"It’s in your inventory, isn’t it?"

"......"

"Something I made."

Uijae’s breath caught in his throat. He clenched his trembling right hand with his left, trying to steady himself. Hong Ye-seong’s golden, patterned eyes were still fixed on him, as if they were piercing through every inch of his body.

It felt like his very being was being peeled away, his core exposed for observation. A sickening wave of nausea welled up inside him, and Uijae gritted his teeth as he responded.

"I’m not sure what you’re talking about."

The only thing in his inventory made by Hong Ye-seong was the ticket, and he had already handed that over to Lee Sayoung before the auction began. He had nothing else that stood out. So he asked the most obvious question.

"...Are you talking about the ticket?"

"Pfft, if it were just the ticket, I wouldn’t have dragged you here."

Hong Ye-seong scolded him as if it was a stupid question, muttering to himself as if suddenly realizing something.

"Oh, right, I forgot to start with this."

Gone was the lighthearted demeanor from earlier—he now looked like someone on the edge of sanity.

"I didn’t bring you here to argue with you, Secretary Kim. I’m certain of it. I saw it clearly with these eyes—something I made is in your inventory."

Uijae glanced around the air cautiously. The only things in his inventory were potions, mana stones, and the basilisk’s fang.

‘It’s probably the mana stone he’s after…’

The potions were mass-produced, and if Hong Ye-seong were interested in the mana stone, he would’ve outright demanded it. Hong Ye-seong was known for his relentless pursuit of mana stones.

That left the basilisk’s fang, but there didn’t seem to be any connection between them. After all, Uijae had retrieved it from the West Sea Rift, and when J entered the rift, Hong Ye-seong had still been an ordinary person, not yet awakened.

As Uijae pondered, Hong Ye-seong continued quickly.

"Sorry, but I don’t have much time. And dragging this out won’t do you any good, either. Won’t Lee Sayoung come looking for you? Let’s just get what we both want and part ways."

Finally, Uijae took a good look at Hong Ye-seong’s face.

"Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. Just take it out."

Behind the golden patterns swirling in his eyes, Uijae noticed bloodshot veins.

Why had Hong Ye-seong kept his eyes closed for most of the auction? You’d think someone so dedicated to their craft would be curious about how their meticulously made weapon found its new owner. At first, Uijae had thought he was simply sleepy from pulling an all-nighter, but now it seemed there was more to it.

The system is typically generous to the awakeners it chooses. After granting them new abilities and skills driven by desperate wishes, it rarely intervenes. However, for abilities that infringe on the system’s rules, even those directly granted by the system, harsh penalties were imposed.

Just like the spatial teleportation ability of the "Romantic Opener," the "Appraisal Eye," which allowed a limited view into others' inventories, must also violate the system’s laws.

He could have easily ended the ticket inspection with the Appraisal Eye, but instead, he had gone through the trouble of using the ticket detector—a weaker substitute for the Appraisal Eye—in the restroom...

‘There’s probably a penalty that prevents him from using the Appraisal Eye for too long.’

As the patterns continued to rotate and new symbols emerged, more and more blood vessels burst behind the golden glow. Yet, Hong Ye-seong stubbornly refused to close his Appraisal Eye.

"Just take it out already," he pressed.

The sensation of being flayed alive intensified with every change in the patterns, and Uijae had to bite down on the inside of his mouth to avoid gouging out Hong Ye-seong’s eyes. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

In the midst of this tense standoff, Uijae’s phone began to buzz in his pocket. The only people who would call him were Haeun or Lee Sayoung. Either way, it was a call he needed to take. If it was Lee Sayoung, things would be even more serious. After all, the person who had been standing right behind him had suddenly vanished without a trace.

‘He’s probably looking for me right now…’

A chill ran down Uijae’s spine. He couldn’t afford to upset Sayoung again, especially after working so hard to calm him down earlier. And who knew if the "apologize-no-matter-what" strategy would work again this time—after all, such a last resort should only be used once a day.

Ignoring the discomfort coursing through his body, Uijae reached into his pocket for his phone.

"Rooster!"

"COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!"

The moment Hong Ye-seong closed his eyes and then snapped them open again, the golden patterns became even more vivid. Uijae, stunned by the renewed sensation of unease, froze in place. In that brief hesitation, the porcelain rooster let out a loud cry and shot into the air like a bolt of lightning, snatching the phone from Uijae’s hand.

In the blink of an eye, the rooster had stolen the phone, leaving Uijae staring at it in disbelief. The rooster, however, simply sat contentedly on top of the phone, tilting its head curiously.

"Cluck."

‘Damn, how is this chicken so fast?’

Meanwhile, Hong Ye-seong groaned as he covered his eyes, and a thin trickle of blood slowly dripped down his face. When he shielded his eyes, the sensation of being flayed alive disappeared, and Uijae could breathe a little easier.

"Oh no… Rooster, did you take it?"

"Coo-coo."

"Good job. Sorry! This is my first kidnapping, and I forgot to take your phone."

The phone continued to vibrate, its persistent buzzing making the rooster tremble slightly as it sat on top of it.

A soft breeze blew across the porch, carrying the metallic scent of blood. The blood streaming from Hong Ye-seong’s eyes showed no signs of stopping. Uijae, momentarily setting aside his anger, checked on his captor’s condition.

"Are your eyes okay?"

"Ah! It’s because I used the Appraisal Eye for too long. But don’t worry, I’ve got something for this."

Hong Ye-seong answered cheerfully as he pulled out a white bandage-like item from his inventory and wrapped it around his eyes. In no time, he looked like a blind hermit living in a mountain cave. He spoke as casually as ever.

"Tada! Nam Woojin made this for me. It helps a lot when I wear it."

"Then could you return my phone for a moment? I need to let them know what’s going on. You know how Guild Leader Lee Sayoung is."

"Nope. The phone stays with me—it’s my hostage. But if you cooperate, I’ll help smooth things over. I’ll even vouch for you!"

"About that…"

Uijae rubbed his throbbing temples and sighed, deciding to be honest.

"Sorry, but I really don’t know what you’re talking about."

"......"

Hong Ye-seong stared intently at Uijae despite the bandage over his eyes. His gaze was so intense that Uijae was glad he was wearing a mask. After a brief pause, the phone’s vibrations started up again. The porcelain rooster yawned, opening its beak wide. After a long silence, Hong Ye-seong murmured.

"Seems like you’re not bluffing."

"No. I’m genuinely confused."

"Hmm…"

With his head tilted, Hong Ye-seong frowned thoughtfully.

"Isn’t there a weapon in your inventory? Something long, like a sword. About this big."

He spread his arms wide, describing a shape that felt oddly familiar to Uijae.

‘...Could it be?’

Was he talking about the basilisk’s fang? But did Hong Ye-seong really make it? Uijae’s face contorted in disbelief.

The basilisk’s fang was a weapon that had appeared out of nowhere inside the West Sea Rift. The timing didn’t match, but… showing it to Hong Ye-seong might reveal something about the rift. And somehow, Uijae had a gut feeling that he *needed* to do this.

J had a duty to retrieve those buried in that place.

Ignoring the blood in his mouth, Uijae opened his lips.

"...I do have something."

Hong Ye-seong leaped up with excitement.

"Aha, I knew it! Let me see."

"But… I’m not sure this is something you made, Hong Ye-seong."

"Come on, let me be the judge of that. Just show me already!"

Uijae carefully retrieved the basilisk’s fang from his inventory. Fortunately, it didn’t react violently this time, screaming about how it wasn’t worthy of being wielded. He cautiously handed it to Hong Ye-seong.

Hong Ye-seong cradled the sword in his arms, running his hands over the sheath and hilt. After a long moment of feeling the weapon’s form, he muttered softly.

"...This wasn’t made by me."

Was it just a simple misunderstanding? Uijae bit his lip and clenched his fist.

Just then, Hong Ye-seong gripped the hilt of the basilisk’s fang and unsheathed it with practiced ease. The black,

 obsidian-like blade gleamed as he pulled it free, and at that exact moment, a white system message appeared before Uijae’s eyes.

---

**[Evaluating compatibility...]**

---

At the same time, Hong Ye-seong whispered.

"But it’s also something I made."

"Huh?"

---

**[Updating ‘Basilisk’s Fang’ thoughts!]**

**[Would you like to confirm?]**

---

In his bewilderment, Uijae gave a small nod.

---

**[Updating...]**

**[Basilisk’s Fang thoughts: Father?]**

---

"Father?"

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Uijae’s eyes widened in shock. Meanwhile, Hong Ye-seong’s fingertips began to glow faintly blue. As his fingers glided over the blade, small blue points of light, like stars, appeared on the black surface. These points soon formed letters, which then formed a name.

藝星

"Crafted by Ye-seong."

"......"

"You know my name, right?"

Uijae nodded silently. Gently, as if caressing a child, Hong Ye-seong stroked the blade. Despite the sharpness of the weapon, his hand remained unscathed.

"I always inscribe my name on everything I make. Only my touch can confirm its existence. It’s kind of like a certificate of authenticity."

"......"

"My information network is top-tier, you know? The moment a good material or a powerful monster appears, I get messages from all over—whether it’s in Korea or abroad. They always ask, ‘Can you make something out of this?’ Want to know why?"

With a flick of his finger, Hong Ye-seong sent a clear, unfamiliar sound resonating from the blade. It almost sounded like a child’s laughter.

"Because I’m the only person in the world who can turn things like that into weapons."

"......"

"But even I’ve never heard of a basilisk appearing. I’ve never heard of it, never seen one, never touched its spoils. So there’s no way I made this sword."

Of course he hadn’t heard of it. The basilisk was the ruler of the West Sea Rift, and the only person who had met that ruler was J. Only J knew the truth.

"But here this sword is, telling me that I made it."

Why was Hong Ye-seong’s inscription on a weapon Uijae had found in the rift?

He had never entered the West Sea Rift, and none of the hunters who had ventured there had ever owned the basilisk’s fang. Uijae was sure of these two facts. No one knew the West Sea Rift as well as J did.

All the thoughts swirling in his mind tangled into a chaotic mess. His pulse quickened.

"Where did you get this?"

"......"

"...Come on, Secretary. I’m just as surprised as you. I didn’t expect something like this to show up. I thought my weapons might’ve been floating around some black market somewhere."

Hong Ye-seong scratched his head, more exasperated than angry.

"Ugh, I get it. Even if I ask, you won’t tell me."

"......"

"Look, I’ll make a deal. I won’t ask who you are, I won’t dig into your identity, and I’ll keep this little chat between us a secret. I’m not curious at all. Heck, I’ll even make you a weapon if you need one."

"......"

"But in return, you need to be honest with me."

Hong Ye-seong gently set the basilisk’s fang down and grabbed Uijae’s arm. Uijae instinctively moved to shove him away but hesitated. The loose bandage slipped down, revealing Hong Ye-seong’s glowing, bloodshot eyes.

"Where did you get this?"