The auction Seong had entered was a dream auction for many players.
But entry was far from easy.
That’s why it was a dream.
Not only was it exclusive, but it also featured rare items that could never be found in standard player auctions.
Naturally, every player wanted to attend at least once.
And Beretta was one of those players.
‘That smug bastard!!!’
Now that she had finally managed to enter, she was forced to watch a scene that infuriated her.
There was Seong—
Casually chatting with the Lord of PentaGrid, then stuffing his face like it was nothing.
Beretta couldn’t stand it.
She had struggled so hard just to get into this place.
As a merchant-class player, she had scraped together every last bit of gold just to attend this auction.
Earning 10,000 gold in-game was no easy feat, neither in reality nor in the game.
She had grinded relentlessly, and even that wasn’t enough—
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So she had spent real money to bridge the gap.
All of it to win an auction and make a huge profit.
And yet, this arrogant bastard—
Waltzed in like it was nothing.
And on top of that—
Even when the city lord spoke to him, he had the audacity to act cautious.
He didn’t even know who the lord was.
That was unacceptable to Beretta.
‘I worked so hard just to get a foot in the door!!!’
She had spent countless hours trying to form connections with noble NPCs—
Yet she still hadn’t even gotten the title Seong had just casually obtained.
Well, to be fair—
None of the other players here had it either.
But that didn’t make it any less infuriating.
How come this guy could get in so easily, while she had to struggle so much?
How come he got the city lord’s attention without even trying, while she had to research every noble NPC in advance?
The gap was too much.
‘I don’t know who you are...’
But I’m going to screw you over.
At the very least, there’s no way you have more money than me.
‘Whatever you’re after, I’ll buy it first.’
Her eyes burned with determination as she glared at Seong.
But before she could do anything—
The auctioneer finally stepped onto the stage.
With the sharp clicking of polished shoes, a well-dressed man took his place at the podium.
The moment he appeared—
The entire hall fell silent.
No matter how much the event had resembled a social gathering, this was still an auction.
And now that the auctioneer had arrived—
The real event was about to begin.
[ Ahem, ahem. Can everyone hear me? ]
[ I am Edward, your auctioneer for today. I would like to thank all esteemed guests for attending. Before we begin, let me briefly explain today’s auction. ]
His clear, authoritative voice immediately commanded everyone’s attention.
As he swept his gaze across the room, everyone’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.
The auctioneer seemed to enjoy their excitement, as he met their gazes one by one before finally continuing.
[ Today’s auction features ten exceptional items. While the quantity may seem small, rest assured—every item is of exceptional value. ]
At these words, the energy in the room intensified.
No one complained about the small number of items.
After all, in this kind of auction, quality mattered more than quantity.
Now that everyone’s attention was locked onto him—
[ And with that, let us begin. ]
The auction had officially begun.
And with it—
Beretta’s plans went into motion.
She wasn’t just here to make a profit.
She was going to interfere with Seong every step of the way.
4.
The auction started.
Seong, having never witnessed a live auction before, was fascinated.
It felt like a scene straight out of a movie.
Or, rather—
It wasn’t the type of scene that usually appeared in the movies he watched.
Seeing it in person was a novel experience.
[ The third item is an original edition of 『Fundamentals of Elements』, a tome once owned by an ancient archmage! The starting bid is 5,000 gold, with increments of 100 gold! We have 5,000 from bidder 33! Do I hear 5,100? Yes! Bidder 41! ]
As the auctioneer called out bids, players and NPCs raised their number plaques.
Seong watched closely, observing how the bidding unfolded.
It was clear that this round was a two-way competition between bidders 33 and 41.
And soon enough—
[ Ah! Bidder 33 has dropped out! 6,000 gold! Any higher bids? Going once, going twice... Sold! To bidder 41 for 6,000 gold! ]
The lively rhythm of the auctioneer’s voice was almost hypnotic.
Seong found himself getting drawn in.
He had only planned to bid on the Abyssal Dragon’s Heart Fragment—
But now, he was starting to want to buy more.
‘Spending money feels kinda fun.’
As he enjoyed the auction, completely unaware—
Beretta, bidder 41, was watching him like a hawk.
The moment he even flinched, she was ready to pounce.
And she wasn’t the only one.
The baroness, bidder 11, had been waiting for this.
She had come for one reason only—
To secure the Abyssal Dragon’s Heart Fragment.
And now—
It was time.
[ The sixth item is here! An item that will make any dark mage drool! The infamous, wicked life force of an abyssal dragon! One of the rare 『Abyssal Dragon’s Heart Fragments』! ]
[ Starting bid: 5,000 gold! ]
Seong’s eyes gleamed as he tightened his grip on his number plaque.
Across the room, Beretta did the same.
‘I don’t need this item.’
But—
It was worth a fortune.
The last one had sold for 30,000 gold in the player auction.
If she could win it for less, she’d turn a huge profit.
And even if she didn’t keep it—
She could drive up the price and force Seong to overpay.
Meanwhile—
The baroness, bidder 11, smiled confidently.
This was her goal.
This was why she was here.
As the three of them raised their plaques simultaneously—
[ Bidder 11! Bidder 41! Bidder 44! All at 5,000 gold! Let’s raise the stakes! 5,100 gold! ]
The battle had begun.
As the bidding continued, all three competitors tightened their grips on their number plaques.
When the next bid was called—
Seong was the first to raise his plaque.
[ Bidder 44! 5,200 gold! Any takers? Ah, bidder 41! ]
Right behind him, Beretta raised hers, her expression fierce.
Seong turned to glance at her, a bit surprised.
The baroness made sense—
She had the presence of dark magic and had openly declared herself a dark mage.
But this player...
Seong frowned.
Her gear and appearance were clearly merchant-class.
Why would she want this item?
‘Is she planning to resell it?’
That was possible.
Since he didn’t care, Seong shrugged it off and focused back on the auctioneer.
[ 5,200 gold! Bidder 11! ]
Now the baroness was back in.
[ 5,300 gold! Bidder 44! ]
[ 5,400 gold... ]
The numbers kept climbing.
The auction was heating up fast.
And soon—
[ 10,000 gold! Bidder 11! ]
The price had skyrocketed.
The auctioneer, delighted by the intense competition, made an announcement.
[ Since the bids are escalating rapidly, we will now proceed with direct verbal bids! ]
From now on, they wouldn’t simply raise their plaques—
They had to speak their price out loud.
For the auction house, this was the best possible outcome.
Beretta, the baroness, and Seong all gripped their plaques tighter.
They each studied the others, waiting to see who would move first.
And then—
[ We resume with bidder 11 at 10,000 gold! ]
Seong was the first to speak.
"Fifteen thousand."
His calm, steady voice carried across the hall.
The auctioneer’s eyes went wide in shock.
[ Bidder 44 has jumped to 15,000 gold!!! A massive 5,000 gold increase!!! ]
[ Any takers...? ]
Before he could even finish his sentence—
"Twenty thousand!!!"
Beretta shouted in desperation, unwilling to lose.
[ TWENTY THOUSAND!!! Bidder 41!!! A new high!!! Any other bids?! ]
The auctioneer practically screamed in excitement.
All eyes turned to Seong and the baroness.
Would they go higher?
Seong was stunned.
‘Does she want this that badly?’
But the baroness looked pissed.
It was one thing for Seong to bid—
At least he had a knight’s title.
But for a mere merchant-class player to challenge her?
That was unacceptable.
With cold arrogance, she raised her plaque.
"Twenty-five thousand."
A low murmur spread through the crowd.
Until now, the highest bid of the night had been twenty thousand.
This surpassed it.
But before the auctioneer could declare it final—
"Twenty-seven thousand!"
Beretta snapped back immediately, her voice almost hysterical.
The baroness turned to glare at her.
[ ANOTHER RECORD!!! Bidder 41 has gone up to 27,000 gold!!! ]
The crowd buzzed with excitement.
Seong prepared to bid again.
He opened his mouth to call out—
"Thirty tho—"
But before he could finish his words—
The baroness’s plaque shot up again.
She was angry now.
"Forty thousand."
The room fell silent.
Twice the previous highest bid.
Seong gritted his teeth.
He didn’t have enough gold.
He had just under forty thousand.
He was short.
As he lowered his plaque, acknowledging his defeat—
Beretta smirked.
‘Serves you right.’
She had succeeded in screwing him over.
Now, all she had to do was back out and let the baroness take the loss.
She had driven up the price, forced Seong to drop out, and now she could walk away with profit.
But—
That’s when she felt it.
A cold, piercing gaze.
It wasn’t from Seong.
It was from the baroness.
‘W-Wait... Why is she staring at me...?’
The baroness’s sharp eyes bore into her.
And suddenly—
Beretta realized.
‘S-She’s... pissed at me?!’
She quickly looked away, trying to pretend she didn’t notice.
But it was too late.
The baroness had already decided.
Beretta had offended her.
For now, she turned back to the auction, since she was still in control of the bid.
And the auctioneer continued his count.
[ Fourty thousand! Any further bids?! ]
Beretta sat frozen, feeling a suffocating pressure.
The auctioneer looked at Seong and Beretta—
But neither of them moved.
The auctioneer nodded and prepared to finalize the sale.
[ Final call! Going once, going twice— ]
But just as he was about to declare it sold—
A hand shot up from the very back of the room.
It wasn’t Seong.
It wasn’t Beretta.
It wasn’t even the baroness.
It was someone else entirely.
And his voice rang out—
"One hundred thousand."
A collective gasp swept the room.
[ HUUUUH?!?!?!? ]
The auctioneer almost choked on his own breath.
Even the baroness, who had looked completely confident, whipped her head around.
At the very back of the auction hall—
A middle-aged man sat calmly, holding up a number plaque.
Seong’s eyes widened in recognition.
‘That guy...?’
Draped in a luxurious robe, bearing the insignia of Overpalace.
A figure Seong had met only a few hours ago.
The Branch Manager of Overpalace—
"Belmor?"
The man grinned, lifting a thumbs-up, and winked.
Seong froze in disbelief.
‘...What the hell is he doing here?!’