The Auction (1)
The whole world was in an uproar. Every news channel and online community was boiling over with the same topic: a B-class monster had been cleared.
C-class monsters were difficult, but they were at least worth attempting. However, a B-class monster was on an entirely different level. A B-class was essentially a natural disaster. It was common practice to seal off a region and declare it a wasteland the moment a gate was identified as B-grade.
Until now, the only ones to successfully clear a B-grade gate were the Sorcerer Supreme and his raid team in the United States. And that wasn't a solo clear like Cheon Yooshin’s, but a feat achieved by the entire raid team. That alone had been enough to go down in history.
It was never revealed what monsters they encountered inside that gate or what they obtained. But this case was different. Everything had been laid bare. Through a YouTuber’s live broadcast, the scene of Cheon Yooshin taking down the Apocalyptor had been revealed to the entire world.
The decisive factor was this: even if a raid succeeded within a gate, hunters could bring out magic stones or other items, but they could never bring out the corpse itself. Yet this time, an auction for a B-class monster—something no one had ever been able to possess—was about to begin.
And then, secret messages from hunter powerhouses like the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and China flooded into the South Korean government.
[USA: We request priority negotiation rights for the B-class monster corpse. In exchange, we are willing to share our cutting-edge anti-monster defense system.]
[UK: We are preparing state-of-the-art research facilities and personnel. We propose a joint project for B-class monster research. Please consider stopping the auction and forming an exclusive partnership with us.]
[Japan: We wish to purchase a portion of the B-class monster corpse, specifically the heart. To this end, we are prepared to share our advanced monster detection technology and weapon systems.]
[China: ......]
“It’s the first time these powerhouses have been this submissive, Mr. President.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs handed over the report with an expression of disbelief. In international relations, there is always a clear relationship between the strong and the weak. As it had always been, South Korea had been firmly in the position of the weak in its dealings with them. But with this B-class monster clear, the landscape had completely shifted.
Everyone was coveting it. The corpse of the world’s first B-class monster.
President Cha shook his head after reading the documents the Minister handed him.
“The world is truly in a frenzy. Everyone is desperate.”
“That is correct, Mr. President. Isn’t this a golden opportunity to obtain the B-class monster’s corpse? It’s also a chance for us to gain political leverage. This includes China and Japan, who recently imposed economic sanctions on us. We could teach them a lesson this time...”
“Teach them a lesson? What are you talking about? We won’t be gaining any political leverage. This isn’t a matter we can decide.”
“Pardon?”
President Cha clicked his tongue.
“Do you still not get it? Yooshin clearly said he would put it up for auction. That means he won’t be entrusting it to the Hunter Management Department, as he did before.”
“Ah...”
“They shouldn’t be sending these requests to us; they should have sent them to Yooshin. And not with vague promises, but with bid amounts written in numbers.”
President Cha closed the report and stood up.
“Send them a reply. Tell them we have no authority whatsoever, and if they want to participate in this bid, they need to contact Yooshin directly.”
The reply was sent out quickly. And news of this contact reached Cheon Yooshin’s ears as well.
“I clearly said to present a price, didn’t I? So why are they talking to the government about it?”
Cheon Yooshin looked at Park Hae-soo while sipping his orange juice.
“I suppose they find it more comfortable to talk to the government than to you, Yooshin.”
“No, why? Isn’t it usually more comfortable to talk to an individual than the government?”
The problem was that he wasn’t just an “ordinary individual.” Park Hae-soo understood their position. They would find government-to-government dialogue much more comfortable. Cheon Yooshin was like a rubber ball that could bounce in any direction at any time.
“Was what I said that hard to understand? I guess I need to make it clear. I’m going to use the computer.”
“Pardon?”
Cheon Yooshin didn’t answer Park Hae-soo’s question and started messing with the computer. The place he accessed was HunterNet. He typed on the keyboard with practiced ease. And not long after, HunterNet became noisy.
At first, members thought it was a prank. The content of the post stated that the method of selling the Apocalyptor corpse would be changed for all governments around the world.
HunterNet’s nicknames were strictly operated under a real-name system. However, the author’s nickname was unusual.
The content of the post was simple.
[Changing the sale method. I’ll be holding a public auction at the auction house in one week. The auction location is the Hunter Management Department. I’ll notify you of the specific schedule on the day of, so if you’re interested in the Apocalyptor, come to Korea and wait.]
Team Leader Park Hae-soo also checked the post.
“Are you going to do it at the Hunter Management Department? How do you plan on doing that?”
Yooshin grinned.
“How? Just prepare it for me.”
Park Hae-soo’s expression went blank for a moment.
“...Pardon? Prepare what?”
“You saw it, right? I’m just going to go ahead with a public auction, so please take care of the venue and the auctioneer.”
“No, why am I the one...”
It was true that his job was to support hunters. But wasn’t Hunter Cheon Yooshin disposing of his own private property? Even without this, the line between private and public work regarding Cheon Yooshin had been blurring lately. It was natural given his influence, but he was sleep-deprived, his immunity was down, and he was sick every day.
‘I need to draw a line this time.’
He wasn’t just a secretary for a single hunter. There were too many tasks stemming from Cheon Yooshin. But before Park Hae-soo could open his mouth, Cheon Yooshin spoke faster.
“Ah! You can take 1% of the proceeds from this auction, Team Leader. You go through a lot of trouble because of me, so I should at least take care of you this much.”
At his words, Park Hae-soo nodded vigorously.
“I will handle all the administrative procedures required for this auction, so you don’t need to worry about a thing, Yooshin! Just leave it to me!”
1 percent. The expected estimated value of the Apocalyptor was in the trillions of won. Even if he estimated it at a minimum of 1 trillion, just what was 1% of that...?
He could sleep later. After he died. No. Should he just resign?
***
The next day. The VIP arrival hall at Incheon International Airport. A tension different from usual hung in the air. Countless reporters and cameramen were aiming their lenses at the exit in unison.
How much time had passed? The translucent glass doors opened, and people began to emerge.
“They’re out!”
“Whoa! That’s really Sir Edward?!”
“I can’t believe I’m seeing him in person.”
The reporters were astonished. They couldn’t believe he had actually come to Korea. It was because he was Edward, the head of the UK Hunter Management Department. Generally, the head of the Hunter Management Department was a civilian. Of course, it wasn’t just any ordinary person who sat in that seat. People with immense political influence occupied it. But Edward was different. He was widely known in the international community as both a noble and a top-tier hunter.
Edward, who appeared, looked dignified despite being in his mid-50s. Dressed in a perfectly fitted dark black suit, he exuded the composure and presence of a powerful man who had reigned for a long time.
“Sir Edward! Is the purpose of this visit truly for the public auction of the Apocalyptor?”
“The US, Japan, and China are also planning to visit. Have you prepared enough budget?”
A barrage of questions from reporters poured in. Edward, who had been walking silently, suddenly stopped and answered.
“No matter how much it costs, we will be the ones to take the Apocalyptor corpse, which is the auction item this time.”
The reporters were even more enthusiastic at his confident answer, but Sir Edward left the airport silently without any further response.
Starting with the UK, it wasn’t long before the hunter powerhouses began to arrive one by one. Each country was accompanied by a significant number of working-level staff, but the eyes of the reporters and onlookers filling the airport were focused solely on the heads of each country’s Hunter Management Department.
Director James of the United States remained tight-lipped and left despite the reporters’ questions, and Sergey, the head of Russia’s Hunter Management Department, left the airport after a brief comment: “The owner of the Apocalyptor corpse will be us.”
***
One week later.
The sharp gazes of the heads of the Hunter Management Departments gathered from all over the world were scanning the interior of the auction hall. They didn’t have direct conversations with each other, but everyone knew who the others were.
James, the Director of the US National Security Agency. Edward, the head of the UK Hunter Management Department. Sergey, the head of Russia’s Hunter Management Department. Sophia, the Director of France’s Defense Intelligence Agency. Hiroshi, the Japanese Minister of Defense. Chen Yong, the Chinese Director of Defense Intelligence, and so on.
There were heads of over 20 countries. Their faces were overflowing with confidence, and their eyes were certain of victory, thinking of the budget they had been approved for while coming here.
That was when it happened. The lights turned on in one spot. An auctioneer in a black suit appeared.
“It is an honor to meet such prominent figures. I will keep the introductions brief. Now, let’s take a look at today’s auction item!”
As he snapped his fingers, a photo was displayed on the giant white screen installed in the front. The auction hall froze for a moment. Even though it was the corpse of the Apocalyptor, the presence conveyed through the photo on the screen made the mouths of the heads of each country drop open.
“Incredible.”
“So that’s what they caught.”
“We must secure it.”
“With this opportunity, I will definitely make us a hunter powerhouse.”
While each of them was making a vow to secure the corpse in front of them, the auctioneer smiled and said.
“Since you have all come from all over the world, we must decide on the currency. The currency will be in Korean Won.”
“Korean Won?”
“Wouldn’t it be more comfortable to use dollars?”
“More than half of the countries participating here use the dollar as their currency. So, why don’t we unify it with dollars so there’s no confusion?”
The heads attending the auction shouted. The dollar is one of the most widely used reserve currencies in the world. So their reaction was understandable.
However, the auctioneer shook his head firmly.
“I would like to do that too, but the owner of the auction item prefers Korean Won over dollars.”
Then, as if they hadn’t been noisy a moment ago, their mouths shut tight. The auctioneer continued calmly.
“Do not worry. We have built a system on the tablets at each of your seats that instantly converts each country’s currency into Korean Won, so there will be no major difficulty in bidding. Now, since time is money for all of you in attendance, we will begin the auction immediately. The starting price is 500 billion won.”
The auction had finally begun. The attendees checked each other’s expressions, keeping each other in check. Chen Yong of China raised his hand first.
“600 billion.”
Then Hiroshi of Japan raised his hand immediately.
“700 billion.”
The auction hall instantly turned into a battlefield where astronomical amounts of money were flying back and forth.
“750 billion!”
“800 billion!”
“850 billion!”
“900 billion!”
Russia, UK, France, Japan, China... Every country in attendance was desperate to take possession of the precious research material.
That was when it happened.
“1.5 trillion.”
For a moment, everyone’s gaze focused on one place. It was James, the US Director of Homeland Security. A smile of victory was hanging on his lips.
‘Follow me if you can.’
The budget he was approved for while coming here was a whopping 1.5 billion dollars. In Korean Won, that was 2 trillion. Director James mocked them inwardly.
‘Hmph, it won’t even need to go up to 2 trillion.’
Was it because he had raised the bid amount by half in one go? Russia frowned. China’s face turned red. The UK bit its lip and shook its head, uncharacteristically. But the common emotion appearing on their faces was frustration.
They all must have come thinking up to 1 trillion. In fact, this was all a strategy that the United States had thoroughly calculated and prepared. The National Security Agency had immense authority for the sake of national security. And as much as that authority, their capabilities were excellent. They had calculated the financial situation of each country attending the auction.
“1.5 trillion won, is there no higher bid?”
James’s smile deepened with the certainty of victory.
‘I won.’
That was when it happened.
With the sound of the door opening, a firm voice cut through the air.
“3 trillion.”
Clatter!
James stood up in a hurry, and his chair fell over. His face turned pale in an instant.
‘Damn it, I can’t believe that person came.’
Every gaze turned toward the door.