"If Miss Kagamori truly believes I'm a plant, then you're more than welcome to withdraw from the bidding. In that case, the black market would only be hurting itself."
Ren Kuroda couldn't have cared less about Kagamori Aoi's accusation. He was genuinely determined to secure this Serum Inhibitor, no matter what.
For a long time now, Ren had been troubled by a problem that weighed heavily on his mind—a problem that stemmed from his mother, Amamiya Masami.
After giving birth to his younger sister, Amamiya Ruki, who had been born with extraordinarily powerful innate yokai energy, Masami's health had never fully recovered.
As half-yokai, both Ren and Ruki possessed extraordinarily long lifespans. But Masami was an ordinary human.
With her frail constitution, forget accompanying Ren and Ruki throughout their long lives—she likely wouldn't even live as long as an average person.
Ren had spent years searching for a way to change that, yet every attempt had ended in failure.
It wasn't until the emergence of so-called "yokai serum" that a promising idea finally took shape in his mind.
The plan was simple in theory: first, use yokai serum to strengthen Masami's physical constitution. Then, use yokai energy crystals to further remodel her body—ultimately turning her into a half-yokai like Ren and Ruki.
The idea existed.
But there was a fatal problem that had prevented Ren from ever putting it into action.
Masami's body was already weak—could she really withstand the corrosive effects of yokai serum?
The appearance of the Serum Inhibitor solved that problem perfectly.
An S+-rank Serum Inhibitor, one that even the System judged to be one-of-a-kind—Ren had no choice but to take it.
Forget ten billion yen.
Even if it cost one hundred billion, he would sell everything he owned to get his hands on it.
First, secure the Serum Inhibitor.
Then, prepare the yokai serum Masami would need.
Since this serum was for his own mother, Ren naturally had no interest in so-called "precious" A-rank serums.
If it was for her, then even if he couldn't obtain an SS-rank, it would have to be S+ rank at the very least.
"1.1 billion yen. If you can go higher than that, I'll withdraw."
Kagamori Aoi glared at Ren with clear displeasure as she spoke. This was genuinely the highest price she could offer.
"Then I'll make it 1.2 billion yen, just so you won't say I'm a plant."
The two A-rank yokai serums earlier had already brought Ren 3 billion yen in profit, so calling out 1.2 billion felt effortless.
And an S+-rank item selling for just 1.2 billion yen?
To Ren, that was practically the same as picking it up off the ground.
Once Kagamori Aoi withdrew from the bidding, Ren was left with virtually no competition. The Serum Inhibitor was secured for 1.2 billion yen.
Most of the people present now looked at Ren with the unmistakable expression reserved for idiots.
Kagamori Aoi was willing to spend that much because she had just purchased an A-rank serum and urgently wanted to boost her strength.
But Ren buying this inhibitor?
That was pure waste.
What—was he planning to spend 1.2 billion yen just to suppress a B-rank yokai serum?
A-rank yokai serums were exceedingly rare. Unless Ren already had one of that level or higher, using the Serum Inhibitor was nothing short of sacrilege.
After all, the amount he had just paid was enough to buy several B-rank yokai serums outright.
And as for the black market's claim that the inhibitor couldn't be mass-produced?
Most people treated that as empty talk. Give it a few months, and these inhibitors would undoubtedly flood the market.
"He's still too young. No idea which family's rich kid this is—when he gets home, his legs will probably get broken by his elders.Spending 1.2 billion yen on a reagent that could become commonplace any day now… truly stupid and rich."
Ren paid no attention to the mockery around him.
The truth was always in the hands of the few.
They saw him as a fool—but in Ren's eyes, they were no different.
"Now then, this auction is nearing its conclusion. Our final item is something extraordinarily rare and precious—something I believe will stir everyone present."
Kuroichi's words once again drew all eyes to the stage. In truth, everyone had already been intensely curious about the final item.
After all, even A-rank yokai serums and the Serum Inhibitor hadn't been worthy of the final spotlight.
That could only mean one thing.
The last item was even more valuable.
"Please take a look. Many of you may not recognize the blue crystals in my hand, so allow me to briefly explain their effects."
She removed the black cloth, revealing a small tray holding a pile of deep-blue crystals, each one gleaming with an enchanting luster.
Carefully picking one up, Kuroichi addressed the crowd.
"These are called Spirit Power Crystals. As the name suggests, they are crystallizations of pure spiritual energy.
"Their effects are simple yet astonishing—they permanently increase the user's spiritual power with no side effects. They can also be consumed in emergencies to restore depleted spiritual energy.
"According to the consignor, because these are lower-grade crystals, they are only effective for users below A-rank spiritual power.
"For those at A-rank or above, they can still restore energy, but the permanent increase becomes negligible."
The moment Kuroichi explained their effects, skepticism erupted across the hall.
Spiritual power cultivation was notoriously difficult. How could something exist that boosted it quickly—and without side effects?
But Kuroichi had clearly anticipated this reaction. With Ren's prior permission, she was allowed to use one crystal as proof.
Soon, an exorcist whose spiritual power was only D-rank was brought onto the stage.
Under countless watchful eyes, he absorbed a lower-grade Spirit Power Crystal—
And in an instant, his spiritual power burst through D+, reaching C- rank.
Lower-grade Spirit Power Crystals were one rank above inferior crystals, and the user had been merely D-rank to begin with. The massive influx of spiritual energy caused him to break through two ranks in succession.
If it had only been one breakthrough, people might have claimed it was staged.
But two ranks?
That was unheard of.
Any remaining doubts about the Spirit Power Crystals vanished.
"And here's an even more exciting piece of news," Kuroichi continued calmly."These crystals can be used even by ordinary people with no spiritual aptitude.
"As long as their bodies can survive the impact of spiritual energy, even a normal person can gain spiritual power.
"Though this power cannot be improved through training and can only grow by absorbing more crystals… at the very least, they will possess spiritual power."
As the crowd was still reeling from how absurdly powerful the Spirit Power Crystals were, Kuroichi casually dropped this bombshell.
Exactly as she'd predicted, the auction hall exploded.
Under intense pressure from those present, the auction had to be temporarily suspended.
The appearance of Spirit Power Crystals carried strategic implications far beyond what the people here could decide on their own.
Family heirs began urgently contacting their elders, asking them to come take control.
"Yes—yes, I saw it myself. That D-rank exorcist jumped straight to C- after absorbing the crystal.Even the black market wouldn't dare deceive this many families."
"Yes, Clan Head, I'm on-site. The auction has been suspended, and our rival family has already arrived."
Calls were made nonstop.
Everyone understood what Spirit Power Crystals represented.
Soon, the underground auction hall—once spacious—became unbearably crowded as waves of newcomers poured in.
The head of the Kagamori family arrived.The Jido family and the Higun family arrived as well.Beyond the heads of the Thirteen Yokai-Slaying Houses, numerous top-tier exorcist families—such as the Yamato clan—also appeared.
Even Ren hadn't expected that Spirit Power Crystals—items no longer useful to him—would cause such an uproar.
Nearly half of Tokyo's exorcist forces had now gathered at this auction.
And they all had the same goal.
The gleaming blue crystals on the stage.
"Before, when Aoi told me about them, I didn't believe such crystals could exist.But seeing them up close now, I have no doubts.
"You can all feel it too, can't you? The dense spiritual aura radiating from them—as if these crystals were truly condensed from spiritual power itself. It's unbelievable."
The Kagamori family specialized in sealing techniques, making them especially sensitive to the flow and nature of spiritual energy.
The moment the family head saw the Spirit Power Crystals, he realized they were formed from absolutely pure spiritual power, without a trace of impurity.
"There are ten Spirit Power Crystals in total. Since they won't be auctioned individually, the starting bid is 500 million yen.
"If funds are insufficient, barter-based transactions are also acceptable."
Seeing that the main buyers had finally arrived, Kuroichi ignored the buzzing crowd below and formally announced—
The auction had resumed.