Chapter 164. Squandering
The incident burst forth on that afternoon’s journey home.
‘Come to think of it, I didn’t even get a proper gift amidst all the chaos. What was in that shopping bag from Brooklyn?’
The alien Great Mage was refusing Kang Chang-ho’s offer to give him a ride and was walking home instead.
It was a bit of a long journey, but the weather was nice today, and it felt like a leisurely day for once.
‘If it was food, I’d be a bit upset.’
Gi-ryeo had been extorting the hero’s wealth lately under the pretense of teaching skills.
As a result, the number one ranked player was growing day by day.
Moreover, the harder he learned, the further the world strayed from the dangers of Dungeon Break, which was beneficial for everyone.
Like a boat sailing smoothly in favorable winds, Kim Gi-ryeo’s money-making plans were going well.
At least, until today.
‘Well, anyway, now that Ha-seong has sent the class fee, I should go home and check auction news.’
But then, at that moment.
Just before reaching his studio apartment. As Gi-ryeo turned into an alley where the streetlight was broken, he suddenly felt a sharp sensation.
A strange feeling settled on the right side of his face.
It was a bit cold, a bit stinging; perhaps due to a recent impact, his vision momentarily blurred with a white hue.
“……”
Crack!
All of this was the result of Kang Chang-ho attacking his opponent out of the blue while they were quietly walking together.
He slapped a person right in the face.
The protective barrier of the regular defense ring he always carried was smashed in an instant.
Adding insult to injury, it felt like his facial bones crumpled. Shortly after, a disgusting noise echoed as fragments of broken bone started to poke around inside his flesh.
It was an orbital fracture.
Gi-ryeo reflexively covered his left eyelid, which was not seeing well, and asked.
“What is this…….”
The truth was, the Great Mage had activated a spell just before his punch landed.
Fireball generation from the Pyromancer Necklace.
He attempted suicide at truly inhuman speed.
But somehow, things were turning out oddly.
If he had aimed to trigger Enhancement Heart, he should have hit hard enough to crush skulls.
‘What the heck?’
Kang Chang-ho’s punch was far from deadly.
Considering his opponent was an S-Class Hunter, it was almost as if he hadn’t put any strength into his blow.
So, as Gi-ryeo prepared a spell while observing the situation, Kang Chang-ho soon provided an answer to that question.
“Why are you so soft?”
Thud. Thud.
As he said this, the blood pooling on Kang Chang-ho’s knuckles was dripping down.
“I can buy the excuse that your body feels soft because you’ve consumed mana somewhere. But your reflexes being slow is a bit strange.”
“……”
“You seem nimble with handling mana, but your eyes can’t keep up. Not just now, but always. You seem like a high-grade Awakened, so why can’t you see what’s obvious?”
Kang Chang-ho tilted his head to the right.
What followed was an expression of the suspicion he had held for a long time.
“Are you really F-Class?”
Gi-ryeo muttered in disbelief upon hearing this.
“You didn’t listen when I asked you to believe me, so why are you making a scene now….”
The blond hunter, with half of his face crushed, raised his mana using the energy stored in his necklace rather than his own pathetic body.
“If you’re so curious about my reflexes, why not try hitting me again?”
Gi-ryeo threatened, knowing the self-detonation wouldn’t fall behind, but Kang Chang-ho made a light sign of surrender.
“Calm down. I was just curious; I wasn’t trying to trigger Enhancement Heart.”
But for some reason, the gaze of the S-Class Hunter began to show a chilling demeanor.
“Indeed, that reaction was expected. You always try to be in control, even in this condition. Just….”
“Then go ahead and kill me if you hate it.”
“Right. That very attitude is the problem. How did our contract turn into such a tense atmosphere?”
Kang Chang-ho smiled, lifting the corners of his mouth.
However, that smile was as stiff as a human imitation created by an alien being.
“It started off as mere entertainment.”
This was the expression of someone who was indifferent to emotions.
Kang Chang-ho then began to spill his true feelings.
“To be honest, it feels odd to have our relationship flipped like this. Lately, it’s been starting to hurt my pride.”
Despite the calmness on his face, it was clear his pride was being crushed.
“So, let me say this.”
Kang Chang-ho glanced at the blood streaming down his hand and then began to make a shocking declaration to the hunter in front of him.
“Kim Gi-ryeo, I was actually in China during that anniversary party at Gate Star.”
“……”
“And during that time, I met another contractor who could serve as a sacrifice. To put it simply, I’ve already found an Awakened who can replace you.”
The blond man fell silent.
“If you’ve heard this far, you should know that your pathetic threats of self-detonation won’t work on me anymore.”
Despite appearing unfazed externally, his mind was in more turmoil than anyone else’s.
Kang Chang-ho had made a double contract?
He had never considered using Enhancement Heart until now, yet he had somehow managed to find a hunter whose skills were tempting him. Gi-ryeo gulped nervously.
Meanwhile, Kang Chang-ho had taken a few steps closer.
“Don’t be too tense. Your abilities are still the most desirable to me.”
A relaxed demeanor based on overwhelming mana.
Yes. That was the air that top predators with no rivals usually possessed. Previously, he had lived like that in his previous life.
He had truly had nothing to fear.
“From now on, I’ll continue to provide protection just the same. But from this point on, you should show me a bit of respect. You need to be more cautious in your usual behavior from now on. That’s all I wanted to say.”
How did I end up in such a pitiful situation?
“If you continue to act like this with your soft body… how do you plan to recover any losses? Right? Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter?”
At that moment, the mage wearing the skin of an Earthling realized.
Finally, the bluff had reached its limit.
Pretending to be strong while merely flapping one’s lips had numerous flaws.
In the first place, scamming in an industry where capabilities had to be proven in real-time every day without any strength was simply insane.
Huh.
So.
Gi-ryeo resolved to gain the real power needed to manifest his fabrications.
Items!
If he could just get that item he had seen in advance, he wouldn’t be treated like a soft body anymore.
At last, he would possess some sort of ability befitting an S-Class.
“Hmm…”
The first tuition fee had been deposited, and the target amount was nearly fulfilled. So Gi-ryeo decided to slightly move up his upcoming schedule as he organized his thoughts.
Kang Chang-ho, having noticed the odd silence from his opponent, finally spoke up.
“Should I give you a healing potion?”
But Gi-ryeo was nonchalant.
“I’m fine.”
Anyone else would have made a fuss the moment they were hit in the face, but he was actually resilient to pain.
Gi-ryeo decided to look at this situation positively.
An S-Class Hunter was feeling hurt to the point of wanting to spare his life; wasn’t that something to be grateful for?
Besides, whenever he thought of the word karmic retribution, all of the world’s misfortunes suddenly made sense to him.
After all, he had done ‘such things’ in his previous life…
Hmm…
Hmm.
Telling someone who had suffered misfortune that it was all due to their past life would usually seem absurd.
Yet he truly retained all the memories of his past, making it feel somewhat peculiar at times.
Moreover, Kang Chang-ho was now 32 years old by Earth years.
To a great mage, his soul seemed young to the point of being childlike, so Gi-ryeo decided to generously overlook Kang Chang-ho’s slap.
Haha. Anyway, Kang Chang-ho. Such a curious fellow…
Generously.
This damn primitive creature…
Generously. Generously. Generously.
*
Korean Item Auction House.
From morning to noon, it had rained continuously, filling the building with a damp air, and there weren’t many people around.
That’s good.
I like humid weather, and coincidentally, I didn’t want any attention.
Thud, thud.
I approached the manager of this place with quick steps.
“Hello.”
I presented the card I had prepared in advance, and the manager’s eyes widened in surprise as he accepted it.
“Huh! Ah, hello, Kim Gi-ryeo S-Class Hunter…!”
“I’d like to participate in the auction.”
“Yes, of course! I’ll proceed with the procedure right away.”
He bowed as if he had met a king and hastily operated his tablet.
Right. This is it.
Infinite awe and consideration for an absolute powerhouse. I needed to reclaim my past status somehow.
“Here, your badge. Hope you have a good time!”
While I was briefly lost in thoughts, the staff handed me a badge marked with 33 and politely pointed to the auction room I needed to go to.
But before heading there, I decided to stop by the bathroom first.
Today’s budget was a whopping 3 billion.
One needs to be cautious when significant amounts of money are involved.
If it’s an item that an S-Class Hunter is desperately trying to acquire… I’d definitely be interested too.
I gazed at the reflection of Kim Gi-ryeo in the mirror.
I don’t know how effective this petty tactic would be, but okay, let’s give it a shot.
*
“Oh~ This is an auction house selling Epic-grade items!”
A few minutes later.
A young-looking hunter walked into a room filled with soft lighting.
She was none other than Jakyung, the youngest guild member of Neo Sisters.
She was under the command of a marksman wielding a crossbow, with Ahn Yoon-seung being her direct senior hunter.
Originally ranked low, she had not been able to visit places like this, but today was different.
Team Leader’s the best!
This place allowed participants to appoint an agent if they couldn’t bid directly.
Thanks to this, Jakyung had the chance to explore a place she had been interested in for a while.
The Awakened who had signed up to participate suddenly changed her mind and canceled her schedule, but upon hearing her subordinate’s request, she graciously lent Jakyung her badge.
This isn’t a common opportunity, so I might as well buy even the cheapest item.
Whispers…
After waiting a bit, the surrounding seats began to fill one by one.
Then, the auctioneers came in, and soon, the auction started.
“This item is [Fairy Frank]. This item was discovered in the northwest region of Finland five years ago, and its effects have been proven during the first White Tower raid…”
“Bidding starts at 50 billion.”
“… 80.7 billion. 80.7 billion. 80.7 billion. Sold.”
“Next item is [Ifrit’s Heavy Armor].”
The auctioneer smoothly drew in bidders with their eloquence.
Flowery descriptions kept pouring out.
The equipment that had a vaguely antique look to it.
As Jakyung enjoyed viewing the items passing by the stage, she casually turned her head and caught sight of the person sitting next to her.
[33]
A blue-collared shirt that looked like something a fresh engineering student would wear. A hat deeply pulled down. Slightly visible black hair beneath it.
He had been sipping from a stainless steel tumbler since the bidding began.
It was strange.
Though he looked like a complete stranger, something about his profile felt oddly familiar.
