Chapter 104
-5… 50 billion has been called!
“What? 50 billion?”
“Isn’t that insane? Even before the starting price was announced…”
“No matter how rare it is, that’s just too much.”
“Another bored rich person or collector must be behind this.”
As Jeong Ha-yul called out 50 billion through the phone, the auction house fell into a brief silence.
“Sis, do you really have 50 billion?”
“Of course! What do you take me for? I wouldn’t call a price I can’t afford.”
Even if she has 50 billion… spending all that on just one tooth?
“50 billion for just one tooth…”
“Just one tooth? Money can be earned again, but the tooth of an extinct species is irreplaceable.”
Jeong Ha-yul had a look in her eyes that said she couldn’t understand me this time.
I can’t understand you either, you brat.
Spending 50 billion on one fang?
Who could possibly understand that?
You don’t even need a weapon!
And how much more would it cost to process that into a weapon?
Even though 50 billion flew away in an instant, Jeong Ha-yul was beaming.
“Anyway… congratulations, however you use it… it’s your money after all.”
“Thank you!”
I could hear the grinding sound from my teeth, but Jeong Ha-yul seemed oblivious.
-50 billion, any higher bids? 50 billion. 50 billion. 50…
Just as the auctioneer was about to bring down the hammer.
“51 billion.”
-51 billion! 51 billion has been called!
“Wow!”
“This is insane! Today’s auction for monster materials might be the most expensive ever!”
A man in the front row, holding a phone, called out 51 billion.
“…!”
“Is this for real?”
Even Jeong Ha-yul, who called 50 billion, couldn’t understand, and neither could I understand the man who called 51 billion.
From the way he’s still on the phone, it seems like he’s a proxy.
There sure are a lot of rich people in Korea.
“52 billion!”
-52 billion! From the VIP room, 52 billion!
Jeong Ha-yul, looking like she might shoot lasers from her eyes, raised the price, refusing to lose.
“53 billion!”
This is a battle of pride between two wealthy individuals.
But even if you win, wouldn’t you just be left with scars?
Spending over 50 billion on a dirty, plaque-filled tooth…
I thought 50 billion was already a rip-off, but with competition, the price is skyrocketing by billions every second.
“54 billion!”
“55 billion!”
“60 billion!”
“70 billion!”
-70… 70 billion! 70 billion!
As if raising by 100 billion wasn’t enough, the man immediately called 70 billion after it reached 60 billion.
Even in this auction house, such an amount is rarely seen, and the auctioneer was visibly excited.
‘It’s about to burst into bubbles.’
And I might soon be in bubbles too.
70 billion.
If I had known Jeong Ha-yul had that much money when I was younger, maybe I wouldn’t have joined the Hero Academy? No, I wouldn’t have.
Just putting that money in the bank at 2% interest would yield 1.18 billion after taxes.
Roughly 1 billion in interest every month.
Of course, there are other taxes to pay, but still.
Now, that kind of money is being thrown at a single tooth.
After the man called 70 billion, Jeong Ha-yul fell silent.
“…Sis, you’re not going to go higher, are you?”
“…I want to, but I’d have to sell the house to go higher.”
“Absolutely not! Stop!”
Maybe I should borrow some money from Seol-hwa?
Or from Taebaek or the Association?
How much credit can an S-Class Hero get?
Do I have to resort to loan sharks…?
I could hear the sound of financial ruin behind me.
There was no time to think.
Using telekinesis, I snatched the phone from Jeong Ha-yul and urgently shouted.
“I give up! I give up! I won’t buy it!”
“….”
-70 billion. 70 billion. 70 billion.
Bang bang bang-
The auctioneer called 70 billion three times and struck with the hammer.
In the end, the man who spent a staggering 70 billion won.
I really want to see the client’s face.
Is he an oil tycoon from the Middle East?
Or a gas tycoon from Russia?
Whoever it is… I want to be friends.
“Ugh…”
Jeong Ha-yul looked like a tragic heroine who had lost everything.
She’s not in her right mind either.
“You saved 70 billion, you can buy something similar and cheaper, just give up on that.”
“We don’t know how many years it will take for another extinct species to appear…”
Feeling sorry for her, I turned my head away.
Snap out of it, I just saved our house from being lost.
“…You saw what I did, right? If there’s something you want to buy, participate like I did.”
Like Jeong Ha-yul?
I can’t just call out 50 billion with trembling hands.
I can’t run up the price by billions.
If there’s something reasonable, maybe… but if everything coming up is like this, I’d rather give up.
-The auction house is heating up! Introducing the sixth item!
Still, I was curious about what was coming.
-ESP Gloves! A must-have for awakened ones in the super ability category! Only three exist in the world, and now the fourth has appeared!
Oh my, I must have that.
“20 billion!”
“Gyeoul!”
“That’s mine!”
ESP Gloves.
Gloves that enhance the abilities of awakened ones in the super ability category.
I’m not sure how they enhance, but according to reviews from those who’ve used them, it’s almost like a level-up.
Of course, there might be some exaggeration, but it seems true that abilities are strengthened.
When I was looking into equipment to compensate for my weak abilities, these gloves were the first thing that caught my eye.
Price aside, there was no one selling them, so I couldn’t buy them…
The last transaction was probably around 23 billion?
20 billion is a whopping 3 billion cheaper.
“Wow, sis, if you win that, I’ll earn you 3 billion!”
“….”
-21 billion has been called!
That jerk!
How dare he covet my gloves!
“25 billion!”
-25 billion! 25 billion! 25 billion!
Bang bang bang-
“Gyeoul?”
I said I’ll pay it back.
Don’t you trust me?
***
“You’ll pay it back?”
“….”
“Really, you’ll pay it back?”
“….”
“Don’t you trust me? I’m an S-Class super ability Hero, you know?”
“….”
On the way back after buying the ESP Gloves.
Jeong Ha-yul’s expression wasn’t good.
Honestly, I think I went a bit overboard, but I couldn’t pass up the ESP Gloves.
In the end, I won the gloves for 25 billion.
The fact that there aren’t many awakened ones in the super ability category is probably the biggest reason.
Out of all those people, no one wanted to buy and resell them.
I was lucky in many ways.
“Cheer up, sis, I’ll treat you to a meal!”
“…My fang.”
Surprisingly, Jeong Ha-yul didn’t seem interested in the money I spent.
She seemed fixated on the fang that was snatched away for 70 billion, repeating that it was her fang.
But why is it your fang?
It’s Leviathan’s fang.
It was from the auction.
Now it belongs to that man’s client.
“Cheer up, sis~”
“Sis, it’s okay…”
I was even acting cute to Jeong Ha-yul with my high tension.
Like a baby playing with its hands.
‘Ah! It fits so well in my hand!’
The 20 billion gloves were worth every penny.
I was barely holding back from trying out my telekinesis.
Using telekinesis while wearing gloves on the street might get me suspected of terrorism.
Like how Hanam Starfield was blown up by Fox Mask.
We can’t have headlines about someplace being blown up by Jeong Gyeoul.
After parking the car in the driveway, I dragged the seemingly uninterested Jeong Ha-yul around to nearby restaurants.
Holding Jeong Ha-yul’s hand, I spotted a pork belly restaurant.
I’ve never seen it before… when did it open?
“Sis, let’s eat meat!”
“Okay… order whatever you want.”
“Auntie! 10 servings of pork belly here!”
“…Huh? What? Is that order correct?”
Of course, food is the best way to cheer up someone who’s down.
The auntie seemed to know that, asking if 10 servings were enough.
“Today, I’m not planning to eat much, so just 10 servings will do.”
“…Okay. 10 servings, not 2 servings, 10 servings. Right?”
She’s good at business.
Emphasizing 10 servings, she pressured me to order more.
Well, today is a good day since I got the ESP Gloves!
“Make it 20 servings!”
“Gasp!”
Finally getting the answer she wanted, the auntie’s mouth dropped open.
I don’t think I could ever run a business.
I lack that kind of slickness.
I was planning to eat a little and go home to have dinner with Eun-chae and Kang-woo.
But I fell for the auntie’s sales pitch.
As soon as the side dishes were set, one thought came to mind.
‘Pork belly goes with soju…’
Back in the day, saying “I came with my mom” or “I came with my dad” would work, but that doesn’t fly anymore.
Even if it’s family, you can’t serve alcohol at a table with minors.
Besides, how many people would believe if I called Jeong Ha-yul my mom?
Even if that worked and I ordered… Jeong Ha-yul wouldn’t let me drink it anyway.
The hardest thing after possessing this body wasn’t caffeine or being a girl.
It was not being able to drink or smoke.
Luckily, since the body changed, there were no withdrawal symptoms.
But since I didn’t quit on my own, I keep thinking about it.
Once, I grabbed a Pocky stick Eun-chae gave me with my index and middle fingers, causing a misunderstanding.
Habits are scary.
“Sis, eat a lot, it’s on me!”
“Okay, Gyeoul, you eat a lot too.”
As expected, with food in front of her, her mood lightened a bit.
Her expression softened, and we started the meal while talking about the Academy.
In the end, 20 servings weren’t enough, so we ordered 5 more, along with two bowls of cold noodles and 5 servings of fried rice.
…If you come to a pork belly restaurant and don’t eat noodles and rice, it’s disrespectful to the restaurant, the owner, and the meat.
“Did you eat a lot?”
“Yeah, I’m full, I ate more than usual.”
“Let’s go, auntie, the bill please.”
Jeong Ha-yul was holding out her card at the counter.
“Hey! Why are you doing this? I said it’s on me!”
“No, what money does a student have?”
“Ah! Put it away, put it away!”
“…Where did you learn that?”
Oops. I’m now 14-year-old cute middle schooler Jeong Gyeoul, I need to restrain myself.
Blocking Jeong Ha-yul’s card, I took out my card and handed it to the auntie.
It was a shiny black card.
“…Isn’t that your card, sis?”
“Yeah, it is.”
That’s life, Ha-yul.
If you nitpick everything, you’ll just get tired.
Let’s live loosely.
