Chapter 103
The guards didn’t seem fazed by Jeong Ha-yul’s sudden appearance, as if it were a common occurrence.
Just as I was about to enter, a sudden commotion broke out behind me.
“Great Thief, you can’t enter without an invitation. Someone like you should know better.”
“…Oh, I got caught?”
“You can’t treat the auction house like water.”
The guard and Jo Se-hee seemed to know each other, chatting casually.
“How did you know?”
“After getting tricked by you a couple of times, they started pouring money from above.”
“I see. Not that I’m admitting to robbing the place twice, but this is my first time here.”
“…Anyway, since you don’t have an invitation, please leave.”
“You let Ha-yul in without an invitation.”
“That’s… because she’s the Demon King.”
Auction house free pass.
The Demon King can enter, but the Great Thief can’t.
“…I’m with the Demon King’s group. Let me in.”
“What kind of villain claims to be in the same group as a hero?”
“That’s why I said you treat the auction house like water. Your information is outdated. I’m a hero affiliated with the Association.”
“…Did you switch sides?”
“More like forced conversion.”
“Let me check for a moment.”
Jeong Ha-yul and I paused due to the commotion, and one of the guards approached us.
“I apologize for the disturbance. Customer, Jo Se-hee claims to be part of your group. Could you confirm?”
“She’s not part of my group.”
“…My apologies.”
In an instant, Jeong Ha-yul cut ties with Jo Se-hee and pulled me along.
“…Is it okay to leave her like that?”
“It’s fine, we don’t need her.”
“Hey! Are you abandoning your sister? What’s wrong with you?”
Jo Se-hee caused a scene at the entrance but was restrained by the guards.
She could have easily broken through with her strength, but she didn’t.
“Even though it’s illegal, the four major guilds, heroes, and villains all use this auction house. If it were to disappear, many people would suffer. Who would dare mess with it?”
I heard rumors that Jo Se-hee had robbed the auction house twice.
“It was just a childish prank; I didn’t actually steal anything. I left a funny note in the storage room saying the Great Thief had visited. That’s why the auction house doesn’t bother her. There are rumors that S-Class heroes from America back the auction house, but I’m not sure.”
“But isn’t her identity confirmed? Even the guards recognize her.”
“That just shows how much they care about the auction house. If they let anyone in without an invitation, it would look too shabby.”
Jeong Ha-yul looked at me and seemed to understand what I was getting at.
“My face is my identity, and someone like me isn’t just anyone, right?”
“Is that all?”
“…Once, they didn’t let me in, and I almost destroyed the place.”
“…That makes sense.”
Jeong Ha-yul being Jeong Ha-yul again.
Following her inside, an employee greeted us as if they had been waiting.
“Hello, welcome to our auction house.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Hello!”
“Let me guide you to your room.”
We followed the employee to the VIP room.
The auction house changes location every time an auction is held.
Along with the building’s structure and the VIP room’s location.
Even the interior changes completely.
The entire building is like a maze, so an employee always accompanies you when moving around.
‘I should never move alone here.’
It’s the worst environment for someone like me who’s bad with directions.
“Enjoy your time.”
“Thank you.”
Jeong Ha-yul tipped the employee as they left and closed the door.
“How much did you give them?”
“Huh? I don’t know, I just gave them all the cash I had.”
“…”
If Eun-chae heard this, she’d smack the back of my head, but Jeong Ha-yul is completely calm.
All yellow banknotes, even a bit thick.
Probably around ten of them…
500,000 won would buy 416 Eevee breads.
Collecting the seals from inside and selling them would bring in more money, which could buy more bread.
I could probably eat around 450 of them.
I glared at her, and she awkwardly changed the subject.
“How is it? The room is nice, right?”
“…It is.”
What’s done is done. I told her to ask for my permission before tipping next time and started looking around the room.
The floor was marble, and the rest was glass.
The entire glass was a one-way mirror like those used in interrogation rooms.
You can see outside from inside.
But from outside, you can’t see inside.
The TV was the latest model from Ohsung Group.
The sofa was from Taebaek Group’s premium line.
There was also a wine cellar.
And an expensive-looking refrigerator.
There was also a styler, an air purifier… You could live here.
Thinking about it now, it’s ridiculous.
If she tipped that much every time, she practically donated the refrigerator.
“There are snacks over there, help yourself. Have some drinks too.”
“Okay!”
I’m not letting it slide just because of the snacks.
Really.
While eating snacks and drinking in the shiny waiting room, the auction started.
The auction is conducted by an auctioneer with appraisal abilities from the Magic Category.
-The first item.
You can watch the broadcast on TV or look out the window.
I stood close to the window to feel the atmosphere.
“…It starts just like that? No opening speech or anything?”
“Huh? They already did it.”
“…?”
“Something about which auction this is, thanks for coming, how many items there are, so you don’t need to listen.”
Wow, the high-end taste of the expensive drink must have gotten to me.
I didn’t hear a thing.
The employee moved a cart to the center of the stage.
When they flipped the cloth, the contents were revealed.
A round bottle with black liquid…
‘Isn’t that a potion?’
All the potions I’ve seen were red, symbolizing life.
Potion is originally transparent, and depending on its properties, it’s classified by color and mixed with food coloring, as Park Seol-hwa explained.
So what’s with the black color?
-It’s an alchemist’s hair loss treatment potion!
Oh my, the color represents hair.
“Wow! I’ve been waiting for this!”
“I’m buying it! How much is it?”
“Contact the client! It’s finally here!”
-Immediate purchase is not possible!
The frenzy from the scene was piercing my eardrums through the TV.
“…What’s going on there? Good thing we didn’t go. It’s scary.”
“I don’t get why people go to such lengths when they can just live without hair… But people with hair loss go crazy for that.”
-Starting at 10 million won, bids increase by 1 million. Let’s start the auction.
-11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. Changing the bid increment to 2 million.
As soon as the auction started, hands shot up.
Even though the price was skyrocketing by millions, no one seemed willing to back down.
It was like watching fanatics.
Should we call it the Hair Loss Cult?
“Did Seol-hwa unnie put that up?”
“Probably not. She occasionally lobbies the political world, so maybe someone who received it put it up. Seol-hwa doesn’t bother with auctions; she finds them annoying.”
The hair loss treatment potion was finally sold for a whopping 320 million won.
“Oh, it sold for cheap.”
“…That’s cheap?”
“Once, it sold for 3.3 billion at Sotheby’s. Back then, Park Seol-hwa was following me around, so potions were rare. That’s why.”
After I joined the Hero Academy, Park Seol-hwa was pressured by her secretary to churn out potions like a machine.
Thanks to that, the price dropped significantly.
“How do they pay? Definitely not by card, right?”
“They don’t take cash either. Something about serial numbers, but I don’t know. I just hand over my card, and the employees handle it. They buy coins with it and transfer them or something. I’m not sure.”
Since it’s illegal, payments are made through coin transactions.
But… it’s your money. How can you not know?
Jeong Ha-yul would probably be in the red every month if it weren’t for Eun-chae and Kang-woo.
“But what are we here to buy?”
“Huh? Nothing specific. Just let me know if there’s anything you want.”
The items up for auction are unknown until they’re revealed.
Since we don’t know what will come up, she didn’t decide what to buy for me in advance and told me to pick what I want.
“…I love you, unnie!”
“Gyeoul, you’re such a materialist.”
Despite her words, she was smiling happily.
The second item, Park Seol-hwa’s stamina potion, sold for 1.9 billion.
The third item, Park Seol-hwa’s Hero Suit mk.1 (necklace type), sold for 300 million.
The fourth item, Park Seol-hwa’s Hero Suit mk.2 (bracelet type), sold for 490 million.
I heard the mk.4 I’m wearing now is the latest model.
By the way.
‘Is this Park Seol-hwa’s personal store or what?!’
Only items made by Park Seol-hwa keep coming up.
She said she finds auctions annoying.
Maybe the auction house is backed not by American S-Class heroes but by Park Seol-hwa.
After the fourth auction, quite a few people left.
About one-fifth.
“Why are they leaving?”
“From the fifth item, the prices get much higher. People who aren’t financially comfortable either watch or leave. They usually leave.”
-And now! The fifth item!
This item was quite large.
When the employee removed the cloth.
“Wow, I have to buy that!”
Jeong Ha-yul’s shopping spirit descended.
“…What is that?”
“That’s Leviathan’s fang! Who caught that and where?”
“Why do you need to buy that?”
Leviathan’s fang, a creature of destruction.
It’s usually used to make weapons, but why is Jeong Ha-yul so eager to buy it?
Despite being a molar, there’s something overwhelming about it.
It could be a decorative piece in a spacious house, but… really?
“It’s perfect for making a weapon; it won’t break even with force.”
“Unnie, you don’t use weapons.”
“Huh? No, I do. They just keep breaking, so I end up using my fists.”
Unless it’s material from a creature of destruction, weapons are practically disposable for Jeong Ha-yul.
She explained that carrying weapons that break after one use is pointless, so she just fights with her fists.
“What about when you caught Behemoth? It must have had fangs.”
“Ah, I smashed its face so hard that all its teeth shattered.”
“…”
At that point, do you even need weapons…?
-Starting at 1 billion. We’ll proceed with an English auction.
Before I could understand why she needed to buy it, Jeong Ha-yul picked up the phone.
There was no stopping her.
“500 billion.”
You crazy person.
