Heukwol Auction House (2)

At first glance, there seemed to be nothing special about the entrance door. But once they opened it and passed through, it became clear that it was no ordinary door.

‘That just felt like we passed through some kind of field.’

Feeling a faint resistance all over her body, Hyeonseong unconsciously looked up.

Looking closely, she could see traces of something densely inscribed on the doorframe. It was probably magic for inspecting the belongings or identities of those passing through.

‘There’s no separate message popping up, but… that’s probably the right answer.’

Thinking that, she stepped through the door, and at the next door, a staff member was waiting. The employee handed two sheets of paper to Hyeonyeong, then opened the door for them.

“So from here on, this is the real inside of the auction house?”

Hyeonseong muttered as she looked around the lobby, which, unlike the entrance, was decorated like a luxury hotel.

“There seem to be… quite a lot of people.”

Sticking close behind Hyeonyeong, Haesu looked around nervously. Just as she said, even excluding people who looked like staff, the number of people moving through the lobby was higher than expected.

“That just means there are that many people interested in the auction. Enough to come all the way here and put up with such an annoying process.”

“Mm… getting that admission ticket was really… troublesome.”

Haesu replied like that and cast a dubious glance at Hyeonseong. Hyeonseong ignored the look.

“By the way, they handed something only to you earlier.”

Hyeonseong turned her gaze to Hyeonyeong.

“It’s nothing much.”

Hyeonyeong held out the papers she had received in front of the door. Hyeonseong checked what was written on them.

“List of detected weapons… and precautions for carrying weapons?”

On one side was a list of weapons and items Hyeonyeong was presumably carrying at the moment.

Without any specific names, they were simply written as things like sword and armor. But they matched exactly the types and quantities of items Hyeonyeong usually kept in her slots.

“So that thing embedded in the door really was a subspace detection device after all.”

“Huh? But…”

At Hyeonseong’s words, Haesu turned toward Hyeonyeong with a puzzled expression.

“Slot abilities generally aren’t all that high-ranked. Not compared to how hard the conditions for obtaining them are.”

Hyeonyeong replied immediately.

“Still, if it’s something involving subspace, even with a low rank it doesn’t seem like it’d be an ordinary skill…”

“There is a tendency to see space-time-type abilities that way. But usually, if they’re in the same category, the higher-ranked skill wins, right? Space-time types are the same.”

This time, Hyeonseong answered Haesu.

“So the detection device embedded in that door earlier was…”

“At the very least A-rank, and if you go higher, S-rank… probably.”

“If that’s true, then these people really are incredible…”

Haesu looked around with intimidated eyes.

“No matter how I think about it, we really should’ve just run away… Huh?”

As if she had suddenly thought of something, Haesu’s eyes widened.

“Why?”

“No, I was just wondering what exactly yours is, Ms. Ye Hyeonseong.”

“Mine… you mean my skill?”

At Hyeonseong’s question, Haesu nodded.

“Well… that’s classified as an Over S-rank skill, for one thing. Maybe that’s why it slips past every subspace detection skill. I wasn’t just telling you to leave the baggage with me for nothing.”

“Ah… I think I’ve definitely heard something like that before…”

Haesu looked like she was willing to accept that explanation well enough and move on. At that point, Hyeonseong quietly closed her mouth.

‘Though if you really think about it, it doesn’t seem like that’s the only reason.’

In truth, the Infinite Corridor was not avoiding or repelling subspace detection.

‘They say that when detection fails, you get messages saying it failed, or that the target’s rank is too high to detect… but I was told those kinds of messages don’t appear when trying to detect the Infinite Corridor.’

From Hyeonseong’s experience, either no message appears at all indicating whether detection succeeded or failed, or only a short message appears saying it cannot be detected.

That result could only be interpreted as meaning that the Infinite Corridor existed entirely outside the detectable range of subspace detection skills.

‘And this time too, it doesn’t seem like the detection succeeded. If it had, they should’ve given me a slip similar to what they gave Hyeonyeong.’

Inside Hyeonseong’s Infinite Corridor were equipment items like a scythe and a pickaxe that could easily be used as weapons, as well as various skill cards.

And there was also Haesu’s set of tools that she had taken charge of.

If detection had succeeded and they still did not issue a warning, that would have been even stranger.

‘And it’s hard to say they let it pass because it wasn’t openly a weapon, considering what happened yesterday…’

It was good to confirm once again that it could avoid high-performance detection skills, but in the end, it brought her back to the question she had always had.

‘I know very well this isn’t some ordinary subspace skill…’

“Anyway, where do we go now?”

Haesu asked again.

“Oh, right. Hold on.”

Cutting off her stray thoughts, Hyeonseong looked around. She soon found an information desk set up at one side of the lobby.

‘Asking over there about the preemption right will probably be fastest.’

Hyeonseong walked over to the information desk. The staff member seated behind it asked Hyeonseong’s group what they needed.

“I’d like to use this.”

Hyeonseong casually showed the staff member the preemption right she had taken out from the Infinite Corridor. The employee’s eyes widened as soon as they confirmed it.

“This is something that would be difficult for us at our level to answer about… Please wait just a moment.”

After replying like that, the staff member operated the communication device in their ear and relayed the matter regarding the preemption right to someone who seemed to be a superior.

“Yes, understood. …We apologize for making you wait. I will guide you.”

After finishing the communication, the staff member stood up and led Hyeonseong’s group onward. Hyeonseong’s group followed behind.

The place the staff member led them to was an office they encountered as soon as they went down to the underground floor. The employee opened the door for them the moment they arrived in front of it.

“You may go in.”

The attitude itself was quite polite, but somehow it looked as though they especially wanted Hyeonseong’s group to go inside quickly.

‘It really feels like they don’t want us looking around the underground floor for too long.’

At a glance, it looked like the scenery of an ordinary office building, so the staff member’s attitude was somewhat overly conspicuous.

‘Well… if this is where they concentrate the shadier business, or where the auction-item storage areas are gathered, I guess it could make sense.’

Hyeonseong entered the office the staff member had opened for them.

“Welcome. We’ve been expecting you.”

The person seated behind the office desk greeted Hyeonseong’s group with a smile.

‘Doesn’t look like an ordinary employee.’

Giving an appropriate greeting in return, Hyeonseong observed the other person and the office scenery.

The person’s attire looked more expensive than that of the desk staff, and although the office was bleak, it was decorated fairly well. To begin with, the fact that they used a separate office made it obvious they were above the desk staff.

“I was informed that you brought a preemption right. If it would not be too rude, first…”

The employee began speaking as soon as they had offered Hyeonseong’s group seats and sat across from them.

“Here.”

The other person’s purpose was obvious. Hyeonseong handed over the preemption right immediately. The employee examined it from various angles, then nodded.

“It is indeed a genuine article issued and distributed by us. Would you like to use it right away?”

“If it can be used.”

“Of course, you may use it immediately. If there is a specific item you are looking for, please tell—”

That was when the employee was continuing their sentence. Someone knocked on the office door.

-Excuse me. I’ve brought a guest who needs guidance.

Someone spoke from outside the door. Judging by what they said, it seemed to be one of the lower-ranking auction-house staff. It was a different voice from the employee who had guided Hyeonseong’s group.

The owner of the office glanced at Hyeonseong’s group. Then they answered toward the door, telling them to send the person in.

‘…We’re still sitting here, though?’

Hyeonseong narrowed her brow slightly.

If it had been an employee with urgent business, it would have been understandable to ask for their understanding and let them in. But bringing in another guest like this was beyond common sense.

‘Anyone would think that was rude…’

“Oh dear, my apologies. That is simply the policy of this office.”

Perhaps thinking Hyeonseong’s group would find it unpleasant, the employee spoke with a smile. It seemed to be meant as an explanation, but it did not really explain anything.

“What exactly do you mean by policy?”

Glancing sidelong at the guest entering the office, Hyeonseong asked.

“As you may have guessed, I am the person in charge of handling the use of preemption rights. I believe you were already informed, but when purchasing an item using a preemption right, if the same item is designated, both parties are to settle the matter between themselves.”

The employee continued speaking with the same smile.

“…And?”

“So, if another guest arrives while one guest is already here, we receive them together and confirm the desired items at the same time.

If the items are different, then it simply ends with each side purchasing the item they want. But if, by chance, they want the same item… that is what it means.”

It was the kind of rule that made the words What the hell kind of meaning is that? rise right up to the tip of her tongue.

“Haha, well… that’s certainly an unusual rule.”

“Quite a lot of guests have said that.”

Even at Hyeonseong’s obviously sarcastic remark, the employee kept smiling.

‘…Doesn’t that side find this irritating too?’

Hyeonseong looked sidelong again at the other guest who had just entered. That guest, whose face was not even concealed, looked completely calm despite hearing such a ridiculous explanation of the rules.

‘If I think the timing is just a little too perfect… am I overreacting?’

She wondered if she was just being overly self-conscious, but the events of the previous day made it impossible to dismiss that possibility.

‘If I watch a little longer, I’ll know…’

It was just as Hyeonseong thought that and turned her gaze back toward the employee. The employee moved a hand to the communication device in their ear, and then a knocking sound was heard.

“Oh my. What kind of day is this? Another guest has arrived.”

Chuckling, the employee turned their gaze toward the door. At the employee’s words telling them to come in, the office door opened and yet another guest entered. This time, it seemed there were two of them together.

“Well now, what a rare occurrence. No fewer than three groups of guests arriving at nearly the same time.”

Once the third guest had taken a place inside the office, the employee said it with a look like they were enjoying this to death. Of course, no one responded to that remark.

“If another guest shows up now, even I think it’ll start getting rather troublesome. We should get to the main point quickly.”

Even while six people stared at them with grim expressions, the employee moved with an unconcerned face. After briefly returning to the desk, the employee took out three sheets of paper and handed one to each group along with a writing instrument.

“Please write the name of the item each of you wish to purchase on that paper, then hand it to me.”

It was a simpler method than expected. Still, it seemed better than saying the item name out loud.

‘The problem is…’

Before writing the item name, Hyeonseong glanced sidelong at the other guests. They were already writing something down on their papers.

‘This still feels really suspicious.’

Hyeonseong still found this entire situation suspect. The timing was too convenient.

‘The paper and pen themselves aren’t items, at least.’

For the time being, what Hyeonseong herself had in hand was just an ordinary object without any tampering. But there was no guarantee that all the paper and pens distributed by the employee were identical.

‘…Honestly, even if I think about that, it’s not like there’s anything I can do about it.’

If the employee was determined to run a scam, Hyeonseong had no way of stopping it. She did not have the ability to suppress them by force, and aside from a vague bad feeling, she had no logical evidence either.

‘…Then all I can do is jump in and see what happens.’

Hyeonseong wrote down “Thread Soaked in Sacred Blood” on the paper. She folded the paper with the item name written on it in half and submitted it to the employee.

“This is the last one.”

The employee said that while receiving Hyeonseong’s slip.

“Now then, let us check them right away. Shall we start with the one submitted first?”

The employee unfolded the slip they had received first and nodded. After checking the contents, they turned the slip face down and placed it on the table.

Next, they checked the slip from the second guest. The corners of the employee’s eyes twitched. This slip too was placed face down on the table.

Finally, the slip Hyeonseong had submitted was unfolded. The employee’s shoulders trembled after confirming its contents.

“Oh dear. My, my, things really can turn out this way, can’t they?”

After saying that, the employee finally burst into laughter, unable to hold it in anymore.

‘…Somehow, this really feels like it’s about to go in exactly the direction I was worried about.’

Ignoring the employee’s frivolous cackling, Hyeonseong flipped over the face-down slips one by one.

There was only one name written on all three slips.

[Thread Soaked in Sacred Blood]