Chapter 79

The errand involving the item box was finally over, and the money from the Red Gate raid had been deposited into my account.

There was no reason to put it off any longer.

To put it plainly, I had come out today to go shopping.

‘It’s still remarkably clean.’

The Hunter Market looked almost exactly as it had the last time I visited. It was a newly constructed, low-rise building that stretched wide across the block. Awakened people came and went through the entrance, and traces of magic could be sensed everywhere.

For an alien magician like me, there was hardly a more fascinating place.

‘Hmm.’

Even so, I passed the stalls near the entrance without so much as a glance and headed straight for the second floor.

I already knew exactly what I wanted to buy.

‘I need a magic tool that will help me resist Kang Changho.’

At present, I had roughly fifty-four million won in my bank account.

Of course, that amount included the payment I had received for working as an external appraiser for the Magic Tower. Even taking that into account, however, wasn’t it an astonishing sum?

After only five days of work, and even after deducting Ahn Yoonseung’s share, I still had this much left.

‘Thank you, everyone!’

The people who had made the hunt possible came to mind once again.

The five-day Red Gate raid had, after all, been completed through the combined efforts of Ahn Yoonseung and an S-Class hunter.

‘To be honest, Kang Changho was a tremendous help too.’

He was Korea’s final S-Class hunter.

Thanks to him acting as a safety net, I had been able to challenge even a B-Class Gate on my own.

Still, that was where my gratitude ended.

‘Death threats are a separate matter.’

Kang Changho was a dangerous man who might snap my neck over the slightest mistake.

If I wanted to avoid the worst possible outcome, I needed to prepare some form of defense.

‘Oh.’

After searching through several shops, I finally found an item that seemed suitable.

[Pyromancer Necklace]

[Grade: Rare]

[Effect: A necklace that allows its wearer to freely generate flames. It can produce attacks of up to C-Class power.]

The magic embedded within it was appropriate, and the price seemed reasonable as well.

Besides, since it was a necklace, carrying it around would not attract much attention.

‘Could I hide it beneath my shirt?’

Pleased with the discovery, I called over an employee.

“Excuse me. I’d like to purchase this Pyromancer Necklace.”

Unfortunately, I had misunderstood the price displayed in the case.

“Ah, Hunter-nim. The 4.5 million won price tag belongs to the Black Ring beside it. The necklace’s price is written on the card underneath.”

The employee kindly pointed to another label.

[59,800,000 won]

One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand...

Damn it.

“Nearly sixty million won just to imitate a C-Class fire ability?”

The words slipped out before I could stop myself.

The employee’s reaction, however, was even more baffling.

“Oh my, Hunter-nim. This is actually an excellent price. Compared to similar items, it’s considered extremely cost-effective.”

“This thing is?”

“Having one of these makes work inside a Gate far more convenient. Unlike Water-attribute tools, it can also be used to illuminate dark areas.”

A piece of junk capable of producing only C-Class flames, requiring twenty-four hours to recharge fully, and costing sixty million won.

My head began to ache.

I had expected magic tools to be expensive, but I had never imagined the price would exceed my entire budget.

‘Even if I spent every won I have, I still couldn’t afford it.’

Clinging to a faint hope, I searched every remaining store in detail.

In the end, however, I found nothing more suitable than the necklace.

“Damn it. I need it urgently, and it’s not as though I’m only short by a few coins.”

Defeated, I left the shop.

But what was going on?

The building had not been nearly this noisy a moment ago. Now the entire shopping hall was suddenly buzzing with excitement.

“Hmm?”

It was not difficult to identify the cause.

The person at the center of the disturbance stood out even from a distance.

“Kya! It’s Esther!”

“Do you think she’d give me an autograph if I asked?”

“Hey, what do you mean, an autograph? We’re fellow hunters!”

Wine-colored hair.

A lavishly patterned dress that accentuated the lines of her body.

And above all, an overwhelming amount of magical power that made her identity unmistakable.

‘Ah. Everyone must be excited because an S-Class hunter has appeared.’

I spotted the guild leader of the Korean Magic Tower descending the moving walkway, smiling and waving at the surrounding hunters.

‘Should I greet her?’

For reasons I did not fully understand, Esther had contacted me quite often since my previous assignment as an external appraiser. She frequently sent messages simply to ask how I was doing.

Since she had shown me such consideration, I decided it would be polite to say hello.

Perhaps because people found an S-Class intimidating, fewer hunters approached her than I expected. I was therefore able to reach her without difficulty.

“Hello, Esther-ssi.”

Before long, we were standing face-to-face.

“It’s good to see you. Are you here to look at some items?”

However, Esther’s reaction was not what I had imagined.

Whoosh.

The instant she heard my greeting, her smile vanished and she sharply turned her head away.

‘Huh?’

Esther puffed out her cheeks and wore an openly displeased expression.

At the sight of it, I swallowed nervously.

‘D-did I do something wrong? But I’ve answered every one of her messages diligently!’

It was deeply uncomfortable to be treated this way by someone I had believed I was on good terms with.

***

‘Hmph!’

Esther remained silent for several moments.

Naturally, the cause of the situation was a certain alien.

<Text History>

[Hunter Kim Kiryeo! What are you doing today~~? Surely you haven’t already had dinner at this hour, have you?ㅎㅎ]

[Yes. I’m eating pork ribs with an acquaintance.]

That was right.

Kiryeo had already turned down invitations to dine with an S-Class hunter three times.

Of course, he had not rejected her intentionally. Each time, their schedules had simply failed to align by pure coincidence.

‘Who eats dinner at four in the afternoon?’

Unaware of that fact, Esther could only assume that he was deliberately keeping her at a distance.

‘Hmph!’

In truth, she was not especially upset by the rejections themselves.

That awakened man had always been cold and difficult to approach. There was little point in tormenting herself over it.

‘But how could he completely ignore an invitation from a hunter like me, someone both powerful and attractive?’

Seo Esther pressed her lips tightly together and considered the matter.

‘Perhaps he dislikes people who are too forward.’

That was the true reason she had hardened her expression.

She had repeatedly taken the initiative in an effort to build a friendship, but Kim Kiryeo did not seem to appreciate that approach.

So Esther had decided to change tactics.

She would deliberately distance herself from the F-Class hunter and provoke his curiosity instead.

“Hello, Esther-ssi. It’s good to see you. Are you here to look at some items?”

However, the moment they actually met, her plan immediately began to crumble.

‘Huh? H-he greeted me first?’

It was unexpectedly pleasant to have someone who was usually so difficult to approach initiate the conversation.

If she ignored him now, she would only be throwing away a valuable opportunity to talk.

“I-I only stopped by for a moment. I’m actually here for the auction house.”

In the end, Esther answered him just as she normally would.

“[White Bird] is finally going up for auction today!”

“White Bird?”

“As an S-Class hunter, shouldn’t I own at least one mobility item? I intend to bid on it.”

What advantages came with a high hunter ranking?

Esther was currently ranked second among all hunters in Korea.

As a result, the Association granted her various privileges.

“At least within Korea, I’m second in rank. That makes me a priority negotiation partner at auctions.”

One of those privileges involved preferential treatment during auctions.

She could participate in virtually any auction she wanted and was exempt from certain fees.

“I see.”

Kiryeo listened with great interest.

It was the first time he had heard of such a system.

“By the auction house, do you mean the building across the intersection?”

Esther nodded.

“Come to think of it, you’re F-Class. Your rank is probably too low for you to participate in most auctions.”

Apparently, a hunter’s official class played a major role in the calculation of their ranking.

“Kiryeo-ssi, why don’t you come with me? You can look around the auction house while you’re there.”

Esther made the suggestion casually, without expecting much.

That was why his answer caught her completely off guard.

“All right.”

“Huh?”

“I’d appreciate the opportunity.”

He had accepted without the slightest hesitation.

This was a rare chance.

When would Kim Kiryeo ever have free time to accompany her again?

“Oh my, really?”

Unable to hide her delight, Esther smiled and eagerly led the way.

—♪~♬♩~

“Oh, I need to answer this call for a moment.”

“Of course.”

And that was not the only reason she had to be pleased.

The phone call she received shortly afterward brought news so entertaining that the corners of her lips twitched uncontrollably.

‘The Neo Sisters Guild actually left Kim Kiryeo sitting alone in their lobby for six hours?’

Puhahaha!

With her mood at its absolute peak, Esther entered the auction house.

***

“One hundred and eighty million won. I have one hundred and eighty million. Any higher?”

“One hundred and ninety-five million. Two hundred million. Two hundred and five million. From this point onward, bids will increase by ten million won.”

“Two hundred and eighty million. Sold.”

Before long, they arrived at the auction hall.

The professional auctioneer’s voice echoed through the solemn interior.

‘Oh...’

After taking his seat, Kim Kiryeo could not help noticing how much the place resembled a cinema.

There was a large screen at the front and dim lighting throughout the hall. If the chairs had been slightly more comfortable, the resemblance would have been nearly perfect.

‘The screen must be displaying the current bid and basic information about the item.’

Kiryeo leaned back with his arms folded.

Another item was already being auctioned, but he found it difficult to take much interest.

The previous auction had involved amounts of money on an entirely different scale.

“Hunter Esther, where do you collect an item after winning the bid?”

“They make a separate announcement once the auction has ended.”

Kim Kiryeo briefly recalled the earlier bidding war over [White Bird].

—Five-point-one billion!

—Six billion.

—S-six-point-six billion!

—Seven billion.

—Argh!

—Ugh...

The previous auction had been a genuine bloodbath.

Whenever a new bidder appeared, Esther had casually raised the price by hundreds of millions of won. In the end, she had secured the item.

‘A guild leader truly has an extraordinary amount of money.’

The F-Class hunter sitting beside her appeared cold and indifferent, but his mind was often occupied by surprisingly trivial thoughts.

‘I’m deeply envious.’

Could Kim Kiryeo have been jealous of Esther’s wealth at that moment?

“Allow me to introduce the next item.”

Before long, a new object was brought onto the stage.

It was a hardcover book decorated in gold.

The moment it appeared, the previously subdued hall erupted into noise.

“What? That’s a [Sealed Grimoire]!”

“They never announced that it would be included!”

“Damn it! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bid on that earlier item!”

And it was not only the other hunters who reacted.

“What do you think of that item?”

As soon as the final auction item appeared, Esther turned to one of her companions for advice.

Whenever she attended an auction, she always brought a guild appraiser with her.

“It’s incredible! That’s a rare [Sealed Grimoire]. There don’t seem to be any other major bidders here today, so you should be able to obtain it relatively easily.”

At the professional appraiser’s enthusiastic assessment, a satisfied smile appeared on Esther’s face.

The auction began shortly afterward.

“Bidding will begin at 2.3 billion won, with each bid increasing the price by ten million.”

At the auctioneer’s announcement, hands rose throughout the hall and the price began climbing rapidly.

Esther was not concerned by how much the minor bidders raised it.

There was no one present who could rival the financial power of a major guild like the Korean Magic Tower.

‘Rather than driving up the price from the beginning, I’ll wait until the excitement dies down before entering.’

Esther watched the bidding with amusement, lightly tapping one foot.

Then, a moment later, she raised her hand.

However, someone stopped the guild leader of the Magic Tower before she could place her bid.

Tap.

The instant Kim Kiryeo saw her hand rise, he spoke quietly.

“Wait.”

Esther turned toward him.

“Don’t bid.”