“Oh, I heard they’re an SS-rank appraiser.”
Igeon was quite delighted as he entered the workshop.
From the outside, it looked like a shabby pawnshop, but the quality of the items inside was surprisingly high.
S-rank
- An unbreakable transparent wire, extending up to 500m.
S-rank
- Never dries out. Becomes more lubricated as it swallows blood.
- Increases durability, permanently increases strength.
The items were definitely far better than those in large shops he’d seen nearby.
But there was a fatal problem.
‘Why is everything so expensive?’
No, seriously, a measly 5ml of oil costs billions?
‘At this rate, I can’t even buy a single thread, let alone a weapon frame!’
He’d heard that while the quality was assured, the shop mercilessly ripped off even saint-level beings. That was why Cheon Seong-jae had said they only came as sellers.
‘Still, it’s a waste to leave empty-handed with so many good things here.’
He felt that using materials from here could make a decent weapon.
Of course, there was the option of buying ready-made, but whether he went to the top two shops, everything fell short by Igeon’s standards.
‘Durability aside, how can none of these weapons have a single trait attached?’
Some had enchantments, but they were still subpar.
‘At the end of the day, making my own is the most straightforward.’
All he had now was one throwing knife, A-rank, made from a spider’s bone. The material was too damaged to serve as a main weapon.
That was when Igeon, hiding his true identity, was gazing at the materials with a sense of regret.
“Are you sure it’s okay to introduce him to the owner here?”
The guard accompanying them grabbed Cheon Seong-jae.
The guard was a man in his twenties, a force mage, belonging to an organization where the entire sanctuary consisted of mages.
“This is a VIP shop where even the sanctuary master frequently visits. And he’s an appraiser coveted by saints.”
“Why? What’s the problem?”
Cheon Seong-jae was nonchalant, but the guard seemed uneasy ever since meeting Igeon.
“No, seriously. What kind of person leaves a pawnshop and sprinkles salt? Even gives a token?”
“Well, those guys there were thugs. They probably tried to scam him and ended up getting scammed themselves.”
“And the sacred item he brought to sell was weird too! It looks just like the thing the White Sheep Seat was planning to put up at this auction, doesn’t it?”
“Probably a coincidence. It’s a common item.”
“Then what about the badges he had! That was the Libra Seat’s stupid Leo badge! And the rest were from our sanctuary! I’ve never seen someone like him in our sanctuary!”
“…….”
This time, even the incomparable Cheon Seong-jae couldn’t defend him.
‘Even if you steal from the Libra Seat, do you steal the sanctuary master’s?’
Soon, the guard asked with a serious face.
“Are we really not going to report that badge thief? A face like a male gigolo like that has a high chance of being a con artist. You even tried to bring him to our sanctuary earlier, and the master is bound to get furious….”
Cheon Seong-jae was dumbfounded.
The person the sanctuary master wanted brought in was precisely that man.
In the end, Cheon Seong-jae ignored him and headed to the reception desk. But there was a small problem.
“I’m sorry! We’re swamped with requests, so appraisal services are closed!”
“Please come back in a week!”
Cheon Seong-jae was a bit flustered by the CLOSE sign hanging in front of him.
“Ah, damn, it can’t be over already?”
The guard clucked his tongue as if he’d expected it.
“Well, there’s no way they’re not swamped. With this auction going on, there’s more than one or two people trying to make a quick buck. Even the saintess is said to be participating, so the competition will be unprecedented.”
“!”
The one whose eyes widened at those words was none other than Igeon.
Forget the second-hand mention of a saintess he didn’t even know.
“The Igeon Auction?”
His reaction was more like, “Why is my name coming up there?” Cheon Seong-jae looked at him as if it were no big deal.
“Today, Igeon-nim’s sacred items are up for auction, aren’t they? I thought you came because of that, hyung.”
But that wasn’t why he came.
Anyway, he’d been hearing his name everywhere and feeling like there was a buzz around—so that was why.
“What kind of items are coming out?”
“Well, rumors are all over the place—a billionaire put them up, one of the twelve saints put them up…”
“Whatever it is, it’ll be insanely expensive!”
The guard chimed in.
[Hwangyeong]
Awakening Name (Baptismal Name): [The One Who Doesn’t Yield Even When Hit]
Effect: Specialized in durability. Does not fall no matter how many times hit. The more he is hit, the tougher his body becomes.
- Skills possessed by The One Who Doesn’t Yield Even When Hit
[Imposing S-rank (Ssangajwa)]
[Roly-poly A-rank (Ssangajwa)]
[Appearance Change A-rank (Ssangajwa)]
“The equipment is said to have been made by the saint gods themselves originally, and even if not, now that Igeon has returned, it’s utter chaos. The interest is so huge that all rental magic related to Igeon is sold out, I’m telling you. Especially the Igeon appearance alteration magic I made sells really well.”
“……!”
Igeon’s eyes flashed for an instant.
The fakes that had appeared in the lobby—were they all produced by this bastard?
Igeon flexed his fist. But the oblivious guard laughed.
“Honestly, Igeon’s charisma alone was so damn awesome. With that face, and his voice was freaking cool. When I watched old videos to create the magic, I couldn’t help but admire. Really, so cool.”
“Oh. Really?”
Igeon loosened his fist slightly.
“But that still doesn’t change my money-mak… Ack!”
The guard who got hit screamed.
“Cough, hack! Why all of a sudden!”
“Pay up for portrait rights, you bastard.”
In the end, the mercilessly beaten guard surrendered.
“Alright, I’ll give you a token to the auction house, so stop!”
He’d tried to ignore it thinking Cheon Seong-jae was trying to scout him, but this guy was definitely a madman.
He should’ve realized when the pawnshop guys were crying and begging him to leave earlier.
And that was when. Just as Igeon, having obtained a teleport token—a rather expensive commodity—was about to stop.
[Data acquired]
[Sanctuary experience gained]
“!!”
At that sound, Igeon’s eyes went round. There had never been a case where experience came from a sanctuary denizen, not even from monsters.
‘Could it be that higher ranks yield experience?’
Well, he didn’t know the exact conditions yet.
Igeon smiled subtly.
Thwack thwack thwack!
The guard screamed.
At first it was out of anger, but seeing a spark of enjoyment grow in his eyes, the guard was horrified.
“Alright, ALRIGHT! I’ll give you one more token!! Now really, stop!”
And then it happened.
When Igeon finally managed to squeeze out a bunch of expensive VIP teleport tickets.
“Oh, right. They say even saints are participating in that Igeon-nim’s auction.”
“!”
Cheon Seong-jae casually interjected. Maybe he’d just been watching until now, seeing as they sold skills of the Igeon he respected.
“Anyway, so if you’re joining the auction, make sure to change your name. Don’t go impersonating Igeon-nim again and incur the wrath of the saints.”
“!”
It was meant as a warning to be careful, but Igeon’s eyes flashed instead.
Naturally.
‘That means I can just head straight to the auction house without wasting effort.’
He looked favorably at Cheon Seong-jae for saving him the trouble.
But that wasn’t the only commendable thing.
“I’ll try my best to sell your items for a higher price, hyung. Five times the market rate.”
Igeon smiled.
“No need to overdo it. Looks like you’re closed.”
“You fixed my weapon, remember? And with flimsy money, you wouldn’t even get your hands on Igeon-nim’s junk items today, hyung!”
He seemed to have a big misunderstanding, but that didn’t matter.
‘Somehow, if I reveal my identity to him, I feel like he’ll run away.’
If he’s going to handle the annoying stuff on his own, then fine.
Igeon was thus pleased, but the guard, watching Cheon Seong-jae walk away, thumped his chest as if in frustration.
“Ah jeez, if it weren’t for that Igeon fandom of his, he might’ve already hit SS-rank.”
Igeon furrowed his brows at the mention of himself.
“Why does Igeon fandom matter?”
“What do you mean, why! Because his faith in the Ssangajwa is zero percent, that’s why!”
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, he recalled hearing about this from Hugo.
The sanctuary denizens who bring experience to the saint gods.
They are said to awaken after receiving the saints’ baptism. And at that time, they each bloom their own unique skills.
And afterward, they engage in sanctuary activities and bring experience to the saint god.
The problem was the loyalty toward the saint god. That is, faith.
‘I heard that differences in awakeners’ power arise depending on their faith.’
Put simply, the more loyal you are to the saint god, the stronger the skill you bloom, and you receive all sorts of item support, enabling explosive growth.
But if your faith is 0%, you’re essentially being neglected by the saint god. It’s lucky if you don’t incur their displeasure.
And as expected.
“Even the sanctuary master was baffled. Normal people usually have at least 50%, so why on earth did he join the Ssangajwa!”
There was a joke that 0% was practically the level of someone nursing a grudge.
Anyway, he was holding on with sheer talent, but A-rank was his limit.
“Anyway, he’s always in the top 3 for performance, but he only gets ignored. As if reaching A-rank without any support from a saint god is easy.”
The guard clicked his tongue.
“Anyway, both siblings are weirdos. His older sister Seong-jae is an Igeon fan too. Still, I’m jealous—she’s so capable she’s S-rank, and a total beauty.”
“Oh? Who is she?”
“You don’t know her? She’s super famous. Anyway, I don’t get why she stans Igeon and ignores her own affiliated sanctuary. Their dad hated her Igeon fangirling so much he tried to kick her out of the house. Tried to throw away all her Igeon figurines, I heard.”
The guard, seemingly feeling sorry, cursed at the innocent Igeon (?).
“If it weren’t for Igeon anyway.”
Hearing that, Igeon felt newly wronged.
“Hey, still, just because they’re my real fan, would their faith really become like that?”
“It hasn’t been proven there’s a correlation, but otherwise, there’s no explanation…!”
The guard, who had been getting worked up, fell silent for a moment.
Then he tilted his head.
“You said, ‘my fan’?”
* * *
Meanwhile, around that time, Cheon Seong-jae was very flustered.
Okay, fine, he’d woken the SS-rank appraiser and got smacked with a slipper.
And it was good that he came to sell the sacred items Igeon had brought on his behalf.
But.
“Wow, considering some young punk brought it, the quality is crazy good. It’s at least in the hundred-million range. How about a million dollars?”
“A million?!”
Cheon Seong-jae’s jaw dropped.
That was a whole billion won.
And he himself had never even received such an appraisal amount before—where on earth had he gotten these?
‘Don’t tell me he really stole them from the Wealth Sanctuary?’
But regardless, the appraiser spoke.
“Anyway, young man. With this, you’ve made it. They say you get every last bit ripped off as soon as it’s deposited; business must be good lately?”
“No, no, these aren’t my items.”
“Ah, you’re selling for someone else? So is this the last one?”
“No. There’s one more. The most important one.”
Cheon Seong-jae finally pulled out the wooden carved doll—a piece Igeon had made himself.
“It’s this one.”
At that, the middle-aged appraiser smirked slightly and pushed his glasses up.
“What’s this, no brand? An amateur’s work?”
The appraiser began examining the wooden doll.
“Haha. I’ll do the appraisal, but we can’t give much for stuff like this. If it’s no brand, it’s below 500 dollars at best. I’ll give you 500,000 won in our currency.”
Cheon Seong-jae scratched his cheek.
Well, he felt bad for that hyung, but honestly, this was expected.
Items not made by a crafting sanctuary don’t sell for much.
Of course, the man himself said enough for a few orders of fried chicken would be sufficient, and to bring the money within that range.
But that was when it happened.
“Seong-jae.”
“Mister, I know, I know it all. Think of how much I’ve bought here. Could you at least bump it up to three hundred…”
“Who made this?”
“Huh?”
“I said, where is the person who made this right now!”
The appraiser, trembling, had a somewhat strange reaction.
* * *
“You said, ‘my fan’?”
The guard looked at Igeon as if he’d misheard something momentarily.
“Wh-what do you mean….”
But that was when.
“Hyung!”
“!”
Cheon Seong-jae, who had gone to meet the appraiser, came out in a hurry.
“What, you’re back already? Did they offer a good price?”
“No, I mean, the price aside, it’s just….”
“?”
The guard was horrified upon seeing the quote Cheon Seong-jae brought back.
Cheon Seong-jae asked.
“Hyung. That wooden doll, you said it was worth a few chicken dinners.”
“Well, down there they offered about 400,000 won. A pawnbroker is still an appraiser, after all. Why, not even the price of one chicken? Should I have just sold it to the pawnbroker?”
“No…!”
Cheon Seong-jae still couldn’t forget the appraiser’s reaction.
A veteran who never lost his relaxed smile no matter what sacred item he saw. An SS-rank appraiser used by famous named ranks and even saint-level beings.
But that expression of his had changed over nothing more than a single handmade wooden doll.
“Come inside for now.”
Soon, Igeon followed him in.
Meanwhile, the appraiser who had sent Cheon Seongjae back was pacing restlessly.
He had even tossed aside his half-eaten meal and was staring anxiously at the wooden doll. His expression was gravely serious.
‘There’s no doubt.’
And just as he was waiting for Cheon Seongjae to hurry back.
Bang!
“Uncle, I brought the maker.”
At the same moment, the appraiser shot to his feet. But his expression immediately shifted.
“……!”
What Cheon Seongjae had brought was none other than a young man.
A face that, at most, looked like he had barely graduated high school, and the appraiser looked utterly bewildered.
However, Igeon was letting out a hollow laugh.
“What? Planning to knock down the price of my item?”
“No, well… this thing.”
As the appraiser held out the wooden doll, Igeon’s brow furrowed.
“What about it.”
“Did you really make this?”
Cheon Seongjae, too, looked at the appraiser strangely.
And though he wondered what was up with this uncle, Igeon smiled.
“Why. Is it a problem if I made it?”
“No.”
The appraiser, staring at Igeon as if he couldn’t believe it, seemed at a loss for words and hesitated.
Then he asked.
“Hey, by any chance… are you connected to Igeon-nim?”
“Of course I’m connected.”
“!”
It was Cheon Seongjae who answered.
“He’s an impersonator.”
The guard, flustered, glanced back and forth between Cheon Seongjae and Igeon, but Cheon Seongjae wore an indifferent expression.
‘So that’s what this uncle was on about.’
He called himself a production-type, so it seemed he had seen Igeon’s sacred items and made identical copies.
“I get that you’re misunderstanding something, but even my father said he’s not….”
“Ah, seriously! Just get out for now!”
“???”
The furious appraiser instead kicked Cheon Seongjae and the guard out, shooing them away.
He knew well that Cheon Seongjae’s father was the Sage of the Divine Palace, but who cared about a sage at a time like this.
At last, left alone with Igeon in the workshop, the appraiser grabbed him with hands trembling violently.
“I’ll ask you in all seriousness. What is your relationship with Igeon-nim?”
“Why?”
“Because Igeon-nim is so famous as a fighter, no one knows, but the truth is, he’s a craftsman who personally makes most of his equipment and sacred items.”
Saying that, the appraiser held out the wooden doll.
“This one, the carving technique is exactly the same as Igeon-nim’s…! I’ve seen countless fakes so far, but something like this…!”
Igeon laughed heartily.
They said he was an SS-grade appraiser the sages cherished, so he’d been a bit curious, but the man had a much sharper eye than expected.
“And besides, this carved pattern! It’s exactly the same as the sacred item of Igeon-nim that’s coming up in the grand auction today!”
“!”
At that, Igeon’s eyes widened.
If the pattern is the same as this.
‘Ah. Don’t tell me that’s what’s going up for auction?’
That was quite valuable information.
But perhaps frustrated by his reaction, the appraiser grew anxious.
“How could a carving pattern not even revealed to the public….”
Then Igeon paused in thought.
If he revealed himself here, could he perhaps jack up the price a bit more?
‘I also need to ask about the sword that stabbed me.’
So Igeon asked, just to confirm.
“You seem to know a lot about Igeon. How do you know so well?”
“I can’t help but know.”
“Ah. You’re an appraiser. Then did you appraise his sacred items or something?”
At that, the appraiser whispered.
“I’m telling only you, but the truth is… I’m Igeon-nim’s disciple.”
“……?”
What?
Who’s whose disciple?
(To be continued...)