Free Web NovelAppraisal ended in a flash. Following Sung Uijae’s instructions, I tapped him whenever an A-rank or higher artifact appeared.
At first he seemed unsure, but he quickly bought up whatever was worth snapping up.
What I got him to buy were three A-rank artifacts, and—
Nullification Ring (S)
Suppresses the mana of everyone within range.
Activation time: minimum 60 seconds, maximum 60 minutes.
The S-rank mana suppression tool Sung Uijae was looking for.
In an instant, fifteen artifacts landed in front of us and vanished just as fast. Before I knew it, the final item was placed on the table.
Preservation Patch (B)
Slows mana depletion, allowing skills to be maintained for a long time.
For attachment to the body.
For a last item, it was pretty underwhelming. But I immediately clamped down on Sung Uijae’s shoulder.
'I need that.'
My body was already getting wrecked from force-pulling mana; and now there was a patch that reduced mana drain?
'I have to have it.'
Sung Uijae obligingly bought the final item.
'I can square the price later, one way or another. For now, just make sure we get it.'
When the speed auction wrapped to the very end, the staff came back into the room carrying the two artifacts nobody had bought.
Sung Uijae put our artifacts into a space-saving box, gathered up the nameplates, and stepped out of the room.
Outside, the broker who’d been waiting for him took the nameplates and disappeared somewhere again. Off to exchange them, presumably.
I followed after Sung Uijae and asked,
“Does none of this get reported for taxes?”
“Mm, the hotel’s operator will handle that.”
This wasn’t pocket change. If he was going to spend big, I’d at least hoped it would help the domestic economy—but seeing him dump it into something like an illegal gambling den pissed me off.
“Waaaaaaah!”
Right then, the idiots who’d been busy doing their own stupid crap all cheered at something in unison. The place was already noisy as hell, and somehow it got about ten times louder. I turned my head without thinking.
The crowd was so thick I couldn’t see what was going on inside.
'What the hell is this?'
Apparently the sudden roar piqued Sung Uijae’s curiosity too; he started walking toward the noise.
“Ugh!”
“Who the fuck! My shoulder— Ah, sorry....”
We shoved through the press of bodies like it was a concert venue, and there... was some shoddy little arena.
'Wow, unbelievable bullshit.'
Two low-rank hunters were going at it hard. Low-rank or not, if you fight in a place with this few safety measures, the ones who’ll get screwed are the spectators—yet no one was sane enough to stop it.
I stared at that brain-dead spectacle for a moment, then tapped Uijae’s shoulder.
“Let’s go.”
His interest seemed to evaporate too; he started backing away without complaint.
Beep—!
A whistle announcing the end of the match stabbed my ears.
One guy was practically dragged out of the ring, but to the naked eye he didn’t look badly hurt. Might’ve just been hard to tell with all the letters tattooed all over him.
'Hold on.'
The dense characters covering him from waist to back looked strangely familiar.
Of course they did. ƒreewebɳovel.com
'Those are Cheonmyeonggyo doctrines, aren’t they?'
I grabbed the back of Sung Uijae’s clothes, stopping him just as he was about to lead us far away. He turned and stared at me, asking why with his eyes.
“I have to check something. Could you wait here a moment?”
It wasn’t a request so much as wait.
“What are you checking?”
“I’ll tell you after.”
Leaving him standing there, I strode toward the guy who was being dragged off. Plenty of bodies blocked the way, but most of them toppled over if you shoved them a bit, so it wasn’t hard.
“Uck!”
“Quit pushing— mm....”
Up close, it was certain.
'Cheonmyeonggyo doctrine.'
The exact same Chinese characters found on Na Seokgyung’s corpse were densely inscribed across his back. He was crouched on the floor under a bench, teeth chattering.
I knelt on one knee and met his eyes, grinning.
“......?”
“Good match.”
“Wh-who are....”
If I asked outright whether he was a Cheonmyeonggyo believer, would he answer? I thought for a second, then said,
“Lord Haedo must’ve found the match impressive too.”
But at my words, his face twisted up more and more. Did I poke wrong?
'No.'
His expression crumpled, but not out of offense. It was more like...
'He thinks he’s screwed.'
Eyes going slack like he might cry, he suddenly planted his hands on the floor and started babbling.
“That can’t be....”
“......”
“Lord Haedo has bestowed blessings on me again and again, and yet I have never once achieved victory. I truly am beyond salvation. If I fail to prove my usefulness even now...”
What the hell was this? “Never once achieved victory”?
Head bowed in despair, he suddenly snapped his gaze up and glared at the guy who’d won the fight.
“Now that believer over there will become Lord Haedo’s hand.”
“......”
What the fuck are you talking about?
The more he spoke, the more it sounded like nonsense. Which, to be fair, it was.
Even if I couldn’t parse every bit of his rambling, one thing was clear.
'...This place is connected to Cheonmyeonggyo.'
He’d already fallen into despair and wasn’t in his right mind, but if I kept prodding him, someone would catch on that something was off.
“No, believer. Lord Haedo will love you as well.”
I tossed out some generic cult line, stood up, and slipped out. The notion that I’d grabbed a thread made my whole body buzz.
'I should update the location and send it to Joo Seowon. No—before that, I want to take one more look around. So is this run by Cheonmyeonggyo? Or is it more like an Infinite Guild ‘shop’?'
The latter seemed more likely.
If so, how big ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ is Cheonmyeonggyo’s scale? Big enough that transactions of S-rank and A-rank artifacts were happening here... Were they already that large a force at this point?
Whatever it was, that was for me to find out from here on.
When I returned to where I’d left Sung Uijae, the broker who’d guided us earlier was there instead of him.
Spotting me, the broker—apparently aware I wasn’t going to speak—took the initiative to explain.
“Hunter Sung stepped out briefly for identity verification.”
“......”
I nodded and waited for Sung Uijae to come back. Then I felt eyes fixed on me and turned my head.
'My imagination?'
With dozens of people planted in their spots and glancing around, I couldn’t pinpoint anyone in particular.
Guess I drew a fair bit of attention.
I let it slide and waited with the broker. After about three minutes, Sung Uijae approached, a faint pinch between his brows.
“Let’s go.”
At his word, we started moving again.
The instant we left B2, quiet washed over us. With the noise gone, my mind felt peaceful in a heartbeat.
I got into Uijae’s car, replaying the layout of B2 and the guy’s crazy muttering after losing.
He dropped the broker back where we’d picked him up, then drove toward the hotel I’d been staying at.
“Did you talk to Guildmaster Song Hwayoung? You just bailed on business today.”
Bold, considering he’s the one who dragged me along.
I pulled off the mask covering my face and stuffed it into my pocket, answering half-heartedly.
“Yeah. I only came to do appraisal work anyway, and I finished my part.”
“Mm....”
He made a noncommittal sound and checked the time. It was already past four in the afternoon.
'Come to think of it, I haven’t eaten since breakfast.'
The moment I remembered, hunger hit hard. And that place earlier had been loud as hell; my energy had dropped off a cliff.
'I’ll grab my stuff, eat something simple, and head back up.'
No point sticking around in Busan; Cheonmyeonggyo wouldn’t get solved here. It’d be faster to regroup and tell Joo Seowon what happened today.
'I should talk to Do Yehyun too. He said he went into a dungeon today.'
While I was mulling things over, Sung Uijae tapped the steering wheel with his fingers, silent, then lifted the corner of his mouth and offered lightly,
“Then, shall we go eat together?”
An excellent date proposal. I smiled back at him.
“No.”
