Chapter 27: Auction (1)

Everything is going too smoothly.
The episode has more or less gotten on track.
Successfully recovering the Necronomicon was a huge win.
My level has also increased to the point where no other first-year student can rival me.

The second main episode: “Intervention of the Holy Empire”.
In this branching point, George Arrote becomes a villain and falls into darkness.
Honestly, I’m still not at the level where I can subdue George Arrote.
Moreover, I’m far from meeting the minimum requirements to clear the Honor Difficulty.
To safely prepare for the mid-to-late game, I need to hit at least level 100.

However, I have the ultimate combo of the Necronomicon and Sleepwalking.
If I can just get some clues about Demonic Energy from Stella, and obtain a Return Stone from Aisha…
It’s not an exaggeration to say that with enough time, I’ll definitely reach level 100.

But there’s one big problem.
A problem so huge that I can’t just ignore it.

“Dragon?”

It’s Stella’s reaction.
It wasn’t just a misunderstanding—she was practically convinced.
To be honest, I can’t blame her reaction.
From her perspective, since she doesn’t know about my Sleepwalking ability, my power seems too incredible to be anything other than a dragon’s.

It’s true that dragons exist within the world of Eterna Online.
But isn’t that going way too far?
The Masters of Magic. The ones who first taught magic. The Guardians of Balance.
To mimic such a grandiose race?
Just thinking about it makes my head spin.

And it’s not just Stella.
She’s not the only one who has this absurd misconception.

“Can I have some time alone? If that’s okay…”

“Understood… No! Sure. See you later.”

“Hey, be careful with your words!”

Selena and Angela.
Those two must have seen me in my Sleepwalking state as well.
I’m pretty sure they also think I’m some kind of dragon or something even greater.

This is just a complete mess.
“What am I supposed to do now…”
At this point, explaining myself won’t work at all.
Either I reveal the existence of Sleepwalking, or I keep pretending to be a dragon.
It’s like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Being the Master of the Tower wasn’t bad enough, now I’m supposedly a dragon too?
Honestly, in terms of difficulty, the latter is much easier to act out than the former.
But still, it makes me feel guilty.

“Sigh…”

And tomorrow is the Academy Festival.
The Academy Festival is practically a continent-wide event.
Its scale is massive, and the number of people attending is enormous.

The most important thing about the Academy Festival.
That would be the official tournament that takes place during the festival: the Magic Festival.
It’s an official magic competition where students from all grades participate.
It’s the only opportunity to showcase one’s magical talent and prove their worth.

There are no grade restrictions, no age restrictions, and no gender restrictions.
The only requirement is that you are an academy student.

The most noteworthy aspect of the Magic Festival is the reward.
This time, the prize is none other than the rare artifact:

[Trize’s Necklace]
It protects you from an unexpected blow just once.
At first glance, it seems like just a one-time-use artifact, but its performance is undeniably outstanding.
Basically, it’s something that can save your life, so its value is immeasurable.

Of course, since it’s so valuable, plenty of people will covet it.
But they can keep dreaming.

To clear this episode, that artifact absolutely has to end up in Odette’s hands.
But Odette probably has no intention of participating in the Magic Festival.
In that case, I have no choice but to win and use the excuse of giving it as a gift to hand it over to her.

“I’ll register tomorrow.”
For now, I should just rest up.
I’ll think about the rest later.

Eterna Academy Plaza

“I’m here to register for the Magic Festival.”
“Y-Yes…! Just write down your class, year, and name… right here!”
Same as always—the receptionist’s reaction is tiring.
Her gaze doesn’t leave my face.
With a short sigh, I filled out the application form according to the format.

“S-Class, Year 1, Luke Richter…”

Under the clear blue sky, the plaza was bustling with activity for the first time in a while.
Stalls and shops were set up all over the plaza.
People from all walks of life were busily moving around.
The mouth-watering aroma of food lingered in the air.
The loud street noise echoed in my ears.
It was a bit chaotic, but not unpleasant.
No wonder the students had been looking forward to the festival so much.

“R-Registration complete…!”
The receptionist stammered, her face flushed.
I gave a brief nod and left the spot.

The Academy Festival lasts a full week.
The official start of the Magic Festival is tomorrow.
Today, I have just one task.
Registration for the Magic Festival and participation in the auction.

Ordinary students can’t participate in the auction.
However, thanks to Stella’s discretion, the Student Council and Disciplinary Committee members can.
I’ll make sure to grab everything I need during this opportunity.

Of course, I need money for that.
But that’s not a problem.
I’ve just found a new sponsor.

“Luke! Hurry up!”
Aisha waved her hand, calling me over.
That’s right—my new sponsor is none other than Aisha.

The Rustichel family is renowned not just for its military prowess but also for its wealth, rivaling that of the imperial family.
After all, they control all the rare resources of the Northern Seas.
Of course, they’re just a bunch of muscle-brained fools who don’t know how to spend money properly.
But that’s fine. I’ll take the liberty of using it wisely.

“Aisha, did you bring what I asked for?”
“Of course!”
With a confident voice, Aisha handed me a check.

An open check with the Sea Dragon emblem on the top left.
It’s the symbol representing Rustichel, the northern administrator.
And the complex pattern of the blue magic engraving on the edges.
A “Guaranteed Payment Check” endorsed by Rustichel.
In other words, a blank check.

“Thanks.”
“Are you sure this is enough?”
More than enough.
To me, cold hard cash is more important than something like Jellus.
From her perspective, a high-ranking spirit that’s hard to acquire with money is more valuable, but…
Besides, I did treat her constitution problem.

“It’s more than enough.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Aisha gave a bright, relieved smile, feeling satisfied that she was helpful.
I couldn’t help but chuckle and asked her a question.

“Aisha, did you sign up for the Magic Festival too?”
“Of course. Isn’t that obvious?”
So Aisha is participating too.
That’s going to be a bit of a problem.

[Lv 51]
Is it because she made a contract with a high-ranking spirit?
Aisha’s level jumped from 45 to 51—a whole 6 levels up.
Well, it’s not like she’s a match for me anyway.

“Anyway, thanks. See you at the tournament tomorrow.”
“You’re leaving already?! At least check out the festival a bit more!”
“Disciplinary Committee work is keeping me busy.”

Honestly, I’d love to take Aisha with me, but unfortunately, the auction is off-limits to students.
Leaving behind Aisha, who seemed a bit disappointed, I headed toward the auction house.

The key point of this auction isn’t the potions or artifacts.
It’s to completely disrupt the auction of a certain individual.
That’s the real purpose this time.

‘This is my chance to make a proper connection with the Tower Master.’

This auction will involve representatives from various nations.
Among them, the most problematic one is the Holy Empire’s representative.
They always snatch up anything even remotely related to the Holy Empire, leaving nothing behind.
The problem is the chaos they cause in the process.

From the perspective of the Magic Tower, the auction needs to be successful to yield profits exceeding the investment.
But the auction is set to be a complete disaster—all thanks to the Holy Empire representatives.
Anything related to the Holy Empire is snatched up at a pittance because no one dares to challenge their intimidation tactics.
As a result, they’ll end up taking everything at a bargain price.

And that’s not all.
If a representative from an opposing faction shows up, they’ll bluff as if they intend to buy, even when they don’t.
It’s the epitome of disruptive behavior.
With the Holy Empire sabotaging everything, it’s no wonder the Tower Master gets furious.

But this time will be different.
I’m planning to be the one to counter the Holy Empire’s interference.

‘What are they gonna do to a student?’

The Holy Empire isn’t even a wealthy nation.
They survive by leeching off the economies of other countries.
There’s no way they brought a massive amount of money just for an auction event.
The reason I’m so sure?
In the game, the Holy Empire was known for being tight-fisted.
They even have a legal limit on the amount of money they can bring to auction events.

‘This is a great chance to make an impression on the Tower Master.’

From the last group practical exercise, where I secured first place, I earned the right to accompany Stella on her academic conference trip.
During that trip, there’s inevitably an event involving the Tower Master.
In other words, it won’t hurt to make a good impression beforehand.
After all, the Magic Tower is one of the few factions that openly detests the Holy Empire.

“Phew.”
But what’s with this familiar presence I’ve been sensing behind me for a while?
It feels like someone’s tailing me…
‘Am I just imagining it?’

I kept glancing back occasionally, but all I saw were busy passersby going their own way.
Maybe I was just overthinking it.

Before I knew it, the entrance to the auction house came into view.
At the same time, I could see Selena and Angela standing near the entrance.

“You’re here alrea— I mean, you came early?”
“Geez, sis! Watch your words!”
“……”
Oh, right.
I’m supposed to be a dragon on a leisure outing right now.
This is really driving me nuts.