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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Auction and the Ring
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Villain life is incredibly busy, one might say.
Especially for someone like me, who harbors the grand dream of forming a villainous alliance.
First, simply planning a single act of terror takes an enormous amount of time. And then, luring other villains into the fold? Wow, even ten bodies wouldn't be enough.
Terrorism itself is no easy feat. Once the sun sets, a hero with an insane ability called 'Shadow Walker' suppresses any terror act within minutes of it starting, so the time being restricted to daytime is also a major problem.
Of course, that's not to say night isn't still the villains' time.
"Whew..."
On a dark street somewhere in Seoul.
In that deserted place, I was waiting for a car.
And as the appointed time arrived, headlights emerged from around the corner.
A black limousine was approaching me.
Then, the car stopped in front of me.
From it, a man in a suit and a mask fit for a masquerade ball opened the door, stepped out, and bowed to me.
"Good evening, sir. May I see your confirmation?"
In response to his words, I handed him a black and gold ticket from my pocket.
A VVIP ticket, hard-earned by tormenting Lee Seol-ah.
The man checked it for a moment, then, as if confirming its validity, bowed politely to me again and spoke.
"Thank you, sir. You are confirmed. Please, step inside."
Following the man who held open the limousine's back door, I entered.
The interior was upholstered in red leather.
I settled into the seat. Hmm, nice and plush.
"We shall depart now."
As the man in the front seat spoke, the car quietly began to move.
As the car gradually picked up speed, I leaned back in my seat, and the man in front handed me a mask.
"Sir. This is your mask. Please put it on."
So I received a mask that looked like something out of a medieval-era noble drama.
...I thought everyone already had basic perception-hindering abilities anyway, so what's the point of this?
The limousine continued to speed down the empty road, heading somewhere outside Seoul. Meanwhile, I just stared blankly out the window.
The place I was headed was an auction house.
And not just any auction house, but a global illegal one, the first of its kind to be held in Korea.
...I'm not sure why something like this still exists in 21st-century South Korea, but given that this world inherently has its flaws, I decided to just let it slide.
After driving for a long time, we arrived at an abandoned building in a secluded area.
The car then proceeded down into a parking garage-like space beneath the building.
"You may alight now."
I stepped out of the opened limousine.
Then, guided by a staff member, I followed.
Before my eyes, a new scene unfolded.
A vast, open space, dazzling chandeliers, and walls adorned with gold embroidery.
And, various people wearing elaborate masks.
Into this place, bustling with a vibrancy incomparable to the world above.
I, too, entered confidently, wearing my mask and suit.
This was the Excalibur Auction House, where people with overflowing wealth from all over the world gathered.
At the same time, it was also a tragic place where, at this very moment, a certain villain was destined to be born.
And I had come to stop that.
'...'
With a determined expression, I made my way to where the main auction was soon to begin.
...Though, truthfully, for such a 'determined' task, it mostly just involves throwing money around, but still.
*
I found my seat and sat down.
It was a dark space, with tiered seating arranged in a circle around a central stage where the auction would take place, much like a musical theater.
I sat in one of the seats and simply yawned.
When would it start?
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome."
Ah. It's starting now.
The lights came on on the stage, and the emcee appeared.
He said something or other, but I mostly tuned it out. Something about the auction having a deep history and tradition, about customers with discerning artistic tastes, and about how incredibly rare today's items were...
And then, finally, the main auction began.
"Our first item for today! A candlestick used during the Baroque period, an extremely rare find nowadays. We'll start the bidding at $3000!"
"$3200! $3200! Any other bids? Going once, going twice, sold! To bidder number 127. Thank you!"
"...This is a truly invaluable item. A blacklist leaked from the Egyptian government. We'll open for bids."
"This is one of the few rare items in the world that captures the image of the S-rank villain Kaelus, whose records have been erased. We'll start the bidding at $10,000!"
And as the stage lit up, items began to be sold in earnest.
This was the Excalibur Auction House, where all sorts of valuable goods could be sold, hidden from the eyes of the government and the association.
True to its reputation for selling anything that brings in money, from ancient artifacts to the latest government documents, it truly sold all sorts of bizarre things.
And it's even more amazing that there are people buying them. Everyone must have money to burn.
Anyway, these useless items weren't my interest.
I sat calmly, waiting. Waiting for the item I wanted to appear.
And how much time had passed?
Finally, the item I had been waiting for appeared on stage.
"This is the ring that B-rank hero Swordier of South Korea always wore during his lifetime. We acquired it after he dropped it in his final moments. We'll start the bidding at $6000."
Yes.
That ring.
The very ring that, in the original story, becomes the root cause of an S-rank villain's birth. I have to snatch it here. While no one yet knows its true value.
"$7000! $7000! Any more bids?"
"$7500! $7500! $8000! $8000! Any more?"
The auction house was heating up nicely.
And finally, a burly man on the other side flicked his finger.
"$10,000! $10,000! Any more? Then it's sold! Going once, going twice..."
And just as the emcee was about to declare it sold.
His eyes widened, having confirmed something.
"$50,000! $50,000!"
At the sudden fivefold jump in price, the emcee shouted, filled with excitement.
The other onlookers, who had been observing indifferently, were the same.
They wondered who the crazy person was, throwing money at such a seemingly useless item.
The one who bid $50,000 here was, naturally, me.
A true man knows how to bid boldly.
I glanced sideways and saw a man in a suit trembling.
That was the guy who almost won the bid with $10,000 initially, and who actually succeeds in the original story.
Ryu Jintaek, the CEO of VK Corporation. And one of the future S-rank villains.
In the original story, he buys the ring out of boredom at the auction and later realizes its power, using it to commit all sorts of evil deeds.
And with the immense power he gains from it, he becomes a significant obstacle to Lee Seol-ah's acquisition project.
Of course, now that I have this ring, that future won't come to pass.
Though he'd only thrown the bid out of boredom, perhaps having it snatched away still annoyed him, as he made a timid counter-bid.
"$51,000! $51,000!"
Yeah, screw that.
"$100,000!!! One hundred thousand! One hundred thousand! Any more bids? Then, going once, going twice, sold for $100,000! Thank you!!!!"
I could feel the murmurs of the people around me, watching me blow $100,000 on a mere ring that a B-rank hero once used.
The emcee seemed absolutely delighted, perhaps because he'd managed to sell it for such an inflated price.
I simply let out a chuckle, observing the boisterous atmosphere inside.
This was the most valuable item among everything presented today, you know.
If people had known the truth about this ring, its value would have soared past billions, even tens of billions, into the trillions. It wasn't something that could be bought with money in the first place.
And everyone here probably has hundreds of millions in capital as a baseline.
Anyway, having accomplished what I came for, I simply stood up. There was nothing else to see now.
After sneering at the trembling man beside me, I headed out and collected the item first.
A very ordinary-looking ring, with nothing but a purple, pearl-like gem set in its center.
I tucked the ring, along with its case, into my pocket and walked out.
Whew. One objective accomplished.
...But how do I get home?
***
Somehow, I made it back home, collapsed into bed as soon as I arrived, and woke up the next day.
"Oppa. What on earth was this thing that made you go out in such a fuss last night?"
Seo-eun asked me, her curiosity evident, as I polished the ring in the living room.
"The Ring of Sealing."
"Huh?"
"Our next act of terror will be with this."
"...No, seriously, what *is* this thing?"
"You'll see."
The purple orb embedded in the center of the ring.
I twisted it twice clockwise, then once counter-clockwise.
And, at the same instant.
A flash of light burst from the ring—.
[...Hmm? Who woke me?]
From the ring, a translucent figure wearing knight's armor, something one might see in medieval times, popped out.
"...What is *that*?"
Seo-eun was aghast, and the figure in black armor still looked bewildered.
In the midst of that chaotic situation, I merely stated calmly.
"Death Knight."
[Hmm? Are you speaking of me? My name is not that, it is Saint Pet—]
"No. From today, your name is Death Knight."
Death Knight just sounds cooler. From now on, your name is Deshik.