The VIP Auction's Hidden Storm
The eyes of the hunters blocking the path were serious.
They did not casually release their mana. Yet the pressure they exuded was more than enough. That was the mark of a capable hunter.
*This must be the VIP trading post. So the guards here are something else.*
The moment, Soso's atmosphere changed.
"Anyone? Then anyone will do. This lady needs to enter. Step aside."
To awaken Soso's Heavenly Demon Divine Art, the words I had always said to her echoed in my mind. The Heavenly Demon must always be majestic. No one may stand in the way of the Heavenly Demon.
"What are you saying?"
The leader among the guards spoke calmly, yet his expression was incredulous.
A woman in a gray dress, light cardigan draped over her shoulders. Jet-black hair cascading to her waist. Her beauty was stunning, but to the hunters she was merely a young woman.
For such a woman to dismiss them so arrogantly was absurd.
"Why are you not stepping aside?"
"The young lady has gone mad from the very start. This is not a department store! If you want to browse luxury shops, go somewhere else! Pyongyang has plenty of famous department stores."
"You talk too much. If you will not step aside, this lady will not hold back either. If you wish to avoid injury, it would be best to simply open the way for this lady."
The leader of the guards watched Soso in silence for a moment, but the other staff could no longer remain composed.
"Where did that green-eyed young brat come from!"
One staff member drew his weapon.
It was the hunter's sword, a standard dagger forged from high-strength alloy mixed with monster byproduct using modern smelting techniques. Its cutting power was exceptional.
The blade gleamed with lethal sharpness. The mana-infused hunter sword radiated a terrifying presence.
Yet Soso did not blink.
*And those who stand before the Heavenly Demon must pay the price.*
It was the Heavenly Demon's way I had taught her during the Eins days. But in truth, the guards' reaction was correct.
This VIP trading post was, as they said, a place no one could enter casually.
"You drew your blade before this lady. Then you are prepared to pay the price."
And Soso recited the words I had taught her without a single deviation, her voice low. In an instant her aura shifted.
"What... what is this!"
Like a whirlwind erupting around her, a sudden gale of mana was born. Soso's mana acceleration technique—known in the martial nations as the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
*Heavenly Demon Divine Art. With that kind of mana... has she already reached the sixth stage?*
I knew from her combat records, yet the actual sensation was far more astonishing. The only daughter of the Heavenly Demon Yeon Se-hwi, one of the Five Heavenly Stars.
The Heavenly Demon blood flowing through her, the absolute blood that commands the Heavenly Demon's will, was in full bloom. The Heavenly Demon Yeon Se-hwi, who had reached the ultimate ninth stage of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, had fallen far short of this.
Even without reaching that ninth stage, the current Soso's power alone was enough to subdue every hunter present.
"Have anything more to say? Then this lady will not remain silent either."
Soso's hand rested at her waist. Beneath the gray dress, a belt carried a sword—an A+ grade gear, not quite S-rank but still formidable.
The moment her fingers touched the hilt, a powerful mana pressure and intense killing intent spread out. The guards began to sweat.
But the leader, who maintained a composed expression despite the tension, spoke up. He bowed his head.
"I apologize for recognizing you so late. You are the young sect master of the Heavenly Demon Cult. We must forgive this breach of etiquette."
The other hunters murmured in agreement at his words.
The Heavenly Demon Cult. The very name was enough to rival the Hunter Association and the Snowfield Knights of Slavia Kingdom.
"If you are the young sect master... one of the Five Heavenly Stars... the daughter of the Heavenly Demon, Yeon Se-hwi... or perhaps his daughter?"
Soso's appearance alone made it unbelievable, yet those who had felt her pressure firsthand reacted differently.
They too bowed their heads, along with the leader. Especially the hunter who had drawn the blade, who bowed all the way to his waist. Sweat dripped from his tense brow onto the floor.
The victor in this verbal clash was already decided. Soso glanced at me, then released the sword hilt.
"If you know who I am, then all is well. I came here on business. I do not wish to cause any further disturbance. Please allow us to pass."
Yet the leader's expression did not brighten.
"I would like to do so as well. But... even a highly renowned hunter cannot enter this VIP trading post based solely on their rank..."
"Based solely on their rank?"
Soso's expression turned colder. Just as the air around her began to shift again, I stepped in front of her.
"Team Leader Yeon. Just a moment. This matter will be handled by me."
***
All the guards turned their attention to me.
A moment ago they had blocked Soso, and they remembered every detail of what had nearly occurred.
But I had casually stepped in front of her, and the flowing mana current vanished in an instant.
It was as if a gentle lamb had appeared. Soso obediently waited for me to speak. The other guards wore expressions of utter bewilderment at the sudden change. The drop had been too steep. The leader, maintaining an equally dumbfounded look, began to speak.
"Um, Miss Yeon Soso's party... what, what are you trying to say..."
"You are misunderstanding. We are members of the Flame Guild."
"Flame? I know the name. We are also hunters registered with the Association. The S-rank guild Flame is well known. However..."
"Even with an S-rank license, you cannot enter this trading post. Is that what you are saying?"
"You are aware of that. This is not a venue for private individuals. The prices of the items here transcend imagination. Moreover, it is not merely an issue of private transactions, but high-grade gear trading is directly tied to corporations..."
In short, only corporate transactions are permitted here. It came down to credibility. He briefly took out his smartphone and began entering something.
"The corporate partner in charge of Flame's distribution is Korean Real Estate Logistics. This is one of our long-term primary partners in the region. Unfortunately, it does not meet the criteria for our trading post..."
"Wait a moment. The data in that list appears outdated. The corporate partner in charge of Flame's distribution has recently changed."
"Recently? To which company..."
And at that exact moment, a man's voice sounded from behind me.
"Oh dear. The flight was delayed. My apologies, Minsu. Excuse me, sir. Please let these people in. According to what I said earlier, Flame has just switched to a new distribution partner."
The leader glanced at the man. He recognized the visitor badge around the man's neck.
"Pyotr Kim...? Executive Director of Solaris Corporation."
"Exactly. The items Flame acquires will be handled by us for distribution. And with Solaris's status, you can access this trading post without issue. Correct?"
The leader nodded. As Pyotr Kim had said, Solaris, while not as dominant as others in the region, was still a leading European corporation. Its credit was more than sufficient. And that was precisely why I had shaken hands with Pyotr.
With sufficient capital and the lowest commission rates, there was no reason not to.
"I understand. Then I will contact our headquarters directly and raise Flame's trading post credit rating. My apologies for not verifying this information in advance."
The leader bowed once more toward Soso and me, joined by the other guards.
"Let's go quickly, Team Leader Yeon."
"Y-yes, I understand."
The three of us finally passed through the guards and entered the VIP trading post's entrance. As we walked side by side, Soso glanced at me sideways.
*She must have overdone it because of me.*
Perhaps she had wanted to act like the Heavenly Demon in front of me. Soso, who had resolved to become the Heavenly Demon for my sake.
*This was fortunate. If it had ended only in the archives this morning...*
Even pure Soso, if she had set her mind, could have locked me away and prevented any movement. The thought of such a terrifying Soso now glancing at me was oddly pleasant.
*We were in serious danger.*
No, in truth we had already crossed a certain line with Soso, but I wanted to believe it was inevitable and forget it.
Just then, Pyotr placed a hand on my shoulder and whispered in my ear.
"By the way, that terrifying young lady. She is Yeon Se-hwi's daughter, isn't she? The moment she heard your word she turned into a docile lamb. Does that mean you two have a special relationship? Last time the Grand Duke Andrei's daughter gave you a strange look. How did you manage to capture both daughters of the Five Heavenly Stars? You seem more of a playboy than you appear."
As Pyotr had said, not only the Heavenly Demon Yeon Se-hwi, but also the Grand Duke Andrei Tarkovsky, father of Yuri and master of the Snowfield Knights, was one of the Five Heavenly Stars.
"We haven't captured anyone. We are from the same company. It is purely a business matter."
I answered in a very small voice. Soso seemed to have heard it. Her expression clouded. I pretended not to notice and fully entered the trading post.
The space inside was both vast and luxurious.
***
The atmosphere inside the VIP trading post was unique. It felt more like the banquet hall of a high-class hotel than a trading post.
"I will have vodka. And for the rest of you?"
"For this lady, I will bring her a glass of chrysanthemum tea. And for me, a glass of barley tea, please."
We sat at a table, and the staff naturally approached to take our drink orders. One could not drink alcohol during business, of course.
Pyotr was a man of the Russian Federation. Soso was an A-rank awakened who would find any alcohol meaningless. There was no problem.
"You don't drink?"
"Let's think about it in terms of normal human common sense. I am on duty."
"Hmm. Korean men lack spirit. Well, I am also someone with Korean blood flowing through me. But Russian Federation or Slavia men drink vodka when working."
At his words, Soso instantly glared at Pyotr with killing intent. Pyotr quickly averted his gaze.
"Well, when I think about it, Korean culture must be like that too. Anyway... since I am on duty."
His sudden change of tone made me think he was truly a businessman. I asked him.
"Pyotr. As I said, the ammunition has been properly prepared, right?"
"Of course. In this banquet hall, I could wipe out everyone here."
Of course the ammunition referred to here was not bullets but money. And it would not affect hunters.
"Flame received ten billion as support for Ancient Gear research. If the reason is justified, they can even support up to an additional five billion."
In the meantime, the approximate estimated price of the item I had entrusted for appraisal arrived via message.
"With that, by selling the four B+ grade gears I brought here, we will receive about eight billion. So we can spend twenty-three billion on our side."
"A considerable amount of money. With that, we could buy almost any A-rank gear."
"However, the gear I wish to acquire is A+ grade. Moreover, the items on auction today require more support from Solaris."
A+ grade gears. Unlike the B+ grade gears I had received as rewards, the gear that could not be suppressed even by Hongok's pressure would have to be of that high a grade.
And not only the grade, but the compatibility with Hongok's fire attribute. Considering all those factors, the gear that would appear at this auction had to be acquired by me.
"This useless competition... I hope you don't join. The more we save money, the better."
"Save it elsewhere. Fully support this matter. There will be no losses."
"Hmm. Well... all right. Since you are the one who will handle it, there is no need to doubt. You have already connected me to quite a few guilds recently."
He answered with unexpected docility, unlike his usual shrewdness. The man appeared rough on the surface, yet he was a merchant to the core.
*Still, I proved that to him recently.*
During the last internship field trip. Thanks to the results of that trip, many independent guilds had sided with Flame.
The dungeon acquisition spoils obtained during the A-rank dungeon conquest with Flame and the independent guilds. Solaris under Pyotr Kim was in charge of distributing all of those spoils.
*So the calculation that there would be no losses in this business was probably already in place.*
There was still some time until the auction began. At that moment, a man from another table began glaring at our table.
A foreign man, yet strangely dressed not in modern clothing but in an ornate mage's robe.
I recognized the pattern embroidered on the robe.
*Graduated from the White Mage Tower. And now he belongs to the Snowfield Knights.*
Suddenly, the man stood from his seat and approached our group. He looked at me and said in the language of the Slavia Kingdom.
"Oh, I thought it was someone. It really is Lee Minsu."