Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Hephaestus's Hammer
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As soon as the words "180 billion" rang out, Han Se-yeon let out a sigh of relief.
When I entered another bid on the pad, her expression hardened once more.
[Number 18, 190 billion!]
I set the pad down and turned my gaze to Han Se-yeon.
"This is the last one. You don't have to worry anymore."
Even so, Han Se-yeon's face was filled with anxiety.
[Number 18, 190 billion! 190 billion! Highest bid 190 billion! No more bids?]
The auctioneer kept chanting "190 billion."
Han Se-yeon watched the proceedings with a tense face. At that moment, the auctioneer's expression shifted to one of surprise as he shouted loudly.
[Number 26! 200 billion! 200 billion!]
At those words, the tension drained from Han Se-yeon's face, and she leaned back in her chair.
I looked out at the auctioneer beyond the glass window and grinned.
Everything was going according to plan.
According to the original story, Jawoon had prepared 200 billion won for this auction.
Jawoon was targeting two items in this auction, but their top priority was the "Mana Core."
They had just used up all their money, so they would have to give up on the remaining item.
That meant the next auction item would be mine.
Jawoon's assigned underground auction room, number 26.
They had successfully won the item they wanted, but the mood in the room was far from good.
"Who the hell are those guys in number 18?"
Bert muttered in disbelief.
Jin scratched his head as well.
"Yeah, seriously. Who are they? That was nerve-wracking."
"No, seriously, what kind of idiot bids 190 billion on this worthless holy relic?"
The Mana Core.
A holy relic containing near-infinite mana, but with no effective way to utilize that infinite mana, it was one of the lower-value relics.
They had expected it to go for 80 billion.
But contrary to expectations, it had sold for over twice that—200 billion.
"Doesn't that seem fishy?"
"What does?"
"I mean, it was like they knew we had exactly 200 billion prepared and stopped at 190 billion."
"Probably just coincidence. Once the first digit changes, the psychological pressure shifts."
Bert sighed at Jin's words.
"Anyway, we nearly got killed by the people in this auction house."
"Yeah. We almost derailed the next plan."
"But at least we won it. Even if the expenditure was higher than expected."
Jin nodded.
Bert glanced at the auction item list and spoke up.
"So we're giving up on 'Hephaestus's Hammer' after all?"
"No choice. It's tempting, but not something we need right now."
"Tch. Still disappointing."
Hephaestus's Hammer.
A relic capable of restoring the lost mystical power to a broken item.
Among the many treasures Jawoon possessed, there were plenty of relics that had lost their mystical power, so they had been coveting it for a while.
As they felt that regret,
The auctioneer's voice rang out again.
[This next item is a relic! 'Hephaestus's Hammer'! It has the effect of repairing the lost mystical power in an item!]
"Oh? It's up."
[Starting at 20 billion!]
The auctioneer shouted loudly.
[Number 6, 25 billion!]
[Number 12, 30 billion! Number 2, 35 billion!]
Jin, who had been watching the auction, muttered quietly.
"Ugh. If we had the money, we could've thrown down 100 billion boldly and taken it."
"This is all because of those number 18 bastards. Seriously."
At that moment, Jin's pocket vibrated.
"Call from the others."
"Answer it."
Jin pulled out a round communication magic tool from his pocket and put it to his ear.
"Yeah, what's up?"
—Jin, how's the auction going?
"We got the Mana Core for now."
—How much?
"200 billion. Barely managed with all our funds."
—What? Isn't that too expensive? What about Hephaestus's Hammer?
"Have to give it up."
—Hmm, got it. So your schedule's done then?
"Yeah. We'll grab the Mana Core and head up right away."
—Okay. We're almost ready here too.
"Alright."
Click.
He hung up. Bert, who had been watching the call, asked.
"What'd they say?"
"They're all set."
"Good. Then let's go pick up the item right away."
"Yeah."
At that moment, the auctioneer's booming voice filled the room.
[Number 18, 90 billion! 90 billion! Highest bid 90 billion! No more bids?]
"......Number 18 again."
[5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Sold!]
"Tch."
The coveted item had gone to someone else.
He smacked his lips in regret.
Tap tap.
Then, a knocking sound came from behind.
—Number 26 member. Please follow us to collect your item.
"Here's your item."
"Thank you."
I took hold of the worn steel hammer.
Finally, I had obtained the item I wanted.
I had paid a whopping 90 billion for it, but I didn't feel even a hint of regret. Money could be earned anytime I wanted.
［Hephaestus's Hammer (Relic)］
Classification: Hammer
Description: Hammer used by the god of blacksmithing.
［Usage Effect］
►Mystical Repair
Restores the lost mystical power to a broken item.
*Cooldown: 30 days
*Cannot restore mystical power contained in holy relics.
Durability: SS
Hephaestus's Hammer.
A special item capable of repairing the lost mystical power in broken items.
It had the drawback of not being able to fix mystical power in holy relics, but holy relics rarely needed fixing in the first place, so it wasn't a major issue.
I wanted to examine it more, but I didn't have the luxury of time.
With the underground auction over, I needed to prepare for the next incident.
Pretending to put Hephaestus's Hammer into a pre-prepared bag, I stored it in my subspace.
"That's everything now, right?"
A voice came from behind. I turned to look at her.
"Yes, all done."
"Good. Let's head up then."
Han Se-yeon and I climbed the stairs. With her mask on, Han Se-yeon kept glancing at me.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing. Just amazed. You predicted the entry fees for today's auction too, didn't you?"
"More or less."
"So you knew number 26 only had exactly 200 billion? And the item they won was actually what they were after?"
"Hmm, who knows."
"Tch."
Han Se-yeon clicked her tongue at my half-hearted reply.
"Fine. I won't ask. So, about that mess during the social event today. When's that happening?"
I checked the watch on my wrist.
It was 9:25 now. The incident would start at 10, so about 30 minutes left.
"About 30 minutes."
"......That's pretty specific."
Muttering that, Han Se-yeon spoke up again.
"You're not tricking me into something, are you? Planning all this just to fool me?"
She said it jokingly, but I could sense the worry in her voice. Seeing that, I felt like teasing her and replied with feigned surprise.
"How'd you know? Actually, I designed the whole thing to deceive you, Han Se-yeon."
"......Don't joke around."
Han Se-yeon spoke in an anxious voice. The tremor in it showed she was genuinely worried.
Her reaction was so cute that I laughed.
"I'm kidding."
It was a short reply, but Han Se-yeon nodded as if relieved.
With that, we climbed the stairs from the underground auction and emerged into the hotel room's closet.
Taking off the mask, the stuffiness on my face vanished.
Han Se-yeon checked her appearance in the mirror and tidied up. She was plenty pretty without it.
Once she finished, Han Se-yeon turned to me and said.
"Shall we head back then?"
"Sure."
Han Se-yeon and I stepped out of the room.
As we walked down the corridor, the orchestra's music began to filter in again.
Proof that we were nearing the social event hall.
I stopped and said to her.
"Let's split up here."
"Here? Okay. See you after the incident's over."
"Yeah."
I smiled in response. Han Se-yeon gave me a bright smile in return before walking off somewhere.
I watched her back for a moment, then called out to her again.
"Han Se-yeon."
She stopped at my call and turned around with a puzzled look.
"It's going to get really dangerous here. Hide somewhere safe. Don't get hurt needlessly."
Han Se-yeon stared at me before speaking.
"You're worried about me?"
"Of course."
At my answer, Han Se-yeon smiled softly.
"Got it. I'll hide somewhere safe."
30 minutes before the incident.
Baek Eun-seong, disguised with a magic tool, was enjoying the event while shoveling food into his mouth.
"Mmm. This is good."
—Don't do pointless stuff. We're not here to play.
A woman's voice rang in his ear. It was Bert.
"Alright, alright."
Baek Eun-seong looked around.
"And like I said, I don't see anyone worth watching out for."
—Still, keep looking. We have intel that the Witch of Fire is attending this event. And Hanseong Group hired some skilled mercenaries for security. It's going to be pretty dangerous.
"This terror attack has some real difficulty."
—Hey! Keep your voice down. People might hear.
"Got it, got it."
Baek Eun-seong continued wandering the event hall. It was the same ordinary atmosphere as always. People unaware of the impending chaos were laughing and socializing.
"Quite a few famous faces."
He muttered to himself while spotting well-known executives from the news.
"Oh? Jang Su-gi’s here too."
—Jang Su-gi? The Sword Ghost of the Hanseong family?
"Yeah. Whoa, first time seeing him in person, but his presence is no joke. Looks tougher than Ska."
—You better not say that in front of Ska.
"Of course not."
Clack clack.
Then, the back of a certain man caught Baek Eun-seong's eye.
A man with brown hair.
"......Feels familiar."
Where have I seen him?
Baek Eun-seong had senses sharp enough to recall someone from their build alone.
He definitely remembered encountering someone with a similar physique from behind.
Who was it?
As he pondered,
A familiar face passed by in front of him. His attention snapped there.
"Excuse me! Aren't you Lee Seo-jun?"
The 'Night of the Pioneers' continued in the same luxurious atmosphere as before. No one had any inkling of the chaos about to unfold.
I walked through the crowd, thinking about what was to come.
The incident would erupt at the exhibition hall storing Jin Cheon-woo's items.
If things followed the original plot, Jawoon—having successfully finished the auction—would terrorize this venue as a final move to retrieve Jin Cheon-woo's black sword.
Of course, without any special changes, they would succeed in recovering Jin Cheon-woo's black sword, but I had no intention of letting this terror incident slide.
Knowing what was about to happen here, I couldn't just sit back and watch.
That was why I planned to intervene actively in this incident.
My goal was to capture at least one Jawoon member.
My own power alone couldn't inflict any damage on them, but the Night of the Pioneers had plenty of swords that could strike them on my behalf. If I utilized them effectively, it might just work.
"Hmm."
As I walked toward the exhibition hall,
I spotted a familiar face on the second-floor staircase above it.
It was Lee Seo-jun, conversing with someone.
Lee Seo-jun's conversation partner was a young man holding a wine glass in one hand, and he gave off a strange air of suspicion.
If it followed the original flow, that man was probably one of them.
I used 'Character Insight' on him.
Name: Baek Eun-seong
Age: 35
Race: Human
Status: Calm
Mana Rank: S
Interest Level: 0
As expected.
Just as in the original, Baek Eun-seong was approaching Lee Seo-jun. He had altered his appearance with a magic tool, but it couldn't fool 'Character Insight.' I enhanced my hearing with mana to eavesdrop on their conversation.
—What do you think of the items on display over there?