: Episode 115
Ethan stared at Ho Sung Lee with one brow raised.
“Why are you stopping here? Because of the sandwich?”
In response to Ethan’s question, Ho Sung Lee smiled.
“He wants me to deal with the items before we go to the 9th floor. Our item windows are full.”
Ethan’s face stiffened.
“So… you’re going to sell the items that you got until now to us?”
“That’s right. Let’s make it an auction.”
“Ha…”
Ethan laughed as if he couldn’t believe it.
Ho Sung Lee just nodded as if he understood.
Ethan just watched Min Sung as he finished his sandwich with an absurd look on his face.
Min Sung then met eyes with Ethan.
In response, Ethan looked away.
After all, under the law of the jungle, those who had power could control those who didn’t.
He just had to accept it.
“… I’ll relay the message. Wait here.”
Ethan held back his emotions and gathered the other hunters.
He then delivered the current situation.
The commanders’ faces turned sour all at once.
As if taking all of the experience points and items weren’t enough, they were trying to sell them to the other hunters inside the tower, and this made the commanders absolutely speechless.
However, unlike the other commanders, Ethan maintained his cold stance.
“If we don’t accept the auction, we can’t go up to the upper floors. So we should take the items.”
It would cost them, but for the time being, doing as Ethan said was the wisest thing to do.
Since they couldn’t go up the tower without Min Sung Kang, they had to empty his item window with money.
“But if they try to sell them for too much…”
“So you think that’s possible.”
“Yeah. We’ll have to come up with a Plan B…”
In response to the commanders’ worries, Ethan clenched his teeth.
“We just have to accept any conditions they give us. If you can think of another way, say it now.”
In response, the commanders kept their mouths shut.
“Since the dungeons started appearing, American’s national defense experiences have been over 2 quadrillion dollars. Now that a tower capable of making mankind extinct is here, it’d be stupid to be stingy. Americans will take care of 50% of the items being auctioned.”
In response, the commanders’ faces brightened up.
50% was a substantial amount.
They were happy that they were going to take that much.
But Ethan added a condition.
“But in return…”
Ethan stressed the word “return” and continued,
“Once we get to the 9th floor, the purchase rights to all of the high-level items will belong to America.”
In response, the commanders gasped.
They calculated the proposal in their heads.
The answer didn’t come about easily.
After seeing their response, Ethan smiled.
“If we go with the auction method, you can’t beat America in terms of money anyway. There’s no need for all of us to give up money to Korea’s hyena.”
Ethan’s explanation made sense.
The commanders were sad, but they had no choice but to agree.
The decision Ethan made was the closest to an answer as they could get.
“Then for the first auction, let’s make it so that each commander participates in each one. The right to bid is free for all.”
The conversation ended according to Ethan’s rules, and he proceeded to walk toward Ho Sung Lee.
“What kind of currency?”
“The limited Black Mithril.”
Paper currencies were dangerous.
The most certain currency was Mithril.
After all, it was a substance with the most worth in the current generation.
So Ho Sung Lee went with the Black Mithril as the currency.
“Okay. Hm… Shall we begin right away?”
“Sure.”
Ho Sung Lee notified Min Sung that they were ready.
After that, Ho Sung Lee sighed and walked toward the world hunters in order to begin.
***
“Can I go for a smoke first?”
In response to Ho Sung Lee’s request, Ethan gave him the go signal.
Ho Sung Lee walked off a bit and lit a cigarette.
He took a big puff and exhaled it in a refreshing manner.
‘I’m aging fast here.’
He wished Min Sung Kang would go after the world hunters himself, but here he was, getting death glares from everybody.
But he understood.
They took all the kills, monopolized the items, and now they were selling off the items.
They were all Min Sung Kang’s decisions, but it was Ho Sung Lee who had to take all the hate.
‘I’m nothing but a punching bag. Damn it.’
He would have felt better if Bowl was by his side, but he was hiding away in Min Sung’s pocket, and since he was a doll, he probably perceived this differently.
But on the other hand, if he didn’t have Min Sung Kang, he was nothing but a powerless ant.
Anyone of those world hunters were capable of killing him if they really wanted.
It was hard to just live day by day.
‘Sigh.’
Ho Sung Lee looked at his burnt-out cigarette and felt sad.
He wanted to smoke one more, but he didn’t have much time.
The world hunters were staring at him as if they wanted to kill him.
‘I’m coming, you bastards.’
‘Anyway… I can’t believe I’m actually having this auction.’
‘Haha.’
Ho Sung Lee shook his head.
While the world hunters watched him, he opened his item window in order to start the auction.
‘Let’s see. What do we have here?’
‘Wait…’
“What’s this?’
‘If I do a good job, this could become really comical.’
The items that the monsters spat out from the 1st floor to the 8th floor were impressive, but this item would change everything.
Inside the item window was an item that they obtained after Min Sung killed a devil when they came to the Black Tower last time.
And among them was an object that shined with an Aurora all by itself.
Since it was an item from a dead devil, it looked different from the rest.
[Devil’s Sword]
Level: God
Attack Power: 30/31
One hand/both hands: One-hand
Option: Agility +30, Strength +18, Additional hits +38
Quality: Pure Holystone
Enchant: Chances of failure starting at +0
Damage Possibility: Possible
Level Restriction: None
Specialty: Stun with high probability
He forgot whether he was breathing or not and stared at the item inside his window.
There was a high probability of stunning the opponent, and the option made him wonder if he was seeing it right.
And there was no level restriction.
If they knew such an item existed, how would the world hunters’ faces change?
They would probably jolt their eyes open, drool, and fight over the item.
From Ho Sung Lee’s standpoint, Min Sung Kang ordered him to sell the items in an auction, but if he took out this item at the last minute…
… things would completely change.
‘Snicker, this auction will be fun.’
Ho Sung Lee smiled as he opened his mouth.
“Let’s begin the auction.”
He said it in a low voice, but the world hunters’ responses were lukewarm.
‘Stop stalling and sell your crap, you thug,’ said their eyes.
So Ho Sung Lee decided to proceed without overreacting.
He took out a decent item from the item window and raised it for all to see.
“The first auction item is the Icarus Feather.”
He thought he picked a decent item, but the world hunters didn’t care.
The American hunter master, Ethan raised his hand first.
“I’ll buy it.”
After seeing Ethan making a bid, Ho Sung Lee clicked his tongue.
“Anyone else?”
He looked around, but the response was cold.
They were staring as if they were asking if he really expected someone to bid higher for it.
‘Yeah.’
‘You all probably want to buy the items at the lowest price possible.’
‘But I’m curious to see how your faces will change in the end.’
At the same time, he felt sad that he was unable to buy an item like the Devil’s Sword.
‘Am I being too greedy for someone in my place?’
Ho Sung Lee sniffled and continued the auction.
The auction continued in a boring manner.
The bids were carried out one by one.
The commanders of Africa, Middle East, Europe, Asia, Oceana, North America, and South America all bought an item.
The only commander left was the Korean commander, Ji Yoo Kim.
They all looked over at her.
They were staring while wondering if Koreans were excluded from the auction.
When he started to wonder if he had to ask her himself, Ji Yoo Kim raised her hand.
“I’ll make a bid.”
She raised her hand and participated in the auction.
Ho Sung Lee was relieved that she relieved him of a worry, but the way the world hunters looked at her wasn’t pleasant.
They seemed displeased that even if he bought an item, it was going to her own country.
The auction continued.
He sold off everything in his item window, and proceed to sell the items in Min Sung’s window as well.
After selling all the average items, the amount of money in his item window was nearly 2 quadrillion won.
Ho Sung Lee broke out in cold sweat and looked over at Min Sung who was sleeping on the ground.
He was an international thug.
Even if he were to make the auction prices fair to keep the criticisms minimal, there was no thug as crazy…
‘Forget it.’
“Is it over now?’
Ethan asked as if he was over it.
“Just a moment.”
After responding to Ethan in a friendly manner, he went to Min Sung.
“Sir.”
Min Sung opened one of his eyes in response.
“I sold most of the items, and the total of what we made is around 2 quadrillion won.”
He was speechless after saying the amount out loud.
Ho Sung Lee handed Min Sung Kang 2 quadrillion won worth of Black Mithril.