UTC 17

Chapter 17

Baek Jin-seong exhaled a sigh.

The vacant lot where he had been trading just moments ago.

That was why troublesome people had gathered there.

“Bodyguards…?”

He subtly checked the bodyguards he had hired for today’s trade.

They kept shaking their heads repeatedly.

“As expected, they’re not exactly threatening me, so maybe this is a bit forced?”

The players hired as bodyguards would willingly fulfill their duties if Baek Jin-seong were in danger.

But starting trouble from their side was a whole different matter.

It would be one thing if he had a chance of winning.

But the people clinging to him now were big shots far beyond that level.

Well, thinking about it a little made it understandable.

He had now become the only bridge connecting him to the famous Neia.

“Ugh…”

He lifted his head and looked around.

Gu Byung-hoon of the Mir Guild.

He had appeared just as today’s trade was ending and people were getting happy.

Even if he tried to shake him off, Gu Byung-hoon would brush it off with a smile, showing no sign of leaving.

Well, it was the same for the others except Gu Byung-hoon.

‘They’ve increased again.’

A new face had been added among the major domestic guild officials.

Originally, apart from Gu Byung-hoon of the Mir Guild, there were only the Baekho Guild and the Myeongseong Guild, but now someone from the Cheongwol Guild had joined.

Baek Jin-seong let out a hollow laugh.

The longer he delayed, the more they multiplied.

‘Wait, is that the Arc Guild?’

Baek Jin-seong flinched when he saw the Arc Guild’s emblem.

There were foreign guild officials present as well.

All of them could be considered representatives of their respective countries.

And the Arc Guild wasn’t the top guild in the U.S., but it was ranked third. Despite being third, the Arc Guild was especially well-known.

Because it had him.

Miller, evaluated as the world’s top player.

That was why the Arc Guild’s reputation was significant.

‘Is that the Black Dragon Guild from China?’

There were also the Knights Guild from England, the Amaterasu Guild from Japan, and others.

The number of people was increasing rapidly.

‘So this is how big you are, huh.’

Apart from the genuine admiration that sprouted, this thought flashed in his mind.

‘Has this already slipped from my hands?’

He hadn’t even been able to convince Gu Byung-hoon alone.

How could he possibly handle a situation that had grown this large?

Still, he tried speaking to them.

“I’ll say it again, even if you wait here, it’s impossible to meet Neia, okay? I don’t even know her number.”

As expected, Baek Jin-seong spoke, but the people remained unmoved.

“We have nothing to worry about.”

“Just ignore us and carry on with your business.”

“If you’re uncomfortable, we’ll step back a little.”

They stepped back slightly while giving him subtle glances.

“Well, I kind of expected this…”

He seemed to understand their objective clearly.

Neia.

Because he had consigned items for sale.

They judged that by guarding the surroundings, they could meet Neia.

There was no need to play according to their plans.

“Should I just leave the tower for now?”

A rebellious thought flashed through his mind for a moment.

But Baek Jin-seong soon changed his mind.

Of course he had thought about it, but avoiding this place was only a temporary measure.

Unlike Neia, his face and real name were already widely known; even if he went outside, it was only a matter of time before they showed up.

Above all, he had one more task besides consignment.

Today’s mission included purchasing as well, didn’t it?

“This is driving me crazy…”

Ordinary players wouldn’t have a use for these items: self-growing stones, 암결 sand, magic stones, and more.

Among them were minerals he had never even heard of.

He hadn’t purchased them yet, so Baek Jin-seong felt anxious.

He couldn’t leave the tower.

If he left today, he wouldn’t be able to return before midnight.

‘What am I supposed to do, hyung?’

Anyway, he had to buy those items with today’s sales money.

But with those people clinging to him…

Normally, Neia’s side would have contacted him by now, but her silence felt frustrating.

Ding—

A message arrived in Baek Jin-seong’s mailbox.

The sender was the one he had been desperately waiting for.

Baek Jin-seong’s eyes, like a saint receiving a revelation, brightened as he read it.

“Neia’s message has arrived.”

The guild officials holding their ground nearby looked intrigued.

Baek Jin-seong relayed the message to them.

Immediately after returning from the void space, he checked the broadcast.

Having witnessed Baek Jin-seong surrounded by big shots, he shifted his gaze to the chat window.

• Neia’s form is insane.
• First time watching a recruitment battle live lol
• Talent even the Arc Guild would want, wow~

Guild officials, domestic and foreign, were gathered at the scene.

Looking at the chat, he quickly understood the situation.

‘Well, I guess something like this was bound to happen.’

It was faster and more proactive than expected, though.

After assessing the situation, the first thing he did was send a message to Baek Jin-seong.

“Is this enough?”

He sent the mail and watched the situation.

『Please inform them precisely that those who bother while waiting here will not be considered for any negotiations later.』

This was my message delivered through Baek Jin-seong.

Hearing it from someone else’s mouth, it sounded somewhat arrogant… but honestly, he didn’t care.

If they got angry and lost interest thinking it was cocky, that would be even better.

If they took the warning and stepped back, that would also be good.

There was no reason to act humble when going strong had no downsides.

• Wow, they’re really coming out strong…
• Lmao it’s the Arc Guild?
• And it works?

Guild officials who had been watching cautiously eventually handed their business cards and withdrew one by one.

『Please contact us. The Arc Guild will wait for Neia.』
『The Black Dragon Guild promises the best conditions, brother.』
『No matter what, shouldn’t compatriots join forces?』

…

They were speaking to Baek Jin-seong, but he knew the messages were ultimately for me, watching the broadcast from somewhere.

『Please contact the Mir Guild, we want to reward them and urgently negotiate.』

Finally, Gu Byung-hoon handed his business card and left.

“Is that it? Are there more left?”

The lingering players.

At first, he thought they were spectators.

But after the famous guild players disappeared, they approached.

• Thought they were just watchers lol
• Maybe from smaller guilds?
• Faces are unfamiliar
• Arc Guild got rejected too lol, where are they going?

But that assumption was completely wrong.

『We came after seeing your purchase post.』
『Me too… you’re buying 암결 sand, right?』
『I’m here for magic stones!』

They probably hadn’t approached earlier because of the obstructive players.

How much damage had they taken… Baek Jin-seong said.

『Ah, I will buy them. No haggling, but we follow the listed prices, right?』
『Yes, that’s fine.』

The material purchase began in earnest.

He watched for a while, but nothing unusual occurred…

Since the target amount was considerable, the boring period was expected to continue for some time.

“Maybe I’ll check the community for a bit.”

Community browsing was the best cure for boredom.

And honestly, he was a little curious too.

“Especially about the Lava Hound…”

The materials had been sold competitively at prices far exceeding the original targets.

He wanted to check the reaction.

He searched the tower community for the keyword “Lava Hound.”

Recent posts appeared one after another.

“More responses than expected.”

[What’s with the special effects?]
[Where did it come from?]
[Seems like an SSS-grade quest reward.]
[SSS-grade? Neia only cleared the 11th floor.]

From the existence of special effects to acquisition methods.

Many posts with speculation and interest.

[Wow, those claws sold out and are being resold in Lucid now?]
[Really? 2000 per claw… almost 4 times the initial price?]
[Isn’t it too expensive even considering special effects?]
[Maybe someone’s hoarding them?]

This was very good.

That they started selling for a high price in Lucid meant he could sell them at an even higher price tomorrow.

“Not much different from my own observation.”

The “information” he secretly hoped for in the community responses wasn’t really there.

The posts about special effects were mostly speculation.

He wanted to see if there were previous cases of someone selling similar items, how they acquired them, and compare why such effects appeared—but ultimately, it was a failure.

“Will special effects appear in the next gate too?”

At this point, he was already looking forward to the next gate.

Initially, it had felt like a disaster, but depending on the situation, it could be profitable.

With proper preparation, it was like handling a big-money event.

“They’re interested in purchases as well.”

[Neia bought a lot of magic stones.]
[What’s 암결 sand?]
[Self-growing stones are priced well, should I sell too?]
[Why would a normal player need purified crystals?]

After watching the community and seeing transactions settle, he wrote another system mail.

The recipient was, of course, Baek Jin-seong.

After sending the message and past midnight, when his access was reset, he entered the tower.

“This review looks decent.”

He set up lodging in Peronta’s high-level pavilion.

Soon, someone knocked at the door.

It was Baek Jin-seong.

He opened the door and let him in.

“You ended the broadcast as instructed, right?”

“Yes, hyung.”

He had instructed Baek Jin-seong to leave the tower before midnight, end the broadcast, and re-enter after access reset.

The reason for this inconvenience was purely because of the guilds that had given up and retreated earlier.

“There’s stuff?”

“Ah, I’ll bring it now.”

Baek Jin-seong placed sacks full of items from his inventory on the floor.

“Used all the sales money from the first day, but I couldn’t photograph all the materials. Too much quantity.”

Today’s transaction total would be roughly 15 billion.

Even after spending that much, he hadn’t acquired everything.

“Also, I bought some small quantities aggressively, so the price increased midway.”

“Well, that’s normal.”

Still, it seemed he had managed to gather nearly half of the quantity.

He agreed and began placing items in the inventory one by one.

Then Baek Jin-seong asked,

“Ah, what about these?”

He turned to see business cards.

They were the ones received from the guild officials earlier.

He took them and put them in his pocket.

Seeing that, Baek Jin-seong asked quietly,

“Are you going to contact the guilds?”

“Interested, are you?”

“No, just curious… hehe.”

From his tone, he seemed to expect he would tear them up or throw them away.

What does he take me for…

“Not exactly, but they might be useful later.”

Even aside from joining a guild, as a player he would have many interactions with them.

It wouldn’t hurt to keep them for the future.

He then handed over the items for tomorrow’s sale.

“All done with that.”

After completing the handover, he spoke to Baek Jin-seong, who was organizing his inventory.

“Prepare yourself now.”

“Huh? For what?”

“To clear the 12th floor.”

A day of rest was more than enough.