world's truths, Yujun made his way to the sellers' seats. Yoric took the assistant's seat beside him once more, and next to Yoric sat one more familiar face.
"Sir Wandering Knight! We meet again."
It was Do Jiyun. The Wandering Knight answered with a silent nod. On any other day they might have greeted each other warmly, but too many eyes were watching, and Do Jiyun seemed to understand as much. She said nothing more.
Then the auction began.
"Now then, the first item. Would the seller please come up to the platform."
Yujun and Yoric shot to their feet. Every gaze in the hall locked onto the two of them.
"That guy! Isn't that the one from last time?"
"Ah—the Wandering Knight?"
"Pretty sure that's the player who sold the Legendary shield."
"If he got the first slot, he brought another good item, didn't he?"
"We'll see soon enough."
Yoric lifted the Legendary item, the Helm of Radiance, in both hands.
"I shall share the information. I ask that you all open your eyes properly and confirm the item's options."
He said it with a smile tucked at the corner of his mouth—words chosen to stoke the players' anticipation.
◈ Equip Restriction: Lv. 460 or higher
◈ Defense: 3,890
◈ Option: Effects of Healing-related abilities increased by 110%.
◈ Option: All buff effects increased by 120%.
The options of the first auction item were laid bare for everyone.
"......"
"Whoa. What?"
"Level 460 armor? And it's Legendary."
"...No. Forget all that and look at the options. Percentage increases, and the numbers are absurd. That's an item for healers and enchanters."
The hall erupted in an instant. The Helm of Radiance demanded a high level to equip, and its defense was more than respectable. On top of that, it carried two percentage-boost options. Of course it was going to cause a scene.
"One hundred million points!"
A fortune, right from the opening bid. With this many people in the auction, the scale of the numbers was on another level entirely.
"Two hundred million!"
"Five hundred million!"
"A-are you insane? Why is the price climbing like this?"
"Something's off today."
"A bunch of tycoons showed up. Let's just watch."
Five hundred million points was no small sum. It was more than an ordinary player could scrape together in a lifetime, and as the price climbed, people began dropping out early.
"Damn it. An item like that shows up and you still can't even enjoy it. The ones who already have money walk off with everything anyway."
"I knew it'd turn out like this, so I only came to watch. Spending money in a place like this feels like a waste. Anything that hits the auction floor comes with a markup. Even if you've got the money, you hesitate to buy."
"You're full of it. Don't you only have five hundred thousand points?"
"...Hey. Don't say that. It's embarrassing."
Even so, the auction rolled on.
"Seven hundred and fifty million!"
"My, my. I never imagined the price would climb this high before I could even explain the item in detail."
Yoric murmured it to Yujun, who nodded with a satisfied smile.
"How high do you think it'll go?"
"Hmm. Around one and a half billion points, I should think."
"Only that much?"
"In truth, even one and a half billion is a sum that has appeared in this hall only a handful of times."
"Then shouldn't it go higher? You said a lot of rich people came."
"Even so, there is a limit to such sums. Someone with a great many points is usually running a business, and they can hardly be sitting on every coin that business earns."
"You mean they pour it back into investment, so the cash isn't there? That what you're saying?"
"Yes. Not that they truly lack points. Merely holding over a billion is tremendous in itself."
"Is it?"
"You may find it difficult to gauge, Sir Wandering Knight, because the item you brought last time was exceptionally fine. Even a billion is a jackpot. The average price of Legendary items runs from about five hundred million to a billion."
"Do Legendary items come up often?"
"Now and then. Their options were never outstanding, so they never became much of a sensation. Good Legendary items, as you might expect, are ones players are reluctant to sell."
"Why's that?"
"Because an item is power itself. No one knows when or how a piece sold here might be used, and people usually sell only to their own guildmates."
"Ah. So that's how it is."
He understood at once. If you were thinking of strengthening a guild, trading and selling only among your own was plainly the efficient choice.
"One billion!"
In the meantime the price had climbed to a billion points, and it did not stop there.
"One billion twenty million!"
"One billion forty million!"
A full six people were still competing. At least six people in this hall held more than a billion points. Yujun let out a hollow laugh.
So those are the heads of massive organizations...
At a glance they looked like perfectly ordinary players. You really couldn't tell from the outside.
Just as Yoric had predicted, the Helm of Radiance shot up to one and a half billion.
"One billion five hundred and forty million!"
"......"
"Anyone else?"
"......"
"......"
In the end it sold for 1,540,000,000 points.
"Congratulations!"
Yujun received the points on the spot—the sum minus a ten percent fee. 1,386,000,000 points, and his mood grew rich all on its own. He could see the player who had won the Legendary item smiling.
Must have a high-grade Healing skill.
For a healer, there probably wasn't a better piece than that.
Afterward the auction continued without a pause.
"You aren't bidding?"
Yoric asked. Yujun let out a short laugh.
"There has to be something I want."
"I would have thought there were quite a few fine pieces. Two more Legendary items have already come up."
"Not for me."
Yujun cared only for consumables. So far, though, nothing but equipment had taken the stage, and no matter how wide he opened his eyes, he couldn't find a single consumable among them. Few consumables were ever good enough to reach a Black Market auction in the first place.
And then, in that very moment—