<h4>Chapter 53: Companion (3) (1)</h4>


    .


    The next evening.


    We had finished a light dinner and were at the auction house.


    Here, an entire building was dedicated to the auction house.


    “Wow… it’s huge.”


    Kim Chae-eun muttered under her breath as she looked at the massive building size.


    It was a towering building, as if it could pierce the sky.


    She absentmindedly looked up and slowly admired the splendid architectural style of the building.


    …I feel like she might bump into someone passing by.


    And indeed, it happened.


    Another group trying to enter the auction house passed by her side.


    I lightly grabbed Kim Chae-eun’s shoulder and pulled her towards us.


    “…Huh?”


    “Look ahead.”


    “Oh, yeah. Thanks….”


    Jeong Seon-young looked at us with a smile, as if finding us cute.


    “It’s possible. When I first came here, I was surprised by how big the auction house waspared to what I expected.”


    “Seems like you’ve been to the auction house often, senior.”


    “True. Especially disaster monster hunters like mee here frequently. If you observe the situation well, you can get good items at unexpectedly low prices in the auction house.”


    It shouldn’t be that big of a deal to have equipment support just by joining a n.


    And on top of that, Jeong Seon-young was also an A-grade Holder.


    I scratched my head and asked her, “Senior, you’re not part of a n?”


    “ns are tedious. It’s tiring to see Holder ying politics, even those who should be focused on runes.”


    “But you consistently participate in disaster monster hunts.”


    “Someone has to do that kind of thing.”


    Jeong Seon-young had a firm philosophy as a Holder.


    I will step forward and protect the citizens!


    It’s not exactly a sense of justice like that, but…


    She seemed to have no regrets about the path and actions she had chosen.


    As a fellow Holder, there was a lot to learn from her.


    “Please present your Holder registration and admission tickets.”


    After we entered the building.


    Upon reaching the simply adorned entrance.


    A staff member in a suit politely spoke.


    We handed over three admission tickets.


    Both Jeong Seon-young and I, who had hunted S-grade disaster monsters together, had ‘Confirmation of Participation in Raid’ endorsed by the Association added to our admission tickets.


    “One regr admission and two special admissions. Confirmed. Wee to the Korean Holder Auction House, Daegu Branch.”


    With the staff member’s permission, we entered the interior.


    Even after entering, Kim Chae-eun looked around here and there.


    “But it’s really fascinating…”


    “What is?”


    “I thought since it’s an auction house, it would be like a stadium or something.”


    “Pfft – like that Colosseum?”


    “Yeah! But the interior is just ordinary… like other buildings.”


    Jeong Seon-young looked at Kim Chae-eun cutely as she said that.


    “Don’t be too disappointed. Probably the 4th and 5th floors, where the auction takes ce, are decorated as Chae-eun mentioned. The auction itself is sorge that they use two whole floors as the auction venue.”


    Kim Chae-eun, her ardent follower, sped her hands together.


    “So, can we auction together with you, senior?!”


    “Well, yes… a group of people can participate together, up to four.”


    “Wow! That’s a relief. I thought we had to split up without any choice.”


    Asrge as the Daegu auction house is, it’s also segmented by floors.


    The 1st floor is the entrance and reception.


    The 2nd and 3rd floors are direct item sale spaces.


    Holders can directly purchase various equipment and special items they need, and the variety is as extensive as the space itself.


    And as Jeong Seon-young mentioned, the 4th and 5th floors. These two floors arebined into one auction space.


    So, the auction house is designed with stepped seating, much like an auditorium or arge art hall, for the auction participants.


    As you go higher up, there are also plenty of spaces for Holders’ convenience, such as reception areas, lounge areas, and restaurants.


    A 13-story building in total.


    Truly a massive auction house.


    I heard that it’s the secondrgest in size after the Seoul main branch.


    “I think our seats are over there.”


    Upon entering the 4th floor, I saw rows of chairs that seemed to go on endlessly.


    I pointed to the seat at the very top among them.


    It was a space where about four people could sit.


    “Seems like it. Let’s go over there and sit.”


    “Yes, senior.”


    Surprisingly, the seats inside the auction house were neat.


    Chairs and tables forfortable sitting.


    On top of the table were a green buzzer and a microphone.


    And there was a digital screen that would disy information about the items.


    Since it was my first time experiencing an auction, just like Kim Chae-eun, I found all these things fascinating.


    “Fortunately, they won’t be using number tes for the auction.”


    “That’s for the old-style auctions.”


    The three of us sat down and engaged in casual conversation.


    About 30 minutes had passed like that.


    Holders in various outfits started to take their seats one by one, and soon, most of the seats were filled, and all the auction participants had gathered.


    Then, a person who seemed to be the auctioneer and a few staff members came out to the stage and greeted everyone.


    -To all the Holders shining in Korea, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Kim Hyun-woo, the host of the 117th Holder Auction hosted by the Korean Holder Auction House. Before we proceed with the actual auction, let me briefly exin the format of this auction.


    The host greeted everyone and projected a slide onto the screen behind him as he spoke.


    -This auction will be conducted through an openpetitive bidding process. You, the Holders, can participate in the auction using the buzzer and microphone at your seat. You must ce bids higher than the current price being offered for the item you wish to purchase. If the final price remains unchanged until I call three bids, the item will be awarded at that final price.


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