READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 288. World Artifact Expo
Ten billion…
It doesn’t change even after double-checking.
Just this morning, my account balance, which was scraping the bottom (if we consider the average for S-Class Hunters), suddenly increased by about 30 times.
A life where money gets thrown into your account just by sitting still—unbelievable!
‘The deposit name… IMABARI?’
Could it be a mistaken transfer?
For a moment, I thought about that kind of mistake, but the moment I checked the deposit name, something clicked in my memory.
‘No way!’
This is the distribution payment for the [Kagoshima Dragon Raid], which I had forgotten about.
‘I heard from the Japanese association that the paperwork was delayed at that time. It really took several months to finalize!’
But isn’t this a bit much for a reward for a monster hunt?
One billion. A whopping one billion.
Even an alien who knows nothing about the world would hesitate to accept a distribution sum of this size.
‘What if they come back later saying I added an extra zero and take it back?’
I trembled and immediately contacted the association.
When Hunters go abroad for raids, the settlement must go through national agencies. So I wanted to confirm through the Earthlings who must know about this transfer.
-Yes. I will assist you with your inquiry. Before answering, I need to verify your identity. Could you please recite the 8-digit issuance number on the back of your Hunter ID?
While communicating with the call center, I realized there were other forms of ID I needed to restore.
But at least regarding valuable information, my memory worked well enough, so for now, it didn’t matter.
“VC01LYH7.”
-Hunter. What is your name?
“I am Kim Gi-ryeo.”
-Oh? Uh? Yes, yes. Please hold on, and I will get back to you today…
The call gets disconnected.
After waiting a bit longer, I received a text from the counselor who reconnected.
[Internal verification confirms it is a legitimate deposit ^^]
Once I got the confirmation, my physical form could hardly handle it.
‘What a surprise!’
According to various search tools of this planet.
South Korea is currently living in a low-interest era.
But even so, with such a massive deposit, wouldn’t that mean interest falling in the millions each month with simple calculations?
At this point, the collapsed living situation was no longer an issue.
In a capitalist society, because there’s money.
I could truly disappear right now to a quiet seaside town if I so wished.
‘Forget about training disciples! Ha ha! I’m retiring immediately!’
Just when I was ready to betray my temporary landlord (Jeong Ha-seong) without a second thought.
Blink.
The mobile phone in my hand hadn’t lost its brightness yet, as the 60-second wait time hadn’t passed.
Rationally, I should have been planning how to retire immediately after gaining this immense distribution payment…
But I just couldn’t.
【Today’s Economic Headline】
[World Artifact Expo held in Tokyo, Japan]
That article had been constantly lingering in my mind.
I swiped on the screen of my active mobile to double-check something.
What I saw were several photos.
The economic article contained images of specific items alongside the numerous texts.
Reading closely, the event in Tokyo is said to be hosting a special auction for valuable—Epic-grade—items to raise citizens’ interest in dungeon artifacts.
So the ‘thing’ I see on the screen must be one of the items at that auction.
‘Hmm.’
A pitch-black cloth that reflects not a single point of light.
It looks like a wide fabric of about 60cm by 60cm.
It’s a bit ambiguous since I can’t use tactile or auditory senses on just a photo, but somehow, the specific item briefly shown in this article seems familiar to me.
‘To be precise, it’s made of Alphauri fabric.’
And there’s no way that would be cheap.
If this black cloth truly is an Alphauri artifact, it would hold significant value even on Earth due to its straightforward effective properties.
‘It might be worth more than the [Hydra] I have.’
If I purposefully bought that piece of cloth, my overflowing balance would melt away in an instant.
Even though I was aware of all these circumstances.
I still found my heart fluttering at the quality of the fabric I discovered.
“An artifact auction, huh?”
If I could get my hands on that, I would finally have some competitive advantage in my dumpster-dive F-class life. What to do?
I fell into deep thought.
But the conclusion came quicker than I expected.
Surely, if this one billion was the result of a hundred years of hard work, it would feel different.
‘But it’s free money, so should I just go check out the items for the experience?’
The human brain is fickle.
Since the windfall came suddenly, there was no real attachment to the current balance.
I hadn’t suffered to form this wealth.
So I retracted my hasty retirement plan and, for now, decided to wander into the artifact market.
Spending money on purchasing items would mean I couldn’t trade for housing for a while, but that’s not an issue.
‘If it comes down to it, Ha-seong can just let me mooch off him!’
I wasn’t a black-haired beast, but I was an Alphauri after all…
Just ten minutes ago, I was eager to get out of someone’s residence, and now a money-hungry sorcerer flipped his attitude like a pancake.
This is why you need to be careful before letting any creature into your nest.
*
23:00 UTC. Tokyo, Japan.
Wow~
There are so many people.
“Hey, Guild Master. Is it just me, or is the LIИE not working right now? I feel like Iori is taking a while to respond.”
Today marks the start of the International Artifact Expo.
This event mainly takes place in the country’s capital for about 2-3 days.
Unlike other regional festivals, it was held indoors.
The wide space was split into sectors with white partitions, making it a structured building.
“I don’t know. On my end, there seems to be no issue. There weren’t any communication glitches during the last two rounds, so I don’t think you need to worry about that.”
The second round.
As you can tell from this phrasing, Tokyo had hosted this event before.
This year marked the third iteration.
Last year around this time, someone had just been reborn and was too flustered to notice foreign affairs.
Three years. That’s a time span long enough for an ordinary office worker to build experience, so the once chaotic event format found stability quickly.
“Oh! Never mind. It’s fine now. They just sent a reply.”
“I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but Iori uses some bizarre stamps.”
“He’s a character from a recent anime.”
Japan’s representative hunter, Moritake Ito, checked his colleague’s mobile phone.
And, still with his hands behind his back, he lifted his head to survey the surroundings.
Again, there were many ordinary people.
“Ordinary people…”
But the former securities employee had a moment of thought as he looked at the crowd.
‘Awakeners certainly step outside the bounds of normalcy, but I can’t help but feel kind of uneasy every time I see such expressions in the media…’
Just thoughts.
Now wasn’t the time to air such grievances.
“Oh! It’s Imabari! It’s the Imabari Guild Master!”
“Moritake!”
“It’s hot today, so come and take this pack. We just released it.”
A loud sound filled the air.
Ito blankly accepted the item handed to him by a citizen he encountered while walking.
The warmhearted vendor handed him a nondescript bag with ‘Infinity’ written boldly on its front.
“Oh.”
This is a cold pack created by wrapping magic stones harvested from a very chilly dungeon in fabric.
At such expos, artificially crafted items could often be seen.
Right next to him, a heart warmer made from the heart of a salamander monster was on display.
[5th Grade Recovery Potion Use Lecture – Timing for Using Potions During Routine Activities]
Meanwhile, of course, many pure dungeon products were scattered about the hall.
If you look closely, however, it was evident that the artifacts on display were all genuinely weak.
None were usable by hunters facing monsters and would be difficult for non-abilities persons to handle without serious mishaps.
In fact, about 90% of the exhibits in this building performed at such low levels.
The surface purpose of the Tokyo Expo was to promote dungeon culture to citizens.
“There sure are a lot of visitors.”
Since the main target audience was unawakened ordinary people, the display had to showcase only harmless toys to ensure customer safety.
Moreover, those without hunting licenses couldn’t carelessly purchase equipment above a certain performance level.
For realistic trade volumes, Tokyo had no choice but to set up the event this way.
‘Could those items be obtained at an F-rank gate…?’
Cheering erupted around the expo.
‘They’re enjoying themselves.’
Looking at the people delighting in the mysteries of magic, Ito felt a new sentiment washed over him.
Apocalyptic theories abound.
A deeply rooted anger over gate-related issues.
After the Dungeon Shock incident, there were fears that the entire archipelago might go under.
Thanks to the efforts of state agencies, popularly known as the Management Bureau, the perception of new resources within Japan greatly improved.
“Oh, speaking of which, my grandfather back in Ehime said not to go near stuff like this or he’ll get sick.”
“Oh, you mean the Guild Master’s family.”
“Even though we’re in an era where a worker’s hand can restore any injured worker with potions. He still stubbornly insists on seeing only general physicians when he falls ill.”
“Hmm.”
“That side is pure, I suppose.”
Of course, there will always be dissenters.
As Ito walked, he chatted about this and that with his guild member.
“If only he was a bit more trusting of potions, life would be a bit easier for him.”
“It’s regrettable, but there’s not much we can do. Grandfather probably has a lot of his own concerns. It takes time for people to and for technology to be recognized by the world.”
By the way, the employee he was speaking with is a B-Class Awakened.
Given that Imabari’s scale had significantly shrunk, this was no surprise.
“But actually, I also have a bit of fear towards mana.”
“Oh?”
“There’s a nursing home near my house. Apparently, there are still many elderly patients bedridden from addiction issues there…”
How could anyone be scared of mana? Maybe if they didn’t like it…
Ito tilted his head as he listened to his colleague’s words.
But then, out of nowhere…
A path in front cleared, and a person rushed in.
It was a familiar face among the Awakened.
“Moritake!”
“Ah, it’s Iori.”
With hair somewhat longer resembling an idol on stage.
A grown adult that looked far too youthful.
The S-Class water attribute hunter from Japan, Iori, entered the expo.
“What’s up, Iori? Are you wearing that outfit again today?”
The man named Iori was dressed in a light green shirt.
To those in the know, that was an already familiar outfit, and soon enough, a hunter playfully snipped at him.
“Anyone would think you own nothing but that in your closet…”
But he didn’t look in the mood for jokes.
This expo strictly prohibited the use of abilities except in emergencies, yet Iori rushed over without responding to his friend’s remark.
“Move! Move!”
The sprinting Iori quickly spoke to his country’s representative hunter.
“Moritake-kun! Something big is happening! You need to gather all the S-Rankers to the expo! Right now!”
Gathering all S-Rank hunters?
What kind of absurd request was this?
“Top ones?”
For reference, Japan’s S-Class Hunters have faced many ups and downs, like shifting power structures from 2:1:1 to 3:1.
The key point was that Iori was the only one to have successfully gone independent.
Thus, Moritake Ito, the leader of the so-called new Imabari Guild, was still in contact with the remaining two S-Class Hunters, so it was natural that he could reach out to them.
“Why the sudden gathering of all S-Ranks? Did the Management Bureau say that we were lacking in security personnel?”
Even then, calling for all the S-Rankers for a mere play event seemed a bit excessive.
On top of that, this was a volunteering gig without any pay.
Someone soon voiced their discontent.
“Since this isn’t even raid-related, we could just style it for the approaching hunters coming from other countries…”
But as soon as he heard the next sentence, Ito’s demeanor shifted.
“The hunter that must be treated with absolute utmost courtesy is entering the country.”
“What do you mean?”
“Seo Esther from South Korea just sent me an email. Kim Gi-ryeo just boarded a business class flight. And the destination? This expo in Tokyo.”
The entry of a specific hunter.
“According to Seo Esther, that man asked her if she would come with him to the expo. But unfortunately, due to her schedule in Korea, she can’t make it. What a bummer.”
“Oh my god.”
“So hurry and contact the other two fools! If Kim Gi-ryeo is coming, I can’t imagine the parties involved thinking they could skip showing face!”
No doubt about it, it’s an emergency…
After Iori’s shocking announcement, Ito immediately reached out to his guild members.
At the same time, he headed to the nearby airport with Iori.
Although they belonged to different nations, they all likely would feel a similar appreciation for the act of extending a warm welcome.
‘That Korean is coming back?’
Could it be he’s aiming for the festival’s special event, the ‘Tokyo Auction’?
But items suitable for an S-Class Hunter should typically be showcased during the peak of the event, in the mid-point of the second day. Why so early…?
As the confusion filled his mind…
At the airport, the immigration channel finally opened, and the esteemed guest made his entrance.
Thud, thud, thud.
Dressed head to toe in a black suit like the skin of the Imugi he claimed to have slain.
A South Korean hunter appeared, pulling a suitcase behind him.