"Are you sure it's okay to bid this much?"

"Yes, the guild master said it's fine. Just go ahead."

That was the conversation that just took place. Baekho Guild was moving quickly.

Ever since Lee Jin-hyuk learned about the auction, he focused all his attention on it.

"We have to buy this item. Use any means necessary to acquire it," he had emphasized before leaving. Naturally, the members of Baekho Guild were feeling the pressure to secure the item at all costs.

"I raised the bid to 60 billion for now, to try and push out the other competitors."

"But what if the American bidders throw their capital into the mix?"

"Hmm… I’m not sure what will happen, but..."

They checked the remaining days displayed on the monitor.

D-7.

There was still plenty of time left.

"Sigh… can't we just end this now? I want to buy it outright. Have you contacted the auction house? Maybe we could offer them whatever they want and have them give it to us directly?"

"I already checked, but since it was posted with an anonymous condition, it's impossible."

"Sigh... The guild master specifically ordered us to get this item."

With the pressure mounting, the Baekho Guild staff were on edge, struggling to find a solution.

"Who the hell put that item up for sale?"

"That’s the mystery. We’ve tried to gather information, but no one knows."

"What about the S-rank hunters? I heard there's a rumor that Lee Soo-ah is gathering other S-rank hunters."

"But those guys are only running A-rank dungeons. They have nothing to do with this."

The manager of Baekho Guild scratched his head, feeling the pressure weighing down on him.

"Anyway, we’ve prepared up to 100 billion in funds. Use it wisely and scare off any other bidders. Make them give up."

"Understood."

The tension in the room was palpable.

"Su-hyeon."

"O-Oppa…"

Che Su-hyeon was startled by Lee Jin-hyuk’s sudden visit. She seemed a bit anxious, wondering if he was going to ask her to do something again.

"Hey, do you have anything for me?"

"Something for you?"

"Yeah, like a surprise gift. Don’t you have anything prepared for me?"

"Huh…?"

Che Su-hyeon looked utterly confused, as if she couldn’t understand what he was talking about.

‘A gift? All of a sudden? For Jin-hyuk oppa?’

"Nothing… nothing at all?"

"Really? You’re sure?"

Now it was Lee Jin-hyuk's turn to give her a strange look.

"Um… yeah, nothing… What are you thinking about?"

"Have you found any items? Maybe snuck into an S-rank dungeon without telling me?"

"No… I haven’t."

Che Su-hyeon cautiously responded. It was clear that Lee Jin-hyuk had high expectations, but she couldn’t figure out exactly what he wanted.

‘A gift? An item?’

"Sigh. You really don’t have anything? You're sure?"

"I don’t even know what you’re talking about. Just tell me."

"Ugh, damn it."

Lee Jin-hyuk was starting to get annoyed.

‘What the hell? So it wasn’t her? Then who was it?’

His expression turned puzzled, clearly trying to piece things together.

"What is it? Just tell me, what’s going on?"

"Is this not yours?"

He thrust something in front of her.

"Huh…? What’s this?"

"A Fragment of a Tormented Soul. It suddenly appeared on the market. There hadn’t been a single one for eight months, and now it’s just up for sale. Wasn’t it you?"

"Me? No, it wasn’t me. Why?"

"Sigh... If it wasn’t you, then who the hell was it? Isn’t this something only S-rank hunters can get?"

"Yeah… it is."

Che Su-hyeon knew very well how valuable the Fragment of a Tormented Soul was. It was a highly coveted crafting material that Baekho Guild would be after, no doubt.

‘What? That fragment is up for sale? It’s such a rare material…’

Just like Lee Jin-hyuk, she began reacting with concern.

‘Could it be… Ji-hoon oppa?’

Her mind raced. With access to Baekho Guild’s information network, she could connect the dots quickly.

‘Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Hana are running A-rank dungeons right now, so it’s not them… Then…’

The only name that came to her mind was Baek Ji-hoon.

‘I’m sure it’s Ji-hoon oppa.’

She quickly tapped her screen to check the auction information.

‘Of course. The seller is anonymous. There’s no reason to list it anonymously unless it’s someone who doesn’t want attention.’

Her eyes narrowed, and she started to look suspicious.

For months, no one had listed this item, and now, suddenly, it’s on the market. It didn’t add up.

‘It’s definitely Ji-hoon oppa trying to keep a low profile.’

Her emotions began to swirl.

‘No way… Did he really get that item so easily? In such a short time? How?’

It felt like something complicated was happening behind the scenes, something she wasn’t aware of.

‘Is Ji-hoon oppa able to obtain items this easily? No… it can’t be…’

Her eyes started to tremble with doubt, and she felt a growing sense of discomfort.

‘Please… Ji-hoon oppa, please stop…’

The thought of Baek Ji-hoon succeeding only brought her more pain. It reminded her of her mistakes, which haunted her over and over again.

Che Su-hyeon clenched her fists, her body trembling. It felt as though Ji-hoon was beginning to stretch and rise, preparing to step into his power.

"Are you sure it wasn’t you?"

"Yeah… it wasn’t me."

"Then… do you have any idea who it might be?"

Lee Jin-hyuk, watching her closely, shifted his focus to her, sensing something from her expression.

‘What’s this? She looks like she knows something…’

He was taking the situation very seriously, picking up on her subtle reactions.

"No, I don’t know. Maybe it’s Lee Soo-ah?"

Che Su-hyeon quickly deflected with an excuse.

"No, they’re in A-rank dungeons right now. No way that item came from there."

"Hmm…"

"Sigh… Who the hell could it be…?"

Lee Jin-hyuk loosened his tie in frustration, but there were no answers.

"Hey, if you find out who it is, let me know immediately. And you—can’t you handle this? I thought you said you could deal with stuff like this."

He was speaking in an accusing tone, as if she had broken a contract.

"Um… not right now…"

Che Su-hyeon stayed passive, unsure of how to handle the pressure.

"Goddamn it. What the hell are you even good for?"

Finally, Lee Jin-hyuk seemed ready to explode. His plans were falling apart, and now he felt like he was falling behind. Suddenly, someone he didn’t even know had started auctioning off a rare item.

"Ugh… alright! Stop it! Just stop! I’m trying my best here, okay? Give me some time."

Her voice was desperate.

Che Su-hyeon realized she couldn’t just sit and wait anymore.

[Ji-hoon oppa… can you make time for me? There’s something I want to talk about…]

It was a text from Che Su-hyeon.

The excitement I had felt from watching the auction numbers rise instantly faded.

‘What’s this? Does she know something? Is that why she’s texting me?’

I couldn’t help but wonder if she was aware of something, considering the auction price had jumped to 60 billion as soon as Baekho Guild joined the bidding. Was she reaching out because she knew?

‘Nah, no way. How could she know? It’s all anonymous. I just need to bleed Baekho Guild dry.’

Hyung-seok had mentioned earlier that once Baekho Guild starts bidding, they’ll do whatever it takes to win, no matter the cost. They always play it safe, ensuring they get what they want.

[Busy. Don’t contact me.]

I shut her down immediately.

‘Yeah, what’s the point of her clinging to me now? Get lost.’

Knock, knock.

“Yes?”

It was Cha Isul.

"Hey, Ji-hoon, are you free tonight?"

"Huh? Tonight?"

"Yeah, I was thinking we could grab dinner together. We’ve never really had a proper meal, just the two of us."

"Sure, sounds good."

I was in a good mood, so I agreed right away.

"Hey, what’s got you smiling like that? You seem really happy."

Cha Isul tilted her head, looking at me with curiosity.

"Ah, yeah. Something really good happened."

I couldn’t help but smile. After all, how could anyone not grin when an item they got from a dungeon just reached 60 billion?

"See you after work, then."

"Yep!"

Cha Isul left with a bright smile.

"Hyung-seok, how high do you think this will go…?"

After Cha Isul left, I became curious about how far the auction might go. I wasn’t familiar with how long auctions usually lasted, but I was so excited that I wanted to get my hands on that money as soon as possible.

"Hmm… I think it could reach 100 billion. Usually, when items get this heated, they can go up to five times their normal price."

"100 billion? Seriously?"

I swore in disbelief.

"Yeah, haha…"

Hyung-seok laughed like a madman, clearly as overwhelmed as I was.

The auction was making both of us deliriously happy.