Chapter 97 - Auction House

# A Villain's Life

A villain's life can be incredibly busy.

Especially in my case, with grand dreams of creating a villain alliance. Especially then.

First of all, planning even a single terrorist attack takes an enormous amount of time. And on top of that, trying to persuade other villains? Wow, even having ten bodies wouldn't be enough.

Terrorism isn't easy either. Once the sun sets, there's this hero with the insane ability called Shadow Walker who suppresses terrorist activities within minutes of their start, so being limited to daytime is a major problem.

Of course, that doesn't mean the night doesn't belong to villains.

"Sigh..."

On a dark street somewhere in Seoul.

In a place where no people could be seen, I was waiting for a car.

And when the appointed time came, headlights appeared from around the corner.

A black limousine was approaching me.

The car stopped in front of me.

From inside emerged a man wearing a formal suit and a mask like one would wear at a masquerade ball. He opened the door, bowed to me, and greeted me.

"Good evening, customer. Please verify yourself."

To the man addressing me, I handed over a black and gold ticket from my pocket.

A VVIP ticket I had obtained with great difficulty by tormenting Lee Seol-ah.

After briefly checking it, the man bowed politely to me again and said:

"Thank you, customer. You've been verified. Please, get in here."

Following the man who opened the back door of the limousine, I got in.

The interior was covered in red leather.

I sat down. Hmm, nice and comfortable.

"We'll be departing now."

As soon as the man sitting in front said this, the car quietly began to move.

As the car started to pick up speed, I reclined in my seat, and the man in front handed me a mask.

"Customer. Here is your mask. Please wear it."

So I received a mask that looked like it belonged in a period drama about medieval nobility.

...I thought everyone was already using recognition reduction filters, so does this even matter?

The limousine continued driving down empty roads, heading somewhere outside of Seoul.

Meanwhile, I just stared out the window, spacing out.

My destination is an auction house.

And not just any auction house—a global illegal auction being held in Korea for the first time.

...I don't know why such things still exist in 21st century Republic of Korea, but since this world is fundamentally flawed anyway, I decided to just go with it.

After driving for quite some time, we arrived at an abandoned building in a secluded area.

The car descended directly into what looked like a parking garage beneath the building.

"You may exit now."

I stepped out of the opened limousine.

Following the staff member who guided me.

Before my eyes, a new scene unfolded.

A vast open space, brilliantly shining chandeliers, and walls adorned with gold.

And various people wearing elaborate masks.

This place was brimming with life, incomparable to the desolate area above.

Wearing my mask and suit, I made my grand entrance.

This is the Excal Auction House, where people with excessive wealth from all over the world gather.

Simultaneously, it's also a tragic space where a villain would be born.

And I came here to prevent that.

'......'

With a solemn expression, I made my way to where the main auction would soon take place.

...Though to be honest, this "solemn matter" is really just about money, but anyway.

*

I found my seat and sat down.

In the dark space, seats were arranged in a circular, tiered formation around a central stage where the auction would take place—basically like a musical theater.

I sat in one of those seats, yawning.

When will it start?

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome."

Ah. Starting now.

As lights illuminated the stage, the auctioneer appeared.

He was saying something, but I only half-listened. Something about the auction's deep history and tradition, customers with an eye for art, and how today's items are extremely rare....

And finally, the actual auction began.

"Our first item today! A candlestick used during the Baroque period, currently very difficult to obtain. We'll start at 3,000 dollars!"

"3,200! We have 3,200! Anyone else? 3, 2, 1. Sold to number 127. Thank you!"

"...This is a very precious item. A blacklist leaked from the Egyptian government. Taking opening bids."

"This is one of the few rare items in the world showing S-class villain Kellerus, whose records have been erased. We'll start at 10,000 dollars!"

As the auction progressed, various items began to be sold.

This was the Excal Auction House, where valuable items could be sold away from the eyes of the government and the Association.

True to its reputation for selling everything profitable from ancient artifacts to the government's latest documents, they really were selling all sorts of strange things.

What's even more surprising is that there are people buying these things. They must have money to burn.

Anyway, these useless items aren't my concern.

I sat in my seat, waiting patiently until the item I wanted appeared.

And after some time had passed.

Finally, the item I'd been waiting for came onto the stage.

"This is a ring that B-class hero Swordier always wore during his lifetime. We acquired it when he lost it in his final moments. We'll start at 6,000 dollars."

Yes.

That ring.

That very ring which, in the original story, would become the cause of an S-class villain's birth—I need to intercept it here.

While no one yet knows its true value.

"We have 7,000 dollars! 7,000 dollars, any more?"

"7,500! We have 7,500. 8,000! We have 8,000. Anyone else?"

The auction was heating up.

And finally, a burly man on the other side slightly raised his finger.

"10,000! We have 10,000! Any more? Then I'll finalize the sale! 3, 2..."

And just as the auctioneer was about to close the sale.

His eyes widened as he confirmed something.

"50,000..! We have 50,000!"

The auctioneer excitedly announced the amount that had suddenly jumped fivefold.

Even the other attendees who had been watching indifferently were the same.

Everyone was curious about who the crazy person was, suddenly burning money on something that seemed so useless.

Of course, the person who bid 50,000 was me.

A real man makes bold moves.

Glancing to the side, I could see a man in a suit trembling.

That's the guy who almost won with the 10,000 bid, and who actually succeeds in the original story.

Ryu Jin-taek, CEO of VK Corporation. And one of the future S-class villains.

In the original story, he buys the ring out of boredom at the auction, later discovers its power, and uses it to commit all sorts of evil.

And with the numerous powers he gains through it, he becomes a significant obstacle to Lee Seol-ah's merger project.

Of course, now that I'll have the ring, that future won't come to pass.

Though it was just something I bid on out of boredom, he seemed a bit upset about losing it, so he tried a petty counterattack.

"51,000! We have 51,000!"

Yeah, screw that.

"100,000!!! We have one hundred thousand! Any more? Then 3, 2, 1... Sold for one hundred thousand. Thank you!!!!"

I could feel the people around me murmuring as they watched me burn 100 million won on a single ring that once belonged to a B-class hero.

The auctioneer looked quite pleased, having successfully sold the item at an inflated price.

I just smirked at the commotion inside.

This is actually the most valuable item among everything presented today.

If people knew the truth about this ring, its value would exceed tens or hundreds of billions, reaching trillions. It's not something that should be purchasable with money in the first place.

Everyone here probably has at least a few hundred million in capital.

Anyway, having accomplished my goal, I just got up from my seat. There's nothing more to see now.

After giving a mocking smirk to the trembling guy next to me, I went outside and collected my item first.

A very ordinary-looking ring with just a purple pearl-like object embedded in the center.

I wrapped the ring in its case, put it in my pocket, and left.

Phew. With this, one objective has been achieved.

...But how do I get back home?

***

After somehow making it back home and collapsing into bed as soon as I arrived, the next day.

"Oppa. What is this thing that made you rush out in the middle of the night?"

Seo-eun asked with great curiosity as I was polishing the ring in the living room.

"The Ring of Sealing."

"What?"

"We'll use this for our next terrorist attack."

"...Seriously, what is this thing?"

"You'll see."

The purple bead embedded in the center of the ring.

I turned it clockwise twice, then counterclockwise once.

And simultaneously.

The ring flashed with light and-

[....Hmm? Who has awakened me?]

From the ring, a semi-transparent figure wearing knight armor that looked like it belonged in medieval times jumped out.

"...What is this?"

Between Seo-eun's astonishment and the black-armored figure who still looked confused.

In that chaotic situation, I calmly said:

"Death Knight."

[Hmm? Are you referring to me? My name is not that, but Saint Pet...]

"No. From today, your name is Death Knight."

Death Knight sounds cooler.

From now on, your name is Desik.