Chapter 124

The very first thing we did upon arriving at the Grand Karman Hotel was have breakfast. After paying as non-guests, we went into the restaurant where they served it.

“I’m hungry.”

“Knew it.”

“You’re not?”

“Not really.”

Got off the plane and immediately looked for a cigarette, but no appetite? His nervous system had to be broken somewhere.

‘No wonder he makes a point of doing all the things that ruin your body.’

I glanced at Joo Seowon with a touch of pity, and maybe he felt it, because a sour reply came back.

“Hey. What’s with that? At this time of day it’s normal not to be hungry. You’re the weird one.”

“I didn’t even say anything.”

“Then what’s with that look?”

Instead of answering his pointless questions, I started filling my plate. After some grumbling, Seowon too eventually went silent and began getting food.

We sat down at the table we’d been guided to and started eating in earnest.

Halfway through my first plate, Seowon opened his mouth. He was finally explaining about the auction, something we’d put aside while eating.

“Like I said, the auction runs in two parts. Starting today for three days, first part from ten at night to midnight, second part from midnight to two a.m.”

“Right.”

“Before that, there’s a short gathering for people with invitations. Attendance is optional, but if you want information, you’d better go.”

A “short” party? Considering the size of the hotel and the caliber of guests, that word didn’t quite fit.

“What about identity checks?”

“They match you to the invitation. I arranged to borrow the seller’s passport. Better than forging something sloppy.”

“You settled with the seller?”

“Money.”

“Mm. Good.”

The invitation we’d bought belonged to Nagao Kikujiro, a Japanese man in his thirties. He was a B-rank hunter who’d attended every auction until now.

Most attendees were wealthy to the point where they wouldn’t budge for pocket change. In Nagao’s case, he’d recently dropped a fortune on an artifact, so just this once he was willing to sell the invitation.

Naturally, selling invitations was against the rules, but these kinds of rules always got bent.

“There’s only one invitation, so you’ll have to go in alone.”

“Fine by me.”

To enter the auction hall, you needed not just the invitation and passport but also an illusion item. Obviously, since I looked nothing like Nagao, I’d get caught no matter how lax their screening if I went in as-is.

That’s why we’d bought an East Asian man’s invitation. Even with illusion items, if the appearance was too different, it stood out. Not that the selection pool had been large anyway.

A Korean using a Japanese passport to scam his way in while in China. East Asia’s unholy trinity all mixed together. Perfect.

After finishing the last broccoli on my plate, I pushed it aside and jerked my chin.

“Want me to get you something?”

“Nah, I’ll finish this and go myself.”

“Okay.”

The restaurant wasn’t too crowded yet. While filling a plate again, I heard a voice from behind me.

“Oh, I was going to take some too. Could you pass the tongs?”

“Sure.”

I answered automatically before realizing the person had spoken to me in English. Who was this?

I turned to look. A tall woman was standing there, about eye-level with me.

‘A guest?’

Pulling up her status window, I saw she wasn’t an Awakened, just an ordinary guest. I lost interest and went back to piling food.

But we crossed paths again near the drinks corner.

“Are you from around here?”

I almost answered thoughtlessly to the casual question, then paused. She wasn’t Awakened, but there was still the chance she was tied to the auction. Maybe a lie was in order.

“Well... I live about two hours away.”

Two hours by plane, that is.

She nodded, face brightening as she started talking about herself.

“This is my first time here. My father’s Chinese, but I’m American, so my name’s Lydia. Lydia Lin.”

“Uh-huh.”

That was a lie.

Name: Kang Sojeong

Age: 30

Rank: –

Title: –

Main Skills: –

Growth Limit: –

I thought she’d just defaulted to English with a stranger, but now it felt suspicious.

‘What’s she playing at?’

There was more to it than a compulsive liar.

And she kept asking questions.

“What’s your name?”

“Sorry. Not comfortable giving out personal info.”

“Haha! Fair enough.”

I glanced over my shoulder—Seowon was staring at us, then shook his head. If he didn’t know her either...

‘The hell?’

Her name sounded Korean, but even accounting for a different nationality, “Lydia Lin” came out of nowhere.

‘Weird she’s even talking to me at all.’

It wasn’t unusual to use a fake name to hide your identity. But to walk up to someone at a hotel breakfast buffet and lie outright?

‘Should I test her?’

But then again, probing her when I hadn’t given my own info would be odd.

After a moment’s thought, I went straight to the point.

“Are you attending the auction today?”

If not, there was nothing else about her to care about.

She smiled like she’d been waiting for the question.

“No.”

‘Doesn’t ask which auction—so she does know it exists.’

She immediately followed with a question of her own.

“You are, right?”

“Yes.”

“I figured.”

“Why?”

“Just because.”

“......”

“You don’t believe that, do you.”

Her mouth twisted into a crooked smile as she explained calmly.

“I saw you pay the non-guest breakfast rate. You’re not staying here, yet you came first thing in the morning and are hanging around. Suspicious timing. And above all, you came with that man.”

“Hm.”

“If you’ve got a partner’s ticket, you can bring one guest into the auction. Judging by your attitude, the invitation is yours... so he’s the partner?”

“......”

“Anyway, two guys hanging around a hotel at this hour, at this time of year—it’s pretty obvious. You’re too young to claim you’re meeting a client.”

“Wow.”

Everything except “attending the auction” was completely wrong.

‘Talk about coincidence.’

We didn’t even have a partner’s ticket—we were planning to scam our way in with a purchased invitation.

Still, that wasn’t the important part. What mattered was why she was bringing this up.

I left out the scam part and said,

“Yeah, close enough.”

“Ah, good.”

She exaggerated a sigh of relief, and I smiled as ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) I asked,

“Why ask?”

She dropped her act and got to the point.

“I need to buy someone off, and I’m in a hurry.”

‘What the fuck...?’

Buy someone off? I didn’t react, and she continued explaining. It was less disclosure and more setting conditions.

“My invitation’s for the second day. But for some reason, the order of the auctions changed, and the item I need is on today’s list. If you buy it for me, I’ll pay you twenty percent extra.”

“......”

“What do you say?”

So she’d add twenty percent of the item’s price? This was an auction, not a store—how did she know what I’d bid? And making such a request of a stranger?

But before I could reply, she pulled out a slip of paper.

“Call me if you’re interested.”

Instead of a number, it said njmft23. Catching my glance, she added softly,

“Messenger ID. Shift each letter forward one place, each number back one place.”

“......”

“Anyway... let’s say before three this afternoon, if possible!”

With a deliberately breezy tone, she stuck the paper into the soft tofu on my plate.

“See you later.”

On my food, seriously... I looked down at the dirty slip stuck in my tofu. By the time I looked up again, she was already leaving the restaurant.

Back at the table, Seowon immediately pelted me with questions.

“What was that? You know her?”

“Of course not. First time I’ve seen her.”

“What did she want?”

Instead of answering, I picked up the slip and handed it to him.

“She gave me her contact.”

“...Her contact?”

“Yeah.”

“...Why?”

“Told me to call.”

“This bastard—hey. Answer the question properly! If I ask why someone died, are you gonna say their heart stopped?”

I ignored the nonsense like usual and looked down at the slip.

Do I... go with this?

‘Suspicious. Doesn’t know who I am, but still handed me this.’

But if she really was in a rush, it made some sense.

“There you go again, ignoring me.”

“Seowon.”

“...What.”

I finished my brief deliberation.

“Let’s go buy a phone.”

The more suspicious it is, the more you want to test it. That’s just how people are.