Chapter 12: Meanwhile, at the Black Market…
“I’ll choose this one.”
Without hesitation, I picked the wings that had lost their brilliance, causing Seo Mina to tilt her head in confusion as she looked at the position of my finger.
“Are you really going to choose this? This is just a pretty pair of wings without any effect. I got them as a decorative collectible when I was obsessed with the angel race.”
“Yeah, I’m definitely going to choose that one. You’re not saying you won’t give it to me, right?”
“Of course not. You chose it. Rather, it’s better for me since I have less to lose. I won’t say anything else after you take it.”
“Of course.”
Even after I stood my ground, Seo Mina stared at the picture of the wings in the list as if wondering if they had any worth.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her behavior and shook my head.
“Nothing special is going to come out from that.”
“It seems you know something special is hidden within these wings.”
I neither affirmed nor denied her statement, merely smiling and turning my gaze out the window.
“Tsk, it’s better for you to wield the ability rather than me, who knows nothing about it. After all, the base item is of common rank, so it can’t be a high-tier item.”
With that, Seo Mina completely let go of her lingering feelings. But I couldn’t help but laugh inwardly at her words.
‘What if it’s of a higher grade than you think?’
This item has a mythical grade… no, it’s a Holy Relic.
Currently, there exists only one on Earth, and even before my regression, only three were discovered; it is essentially the ultimate item. It’s of the same caliber as the Holy Relic I intend to seek in the Hidden Stage: the Golden Goblin’s Tower.
Born from the womb of chaos, it is one of the twelve wings left behind by the proud fallen angel, Lucifer, who carried the essence of one of the Seven Deadly Sins and descended upon the world.
He was one of the highest celestial beings among the Abyss constellations—when he died, he left behind these twelve wings, one of which is that item.
How and why Lucifer died, I don’t know. After all, only a handful of beings have ever communicated with celestial entities on this Earth; how could I know the legends of his death?
I only remember that before my regression, I heard that an ancient book describing this Holy Relic was found in the Abyss and donated to a museum, so I visited to read it.
‘Good thing I read that back then.’
I don’t know why Seo Mina didn’t use these wings before my regression, but now I am their rightful owner.
‘Of course, since it’s a set item, I can’t fully utilize its power with just one.’
The ancient text I read stated that all twelve were originally part of a single Holy Relic. This means that if I find all twelve, I will possess the power of the highest celestial being.
‘Looks like I have one more goal in the Abyss.’
With a pounding heart, I eagerly anticipated receiving the wings. Before long, we arrived at a massive warehouse.
“This is it. This is where my collection is stored.”
“You must have spent a fortune. It must be nice being rich.”
“Yeah, it is. So hurry up and follow me.”
After passing through strict security and various traps, we finally reached a collection on the scale of a museum.
All kinds of dazzling items were on display, but only the wings, majestically preserved high in the sky, captured my attention.
Before long, Seo Mina handed down the wings to me. Just as she was about to pass them over, she hesitated and stared at me intently.
“Are you really not going to back down?”
“I told you, I won’t back down.”
Finally, Seo Mina passed the wings to me, and she immediately expelled me from the warehouse. I returned home right away.
***
Meanwhile, Shin Juha was completely unaware that just a few days after his departure, chaos erupted in the Black Market.
The cause was the ten pure gold ingots he had registered without a second thought, hoping to earn more money.
“Th-this is something we can’t handle at our level!”
“Didn’t you receive the appraisal report? It’s pure gold—over 10 kg, 100% pure!”
“Still, we haven’t found 40% pure gold yet, and now we have 100%! This is a revolution and a miracle! We need to find the person who registered this item immediately!”
“Director! We must report this to the boss and prepare for whatever comes next!”
After several rounds of discussion, it was finally time to appraise the exact name and effects of the item, and the appraisers were horrified by the golden ingots, calling for the director of the auction house.
Even the director was taken aback, unable to estimate the value of this treasure, and rushed to find the owner, a spellcaster who was the head of the auction house.
Even the spellcaster dropped the candy he was eating at this incident.
And all this commotion happened due to Shin Juha’s foolish mistake.
Indeed, Shin Juha knew one thing about pure gold ingots but was unaware of the other two.
Shin Juha’s knowledge of the ‘pure’ chunk of gold was limited to a brief article he had skimmed over before his regression, which reported the discovery of a 100% pure gold ingot. He had no idea that this chunk of gold had been sold for an astonishing amount exceeding 30 billion won to the top-ranked guild in South Korea, Dangun, and that no other pure gold ingots had been discovered since then!
Of course, the gold we know is not the same as this gold.
The gold found in the Abyss is not just regular gold from Earth, which merely possesses a bit of magical power; it generates its own unique magical waves. It is a material of immense value that can be used in alchemy, smelting, magic, and countless other applications.
Considering that this pure gold is necessary to create the ultimate alchemical products, the elixir and the Philosopher’s Stone, it’s easy to see that the ten chunks of pure gold that Shin Juha carelessly tossed away could rightfully be called the ultimate treasure.
In truth, it was understandable that Shin Juha could make such a mistake. I mean, he had released low-quality coins and magic stones but was given high-quality gold ingots! It was a situation that could easily cause confusion, but the deed was done. Ultimately, the sorceress was compelled to come to the auction house herself.
“Gold. Pure?”
“Yes. This is it.”
“……Astonishing. Tempting.”
It was an item that could incite immense greed even in an S-rank hunter.
“Yes, sir. As you know, our Black Market cards don’t have personal information inputted, so even when trying to find the auction registrant… Oh? The registrant is a VIP? That’s strange; I was told that the employee who handled the registration was an A-rank, so I didn’t check further. How did this happen?”
Both VIPs and VVIPs are directly managed by Seo Ye-rin, the chairman. The criteria for being issued such ranks require Seo Ye-rin’s approval.
As a result, the codes issued are linked to accounts accessible only by Seo Ye-rin, containing all necessary information.
“And this person registered just a few days ago. The code is VIP00139.”
Upon hearing the auction house manager’s words, Seo Ye-rin crunched the candy stick in her mouth and opened her tablet PC to look up the corresponding individual. She soon realized that it was Shin Juha, the person she had met a few days prior.
“Ugh. A headache.”
“Indeed. Well, if this item were to be listed in the open, it would attract immense interest and threats, so it seems like they chose to auction it through our Black Market. But this is something we can’t really handle.”
In reality, while Shin Juha was oblivious to the implications, they could never have imagined the truth.
It was natural. This was an item that the entire world would scramble for, especially top-tier wizards and alchemists. And it was not just one; it was ten of them.
“What should we do, sir? If we’re not careful, the Black Market could become dangerous.”
“……….”
There was a risk of those interested in the gold attempting to invade. No, it was certain that they would come.
Even in this underworld, there were powerful forces and factions that disapproved of the Black Market run by the hunters, and there were those who simply despised hunters obtaining such items.
No matter how powerful the domain of an S-rank hunter might be, if numerous enemies converged, it would be inevitable.
Seo Ye-rin spat out the candy stick onto the floor, pondered for a while, and made a decision.
“Auction. Proceed. Ten pieces. All at once.”
“…Understood.”
“Invite VVIPs, SS-ranks, S-ranks, and renowned hunters.”
If there were concerns about the enemies’ power and influence, it would be enough to invite individuals with strength and influence that would dwarf those enemies.
“Quickly. Hold the auction. Two days from now. Saturday evening.”
And with that, she decided to open the auction quickly, leaving no time for any tricks from those who might wish to interfere.
Only then did the auction house manager understand her intent and immediately ordered his subordinates to send out invitations to the entire world.
The chairman then left the auction house and headed down to the second floor, where the bank was located, instructing the head of that branch to summon Shin Juha immediately.
***
Upon arriving home, I quickly placed the wings carefully on my blanket and began my examination.
One of the six wings of the Archangel.
“It’s not difficult to transform this into a holy relic.”
The divinity had been sealed, reducing its power and light to that of an ordinary chicken wing, so all that was needed was contact with the divinity that could unseal it. If I could manage that, the first seal could be broken, allowing me to at least gain basic effects.
Of course, this would require offering at least one unique-grade divine item as a sacrifice.
‘Not at all a waste.’
It wasn’t as if I were short on money, and after leveling up and increasing the ownership of the Golden Tower with my indomitable stats, it posed no problem at all.
“Speaking of which, it should be about time I received word about the items I registered for auction.”
It was time to check whether my items were properly registered or if there was any news about when the important auction would take place. Yet, there was no update at all.
Just then—
Ding dong!
With the sound of the doorbell, someone had come to my house.
After confirming through the intercom who it was, I was taken aback by the unexpected visitor when I opened the door.
‘Speak of the devil, and he appears. The timing couldn’t be better.’
As I welcomed him, he hurriedly explained the situation, which left me feeling overwhelmed with disbelief as I learned about everything.
“So, you mean to say that to auction my gold, you’re planning to hold a special auction and invite the top hunters and chaebols from around the world?”
“That’s correct. And regarding this matter, the chairman requests to meet with you, Shin Juha.”
As I struggled to grasp the absurd reality, I found myself cursing my foolish self and the damned gold.
‘Was it really that difficult to obtain?’
There had been articles about its discovery before my regression, and I had seen it a few times!
I let out a deep sigh filled with confusion and frustration.
“By any chance, do you have unique-grade divine items at the Black Market?”
Upon my question, the manager quickly checked his phone and nodded.
“…Yes, it appears that there are items currently being auctioned that fit that description. Are you interested in purchasing one?”
“Yes. It’s essential for me. Then let’s go.”
I placed the wings back into my inventory, donned the cloak and mask handed to me by the manager, and once again headed toward the Black Market just three days later.
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