Chapter 136

Chapter 136

Spendthrift Necromancer (136)

Sky Auction HouseA thousand masked people gathered in one place.

The masks provided here possessed special functions.

When worn, they altered the wearer's body shape and voice. Of course, anyone could remove theirs if they wanted, but most people kept them on until the auction ended.

There was no reason to reveal one's identity unnecessarily.

Even so, people busily looked around.‘Surely that bastard didn't get invited?’Because of Kim Minwoo, the hottest rising Awakened in the world.

Normally, there would've been no reason to worry.

Receiving an invitation to the Sky Auction House was extremely difficult.

Conventional wisdom held that Awakened below Level 500 simply couldn't receive one no matter what they did. After all, how much fame could a low-Level Awakened possibly possess, and how much wealth could they really have?

There were plenty of examples.

Wealthy Awakened tycoons throughout the Middle East and Arab world.

Famous people known worldwide with personal assets routinely measured in tens of trillions.

Even among them, countless people failed to receive invitations.

The story of one Middle Eastern billionaire becoming so bitter over it that he paid to be power-leveled all the way to Level 600 before finally receiving an invitation was practically legendary.

But did that mean high-Level Awakened were always invited?

Not necessarily.

Even if they met the fame and Level conditions, many failed because they lacked enough wealth.

The higher one climbed, the more money one consumed.

Even among world rankers, it wasn't unusual to find people whose total assets failed to exceed one trillion won.

Usually because they had destroyed themselves trying to enhance A- or S-rank Skill Books.

Either way.‘Normally, he shouldn't have gotten one…….’Kim Minwoo had far too many abnormalities.

Five months since Awakening.

Yet he already had one hundred million NewTube subscribers, and his known assets were said to exceed forty trillion won.

And that was only the minimum estimate.

The public consensus was that he'd definitely extracted something from both China and Saudi Arabia. Yet his Level, even being generous, was only somewhere in the 300s.

An Awakened like this had never existed before and probably never would again besides Kim Minwoo.

Had he received an invitation?

Whenever reporters asked him, he merely smiled slyly and answered, Who knows?‘Please, starting next year.’Awakened from powerful countries such as Japan, India, Russia, and Canada.

They prayed desperately inside.―You must secure Necromancer equipment.

Firm orders from their governments.

No matter how talented an Awakened was, without suitable equipment they'd become only half as effective.

Their governments had gone so far as to turn SS-ranks into Necromancers, so naturally they were demanding that suitable equipment be secured by any means necessary…….‘If that Kim Minwoo bastard was invited too…….’‘How much money are we going to have to bid?’They had been given larger budgets than usual because competition was obviously going to intensify, but even that felt insufficient.

That was when.

Something appeared on the auction hall's stage.

A creature resembling a clown.―Awakened who have overcome countless rivals to reach the Sky Auction House! I, Rastan, welcome you all!

Bang-bang-bang!

Colorful fireworks exploded everywhere along with the clown's words.

Rastan looked around, grinning.―We have many wonderful items this year as well! And we'll even be offering our auction house's own ‘Special Items.’

Special Items.

Items put up directly by the Auction House rather than by Awakened.

Some years they appeared, other years they didn't.

True to the word special, the items tended to be highly unusual.

The problem was their minimum bids.

Their prices were so high even major powers struggled to buy one.

Usually, they appeared at the very end of the auction.―The auction order is simple! First come the items listed by Earth's Awakened, then our Special Items afterward! Take a look at the catalog!

Holograms appeared before the Awakened. Detailed information about the items scheduled for auction appeared across them.

A total of 157 Legendary-grade items.

Only two Ancient-grade ones.

Nothing particularly strange about that.

Ancient-grade equipment was rarely sent to the Auction House in the first place.

Countries fulfilled their listing quotas with Legendary items, not Ancient ones. Who in their right mind would sell equipment of that rank?

Usually they didn't even have enough for their own people.

Kim Minwoo examined the items.‘Both Ancients are duds. No attributes either.’One was some Druid armor and the other a two-handed sword.

Minwoo had the Necromantic Sword, while Siwoo used the Holy Sword. Cedric used his dedicated bone spear, so the only possible use for the two-handed sword would be giving it to a Dullahan.

But it required Level 400, and his low-Level Dullahans couldn't even touch it.‘Guess I have to hope something good appears among the Special Items.’At this rate, he'd just nibble at Legendary gear and go home.

If he wanted to properly spend all the money he'd gathered, the Special Items needed to hit the jackpot.

He looked at the Special Item list.[Auction House Special Items][Revealed when the Special Auction begins.][1. ???][2. ???]

Two items.

What appeared there would be completely random.‘I'll sweep the Legendary stuff first.’Equipment for his guild members and Legion Commanders.

Accessories, attribute items, Necromancer gear.

Out of the 157 items, around fifty were worth buying for his side.―Let's activate translation for a smoother auction! Now everyone can understand each other! Something you want? Excellent. Pay money. Preferably lots of it! Then, let the regular auction begin![The first item, ‘Clairvoyant Helm,’ is listed!][Clairvoyant Helm][Rank: Legendary][Requirement: Level 400 or higher, ranged Class.][A helm possessing mysterious eyes capable of seeing into the distance. Grants the wearer unusually sharp vision.][Effect 1. Increases the wearer's visual range by 1.5x.][Effect 2. The wearer gains a chance to identify the weaknesses of distant enemies.][Effect 3. Damage dealt to enemies whose weaknesses have been identified increases by 20%.]‘Oh.’Something he'd had his eye on appeared as the very first item. A helmet was perfect, since Seo Yerim hadn't obtained one from the boxes last time.

The other Awakened's eyes lit up as well.

It was an extremely straightforward and powerful item.

“Twelve billion.”

“Eighteen billion.”

“Twenty-two billion.”

The bids rose instantly.

Kim Minwoo watched for a while, then called a price.

“Thirty billion.”

“……Thirty-three billion.”

“Forty billion.”

“……Forty-five billion.”

“Fifty billion.”

“…….”

The other bidder's face twisted.‘This fucker.’The Clairvoyant Helm?

It was certainly good.

That was why forty-five billion had been his final price.

Beyond that, it started feeling overpriced.

But the bastard over there was raising every bid by ten billion at a time. It made breathing difficult.‘Bid more or stop?’After his eyes darted around for a while, the opposing bidder finally sighed and surrendered.

Funds were limited, and if he raised again only for the other side to suddenly stop, he'd be stuck paying the entire inflated price.

He didn't have the guts to risk that.―No more? Fifty billion. Three. Two. One. Congratulations, Participant Number 7![Participant Number 7 wins the ‘Clairvoyant Helm’…….][Participant Number 7 wins the ‘Lava Armor’…….][Participant Number 7 wins the ‘Gale Boots’…….][Participant Number 7 wins the ‘Ring of Courage’…….]..

Participant Number 7 was running wild.

He swept up equipment like a mob of beggars who hadn't eaten in seven days.

No matter how high the bids climbed, he simply raised them again, leaving everyone helpless.

Even America didn't buy equipment this recklessly.‘He's buying Necromancer gear too?’‘Don't tell me…….’Was that Kim Minwoo?

If he had entered with government funding like most of the other Awakened, this kind of behavior would've been impossible.

Government money wasn't your own money.‘He keeps raising prices like a lunatic…….’‘Maybe we should ride this properly?’Several Awakened's eyes gleamed.

During the first ten items, he'd raised bids as though the brakes didn't exist.

Until now, they'd been slightly overwhelmed by his sheer aggression.

The first ten had also served as something of a probing phase, so whenever prices exceeded fair value by even a little, they had surrendered fairly easily.

And what had that achieved?

Number 7 was sweeping up all the equipment at prices not even that far above market value.

That couldn't continue.

The bastard was already rich.‘Then we need to check him.’If they could shave away Kim Minwoo's funds now, they'd have a chance to compete over later equipment.

The Awakened quietly exchanged glances.

Among them was Manato, a Japanese Awakened wearing a fox mask.

In case Kim Minwoo participated, countries possessing SS-rank Necromancers had secretly agreed on signals in advance.

Japan was one such country. The plan was simple.

If they identified Kim Minwoo, the countries would take turns driving up prices to drain his wealth. They'd even assigned who would act as shill bidders.

Japan would go first.

Kim Minwoo.

An Awakened who had done more than merely irritate Japan lately—he had practically smashed its pride to pieces. Conveniently, the next item was Necromancer equipment.‘You aren't taking this cheaply.’Japan also desperately needed Necromancer gear.

You're rich?

Fine. Take it.

But pay a massive toll.

A venomous light entered Manato's eyes.

The next item was listed.[The eleventh item, ‘Rotten Bone Boots,’ is…….]

Kim Minwoo examined the item.

Rotten Bone Boots.

Legendary rank.

From the detailed description, their performance was roughly comparable to Wraith Step, the item he'd obtained from a Random Item Box.

He glanced around.

Several Awakened stared at the Rotten Bone Boots with gleaming eyes.

Among the previous ten auction items, there had already been one piece of Necromancer equipment.

A Necromancer-exclusive armor in the eighth slot.

The options had been good, so Minwoo had bid aggressively and bought it.

His forceful approach had prevented much competition that time.

But this time…….‘Looks like things are about to heat up.’He'd already taken around ten items for less than expected, so people were probably starting to get impatient.

Since an auction was fundamentally competitive, it was only natural they'd begin trying to check him.

There was only one thing they hadn't considered.‘I can do the same thing.’Sabotaging other bidders through price inflation?

There was no reason Kim Minwoo couldn't do it too.

Conveniently, a decent item had appeared.

Necromancer-exclusive, with fairly good options.

Something other Awakened could reasonably want.

Judging purely by its effects, it looked worth around sixty billion.‘Time to light a fire and blow someone up.’It would serve as a fine warning to anyone planning something stupid.

Now that so many fledgling Necromancers had appeared, the bids were likely to climb quickly.

“Forty billion.”

“Forty-three billion.”

“Forty-seven billion.”

As expected, the bids climbed rapidly.

Kim Minwoo casually joined the battlefield.

“Sixty billion.”

A brief silence.

Then several Awakened, including the one in the fox mask, suddenly jumped into the auction.Seventy, eighty, ninety billion.

The price soared in an instant.

Kim Minwoo calmly called the next bid.

“One hundred billion.”

Once the price crossed into the hundred-billion range, the Awakened gradually backed away as though satisfied.

Manato stared at Kim Minwoo.

Rotten Bone Boots.

They had decent options, but honestly weren't good enough to justify going far beyond one hundred billion.

Yet Kim Minwoo had bid one hundred billion without hesitation.

Viewed another way, perhaps that meant he wanted those boots that badly.‘Could I push him a little more?’Judging by the bastard's momentum, even if Manato raised the bid, Minwoo looked ready to keep paying like a sucker.

“……One hundred five billion.”

“One hundred ten billion.”

The next bid came instantly.

The fox-masked man fell silent for a moment.

He was probably deciding whether to stop here.

Kim Minwoo looked at him and grinned.

This wasn't Minwoo's first auction.

The greed in that man's eyes.

He was the type who would eventually lose to his own desire and light the fuse on the powder keg.

Minwoo shrugged as though he still had endless room to spare.

“……One hundred twenty billion.”

The man gritted his teeth and called the next price.―Ah! We have one hundred twenty billion! Anyone willing to go higher?

Kim Minwoo shook his head.‘Exactly there.’Bid any further and the man would probably walk away satisfied.

That couldn't happen.

At that moment.

The fox-masked man's complexion seemed to turn pale.

Surely Minwoo wasn't imagining it.One hundred twenty billion for something worth sixty?

With courage like that, Minwoo had to yield.―One hundred twenty billion. Three. Two. One. Congratulations, Participant Number 13!

The fox-masked Awakened collapsed into his chair as if his legs had lost all strength.

Kim Minwoo waved at him.

It was the Necromancer equipment of his dreams, so surely he'd use it well.

Or not.

Minwoo swept his gaze across the other Awakened.

Apparently they'd finally realized he could fuck them over in exactly the same way, because caution entered their gazes.Out of 157 pieces of equipment, only around fifty were useful to his side.

Meaning the other 107 weren't things he particularly needed.

That was why he'd originally planned to simply stay quiet during those and not cause trouble.‘As expected.’You couldn't live too kindly.

Stay still and people genuinely started thinking you were a doormat. They were already preparing to throw checks at him.

If that fox mask's gamble had succeeded after Minwoo sensed the dangerous atmosphere earlier?

Everyone would've gone wild with excitement.‘Guess I need to cause some trouble too.’Time to establish discipline.* * *The auction for all 157 items, including the Ancient-grade ones.

The eventful first half finally ended.‘Damn it.’‘Is that bastard actually insane?’The Awakened stared at Number 7, Kim Minwoo, with exhausted expressions.

He bid on everything that appeared.

He even made significant contributions to driving up the prices of gear for every obscure Class imaginable.

Every item had begun accumulating a premium.

Because he'd already swept up equipment across all kinds of Classes, nobody could tell whether he was merely inflating bids or genuinely intending to buy.

They couldn't simply return home empty-handed because things were expensive, so the Awakened had no choice but to join the auctions while grinding their teeth.

As a result.―Oh! Astonishing! The average winning bid across all 157 items is around sixty billion each! That's roughly a twenty-percent increase over last year! Earth's economy must have improved greatly.

The clown, whose nose practically twitched with delight, was the only one who had truly struck gold.

The Awakened looked miserable.

Kim Minwoo, on the other hand.‘Not bad. Bought everything I wanted at a decent enough price.’He shrugged, satisfied with the result.

He had swept up all fifty items he wanted.

The amount spent was around forty trillion won.

There had been several accessories mixed in, so he'd paid somewhat more, but expecting to buy everything at fair value in an auction was absurd in the first place.

Competition was everywhere.

If he hadn't caused chaos in the middle, it would've cost not forty trillion, but fifty or sixty.

And even after spending that much, he still had a massive amount of money left.

All thanks to warm, generous donations.

That was when.

Rastan slowly looked around.―Now then, the auction of Earth's items has ended. Shall we begin the real auction?

The Awakened's eyes gleamed.

Special Items.

They didn't appear every year, but whenever they did, one trait was consistent. They were genuinely exceptional goods whose minimum bids usually started around ten trillion won.―We reveal this year's first Special Item![The first Special Item is revealed.][‘Dice of Fate’ appears!]

Dice of Fate?

Every Awakened stared at the tiny die resting on Rastan's palm.

Kim Minwoo was no exception.