Chapter 59

Chapter 59

 

The next day.

Jeong Tae-won presented the artifact list before Lee Ha-kyung.

Thanks to that, Lee Ha-kyung was able to enjoy shopping at leisure.

“You must have worked hard investigating all this.”

“Not at all. For Association-owned items, exchange-circulated items, and Public Auctions, I simply brought the lists. I merely sent an official notice to each guild once.”

Indeed, the three categories he had mentioned first were somewhat lacking.

They were all only top-grade items or crafted equipment.

To begin with, artifacts were not items that were actively traded.

Especially in cases like longswords, where many people sought them out.

Even so, it was not as if there was nothing worth salvaging.

The final list.

Among the items sent by guilds, there was a weapon Lee Ha-kyung could use.

“But it just had to be something Raiders owns?”

“That is why I was a little conflicted, but I thought it would be better for you to make the judgment, Advisor, so I included it.”

“What do you think Master Choi Hyun-ki will say if I ask for this?”

“Uh......”

Jeong Tae-won could not easily open his mouth.

Lee Ha-kyung immediately gestured that it was all right.

“It is just a guess, is it not? Speak freely.”

“May I use direct speech?”

“Do as you feel comfortable.”

“Ahem! ‘That rotten bastard is requesting an artifact? He takes one position and his arrogance pierces the heavens. Tell him that if he has time to talk bullshit, he should install some common sense in his head instead.’ Would it not be something like that?”

“......”

For a moment, Lee Ha-kyung was at a loss for words.

Should he say the man was calm, but slightly insane?

This person did not seem normal either.

Of course, Lee Ha-kyung had no choice but to agree.

“It feels as if that old man is shouting directly into my ear. It was realistic and good.”

“Thank you. It was my first vocal impression, but it seems it was successful.”

Jeong Tae-won wore a satisfied expression.

Lee Ha-kyung shook his head from side to side.

‘He’s no less of a person than John.’

In any case, the Unfathomable-Grade artifact possessed by the Raiders Guild.

It seemed the “Snowstorm Sword” would be hard to obtain.

If the Association did not request it, they would send it to their Internal Auction.

Still, just in case, Lee Ha-kyung gave an order.

“Let us at least poke at them once.”

“Then I will send an official notice. If they ask who will use it, what should I say?”

“They might try to find fault later for no reason. Just answer honestly.”

“Understood.”

“Leave that side like that, and the second choice is....... This seems the best, at least.”

The one Lee Ha-kyung chose was “Crimson Edge.”

It belonged to one of the Four Great Guilds, with which he had almost no exchanges.

It was an artifact owned by Sharp Force.

It was a guild focused on Ranged Damage Dealers.

Its personnel composition was even more extreme than Raiders.

To the point that they filled all other positions with Guest Members.

Because of that, they held Public Auctions quite often.

At Lee Ha-kyung’s request, Jeong Tae-won immediately picked up his cell phone.

“I will ask whether they have any intention of handing it over to the Association.”

“Please tell them we will add a premium. We should buy it at a higher price than the market rate so they feel good about it, too.”

“An excellent choice, Advisor.”

After some time passed.

Jeong Tae-won ended the call.

Then he informed Lee Ha-kyung of the contents.

“Sharp Force has agreed.”

“Oh! Is that so? How much are they thinking?”

“Crimson Edge is a weapon specialized in defense shattering. Since it is in the form of a machete, demand is quite high. They say approximately seventy billion won.”

“That is not bad.”

“However, there is a separate reason they named this price.”

“What is it?”

“The Guild Master of Sharp Force wants to meet you, Advisor. He said he would like to trade in person.”

When Lee Ha-kyung stared silently, Jeong Tae-won shook his head.

It seemed they had not told him the reason why.

Lee Ha-kyung silently nodded.

“What could happen? I will go and return.”

“Then I will set the appointment.”

“Yes.”

Jeong Tae-won made another call.

And soon informed Lee Ha-kyung of the changed schedule.

Soon, with questions in mind, he headed toward the appointment location.

***

“Hey, bro. Is this really the contact location?”

“That is what I was told.”

“Ha! There should be a limit to playing a concept. Is the Guild Master some kind of gangster boss?”

John laughed in disbelief.

In truth, Lee Ha-kyung felt similarly.

The appointment location Jeong Tae-won had given him.

Because this place was an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.

When Lee Ha-kyung entered, sturdy men with fierce eyes were standing there.

“The Master is waiting. Please come this way.”

The atmosphere was threatening, but they did not act rudely.

Because there was no way they would fail to recognize Lee Ha-kyung’s face.

Soon, he was guided to a burning drum can in a secluded corner.

However, an unexpected person was waiting there.

A middle-aged man with a venomous expression.

The Master of the Raiders Guild.

Violet Magnum, Choi Hyun-ki.

Perhaps he had not expected to meet Lee Ha-kyung either.

He showed displeasure.

“Ahem! What exactly is this?”

He said it while looking at the bespectacled man sitting beside him.

This man was the Master of Sharp Force.

Cold Optic, Ryu Jeong-hwan.

His sharp eyes swept over Lee Ha-kyung and John’s entire bodies.

He did not even respond to Choi Hyun-ki’s question.

They seemed to be around the same age.

But it appeared Ryu Jeong-hwan held the initiative.

Lee Ha-kyung calmly received the other man’s gaze.

Soon, Ryu Jeong-hwan offered him a seat.

“Let us sit and talk first.”

“Very well.”

“I hear you want to purchase an artifact.”

“Yes. My weapon broke during battle.”

“It would not be completely destroyed under ordinary circumstances. You must have encountered a formidable enemy.”

“I did. But why did you call me here? If this was a trade, Association Headquarters would have been better.”

Ryu Jeong-hwan gestured toward Choi Hyun-ki with his chin.

It was nothing more than a simple gesture, but Lee Ha-kyung roughly understood the situation.

‘He knows that we also sent an official notice to Raiders.’

He had realized that much, but he had not yet heard the true purpose.

As Lee Ha-kyung merely stared at him silently, Ryu Jeong-hwan asked a question.

“The Snowstorm Sword possessed by Raiders, and Crimson Edge held by us. Which of the two would you like to buy?”

He had spoken indirectly, but there was one core point.

Snowstorm Sword was an Unfathomable-Grade weapon.

Crimson Edge was an Unknown-Grade weapon.

Naturally, the former was better, but there was the wall called Choi Hyun-ki.

A complicated situation.

He wanted to see what choice Lee Ha-kyung would make here.

‘What is this, an interview question?’

He wondered what in the world they were doing.

Even so, he had no intention of avoiding an answer.

What was there to this?

Would he run away like a coward?

Lee Ha-kyung looked at Choi Hyun-ki with emotionless eyes and said,“I should buy both.”

“What if I do not sell?”

“You asked what I would like to buy, so I simply answered as it is. If you do not want to, then never mind.”

“Hah! What is this....... I knew from long ago that you were this sort of bastard. Did I not say it? If you associate with someone like this, you will be stabbed in the back.”

Perhaps he thought this was his chance.

Choi Hyun-ki poured out venomous words.

Then Ryu Jeong-hwan slightly raised his left arm and stopped him.

“Interesting. You pierced through the essence of the question correctly. Indeed, I was not asking about possibility. In any case, thank you for the answer.”

“So, Master, will you sell it?”

“That is why I met you, of course. Let us begin the trade.”

“As I said in advance, I will add a premium. I will buy it for one hundred billion won.”

“......”

Perhaps Lee Ha-kyung’s statement had been fairly strong.

Silence arrived for a moment.

Choi Hyun-ki also seemed quite surprised.

No matter how well Awakened earned, thirty billion won was a fairly large sum.

Ryu Jeong-hwan also spoke with a slightly surprised expression.

“No, that is considerably higher than the market price.”

“You are accommodating me without a Public Auction. Should I not do at least this much?”

“Haha! If you do that, then we will be grateful.”

As the trade proceeded smoothly, Choi Hyun-ki’s eyes changed.

It seemed he had not expected Lee Ha-kyung to buy it at such a high price.

‘What? Is he not completely unwilling to sell?’

Apparently, money mattered more to him than resentment.

Or perhaps an artifact was an artifact.

And he considered his emotions separately.

In any case, it seemed the conversation was about to end like that.

However, Ryu Jeong-hwan opened his mouth again.

“In truth, a premium is not necessary. Let us trade for seventy billion won.”

“Why bother?”

“In exchange, I have one request.”

“If it is not difficult, I will hear it.”

He had saved thirty billion won.

What could he not hear out?

However, Ryu Jeong-hwan’s request was quite unexpected.

“We discovered a normal-scale Unfathomable-Grade dungeon in The Void. I want to form the team only with the best personnel. Would you join us?”

“I always welcome offers to participate as a Guest Member.”

“For reference, Raiders will be joining us as well.”

“......”

For a moment, Lee Ha-kyung was at a loss for words.

It had only been a few months since he had been stabbed in the back by Choi Hyun-ki.

Was he supposed to leave room for that to happen again?

Of course, this time, Sharp Force was leading it.

Even so, it could not help feeling uncomfortable.

However, Lee Ha-kyung soon regained his reason.

‘In truth, the bad blood is greater on their side. I got more than enough revenge.’

By defeating Champion Kim Tae-gwang, he had made Raiders a laughingstock.

And he had trampled them thoroughly in the Ranking Tournament as well.

The current score was three to zero.

Because of that, Lee Ha-kyung was sometimes called the “Bandit Slayer.”

Because he had beaten Raiders so often.

He nodded with a calm face.

“I do not mind.”

“Are you truly all right with it?”

“If they stab me in the back again, I will summarily execute them on the spot. That is all.”

When Lee Ha-kyung casually tossed out the sentence, Choi Hyun-ki’s face twisted.

He looked as though he would explode at any moment.

Of course, Lee Ha-kyung quickly changed his words.

“You know that was a joke, right?”

“Puhaha! Of course. If they were normal, they would not stab you in the back. And you would not retaliate either.”

It was a remark that clearly targeted Choi Hyun-ki.

Soon, Ryu Jeong-hwan told him the detailed personnel composition.

Fortunately, the Raiders Guild would only be providing Healers.

And all the Ranged Damage Dealers would come from Sharp Force.

In that case, there seemed to be no need to worry much.

Lee Ha-kyung recommended several Awakened, including John.

“If their schedules work, these people would not be bad either. They have also experienced an Extreme-Grade Medium-Sized Dungeon.”

He was talking about the Abyss of Proliferation he had cleared with Kang Woo-jin.

Ryu Jeong-hwan readily nodded.

“If they are skilled enough for that, then they would be more than welcome on our side. I will consider it carefully and contact you separately.”

“Yes, then. Let us finish the trade.”

Lee Ha-kyung transferred seventy billion won through the Association Guarantee System.

Then a guild member of Sharp Force brought out Crimson Edge.

It was a weapon with a bright red blade, as though it had been stained with blood.

Crimson Edge’s function was Shattering.

It was an ability that easily broke Defense, protective barriers, and the like.

That was why he had said even paying one hundred billion won would not have been a waste.

Because for a Melee Damage Dealer, it was a considerably effective option.

Lee Ha-kyung collected Crimson Edge.

Then he greeted Ryu Jeong-hwan.

“Thank you. I will see you on the day of the raid.”

“Yes, please return safely.”

He was walking out of the abandoned factory like that.

When someone suddenly followed behind Lee Ha-kyung.

It was the Master of Raiders, Choi Hyun-ki.

“W-Wait a moment.”

“Pardon? What did you say?”

“I said I have something to say, so wait!”

“If you speak in a voice that sounds like it is crawling into the ground, no one will understand.”

“Do not say nonsense. There is no way an Awakened could fail to hear even this.”

“That is right. I actually heard you.”

“You bastard, seriously?”

“So what is it you wish to say?”

When Choi Hyun-ki was about to flare up, Lee Ha-kyung quickly moved to the point.

Perhaps because he missed the timing to get angry.

His face merely turned red and blue.

In the end, Choi Hyun-ki had to begin speaking.

“The Snowstorm Sword we possess. Can you buy it for two hundred fifty billion won?”

Curse Breaker, which was also Unfathomable Grade, had been one hundred fifty billion won.

Even considering the high demand because it was a weapon.

The appropriate price would probably be around two hundred billion won.

It was fifty billion won too expensive, but Snowstorm Sword had that much value.

Because it was a highly versatile form, and its options were also extremely good.

After sinking into thought for a moment, Lee Ha-kyung answered calmly.

“I do not want to.”

“......”