Silence settled inside the VVIP room of the Auction House, which had been blazing with competition.

The reason was the man who had suddenly stepped onto the stage.

“What the hell?”

“Why are you dropping the price?”

Everyone was baffled.

It was different from a normal auction, sure. It wasn’t a damned flea market—none of them had ever seen an auction like this.

But,

[20.1 billion + 6% stake in Black Company. Value: 150 billion Gold.]

The last bid on the table was 150 billion Gold.

And now this man on the podium said he wanted the item for 51 billion.

He was offering to buy it at a lower price? Wasn’t that strange?

The crowd was full of questions, but Ha Gangwoo looked at Kelden Elysifer and broke into a wide grin.

‘So that’s him.’

Ha Gangwoo had deliberately thrown out a message during the interview.

[The conditions should stay the same as before.]

Information that only the man who had monopolized the Seal items five years ago could pick up on. And it seemed the intention had been conveyed perfectly.

Enough to make him personally show up at this auction.

Ha Gangwoo looked the man on the stage up and down.

‘Kelden Elysifer.’

A familiar face.

A retired player. A monster who had once climbed all the way to Rank 4.

So he was the one who’d cornered the Seal items. Interesting.

‘Fifty-one billion — that’s a hell of a lot of Gold.’

The hour-long auction had made one thing clear.

Even a corporation couldn’t scrape together two hundred billion Gold in pure liquid funds.

And the reason was simple: Gold wasn’t ordinary currency.

Take Enhancement, for instance.

[Would you like to pay 4,000,000 Gold as the Enhancement fee?]

That four million Gold? Where did it go? Gold was a currency of constant destruction, not circulation.

So even guilds and corporations had finite Gold reserves.

Yet Kelden claimed he’d hand over a clean fifty-one billion Gold today.

‘Not bad.’

Ha Gangwoo found himself drawn to Kelden Elysifer’s terms.

Fifty-one billion Gold — exactly the price of the Book of Job Change: Ruin [M]. But he couldn’t just hand over an item he’d worked so hard to create for a pittance.

Gangwoo slowly descended from the stage and stood before Kelden Elysifer.

A silver-haired man in a crisp suit, his face younger than his years, and the power radiating from him was no less than any decent Ranker’s.

“I think you’ve got the wrong number. That last item was worth a hundred fifty billion.”

Gangwoo flashed a deliberately cheeky grin, playing it up.

After sending a clear message and then pulling this? How must Kelden feel? Irritated, no doubt.

But Kelden’s expression didn’t flicker. If anything, he looked completely unruffled.

“It seems I’ve misunderstood something.”

Kelden Elysifer shrugged, then turned and walked back to his seat with easy composure.

‘……’

Gangwoo’s eyes narrowed as he watched Kelden Elysifer.

He’d expected him to throw in an item of equal value, but he just walked away.

‘What’s his angle?’

A sour feeling crept in, but he didn’t dwell on it.

After all, the advantage was still his in this auction.

“Then I’ll resume the auction.”

Gangwoo curved his lips into a thin smile and continued.

***

“That concludes the auction. I’d appreciate it if everyone except the two I’ve selected would exit.”

Gangwoo gave a slight bow as the auction ended. A hundred-odd people began shuffling out.

They smacked their lips in regret, muttering under their breath.

“Should’ve saved up more Gold.”

“Ah… if it weren’t for that last contract, I’d have bid higher…”

Faces twisted in frustration — items that could shift a guild’s standing or a Ranker’s position, and they’d let them slip.

When everyone had gone, silence settled over the vast Auction House.

The two selected players stepped forward to face Ha Gangwoo.

The two were none other than Zenith Elysifer and Yashimoto Murata.

Their final offers stood as follows.

Yashimoto Murata: 21 billion won + three S-Rank items. Total value: approximately 330.1 billion won.

Zenith Elysifer: 21 billion won + three S-Rank items. Total value: approximately 330.2 billion won.

The Gold I had was the same, so I’ll make my judgment based on the performance of the S-Rank item.

Ha Gangwoo stroked his chin, sinking into thought, just then.

Zenith wore a sullen expression as she slowly raised her palm.

When Ha Gangwoo looked at her, Zenith turned and fixed her gaze on a man behind them.

The spectators had all filed out, leaving the VVIP room empty and silent. A single man sat in one of the chairs.

“Aren’t you going to send him out?”

Same flat, businesslike tone as always.

“Hmm…”

Ha Gangwoo turned his head, fixing his gaze on the man seated in the chair.

That man was none other than Kelden Elysifer — Zenith Elysifer’s father.

Since that initial bid of fifty-one billion Gold, Kelden hadn’t made a single move.

‘…’

An unreadable expression.

Gangwoo could have let him go regardless, but the fifty-one billion Gold Kelden had put on the table was tempting.

Right now, if Kelden offered fifty-one billion Gold and an S-Rank item, Gangwoo would want to sell to him.

‘But… isn’t that her father?’

He knew Kelden Elysifer and Zenith Elysifer were father and daughter.

So what was that act supposed to mean? They didn’t seem on good terms.

“I don’t mind. Let’s just proceed.”

Ha Gangwoo continued smoothly, and checked the items the two had put up.

***

“A pity. Can’t be helped, then. I’ll take my leave. It was a great pleasure just to watch.”

Yashimoto Murata bowed his head politely and left the Auction House.

The person Ha Gangwoo ultimately chose was Zenith Elysifer.

‘This is way too good.’

Every S-Rank item Zenith had shown was top-tier — easily worth over a hundred billion won in raw item value alone.

That was why Ha Gangwoo felt certain.

‘There’s another reason.’

Zenith wanted something beyond [Radiel’s Sword:Seal+12].

She’d shown interest in him during the event too.

Now she’d plucked a Seal item that had vanished five years ago from thin air—and one enhanced to an impossible +12 at that.

Even thinking roughly, the reason Zenith had strained herself to join this auction was clear.

And sure enough—

“Fancy meeting you again.”

As Murata left, Zenith approached with a hand extended for a handshake. Anyone who knew her would’ve been stunned by the sight: Zenith showing favor first!

Yes, Zenith taking the initiative to be friendly!

“Yes. Good to see you.”

Ha Gangwoo accepted her hand, but his eyes went to Kelden Elysifer. The man still stood with arms crossed, making no move.

‘Has he really given up?’

Well, they were father and daughter, weren’t they? And guildmates to boot. Whoever bought it, Radiel’s Sword:Seal +12 belonged to the Pairing Guild now.

From Kelden’s position, he probably had no reason to push further.

‘Can’t be helped.’

Ha Gangwoo smacked his lips in regret.

Losing out on five hundred billion Gold in liquid assets stung, but the terms Zenith had offered were more than satisfying.

Especially—

[Red Wing Shoes]

Grade: S

Defense: 1,137

Strength: +324

Agility: +415

Description: Shoes imbued with Mirel’s holy power. Dyed red by Mirel’s blood, they are among the most beautiful items in all of Gaia.

Effect

– Allows walking on air.

– Increases all attack power by 80% during a leap.

This item was insane.

From air-walking that removed movement restrictions to that 80% attack power boost—

The Red Wing Shoes were a top-tier footwear item, widely considered among the best in the game.

And those shoes were just one of three items, each globally renowned in its own right. This deal couldn’t have been more perfect.

“I’ll have twenty-one billion Gold ready within three hours. We can finalize the exchange then.”

“Understood.”

Zenith’s expression was flat. Just like a guild leader, she kept the transaction clean — Gangwoo appreciated that.

Zenith bit her lip lightly, as if hesitating. Then she slowly opened her mouth.

“Three hours is a long wait. Have you eaten? Or would you like to have some tea while you wait?”

She went straight to the point.

That had to be the real goal. Curiosity about the Enhancement success. She wanted to build a connection.

‘Hmm…’

Gangwoo stared straight at Zenith.

Her usual cold composure was gone. Her cheeks were oddly flushed — she looked uncomfortable.

Well, she’d just spent three hundred billion. It would’ve been stranger if she acted normal.

‘A meal… sure. That’s fine.’

The ulterior motive was obvious, but when the patron had dropped three hundred billion Gold, Gangwoo didn’t have much choice.

“I’d be ha—”

Just as Gangwoo began to accept Zenith’s offer—

“Three hundred fifty billion Gold. Accept and it’s yours, right now.”

Kelden Elysifer strode onto the podium, phone clenched in his hand.

In that moment, a smile spread across Ha Gangwoo’s lips.

‘Is he serious?’

Three hundred fifty billion Gold, out of nowhere. Hadn’t he seen even major guilds struggling with twenty billion? And now this man offered to pay the full amount immediately.

Zenith Elysifer caught the shift the moment she saw Gangwoo’s smile.

The woman who always kept her cool — her face crumpled.

“Department Head! The auction is over. You have to follow procedure!”

Her voice flared with anger, but Kelden only recited his words with a cold expression.

“I’ll give you five seconds. This is a huge sum even for me, so make your choice quickly.”

Short and clipped.

The words rang true.

“One.”

Kelden began to count,

“Father!!!”

The instant Zenith lost her composure and screamed—

“I’ll sell it to Mr. Kelden Elysifer.”

Ha Gangwoo handed Radiel’s Sword over to Kelden.

“Ah…”

Zenith stood frozen, dumbfounded. Kelden pulled a small piece of paper from his Inventory.

[Gold Blank Check]

Grade: S

Issuer: Kelden Elysifer

Gold Value: 350,000,000,000 Gold

Description: A promissory note bearing enormous gold value. The moment it enters an Inventory, the signed amount of gold transfers from the issuer’s Inventory.

‘That’s insane…’

Ha Gangwoo barely suppressed a smile at the absurd number.

Three hundred fifty billion Gold dropping into his lap? From now on, there was no item in the DLC Shop he couldn’t buy. The only bottleneck was the Refresh Cooldown.

Thump—thump—

Listening to his own heartbeat, Ha Gangwoo slowly reached for the blank check.

“I have a simple request.”

Kelden pressed the blank check firmly as he spoke.

“It’s nothing difficult…”

With that short preamble, Ha Gangwoo broke into a grin at what followed.

“Fine. That’s something I’d want to ask of you, actually.”

The moment Ha Gangwoo accepted,

Ding—

[You have acquired 350,000,000,000 Gold.]

The auction was perfectly concluded.

***

“Thank you for your purchase. If you call, I’ll come see you.”

Ha Gangwoo gave a courteous bow and exited the Auction House.

“Father! How can you do this to me!!!”

As Ha Gangwoo left, Zenith exploded at Kelden.

Kelden stowed the [Radiel’s Sword:Seal+12], which pulsed with intense red light, into his Inventory with a faint smile.

“Seeing you react like that makes the loss worth it.”

Kelden had thrown away twenty years for this auction.

Top-tier items amassed over two decades. From Grade A to Grade S.

Every single one-of-a-kind item, ranked in the top tier of the world—all liquidated.

Because he’d sold in a hurry, he took a 30 to 50 percent loss. But looking at Zenith, Kelden was certain.

The trade had been worth it.

Walking out of the Auction House, Kelden murmured lowly.

“Don’t be too angry. I’ll give you a chance to meet separately later.”

“Father!!!”

Zenith called after him, but Kelden only flashed a sinister smile and kept walking.

‘Now I have every piece of the puzzle.’

A savage madness gleamed in Kelden’s eyes.

The Player he’d given up on three years ago. The reason was simple.

The wall he’d hit in Scenario 3. The humiliation of his final Ranking match.

He’d bet everything on the Seal Item in his hands—believed with every fiber that all of it was packed into that single object.

And now, at last. The final piece of that Seal Item’s puzzle had fallen into place.

Kelden Elysifer gritted his teeth, steeled himself for one more leap forward.

***

[Gold Held: 332,501,215,000 G]

“A daylight robbery, if you ask me…”

Ha Gangwoo paid the Auction House staff their fee, then stepped out onto the street in the workshop district.

The Auction House fee was five percent of the sale price—a staggering 17.5 billion Gold.

He considered the VVIP room rental, the item appraisal machine fee, the Safe Guard that kept the ruckus out, the auctioneer, and all the other facilities… Still, 17.5 billion Gold felt like they were just taking it easy.

“Ugh!”

Ha Gangwoo stretched his arms wide, working out the knots in his body.

Whoosh—a cool breeze rolled in from the clear sky, brushing past him.

Maybe it was the fat wallet on his hip, but he felt light enough to float, dizzy with a clean, sharp joy.

Thump-thump—

Ha Gangwoo lifted his head, listening to his own pounding heart. The blazing sun rose into the blue sky.

Beneath it, several pillars of light reflected in his pupils.

‘The Tower of Job Change, finally.’

The most crucial choice for a Player—the line that separates a Newbie from a veteran. He’d already reached the point of choosing his class.

Just as Ha Gangwoo locked his resolve, staring at the pillars of light—

Ziiing—

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

-Kelden Elysifer: I’d love to treat you to a meal if the opportunity arises. Today’s transaction was a pleasure.

Ha Gangwoo looked at the message and allowed himself a small smile.

‘A friend…’

The condition Kelden had laid down at the end was simple.

-I’d like to be a friend. The kind who helps when times are hard and reaches out a hand when you’re struggling.

In short, he wanted to build a connection. Ha Gangwoo had no reason to refuse.

Kelden Elysifer was a first-generation Player—a figure with global influence.

For a man like that to ask to be friends? Ha Gangwoo would have been the one begging for the favor.

-I’d love to. I enjoyed today’s transaction too.

[Send?]

[Yes/No]

[Message sent.]

If it had been anyone else, Gangwoo would have let it slide—but Kelden Elysifer was an exception.

He sent a brief, polite message in return.

Then he stepped forward, his stride light.

***

Whoosh—the cool air from the AC brushed against his cheek.

The trip had been a long, dull haul, but it ended at last.

“We’re here!!!”

The bus driver announced their arrival.

“Ah, so far…”

“Yeah, but it’s once in a lifetime! Let’s go!”

Two men who looked like Players stretched their arms wide and stepped off the bus.

“Master! Let’s go out too!!!”

Mimic, clearly bored with the ride, nagged him to get off.

Ha Gangwoo stepped off the bus and onto the ground. Sand scuffed under his soles—loose, drenched with heat.

A wave of scorching air slammed into his lungs.

This was the desert at the heart of India.

Gangwoo looked up at the colossal tower looming before him.

It stood so vast that the surrounding buildings shrank to toys around its base.

‘The Tower of Job Change.’

For any Player, this was the most crucial turning point—the place that granted the class they’d carry for life, the very flower of their existence.

And Gangwoo had finally arrived.