The Demonic Humans Association's threat was that they could use their power to make life difficult for him.
No, it wasn't just a threat. It was definitely within their abilities to do so.
Jin-hyuk bit his lip.
'Are you trying to pressure me into it?'
Things weren't looking good now.
Even with thirty million dollars in his possession, it was difficult to feel secure.
But—
"These people don't look like much. Why are they trying to act all intimidating toward you?"
Elise tilted her head and spoke without much thought, causing Cadrick's face to contort.
Because Jin-hyuk was present, he barely managed to restrain his temper. It was the first time he had seen this girl.
"What do you mean by 'not looking like much'?"
"I mean it literally. Why is a human who thinks he owns the world with just a handful of gold dust speaking so carelessly to my contractor?"
…So strong.
Then again, there was no such thing as winning against Elise in a battle of words.
Naturally, even this old man didn't seem capable of doing so.
"Haha. This is absurd. I don't know where you picked up this kid, but she certainly knows how to talk down to people."
And then, he added a word he never should have.
The impact was immediate.
"Ki…d?"
Elise paused, clearly replaying the word in her head to confirm she'd heard it correctly. Slowly, sparks ignited in her eyes.
"Kid?!"
Until moments ago, she had thought of them as nothing more than annoying bugs. Now, she realized they were vermin that needed to be trampled.
"Adults are talking here, so do not interfere. There is a limit to how much tolerance I give to children."
"Kid…"
Just as Elise was about to raise her hand—
"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for your patience. Now, let us begin the 175th Black Market Auction!"
The announcer's voice echoed throughout the venue.
"Ohh!"
"Finally, it's starting!"
The guests, who had been waiting eagerly, applauded. Thanks to the announcement, the confrontation between Elise and Cadrick came to a halt.
"Player Kang Jin-hyuk. Very well—let us meet again later. Of course, you will be the one begging me to hand over the item."
With a brief bow, Cadrick returned to his seat as the auction began.
"Before introducing the items, please note that in addition to the auction list included with your invitation, we have prepared five additional items. Please manage your funds accordingly." ṝαɴỒʙÊS
Five undisclosed items!
The bow-tie-wearing host stirred excitement among the audience.
"Now, for the first item—a meteorite that fell in Arizona, USA. Not only is it well preserved, but it can also be forged into weapons or armor due to the magic imbued by the Tower of Trials. The starting price is one million!"
From the very first item, magically infused objects were already appearing.
Weapons and armor—weren't those the most popular keywords these days?
"1.5 million!"
"2 million!"
"2.5 million!"
"This is mine! Five million!"
The bidding escalated rapidly, heating the atmosphere.
'Idiots.'
Jin-hyuk clicked his tongue as he observed. A magic-infused meteorite was useless without proper smelting technology. Buying it for five million? Unless you enjoyed collecting trash, it was a waste.
'At the very least, there are no blacksmiths capable of handling meteorites right now.'
Still, Jin-hyuk raised his paddle.
"Six million."
The bid surpassed the previous high.
Elise immediately asked, "You want to buy it?"
Even she could tell at a glance that it was useless.
"Just watch. I'm not buying it."
Jin-hyuk smiled. If he acted like he was interested—
"Six point five million."
Cadrick raised the bid.
As expected.
'He doesn't know what I'm aiming for, so all he can do is outbid whatever I touch.'
No matter how wealthy they were, there was always a limit. If he drained their funds now, he'd gain the advantage when the real target appeared.
"Seven million!"
"Seven point five million!"
Jin-hyuk raised again, and so did Cadrick, refusing to back down.
"Sold to the bidder at seven point five million!"
Cadrick frowned. He likely realized Jin-hyuk's intention, but it was too late.
He had just spent 7.5 million dollars. And unless he knew what Jin-hyuk truly wanted, he had no choice but to counter every bid.
'I hope your wallet is thick.'
Jin-hyuk smiled at Cadrick.
"The next item is another fascinating piece—a log from Columbus's first voyage to America!"
Rare historical relics flowed from the black market. A mysterious vessel of unknown age, a rafflesia flower imbued with magic, a medieval torture device, and more.
Each time an item with magic or unique appearance appeared, Jin-hyuk tossed out bait—obvious bait.
He consistently bid just high enough to provoke. It was the act of a villain in a gentleman's auction.
As a result, Cadrick had already been forced to spend over seventy million dollars on bizarre items.
Grind!
Cadrick ground his teeth.
"This… he's like a loach!"
His face reddened with anger and humiliation as he repeatedly fell for such transparent traps—all because of money.
Seventy million dollars wasn't a small sum. It far exceeded the association's allotted budget.
Still—
His fury grew at the absurdity of his opponent's tactics.
"Teacher, shouldn't we stop? From the looks of it, he doesn't have much money left. If this continues, we'll exhaust our funds."
If they won a bid, they had to pay.
"You fool! What if he ends up obtaining what he wants?"
"T-that…"
"You're like this because you failed to do your job properly in the first place. Keep quiet! We may lose money, but I will be the winner."
Right.
Whether it was seventy or a hundred million didn't matter. In the end, the winner laughed last.
An auction was a game won by the wealthiest.
And then—
"The next item is for true maniacs. Introducing—The First Chessboard!"
The host unveiled a crude-looking chessboard.
"Hm."
"It doesn't look special."
"It doesn't even come with chess pieces."
"Who'd want it? It's not even carved from luxury wood."
"The Heart of the Ichthyosaur is coming soon. Let's save our money."
"That's the real prize."
The atmosphere shifted.
Compared to previous treasures, this item was dull. Even the host gave little explanation.
"Bidding starts at fifty dollars. Please place your bids."
"One hundred. I'll put it in my bathroom."
"Puahaha! One fifty—for my cat. I need a plank for Alexander's claws."
"Two hundred."
"Trash. No more than two hundred."
Laughter echoed—except from one person.
Jin-hyuk clenched his fist, calming his pounding heart.
Ba-dump.
'Finally.'
The essential item he needed to challenge the 3rd-floor boss.
This was why he had joined the auction.
Neither Cadrick nor Alex seemed interested.
'This is why he did all that.'
There was only one way to see if his effort paid off.
"Five thousand."
Jin-hyuk placed his bid.
"What?"
"Five thousand?"
"Is he insane?"
Mockery erupted. Who would spend five thousand dollars on this?
Then—
"Ten thousand."
Cadrick entered the bidding.
"Fifteen."
"Fifty."
Jin-hyuk raised instantly, and Cadrick followed.
Cadrick looked skeptical, but he refused to back down.
"One million."
Jin-hyuk raised again.
"Ten million."
Cadrick countered, solely to deny Jin-hyuk.
"Insane."
"What kind of idiot spends ten million on a chessboard?"
"Is there something we don't know?"
The atmosphere shifted again.
"Fifteen million."
Jin-hyuk spoke heavily. He had already reached half his funds.
Cadrick continued.
"Thirty million."
At that point, Jin-hyuk could no longer match it.
"Uh… we've reached our limit."
Cadrick folded his hands.
The host swallowed and spoke into the mic.
"Thirty million! Any further bids?"
With a ten percent auction fee, three million would go to the black market.
When the item was first submitted, five thousand dollars would've been excellent. This was unbelievable.
No one else bid.
"Then the fifty-sixth item, The First Chessboard, is sold for thirty million—"
Just then—
"One hundred million."
A voice that hadn't participated until now rang out.
It came from right beside Jin-hyuk.
"Elise?"
Jin-hyuk froze.
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