Episode 115 [Auction House, African Civil War – 1]
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[Item Information]
– Name: White Lotus Painting Piece 8 Burn
– Effect: Unknown
“Wow! $4.8 million—the highest price of the day!”
The atmosphere at the Black Wood Auction House was gradually heating up.
This was because the highest price was among the items released today.
– Wow… is there something in that item?
– So those two don’t seem like they have any intention of giving up?
Here and there . They were whispering and mysterious voices coming from.
The value of most of the items appearing here is unclear.
Therefore, there were rarely cases of excessive bidding competition.
But now, two people were engaging in a heated confrontation.
“Let’s go to the auction.” It continues! $4.9 million Don’t you have $4.9 million? ah! Once again, gentleman number 14 raised his hand for $4.9 million!”
At this, everyone looked at the gentleman number 14.
The man with his face covered with a mask was none other than Lee Hyun-wook.
Meanwhile, a voice choked with anxiety flowed into his ears.
– Shit, this is practically the end. No more than $5 million.
– What is that bastard? Surely it’s not a spy from the ‘Ndoz Federation’?
– I don’t know who he is, but he’s a guy with a lot of money. Can’t you ask for more funds?
– They say they can’t bring in more because the situation is not good right now…
They are members of the African branch of the Humanitarian Player Alliance (HPA) and are competing with Lee Hyun-wook to win the bid.
However, as we overheard earlier, the funds they prepared were up to $5 million. I would have thought that was enough to win the bid, but…
– Ah! Sophie Should I just go and smack that bastard in the back?
– David, please calm down and… hu— I’ll go to the end.
“Now! Don’t you have 5 million dollars? 5 million dollars?”
Soon one of them slowly raises his arm,
but now his forearm is shaking.
“Ah! Lady No. 46 offered $5 million! What’s going on? Numbers 14 and 46 Have you two recognized the authenticity of this item? As you two continue the race, let’s go for $5.1 million!”
As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, Lee Hyun-wook raised his hand.
“Ah! As expected, gentleman number 14 is going straight to $5.1 million this time!”
– Ha… it’s checkmate.
– That kid came out with the right intention.
“Now it’s 5.2 million dollars. Now, do you have $5.2 million?”
The auctioneer’s gaze naturally turns towards number 46.
But she had no choice but to slowly lower her head.
“Ah, lady number 46, don’t you think it’s worth this much?”
The auctioneer then bid a few more times, but no one came forward.
“—Now, this secret item goes to gentleman number 14!”
earth-!
In the end, Lee Hyun-wook got what he wanted.
“Gentleman No. 14 shined today by winning two bids for a total of $5.9 million. Thank you again!”
Lee Hyun-wook won the bid for the ‘Northern Merchant’s Belt’ and the ‘White Lotus Painting Piece No. 4’ and soon an employee came over and explained how to receive it. Lee Hyun-wook listened to the HPA members while listening to those words. –
Damn it, if you don’t have that, you won’t be able to receive troops from the [Old Peace] guild, right?
– Probably so…
– Is saving CAR really over now? The resistance fighters over there will only be waiting for us, so what should we do? Sophie What way? Isn’t there this?
CAR The Central African Republic was a poor country in the center of Africa. It borders the Republic of Chad to the north, but unfortunately, it is on the edge of the world tree’s influence, so it does not see any special benefits. ‘And it is currently in the midst of a fierce civil war
. do.’
To be precise, it was under oppressive rule by the player military, but
a few years ago, citizen players rose up in resistance and a war broke out.
And of course, the HPA was supporting the resistance.
– This time, a container ship from the Ndoz Alliance entered Chennai, creating a black market. Did you hear the intelligence that they are gathering up all the living armor from ? Once that ship enters CAR, the ‘Puppet Master’ army will become much stronger. So… if they don’t get help from the [Old Peace] guild this time, the resistance will truly be finished. This is their leader
. It was the voice of a woman who appeared to be Sophie.
Considering the content of this conversation, they probably requested military support from [Old Peace], one of the influential guilds in the neighboring Republic of Chad, and found and handed over the ‘key’ to [Vishnu’s Labyrinth]. That seemed to be the condition.
– …Now that things have come to this, there is only one way. I chase after that man.
A moment of silence follows Sophie’s declaration.
– …Huh? What are you trying to do, Sophie? I’m sure you’re trying to steal it. No, right?
– I don’t know. Anyway, shouldn’t we get it somehow? And that man… will never know the true value of that item. – Well, that’s not true,
we also found out after receiving the quest…
– Probably. … We didn’t give up and entered the auction tenaciously, so we blindly won the bid with the thought that we could resell it. There are many quick-witted business people at auction houses like this… ‘I was truly misunderstood.
‘
After hearing those words, Lee Hyun-wook stood up.
– Is that guy moving?
– He quietly followed along.
‘As expected, it’s going according to plan.’
There was no way they would give up on this.
In other words, they took the bait.
But Lee Hyun-wook was able to catch another movement besides them.
– A total of three people. Yes, they were active on the CAR side.
It was a movement chasing HPA members.
– Now. It’s at the auction house, and it looks like it’ll be leaving soon.
– Really? It follows naturally.
– …Are we handling it here today?
– Yes, today is that day.
***
“…It’s over there.”
Two men, members of the HPA, were walking down an alley in the black market.
To be exact, they were following one man, and
both of them had used the ‘Stealth’ skill for him.
“Where did that bastard find his lodgings, so he’s going this way?”
The black market here in Chennai was so vast that the alleys were as complicated as ant nests. And the deeper they went, the more secret shops came out.
“Seeing you go to a place like this, you don’t seem like a clean guy after all?”
– Phil David Both of you, watch your mouth. Are you following me?
I heard the voice of their leader, Sophie, through the Mana Messenger.
She had gone to the other side of the alley and was waiting.
But at some point…
“…Uh… ?Where did you go?”
The man disappeared from sight.
– What? Hey! Did you miss it?
“No, that’s it…”
The two men stood awkwardly at the crossroads of the alley and looked around.
It was then.
“…Are you looking for me? This way.”
A strange voice was heard from somewhere.
The man they were chasing was standing on
the second floor terrace of a building with the lights off on one side of the alley .
Lee Hyun-wook looked down at the two men and waved.
Then, a man was startled and pulled out a handgun.
‘Hmm, you seem quite embarrassed?’
Meanwhile, mana was detected in the gun, and it was also an enchanted item.
“Tsk! “Did you know we were after them?”
“Well, if you use a stealth spell, it doesn’t mean you won’t be detected, right?”
“Then you couldn’t believe it… you lured us in!”
“No… I’m the one who was followed, so why do I have to explain it?”
It seemed like they were people who lived in a very sensitive environment.
“Shut up! Are you… the guy sent by the Ndoz Alliance?”
Here, the Ndoz Alliance refers to the player military ruling CAR.
Lee Hyun-wook tilted his head, pretending not to know.
“I’m sorry, but I’m a foreigner, so I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“…Don’t act like a fool! Otherwise, why did you target our goods?”
“When you say it’s yours, do you mean the one you won at the auction house?”
Lee Hyun-wook snorted as if he were dumbfounded.
“I don’t know why it’s yours. I paid my own money and won it?”
At that time, a woman came running from the alley across from me.
“Hey! What the fuck are you doing?”
She ran up and pushed away the gun the man was holding out.
“Why are you pulling out a gun all of a sudden?” “Did you go crazy trying to mess things up?”
“Sophie, that bastard is suspicious! I’m sure he has a plan!”
“hey! “We followed them first in the first place, so who suspects whom?”
She made such a fuss and looked back at Hyunwook Lee.
“I… I’m really sorry for following you.”
Judging from the way he appeared in that posture, it seemed like he was planning to negotiate.
“Do you remember number 46, the winning bid I had at the auction house?”
“So… now you’re saying you were following me because of that item?”
“yes that’s right. “I… want to repurchase that item.”
Lee Hyun-wook tilted his head at those words.
“I don’t quite understand, but you didn’t win the bid because you didn’t have enough money, right? But you’re saying you’re going to buy it back from me. Doesn’t that sound like an unreliable claim?”
They probably have no intention of robbing them as ‘humanitarianism’ is their core ideology, but Lee Hyun-wook showed signs of anxiety and took a step back. ”
No, we have absolutely no intention of robbing them by force. And I don’t have any cash right now, but I can get it, so let’s talk about it slowly.”
However, Lee Hyun-wook stubbornly shook his head.
“Well, I also needed that item, so I won the bid. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been a fool and invested a huge amount of money, $5.2 million, right?”
She couldn’t hide her bewildered expression at Lee Hyun-wook’s words.
“You’re saying you didn’t plan on reselling it right now, you just needed it?”
“Huh? Isn’t that obvious?”
“So you mean you know what it’s used for?”
It was as if he had seen through the mocking lies on her face.
The potential item was a key to a hidden stage inside a gate that was open to CAR. In other words, you wouldn’t know unless you went there.
“No, absolutely not possible. It’s some kind of quest item. It’s something we’ve been looking for for a long time and many people’s lives are at stake. So we’ll pay more than 5.2 million dollars. Otherwise, you can’t find it anywhere at full price. “I won’t be able to sell it.”
She pushed confidently.
At those words, Lee Hyun-wook shook his head without hesitation.
“I don’t need money, that item…”
The three people couldn’t help but be surprised by what Lee Hyun-wook said next.
“… “It must be the puzzle-type key to the hidden stage inside the gate, right?”
The three people didn’t answer, but they couldn’t hide their hardening expressions.
It was a secret that only a few knew. No one knows except those who relayed the information between CAR’s resistance leader and the Old Peace Guild Master.
‘Could it be… Did the information leak from the [Old Peace] guild?’
In their silence, Lee Hyun-wook spoke first.
“If you know the location and are collecting this… I would like to join you in conquering the hidden stage. How about it?”
An incomprehensibly bold proposal suddenly came in.
They looked at Lee Hyun-wook with blank expressions.
The plot changed so suddenly that it was difficult to understand the context.
“Who are you to make such a strange suggestion?”
“If you carry out a joint strategy with me and let me keep at least ten percent of the hidden stage rewards, you don’t have to pay anything.”
Lee Hyun-wook paid no heed and continued to propose as he pleased.
“That’s… “It is a problem that cannot be accepted so easily.”
The reason it didn’t happen was simple. This was because they did not attack directly, but signed a contract to hand over the right to attack to [Old Peace].
“Really? Then…”
Lee Hyun-wook took out ‘White Lotus Painting Piece No. 8’ from his pocket.
The moment their eyes were focused on it, I put it back in my pocket.
“These negotiations are broken.”
Gulp—
their eyes flutter.
“No! The question you just suggested cannot be decided here. “We also have to talk to the higher-ups, so let’s negotiate slowly…”
But then Lee Hyun-wook raised his left hand.
“Wait, I think we should talk about this later.”
“yes?”
“What, you were following me and didn’t know you were being followed?”
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head as if he was pathetic.
“Huh? Following… what do you mean…”
“It’s not just one or two people, so you’d better be careful.”
At those words, they turned their heads and looked around.
“Damn, it’s true…”
Soon, about a dozen strangers began to appear from the darkness of the alley.
“—Ah, who is this? Hahaha!”
Among them, a large man wearing a Hawaiian shirt shouted,
“Aren’t these kind-hearted human rights group friends you often see in Africa? “How can I meet these friends here like this?”
He trudged over, joking.
Behind them stood people armed with automatic rifles.
A total of 7 people and 4 people approach from the alley across the street.
“Damn it William Tell… since when have you been chasing us?”
Sophie growled and asked that.
And Lee Hyun-wook also recognized him.
‘William Tell, the eye remover, was not a villain as far as I know.’
However, it was clear that he was an equally vicious person.
He was a mercenary and red player active mainly in Africa, and now he seemed to have been hired by an extremist force supporting the Ndoz Alliance.
And if Lee Hyun-wook was involved with the Shadow Baron, If they hadn’t caught Okita Kaito, the three would later come together and form an international criminal organization.
“No, I was just looking at the market, but I hear a familiar voice. What do you think?”
William Tell smirks, takes off his sunglasses, and gives a wink.
“이 개새끼가 말도 안 되는 소리를….”
이내 소피를 필두로 세 사람이 무기를 꺼내 들었다.
“Whoa—Sophie Green Is something like this possible in someone else’s country?”
“So you’re causing such a fuss because your hometown is CAR?”
“Oh, can you call that a country too? Wasn’t it an animal cage?”
At this, a burst of laughter erupts among the gangsters.
“Oh, Sophie, don’t do this, you have to go back to the African continent anyway, right? There’s a ship here at the dock. Would you like to go back with us on it?”
“I know your damn ship! “I know you’re buying a lot of toys to give to the ‘Puppet Master’ bitch, so it’s best not to get on that boat. You’ll end up as food for the fish—!”
After Hyunwook Lee heard that, he opened his mouth.
“Hey, I’m sorry, but I did this…”
But Sophie slightly pushed Hyunwook Lee as if to tell him to step back.
Do not worry. “We got you caught up in this, so we’ll do whatever it takes to get you out of here, even if it means we die.”
Then he held out a cell phone and whispered very softly.
“If you have this, my superiors will contact you. Then, please negotiate with us about the item. We really need it.”
He left these last words and looked at his two subordinates.
“If this person dies as well, we will be committing a great sin.”
The two men also nodded at her words.
However, Lee Hyun-wook sighed and shook his head.
“Did you say she’s Sophie Green? She looks like a member of the HPA, right?”
“…yes that’s right.”
“So, Sophie, you are doing a good job? But if I…”
Lee Hyun-wook’s left hand slowly rose.
“…If I deal with them, will the contract ratio be adjusted to 20%?”
Her expression asked what that meant.
“Hey, what are you still talking about?”
Guns were approaching from all directions.
“There is no time, so negotiations will have to take place later.”
Lee Hyun-wook’s left hand stretched out.
At that moment—
BOOM!
An unidentified iron box placed on one side of the second floor terrace
opened and 30 adamant stars poured out.
Then, it scattered in all directions and attacked the approaching assailants.
Sh—sh—sh—sh—sh——!
Accurately fly to 12 targets scattered here and there.
it never misses
Because ‘Hugin’ was floating in the darkness of the sky.
Hyunwook Lee clearly stands out in their positions and vital points in cognition.
char-ja-ja-ja-ja-ja–!
Not even a small scream rang out in the process. The heads of 13 assailants, including William Tell, were cut off cleanly with a single blow…
Too-doo-duh-duh-duh…
The only sound was the sound of bodies collapsing. It rings like an enemy.
“…….”
The three people watched the scene with mesmerized expressions and then
slowly turned their heads to look at Lee Hyun-wook behind them.
The adamant stars around his body had returned and were spinning.
Wham—wham—wham—wham—wham——!
And before he knew it, Hugin was sitting on his shoulder.
“Ah… you can’t stand…”
Sophie’s head was filled with only one thought.
A player who wields metal so freely and powerfully… there is only one known person like him.
he spoke first.
“Would it be easier to sign a contract if I knew who I was?”
He took off his mask and the three people shouted at the same time,
“—Lee Hyun-wook!”
He nodded and spread four fingers.
“I just heard that there is a troublesome ship here… If we take care of that, perhaps we can reduce the terms of the contract to 40%?”
He was still making random suggestions.
And Sophie looked at Lee Hyun-wook and thought.
‘Wait a minute, if this person is with you…you don’t need the Old Peace Guild, right?’
The contract figure may not be 40% but 100%…
