"The Zeto trading company is holding an auction in three days."

"Zeto trading company?"

Leon asked, puzzled. Could it really be that a trading company was hosting an auction with artifacts of such high quality that even a magician would be interested?

"They specialize in magical items. The company is run by a magical family. Would you like to participate?"

The shopkeeper’s words made it clear that he was trying to actively draw Leon into the auction. Leon noticed the shopkeeper’s eagerness and instinctively raised his guard.

As Leon took a step back, the shopkeeper scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Ah... To be honest, there’s a referral fee involved, which is why I recommended it. But I assure you, I had no intention of deceiving you."

The shopkeeper’s honest admission slightly eased Leon’s suspicion, but doubt still lingered.

"You said the items are high quality. What exactly will be auctioned?"

The shopkeeper paused, deep in thought, then slowly recalled, "Last time, I heard that a rare herb capable of producing B-grade essences sold for 50,000 mana stones. Various magical artifacts are usually up for auction too, though it depends on the timing."

Hearing this, Leon’s interest was piqued. If the items were of that caliber, it was definitely worth participating.

"...I see."

Leon responded briefly, having made up his mind.

"I think I’d like to participate."

"Then please come here in the morning, three days from now!"

The shopkeeper, unable to hide his joy at Leon’s acceptance, smiled widely. With a small sigh, Leon nodded and left the store.

Upon arriving at the inn, Leon secured a room and sat cross-legged inside. Since he was waiting for news about Torin, he hesitated to enter the orb, and it wasn’t suitable to practice magic in the inn room.

In the end, Leon decided to pass the time by focusing on meditation.

Three days passed, but there was still no word about finding Torin.

Reluctantly, Leon headed to the store early in the morning.

"You’ve arrived!"

The shopkeeper, clearly excited, greeted Leon with enthusiasm, as if he had been waiting anxiously. He quickly led Leon through the narrow alleyways.

After walking for some time, an unexpectedly large plaza unfolded before them.

Many magicians had already gathered in the plaza, exuding a cautious atmosphere. Some had their robes pulled low, while others hid their faces with wide-brimmed hats. A few even wore masks, thoroughly concealing their identities.

'Most of them are stronger than me...'

Leon pulled the nomad-patterned robe he was wearing tighter, sweat forming on his brow. His current intermediate-level magical abilities weren’t particularly impressive. The magical energy in the air seemed to constantly scan him as he passed.

While Leon was trying hard not to expose his youthful face, the shopkeeper knocked on the door of a small building at one corner of the plaza.

A large man opened the door.

"This is the new guest. He wishes to participate in the auction."

The large man sized Leon up before nodding and handing a small pouch to the shopkeeper.

"Here."

"Thank you very much."

The shopkeeper glanced at Leon before quickly disappearing.

As Leon stood there awkwardly, the large man approached with a surprisingly friendly smile on his stern face.

"Thank you for attending our auction. It will begin shortly, so please wait a moment."

"Understood."

Leon moved to one side of the plaza.

Shortly after, the large man reentered the building and emerged again, clapping his hands loudly. The sound echoed across the plaza, drawing everyone’s attention.

"You may enter now!"

As his voice rang out, around fifty magicians lined up and began to enter through a single entrance. Leon followed them.

Inside the entrance, a long set of stairs descended into the dimly lit space below.

'So the auction’s being held underground?'

Leon had been wondering about the unusually empty plaza.

At the bottom of the stairs, a massive hall came into view.

'Wow...'

The atmosphere was more luxurious than expected. The walls were adorned with decorations of gold and silver, as though it were a venue for a grand banquet. The candleholders sparkled with embedded gems, and the walls were lined with intricate carvings and paintings. It was clear that this venue had been prepared by a trading company of considerable wealth.

Leon glanced around, observing the space. There weren’t many others looking around like him; most of the magicians were already seated in silence, clearly familiar with auctions of this scale.

In the center of the hall, a large round table was set up, surrounded by neatly arranged chairs. Leon took one of the empty seats.

Before long, a man stepped forward as the curtains were drawn back.

"We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the magicians who have joined us for this auction."

The man stepped to the center, placed one hand on his chest, and bowed deeply.

"This is a special auction held once every six months. Many rare items have been prepared, so feel free to look forward to it. The auction will proceed as usual. After I announce the starting price, you can call out your bid. The item will go to the highest bidder."

As soon as the man finished explaining, another person wheeled out a cart covered with a cloth.

"Let me introduce the first item. This was brought from the country of the different races, Cheibuti. It’s a magical weapon known as the Aetherwin Bow, which can automatically shoot magical arrows when infused with mana!"

As the cloth was pulled back, a sleek silver bow was revealed. Its surface, although metallic, softly absorbed the light, giving off a mysterious glow.

The auctioneer, wearing white gloves, carefully lifted the bow and slowly turned it so that everyone could see. After displaying it, he gently placed it on the table.

Magical energy, used to appraise the item, surged around the room. Leon did the same.

The Aetherwin Bow was a C-grade artifact. No arrows were needed, nor did it require any complex operation. Once infused with mana, the bow would automatically create magical arrows and fire them at enemies. It was as if a summoned creature was doing the work for you. It required no additional action to shoot, making it a highly useful weapon in battle.

"The starting price is 10,000 mana stones."

"12,000!"

The moment the auction began, a magician dressed in a robe raised her hand and called out a price. Her face was hidden, but judging by her slim figure, it appeared to be a female magician.

The room fell silent for a moment after she called out 2,000 more mana stones than the starting price.

But the quiet didn’t last long.

"12,500."

Another magician quickly raised the price by 500, and the auction atmosphere intensified.

The auctioneer stoked the rising excitement.

"This artifact is like a living entity! As long as you have mana, it will endlessly attack your enemies without you needing to worry about arrows! Can you afford to miss this opportunity, esteemed magicians?"

Even Leon, who had already appraised the bow, felt tempted by the auctioneer’s passionate pitch.

In the end, the bow sold for 15,500 mana stones.

Leon checked his mana stone pouch. He had about 160,000 mana stones in total. Although he could easily afford the Aetherwin Bow, he wasn’t particularly interested in it.

At that moment, the second item was placed on the table.

"Our second item is a high-capacity dimensional pouch! It dwarfs standard pouches capable of holding tens of thousands of mana stones. This pouch can store massive weapons, large magical energy crystals, battle carriages, and even mid-sized skyships! It’s a truly limitless storage item! The starting price is 5,000 mana stones!"

Unlike the Aetherwin Bow, this item caught Leon’s attention.

It was because of his golems.

Leon’s current dimensional pouch couldn’t hold more than a few golems. Whenever he needed to retrieve more golems, he had to return to the orb, which was inconvenient.

But with this high-capacity pouch, he could solve that issue in one go.

"5,100!"

Someone called out the first bid, but Leon immediately responded.

"5,500."

Without hesitation, Leon raised the price.

The magician who had first bid briefly glanced at Leon, their gaze filled with both wariness and frustration, but Leon kept his eyes forward, unfazed.

That magician quickly countered.

"5,600!" "6,000." "6,100." "6,500." "Damn it, show-off with too much money. It's yours."

Leon remained calm, showing no reaction. He continued to conceal his face, aware that revealing his young appearance might attract unwanted attention.

"6,500. Going once, twice... Sold!"

The auctioneer’s triumphant voice echoed as an attendant quietly approached Leon.

Handing over a small golden token, the attendant said, "Once the auction is over, present this token along with your payment to claim your item."

Leon nodded and accepted the token.

The auction continued smoothly. Instead of claiming items immediately, this method allowed for the auction to flow without interruption, which Leon appreciated. He had no desire to draw unnecessary attention to himself.

After that, ten more items were auctioned off one by one. As time passed, even more valuable items appeared, but none caught Leon’s interest.

At one point, a B-grade essence was auctioned off for a staggering 100,000 mana stones.

‘Essences are really expensive…’

Since higher-grade essences were difficult to produce, their prices skyrocketed. Still, Leon wasn’t particularly interested in the essence itself.

What he needed were the materials to trade for rewards, not the elixir itself. He already had plenty of essence rewards in reserve.

‘I was hoping for some herbs…’

Leon clicked his tongue in disappointment. In the end, the only thing he acquired at the auction was the high-capacity dimensional pouch for his golems.

However, he learned something important from this experience.

‘It’s clear that high-quality items do appear at auctions. I should participate whenever possible.’

The auctioneer began to introduce the final item.

"And now, the last item."

Although the auction was reaching its climax, Leon’s interest had long since faded. He waited without much expectation for the final item to be revealed.

"This item was brought from the northern Beast Forest. A wooden sword with mysterious powers! Do not be deceived by its plain appearance!"

As the cloth was pulled away, a simple wooden sword was revealed.

Its appearance was so plain and common that it seemed out of place as the final item in an auction.

The atmosphere in the auction house instantly cooled, as if cold water had been poured over the crowd. The magicians stared at the wooden sword with thinly veiled disappointment.

However, in the midst of that disinterest, only one person’s eyes widened as they fixed on the wooden sword.

‘This…?’