Chapter 10 : The Auction House

The hidden talent of Somi, the ground rabbit,

An incredible knack for handiwork.

Anything you give, she crafts in a flash.

And that’s not all.

With the right materials, she can even enhance top-tier items.

The Slime Spray she just made is a prime example.

Just by spraying it, the original effect is doubled.

You can’t buy this even if you wanted to.

Since it’s come to this, should I check out the Auction?

The very place where you can buy items from the Tower is the Auction.

They’re not only in Korea but are scattered all over the world.

There just happens to be one near the Association, so I might as well stop by to exchange mana stones and have a look around.

“Are you ready?”

Squeak!

Beep—

I packed Bbyak and Somi into one pocket of my long padded coat.

The two poked only their faces out, just their noses twitching.

Worried someone might notice them, I gently poked their heads with my finger and tucked them back in before leaving the house.

A semi-basement room, right on the edge of the neighborhood.

A 15-minute walk gets me there.

The Auction building is way bigger than any department store I’ve seen.

Not just Players—ordinary people can enter and exit freely.

The automatic glass door opens to reveal a dazzling interior.

“Hang in there, you two.”

They squirm, feeling stuffy in the cramped space.

I split an apple I’d brought from home and slipped the pieces into my pocket. They calmed down again.

“Welcome.”

It was just then.

As I entered to check out the Player-only shop, a well-dressed woman approached with a bright smile.

She beamed as she launched into her explanation.

“Are you a Player by any chance? We have everything prepared, from the Starter Package for beginners to packages for intermediate Players.”

There were high-grade Potion Sets and gear made from monster hides.

A few well-maintained weapons caught my eye.

All were items from the Tower.

But since they’re labeled as Starter Packages, I doubt I’ll need them.

Truthfully, I can’t even afford them.

A quick glance at the price list.

All I can do is gape in awe.

“That’s twenty million won?”

A simple leather cap is twenty million won.

How many chickens is that?

A thousand, at least.

Not even worth dreaming about.

“If the equipment packages seem too expensive, how about some consumable items?”

Soon she brought out potions and supplies.

Not just for health recovery—there were potions for mana, stamina, vitality, and more.

Throwing daggers and smoke bombs, made for quick use in dangerous moments inside the Tower, were also neatly arranged.

Of course, I don’t need any of those either.

I’ve got Bbyak.

When she spreads her wings? She can clear a whole floor in no time.

“In that case, how about this?”

The saleswoman’s eager hospitality is starting to feel burdensome.

Now, I just want to browse alone.

Besides, I have no intention of buying anything, so it’s awkward to keep facing her.

Just then.

“Mi-jin, can you come here for a moment?”

A staff member, apparently the manager, called the saleswoman away.

Whew, now I can finally browse in peace.

Leisurely, I strolled around the shop, scanning my surroundings.

Honestly, everything just looks overpriced. Nothing really stands out.

Compared to Somi’s Slime Spray, this stuff is nothing.

“Excuse me?”

“Yes?”

Maybe I should ask something?

Since I’m here, it’d be nice if I could sell something too.

I’m curious how much I’d get.

“If I want to sell an item I have, how do I do it?”

“Ah, for that, you need to go to the Gyeongmaejang on the fifth floor.”

Item Auction.

It’s a kind of auction.

A special place where Players can trade items anonymously with each other.

Of course, if you don’t want your identity revealed,

You can use a proxy.

A certified, trustworthy agent from the Association will help you for free.

Since I’m already here, I can’t just leave.

Let’s go check out the Gyeongmaejang.

***

Auction, fifth floor.

This place, packed with people wearing masks, is the Gyeongmaejang where Players buy and sell items.

Today, the rumor of a special item drew an unusually large crowd.

Among them were high-ranking Players, senior executives, politicians, and even second-generation chaebols—people whose names you’d recognize immediately.

But with everyone wearing masks, it was impossible to tell who was who.

“Welcome, honored guests.”

The lights dimmed and the auctioneer stepped up onto the stage.

He was dressed sharply in a black suit and spoke in a solemn voice.

“The auction will begin shortly. Please take your seats.”

His smooth voice spread through the microphone.

Soon, the first item was brought onto the platform.

A large staff, elegantly displayed in a glass case.

A blue orb glimmered atop it.

“The first auction is the Staff of Lightning. Not only does it come with the base skill Spark, but it also boosts lightning affinity—an incredible item. The starting bid is one billion won. Now, the bidding begins.”

With a tap of his gavel, people started raising their hands.

Items with built-in skills are extremely valuable simply by existing.

Especially for lightning-attribute items—they’re nearly impossible to find.

When climbing above the 30th floor, having just one lightning skill can make all the difference, which is why these are so popular.

“One-point-one billion!”

“One-point-two billion.”

“One-point-three billion.”

The bids soared ever higher.

From the 30th floor onward, that’s when you start deciding who’s a true Ranker.

That’s how much value a lightning-attribute item holds.

On and on, the prices climbed.

The auctioneer called the bids at a rapid pace.

Yet the excitement never cooled.

But the true experts were biding their time in secret.

Why?

Because today’s real prize isn’t that staff.

Yoo Min, second-generation chaebol and current climber of the 40th floor, smiled quietly beneath his mask.

He’d prepared a staggering ten billion won for today.

That staff? Not worth his money.

“Four-point-two billion, four-point-two billion. Any more?”

As the final bids wrapped up, everyone glanced at one another, gauging reactions.

In the end.

Bang—bang—bang

With the sound of the gavel, the Staff of Lightning was sold for four-point-two billion won.

“Now, the next item is perhaps the most anticipated in the history of our Korean Gyeongmaejang.”

The auctioneer, exuding authority, introduced the next item.

A small dotorri.

At first glance, it looked utterly ordinary.

But the item appraisal?

A Legendary Item.

“A Legendary Item, of which there are only a few in the world. The appraisal result is confidential except for its grade. The starting bid is four billion won.”

Legendary Items are so shrouded in mystery that unless you know exactly how to use them, they’re as good as junk.

It’s a kind of gamble.

Even so, people would spend their entire fortunes just to own one Legendary Item.

A prime example is the cross used by the Saintess of England.

At first, it was thought to be just a relic.

But in reality?

It boosted all nearby Players’ stats by 205, doubled recovery rates, granted 100% immunity to poison, and prevented charm effects.

Because of that one item, England became the safest country during Gate Outbreaks.

That’s the power of a Legendary Item.

Most end up in the hands of the Association.

But, rarely, one is revealed at a Gyeongmaejang like this.

“Four-point-five billion!”

“Five billion!”

As expected, the price soared rapidly.

In moments like this, true experts don’t wait.

All those slowly creeping up the price? They’re just amateurs to be swept aside.

“Eight—eighty billion!”

With a single bid, the price nearly doubled.

That was Yoo Min’s doing.

The feverish energy in the Gyeongmaejang suddenly chilled.

But still—

“Eighty-one billion!”

The bids continued to rise.

After all, there’s no shortage of rich people.

For some, eighty billion is like pocket change.

“Ninety-five billion!”

“Ninety-eight billion!”

The price kept climbing.

“One hundred two billion.”

It shot past the hundred-billion mark.

Yoo Min had scraped together his entire fortune, but compared to the real wealthy, it was nothing.

In the end, the Legendary Item went for a whopping one hundred eighty billion won.

Bang—bang—bang—

Disappointed murmurs spread among the crowd.

The auction still had a long way to go, but after this, nothing else could compare.

“Next up is a special item even I haven’t seen in my ten years of running this Gyeongmaejang. But its effects have been thoroughly verified.”

The high rollers began gathering their things, ready to leave.

Then, a small wooden box was brought in.

Inside, there was an ordinary hair spray.

“The hope of all the bald. This is a premium hair spray made from 100% refined Slime King’s Extract. Rather than skin care, it’s focused on treating hair loss. When applied directly to the scalp, you’ll have a full head of hair within an hour!”

A full head of hair in one hour?

Yoo Min couldn’t believe his ears.

There are a few diseases humanity has never solved.

Baldness—the agony of all men.

And this could cure it in just one hour?

Impossible.

It was known that Slime King’s Extract was good for hair loss, but it never actually made hair grow.

But, surely, the Gyeongmaejang wouldn’t risk its reputation on a lie.

Putting off his plans to leave, Yoo Min sat back down.

“The starting bid is ten million won!”

As expected for something never seen before, it started cheap.

But—

Twenty million,

Fifty million.

One hundred million.

Five hundred million.

The price soared at an unbelievable pace.

And most of the bidders? Men.

To them, this item was even more precious than the Legendary dotorri.

Medical science can transplant hair?

Sure, but that’s just grafting.

Actually growing hair is another story.

Who would begrudge spending a few billion to erase a lifelong complex?

Those with full hair just don’t get it.

“One billion!”

Even Yoo Min joined the bidding.

He, too, suffered from severe hair loss.

Climbing the Tower, running a business—

There was no way his hair could survive.

The dotorri was out of reach anyway.

He’d have to try for this.

“Forty billion!”

Even the auctioneer hadn’t expected the excitement to reach these heights.

To be honest, today’s real highlight was supposed to be the dotorri.

But the wild frenzy among the crowd rivaled, even surpassed, that.

A starting price of ten million had already leapt past fifty billion.

And then—

“One hundred billion!”

Someone boldly called out a hundred billion.

Who was it?

Obvious.

Yoo Min.

Second-generation chaebol and Ranker of the Tower’s 40th floor.

With credentials most would envy, but carrying a massive complex—

Baldness.

Baldness that began at a young age, immune to even the best medicine.

All he could do was cover up with a wig.

Even those who seem perfect shrink away from a single weakness.

Yoo Min could never shake that feeling.

Whether standing before the press for interviews,

Or dining with his fiancée,

He’d always be nervous his wig might slip.

But now, this item before his eyes.

With this, his whole future would change.

A hundred billion?

He could always make more.

But no one knew if this item would ever appear again.

He had to buy it, no matter what.

With eyes blazing, Yoo Min clutched his mask.

A stir ran through the Gyeongmaejang.

And then.

Bang—bang—bang

With the sound of the auctioneer’s gavel, the Slime Spray was now Yoo Min’s!