Chapter 53: The Head of Ataraxia (2)
“One hundred million… a hundred million?”
“Is he in his right mind? To spend a hundred million there?”
“That’s insane.”
The crowd that was initially intrigued was now aghast at the mad amount proposed.
Even for the auction’s main attraction, ‘The Heart of the Dragon’, or other unrevealed treasures, maybe.
But such an enormous sum for a mere chessboard was absurd.
“Cough!”
Cadric couldn’t hide his deep chagrin.
After all, he had been confident of victory after assessing Jinhyuk’s balance.
All that remained was to get his hands on the miscellaneous items to exchange with the information Jinhyuk had.
Yes. That’s how it was supposed to go.
But out of nowhere, some brat comes along and throws a wrench into everything.
‘He’s no ordinary human, is he?’
Impossible.
People usually go up by a million or ten million, not raise the bid to a hundred million in one breath.
But regardless of who the opponent was, Cadric could not afford to give up.
If he stopped now, after pouring seventy million dollars into acquiring trash, it would all have been a waste of money.
Absolutely.
There was no way he could let that happen…
“One hundred and ten million!”
“One hundred and fifty million.”
“What?”
This was madness.
Jumping up by forty million dollars in one go?
Such a pricing strategy almost seemed intent on utterly crushing the opponent.
Cadric’s face turned ashen.
As if his pride had been trampled upon.
“One hundred and sixty million…”
“Two hundred million.”
When he struggled to keep up, the gap increased massively.
And it was too much to close.
“Ma-master! Any more…”
“Shut it. If we lose to some nobody, what would we become?”
Such humiliation was unbearable.
Failure of the mission, along with the disgracing of the Association’s name, were equivalent.
“Fine then! Two hundred and ten million!”
“Three hundred million.”
“Three hundred and ten thousand!”
“Five hundred million.”
“Five… five hundred million, are you kidding me? That’s just nonsense! Do you expect me to believe you have half a billion to spend?!”
At last, Cadric stood up unable to contain his frustration any longer.
His chest heaved with barely contained rage, his face flushed with unsubsided excitement.
‘This has turned into a real popcorn moment.’
Jinhyuk barely managed to swallow his laughter at the spectacle.
Truth be told, even without Ellis’ intervention, he was confident he could acquire what he wanted from the auction.
‘It’s a bit of a shame, but the fragment of Merlin’s staff I acquired in the corridor more than makes up for it.’
It was, after all, one of the sacred relics.
With Merlin’s staff, he could have stripped everyone present of their valuables.
But as it is, a money fight feels best when it’s not your own money at stake.
For this reason, he had let Ellis make contact with those men from Maine.
Ellis would stand her ground, Maine or not.
And Cadric was not one to stay silent against provocation.
Thus, if sparks were to fly between the two, it was natural for the confrontation to escalate to this point.
And that speculation had struck true.
He knew the Maine Association had both the ability and the funds, but…
Well.
Would they have more than one of the night nobles who had once ruled the upper floors of the Tower of Ordeal, the head of the Ataraxia family?
Jinhyuk crossed his legs leisurely.
It was then that the auctioneer interjected.
“Ahem! Well! As the gentleman pointed out, could we kindly have proof of balance? It’s not that we doubt the lady, but to ensure the auction proceeds smoothly.”
Five hundred million dollars was an amount even executives of well-known companies don’t see in a lifetime of work.
And here a girl, hardly more than a middle-schooler in appearance, was confidently claiming it as if it was nothing. Naturally, it was hard to believe.
“Proof?”
“Yes.”
“Sure. What’s so hard about that?”
Ellis waved her hand casually.
Then…
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the space above her shoulder warped.
A cloud of swirling red mist.
“Extra-dimensional… Inventory?”
Yes, the so-called universal storage, the extra-dimensional inventory.
“Is that girl a player?”
“If her inventory is that size, it must be quite high-tier, right?”
“This is something rare to witness.”
The guests also marveled at the unexpected spectacle.
A moment later, Ellis pulled something out from beyond the veiled space.
It was a crown,
adorned with countless gems, unmatched in grandeur.
“Weren’t precious metals accepted at this auction as well as dollars?”
“That is true, but…”
The auctioneer eyed the crown with a hint of skepticism.
The authenticity was in question.
“Let us make an appraisal then.”
They had anticipated such situations, having hired players with appraisal skills on standby.
The appraiser’s fingertips shimmered faintly.
He was about to activate a skill.
And then…
The appraiser’s pupils suddenly dilated.
“This… This can’t be…”
His voice shook violently, his hands quivering as if he were having an episode of tremors.
“What’s wrong? It’s a fake, isn’t it?”
The auctioneer asked hurriedly.
“No, it’s… It’s genuine.”
“Phew, that’s a relief. So how much is it worth then? You really think this crown is worth five hundred million dollars?”
“It’s difficult to give you an answer.”
The appraiser shook his head with reluctance.
“What do you mean difficult? What does that mean?”
“The craftsmanship used on this crown cannot be replicated by modern techniques.”
Can’t be replicated? Could it be…?
“Is this from inside the… Tower?”
“Yes, positively. And this emblem here, the eagle with seven wings embedded on the crown. That’s the symbol of the Felstein Kingdom.”
An affirmation.
The repercussions of that statement impacted the entire amphitheater.
“From the Tower?”
“That crown?”
“More importantly, isn’t the Felstein Kingdom one of the undiscovered ruins even within the Tower of Trials?”
After the information regarding the Tower became monetizable, people here had scoured for related intelligence.
As long as the power and money at their disposal allowed it, that is.
“A ruin where only those who possess a treasure representative of the royal lineage can enter. I’ve heard about it. Archaeologists who previously played [The Tower of Trials] unearthed related documents, didn’t they?”
The forgotten kingdom, Felstein.
The entire kingdom vanished into the sands under a divine curse, along with numerous treasures.
Because it was located in the lower floors of the Tower and was considered a ‘lottery’ ruin, countless users had desperately sought it.
To think that a clue to that kingdom would surface here.
“What about its value? So what’s it worth?”
The auctioneer, his face half-mad with urgency, practically shouted, forgetting the presence of his guests and slipping into informal speech.
“If I were to estimate, I believe it could easily fetch a conservative thirty billion dollars.”
“What?”
“Thirty… thirty billion dollars?”
“Outrageous. Without even a map to the kingdom, the crown alone is worth that much?”
“My word…”
The appraisal far surpassed any grasp on reality.
With this, the owner of the chessboard was determined.
“Squeak!”
Cadric’s face turned deathly pale.
Just who was this little one, to own such an insanely valuable treasure?
If what the appraiser claimed were true, not even the Maine Association could compete financially.
After all, they only brought seven billion dollars to this venue.
He had completely miscalculated.
A critical misjudgment.
It was his habit of underestimating his opponents that led to this situation.
‘But more dangerous than that girl is the man named Kang Jinhyuk, who treats her like a subordinate.’
Cadric looked at Jinhyuk, who was fondly patting the girl’s head.
Perhaps.
Just perhaps.
A far more bothersome foe than a masked player had emerged.
＊＊＊
“Congratulations! Thus, ‘The First Chessboard’ will be given to the lady who bid with the crown!”
The auctioneer announced with joy, and the chessboard, sealed within the glass case, was brought forth by a man in a black suit.
“Give it to him instead of me.”
“Understood.”
Jinhyuk, who received the chessboard on her behalf, had a look of apology.
Not one of genuine regret but a mere expression of politeness.
Regardless, to get along in society, you have to offer at least this level of service.
“I do appreciate it, but wasn’t that a bit too much? I feel kind of bad about it.”
Right then!
That expression.
He hadn’t seen himself in a mirror, but he was sure it would’ve scored a solid 95 out of 100.
The careful biting of the lower lip and the head tilted at a precise 13.785-degree angle—everything conveyed a deep sense of sincerity.
“It’s a shame the full collection was wrecked, but to me, there’s nothing worse than seeing the guys who were rude to my contractor get away with it.”
“…….”
This guy.
He could say quite praiseworthy things, too.
‘On the surface, it might seem trivial, but he’s essentially saying he gave up a treasured collection for me.’
Frankly, he was a little moved.
It wasn’t such a bad feeling.
In the future, it might be necessary to slightly improve Ellis’ treatment.
Perhaps provide some cushioning inside her ring, but nothing too fancy—something from a five-day market would do.
While Jinhyuk was pleasantly amused,
Cadric watched the two from a distance, contemplating how to salvage the mess that had unfolded.
Of course, he wasn’t entirely without options.
There was still one last card to play.
Cadric laid a hand upon Alex’s shoulder.
“I need to prepare for a boss battle, so I must go now.”
Cadric had stretched his limits to attend and make contact with Jinhyuk but couldn’t stay any longer.
So…
“Right after the auction ends, kidnap Kang Jinhyuk.”
“Me… sir?”
“Yes, you can do it. Plus, there’s the ability to create ample corpses right here, right?”
Even if the opponent was an S-rank player, there was no defeating a necromancer in favorable conditions.
Against the dark arts leading legions of undead, even the most relentless efforts in mass combat were futile.
Alex had been a surgeon before the tower’s appearance, granting him unique expertise in handling the human body.
Of course, if word got out that they had turned prominent figures of power into undead, it would be a serious hit, but…
That’s only if there were survivors to testify.
The immortal truth—dead men tell no tales.
“What about the girl?”
“Eliminate her.”
“I’ve been waiting for those words.”
A sinister smile played on Alex’s lips.
At last, he had the opportunity to avenge his previous humiliation.
＊＊＊
Approximately three hours later, the final item of the auction was sold.
It was a successful auction by many measures.
Regardless of what anyone said, the 175th session would go down in auction history for its record bids.
“Thank you for staying with us for so long. Like on your arrival, please use your car to… aaah?”
The auctioneer was about to bow deeply when suddenly…
Rumble rumble rumble!
The entire amphitheater shook with a tremendous vibration.
Boom!
Bang!
Crash!
Cracks spider-webbed across the ceiling, pillars collapsed.
“Aaaaah!”
“Help, somebody!”
“What in the world is happening?”
“Move it. Just move!”
No one understood the situation. Frankly, the cause and effect didn’t matter.
Survival was the only thing of importance at the moment.
One had to move.
Quickly.
Even a second counts!
Driven by the instinct to survive, everyone desperately scrambled.
But their destination was not the escape route.
It was something far closer to hell.
Slit!
Amidst a flash of light, blood sprayed.
The man at the front clutched at his throat, a gaping wound exposed.
“Where are you all in such a rush to go? You’re all my precious sacrifices, destined to become my ingredients.”
Alex stood at the entrance, greeting the fleeing crowd.
Beside him, monstrous figures, like none seen before, lurked.
“Screech!”
Other emergency exits were blocked by the fallen pillars.
The amphitheater had become a massive prison, one with no escape.
And at that moment…
“I rather liked the party here, you know…”
As killing intent oozed from him, Jinhyuk appeared before Alex.
“You… took your joke too far.”
He’d crossed the line. Way too far.
