The Wizard in the Game Is Rewarded in Reality

Chapter 25

The car, having left the roads of Seoul, is heading towards Incheon.

After driving for about an hour, we arrive at Incheon Port.

Seeing the containers piled up like mountains, I find it surprising.

I had naturally thought the auction would be held in a glamorous place.

The car enters one of the many containers.

“We have arrived.”

As we enter the container, the door closes.

The man who got out from the passenger seat opens the car door for me.

“Please, follow me.”

The man walks to the opposite side from where we entered and manipulates something, causing a door to slide open.

‘It’s a maze.’

The man changes directions several times. They are using the containers like a maze. Despite the constant changes in direction, I remember the way back perfectly. I even remember the password he entered on the door lock.

“Welcome.”

Though we have only spoken twice on the phone, the voice is familiar.

A man smiles brightly and extends his hand.

“Nice to meet you. I am Park Dong-hyuk, the head of the Dark Merchant Korea branch.”

“Yes, nice to meet you.”

“This way.”

I walk with Park Dong-hyuk.

Unlike when I came here, we don’t keep changing directions.

Passing through a door, a fairly spacious area reveals itself. It seems to be a space made by connecting several containers.

“The place is a bit unusual, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

“From the moment you got into the car, we controlled all the surrounding CCTVs. No matter how advanced the technology of any group, they won’t be able to track you. Of course, the same goes for the journey here.”

I was quite surprised to hear that they controlled all the CCTVs around Gangnam Station in Seoul. It could be a way to show their capabilities, or it could be to show how much they care for me.

“If you’re worried that the employees who came with us saw your face, you don’t need to worry about that either. They don’t know who you are. Even if they did, they couldn’t tell anyone. The same goes for me.”

“Is it a skill?”

Park Dong-hyuk nods with a smile.

“It’s the skill of the Dark Merchant Master. So you can rest assured. I have a question for you.”

“Go ahead.”

“I wonder if it’s right for me to ask this, but… why did you accept the invitation?”

I look at Park Dong-hyuk for a moment before speaking.

“It’s a test.”

“A test?”

“To see if you can walk with me, if I can trust you and rely on you. It’s a test.”

A look of undeniable confusion appears on Park Dong-hyuk’s face.

“It was a test.”

“It’s a bit different from the answer you expected, isn’t it?”

No, it would be very different.

“I won’t deny it.”

He probably expected me to say something like ‘I thought about it a lot’ before accepting the invitation.

The truth is, I did think about it a lot.

No matter how great I am, I am just an individual.

On the other hand, the Dark Merchant is a group powerful enough to wage a full-scale war with the United States, the world’s strongest nation.

If the Dark Merchant had plotted something harmful to me, I would have been helpless.

Through several transactions with the Dark Merchant, I realized that they at least adhered to their own ‘principles.’

The first principle of the Dark Merchant.

Absolute confidentiality regarding the seller and the buyer.

Since the inception of the Dark Merchant organization, this principle has never been broken. The Dark Merchant even declared an all-out war against the United States to uphold their principles.

Despite the tempting situation, they showed me trust.

I pondered whether to respond to Park Dong-hyuk’s invitation as a minimal reciprocation of that trust.

Then, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

Why should I be worrying about this?

The world operates strictly on the relationship between the powerful and the powerless.

In the relationship between me and the Dark Merchant, who holds the position of power?

It’s a question that can be easily answered without much thought.

Once I concluded that I was the one in power, my worries vanished instantly.

Would the Dark Merchant give up the benefits they could gain through me?

Absolutely not.

Of course, this wasn’t the only reason I accepted Park Dong-hyuk’s invitation. I also prepared a safety measure.

A 5-circle teleport artifact.

It was crafted with the help of the Twelve Elders and can teleport to random coordinates upon activation.

I prepared a device to extract myself in a critical moment.

The artifact has one security measure. It won’t activate unless a specific mana pattern is used.

This means that only I can use the artifact.

If the Dark Merchant harbors ill intentions towards me and acts on them, I plan to escape via teleportation and somehow exact retribution.

After preparing the safety measure, I accepted Park Dong-hyuk’s invitation.

“A test, huh… I’m nervous.”

Park Dong-hyuk shrugged with a smile.

“If the trust we’ve shown so far remains unbroken, you’ll pass the test without any issues.”

“If that’s the case, you don’t need to worry. As I mentioned, the Dark Merchant members are under the control of the master’s skills. Not even torture or truth serum can make us talk.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Master of the Craksha Tower, you are a special management target of our Dark Merchant. Rather, we are in a position to protect you.”

Nodding, Park Dong-hyuk led me to a luxurious sofa.

“Let’s discuss the establishment of the company. Although the contract can be processed via email, wouldn’t it be better to have a face-to-face conversation? Given the nature of the matter.”

“I agree.”

“First of all, I don’t intend to specify the company we’re establishing as a pharmaceutical company. Not only will we sell the mana addiction alleviator, but also everything that the Tower of Kraksha sends us under the company’s name.”

Park Dong-hyuk speaks in an excited, elated voice.

“How about naming the company ‘Tower of Kraksha’?”

“Tower of Kraksha?”

“Yes. Isn’t the Tower of Kraksha the holy land for all wizards in Doomsday? It’s a funny thing to say, but when the Tower of Kraksha sent us artifacts and potions, I almost thought a wizard from the game’s Kraksha Kingdom Tower had jumped into reality.”

I manage my expression despite the sudden jolt.

“The things sent by the Tower of Kraksha are incomparable to the existing ones, completely different in class. There are countless enchanters and alchemists in the world. But the things sent by the Tower of Kraksha are irreplaceable, aren’t they?”

“Tower of Kraksha, huh.”

It doesn’t seem like a bad idea.

Isn’t it an opportunity to elevate the status of the Tower of Kraksha on Earth, not just on the continent of Azelium?

Though my master says Earth is full of ‘half-wits.’

“It’s not an urgent matter, so take your time to think about it. The draft of the contract is already completed. I’ll send it to you by email, so please review it. Once again, our Dark Merchant wants to walk alongside the Tower of Kraksha.”

“I feel the same way.”

Park Dong-hyuk smiles brightly and extends his hand. When I take his hand, he pulls me in.

“Shall we head to the auction house now?”

*

When I arrived at the auction house, I was once again surprised.

The place where the auction was held was a huge and splendid space, unimaginable to be made by connecting containers.

The auction house was filled with countless people.

“These are the people who move the world.”

The place where Park Dong-hyuk and I were located was slightly elevated in the auction house, a place where the entire auction house could be seen but was invisible to others.

“People dispatched from powerful countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and Russia, representatives of large corporations, wealthy individuals from the Middle East. Globally famous awakened guilds, and even anti-government forces are all gathered here.”

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“Do so many people usually participate in the auction?”

“Absolutely not. People from all over the world have gathered because of the artifacts being auctioned today, the ones sent by the Tower of Kraksha.”

“I almost forgot, but are the artifacts and potions we first sent selling well?”

Park Dong-hyuk spreads his hands exaggeratedly.

“They sell out as soon as they arrive. Fire and Aqua artifacts are in high demand, with people clamoring to be supplied first. Aqua is more popular than Fire.”

“That makes sense.”

The money received as a down payment for the two artifacts has not yet been fully deducted. This is because it takes time and effort to create the artifacts.

“The mana recovery potion is no exception. Especially in the large guilds, the order volume is skyrocketing. Typically, supply cannot keep up with demand.”

The large guilds representing each country are at the forefront of the Infinite Tower strategy. The mana recovery potion must have given them a new world experience.

“It is regrettable that the quantity supplied by the Tower of Kraksha is limited. Of course, making such things is not an easy task.”

As they conversed, the auction began.

The auctioneer introduces the items, and the participants start bidding.

“Today’s auction items are all ten. Things obtained from the Infinite Tower, artifacts made by Dream Work in England, etc. Naturally, today’s main event is the artifact made by the Tower of Kraksha.”

[Thank you for waiting. Now, only the last auction item remains.]

At the auctioneer’s words, silence falls over the auction house.

[As mentioned in the invitation, the last auction item is an artifact. It is not just any artifact. It is the only artifact on Earth with three 3-circle spells enchanted.]

“Even though I already know, I am excited. Do you know how I felt when I first received that item?”

Park Dong-hyuk’s voice trembles slightly.

“I was overwhelmed with emotion at the fact that I could auction off such a top-notch artifact with my own hands.”

[For your information, the person who made this artifact is someone everyone here already knows.]

The auction participants start murmuring.

[A fire artifact that spews powerful flames for 72 hours, an aqua artifact that sprays 2,000 liters of water. And now, the mana recovery potion, which has become essential for the Infinite Tower strategy.]

The murmuring grows louder.

Some participants are shouting at the auctioneer.

The auctioneer speaks with a peculiar smile.

[We, the Dark Merchant, call that person the ‘Tower of Kraksha’.]

“Congratulations on your splendid debut. Now the whole world will know the Tower of Kraksha.”

Park Dong-hyuk says with a smile.

“What I said about the Tower of Kraksha today is a promotion for the grand dream we will achieve together in the future, so please understand.”

“The promotional effect will be the best.”

The auction house is filled with people who move the world.

They will return to their home countries and talk about the Tower of Kraksha.

[Let’s start the auction in earnest.]

At the auctioneer’s words, silence falls over the auction house.

[3-circle fire-type attack magic Fire Slash. If anyone from Dream Work is participating, I apologize in advance. The Fire Slash enchanted on this artifact is a powerful magic that cannot be compared to the Aqua Slash made by Dream Work.]

The auctioneer pauses for a moment and then speaks again.

[3-circle defense magic Shield. And 3-circle clean magic. Slash the enemy with Fire Slash, escape the crisis with Shield, and clean the monster’s blood after the battle with Clean. Isn’t it perfect?]

The auctioneer points to the artifact placed at the center of the podium.

[The starting bid for this masterpiece artifact crafted by the Tower Master of Kraksha is 10 billion won. The bid increment is 1 billion. The auction starts now.]

As soon as the auctioneer finishes speaking, numerous people spring up from their seats.

The overheated excitement, no, the madness engulfs the auction hall.

“What? Is this for real?”

“In what part are you referring to?”

“The auction. It keeps going up?”

Park Dong-hyuk smiles brightly.

“Of course. It’s a masterpiece artifact crafted by the Tower Master of Kraksha.”

The auctioneer’s shout continuously rings in their ears.

[22 billion won!]

[26 billion won!]

Park Dong-hyuk laughs and says,

“Congratulations, Tower Master of Kraksha. You’ve become a very wealthy person.”