Chapter 144
Chapter 144
Auction (2)
'That crazy bastard is at it again!!'
Gong Sun-beon could no longer contain the fury boiling inside him.
Throughout his years of unstoppable ascent—rising to the position of deputy leader of the Heaven-Piercing Gang faction through sheer innate magical prowess and talent—today might just be the most absurd day he had ever experienced.
"Going once, going twice—sold! Two hundred gold taels!"
Two hundred gold taels!
When the man placed his second bid, all eyes in the room turned toward Gong Sun-beon.
Though his face was hidden behind a mask, he could vividly imagine the expressions of those watching him.
They must all be looking at him with pity.
He didn't need any special sorcery to see their faces.
They couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"Two hundred taels! The Ritual Artifact-grade Extreme Scenic Herb has also been sold!"
After all, he was the only one foolish enough to compete against that lunatic who seemed to have endless wealth—fighting over mere ritual ingredients.
Whoa—
For a moment, cheers even erupted from the audience seats.
Those who had been pitying him moments ago were now staring at one man with fascinated expressions.
'Just who the hell is that guy?'
No matter how hard he looked, Gong Sun-beon had never seen that face before.
The man—who looked like some nouveau riche who had stumbled upon a windfall—was calmly soaking in the attention as if this were all just some amusing game.
Grind.
Unconsciously, Gong Sun-beon gritted his teeth hard enough to make an audible sound.
Meanwhile, his insides were burning black with rage.
'How the hell does that bastard know exactly which items we need and keep sweeping them all up?!'
Because every single item the mysterious opponent was snatching up just happened to be the exact core materials Heaven-Piercing Gang desperately required.
[Gong Sun-beon, spare no expense. You must secure those items at the auction.]
Before coming here, the Heaven-Piercing Gang leader had personally given him that order.
The fact that he, a deputy leader, had been directly ordered to participate in the auction showed just how seriously the faction leader took this matter.
'Damn it all!'
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
So far, he hadn't managed to acquire a single one of the materials that had been put up for auction.
That madman had pounced on every bid like a rabid hound, clinging on until the very end.
Though the faction leader had said cost was no object, there was still a limit.
Budgets were budgets, after all.
He had brought a generous sum—five hundred gold taels' worth of financial documents.
'Two thousand gold taels?! Is this guy out of his mind?!'
His opponent had poured out four times that amount without hesitation.
This couldn't end like this.
He had to find some way to trip the bastard up.
With that thought, Gong Sun-beon raised his hand.
"Hold it! I demand verification for that man!"
***
Upon Gong Sun-beon's request, Black Market attendants discreetly escorted Seo Eun and Gong Sun-beon to a private room.
Black Market verifications existed to prevent fraud—cases where someone without the means to pay would place absurd bids just to disrupt the auction.
Seo Eun had already anticipated this, knowing Gong Sun-beon's desperation would push him to demand verification.
But—
"Verification? Why the hell should I bother with that?"
Feigning ignorance, Seo Eun acted as if the situation was deeply insulting, letting his anger show.
"Sir, our apologies—but given Black Market's volatile nature, we have no choice but to proceed when verification is requested by another party."
"Hah, so it's my fault that bastard's a penniless beggar?"
"How dare you—!"
Gong Sun-beon's eyes blazed at Seo Eun's mockery, but the attendant quickly intervened.
"Please, just a small measure of understanding. The sum you've bid is extraordinarily large, hence the necessity. If the verification concludes without issue, you may demand appropriate compensation from the requester."
"Compensation?"
"Yes."
At the mention of being able to demand rightful compensation, a glint flashed in Seo Eun's eyes.
He turned his head and stared straight at Gong Sun-beon.
"Good. Then let's do this properly. I'll make sure to collect every last bit."
"......!"
A gaze so chilling it sent shivers down the spine.
Gong Sun-beon felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.
But he forcibly ignored the instinctive warning rising within him.
'This guy's a nobody. There's no way someone like him could have two thousand gold taels on hand.'
Besides, he didn't have to meekly comply even if compensation was demanded.
A murderous glint flickered in his eyes.
There was a far more effective way to resolve this.
"Then, could you verify the funds you currently possess?"
"Fine."
At the attendant's request, Seo Eun gestured to Mu Myeong beside him.
Grumbling internally about being treated like a servant, Mu Myeong retrieved a small case from somewhere.
'A case that small... financial documents, perhaps?'
It wasn't large enough to hold the staggering sum of two thousand gold taels.
With a creak, the wooden case opened—
......??
'What?'
Both the attendant and Gong Sun-beon's expressions shifted identically—into ones of bewilderment and shock.
There wasn't a single financial document inside the case.
Instead, five plain rings lay within.
And they weren't even made of gold—just worthless silver.
"Sir... what is the meaning of this?"
The attendant furrowed his brows as he spoke to Seo Eun.
At the same time, the aura radiating from his body suggested he was ready to subdue Seo Eun at any moment.
He had taken this as an outright mockery.
But then—
"Th-This can't be... What are these?!"
"......!"
Of course, Gong Sun-beon was the first to realize.
His reaction was completely different—his entire body trembled violently, as if struck by an earthquake, his eyes locked onto the rings inside the case.
As Heaven-Piercing Gang's deputy leader, he had sensed the immense power contained within those rings.
While the attendant stood dumbfounded, Seo Eun spoke up.
"I heard substitutes of equivalent value are acceptable even if they're not financial documents. Was I misinformed?"
"...Are you saying those things are worth two thousand gold taels?"
"No."
Seo Eun shook his head.
"Each ring is worth at least five hundred gold taels. Every single one is a Divine Artifact."
"D-Divine Artifacts?!"
The attendant's jaw dropped at Seo Eun's words.
Divine Artifacts were items whose value was truly beyond measure.
Even Black Market, despite countless seekers, struggled to acquire them due to their scarcity.
And yet, five had appeared all at once.
"P-Please wait a moment!"
The attendant hurriedly left the room to fetch someone who could verify the claim.
Meanwhile, Gong Sun-beon stared at Seo Eun with a dazed expression.
...I'm screwed. Completely screwed.
His vision was turning yellow at the edges.
[Master. Are you really just handing over Divine Artifacts like this? I heard Black Market has ties to the Blood Cult.]
At that moment, Mu Myeong sent a worried sound transmission to Seo Eun, but he replied without hesitation.
[Doesn't matter.]
[...Doesn't matter?]
There was only one reason.
[They only look impressive on the outside.]
[...What?]
[They're trash I designed to self-destruct after two days.]
[?!?!]
Naturally, Seo Eun would never hand over genuine Divine Artifacts to potential enemies.
These were deliberately crafted failures.
Perhaps they could be called "Expiring Divine Artifacts."
Mu Myeong clicked his tongue as he looked at Seo Eun.
[...You're not a Divine Craftsman—you're just a straight-up con artist.]
He suddenly felt it was imperative never to get on his master's bad side.
Otherwise, his hard-earned assassination reward money might vanish in an instant.
Mu Myeong's gaze, which had been staring at Seo Eun with creeping dread, soon shifted to Gong Sun-beon.
Pity surfaced in his eyes.
'They call him the Nine-Tailed Fox Sorcerer, but they got it wrong. More like the Nine-Tailed Fool Sorcerer.'
Mu Myeong shook his head in disbelief.
***
About an hour later.
The two were traveling along a winding mountain path in a carriage loaded with all the goods they had acquired from Black Market.
"Man, Master. If we just did one round of Black Market like this, we could bankrupt the whole damn place, huh?"
"Well, it's not impossible."
"Hah, who knew making money could be this easy! Is this the power of a Divine Craftsman?"
Seo Eun smirked at Mu Myeong's chatter.
Inside the carriage were not only ritual artifacts but also the expensive weapon materials Seo Eun needed—all thanks to Heaven-Piercing Gang and Gong Sun-beon's unwitting assistance.
Since failing to compensate would result in a lifetime ban from Black Market, Gong Sun-beon had no choice but to cough up an enormous sum in restitution.
"Tch, what a shame. If Ba-bi were here, the return trip would've been much faster."
Pulling their carriage weren't the two White Tigers but ordinary steeds.
Bringing the White Tigers would have revealed their identities too easily.
"But then those bastards wouldn't have been able to chase us."
"Ah, true enough."
Just as the two were exchanging cryptic remarks—
Schwing!
A chilling blade's whistle echoed in their ears.
Screeeech—!
The carriage skidded to a halt, leaving deep marks on the ground.
Thud!
The horses pulling the carriage collapsed lifelessly.
Their heads were gone.
Whoosh!
In an instant, countless auras surrounded the carriage.
An ambush.
"Remember this well. Overreaching greed beyond one's station always invites death."
A familiar voice rang out.
When the two stepped out of the carriage, Gong Sun-beon and Heaven-Piercing Gang's Dark Sorcerers stood revealed.
Having removed his mask, Gong Sun-beon wore a triumphant expression.
"How did you track us?"
"Keukeu, you could never comprehend the profound mysteries of our sorcery."
The high-level concealment formation enveloping Black Market created exits in different directions, making it impossible for departing customers to track each other.
But this was Heaven-Piercing Gang—the very root of all dark arts.
'Did you really think I'd just let you walk away with our funds?!'
The moment his plan failed, Gong Sun-beon had immediately cast a tracking spell on Seo Eun.
"Kuhuhu, your terrified faces are a delight. Now—hand over all the goods, and—"
"—you'll spare our lives? Is that the bullshit you're about to spew?"
"!!"
"Ugh. How cliché."
Gong Sun-beon was taken aback.
Seo Eun's demeanor had flipped entirely in an instant.
But that wasn't the only shocking thing.
"Alright, time to secure those Divine Artifacts."
"Got it, Master!"
Whoosh!
Crackle—!
Seo Eun and Mu Myeong stopped pretending and unleashed their full power.