Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 146

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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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146. International Auction (2)
The year-end international auction was far larger in scale than the Guild Conference. This wasn’t merely a gathering of advance teams like before.
It was quite a substantial event, drawing mid-to-upper tier guilds, advance teams, nations, and corporations alike.
Still, I recognized several familiar faces—primarily advance teams from nations I’d met during the Guild Conference.
Beyond them, I spotted renowned entrepreneurs and even the Tower Master of the American Central Magic Tower.
‘The atmosphere is surprisingly quiet.’
The Auction House was quieter than I’d anticipated. Their conflicting interests created that tension.
Particularly, the mood among Hunters actively engaged in Gate subjugation was decidedly cold.
Those who didn’t participate in Gate raids were taking away weapons, secret techniques, and elixirs—a significant loss for those risking their lives.
Elixirs especially. Occasionally, wealthy individuals consumed them like tonics or health supplements.
Even ordinary people experienced improved skin and enhanced health from them.
‘Usually, people consume them in secret.’
If discovered, one faced nationwide criticism. Resources meant for Hunters fighting for their lives were going to the wealthy instead.
There had actually been cases where famous celebrities secretly consumed elixirs, lied about it, and subsequently fell from grace.
The American Central Magic Tower was no exception.
Recently, conscious of public opinion, they’d been cooperating with the American Hunter Association on training facilities and equipment optimization.
‘But their fundamental nature leans toward magical research.’
They were objects of disdain for Hunters who practiced magic.
The figure most embroiled in such controversy was likely Demian Rock, the Central Tower Master himself.
A renowned entrepreneur as well, he’d faced criticism for collecting not just elixirs but secret techniques and magical artifacts for research purposes.
However, unlike others who merely talked, he actually entered Gates occasionally.
Similar to Min-jae’s craftsmanship, pure magical research wasn’t conducted passively—I understood his level reached around 40.
The problem was he only entered under extremely secure conditions. In other words, his purpose wasn’t Gate subjugation.
-The mages who criticize me do so out of envy.
He’d even made such an outrageous statement. Well, some certainly criticized out of jealousy, but it didn’t sit well with me either.
Perhaps because of this, the Auction House’s atmosphere was heavy. Beyond these issues, it was also a competitive arena.
Even among acquaintances, interactions were limited to nods, with everyone seated and waiting for the auction to begin.
However, it seemed this didn’t apply to us.
People approached us first, even when we remained still. Perhaps because we were the guild everyone was talking about.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m….”
“Demian Rock. Would you perhaps be interested in collaborating with our Central Magic Tower….”
“Could we possibly take a photo together?”
Quite a few people approached, introducing themselves.
I accepted them appropriately. There were so many I struggled to remember their names.
“The auction will commence shortly. Those in attendance, please take your seats….”
Finally, we got some respite once the Auction House announcement began. I felt drained even before it started.
We sat near Seo-ung and the Korean Hunter Association staff. Several Korean guilds had come as well.
Saebyeokbit, Daeup, and Chulbyeok. We didn’t acknowledge Daeup, and merely exchanged nods with Saebyeokbit and Chulbyeok.
And finally, the international auction began.
“Welcome! We extend our deepest gratitude to all of you for participating in this year-end international auction.”
The auction began with B-grade items. Perhaps they couldn’t start with something too cheap for the opening.
“Our first item up for auction is B-grade: Marksman’s Gloves!”
“While I can’t disclose the detailed specifications, I’d recommend them to any Rogues who favor bows.”
Since it wasn’t suited to our Guild, we didn’t bid.
* * *
Lightning bombs, thermal cloaks, healing earrings, wind-speed necklaces, gravity-generating spheres, magical scrolls….
The early portion of the auction featured mostly C to D-grade items.
Consumable items like lightning bombs and gravity-generating spheres were essentially grenades of sorts.
We’d never seen them before, but they occasionally drop from Gates.
‘Most Hunters keep a few on hand for emergencies.’
While most Hunters directly engage monsters, these are useful when enemies swarm and you need area-of-effect attacks.
Thermal cloaks, for instance, are necessary when you lack cold resistance. Their performance varies by grade.
“They’re starting with lower grades. Should we take it easy at first?”
“That’s usually how it goes. This is my first auction too.”
“Exactly. There are three time-honored reasons for it.”
Han Chul interjected into my conversation with the Mister.
“The opening helps participants relax and develop a bidding rhythm. Also, if you start with overly expensive items, people aren’t psychologically prepared, so competition doesn’t ignite.”
“Ah?”
“So typically, items with high probability of sale are presented first. High-value rare items appear in the middle section. When the atmosphere is heated.”
“So they’re exploiting competitive psychology?”
“Yes. It drives prices up.”
Listening to this explanation, it made sense. Auctions have a long history, after all. The organizers must have accumulated considerable expertise.
“That’s fascinating.”
“Ha, I picked that up when I first attended myself.”
Except for one B-grade item that appeared midway, nearly all C to D-grade items moved quickly through the auction.
Even when competition arose, it stopped at reasonable prices.
“Next… B-grade item: Medium Expansion Backpack!”
And an item signaling the beginning of the auction’s middle phase emerged.
“An expansion backpack?”
“Oh?”
The Auction House suddenly stirred. Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Those who’d been watching expressionlessly suddenly began whispering urgently among themselves.
Understandably so. Expansion backpacks were quite rare.
To illustrate their rarity: they appear less frequently than skill level-up books. Because of this, even advance team members couldn’t necessarily guarantee owning an expansion backpack.
A B-grade medium expansion backpack would be roughly four to five times the size of a standard backpack.
“….”
The moment the expansion backpack appeared, I felt people glancing at me. I knew why.
‘Right. There’s a walking inventory standing right here.’
Receiving those gazes, I simply flashed them a grin. I could see the Association staff members sigh quietly.
With a human inventory present, they must feel helpless about the prospect of competition over that item.
“The opening bid is 100 billion.”
To be honest, I couldn’t speak English at all, so I had no idea what was being said—but Han Chul explained everything clearly from beside me.
He even converted the amounts to match Korean currency.
“200 billion!”
The Saudi delegation immediately entered the bidding.
“Wow, double right from the start.”
“They’re coming in strong.”
“Most vanguard teams don’t have expansion packs. Even if one does, two would be better.”
“Right. Five packs is basically one party’s entire luggage, so you have to bid on it.”
Everyone was serious, but our guild alone seemed relaxed—it was almost amusing.
Then China, the United States, and Russia joined the competitive bidding.
“300 billion!”
Korea had apparently given up long ago. No matter how strong a hunter nation we are, competing on financial scale isn’t easy.
Still, Seo-ung wore a faint smile without any regret.
“It’s all thanks to Han Hye.”
Our eyes suddenly met, and perhaps embarrassed at being caught smiling, he scratched the back of his head before continuing.
The ironic thing was that this item exceeded my contract value.
Was that why everyone looked at me? Out of regret?
Min-jae, watching the auction, seemed to sense something odd and tilted his head.
“That item has exceeded my contract value by seven times?”
“It’s even higher than mine.”
“Isn’t that too much of a bubble? Do hunters get paid so little?”
“Auction fever always drives prices higher than their actual value.”
Han Chul laughed watching us converse.
“And high-grade items are inherently more valuable than hunter contracts.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s a matter of supply and demand. Nations and corporations seek items. Top-tier hunters also invest their earnings into items.”
I nodded, understanding that I wasn’t knowledgeable about such matters.
From what I heard, when an established hunter renegotiates their contract, nations pay close attention to what items they possess.
It directly affects their survival. It was similar to Liu Zhen’s blade belonging to China.
Items were expensive because, unlike hunters with contract periods, national ownership persisted as long as they weren’t lost inside a Gate.
“And truthfully, hunters at the vanguard level are obsessed with combat rather than money.”
Han Chul continued with a smile.
“Without a desire for growth or enjoyment in hunting monsters, survival becomes difficult.”
Certain people immediately came to mind.
Shin Chang and Fist King.
I hadn’t met Fist King directly, but like Shin Chang, he certainly seemed to be someone obsessed with combat.
“Right. Otherwise, you couldn’t become a vanguard member.”
I agreed with the sentiment that while earning more money is nice, you can’t rise high without becoming that kind of person.
It’s no coincidence that safety-focused teams grow slower. They don’t risk their lives.
Vanguard members are people who enter Gates each time prepared to face death. They’re driven by duty or vengeance rather than money.
Statistics show that most of the advance team had experienced losing family, friends, or relatives during Gate incidents.
“Of course, there are those who only care about money. But since the top-tier Hunters take a reasonable cut, nobody can go beyond that.”
Somehow, conversing with Han Chul felt more entertaining than the auction itself. Was it because I hadn’t found any items that caught my interest yet?
While I was chatting with Han Chul, the backpack auction came to an end.
“530 billion! Sold!”
A victory for the Saudi side. I had brought 500 billion won with me. It was absurd that I couldn’t even afford this single item.
“It’s a valuable item, but Saudi definitely overpaid. Russia’s side played the role of a decoy well. They had no intention of buying it from the start.”
It was Han Chul’s brief assessment as an experienced participant.
“Well, Saudi has money overflowing, so there’s no problem for them.”
* * *
Even as the auction passed the midpoint, no items that truly appealed to me had appeared.
I was beginning to understand why only some of the advance team Hunters participated.
‘The truth is, I’ve already secured most of the items I need.’
There was also the fact that it was rare to find items that perfectly matched my Guild’s situation. Perhaps because of that, elixirs were surprisingly popular instead.
I didn’t regret participating. I came for the experience, after all. I had thought it was unlikely that items Chun-bae knew about would appear.
‘Given how many Gates there are, Chun-bae doesn’t actually know that many of them.’
Simply watching the auction itself was enjoyable. It was my first time at an auction, after all. This was experience too.
It would help when I participated in the future and bid on items I liked.
‘Hmm. Should I raise it more? Or should I go all in with a huge jump?’
I was even conducting mock auctions in my head right now. If I raised the price, would my opponent follow?
I was deliberating whether the amount I was thinking of in my head was lower or higher than the true value of the item.
“Next, we have an A-grade item! Flaming Wings!”
As the auctioneer spoke, the item was revealed. It was contained in a glass bottle, and the flames were alive.
It looked as if living flames were fluttering with wings.
“The detailed specifications cannot be disclosed, but this will certainly be helpful for those who use flame-related skills!”
Hmm? That one actually caught my interest. I was already using Scorching Blaze, an S-grade flame skill. It was definitely worth purchasing.
My Guild members looked at me, and people outside my group also turned their gazes toward me. I could feel the competitive spirit.
There were many mages who primarily used flame-related magic. This was worth investing in within my available funds.
But there was something that gave me certainty about my thoughts.
-Han Hye, you must purchase this.
‘Does it help that much with flame-related skills?’
-More than that, this item has something hidden. It’s like a hidden dungeon in a Gate.
Really?
Then I absolutely had to purchase it. Whether I took out a loan from the Korean Hunter Association or not.
“The starting bid is 30 billion!”
“50 billion!”
The director of the American Central Magic Tower raised their hand. Was that because it affected magic?
I heard that when it comes to magic, people spend a lot of money….
I wasn’t sure if there would be competition, but I raised my hand anyway.
“200 billion.”
And in an instant, the entire hall fell silent. Hmm. Did I push the price up too aggressively from the start?

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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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