The Only Enhancer - Chapter 70

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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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Chapter 70
Chapter 70 – Ah! It’s Cheap, Really Cheap! (3)
A Tier 6 item.
An item said to exist only ten times over in the entire world had just appeared at the International Auction House.
Moreover, it was a Tier 6 item that didn’t match any of the ten previously known items.
In other words, it was a newly emerged item.
And now that item was being auctioned off?
It could only be described as an unprecedented situation.
The price: ten billion dollars.
In Korean won, it amounted to approximately thirteen trillion.
An astronomical sum, yet even that price seemed absurdly cheap compared to the item itself.
-A Tier 6 item appeared at the auction house?
-What kind of nonsense is that!?
-?!!?!?!?
-No, it’s real!
-It really is a Tier 6 item!
-It’s a Tier 6 item that didn’t exist before!!!!
-Who on earth listed this?
People could only gasp in shock at the sight.
They thought someone was playing a tasteless prank.
But it was real, and it was posted on the International Auction House website and app as well.
People were amazed that the item had been listed, but they were even more curious about who had listed it.
If a new Tier 6 item had surfaced, any Hunter would hope to use it.
Wasn’t it an opportunity to become the strongest above all others?
The same applied even if it were an organization rather than an individual Hunter.
Possessing it was far more valuable than selling it.
Yet the fact that it had been listed meant one of two things.
Either the seller was ignorant of its true value.
Or they had some other hidden intention.
It had to be one of the two.
-Wow, who would even buy something like that?
-Who knows, but maybe a nation or a massive organization would purchase it?
-Don’t forget the wealthy families with deep pockets either.
-Most people wouldn’t even dare to bid.
-Ten billion dollars isn’t exactly pocket change.
-But compared to the item, it might as well be a bargain.
That was what everyone was saying in common.
Who would actually purchase such an extraordinary item?
The thought crossed some minds that perhaps no one would buy it, but that was needless worry.
[Bid 1: Ten billion dollars.]
[Bidder 2: 10.1 billion dollars.]
[Bidder 3: 10.2 billion dollars.]
With each bid climbing by 100 million dollars, the crowd felt the room spinning around them.
There were actually three people willing to purchase this item.
The International Auction House was renowned for its strict policy—bidders couldn’t even place an offer without proving they possessed sufficient funds.
This meant all three of them had at least 10 billion dollars in liquid assets.
Wealthy individuals began flooding in, and naturally, the atmosphere grew increasingly heated.
The bidders multiplied beyond the initial three, eventually exceeding six participants.
And nearly everyone participating shared the same thought.
‘Who put this up for auction?’
‘I heard they recently captured a Level 5 Calamity in Taiwan, but surely they didn’t put that up for sale?’
‘Wasn’t it the Reinforce Guild?’
‘That must be the guild that caused such a stir recently.’
‘I heard they’re in a cooperative relationship with the Saint Guild.’
‘I need to look into this more carefully.’
Such an uproar hadn’t occurred since the first 6-Star items were revealed to the world—that much was certain.
The commotion was nearly as intense as that time.
A 6-Star item had appeared at the auction house, and only ten had surfaced in the past twenty years.
A fierce bidding war erupted as everyone scrambled to claim it, and those who fell short on firepower could only grit their teeth in frustration.
Within the remaining time, the victor was entirely predictable.
“Your Excellency, we’ve successfully won the auction at 28.3 billion dollars.”
“It didn’t exceed 30 billion dollars, then.”
In the pristine White House located in Washington, the figure receiving the report nodded with satisfaction.
The final winning bid had come from none other than the United States, the nation recognized as the world’s strongest Hunter power.
“Hmm, so this brings the number of 6-Star items owned by the United States to four?”
“Yes, officially speaking, that is correct.”
“Excellent. Can we identify the seller?”
Attempts to discover the seller’s identity at the auction house were strictly forbidden.
Those caught faced a lifetime ban from using the auction house, or so it was said—though this didn’t apply to already-known parties.
Only a handful of people possessed the capability to obtain 6-Star items recently.
Those with sufficient information could already identify them.
The United States was among them, and they could narrow down the suspects quickly.
The circumstances were far too obvious.
“Mister Reinforce is currently staying at a hotel owned by the Saint Guild.”
“Hmm, Mister Reinforce.”
Reinforce.
The word typically meant to strengthen, reinforce, or enhance, but in this context, it referred to a guild name.
It was a codename attached because Min-jun was the leader of the Reinforce Guild.
Oliver Jackson, the President of the United States, stroked his chin thoughtfully.
He was well aware of the individual who had recently become a topic of discussion in South Korea.
Wasn’t he the one known as the next Level 7?
At first, I wondered if it was South Korea’s way of inflating their numbers.
Every nation had a tendency to do such things.
I thought he was merely a Level 6 with exceptional talent who had grown rapidly in a relatively short time—not quite a month, but still remarkably fast.
Yet he’s already grown to this extent.
“Can he already handle Disaster Level 5 monsters?”
“Sir, it appears he went with Korea’s Mr. Iron Hero, so it seems the monster was taken down together with people from Taiwan.”
“Casualties?”
“None reported. They’re maintaining strict operational security, but it shouldn’t take long to gather information through the Taiwan side.”
With appropriate pressure, I could extract the details quickly enough.
Yet Jackson frowned upon hearing such words.
“Approach them with some friendliness instead.”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Treat them as gentlemen as much as possible. We never know what might happen in the future.”
Situations have a way of flowing in unexpected directions.
There’s no harm in taking a friendly approach.
While gathering intelligence is important, aggressive tactics could cause information to leak, something we must keep in mind.
What era are we living in? The age of keeping everything hidden has long passed.
In any case, having Mr. Reinforce currently within the United States was fortunate.
It made gathering information far easier.
“Assign someone to shadow Mr. Reinforce and gather some intelligence.”
“We’ve already done so. A report should arrive soon.”
“Well done.”
Jackson nodded, still looking satisfied.
Just as the secretary was about to bow and leave, he heard something that made his expression turn cold.
“What is it?”
“My apologies, sir. It appears they’ve all been discovered and captured.”
“…Hmm, it seems they handled it clumsily.”
“….”
The secretary couldn’t bring himself to respond immediately to Jackson’s words.
Yet he had to report, so he carefully opened his mouth.
“We sent a team of ten Level 5 operatives.”
“…What did you say?”
“They’ve all been captured, sir.”
“All ten Level 5 operatives?”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
Was such a thing even possible?
Jackson momentarily froze, unable to speak.
But soon, he smoothed his furrowed brow with his fingers and spoke.
“Do whatever it takes to resolve this.”
“Yes, understood.”
As the secretary left, Jackson sank back into his chair and exhaled a long sigh.
What kind of people were they to capture ten Level 5 Hunters in a single stroke?
I wasn’t unfamiliar with Jung Ji-hwan, the existence known as Korea’s Grim Reaper, but he was only Level 4, wasn’t he?
Even with Saint Guild’s assistance, capturing ten Hunters in one go was nearly impossible.
How on earth had they managed to capture them?
Perhaps….
‘Could it be that I’ve been underestimating Reinforce Guild?’
Nothing had been officially confirmed yet, but one thing was certain—a powerful wind was about to blow.
How would that wind blow?
How could it benefit the United States?
These questions alone consumed Jackson’s thoughts.
He remained unaware that this wind would become a typhoon engulfing the world.
6.
Black Maria Saint Hotel.
It was the second-largest hotel in the United States and the third-largest in the world, owned by Saint Guild and renowned as their headquarters.
Far more tourists than expected flooded through its doors, and because a world-class Guild was based here, Hunters also gathered in considerable numbers.
For this reason, Williams’s covert infiltration proved far from difficult.
An intelligence operative dispatched from the United States.
In truth, calling him merely an operative undersold his caliber considerably.
The United States was the only nation that deployed Level 5 Hunters as intelligence operatives.
Williams took considerable pride in this fact, and because of it, he was renowned among operatives for committing himself fully to every mission.
‘Jung Ji-hwan. The one called Korea’s Grim Reaper.’
A Level 4 specialist capable of neutralizing even Level 5 Hunters in one-on-one combat.
Every operative across the globe knew of Jung Ji-hwan.
His martial prowess was of world-class caliber.
Despite being merely Level 4, he was renowned for neutralizing even Level 5 Hunters through technical skill application.
With the right items, he was known to be capable of holding his own against or escaping from two Level 5 Hunters.
When such a formidable operative suddenly retired and joined a Guild, many operatives couldn’t help but be astonished.
Williams himself had been quite shocked at the time.
Yet he never imagined he would find himself at the scene in person.
‘Deceiving his eye won’t be easy.’
But precisely because of this, I had stubbornly insisted to the director that all Level 5 operatives be assembled.
I was the one who forced the director to bring all ten, despite his assertion that three would suffice.
Of course, having committed this much, I needed to extract information with my utmost effort, but I was confident in that regard.
At Williams’s direction, everyone infiltrated with seamless naturalness.
Some disguised themselves as civilians, others infiltrated the Guild using pre-arranged identities, and a few blended in naturally through connections with Saint Guild.
The determination to gather intelligence by any means was palpable.
Even if it were Jung Ji-hwan himself, he wouldn’t easily discover this operation.
‘But complacency is forbidden.’
Williams remained vigilant despite how far he had gone, pouring his full concentration into the operation.
Simply blending in naturally didn’t guarantee he could extract information.
Two days had passed since the infiltration began.
Williams, who had taken command and established his position, issued his orders.
He divided the team into three units.
The first would approach members of the Reinforce Guild to extract information.
The second would attempt to gather intelligence indirectly from the Saint Guild.
And the third would directly extract information from Min-jun.
The preparations were nearly flawless.
No matter how legendary Jung Ji-hwan was reputed to be, he couldn’t possibly notice such a large force operating with such precision.
Williams was leisurely sipping coffee at the Coffee Shop located in the First Floor lobby of the Hotel, orchestrating the operation.
He blended in so naturally that no one could have suspected he was an agent.
But then.
“You’re being far too clever.”
“!!!”
At those words, Williams froze solid, unable to move even a muscle as he swallowed hard.
How was this possible?!
The thought flashed through his mind, but escape was now the priority.
Williams rapidly sent support requests and retreat orders to his team members, attempting to flee himself as quickly as possible.
A chilling voice echoed through the air.
“You’re already cursed.”
“…!!!!”
He tried to open his mouth to speak, but nothing moved.
He attempted to move, but the result was the same.
When had the curse been placed on him?
As Williams’s eyes widened in shock, trembling violently, the owner of that chilling voice began to move slowly.
Click, click, click.
The distinct sound of footsteps filled his ears, and Williams was consumed by terror.
So Jung Ji-hwan was capable of this.
The legend was truly earned.
But this was no time for admiration.
Didn’t he have an item he’d prepared specifically to use against Jung Ji-hwan?
That rare item containing the Purification skill.
Though he couldn’t move, he was already wearing it as a necklace, so he could activate the skill immediately.
‘Baptism of Purification.’
The ultimate skill attached to a +5 item capable of dispelling all curse skills.
Yet for some reason, it wouldn’t activate.
Light should have rained down to dispel every curse binding him, but instead, he felt not even the faintest glimmer.
He stood there with a bewildered expression.
The footsteps finally came to a stop before him.
“Is this what you’re looking for?”
With that, the sharp-featured man wearing glasses lifted the item, revealing a +5 reinforced item imbued with the Sea Blessing skill that Williams had prepared in advance.
‘When on earth did this happen?’
I couldn’t comprehend it at all.
That item had been hanging around my neck just moments ago.
Before me, unable to understand, Jung Ji-hwan spoke.
“That’s enough. Fall asleep into your nightmare.”
At Jung Ji-hwan’s words, Williams collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, and Jung Ji-hwan snapped his fingers while watching.
The surroundings then rippled and transformed, and what had been a coffee shop just moments before became one of the hotel rooms.
It was a guest room in the hotel that Williams had secured.
From the beginning, Williams had never even left the room—he had been trapped here by Jung Ji-hwan.
After being hit by his ultimate skill.
‘Truly impressive.’
The ultimate skill obtained upon reaching Level 5.
‘Nightmare’s Melody’ was an ultimate skill that made the target see hallucinations of Jung Ji-hwan’s choosing and trapped them within those illusions, unable to escape.
Like before, it was a debuff curse skill, but it was one of the most supreme curse skills among them all.
It was a skill that couldn’t help but satisfy Jung Ji-hwan.
Now I did think it would have been nice to obtain an offensive skill to help with raids, but obtaining such a powerful curse skill and being able to help in this way was equally satisfying.
Jung Ji-hwan nodded while observing the seven agents he had trapped.
All of them were in the state of having been hit by Jung Ji-hwan’s ultimate skill, Nightmare’s Melody.
Normally, he wouldn’t be able to use the ultimate skill frequently due to mana limitations, but thanks to the reinforced mana stone that Min-jun had provided, he could use it multiple times.
Then the guest room door opened, and Isabella entered carrying three men.
“That’s the end of it.”
“You did well.”
“You’re the one who did well.”
Isabella genuinely believed that.
All she had done was gather those whom Jung Ji-hwan had captured in a single instant with his ultimate skill into this place.
I had seen it many times, but it was truly a horrifying ultimate skill.
Would I have been able to resist that ultimate skill?
Honestly, I had no confidence.
Hadn’t everyone who was hit by it collapse without even realizing they had been struck?
When Jung Ji-hwan was Level 4, he neutralized Level 5 hunters, and now that he had leveled up, he defeated ten Level 5 hunters so easily.
Even if those agents had been grouped together instead of scattered, the outcome likely wouldn’t have been different.
“What are you planning to do with them? Since they’re American agents, it seems awkward to handle them carelessly, doesn’t it?”
While they had technically invaded this place, carelessly touching them could invite American resentment, which would be quite troublesome.
Jung Ji-hwan understood this fact well, so he nodded at Isabella’s words.
But the disposal of these agents had already been decided by Min-jun.
“Guild Master Min-jun instructed us to sell them cheaply. He said customer service must be thorough.”
When she first heard those words, Isabella briefly wondered if this was right.
But soon she nodded, thinking it was reasonable.
“Well, since you’ve spent quite a bit, it’s only fair to provide that level of service.”
“Hmm, since you asked me to sell cheaply, I suppose I’ll have to move them at one million dollars per unit.”
“That seems reasonable.”
Watching Isabella nod in agreement without any resistance, it was clear she had been influenced by Jung Ji-hwan.

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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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