The Support Ate it All

Even after demonstrating the "magical trick" of duplicating points, the Lucky Charm Radar was still buzzing away.

Which meant Cha Hyeon-wool had never been the real target to begin with.

So, we continued our treasure hunt, wandering from one auction zone to another, and managed to pick up a few decent items.

[Exotic Ceramic Flowerpot]

▷Provides the optimal environment for any plant being cultivated.

▷Grants a bonus to successfully grown plants.

[Vigorous Growth Nutrient]

▷Increases cultivation speed.

▷Greatly reduces the chance of cultivation failure.

As for why I suddenly picked up a flowerpot and nutrients….it was all in preparation for a plant I planned to acquire using the herb selection ticket.

Sure, it might've been a little premature considering the second part of the auction hadn't even started yet, but I was almost certain I'd win that bid, so I invested boldly.

And even if, by some chance, I didn't get it, the items were still high-quality enough to fetch a good price from the Mother Nature Club.

I paid for it with spare change anyway.

Altogether, it didn't even add up to 20,000 points.

I sent a mental thank-you across the way.

Thanks, Hyeon-joo! I'll make good use of it!

Meanwhile, Seo Ye-in also managed to win an item.

[Random Skillbook – Traps]

▷Grants a random "Trap" skill upon use.

▷Due to the vast number of options, the chances of getting a mediocre skill are quite high.

However, our con artist lucky charm had once drawn [Bullet Time] from a [Random Skillbook – Ranged] in the past.

So, I had a feeling she'd pull off something unexpected this time too.

I asked her,

"Gonna use it right away?"

"Later."

"Not the right time yet?"

"Yes."

Considering how fickle our lucky charm could be, I just let it slide.

She'd use it when the time was right.

After watching a portion of the first auction, we started wandering around the downtown area again.

We bought snacks from street vendors, played a few mini-games at the arcade, and browsed several item shops.

Before we knew it, time had flown by, and the sky had turned crimson with the evening glow.

Since the second part of the auction was about to begin, we made our way back to the auction house.

From the entrance, the atmosphere of the second auction felt completely different.

One of the staff members stood by with a scanner, checking student IDs to confirm their point balances.

If you're short, they won't even let you in.

Unlike the first part, which was open to everyone, entry to the second part required a minimum of 100,000 points.

Anyone below that threshold couldn't realistically win any bids due to a lack of chips anyway.

As a result, quite a few students were turned away at the entrance.

One staff member scanned the student ID of a second-year senior and then politely bowed.

"Entry denied due to insufficient points."

"Come on, can't you make an exception? I'm only short a few thousand points."

"I'm sorry."

The staff's tone was firm and unwavering.

The senior, who had been denied entry, continued to protest but was eventually dragged away.

As we waited, the line grew shorter, and soon it was our turn.

When we presented our student IDs, the staff scanned them and his eyes briefly lit up in surprise.

"……!"

It was probably because our point balances were unusually high for first-years.

Seo Ye-in had spent almost nothing besides the random skillbook, so she still had 370,000 points.

As for me, my available points exceeded a million.

That included the points I already had, plus income from selling sample guides, and additional compensation from Dang Gyu-young for the strategy books we listed at auction.

Of course, the staff member quickly composed himself after that moment of surprise.

He stepped aside and gave a slight bow.

"Please enjoy your time."

The interior of the auction house was also a world apart from the first part.

Instead of being divided into multiple zones, the auction would take place in a single, spacious hall.

The stage was several times larger, and proper seating had been arranged in front of it.

The seats resembled those in a movie theater. Plush sofas with small tables attached in front.

"……."

As soon as we found a decent spot and sat down, Seo Ye-in promptly collapsed onto the table.

We'd been out and about all day until evening. No wonder she was exhausted.

I figured she'd wake up once the auction started, so I decided to just let her be.

Looking around, the first group that caught my eye was the Swordsmanship Club.

Notable members like Jegal So-so and Pang Mi-ryeong were seated together.

"……"

Among them was second-year student Mak Dae-woong who immediately scowled the moment he spotted me.

Things were still tense between me and the Black faction.

Every time they tried something shady, I'd completely shut them down which only made matters worse.

Someday, I'd probably have to settle things with that guy too.

On the opposite side of the room sat high-ranking members of the White Magic Club, including the club president, Jeong Chong-myeong.

I also recognized Choi Han-gil of the Guild Union and Han Gyeo-wool of the Sapphire Magic Tower. They were familiar faces.

We'd worked as a team during the infiltration of the temporary storage room.

Hong Ye-hwa was sitting a bit apart from them. Though she was part of the White Magic Club, she also served as the head of the Ruby Magic Tower Club, so she seemed to be seated with her own members.

Aside from them, others like Kim Gap-doo, Mok Jong-hwa, Ha Soo-yeon, and Chae Da-bin were also present. It looked like nearly all the club presidents and vice presidents were attending the auction.

As expected, it's a powerhouse lineup.

Of course, in terms of numbers, there were still more attendees below the executive level.

The 100,000-point entry requirement wasn't exactly unreachably high, after all.

Just then, I glanced toward the entrance and spotted a familiar head of red hair walking in.

Hong Yeon-hwa noticed my gaze and immediately brightened up.

If she had a tail, it probably would've been wagging furiously.

But in the next moment, she flinched and shifted her eyes because Hong Ye-hwa was giving the two of us a chilling glare.

"……"

With a slow, deliberate wave, Hong Ye-hwa motioned for her to come over and sit.

Hong Yeon-hwa shrank back and began inching her way over, clearly resigned.

She was about halfway there when—

"……!"

For some reason, Hong Yeon-hwa suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Then, with a look of newfound resolve, she quickly turned on her heel and strode toward me while deliberately ignoring her sister's gaze.

Soon, she reached the seat next to me and greeted me awkwardly.

"H…i…"

"Oh. Hi."

"Is… anyone sitting here?"

"No. But aren't you supposed to sit with your sister?"

She looked like she might come over and drag her back any second.

Hong Yeon-hwa clung desperately to the idea of staying and replied.

"M-Mhmm. It's fine… I decided to stop worrying about it."

"I see."

It didn't seem like simple rebellion. Something must have happened to trigger this.

Still, habits don't break easily. Hong Yeon-hwa looked visibly restless, her eyes darting around nervously.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before both Hong sisters turned their attention to the front.

The stage brightened as the host walked out.

With a respectful bow, he began to speak.

"Good evening. I'd like to thank everyone who joined us here today."

After a few formal greetings,

The host gave a small wave of his hand, and several bid signs were placed on each table.

Each sign displayed an amount: 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, and 100,000.

"For the second round of the auction, please hold up the bid sign instead of stating your bid out loud. The amount on the sign will be added to the current bid."

For example, if the current highest bid was 40,000, and you hold up the "10,000" sign, your bid becomes 50,000 points.

Seeing that most people understood, the host snapped his fingers toward the display next to him.

In the next moment, a familiar card floated in midair.

"And now, the first item up for auction: the season pass for the second semester's special training room! A month of the semester has already passed, but it's still incredibly useful. We'll start the bidding at 10,000 points!"

Almost immediately, signs began to rise across the room, and the host called them out one by one.

"15,000."

"25,000."

"30,000."

"We have 40,000."

Once the highest bid exceeded 60,000, the number of raised signs sharply declined, and when it hit 70,000, no one placed another bid.

The host began the final countdown.

"Three, Two, One… Sold for 70,000 points!"

The average trading price for a special training room season pass was around 50,000.

So 70,000 felt a bit steep.

Especially considering that a month had already passed since the second semester began.

Still, you can always earn more points.

What mattered most was doing mana training immediately and working on the [Core] rank.

Next, a jade-colored orb, about the size of a newborn's fist, floated up onto the display stand.

"The item I'll be introducing now is a high-rank poison resistance bead! If you keep it in your mouth, it can block most poisons ranked B or below. Some even say it can reduce the effects of certain A-rank poisons. We'll start the bidding at 50,000 points."

Before the host had even finished speaking, signs shot up all over the room.

He calmly read out the bids.

"70,000."

"We have 95,000."

"100,000."

"150,000!"

I couldn't understand why the price was skyrocketing so fast.

Why would anyone buy something like a poison resistance bead?

It could barely defend against A-rank poisons, if that.

Doesn't anyone have poison immunity? Ridiculous!

Even as I lamented the low standards of the other participants, the price for the high-rank poison resistance bead kept climbing.

And in the end, it was sold for 240,000 points.

After that came priority dungeon access rights, elixirs, and various club-related privileges up for auction.

Then, a sphere radiating pure white cold was placed on the display stand.

"Now, the next item is the Orb of Severe Cold. It's great for mages who specialize in ice-type magic, but it also holds considerable research value as a magical item. The starting bid is 50,000 points!"

This time, there were relatively fewer signs raised which was understandable, since non-mages had little reason to be interested.

Even among the mages, it didn't seem to spark much enthusiasm, and the bidding rose at a noticeably slower pace.

"55,000."

"60,000."

"70,000."

"We have 80,000."

In the midst of it, I casually whispered to Hong Yeon-hwa.

"If you've got enough points, buy that."

"Th-That one…? Me…?"

Hong Yeon-hwa looked puzzled, unsure why she was supposed to buy an ice-type item. But then, as one particular fact came to mind, a mental exclamation mark popped up above her head.

Aqua Flame.

The main effect of the Orb of Severe Cold was to create an environment favorable to ice-type magic.

In other words, if she used it in an ice-element dungeon, it could enhance the monsters inside.

And by relentlessly burning those enhanced monsters, she could quickly farm for rank progression.

With that in mind, Hong Yeon-hwa hesitated for a moment over how much to bid, then raised the "20,000" sign.

The host spotted it and announced,

"We have 110,000 points!"

Then, without missing a beat, he turned his gaze toward one side of the audience and called out the next bid.

"160,000!"

"……!"

Curious who it was, both Hong Yeon-hwa and I turned our eyes toward the back.

There, Han Gyeo-wool was just lowering her "50,000" sign.

She clearly seemed willing to bid even higher.

Since she was an ice-element mage, obtaining the orb would definitely give her a significant boost in power.

Being a third-year and a senior club member, she probably had no shortage of points either.

"……!"

A sense of crisis began to fill Hong Yeon-hwa's face.