The Witch.
It was a common element in fantasy settings.
Even one of Seong’s core abilities, The Lord’s Gag Order, had an effect that involved a witch.
Fantasy and witches had an age-old connection.
However, Seong himself didn’t know much about witches.
Not in the sense of their cultural depictions—he was well aware of those.
Rather, he wasn’t entirely sure what "witch" meant within Eternal World.
"Night Witch, huh."
But Seong had a very simple way to find out.
The title "Night Witch" alone was enough to tell him something about the woman called Serpina Nightbloom.
[Bid No. 11! The price rises to 6,000 gold! To speed things up, we will now increase by 200 gold increments!!!]
As the auctioneer's voice rang out, the hall grew noisy.
Everyone was clamoring to make a purchase.
Especially Bidder No. 11—the noblewoman was the most eager.
It seemed the name "Night Witch Serpina" had sparked her interest.
"A witch, huh..."
So, it really was connected to dark magic.
— Hnnng~ See? I told you I’m popular~ But say, handsome noble over there, aren’t you going to bid on me~?
A sultry voice, a seductive gaze—she directed them at Seong.
"Hmm."
Seeing her act like that...
It kind of made him not want to buy her.
Still, considering she was tied to dark magic, it wouldn’t hurt to investigate, even if he didn’t purchase anything.
When no one was looking, he extended his hand ever so slightly.
— Ohh~?
Serpina let out an amused hum, her curiosity piqued as she watched his hand.
At that moment—
A turquoise aura began to coalesce at her chest, right where her heart was.
Slowly, it gathered and drifted toward Seong’s outstretched hand.
And, of course, no one else saw it.
Only the two of them—Serpina and Seong.
Well, Fiora could have seen it too, but...
— Mmm, so good.
She was too busy savoring her food to notice anything.
The turquoise energy settled in Seong’s grasp.
And as he absorbed Serpina’s memories—
They flooded into him like a panoramic surge.
[You have accomplished an impossible feat at your current level using 'Unknown Power.']
[Intelligence +10, Wisdom +10 permanently increased.]
An incredible stat boost.
Fiora had exceptional stats, and Leonic's total was 23 while Fiora's was 20.
This was a massive increase.
But what was even more astonishing—
"This...?"
The memories rushed in like a tidal wave.
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A vast flood of knowledge overwhelmed Seong as he struggled to process it.
Unlike Leonic and Fiora, whose stories he already knew in passing,
this memory... was different.
"Ah."
A long, distant past.
Memories reaching back to the earliest days she could remember.
A child, born with an innate affinity for mana—and condemned for it.
She had done nothing but breathe, yet people pointed fingers at her.
For them, the unknown was fear.
— She must be cast out from the village!
— Expel that wicked child at once, or the village is doomed!!!
— Leave her in the forest before she brings disaster upon us!!!
At only five years old, she was exiled from her birthplace.
By her own parents' hands.
All because she could manipulate mana as naturally as breathing.
So, she hid.
She suppressed her abilities and lived in silence.
She would never use mana. Never let anyone know.
She would suffocate her very existence.
And...
It worked.
As she grew into a beautiful young woman, countless suitors approached her.
Nothing had changed—she had only stopped using mana.
Yet their treatment of her completely transformed.
She believed she had found the answer:
"If I just endure, everything will be fine."
She imagined a future—living as an ordinary woman,
marrying the man she loved, raising children, living a peaceful life.
And for a time, she did.
Until one day, ten years later, her husband asked:
— Why do you never age?
— Hmm? Oh, you’re being silly.
— No, answer me seriously. The villagers have been talking.
— I... I...
— Are you... a witch?
She couldn’t answer.
In an instant, the happiness she had built shattered.
She had hidden it. Told no one. Lived in silence.
Yet because of her different lifespan, they hunted her.
Her beloved husband reported her.
The Inquisition came for her.
But she survived.
And she realized—
"Fine. Then I will become a witch."
From that day forward, she stopped hiding.
She let mana flow freely through her veins.
She learned the forbidden magic that was once exclusive to sorcerers.
And with power, she lived freely, proudly displaying her strength.
However—
She could never walk in the daylight again.
The embrace of her family was forever lost to her.
She could never return to the warmth of the sun.
So she laughed.
A bold, confident, fearless smile.
And so, they called her—
The Night Witch.
"Ah..."
The fragmented memories faded.
Seong looked at Serpina.
Her gaze was filled with melancholy, her smile brimming with sorrow.
— Hnnng~, I’ve spent my whole life getting things taken from me. Now, even in death, my memories are being stolen~ What a strange experience~
Her voice was playful, teasing—
But her smile was drenched in sadness.
The pain of never being able to stay with her loved ones.
Seong let out a quiet sigh.
She was one of those ghosts.
The kind who masked their sorrow with mischief.
Serpina was one of them.
— Ahhh, this is embarrassing~
Watching her try to brush it off—
Seong realized he had to obtain that stone.
Right now, he had no vessel to contain her soul.
Until then, she needed to remain bound to that stone.
And more than that—
That stone was critical.
It looked like nothing more than a simple rock, but—
"That’s Serpina’s temporary dwelling key."
Without it, she would be trapped in the Sixth Region’s hidden tower.
Seong had to secure it.
He assessed the situation.
[Ahhh!!! Bidder No. 11! 7,500 gold!!! All other competitors have withdrawn!!! After three final calls, we will close the bid...]
The auction was reaching its climax.
The auctioneer was about to conclude.
Seong urgently raised his number.
If he let this go, it would be a disaster.
[Ah... Bidder No. 44...! 8,000 gold! 8,000 gold bid placed!!!]
The room fell completely silent.
Seong frowned.
What’s with this reaction?
He glanced around—
And everyone avoided his gaze.
— Whoosh!
— Whirr!
— Whip!
As soon as he turned to someone, they immediately looked away.
Wait...
Were they scared of him?
Was this because of Belmor’s branch leader?
No—this was too much.
Even Bidder No. 11, the noblewoman who had been bidding so fiercely, refused to meet his eyes.
And so—
[8,000 gold? 8,000 gold!? 8,000 gold!!! Sold to Bidder No. 44!!! Congratulations!!! Please collect your item after the auction!!!]
Seong scratched his cheek.
It felt like he had inconvenienced everyone.
But in the end—
He had won.
Though next time—
"Yeah... Maybe I shouldn’t come back here."
Or maybe he’d just wear a mask.
And tell the Belmor branch leader not to show up.
Either way, the auction continued—
But none of the remaining items caught his eye.
Thus, an eventful auction came to an end.
6.
The auction hall was supposed to transition into a social gathering afterward.
But Seong had no interest in such events.
Even if he had enjoyed them, his presence would probably make everyone uncomfortable.
So it was more accurate to say that he deliberately avoided it.
As soon as he stepped out of the auction hall, he sought out the auction staff to collect his winning item.
And when he saw how excessively polite the staff member was as they handed it over, he understood why.
"T-Thank you so much!!!"
[You have acquired an item related to 'Night Witch, Serpina Nightbloom'—『?? ??? ??』.]
[A new keyword related to 'Night Witch, Serpina Nightbloom' has been recorded.]
Oh, system messages for this too?
Well, obtaining something new was always a good thing.
Thinking nothing more of it, Seong offered his gratitude.
"No, I should be the one thanking you. Well then."
"P-please take care!!!"
The staff’s overly reverent attitude was a bit much.
He should probably just leave quickly.
After exiting the auction hall, Seong handed the stone over to Fiora.
Technically, it was an item that could go into his inventory, but—
Who knows what would happen to a ghost in there?
It was safer to let Fiora take it to the underworld instead.
Besides, since she was also a ghost, she could see spirits.
— Hnnng~ I thought I’d be traveling with the handsome noble, but instead, I get the baby~
Serpina teased in her usual sultry tone.
Seong ignored her and spoke to Fiora instead.
"Fiora, this is important. Can you keep it safe in the underworld?"
— Y-Yes! I-I’ll take good care of it! L-Let’s go, lady.
— Oh my? Alright, let’s go.
Maybe it was because Fiora had taken care of children before?
When she spoke to the stone, Serpina smiled brightly and followed along without complaint.
Looks like they’ll get along just fine.
"Now then..."
The moment he sensed someone quietly tailing him, he let out a small sigh.
It wasn’t a hostile presence.
Or... was it?
When he turned a corner into a more secluded spot—
"Successor! That was an excellent purchase!"
There stood Belmor’s branch leader, looking as confident as ever.
Well, considering the man had cleared the way for him, Seong couldn't exactly complain.
He had gained something from it, after all.
Even if everyone else had been scared off because of the guy...
Apparently, the auction house had recorded its highest earnings ever tonight.
So, in a way, it was a win-win.
As Seong pondered, the branch leader suddenly knelt on one knee like he was making an offering.
Or was this actually an offering?
Either way, he held up a beautifully wrapped object with both hands.
...
Seong felt incredibly burdened.
But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t accept it.
If he had refused every time something felt burdensome,
he never would have taken the skill books and items from Kars Grimcrow, the Crow-Masked Man.
That would have been absurd.
Burdens were burdens.
Items were items.
So Seong accepted it—
And the system message immediately popped up.
[Would you like to use 'Fragment of the Dark Dragon’s Heart' to enhance 'Young Helena’s Staff'?]
⚠ WARNING!
- Upon enhancement, 'Fragment of the Dark Dragon’s Heart' will be consumed.
[Confirm Enhancement?]
[YES / NO]
"First time since Shadow Mirror, huh?"
Seong’s staff was still only Unique-tier.
And hadn’t he just acquired the Legendary-tier Sword of Hero Hindel?
His main class was Overlord—
It was about time his staff leveled up, too.
"Alright, let’s do this."
There was nothing to hesitate about.
Seong immediately pressed [YES].
The belt of power, which Young Helena’s Staff had temporarily transformed into, reverted back into a staff in his hand.
"A-AHHH!!! That staff!!!"
Belmor’s branch leader screamed like a madman next to him—
But Seong ignored him, focusing only on the transformation.
The black, ink-like staff slowly began to glow—
Like stars forming in the lonely void of space.
One by one, they flickered into existence.
As they multiplied—
The stars settled onto the staff.
Until it was no longer just a staff,
but an art piece that mirrored the cosmos itself.
At the very top, an enormous gem—as brilliant as a distant star—now adorned its head.
"Whoa."
At least in terms of appearance, it had vastly improved.
Now then—
What about its performance?
Seong opened his inventory to check.