Chapter 80

Not bid on it?

It was difficult not to question such a decision. Almost without realizing it, Esther asked him why.

“The book will be useless even if you win it.”

Kiryeo then revealed the secret behind the auction item.

“Why would anyone pay tens of billions of won for something that can do nothing more than sit on display?”

“For display?”

“To be precise, it’s nothing but a decorative object.”

He pointed toward the book resting on the platform.

“That item is already spent. It’s been used.”

The [Sealed Grimoire]...

The final lot of the auction was an exceptionally rare item. Simply reading it could slightly increase a person’s awakening points.

The increase was never substantial, so why were hunters so obsessed with obtaining one?

Because the grimoire’s effect was permanent.

In other words, it was one of the few known methods capable of altering the awakening value a person was born with.

“You said it’s spent?”

For that very reason, sealed grimoires were strictly single-use items. Once their power had been consumed, they were no better than trash.

“Exactly. There’s no reason to buy a grimoire that’s already been used.”

Esther lowered her raised hand, her expression turning serious.

However, the guild appraiser she had brought with her seemed unwilling to accept Kiryeo’s conclusion.

“What? A used grimoire? What evidence do you have for that claim?”

What followed was a simple battle of words.

“Evidence? Well, you can tell just by looking at it—”

“Are you certain of that information?”

“Yes?”

“Forgive me for asking, but what grade is your analysis ability?”

Kim Kiryeo hesitated for a moment before answering without much difficulty. He had researched analysis-type awakened individuals in advance precisely for situations like this.

“Grade 2.”

When Kiryeo revealed his supposed level, the Korean Magic Tower’s appraiser gave a dismissive shrug.

“Guild Master, did you hear that? He’s only a Grade 2 analysis-type awakened individual.”

“Ah. Yes.”

“According to my own analysis ability, there is nothing wrong with the item. Whether a grimoire has already been used is not information our abilities reveal in the first place.”

His tone was brimming with confidence.

Unable to leave Kim Kiryeo standing there in silence any longer, Esther stepped in to explain.

“Oh, I suppose I haven’t introduced him yet. This is our guild’s chief appraiser. He is officially recognized as a Grade 1 analyst.”

An appraiser’s level was determined by how thoroughly they could understand the functions of an item.

Among countless appraisers, those capable of identifying the hidden functions of the highest-ranking items were known as Grade 1 appraisers.

General < Rare < Unique < Epic

Grade 4 < Grade 3 < Grade 2 < Grade 1

In this way, analysis-type awakened individuals were classified according to the international ranking system for items.

Legendary-grade items had only been formally added to the classification system the previous year, and no appraiser had yet succeeded in analyzing one, so they were excluded.

‘Of all possible times, why did a Grade 1 appraiser have to show up now?’

If things were going to turn out like this, perhaps he should simply have claimed to be top-grade from the beginning.

Kiryeo regretted his decision for a moment, but quickly dismissed the thought.

Appraisers were already extremely rare. If he went around claiming to be Grade 1, he would draw far too much attention in such a small field.

“Grade 1. That’s impressive. Still, would you mind trusting my judgment just this once?”

“What?”

“That grimoire has definitely been used. I can’t provide evidence you’ll immediately understand, but...”

Kim Kiryeo tried to persuade them sincerely. He could hardly stand by and watch tens of billions of won go to waste.

“Hmm.”

After hearing him out, the appraiser narrowed his eyes and leaned toward Esther.

“Guild Master, that man... I believe he may be trying to reduce the competition.”

“Is that so?”

“Why else would he try to prevent someone else from bidding on the grimoire?”

At a national exchange of this scale, it was nearly unthinkable that an item would be mishandled so badly that a used grimoire ended up at auction.

Furthermore, the guild’s highest-ranking appraiser had found nothing wrong with it.

Why should they give up such a rare item because of a dubious statement from a single hunter?

‘From their perspective, my ability isn’t particularly impressive.’

“Ahem.”

The Magic Tower’s appraiser made no effort to hide his displeasure.

There was nothing more irritating than someone who pretended to possess knowledge they did not have.

Worse still was when such a person continued insisting they were right even after being corrected by a top-ranking expert.

‘That bastard is probably just trying to impress an S-Class hunter.’

The appraiser gave a contemptuous snort, as though he had heard enough.

“Ah, that reminds me.”

But then Esther, who had been watching his behavior, abruptly redirected the conversation.

“Wasn’t Appraiser Park absent from the analysis room when the cursed sword was examined?”

“Pardon?”

“Oh, that’s right. You were away on the field assignment I personally gave you.”

“Ah. Yes, Guild Master.”

“Of course. That explains why you don’t recognize Kiryeo.”

Esther smiled gently.

“In that case, perhaps I should tell you now. This handsome hunter here is the person who passed the Magic Tower’s maze.”

Despite her smile, the words that followed were anything but warm.

Her lips were curved pleasantly, but the chill in her eyes was impossible to conceal.

“He cleared the maze in three minutes and thirty-two seconds. The same maze that took you twenty minutes to complete during your examination.”

The appraiser froze at the unexpected revelation, unable to speak.

Esther continued in a perfectly composed voice.

“Thanks to that, I’ve been trying very hard to earn this hunter’s favor lately.”

“Ah...”

“Perhaps there has been some misunderstanding. Appraiser Park, you seem to have been rather rude to Kiryeo for quite some time now, don’t you?”

“G-Guild Master.”

Ssssk.

The ominous pressure radiating from the S-Class hunter instantly filled the auction hall.

No one present dared voice an objection.

An S-Class awakening rank was the mark of a predator.

“Appraiser Park, I hope you will exercise greater caution when dealing with Hunter Kim Kiryeo from now on.”

By the time the employee’s face had turned deathly pale, the red-violet-haired predator seated in the shadowed section raised one pale hand.

“Well, in any case, I hope you understand. Now, as for the grimoire...”

“Esther-ssi. Don’t tell me...”

“Now that the two appraisers disagree, I’m even more curious.”

Her voice became almost playful.

“Why don’t I test it myself?”

Her cheerful voice rang through the auction hall.

“Five billion!”

“Five billion won. Are there any higher bids? Five billion. Five billion... Sold. The sealed grimoire goes to bidder number thirty-eight.”

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.

.

.

.

After the auction ended, they proceeded to aisle G1 of the Korean Hunter Auction House.

‘Is she insane?’

Kiryeo walked along the long corridor in silence.

To receive the items she had won, they had been required to relocate once again.

“This is the room. If we wait here, the staff will bring the auctioned items to us.”

Esther continued explaining something, but Kiryeo heard none of it.

He pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose, trying to ease the headache surging through his skull.

‘Even after I warned her not to buy it, she spent five billion won just because she wanted to know whether I was right?’

From the perspective of an ordinary person, the situation was nothing short of horrifying.

‘If you’re that eager to throw money away, then give it to me! Please!’

No matter how loudly he complained in his head, however, the result would not change.

Esther had spent more than ten billion won at this auction and had ultimately acquired both items.

“Hunter, here are the two items you won.”

“Oh!”

At last, the auction prizes were revealed.

Drrrk.

The exchange employees wheeled in a cart bearing two blue boxes.

Once it stood before Esther, they released the seals.

Until the transaction was complete, both boxes had been protected by barriers to prevent the valuable contents from being stolen or damaged.

“Phew. I finally managed to buy [White Bird].”

Esther inspected the movement-type magic tool first.

Fortunately, there was nothing wrong with it.

Not even the slightest scratch marred its surface.

“I’m so relieved I obtained it safely. Ever since I saw Jung Haseong use one, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.”

She stroked the object, which resembled a white pigeon, then finally turned her attention to the second item.

“Let’s see.”

And that was where the problem began.

The sealed grimoire appeared to be in perfect condition, just like the white pigeon.

However, its outward appearance was not what mattered.

The crucial issue was what remained inside.

Tuk.

Esther picked up the grimoire and addressed the staff.

“Excuse me. Since this belongs to me now, may I test it here?”

The staff member nodded without hesitation.

“Of course.”

“Good.”

Esther opened the book wide and began turning its pages.

Srrrrk.

Her confident movements did not last long.

She quickly examined every page, leaving only the final page unread.

“Hmm.”

Ssrrk.

“I see.”

After finishing the book, Esther closed it neatly.

Then she finally spoke.

“Kim Kiryeo was right. This really is a used grimoire.”

The declaration struck the room like a bomb.

The object she had purchased for five billion won had already lost its function.

The Korean Magic Tower’s appraiser stood frozen, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Yet there were others present who were even more shocked.

“What did you say?”

The auction house employees stared at her.

“What do you mean, it was used?”

“I mean exactly what I said. This grimoire had already been opened before it was sold to me.”

“That’s impossible...”

“I’m certain. I’ve used grimoires before, and this one felt completely different. Normally, there should be a sensation of something entering you.”

Esther immediately explained the abnormalities she had noticed.

The staff, however, refused to accept her conclusion so easily.

“No, that can’t be right. We exercise the utmost care when handling valuable items such as grimoires.”

“Exactly. And as you can see, the red wax on the cover was completely intact until you opened it.”

Apparently, Earth had its own method of determining whether a grimoire had been opened.

“So now you’re accusing me of lying?”

“No, Hunter Esther. That isn’t what we meant.”

“A used magic book was sold at your auction. Instead of insisting that your procedures must have been flawless, shouldn’t you investigate how this happened?”

As the voices in the room steadily grew louder, Kiryeo stood behind them with his arms crossed, silently observing the dispute.

‘Next time, I should probably keep my mouth shut during an auction.’

He could not recklessly intervene now.

Although he had indeed been the first to realize the grimoire was useless, his method of reaching that conclusion was entirely different.

‘Just thinking about explaining it is exhausting.’

Determining whether the grimoire had been used was, in fact, extremely simple.

No.

In this situation, it was almost too simple.

[Used]

Once the grimoire’s function had been exhausted, those words appeared prominently across its cover.

‘It’s written in Alphauri.’

That was how Kiryeo had immediately recognized the book as a dud.

The round emblem depicted on the cover was not a magic circle at all.

It was a traditional Alphauri hieroglyph.

At first glance, the two might appear similar, but their structures were fundamentally different.

The lines of the hieroglyph were unusually thick, and the entire character consisted only of simple curves.

‘It isn’t a modern language. It’s an ancient script that was used in the distant past, but I learned the basics of it in school.’

Thanks to the knowledge from his previous life, Kiryeo could read the writing on the grimoire’s cover.

However, the book’s true identity was even more astonishing than the fact that it had already been used.

‘It’s a children’s textbook...!’

The magic book valued at five billion won was, in reality, nothing more than an outdated learning tool intended for inexperienced children.

‘That thing is considered a magic book?’

Kiryeo pressed his fingers against his temple once again as he reflected on the fifty-billion-won valuation that had once been attached to the useless book.

It was unbelievable.

Of all the riches produced by Alphaworld’s civilization, had the gates truly selected a children’s textbook as a treasure?

Wasn’t this exactly why the entire gate system made absolutely no sense?