22 chapter - The Auction House (1)
“Hup!”
Without any specialized gear, I hoisted a 630kg barbell off the ground.
Boom.
The floor trembled slightly as the massive weight crashed back down.
Bench: 320.
Squat: 550.
Deadlift: 630.
Total: 1,500kg.
This monstrous weight, of course, was only possible while using a skill.
That’s what made the private room at Hunter’s Fitness so great.
Since I had it to myself, I could use skills without holding back.
‘Not bad.’
And this wasn’t even my full power.
‘If I used pure blood instead of diluted, I could go even higher.’
The skill’s effectiveness scaled with blood concentration.
Meaning, if I injected undiluted monster blood into my eye—rather than a mix with saline—I could probably break past 2,000kg.
But mana didn’t just enhance raw strength.
‘Boosted muscle is great and all, but…’
The real value lay elsewhere.
I pulled out a sharpened dagger and slashed it across my forearm.
Scrrch.
Not a single drop of blood came out.
Just a light graze.
It wasn’t that I’d cut too shallow. The blade wasn’t dull either.
‘Tough as hell.’
That was the real strength of a body-enhancement type ability.
Increased durability.
You could fall from high places without breaking your legs, and injuries like this barely even registered.
Bones hardened, and skin tissue got tougher—like hide.
‘If blades are already having trouble cutting me, I must be nearing A-rank level.’
To be clear, I meant A-rank baseline—without any active skills or buffs.
After thinking it over, I made a cold assessment.
‘No, not A-rank. Mid-to-upper B-rank, probably.’
Some A-rank Hunters in the body-enhancement category were said to deflect bullets outright.
Unless it was a high-caliber round, they couldn’t even be injured.
Now that was monstrous.
‘Just resisting blades isn’t enough to get me there.’
A-rank Hunters were the very symbol of the industry.
The public image of a “Hunter” was practically modeled after them.
Overflowing wealth, overwhelming power.
They had everything society worshipped.
‘Just wait. I’ll get there soon.’
Of those who awaken mana and become Hunters, nearly half never manifest a Trait and remain F-rank for the rest of their short careers.
It’s fortunate if they bow out early, but many die clawing desperately for a Trait they never find.
‘Even the lucky ones who reach D-rank often don’t get much further.’
Less than half of them had the power to move up.
‘But with the abilities I have now, I’m in a good place.’
Predator-type Trait, body-enhancement subclass.
And a skill that amplifies my physical stats.
All I needed to do was put in the effort.
After struggling as an F-rank for three years, this felt like a blessing.
‘Already made it to C-rank.’
A C-rank Hunter.
That alone put me in the top 20%.
Just clearing D-rank Gates regularly was enough to live comfortably.
Like a successful small business owner—except instead of losing money when you fail, you lose your life.
‘To make sure that doesn’t happen, I’ve got to keep grinding. Back to the weights.’
With a grunt, I grabbed the 630kg barbell off the floor again.
**
Even after we got access to D-rank Gates, I didn’t stop running F-rank raids.
Whenever I had time, I took Lee Yuna along and hit as many F-ranks as we could.
Now that I was C-rank, I could’ve soloed Gates just fine.
But I preferred moving with Yuna.
‘That’s how she levels up faster.’
It was a kind of investment.
If she grew stronger, our party got stronger too.
‘I’ve got to push her to C-rank soon.’
The XP from Great-Beak Crows alone was on a whole different level from goblins.
‘C-rank monsters will give even more.’
Among our party, Yuna had the lowest mana reserves.
If we wanted her tagging along on future C-rank raids, we had to start prepping her now.
Today, like usual, I picked her up after my workout, ran an F-rank Gate, and was now on the way back.
After handing over the harvested mana stones to a Bureau official, we climbed into the car.
“Nice work out there.”
“Ughhh. Today was awful. Of all things—it had to be bugs!”
The monsters in today’s Gate were Worms.
Basically oversized larvae—one of those monsters people either love or absolutely hate.
Me, personally? I was in the “love” camp.
“Really? They’re not even dangerous. Super easy, no?”
Worms only had two tiny fangs at the front—harmless compared to other threats.
Unlike goblins, which could actually kill you, Worms were pushovers. Just kill them, harvest the stones, and you’re done.
“Blech. That’s just because you don’t have to dissect them. Just thinking about it makes me wanna puke.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Telling that to someone who spent three years extracting mana stones...
Sure, they were squishy and gross—but I’d take that over risking my life any day.
“You really don’t get how scary goblins are yet, do you?”
“Goblins? What’s so scary about them?”
Ironically, goblins—one of the weakest monsters—were also the deadliest to Hunters.
I told her as much, and her eyes widened like a startled bunny.
“Wait, really?”
“Yeah.”
From her perspective, she’d only seen goblins getting massacred by me.
It made sense she didn’t fear them.
She thought hard for a moment, then spoke as if something clicked.
“So… they’re like mosquitoes?”
“Mosquitoes?”
“Yeah. Historically, the deadliest creature to humans is the mosquito. Even now, even with monsters and Gates, it’s still number one. They’re weak and common, but surprisingly lethal.”
Now that she mentioned it… yeah, the comparison kind of fit.
“I didn’t know goblins were that dangerous. I guess I’d rather deal with gross bugs than have to fight one of those.”
“...Yeah.”
Still, at least she got the point I was trying to make.
“But oppa, we’re headed to the auction house now, right?”
“Yup.”
We were skipping dinner and heading straight to the Incheon auction house.
The timing hadn’t left us a chance to eat.
“You hungry?”
“A little.”
“Let’s get something good after the auction.”
“Okay, oppa.”
Today was the day the remains of the newly discovered Great-Beak Crow—including the egg—were going to auction.
We didn’t have to attend in person, but we’d been formally invited, and the team had unanimously agreed to go.
‘It’s a good sign—we’re all curious about how high it’ll go.’
If nothing else, the [N O V E L I G H T] egg would sell for a premium.
As far as I knew, this was the first time a monster egg had ever shown up.
‘It’s gotta go for at least thirty million won.’
Hard not to get excited.
The auction was held at the Shilla Hotel.
As our small car approached the VVIP entrance, a hotel employee stepped forward to stop us.
“Apologies, sir. Would you mind using the other entrance?”
But as soon as I handed him the invitation, his demeanor changed.
“Welcome. Thank you for visiting our hotel.”
He led me to the entrance with practiced ease.
“Please leave your key in the vehicle and follow our staff inside.”
After stepping out of the car, I popped the trunk and carefully retrieved the box containing the egg.
At some point, a female staff member had taken over, greeting us with a bright smile.
“Welcome. From here, I’ll be assisting you. Would it be alright if I carried your luggage?”
“No need. I’ll take it myself.”
This thing was worth a fortune.
If someone else dropped it, it’d be a disaster.
“Understood.”
We stepped into the elevator, escorted by the hotel staff.
When we arrived at the top floor, we followed her into a suite.
The rest of the party was already there, waiting.
“Boss! Long time no see!”
Im Jin-sol, lounging comfortably on a luxurious-looking sofa, looked like she owned the place.
“Welcome, Party Leader.”
“……”
Seong Yohan sat rigidly, like a freshly transferred private on his first day, while Hong Soo-ah quietly read a book without looking up.
Then the staff member who had guided us up turned and spoke.
“Please feel free to rest here until the auction begins.”
“Wait a second.”
“Yes, sir?”
I gave a nod toward the box I was carrying.
“This is the auction item. Isn’t someone supposed to come and take it?”
“I’ll look into that immediately. Just a moment, please.”
With a polite bow, she stepped out.
I carefully set the box down on the table and turned to the party.
“Guys.”
Everyone looked up.
“I’ve got good news… and better news. Which do you want first?”
Im Jin-sol, sipping her coffee, answered first.
“Obviously the good news. You start with the weak dose and work your way up—same as drugs.”
“…?”
The metaphor was weird, but the logic was sound.
“All right, the good news first. The subsidy came in.”
It was the standard government payout given per cleared Gate, but even so, everyone’s eyes lit up in anticipation.
Im Jin-sol spoke for them all.
“How many times?”
I pulled out my phone and showed them the deposited amount.
“Sixfold.”
“HUEK!”
“Are you serious?!”
“……!”
They each reacted in their own way—shock, disbelief, awe—so I hit them with the follow-up.
“We’ll be splitting it evenly, of course. Exact shares, one-nth each.”
Im Jin-sol’s eyes went wide.
“A-are you serious, Boss?!”
“Yeah. Think of it as a bonus.”
She reached out and grabbed both my hands with hers.
“I’m touched, Boss. I’ll devote my life to you.”
“A few million won buys a lifetime, huh.”
But I wasn’t done.
“The better news is—today’s auction earnings are being split evenly too.”
Instantly, all eyes in the room locked onto me.
I continued without hesitation.
“After commission cuts, I’m estimating around fifty million won. Which means… ten million each.”
At the word fifty million, every face in the room went stiff with shock.
Even Hong Soo-ah, who’d silently been reading this whole time, clapped both hands over her mouth in surprise.
“Boss…! I’ll follow you for life—hell, even into my next life!”
“M-me too, Party Leader!”
“……(nod).”
One big hit like this sticks in the brain more than a bunch of small ones.
‘This is what leadership looks like.’
If I’d been greedy, I could’ve taken the lion’s share.
After all, I was the one who killed the boss. I was the one who brought the egg.
The most valuable auction items had all come from me, so no one could’ve complained if I’d taken the biggest cut.
‘But if you handle things like that, cracks start forming.’
That’s just how people are.
When it comes to personal gain, emotion always outweighs logic.
Even if their brains understand, resentment lingers in their hearts.
‘This time, what matters more than money is their loyalty.’
These are the people I’m trusting my life with inside death traps like Gates.
If ten million won is all it takes to win their loyalty, that’s cheap.
‘It’s an investment.’
The longer this party sticks together, the more I stand to gain.
Grabbing everything for myself now would be like gutting the golden goose.
‘But now? I’m gonna work this party like a machine. Heh.’
The party smiled, thinking of the money they were about to make.
And I smiled, thinking about how much more I’d make by working them.
Knock knock.
“Excuse me. I’m here for the auction item.”
“Yes, come in.”
A man in his mid-thirties stepped through the door. He looked young and professional.
He stopped in front of the box and asked politely,
“Is this the Great-Beak Crow egg?”
“That’s right.”
“Pardon me.”
He carefully opened the box.
Inside was a round object wrapped tightly in newspaper to prevent impact damage.
He gently peeled away the layers and inspected the egg, then nodded.
“Confirmed. I’ll be taking full responsibility for the item from this point on.”
“Take good care of it.”
After the staff member left with the egg, Im Jin-sol asked with sparkling eyes,
“Is that egg really worth that much? Like, fifty million won much?”
“Why? You don’t believe me?”
“No, it’s just… it’s only a D-rank monster’s egg. It’s hard to imagine it going for that much.”
I chuckled and answered with confidence.
“Of course it is.”
The rest of the team sat quietly, faces filled with silent awe.
Knock knock.
“The auction will begin shortly. I’ll guide you to the hall now.”
At last, the real auction was about to begin.
“Let’s go.”