The Auction Heats Up
The White Bear Caravan flung open the gates of the fortress, welcoming their guests inside.
"Bigger than it looked from outside."
"Ho! A fortress built from stacked cargo vehicles. Looks pretty sturdy."
The visitors from afar let out exclamations of admiration at the sight of the fortress interior.
"This is something worth studying even in Neo Seoul."
"We could make shelters like this for long-range expeditions."
Neo Seoul was constantly pushing to expand its territory.
They scouted for habitable terrain to build satellite cities. But every attempt had ended in failure.
Specially built vehicles broke down in the desert sands or were crippled by sandworm attacks.
Even if they managed to construct a shelter with great difficulty, monster raids would bring it crumbling down.
Given those circumstances, plans for satellite cities had essentially been scrapped.
"Stacking vehicles with enhanced defenses to build a fortress? Worth a shot."
The White Bear Caravan's fortress inspired many Awakeners.
Zeon understood their reactions.
Anyone stepping inside for the first time would be overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the unexpectedly vast interior.
The atmosphere within was that impressive.
At that moment, a woman approached Zeon.
"You've come too."
The one addressing Zeon was none other than Borlin Stravach, captain of the Blue Leaf Special Forces.
"Long time no see."
"Didn't expect to run into you here."
"Yeah."
Zeon treated her nonchalantly. But Levin and Briel were different.
Levin clenched his fists like he might lunge at any second, while Briel showed open hostility.
Knowing why they reacted that way, Borlin gave a wry smile.
"Calm down, boy! Little elf too. You're not our targets today."
"After pulling that shit, you expect us to just swallow it? That's some thief's nerve."
Borlin had no retort to Briel's sharp tongue.
No matter the circumstances, her actions were inexcusable.
She looked at Zeon.
"Anyway, just trust that we're not enemies today."
"We'll see."
"Alright then..."
Borlin backed off.
Just then, Aleksandr, leader of the White Bear Caravan, made his appearance.
"Thank you all for coming this far. Now, the White Bear Caravan will reveal the real treasures we've brought for you."
Confidence radiated from his expression.
In contrast, the Awakeners eyeing him showed a mix of greed and suspicion.
The White Bear Caravan had already plunged Neo Seoul into chaos just with the items they'd released on the market.
Those goods weren't extraordinarily powerful, but they were certainly things unavailable in Neo Seoul.
Aleksandr gauged their reactions and continued.
"All the items our caravan is auctioning this time were unearthed from dungeons. Thirty pieces in total—rare artifacts never discovered anywhere before."
Murmurs erupted among the Awakeners the moment he finished.
"Dungeon items?"
"That many here?"
"They came prepared."
Their reactions were understandable.
Dungeon items weren't easy to come by.
Not every dungeon yielded them.
Even successful clears often produced none.
Thus, dungeon items were exceedingly rare.
Items from cleared dungeons never hit the open market—they went straight to the raid team or their district.
Most Awakeners never even laid eyes on one.
So it was natural they doubted the caravan had thirty such prizes.
Everyone knew dungeon items outperformed workshop-crafted ones, but their scarcity kept them out of reach for ordinary Awakeners.
With thirty on offer here, greed surfacing on their faces was inevitable.
The room's atmosphere heated up in an instant.
Sensing something off, Briel whispered to Zeon.
"Dungeon items that great?"
"Plenty would risk their lives for one."
"That good? It's just items."
"A single one of those little things can decide life or death—or power."
"Humans' greed really knows no bounds."
"That greed is what built a massive city in this desert. Without it, humans wouldn't have survived this ruined world."
"Impressive in a way. Something elves could never match."
Briel shook her head slightly.
Her High Elf village had been perched on a cliff.
They'd hollowed out caves for homes.
In Kurayan, they'd lived in trees, but finding trees on desertified Earth was harder than finding water.
So elves had adapted by carving cliffside caves for survival.
If elves had humans' fierce ambition, they might have built a city rivaling Neo Seoul.
They had the skill and knowledge.
But elves stagnated, ceasing all progress at some point.
Briel found that regrettable.
Aleksandr spoke up.
"Now, I'll escort those with invitations to the fourth floor where the items are. Only invite holders may proceed—your companions stay here."
Only invitees like Zeon qualified for the fourth floor.
The rest had to wait below.
From the West District came Cha Jin-cheol; from the South, Pan Cheong-cheon.
The North sent Borlin; the East, Raven.
Raven's eyes flickered behind his sunglasses.
He'd spotted Zeon.
'Of all people, that monster shows up.'
He knew from clashing with Zeon before.
Just how ferocious and destructive that handsome man was.
You had to fight him to understand.
Alone, he had no confidence in beating Zeon.
But he wasn't alone.
Other East District Awakeners had come with him.
Together, they could handle Zeon.
Meanwhile, Pan Cheong-cheon watched Zeon closely.
'So that's Zeon.'
The man suspected in Tajik's death, somehow.
No hard evidence, though.
'This could be fun.'
A sinister smile curled Pan Cheong-cheon's lips.
Every district had sent representatives to the auction.
They were that interested in the caravan's offerings.
'Let's see what all the fuss is about.'
Aleksandr led them to the fourth floor.
"Right here."
He confidently opened the warehouse door.
An immense aura poured out.
Borlin and the others stiffened.
"Urgh!"
"What is this?"
All were high-rank Awakeners.
They'd handled plenty of items, making them sensitive to emanating mana and energy.
Their skin tingled, hearts raced.
The mana pouring from the items was extraordinarily pure.
Such potency was rare.
Zeon crossed his arms, peering inside.
He felt it too, like the others.
'Well, well.'
Having cleared countless dungeons crossing the desert, he'd seen his share of dungeon items.
He knew.
These were exceptionally rare.
His gaze drifted to Demian, standing quietly in the corner.
'His handiwork, no doubt.'
No one else paid Demian any mind.
He hid his presence perfectly.
But Zeon knew him better than anyone.
'Demian's a navigator, specialized in finding paths. He can locate dungeons better than most. The caravan's items all came from dungeons he discovered.'
Zeon couldn't match Demian's skill with sand, but the boy had his own cheat-like ability.
Aleksandr introduced the first item.
"This was hard-won from a place called the Blue Forest Dungeon. Behold—Nailia's Bow."
"That?"
Borlin reacted first.
The crisp mana from Nailia's Bow.
'An elf relic.'
As an elf herself, she knew for sure.
Items from Kurayan elves carried a distinctive aura.
'Nailia—one of our heroes. A bow named for her must be mine.'
She didn't know why it became a dungeon core, but as a hero's weapon, she had to claim it.
"Nailia's Bow?"
"Doesn't look ordinary."
"First item's already top-tier."
As the others buzzed, Borlin's expression grew urgent.
Competition could make securing it impossible.
If another faction got it, retrieval would be forever out of reach.
'Damn! Gotta shut this down quick.'
As she steeled herself—
"First item, so we'll start low. One ton of magic stones—1,000kg."
Aleksandr announced the starting bid with a smile.
Neo Seoul's currency was sol, but only valid there.
Other colonies gave it no value.
With trade rare—once every few decades—no reason to use it.
Magic stones served as currency instead.
Vital everywhere, one ton could power a colony for months.
Equivalent to a million sol—an enormous sum.
But Borlin called it without flinching.
"1,000kg of magic stones."
"Oh! A bidder already. Anyone else?"
"1,500kg."
Cha Jin-cheol from the West jumped in.
And so it began.
"1,700kg."
"1,800kg from me."
East and South districts joined.
The mood ignited.
Frustrating for Borlin, but expected for the rest.
Without handling it, they couldn't confirm Nailia's Bow's power, but its aura screamed elite.
Letting it go to rivals would strengthen them—upsetting the balance.
"2,200kg."
"2,400kg."
Bids climbed endlessly.
It could go forever.
Time to go all-in.
Borlin shouted.
"4,000kg!"
Nearly double—competitors recoiled.
"Tch! Can't blow that much on the first unproven item—who knows what's next."
"Draining North's funds is win enough. We target others."
Each district's magic stones were finite.
Early overbidding left them dry for true prizes later.
No more challengers. Nailia's Bow went to Borlin.
But the real auction was just beginning.
"Next item..."