Dragon Heart Bidding War
Exactly two hours later.
He returned to the auction house and headed to the reception room.
"You're here."
"Yes."
"We still have a little time, but..."
"Let's go right now."
"Alright."
The woman approached provocatively once more, pulling something from her bosom.
"First, put on this mask."
"Ah..."
Mu-hyuk donned the mask immediately, while Sung Min-woo beside him gaped, unable to collect himself. Flashing a captivating smile, the woman turned.
"Follow me, then."
He moved to follow her retreating figure.
Mu-hyuk alone.
He turned back to call the dazed Sung Min-woo.
"You coming or what?"
"Uh, uh? Oh, right. Yeah."
The two walked side by side.
"Damn, she's killer, right?"
"Killer my ass."
"That line of hers...!"
At that moment, the woman glanced back.
"I can hear everything."
"Ah, s-s-sorry!"
"Hng."
The woman faced forward again and kept walking.
He'd apologized and sworn not to, but the twitching hips proved too much—instinct won, and his gaze drifted there again.
"Heh..."
Ignoring Sung Min-woo, Mu-hyuk quickened his pace. After navigating the labyrinthine paths for a while, they arrived at the secretive venue for the auction.
"Impressive, right? The auction house is pretty vast."
"I see."
"All sorts of items change hands here. Some snag massive fortunes for pennies, others gain honor. Some even power. If you watch the items closely, it'll definitely help."
"Hmm."
"Seats have numbers on them, so find yours and join the bidding. You two are 7 and 8."
"Thank you."
As Mu-hyuk headed to his seat,
Sung Min-woo spoke to the woman.
"C-can I... see you again...?"
"Pardon?"
"Next time?"
"Of course. Come play again sometime."
"Ah, yes!"
The woman laughed, amused by his reaction.
"Well, I'll be off then."
"Y-yeah..."
Sung Min-woo deflated instantly.
He stared at her departing back for a long while before finally sitting in seat 8.
"Back to your senses now?"
"Uh, yeah."
"You too, huh."
"Ahem, was I that bad...?"
"Drooling like an idiot."
"M-must be some skill. Even I wouldn't go that far..."
"Tell Yerin about it next time she sets you up. Say you drooled over an NPC today."
"What? You psycho!"
Others seated nearby shot them glances.
"Keep it down."
"Ah, yes."
"Sorry."
They finally shut up.
"Ahem."
Right on cue, the auctioneer appeared.
"Thank you for waiting so long."
The first item was revealed.
*
There were certainly some impressive items.
"Whoa, that's insane!"
"Yeah."
"Man, if you enhanced a weapon like that...!"
Sung Min-woo reacted excitedly, but Mu-hyuk wasn't all that interested. No item here beat what he was wearing.
The woman had urged him to pay attention, but nothing worth expecting at current user levels.
Unless intercontinental paths opened.
Boredom set in.
Hurry up and bring out the Dragon Heart.
A few more items passed.
"This next one is a bit special."
Mu-hyuk leaned forward at her words.
"It's called a Dragon Heart!"
Finally.
"Starting bid: 50 gold. Increments of 5 gold per bid. Oh, paddles are already up. Bidder 2: 55 gold. Bidder 9: 60 gold. Bidder 12: 65 gold. Bidder 19: 70 gold. Anyone else? If not, three calls and sold..."
Mu-hyuk raised his paddle.
"Bidder 7: 75 gold!"
The price shot up rapidly again.
80 gold, 85 gold, 90 gold.
"Bidder 35: 100 gold. To speed things up, increments to 10 gold. Bidder 35: 110 gold. Bidder 20: 120 gold..."
The heat persisted.
Climbing higher than expected?
The Dragon Heart's uses were still unknown. Yet it had already surpassed 150 gold, surprising Mu-hyuk.
Well, the name alone...
Dragon's Heart. Dragon Heart.
That implied immense value.
How high will it go?
"Bidder 2: 250 gold! Anyone higher? If not, three calls and sold. 250 gold, 250 gold! 250 gol..."
"260 gold."
Mu-hyuk raised his paddle.
"260 gold! Oh, bidder 2: 270 gold!"
"280 gold."
"290 gold."
It narrowed to a duel between bidder 2 and Mu-hyuk.
"Bidder 7: 300 gold, bidder 2: 310 gold! Bidder 7: 320 gold!"
Bidder 2 turned to glare at Mu-hyuk. The mask hid his identity, of course.
"Mm."
With a groan, bidder 2 raised his paddle.
"Bidder 2: 330 gold! And bidder 7 immediately counters: 340 gold! Bidder 2? Joining?"
Bidder 2 hesitated.
"Three calls and sold. 340 gold! 340 gold! 340 gold! Sold to bidder 7!"
But one more Dragon Heart remained.
Mu-hyuk stayed seated.
Soon after,
Another Dragon Heart appeared, soaring to 500 gold.
Five million won in cash.
For an item of unknown value, bidder 2 was the one pushing it.
He'd missed the first but wouldn't let the second slip.
"Bidder 2: 520 gold! Bidder 7: 540 gold! Bidder 2..."
Soon 600 gold.
Then 700 gold.
Damn it.
Mu-hyuk inwardly cursed, glaring at bidder 2.
Doing this on purpose?
Maybe just flexing wealth. But Mu-hyuk wouldn't yield the Dragon Heart either.
Fine, let's go.
Furrowing his brow, he raised his paddle again.
Now 800 gold.
"Bidder 7: 820 gold! 820 gold! Anyone?"
The auctioneer's eyes flicked to bidder 2, who seemed hesitant this time.
"Three calls and sold! 820 gold! 820 gold! Oh, bidder 2: 840 gold! Bidder 7: 860 gold!"
Ultimately, it hit 1,000 gold.
Hah.
And finally, it was his.
"Congratulations! Bidder 7 takes this Dragon Heart too!"
Mu-hyuk stood, glancing at Sung Min-woo.
"Phew, done. Gonna grab the Dragon Hearts."
"Okay."
After paying at the counter, he received the two Dragon Hearts immediately.
*
Toward the end of the private auction, Sung Min-woo snagged an item.
"Nice, got something decent."
"No need for more, right?"
"Yeah, let's head out."
"Sure. Skeleton Warhorse Summon."
They rode to Column Village.
With waiting Yerin and Doran, they headed to a secluded spot and pulled out the two Dragon Hearts.
"You bought both?"
"Obviously."
Now to craft the Yeti and Red Orc Great Warrior.
Let's begin.
With anticipation, he laid out the Yeti's body parts one by one.
Torso, head and eyes, and heart.
He placed four magic stones on all but the heart.
Finally, setting the Dragon Heart on the heart—it burst with light, absorbing into it.
"Min-woo, your turn."
"Got it."
Sung Min-woo pressed the Dragon Heart.
Assembly Master.
Assembly Master
Absorption rate reaches 3%.
They waited until 30 percent.
"Speeding up now."
"Okay...!"
It hit 100 percent in a flash.
Monster 'Yeti (Lv.165)' is bound.
10 MP consumed per second.
The Yeti stirred with the messages.
Yeti status window.
A hologram appeared.
He quickly assembled the Red Orc Great Warrior too.
He wanted to level them more, but no spare monster bones for upgrades.
"Been a while—let's hunt."
"Hunt? Hell yeah!"
"Perfect, I was bored."
"Doran, you too."
"Yes, my lord."
"Somewhere tough. Cool?"
"Kool!"
"Me too!"
Mu-hyuk grinned, summoning all skeletons except the warhorses. He equipped the Red Orc Great Warrior, Yeti, and Poison Ogre with fitting weapons and shields, then sent them to the Demon Realm.
"Now, let's go."
They headed leisurely to the hunting ground.
*
Demon Realm F11.
The existing skeletons eyed the newcomers.
Red Orc Great Warrior.
Yeti.
And Poison Ogre.
With these three additions, their power surged.
The Poison Ogre scanned the surroundings.
A powerful presence approached swiftly.
Five lesser demons.
They closed in.
The Poison Ogre clacked its jaw.
As if delighted.
The lesser demons attacked.
The Poison Ogre leaped forward.
Boom! Kwagwagwang!
It tanked their assaults alone.
350 Vitality stat.
The defense from that, plus a +6 shield.
Even extra defense from knuckle options.
It endured.
20,000 HP gone in a flash, still dropping fast—but the Poison Ogre held firm.
An Armor Knight stepped up.
The moment the demons' attacks paused—
---------!
It unleashed Fear, bewildering the five demons.
Burtan's Ki Blast fired first.
Armor Mages unleashed spells meanwhile.
As the demons shook off Fear and Ki Blast, the Giant Cyclops stomped.
Kuwoong!
The demons staggered again.
But only an instant.
Attacks wouldn't land reliably.
The Yeti extended a hand.
Kwaduk.
The clustered five froze solid.
Spells crashed in.
Kwagwagwang!
The weakest died instantly; the other four scattered, heavily damaged.
"Kuh, to these beasts...!"
Enraged demons struck back, but Yeti, Giant Cyclops, Red Orc Great Warrior, and Poison Ogre tanked maximally, minimizing damage.
"Kraaaak!"
"Damn beast scum!"
The fierce melee dragged on.
They took down three more lesser demons.