Time passed, and the day of the Pioneer’s Night event arrived.
The venue was the grand luxury hotel Valhalla, located in the heart of Seoul. It was one of the flagship brands under the Hanseong Group’s hotel chain.
Dressed in the suit I had received from Han Se-yeon two days prior, I arrived at the venue.
As expected, the event hall was filled with colorful lights and extravagant statues, making it clear that Han Se-jin had put a great deal of effort into this event.
The last Pioneer’s Night I attended had been impressive, but today’s event was on an entirely different level in terms of grandeur.
“May I check your invitation?”
Just like last time, a staff member greeted me at the entrance.
I took out the invitation from my inner pocket. The staff verified it before bowing politely.
“Confirmed. Please enjoy your time.”
“Thank you.”
I stepped into the event hall, where a live orchestra played elegant classical music in the distance.
Guests were engaged in lively conversations, raising their glasses in cheer.
“Hmm.”
Of course, I had no intention of socializing, so I ignored the crowd and continued walking straight ahead.
That aside, where was Han Se-yeon? I had heard that she had already arrived.
There was still about an hour and a half before the underground event began, so I decided to take my time and look around.
“She’s my daughter.”
“Oh my, is she? She’s beautiful.”
“Hello.”
A voice caught my attention, and I turned my head.
A familiar face.
It was Choi Seo-yoon and her father, Choi Jae-hyung.
They had attended the last Pioneer’s Night as well, so it wasn’t surprising to see them here.
In fact, according to the original story, the Choi family was always supposed to attend this event.
“Right.”
Since Choi Seo-yoon was here, that meant that he would also be attending, just as in the original.
I scanned the room.
The person I was looking for was none other than Lee Seo-jun.
After the final exams, Lee Seo-jun had developed an interest in Jin Cheonwoo and started tracking his traces, which eventually led him to attend Pioneer’s Night.
With items Jin Cheonwoo had once used being exhibited, he likely thought he could uncover some kind of clue.
And then, an incident would occur at the event, entangling him in a series of events—just as in the original story.
‘I should be careful not to run into him.’
Lee Seo-jun had already sensed something off about the connection between Kim Sunwoo and Kim Jinwoo.
I had no idea what he was thinking, but running into him now and raising suspicion would only create unnecessary trouble.
I maneuvered through the crowd, using my ability to analyze people.
It was a precaution to identify any villains in disguise.
‘I don’t see any.’
Either they were hiding well, or I had simply failed to spot them in the sea of people.
As I continued walking, my eyes caught sight of a massive glass display case in the center of the hall.
A crowd had gathered around it.
Curious, I approached slowly.
I could hear conversation from those around me.
“Wow. Is this really that historical artifact?”
“Vice President Han Se-jin is impressive. Rumor has it he bought it for three hundred billion won.”
“Three hundred billion? For a broken sword?”
Inside the glass case was a single broken sword on display.
At that moment, my ability Outsider’s Insight activated, revealing its information.
━━
[Broken Black Sword (F)]
Category: Sword
Description: A broken black sword. Its mysterious power has faded.
━━
“……”
I stared at the black sword in silence before shifting my gaze to the inscription beneath it.
[The sword used by the worst mage in history, Jin Cheonwoo.]
“……Hmm.”
As expected, this item had belonged to Jin Cheonwoo.
Though now broken and stripped of its original power, this black sword was once an SS-rank weapon. Its name: Black Sky.
Lost in thought, I noticed a familiar face standing across from me.
Lee Seo-jun, dressed sharply in a black suit.
With his hair neatly parted, revealing his forehead, he looked annoyingly handsome.
“……”
What was Lee Seo-jun thinking right now?
I stared at him for a moment before quietly stepping back.
Lee Seo-jun left the exhibition hall and walked down the corridor.
He had hoped to uncover some clues about Jin Cheonwoo, but as expected, there was nothing useful.
“…Haa.”
His mind was a mess.
What was the connection between him and Jin Cheonwoo?
Could it really be as the Tower had suggested—that they shared the same blood?
If so, was Jin Cheonwoo his family?
That would explain a few things. The reason Jaun had approached him during the mercenary trial, or why he had no memories of his family from childhood.
Lost in thought, Lee Seo-jun suddenly spotted a familiar face standing alone.
“Choi Seo-yoon?”
“Oh? Senior!”
Choi Seo-yoon greeted him with a bright expression and quickly approached.
“Senior, you’re here too?”
“Yeah. Didn’t expect to run into you here.”
“Hehe, same here. Wow, but Senior, who did your hair?”
“Oh, this?”
Lee Seo-jun smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head.
“The Association folks did it for me. When I told them I wanted to attend the event, they insisted on styling me.”
“Ooh, it looks really good on you.”
Lee Seo-jun chuckled.
“How about you? What brings you here?”
“I came with my father.”
“Ah.”
Lee Seo-jun recalled Choi Seo-yoon’s background—she was the daughter of the Choi family, one of the Five Great Magical Clans.
It made sense for her to be at an elite social gathering like this.
The two of them exchanged lighthearted conversation for a while.
Then, something caught Lee Seo-jun’s eye.
A man with brown hair, seen from behind.
For some reason, his shadowy figure felt strangely familiar.
Even though it was just the back of his head, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had seen it somewhere before.
“…What the hell?”
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing Lee Seo-jun staring blankly, Choi Seo-yoon tilted her head.
He shook his head.
“Nothing. Must be my imagination.”
The event continued. Before I knew it, only about twenty minutes remained until the underground auction began.
I wandered through the hotel, searching for Han Se-yeon.
After about two minutes of looking, I spotted her near the staircase, wearing a gentle smile as she talked with others.
The people she was talking to were all well-known business figures I had seen in the media. They were probably discussing business matters.
Had she received a full makeover at a salon? Her hairstyle and makeup exuded elegance. The crystal necklace I had gifted her before seemed almost overshadowed by her beauty.
I understood why the men around her kept stealing glances.
I checked the time—twenty minutes until the underground auction.
It was time to move, but Han Se-yeon showed no signs of ending her conversation.
I couldn’t just barge in and pull her away.
As I pondered my next move, Han Se-yeon spotted me and greeted me with a bright smile.
“Kim Jinwoo!”
She politely excused herself from the group and walked toward me. As she did, several eyes turned in my direction.
“Sorry, people kept stopping me to talk.”
“No need to apologize. If anything, I feel bad for interrupting your conversation.”
“Oh, it’s fine. We weren’t discussing anything important.”
She laughed, then took a step back to look me up and down.
“Oh, that suit suits you well.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I don’t know who picked it, but they have a great eye.”
I chuckled at her playful comment.
“Yeah, I wonder who it could be.”
“Oh! What time is it? We’re not late, are we?”
“We have about twenty minutes left. We can take our time.”
“Good. Let’s go, then.”
With Han Se-yeon, I walked through the hotel corridors.
The auction was being held in a hidden underground space within the hotel.
Since Hanseong Group was involved in many shady dealings, they had built this secret underground facility for various illegal purposes.
Naturally, it wasn’t accessible by normal means.
“This way.”
Han Se-yeon confidently led the way, taking us down a secluded hallway in the hotel.
The surrounding doors had plaques reading “Restricted Access.”
She stopped at one of them, opened it, and stepped inside.
The room was furnished like a typical hotel suite, complete with a massive bed and stylish furniture.
It was exactly as the original story had described from Jaun’s perspective.
“Jinwoo, you brought your mask, right?”
“Of course.”
Just like in the underground arena, masks were mandatory for the underground auction hosted by Ha-ryeong.
I took out a rabbit mask from my jacket.
It was the same rabbit mask I had bought during the underground arena event.
Han Se-yeon chuckled as she saw it.
“This brings back memories of the underground arena.”
She murmured nostalgically.
“You kept grumbling about losing money on bets. Your face when you finally won was priceless.”
“…Be quiet.”
She narrowed her eyes and spoke in a sulking tone.
I laughed lightly and handed her another rabbit mask.
Once she put it on, she turned to me and said,
“Shall we go?”
Creak.
Han Se-yeon opened the wardrobe in the corner of the room.
She knocked on the back wall, and a hidden passage appeared, revealing a staircase leading downward.
“You know you can’t talk about this anywhere, right?”
“Of course.”
She nodded, then started descending the stairs.
Along the way, I noticed other staircases branching off, likely leading to alternative entrances to the underground auction.
After about two minutes, we arrived at a spacious area.
A massive entrance appeared before us, guarded by a masked man.
“I need to check your entry pass.”
The huge guard spoke as we approached.
Han Se-yeon retrieved a card from her jacket and handed it to him.
The man examined it, then nodded.
“You’re a VIP member. Is the person behind you with you?”
“Yes.”
“Understood. I’ll escort you in without a financial check.”
The guard led us down a pitch-black corridor.
Thanks to my adaptive trait, I could see clearly in the darkness.
The hallway had several rooms, each marked with a number.
Eventually, the guard stopped in front of Room 18.
“This is the private room assigned to VIP members. You may wait inside.”
“Thank you.”
After Han Se-yeon spoke, the guard disappeared down the hallway.
We entered the room.
It wasn’t very spacious, containing only a single sofa and a massive glass window that provided a full view of the auction hall.
The original story didn’t detail this auction extensively, but I had a good idea of how it would be conducted.
A magic device tablet on the table was likely used to place bids.
“So, what are you planning to buy here?”
Han Se-yeon asked, her face hidden behind the rabbit mask.
Before I could answer, she spoke again.
“Oh, are you after that sacred relic that’s up for auction?”
I checked the auction list and item order on the table.
It was exactly as I had seen in the original story.
The main highlight of this auction was the “Mana Core,” which was listed as the first item.
“No.”
The “Mana Core” was an incredibly valuable item, and while it was tempting for future developments, it was far beyond my budget.
As a sacred relic, it would undoubtedly sell for an astronomical price.
I had my eyes on something else.
In the original story, this item would have ended up in Jaun’s hands.
But since I had interfered, they would have no choice but to give it up.
“I have my sights set on something else.”
[Thank you for your patience. The underground auction is about to begin.]
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