Chapter 52

Chapter 51. Black Market (4)

It was a night after the sun had completely set.

Jinhyuk was waiting for someone in a sparsely populated alley.

'It's quite cold at night.'

He had come out a bit early to avoid being late for the time designated by the black market, and the night dew was quite cold.

Still.

Since he had achieved the conditions he wanted, even the time spent waiting felt enjoyable.

'They say that when your account is solid, you gain confidence you didn't have before. It's true.'

$30 million.

It's an amount that exceeds 35 billion won in Korean currency.

Jinhyuk earned most of it in less than ten minutes.

It was a great victory that would go down in gambling history.

'With this much, it should be enough to win the replica artifact I want.'

With a total of over 100 items up for auction, the competition wouldn't be too intense.

'Especially since what I want looks completely unattractive on the surface.'

A pearl buried in the mud.

To those who know its value, it's worth more than any banknote, but to those who don't, it's an item that makes them hesitant to open their wallets.

Still, it's about time they should come...

At that moment.

Vroom!

The sound of a car approaching could be heard.

A moment later, a black Mercedes-Maybach stopped in front of Jinhyuk.

The window rolled down, revealing a man in a suit.

Is this the employee sent by the black market?

"Customer 117, is that you?"

"Yes, it's me."

Jinhyuk showed the number written on the invitation.

"I've confirmed it. I'll take you to the auction venue from now on. For security reasons, you need to wear a blindfold, so please understand."

A blindfold in the back seat of the car.

As expected, it had a spell to block vision, just as he had anticipated.

In movies, people count seconds and draw the destination in their heads while wearing blindfolds.

I wonder how it really is?

It would be interesting to test it, but there's no need.

[30 minutes away, a mansion in the middle of the desert.]

[I need to hurry so I'm not late. But what are you doing? Why aren't you getting in?]

He didn't need to do such things because he could gather most of the information through the 'Eye of Gluttony.'

'I should try it on players later.'

In the past, when he got this eye, all the players had already left the Tower of Trials.

It means that all the subjects for experimentation had disappeared.

'Now, there's no such worry.'

If humanity doesn't want to be destroyed, everyone must try their best to climb the tower.

Whether it works on those who can use magic or not, and to what extent if it does.

Finding that out would be another pleasure.

Jinhyuk sank into the soft seat.

***

Exactly 30 minutes later.

"We've arrived."

The car stopped as the employee said.

Finally, he could take off the blindfold.

'Phew. I thought I would suffocate.'

When Jinhyuk got out of the car, a breathtaking scene unfolded before him.

"Wow."

Exclamations of amazement slipped out of his mouth.

Of course, it was bound to happen.

The mansion was even more magnificent and beautiful than he had perceived through the 'Eye of Gluttony.'

Moreover, the night sky, which seemed to be showering stars, and the oasis combined to create a spectacular view, like a painting.

"Please give me the invitation. Then, have a pleasant time."

The employee bowed deeply after checking the authenticity of the invitation.

Jinhyuk, now alone, entered the mansion.

Just as he was about to enter the main gate, passing by the pond in the garden.

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

Ellis's voice was heard.

Right. This guy was here.

Impressed by his help in finding Mina on the plane, he asked Ellis to say one thing he wanted.

Ellis said he wanted to see the outside world.

"Does it matter? Is it okay here?"

If you're going to go out, Las Vegas has much more to see.

Fireworks, motorcycle shows, and an abundance of things to see.

But why do you want to see a rich man's auction?

[As a noble of the night with noble blood, I need to have at least this level of dignity. It's not a bad mansion. For something made by humans, I'll choose this place.]

Oh, come on.

"0.001 square meter ring, how can you fit in there? And what's a noble of the night? A noble of the night."

A night noble in a room?

[What!? A bat trapped in a slum dormitory?]

Ellis shouted in anger.

The ring vibrated slightly.

"I didn't say it that way..."

At this point, it's not just pitiful but also sad.

Yes.

Since he did well in the past, I should understand.

Jinhyuk, who had been shaking his head, looked around.

The mansion was so vast that there were few signs of life.

There were no cameras or special magical reactions.

'After checking the invitation, it means the internal security is solid.'

Most importantly, given the nature of the auction guests, it's necessary to protect their privacy.

This is good for us.

No one would notice if one more person was added among the guests.

Vroom!

Jinhyuk infused magic into Brahman's ring.

Then,

Ellis, in human form, appeared from the ring.

This time, not the size of a puppy, but nearly 150 cm tall.

Compared to his original height of over 170 cm, he was still small, but it was enough to avoid suspicion.

"Ugh! The outside air is so good."

Ellis stretched.

His long silver hair and red eyes were particularly noticeable.

"I poured as much magic as I could, but that's the maximum size I can achieve."

"It's fine. It's much better than being 30 cm tall."

He seemed quite satisfied, nodding with a smile.

"I'm glad you think so."

"Then, are we going to the auction now?"

Ellis's eyes sparkled.

Since he was in a position where his subordinates could get anything he wanted, Ellis had no concept of economics.

Therefore, an auction was quite an interesting event from her perspective.

"Right. We should go in now. It's almost time."

Jinhyuk checked the time on his smartphone.

10 minutes.

After that, a war of money would begin.

***

A circular theater at the center of the mansion.

Originally designed for opera performances, it had now transformed into an auction venue for wealthy people who wanted to engage in backroom deals worldwide.

"It's already the 175th session... I attend every year, but I'm always excited before the auction starts."

"I heard that the 'Heart of the Dragon' will be up for auction this time."

"Really? It's going to be there?"

"Probably because the Tower of Trials has appeared. Due to the magic waves or something, all kinds of treasures that disappeared in ancient times are reappearing."

"Wow. I'm looking forward to it. Even if I can't win the bid, I want to see it."

"And this time, they're accepting precious metals and bonds in addition to dollars. Of course, in that case, you have to pay an additional 10% fee."

"Then the competition will be even more intense. I need to check my balance again."

The murmurs.

More than half of the seats were already occupied, with people chatting or making phone calls.

Jinhyuk and Ellis moved to find an empty seat.

But right then.

"Hehe. Nice to meet you."

An old man in a black hood approached.

This man...?

Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.

He recognized the face.

The old man who had proposed the third-floor boss strategy to the high-ranking members of a large guild, the old man from the Mina Association.

That guy was now standing right in front of him.

'This is another big shot.'

Considering the abilities he showed back then, the old man must be a high-ranking member or at least a mid-level manager of the Mina Association.

"..."

And next to him was Alex, whom he had met on the plane.

'This guy must have been beaten up pretty badly.'

His handsome face was completely swollen.

Probably because he was robbed of the elixir without any results.

Naturally, he felt no sympathy.

Sympathy is a feeling one should only have for humans.

"I am Julius Cadric. I think you've figured it out, but as you can see, I'm the teacher of this foolish student."

Julius Cadric...

That was his name.

Jinhyuk quietly activated the 'Eye of Gluttony' after hearing the introduction.

——————————————————

Name: Julius Cadric

Gender: Male

Age: 58

Level: 30

Strength 11 Agility 9 Vitality 10 Magic 49 Evil 25

Available Stat Points: 1

Available Coins: 130,855

Occupation: Necromancer

Unique Ability: Keeper of the Cursed Tomb

Skills: Lv6 'Wall of Lamentation', Lv6 'Command of the Legion', Lv5 'Night of Corpses', Lv5 'Three Regenerations', Lv4 'Area Weakening', Lv4 'Plague'

——————————————————

[Copy Condition: He is very angry psychologically due to the continuous failures of his incompetent subordinates. If you complete his black magic class and receive an A+ grade, you can copy one of his unique abilities or skills.]

As expected.

The stats were excellent, as he had anticipated.

He even had a unique ability that synergizes well with a necromancer.

'Keeper of the Cursed Tomb' allows the use of multiple summons with minimal magic, making it a highly sought-after ability by necromancers and various summoners.

However.

Jinhyuk had to pinch his forehead when he read the copy condition.

'The system is going crazy.'

What is this, telling me to become a passionate professor and a max-level student?

What kind of condition is this?

He wasn't particularly interested in the abilities of necromancers, but the copy conditions seemed to be getting more and more absurd.

In a bad way.

'Let's put the ability aside...'

For now, let's scratch the sore spot a bit?

Jinhyuk composed his expression and spoke.

"Thanks to your student, I got something valuable and had a pleasant flight."

"Hehe. I'm glad to hear that. That's why I want to ask you about the information you know. I came here personally this time."

"About the masked player?"

"Yes. It's a very important issue for us. To put it mildly, it's a matter of life and death."

Look at this...

He's subtly threatening me?

Jinhyuk's lips twisted slightly.

"I said I would tell you when I get the chance."

"Unfortunately, we don't have later. We need to handle it as soon as possible."

"That's not my concern."

Whether you're in a hurry or not.

What does it have to do with me?

If you're in a hurry, bring 12 sets of elixirs, nicely packaged, like a New Year's beef set.

However, despite Jinhyuk's sarcasm, Cadric's expression remained calm.

"Hmm. Think carefully before you make a statement. It seems you came here because you need something, right?"

"So what?"

"If we decide to... "

Cadric's eyes turned cold.

His voice also became icy.

"We could buy all the items up for auction today."