I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 45

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Inherited the Basement 1 of the Tower – Episode 45

Flash! Flash! Flash! Flash! Flash!
The bursting flashes obscured my vision.

“….”

My mood soured instantly.
I had no particular aversion to being photographed.
The problem was the light itself.
Given my status as Nix’s apostle, I held no fond memories of light.
Moreover, the helplessness of being unable to see—something I hadn’t experienced in ages—was deeply unpleasant.
Unlike ordinary people, I can see clearly even in darkness.
But when my vision is flooded with light like this, I’m rendered completely blind.

‘Blinding.’

The moment I squinted my eyes.

[Enough.]

The Association President’s voice emanated from the speakers.
The flashes soon ceased.

‘Ah.’

Unintentionally, my gaze must have been directed at the Association President.
It appeared as though I’d given him a pointed look, but I was genuinely grateful.
Fortune favors me today.

Flash! Flash! Flash—!
Some photographers persisted despite the Association President’s command.
But Gu Jang-hun stood beside them.

“…Sir? I think we just got caught in the same frame.”

At that moment, Min-hee whispered from behind me.
She said I’d told her to go ahead and even gave her time off.
But she felt uncomfortable going in alone, so she waited for me.
I had prepared on time myself.

-Huh, huh!? Why do we only have eight sets!?

Yahwi’s clumsiness delayed our departure.
The sheer number of eyes fixed on us made me acutely aware of my own standing.
It wasn’t particularly burdensome.
I’d already experienced public interest and criticism in equal measure, alternating between them.
This wasn’t something I could control, and it could change at any moment.
Unlike before, it no longer bothered me.

‘I’m a Hunter, not a celebrity who needs to worry about reputation.’

Beyond that, I’d be grateful if people viewed me favorably, but I wouldn’t modify my plans out of fear of negative opinions.

‘Still, it would be nice to brag about this to Yahwi’s family later.’

The reason everyone had gathered today was because of an auction.
It wasn’t an exclusive interview or program where I was the main focus.
Still, with this many camera flashes going off, it would end up somewhere—whether on Hunter Net or television.
I spoke to Min-hee, who was still hesitating behind me.

“Why? Are you worried you’ll look less pretty if you’re photographed with me? Don’t worry. You look plenty beautiful right now.”

I said it sincerely and calmly.
She must have gotten her makeup done somewhere fancy.
For a Hunter featured in places like Hunter Net, she’s impressive.

‘Ugh, this seems like it’ll be annoying.’

I had no intention of objecting.
Appearance is also a competitive advantage in this society, and Min-hee is now one of my employees.
Finding competent employees isn’t easy, you know.
I’m just grateful.

“…It’s nothing. Let’s go inside.”

Min-hee poked my back repeatedly.
Despite having plenty of experience standing before crowds, she had a tendency to feel oddly self-conscious about it.
We stepped into the auditorium.

“Huh?”

Hyeon-jun appeared near the podium.
I felt an unexpected sense of pride.
It seemed like just yesterday he was complaining about being a low-ranking bureaucrat.
It appeared he’d climbed quite high within the Association in the meantime.
Moreover, I’d heard he’d recently reached Level 10, and his physique had improved noticeably.
Hyeon-jun recognized me and greeted me with a nod, so I waved back lightly.

“…!”

Hyeon-jun’s face went rigid.
Another barrage of flashes erupted.

Whish-whish-whish-whish-whish-whish!

This time the flashes came from behind me, so it didn’t bother me.
Hyeon-jun would be the one blinded by them.
This time, the Association President didn’t actively try to stop it either.
Rather than because I hadn’t requested it, his expression seemed oddly satisfied.
Why was that?

‘Does he have a particular fondness for Hyeon-jun?’

If so, that was a good thing.
I took my seat.

Zing-! Zing-!

My phone vibrated intensely.
I checked it discreetly.

[From: Hyeon-jun.]
-What the hell are you doing, you crazy bastard.
-How could you wave at me like that.
-I’m just a low-ranking civil servant and you greeted me so now people think I’m someone important and took photos.

The message was so urgent that there wasn’t a single space between the words.

-If you’re my friend, that makes you someone important, doesn’t it.

And he still didn’t understand that.

“Besides the Association President, do you have other acquaintances?”

It was Jeong Min-hee.
I answered casually.

“A friend.”
“Oh, impressive connections.”
“Just one of ten people in my contacts.”
“You only have ten people in your contacts?”

This woman.

“…Yes. A real estate company owner, my previous landlord, the Association President, Min-hee, Hunter Gu Jang-hun, Ahn Jae-jun, a penalty collector from Taesan, and that friend. Eight people total.”
“…Wow. With only ten contacts, you have one S-rank hunter and two A-rank hunters. One of them being the Association President.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“By the way, I’m the only woman here? I’m starting to get the wrong idea.”
“No. The penalty collector from Taesan and my previous landlord are both women.”
“Ah, I see.”

While we exchanged these trivial jokes.
The auction soon began.

[Now, we will begin the auction for the first strategy guide.]

Along with the Association President’s announcement.
Someone from a distant seat shouted loudly.

“5 million won!”

[Sage Guild’s Park Jin-woo, 5 million won.]

“…!”

I hadn’t expected the Association President to announce both the guild affiliation and name so loudly.
How considerate of him.
Though he clearly didn’t care about the person in question’s feelings.
Those who knew the market price for conquest rights chuckled knowingly.

“Did you hear? 5 million won.”
“Park Jin-woo from the Sage Guild.”
“But doesn’t the Sage Guild have quite a bit of money? Their business is thriving.”
“Don’t even mention it. Apparently they’ve been spending heavily on their budget to create holy power items lately.”
“Hah. They must be in quite a rush. But if they manage to create holy power items, that’s a jackpot.”
“Absolutely. They could just sell to the people who won the conquest rights and recoup their entire investment with profit to spare.”

The murmuring was brief,
as competitive bidding erupted from all corners.

“10 billion!”

[Moru Guild, Yang Jun-seo, 10 billion won.]

“15 billion.”

[Hero Guild, Choi Hyeok-jun, 15 billion won.]

Some guilds I recognized, others I’d never heard of before.
As multiple bidders competed,

“…30 billion!”

[Artist Alliance Guild, Kim Hee-yeon, 30 billion won.]

The price of the first conquest right had finally soared to 30 billion.

“30 billion and 10 million won!”

[Otugi, 30 billion and 10 million won.]

Even corporations that weren’t guilds placed bids.
While corporations did invest in and sponsor specific guilds for branding purposes, and even directly established guilds, so they weren’t entirely unrelated.
Among hunters from corporate backgrounds, none had yet been known to excel in special dungeon floors.
It was purely for promotional purposes.
Watching it unfold felt like some kind of show.
Everyone amicably raised the price bit by bit while promoting their own guilds.

‘This is getting tedious.’

Just when I thought this peaceful bidding would continue.

“100 billion won.”

A major player had made a move.
The voice was arrogant, but the price offered was anything but arrogant.

“…Did you hear that?”
“I thought I misheard for a moment.”
“100 billion? That’s insane.”

Meanwhile, the Association President announced it in a calm, matter-of-fact voice.

[Aristocrat Guild, Jinhyeok. 100 billion won.]

Only then did gasps erupt from those around us.
The name of the Aristocrat Guild carried that much credibility.
There were exceptions among the corporate cases I mentioned earlier.
For example, when an owner awakens and most of their family awakens as well.
When they accumulate greater wealth through existing capital and the power of awakening.
That was the conglomerate guild, the “Aristocrats.”
A new form of established privilege that survived the wealth redistribution phenomenon that occurred after the Tower appeared, and thus became even more powerful.
The guild master had five children, and only the youngest was born a son, who reached level 10 this year.
That was Jinhyeok.

“…110 billion won!”

Despite this, there were still those who attempted to bid.
After all, the market price for a clearance right ranged from hundreds of billions to trillions of won.
A hundred billion would have been worth attempting.
But then.

[Open Guild, Park Eun-]

“200 billion.”

[Aristocrat Guild, Jinhyeok, 200 billion won.]

Before the Association President could even finish announcing the bid, the price had doubled.

“….”

Silence fell over the auction hall.

[…3, 2, 1. Aristocrat Guild, Jinhyeok, sold.]

Everyone had concluded there was no chance of winning against the Aristocrat Guild.
It was an unspoken agreement to let them win this one and compete among themselves for the remaining rights.

[We will now begin the auction for the second clearance right. Those wishing to bid, please raise your hand and state your price.]

Whether it was due to the Aristocrat Guild’s display of power,
or because the guilds and companies had completed all their promotional activities,
no one without genuine intent to win placed any further bids,
and the remaining clearance rights were sold off smoothly.

[Taesan Guild’s Yang Sang-jin, sold.]
[Taesan Guild’s Park Seong-cheol, sold.]

‘As expected, you showed up too.’

Park Seong-cheol had become a member of the clearing party, just as I’d anticipated.
Not only that, but there was also another Taesan Guild member named Yang Sang-jin.

‘Taesan Guild. They certainly have deep pockets.’

Clearing guides don’t come cheap, yet he purchased two of them.
It was financial power befitting the reputation of Korea’s number one guild.
The other person matched Choi Hyeon-min’s prediction.

[Park Eun-ji of the Open Guild, sold to the highest bidder.]

‘Is it her?’

The girl from the photograph Choi Hyeon-min had shown me.
She was genuinely dressed in martial arts robes.
Yahwi would be delighted to see her.
Or was it the opposite?
I wondered how the members of the Open Guild would react upon seeing Yahwi, a true martial artist.
The thought intrigued me.

“…Do you know her? She looks young.”
“She’s not someone I know personally. I simply had a request regarding her.”

I committed Park Eun-ji’s appearance to memory.

[Next, I shall place a bid myself.]

Then came a shocking statement from the Association President.

[While unprecedented, there are no regulatory issues with this.]

A definitive statement.
The auction was held under the Association’s auspices.
Whether actual regulations existed for this was uncertain.
However, once the Association President invoked regulations, no one would object as long as it wasn’t inhumane.
Moreover, he wasn’t using the designation right again.
He was following the same bidding format as everyone else.
The only concern was where the winning bid amount would go.
If it went to the Association,
that would be unreasonable.
But.

[500 billion won. Should I win the bid, I will donate this sum to the special dungeon layer clearing team and use it for the team’s supplies.]

The Association President had political savvy.
He left no room for objection.
There wasn’t a single voice of opposition at the scene.

[Of course, I’d love to conquer it myself. Unfortunately, it’s over level 10. Therefore, the successful bidder is….]

The Association President tapped the man beside him.

[This fellow right here. Hyeon-jun, awarded.]

Flash! Flash! Flash! Flash! Flash! Flash!

The cameras flashed once more.
But this time, Hyeon-jun’s expression was calm.
If anything, I could sense his resolve.
He suddenly moved his phone quickly.
A moment later.

Zing—.

A text arrived.

[From: Hyeon-jun.]
-Did I fool you?
-I’m not just some grunt.
-I’m a hunter willing to risk my life conquering special dungeon floors for Korea’s national interest, you know.
-The timing for the flash to go off was supposed to be now.

I chuckled when I read that message.

-Kid, you’ve grown a lot.

[From: Hyeon-jun.]
-I was already a bit taller originally.
-Everything I said before was just joking around.
-It’s all thanks to you. The promotion, the bonus, reaching level 10, and being entrusted with this honorable mission—all of it.

I lifted my head.
In turn, Hyeon-jun was waving his hand at me.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!

The camera flashes erupted once more in a frenzy.

* * *

Afterward, the auction for the remaining conquest rights proceeded.

[Sung Woo-jae of Vigilante Guild. Sold.]
[Park Do-hyeon of Unnamed Guild. Sold.]
[Yoon Seo-rin of Central Guild. Sold.]

All three, along with Taesan and Open, represented South Korea’s five major guilds.
Given their scale, the conquest rights were naturally awarded to them.
However, the problem came next.
It arose with the ninth and tenth successful bidders.
The Association President was not a judge.
And yet.
For the first time, he seemed at a loss for words, simply staring at the successful bidders.

“What is this? Who on earth are they?”
“Are they incredibly famous?”
“Everyone who’s come out so far has been from the five major guilds. What guild could possibly be more famous than them?”

But moments later.
Words no one had anticipated came from the Association President’s lips.

[…A face I’ve never seen before. Tell me your name.]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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