Chapter 51: Black Market (4)

In the dead of night when the sun had completely set, Jinhyuk waited in a desolate alleyway for someone. ‘It gets pretty cold at night.’ He had ventured out a little early, fearing he may be late for the designated time set by the Black Market, and the evening dew did feel quite chilly. Nevertheless, the wait felt pleasant since he had achieved the desired condition. ‘They say confidence comes with a solid bank account, and it seems that saying was true.’

30 million dollars.

In Korean currency, that’s over 35 billion won.

Jinhyuk had earned most of that amount in less than ten minutes.

It was a victory for the ages in the history of gambling.

‘This should be more than enough to win the bid on the replica relic I want.’

With over 100 auction items up for bid, the competition shouldn’t be too fierce.

‘Especially since the item I want doesn’t look alluring on the outside.’

A pearl hidden in the mud.

An item of immense value to those who understand it but seems unworthy of opening a wallet to those who do not.

Then again, it’s about time for them to arrive…

Just as that thought crossed his mind—

Vroom!

He heard the sound of a car approaching.

Shortly after, a black Mercedes-Maybach came to a halt in front of Jinhyuk.

As the window rolled down, a man dressed in a suit was revealed.

Could this man be the staff sent by the Black Market?

“Customer number 117, that would be you, correct?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

Jinhyuk showed the number written on his invitation.

“Confirmed. Then, from now on, I will escort you to where the auction is held. For security reasons, you will have to wear a blindfold, I hope that’s okay with you.”

In the back seat of the car lay a blindfold. As expected, it even had a spell to block vision cast on it.

In movies, you see people count seconds while blindfolded to map out the destination in their heads, but what about in real life?

Though it would be interesting to test it out, there was no need.

[30-minute ride, a grand mansion in the middle of the desert.]

[To avoid being late, you should hurry. But what are you doing? Get in already.]

There was no need for such things when he could glean an extensive amount of information with ‘Eyes of Gluttony.’

‘I’ll have to try this out with the players later.’

When he had obtained this power back in the day, all the players had already left the Tower of Trials.

In other words, there was no one left to test it on.

‘That’s not a worry anymore.’

If humanity doesn’t want to face extinction, everyone will be desperate to climb that tower.

Will it work on those who can manipulate magic, or not?

And if it does work, to what extent can it be applied?

Finding that out will be another source of pleasure.

Jinhyuk settled into the plush seats of the car.

＊＊＊

After what felt like precisely 30 minutes –

“We have arrived.”

Announced the staff member as the car came to a stop.

Finally, he could remove the blindfold.

‘Phew. Thought I was going to suffocate.’

As Jinhyuk got out of the car, an astonishing sight unfolded before him.

“Ah!”

An exclamation emerged involuntarily.

No wonder – the mansion he perceived through ‘Eyes of Gluttony’ was even more splendid and beautiful in reality.

Combined with the night sky, which looked as if stars could spill out at any moment, and an oasis, the exterior of the mansion created a spectacle akin to a scene from a painting.

“Please leave your invitation with me. Have a pleasant time.”

After verifying the authenticity of the invitation, the staff bowed deeply.

Alone now, Jinhyuk entered the mansion.

As he was about to walk through the garden and approach the main gate—

[You haven’t forgotten our promise, have you?]

Ellis’s voice rang out in his head.

Right, of course – she was there.

Impressed by her skills in finding Maen on the plane, he had offered her a wish: anything she wanted to see in the outside world.

Ellis had expressed a desire to gaze upon it.

“Is this place alright with you?”

A place like Las Vegas would have much more to see.

Fireworks, motorcycle stunts, sights in abundance.

But why pick a mansion where the rich flaunt their wealth at an auction?

[I am a creature of the night, and only a setting with the proper decorum suits a being with my noble blood. Not a bad mansion for something built by humans. I will choose this place.]

Well well.

“You’re trapped within an 0.001 square feet ring, and you’re talking about what suits you? And what’s this about a creature of the night, a noble of the night?”

A noble caged in a basement room at night, perhaps?

[What did you say!? A bat stuck in a dingy boarding room in a poverty-stricken town?]

Ellis retorted, her voice rising with indignation, the ring vibrating faintly.

“I didn’t quite put it that way…”

The pathetic sight was enough to invoke pity rather than frustration.

After all, she had been formidable in the past. He had to understand that.

Shaking his head, Jinhyuk looked around.

Fitting for such a grand mansion, there were no signs of anyone nearby.

There were no cameras or any special magical energy detected either.

‘Having verified the invitation, internal security is assured,’ he deduced.

After all, given the nature of the clientele participating in the auction, their privacy must be guaranteed.

It worked out well in his favor.

Adding one more guest to the attendees would go unnoticed by anyone.

Whoosh!

Jinhyuk channeled magical power into the Braham ring.

And with that—

Ellis emerged from the ring, now in human form.

The size this time was not of a small puppy, but closer to 150cm in height.

Considering she previously towered at over 170cm, it was still quite small, but she was at least plausible enough to avoid suspicion.

“Ah, the air outside is indeed revitalizing.”

Ellis stretched her limbs.

Her long silver hair and crimson eyes stood out strikingly.

“I poured as much magic into it as I could, but anything larger than that size is impossible.”

“It’s fine. It’s much better than before when I was barely 30cm tall.”

She seemed quite satisfied, nodding with a smile on her face.

“If you think so, that’s good.”

“So, shall we proceed to this auction you mentioned?”

Ellis’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Having been in a position where whatever she desired was brought to her by underlings on a whim, the concept of economy was foreign to Ellis.

Therefore, the spectacle of an auction fascinated her greatly from her perspective.

“Yes, we should head in. Almost time.”

Jinhyuk pulled out his smartphone to check the time.

Ten minutes until the war of wallet against wallet began.

＊＊＊

In the central amphitheater of the mansion, originally designed for opera performances, it had now been transformed into an auction house catering to global tycoons engrossed in secretive deals.

“It’s already the 175th event… I attend faithfully every year, but the anticipation before the start of the auction is always thrilling.”

“From what I hear, the ‘Heart of the Dragon’ will be up for auction this time.”

“Really? Is that coming up, too?”

“It must be thanks to the Tower of Trials appearance. With all these magical energy fluctuations or whatever, ancient treasures are resurfacing all over the place.”

“Ah, the anticipation! Even if I don’t win the bid, I must see it.”

“And this time, with significant items up for bid, they’re accepting not only cash but also precious metals and bonds. Of course, you’d have to pay an extra 10% fee in those cases.”

“Then the competition will be even more fierce. I need to double-check my account balance myself.”

The buzz of conversation filled the space.

More than half of the seats were already filled with attendees, who were either chatting amongst themselves or occupied on phone calls.

Jinhyuk and Ellis also looked for empty seats to settle in.

However, at that moment—

“Ha ha. Pleasure to meet you.”

A man wearing a black hood approached.

This person is…?

Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed slightly.

It was a face he recognized.

The old man from the Mage Guild, whom he had advised on the strategy to defeat the level 3 boss.

The very one was standing before him now.

‘Looks like another big fish has arrived.’

Given what he had seen of the man’s capabilities, at the very minimum, he was a mid-tier manager in the Mage Guild, if not higher up.

“…”

And beside him stood Alex, whom he had met on the plane.

‘Looks like the kid has been on the receiving end of a good thrashing.’

The pretty face had been turned into a complete mess.

Understandable, since he returned without any results and lost the Elixir.

It goes without saying, but Jinhyuk didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy.

Such sentimentality was reserved for humans.

“My name is Julius Cadrick. As you may have guessed, I am the foolish disciple’s master here.”

Julius Cadrick, huh?

That was his name.

Upon hearing the introduction, Jinhyuk quietly activated ‘Eyes of Gluttony.’

Name: Julius Cadrick

Gender: Male

Age: 58

Level: 30

Strength 11 Agility 9 Vitality 10 Magic 49 Wickedness 25

Available Stat Points: 1

Coins: 130,855

Class: Necromancer

Unique Ability: Keeper of the Cursed Tomb

Skills: Lv6 ‘Wall of Lamentation’, Lv6 ‘Legion Commander’s Order’, Lv5 ‘Night of the Dead’, Lv5 ‘Threefold Resurrection’, Lv4 ‘Area Weakness’, Lv4 ‘Plague’

[Copy conditions: Extremely angry due to a series of failures from incompetent subordinates. You can copy one of his unique skills or abilities if you complete the Dark Magic course he teaches and get an A+ grade.]

As expected.

He had excellent attributes, perfectly synergized with his class as a Necromancer.

‘Keeper of the Cursed Tomb’ allowed the summoning of multiple minions with minimal magical power, a sought-after skill not only for Necromancers but for all kinds of summoners.

However, reading the conditions for copying, Jinhyuk had to pinch the bridge of his nose.

‘The system is losing its mind.’

What kind of ridiculous conditions are these?

There was no interest in Necromancers’ powers to begin with, but it seemed like the conditions for copying were getting progressively stranger, and not in a good way.

‘Skills aside…’

Maybe it’s time to scratch that irritating itch.

With his expression controlled, Jinhyuk spoke up.

“Thanks to your disciple, I was able to obtain something valuable and enjoyed a pleasant flight.”

“Ha ha. I’m glad to hear it. But as a matter of fact, I have come in person to inquire about the information you are aware of. About the player with the mask, correct?”

“Are you referring to that particular matter?”

“Yes, it’s quite critical for us. Dramatic as it may sound, it’s a matter of life and death, I’d say.”

Oh, look at this…

A thinly veiled threat, huh?

The corners of Jinhyuk’s mouth subtly curved.

“I believe I said I’d let you know when I see a chance.”

“Unfortunately, ‘later’ is not a luxury we can afford. We need to handle this as quickly as possible.”

“That’s for me to know and you to worry about.”

What’s your hurry to me?

If it’s so urgent, then get in line at the gift set sale and present me with a neatly wrapped set of twelve Elixirs.

But despite Jinhyuk’s nonchalant response, Cadrick’s expression remained unflappably calm.

“Hmm. Before making any decisions, please think carefully. You came here, so there must be an auction item that you need, am I right?”

“And?”

“If we really put our minds to it…”

Cadrick’s eyes settled into a cold stare.

Likewise, his tone turned as chilly as a draft of winter air.

“We can buy out every item being auctioned today.”