"Three billion won. Do I have a higher bid?"
A paddle lifted from the corner of the room almost immediately, and the host nodded without missing a beat. "Three point five billion."
Another voice followed before the sound even settled. "Four billion."
The numbers began to climb faster than I could keep up with. Around the room, people who had been participating earlier started to fall silent one by one, leaving only a handful still competing.
Please... stop bidding.
I tightened my grip on the edge of my seat, trying to keep my expression calm even as my thoughts spiraled.
I needed that staff.
No, I had to get it.
"Five billion won," My chest tightened as the next bid was called out.
Why was it still going up?
Damn it... if I don't bid now, I'll never get it.
I still have a little under ten billion on my black card, so even if I end up spending everything here, it's not like I have a choice. What is money compared to my life anyway?
It wasn't even a decision at this point.
Just a matter of timing.
Taking a small breath to steady myself, I raised my paddle hesitantly.
"Someone has doubled the bid! Ten billion won! Do we have a higher offer?!"
For a moment, I didn't understand what I had just heard.
My hand froze mid-air as murmurs began to spread throughout the room, growing louder with each passing second. It felt like all the attention had suddenly shifted toward me, even behind the safety of my mask.
Then, slowly, I glanced down at the paddle in my hand.
The back side.
...Wait.
Don't tell me...!
Without realizing it, I had raised the side that signaled a full bid jump instead of a standard increase. And just like that, I had doubled the price.
"Elena?" Jiyeon leaned closer, her voice clearly surprised. "I could've bid for you. Did you want it that badly?"
My cheeks burned in embarrassment, but I couldn't even bring myself to respond properly. What else was I supposed to do? Every second that passed made my chest tighten, and the mission screen hovering in front of me wasn't helping at all. It kept reminding me, over and over again, what would happen if I failed.
Suddenly, Jinhyuk raised his paddle.
"...T-twenty billion won."
The room erupted into murmurs louder than before, the tension instantly doubling along with the price.
"What are you doing?!" I grabbed his arm in panic. "I—I really can't afford anything more than that, Hyuk-ah!"
I pulled his arm down with all my strength and held onto it, almost hugging it, just to make sure he wouldn't raise it again.
I can't believe my competition would be Jinhyuk himself.
"This much is nothing," he said calmly. "Don't you know I'm rich?"
"W-well, yeah, but I need that staff more than you do," I stammered. "I really need it, otherwise I—"
I stopped myself just in time.
I'll die, you bastard!
What was he even planning to use it for? He fights with his fists and swords, so why...
My thoughts cut off as my vision blurred behind the mask.
Tears welled up before I could stop them, my gaze dropping to the blue screen in front of me. The words were still there.
Failure to comply results in death.
"...Hey," His voice sounded closer now. "Why are you crying?"
I didn't answer.
"I bought it for you."
"For me?" I sobbed, giving him the look of confusion. He doubled the bid and stole that from me, so what do you mean you bought it for me!
Still, if he was going to give it to me then that would mean I wouldn't have to die, right?
"Yes," Jinhyuk replied without hesitation. "So stop crying, hmm? I really bought it for you. I promise."
I blinked at him, my thoughts lagging behind as his words slowly sank in. The tightness in my chest eased just a little, but the embarrassment hit just as quickly, making my face burn even more.
"Thanks... but you're not going to make me pay you back or something, right...?"
He looked at me like I had just said something offensive.
"Why would I ask someone else for money?" he said flatly. "I have enough to buy the entire world. Just keep it."
...What kind of answer was that?
Still, I couldn't help it.
A small smile formed on my lips, my tears completely drying up behind the mask. Before I could dwell on it any longer, the host's voice rang out again, drawing the attention of the entire room back to the stage.
"Thank you for your participation," he announced smoothly, as staff members stepped forward to clear the previous item. "We will now proceed to the final item of tonight's auction."
The atmosphere shifted instantly after that.
If the earlier items had drawn interest, this one drew everyone in.
A quiet tension settled over the room as a velvet-covered case was brought forward and placed at the center of the stage. The host paused deliberately, allowing the silence to build before reaching out and opening it.
Inside, resting against the dark fabric, was a necklace.
At first glance, it looked deceptively simple, a thin chain with a small, polished gem at its center. But the moment it was revealed, a subtle pressure spread through the room, enough to make even the surrounding hunters straighten slightly.
"This," the host began, "is an L-grade artifact that can be used five times." A faint murmur rippled through the crowd. "It reflects any incoming attack back to its source regardless of its rank."
"Whether it is physical, magical, or skill-based, the effect remains the same," he continued.
The weight of those words settled heavily in the air.
"This concludes tonight's collection," the host said with a faint, composed smile. "We will now begin the final bidding."
·•—–٠✤٠—–•·
Considering how valuable the item was, it wasn't surprising that nearly everyone in the auction room joined the bidding, each of them clearly coveting the rare artifact.
Even Gilbert Kingsley, who had remained silent throughout the entire auction, finally raised his paddle. That alone drew attention. If someone like him was participating, then this was no longer just a valuable item, it was something worth fighting over.
And that also meant Jiyeon and Jinhyuk had no intention of backing down either.
"Eighty billion won."
The number echoed through the hall, yet it still wasn't enough to stop the others. The bids continued without hesitation, rising steadily as if the value of money itself had lost all meaning within these walls.
But as the price climbed higher, the rhythm began to slow. Once it crossed the hundred billion mark, the atmosphere shifted. That was no longer a number an individual could spend lightly.
Even nations would hesitate at that level.
One by one, the paddles stopped rising.
Jiyeon lowered hers first. Gilbert followed not long after, his silence returning as if he had already lost interest.
In the end, only one remained.
"...One hundred billion won," the host declared, his voice steady despite the staggering amount of number. "Going once... going twice..." A brief pause. "Sold!"
The name was announced shortly after.
Saber. The final buyer.
Just as the auction came to an end, the lights suddenly went out.
The entire hall was swallowed in darkness, and confused murmurs immediately spread through the crowd.
"What the—who—"
"Arggghh—!"
The sound cut through the room. Even in the darkness, the hunters reacted instantly.
They weren't ordinary people.
For some, like Han Jinhyuk or Gilbert Kingsley, the sudden loss of light meant nothing at all. Their vision remained clear, as if the darkness didn't exist in the first place.
But not everyone was like that.
Most of the hunters, even the high-ranking ones, could only rely on their senses. They could make out faint silhouettes, shifting shadows moving in the dark, but nothing more precise than that.
Still, it was enough.
Enough to see what had just happened.
The announcer... had been killed.
The realization settled in almost immediately. There had been no hesitation in the strike, no warning, just a clean, deliberate execution carried out in front of the world's strongest hunters, as if none of them were worth fearing.
Who would dare...?
But this wasn't random. The attacker hadn't even glanced at anyone else.
Their gaze... No, their intent, was fixed on a single thing.
The artifact on display.