Tap— Tap—

Misha sat in her chair, tapping the desk with her index finger. A little anxious, sure, but her mood was sky-high.

‘Just one more hour and I’m done.’

A smile spread at the corners of Misha’s lips as she stared at the Auction House window.

[Flame Petal]

– Time Remaining: 1 hour 31 minutes

– Current Bid: 1,520,000 Gold

– Buy Now: X

In just one hour, she’d finally complete the ‘Skill Awakening Quest.’

‘Which skill should I awaken?’

Misha traced her lips with her index finger, sinking into happy fantasies.

‘Should I awaken that skill I learned recently?’

‘Clearing the ‘Skill Awakening Quest’ let her awaken one of her existing skills.’

She was already deep in deliberation.

Misha opened her skill window and eyed the two candidates.

[Golden Ratio]

Grade: S

Type: Passive

MP Cost: 250

Effect: When crafting potions, there is a 10% chance to produce a Golden Ratio Potion.

[Additional Crafting]

Grade: S

Type: Passive

MP Cost: 100

Effect: When crafting potions, an additional 2 potions are generated.

Both skills were appealing—she couldn’t decide.

“The Golden Ratio would be better, right?”

Misha was in the middle of the happiest time she’d had in days.

*Brrrring—* A call came through.

Misha picked up the phone, a hum in her voice.

“Yes, what is it?”

But what the employee told her made her expression freeze.

“What?! The Flame Petal is gone?!!!”

The material for the skill Awakening she’d wanted so badly—the Flame Petal—had vanished.

Misha sat at her desk, twisting a strand of her hair around her index finger as she scanned the Auction House.

‘Gone… It’s gone. Gone!!!’

She combed through the Auction House like a detective, but the Flame Petal was nowhere to be found.

Misha tapped her finger on the desk, lost in thought.

‘Did they pull the item? Why? Was the Gold too low? Or did someone contact the seller directly?’

A hundred theories raced through her mind, and frustration surged up.

Just as Misha was losing her composure, still frantically searching the Auction House—

[Flame Petal]

– Time remaining: 23 hours, 59 minutes

– Current bid: 2,000,000 Gold

– Buy Now: X

The item reappeared.

“It’s back!”

Misha’s heart steadied again.

“So the Gold wasn’t enough.”

The item that had been 1.5 million Gold now showed 2 million Gold.

Two million Gold—it was no small sum. But Misha was a CEO.

She could afford two million Gold.

“I’ll take it gladly.”

It stung a little, but the more desperate side always loses. Misha decided to let it slide with good grace.

About ten minutes passed.

“Seriously! What is this guy playing at!”

In the silent office, Misha’s angry voice echoed.

The reason was the seller’s attitude.

[Flame Petal]

– Time remaining: 23 hours, 59 minutes

– Current bid: 5,000,000 Gold

– Buy Now: X

Every time Misha placed a bid, the seller pulled the item and raised the price—pushing the bid all the way to 5 million Gold.

Misha sat at her desk, her fist clenched, her face twisted in a scowl.

‘Is this a joke? What the hell?’

Five million Gold for an Awakening material was a price she could pay without hesitation. But the seller’s attitude grated on her nerves.

It was like he kept asking, ‘How much are you willing to throw at this?’

Misha’s expression hardened, as if she’d made a decision.

‘Six million Gold. Not a single coin more.’

Screw the Awakening material—the other party’s behavior was just too infuriating.

Misha gritted her teeth, ready to enter a final bid of six million Gold—

[This item no longer exists.]

The item she’d just posted had vanished again.

‘What, did he pull it because I didn’t bid?’

In an instant, her irritation curdled into unease. Misha sat back down at her desk, twisted a lock of hair around her finger, and kept searching.

Then the listing appeared again.

[Flame Petal]

-Time remaining: 23 hours 59 minutes

-Current bid: –

-Buy now: 10,000,000 Gold

‘A Buy Now price—meaning she could purchase it outright.’

Misha’s expression went cold.

‘He’s really trying my patience.’

The more she thought about it, the more arrogant the seller’s attitude seemed.

‘Should I just not buy it?’

Even if it was a material for Skill Awakening, price only went up when there was demand.

And as far as she could tell, she was the only one who’d need a Flame Petal. To anyone else, it was just junk.

Ten million Gold for that? The more she considered it, the dumber the purchase felt.

“Screw it, I’m not buying!”

Having made her decision, Misha closed the Auction House window and got to work.

Potion demand had been spiking lately—she was swamped. Plenty to do.

She read through today’s reports, lost in thought.

‘They say when a skill Awakens, it gets as good as an Evolution—maybe Additional Crafting Awakening would let me produce ten extra items at once?’

The thought of Awakening skills kept dominating his mind, and without realizing it, he was already making compromises with himself.

‘Yeah, ten million Gold. It’s pricey, but not like I can’t afford it, right? Let’s just buy it.’

Misha clenched her fist, made up her mind to buy it, and just as she searched the Auction House—

[Item does not exist.]

The Flame Petal was already gone.

“No way… Did it sell…?”

Misha stared at the Auction House window with a dumbfounded expression.

“No!!!”

She let out a loud wail.

***

“Haaah… Haaah…”

Ha Gangwoo lay on the barren ground, gasping for breath.

Antero withdrew the sword he had aimed at Gangwoo’s neck and snapped his fingers with a flick.

In an instant, the scene shifted back to the flower-filled field.

Antero yawned widely, plopped down onto the flower field, and said,

“Call me again when you’re ready.”

Ha Gangwoo lay in the flower field, his face twisted in a grimace. His skin had taken on a dusky hue, and his eyes burned red.

Because he had activated Demonization.

‘Dizzying…’

Gangwoo scowled and ran a hand through his hair.

Lucifel’s Ring.

Demonic energy stirred madness, or so they said—a dangerous item, no doubt, with real risks.

‘Release.’

The moment Gangwoo dispelled Demonization, the nauseating dizziness vanished.

“Hoooh…”

Gangwoo steadied his breath and pushed himself upright on the grass-choked ground.

‘This item was actually good, wasn’t it.’

Gangwoo looked at the item that had lost its light, its time expired.

[Madness of Temperance][!Limited-Time]

Grade: A

Durability: 47/52

Vitality: +212

Description: A mask made of Engtra’s bones.

Effects

-Absorbs malevolent energy.

(Remaining Time: 00 hours 00 minutes)

[Runetail’s Necklace][!Time-Limited]

Grade: D

Durability: 38/42

Attack: 34

Vitality: 35

Description: A necklace crafted from Runetail’s core. It carries Runetail’s power, greatly increasing magic resistance.

Effect

-Magic Resistance +150

(Time Remaining: 00 hours 00 minutes)

At least the [Runetail’s Necklace] was something he could take or leave—you barely felt the difference. But the Madness of Temperance was another story.

Without the Madness of Temperance, it was nearly impossible to maintain Demonization for more than three minutes.

‘Is there no item to stretch the time?’

Gangwoo licked his lips and summoned the item in question.

[Summoning Flame Petal from Inventory.]

A single red petal glided up into his palm.

Two days had passed since he’d listed the item.

‘About now should do it.’

After posting it on the Auction House multiple times, he’d mapped out the buyer’s state of mind.

Gangwoo had finished his psychological profile of the buyer.

‘Ideally, a week from now would be perfect.’

The longer he dragged it out, the higher the price he could fetch—but he didn’t have that kind of time.

Gangwoo had pinned down three key things about the buyer.

First: a moneybags who could casually drop 500,000 Gold a minute without flinching.

Second: the buyer wanted the Flame Petal badly—desperately.

Third: the buyer had a strong sense of pride.

So with two days passed, he planned to relist the item now.

‘What price point…’

The buyer who wanted the Flame Petal was definitely loaded, but prideful too.

The fact that they hadn’t bid when the price hit 5 million Gold.

The fact that they hadn’t bought it even when he posted it at a ‘Buy Now’ price of 10 million Gold.

Chances were high they got pissed at the constant price hikes and refused to buy out of spite.

But one thing was certain—the buyer still wanted this item.

They were probably kicking themselves right about now for not snatching the Flame Petal at ten million Gold.

A wicked grin spread across Gangwoo’s face.

‘This should be about right.’

Gangwoo settled on a price and posted the Flame Petal back on the Auction House.

[Register this item?]

Ding~!

[Flame Petal has been registered on the Auction House.]

The instant he listed it, a notification chimed.

[Flame Petal has been sold.]

Sold in less than three seconds after posting.

“Maybe I should’ve charged more.”

Gangwoo smirked with satisfaction and collected his Gold.

Ding-

[50,000,000 Gold from sale acquired.]

***

Gangwoo immediately opened the DLC Shop and purchased the item.

Ding-

[DLC—Warp Altar Update purchased.]

The moment he bought it, a square game pack materialized.

[DLC—Warp Altar]

Grade: C

Description: DLC—Warp Altar has been updated. Now travel long distances easily and quickly using Warp Altars!!

Effect

-3 Warp Altars granted.

-Warp Altar system unlocked.

Gangwoo glanced at the DLC pack and checked his remaining Gold.

[Remaining Gold: 45,002,310 Gold]

After buying the Warp Altar, forty-five million Gold remained.

‘Jackpot.’

He knew the buyer was loaded, but he hadn’t expected them to snap it up without a second thought.

Ha Gangwoo wore a happy smile as he immediately activated the DLC—the Warp Altar.

The moment the DLC booted, a fierce radiance swirled around him, and a system window materialized.

Ding~!

[The Warp Altar system has been opened.]

[3 Warp Altars acquired.]

Light coalesced before Ha Gangwoo, and three items popped into existence.

[Warp Altar]

Grade: ???

Description: A Warp Altar. Imbued with potent magic, it enables spatial movement.

Effect: Installs an altar on a flat surface. (!Caution: Once placed, it cannot be moved.!)

A disc about the size of a CD, black on both sides, with no distinguishing features.

Ha Gangwoo stored two altars in his Inventory and then approached Antero.

Antero was lying peacefully, drifting off to sleep.

With every refreshing breeze from the clear sky, Antero’s silver hair rippled.

As Ha Gangwoo drew near, Antero slowly opened his eyes and sat up.

“Ready? Let’s start right away.”

Antero let out a wide yawn and scratched the back of his head.

He seemed to think Gangwoo had come for another challenge.

But Ha Gangwoo wasn’t planning on that right now.

“Not ready yet. I have a question.”

Antero looked at Gangwoo with an expression that said, ‘What, you’re a letdown?’

“Every time we fought, the place changed. Does the place change? Or did we move?”

To set up the Warp, a spot where Antero always stayed would be best.

The flower field here seemed like Antero’s Resting Place, but if he had a separate residence, that would be a problem.

Antero stared at Ha Gangwoo with a sour face, then finally spoke.

“It’s the same place. Why? Something wrong?”

“No, that’s all I needed.”

So the place didn’t change. There was no reason to hesitate any longer.

“I’ll come back again.”

Ha Gangwoo gave Antero a respectful bow and then left.

Antero watched Gangwoo with a glum expression, then flopped back down to sleep.

Ha Gangwoo went to one side of the flower field and installed the Warp Altar.

A black disc the size of a CD. When he set it on the ground, it suddenly expanded, forming an altar the size of a well.

Strange inscriptions lined the circular tiles. Flickering flames gave it a rather eerie atmosphere.

‘Is it done?’

The installation seemed proper, but there was no way to confirm.

Hoping it worked, Ha Gangwoo retrieved an item from his Inventory.

[Skill Catalog retrieved from Inventory.]

Swoosh—

A single card shimmering with golden light. It glowed brightly in Ha Gangwoo’s hand.

[Skill Catalog]

Grade: S

Description: Randomly acquires one S-Rank skill.

‘Wonder what I’ll get.’

An S-Rank Catalog, no less. Clearly a tier you don’t stumble into easily.

So he couldn’t help but feel excited.

Thump-thump—

Ha Gangwoo pushed down the pounding of his expectant heart.

He used the Catalog.

Ding-

[You have acquired Invisible.]

“Invisible?”

Gangwoo immediately checked the skill’s details.

[Invisible]

Rank: S

Type: Active

MP cost: 15 per second

Action: Close both eyes.

Effect: Conceals appearance, sound, presence, Demonic energy, Holy power, and Mana.

A small smile tugged at the corner of Gangwoo’s lips as he stared at the skill.

‘Good.’

The problem was the MP cost: 15 per second.

Gangwoo’s MP was 75. At best, he could hold it for 5 seconds. Far too short a time.

‘I’ll need to gear up once I get out.’

But it wasn’t impossible.

He had a whopping 45 million Gold on hand. Items to supplement his lacking MP would be plentiful.

Gangwoo stood at the center of the flower field and closed his eyes.

He’d made up his mind to use the skill.

‘Invisible.’

At the activation word, Gangwoo’s form vanished.

‘Hmm…’

With his eyes shut, Gangwoo began to sense his surroundings.

The drifting petals, the crisp breeze, Antero sleeping with his eyes closed.

A smile spread across Gangwoo’s lips as he extended his senses.

‘So this is what an S-Rank skill feels like.’

The reason was simple: he couldn’t feel himself, rendered invisible by Invisible.

Even standing in this flower field, there was not a trace of his presence.

‘Good.’

Still under Invisible, Gangwoo slowly walked through the flower field.

Even though his physical body passed through the flowers and tread on the ground, not a single sound escaped. The flowers simply swayed as if by the wind.

[MP is insufficient.]

After 5 seconds passed, Gangwoo’s form reappeared.

‘That’s insane.’

An S-Rank skill indeed—it didn’t disappoint. It would be useful not only in battle but also out there, against ordinary people.

Gangwoo looked at his own palms, now visible, then clenched his fists in resolve.

‘Let’s get out.’

A gleam filled Gangwoo’s eyes.

His younger sister’s tuition deadline was tomorrow.

He couldn’t afford to stay here any longer.

Gangwoo gripped Celeritra and approached Antero.

***

“Hoo….”

Ha Gangwoo gripped Celeritra and steadied his breath.

A bleak wind brushed past his cheek.

Hundreds of weapons jutted out of the desolate ground around him.

Over that ground, Antero casually lifted his sword onto his shoulder and opened his mouth.

“You really leaving?”

“Yes. I have things to do. Please go all out against me.”

Gangwoo asked Antero to fight at full strength.

At the end of this battle, he would probably die and be sent outside.

Antero, with his sunken eyes, pointed his sword at Gangwoo.

“Surprising. You’re a tough one. I thought you’d stay longer.”

“I’d like to stay longer too. Too bad. I’ll come find you later.”

Antero let out a snicker at Ha Gangwoo’s words, then gripped his sword with both hands.

“Sure. I hope we meet again.”

Ha Gangwoo wore a faint smile as he leveled his blade at Antero.

‘This could be our last fight.’

He’d set up a Warp Altar, sure—but that device was anything but certain.

So this meeting might truly be his last with Antero.

Because they might never see each other again, Ha Gangwoo asked.

“Is there a skill that can bring the dead back to life?”

“Who knows? Win, and I’ll answer.”

Just as expected, no answer came.

Ha Gangwoo watched Antero and lowered his stance.

‘I’ll skip Demonization.’

Three days of fighting had taught him that much.

At his current level, he couldn’t beat Antero. No—he couldn’t even land a cut.

All he’d done for three days was block Antero’s sword. So now it was time to prove what he’d learned from those battles.

‘Let’s go!’

Ha Gangwoo gripped his sword with both hands and charged straight ahead.

No attack stance, no Swift Movements, no Demonization.

Just his bare body, relying on swordsmanship alone.

Clang!

The moment two swords collided over the barren earth.

Ha Gangwoo’s challenge began.