Chapter 145: Genuine Treasures (1)

After finishing dinner, I left the house with the landlady.

It was to look at the antiques left behind by her late grandfather.

“Is the storage room far from here? If we need to drive, let’s go to the parking lot together.”

“Oh no~ There’s no need. We use the fourth floor of our villa as storage.”

I started climbing the stairs with the landlady.

The landlady lived on the first floor.

So this was my first time going up to the space above the first floor.

A four-story one-room villa built over thirty years ago.

Paint was peeling in places and floor tiles were cracked, but thanks to the landlady cleaning every day, it was spotless with not a speck of dust.

Step— step step step—

Footsteps echoed unusually loudly.

The silence enveloping the entire one-room villa.

The only residents here were me and the landlady—just the two of us.

An outer area far from the city center.

The nearest station was thirty minutes away, and it was an alley where cars couldn’t enter.

Due to various bad conditions, no one wanted to rent.

……The rent was cheap, so I signed the contract.

Then the landlady spoke.

“You’re the first person I’ve shown Grandpa’s antique collection to, young man. When Grandpa was alive, he wouldn’t let anyone near the antique storage room.”

“They must have been things he cherished a lot.”

“Ugh, tsk tsk tsk—! If he had shown even half the extreme care he gave those junk items to me, I would have carried him on my back every day.”

The landlady continued talking about her husband.

“From a young age, my husband was very interested in old things. He would wander outside all day visiting ruins, or go to some remote village in China to buy jars…… Sigh, like father like son. The kids all took after their father and went to live abroad.”

The landlady left alone after her husband’s death.

I had heard that all her children lived overseas.

“You said you have two sons, right? Do you keep in touch well?”

A soft sigh was heard.

“They’re all very busy. The older one runs a big restaurant in America, and the younger one went to Australia to start a business. They must have their hands full.”

The landlady smiled bitterly.

The landlady’s shoulders as she climbed the stairs ahead looked especially lonely.

I knew that loneliness all too well.

The helplessness of not being able to see the people you miss.

The longing that sometimes surges up so strongly it aches.

It was the same feeling that tore at my chest whenever I thought of my late mother and father.

I said to the landlady,

“Don’t you want to see Grandpa again?”

“I miss him. That face, that voice……”

I could summon her husband for a very brief moment using the Archlich’s finger.

I could call his soul for a short time using a stored entity from the warehouse.

But.

“We’ll meet again soon enough. What good does missing him do? Right, young man?”

The landlady smiled gently.

“I’ve lived my whole life without bringing shame to anyone. Grandpa never did anything to be hated by others either. So when I close my eyes one day, we’ll meet again in a good place. That day doesn’t seem too far off.”

I quietly closed my mouth.

Soon, we arrived at the fourth floor of the one-room villa.

But.

“This is……”

A heavy iron grate door blocked the stairs leading to the fourth floor.

The iron grate had a padlock, a door lock, and even a fingerprint recognition device.

Beyond it, several CCTVs were thoroughly monitoring the stairs.

It felt like the entrance to a state-of-the-art vault storing ultra-expensive jewels.

The landlady laughed and opened the door.

“Grandpa was quite obsessive. He said a treasure vault should be like this. He was really particular about it.”

The fourth-floor layout was no different from the other floors.

Four guest rooms spaced out along the wall.

The landlady opened the door to the one-room closest to the stairs.

Creak—!

The moment the door opened, a musty smell hit my face.

The scent of old paper and wood.

A mix of earthy and medicinal smells.

My mouth instantly felt dry.

Dark curtains were drawn, so the room was covered in darkness.

“Wait a moment. The fluorescent light switch must be somewhere here……”

Click!

The bright light made my eyes dizzy.

When I opened my eyes again.

“This is……”

I couldn’t help but open my mouth at the astonishing sight.

Hundreds of antiques densely filled the inside of the one-room.

Hundreds of old books neatly arranged on bookshelves.

Buddha statues made of wood or metal.

Colorful bowls and ceramics.

In addition, antiques that looked like they belonged in a museum were neatly displayed in glass showcases.

……I didn’t expect this much.

They seemed very well cared for; the condition of the antiques was quite good.

Then the landlady said,

“See? There’s so much it’s rotten. When he said he was collecting these, I should have beaten his back and stopped him. Sigh.”

“At this level…… it’s not just a hobby, is it?”

“I told you. He spent his whole life wandering around collecting them. They’re treasures to him, but to me they’re just a headache I don’t know what to do with……”

The landlady continued while looking at the antiques.

“The reason I haven’t thrown them away until now is because of the will Grandpa left.”

“A will?”

“He said even if he died, I shouldn’t throw away the antiques. He saw it in a dream—if I kept them well, a virtuous and sharp-eyed benefactor would appear and help me.”

I looked at the thousands of antiques filling the room.

Depending on the perspective, Grandpa’s will might have been appropriate.

Lately, investing in antiques has been gaining attention as a new way to build wealth.

The biggest advantage of antique investment is tax exemption benefits.

Antiques made over one hundred years ago are exempt from all taxes when imported from overseas to Korea.

For example, if you buy a luxury violin overseas for thirty million won and bring it into the country, you pay about 5.4 million won in taxes (8% customs + 10% VAT).

But for a violin over one hundred years old, VAT is zero.

In addition, when the value of antiques is reappraised later, there are rare cases where it hits a jackpot comparable to winning the lottery.

If the auction price of an antique is sixty million won or less, capital gains tax is exempt.

Of course, antique investment only works if you have the eye to properly appraise their value.

Because it’s common for hard-to-find antiques to turn out to be “old trash.”

Without professional appraisal tools, even top experts struggle to accurately determine the value of antiques.

But.

With this, there’s no problem.

<Phantom Thief’s Monocle> / Accessory / A-rank

An accessory used by the Phantom Thief who shook the Lokpia Continent hundreds of years ago.

It is said that wearing this allows one to see the true nature of objects.

An A-rank artifact obtained from the Fortress of Blood.

When equipped, it directly displays detailed information about items.

‘I’ve received a lot of help from the landlady all this time.’

It’s only right to repay kindness when received.

I planned to find treasures among the headache-inducing antiques for her.

I put on the Phantom Thief’s Monocle and began appraising the antiques.

“……Let’s see.”

First, a Goryeo celadon.

The landlady’s voice was heard.

“That’s a jar Grandpa cherished while he was alive. He said he bought it for several million won.”

Soon, a system window appeared before my eyes.

Ding!  

<Appraised Value: 12,500 won>  

<Appraised value calculated based on Korean market prices.>

“Hmm.”

He got scammed.

Next was a brass bowl on the shelf.

Ding!  

<Appraised Value: 7,200 won>

“This one…… won’t even fetch ten thousand won.”

“Oh my, I knew it would be like that.”

“Then how about this one, young man? It’s a painting Grandpa collected. He said this one alone is worth over ten million won.”

Ding!  

<Appraised Value: 3,200 won>  

<Source: Daisu Noryangjin Branch>

“This one’s fake too.”

It was even a cheap bowl sold at a daily necessities store.

I continued appraising without hesitation.

<Appraised Value: 10,200 won>  

<Appraised Value: 5,200 won>  

<Appraised Value: 9,900 won>  

<Appraised Value: 12,200 won>  

<Appraised Value: 20,000 won> 

<Appraised Value: 11,500 won>

As expected, most were trash.

Then.

“……!?”

I doubted my eyes.

A reddish-brown jar with a tiger folk painting on it.

Ding!  

<Appraised Value: 5,470,000 won>

It was a genuine piece worth over five million won.

“Grandma, this one…… you could sell for at least five million won.”

The landlady looked stunned.

“Huh? That’s worth five million won? Grandpa picked that up from the trash because he thought it was pretty?”

“Well, anyway.”

Next was a square ceramic painted with blue horses.

Ding!  

<Appraised Value: 35,000,000 won>

“This one…… is over thirty-five million won.”

“Oh my? Really? That one was given as a freebie when he bought several antiques. When he bought those!”

The landlady brought other ceramics.

But.

<Appraised Value: 5,000 won>

<Appraised Value: 18,000 won>

<Appraised Value: 2,200 won>

“These…… are just junk.”

“Sigh……”

Perhaps a blocked blood vessel had opened.

Starting from that point, “lottery” antiques began appearing one after another.

Royal seals, treasured swords, longbows, broken spear tips, and more.

Weapons, and even famous genuine pieces among the old books on the shelves started to be revealed.

“Just the ones discovered so far would add up to several billion won, right?”

“S-Several billion……?”

The landlady blinked slowly.

What she thought was a trash dump was actually a treasure trove full of real valuables.

“Congratulations, Grandma.”

“Oh my…… But……”

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

The landlady hesitated and continued.

“Young man, there are the rooms next door, right?”

“Yes, there were.”

There were a total of four guest rooms on the fourth-floor hallway.

No way.

Sure enough.

“Those rooms are also packed with about this much. Could you take a look at them too?”

There were three more treasure vaults.

At that moment, I spotted a small bell on the shelf.

It looked like a Chinese-style bell made in a very old style.

“Let’s check this one too.”

Ding!  

<Appraised Value: Unmeasurable>

“……?”

It was a rather extraordinary item.