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chapter 31
Snow flurries swept across the plains.
In the middle of a remote private estate in Greenland, during the frigid month of December, a massive mansion stood tall.
The estate was vast—so wide that the outer fence stretched far beyond the surrounding forest.
A luxury sedan drove through the gate.
Click.
The car stopped at the mansion entrance, and the chauffeur stepped out to open the rear door.
Inside sat a lady wearing a rabbit mask.
“Young miss, we’ve arrived.”
“Thank you.”
She wore a fur coat and dress that were obviously expensive—like a European aristocrat out of a painting.
But her black eyes and black hair, barely visible beyond the mask, revealed her as an unmistakable East Asian.
“Madam Majon has arrived.”
Her true identity was none other than Majon, a top-tier High Ranker whose power rivaled even the Sword Emperor.
As she entered the mansion, the suited guards at the entrance reported her arrival via comms.
At once, staff inside moved to their posts to welcome the VIP.
“I told you not to bother with this kind of pomp.”
Her voice exuded dignity, yet carried both coldness and mercy.
It was hard to tell if her words were out of concern for the staff—or sharp disapproval of their preparations.
The manager leading her looked flustered, but she smiled faintly.
“Don’t mind me. I know nothing ever changes just because I say it.”
With just a flick of her hand, Majon could decide the life and death of countless people.
Even though every staff member here was Ranker-level, they still broke into a cold sweat at her words.
In truth, her remark wasn’t even meant for the employees, but for another High Ranker who managed this place.
“Ah, you’re here! Long time no see.”
A tall brown-haired man in a suit, wearing a wolf mask—Flame King.
He opened his arms wide, about to hug her.
Vwoom.
But Majon’s absolute barrier blocked him.
“Stay back.”
“Haha! So prickly as always.”
Though rejected, Flame King only shrugged, his sly grin showing through the mask.
“Sorry I’m late. I had a lot to take care of.”
Inside the mansion’s conference room, two others were waiting.
The Sword Emperor, wearing his plain white mask as though it were his real face.
And the Holy Emperor, Baek Sun-yul—head of Korea’s richest conglomerate—who was the only one not hiding his face.
“If you’re so busy, why not just use teleportation? You are the Master of All Magics, after all.” Flame King teased.
Majon’s reply was icy.
“You may not care since you have no sense of responsibility, but I don’t casually use magic that can disrupt the world’s balance.”
She was right—spatial manipulation magic carried dangerous side effects. That was why she traveled here normally.
“Tch. Magic’s too full of restrictions. Why not just use it freely?”
“That’s rich, coming from someone whose abilities shouldn’t be abused recklessly either.”
“Enough, both of you. Time’s almost up.”
A distorted voice cut in—the Sword Emperor.
“Ugh, every time I hear that voice it makes me jump. Fine, keep the mask, but can’t you at least fix the creepy voice?” Flame King grumbled.
The Sword Emperor’s mask not only altered his voice but also completely concealed his face—unlike Majon and Flame King, whose features could still be guessed.
His mask seemed fused with his skin, giving him a monstrous appearance, more like a demon than a man.
“…Next time I’ll adjust it. Anyway, since all four of us are here, let’s begin.”
He projected documents from a tablet, which were shared with the others’ devices.
Thus began the meeting of the four strongest High Rankers in the world.
Reports rolled in:
“Unique weapons obtained after the last raid…”
“…Casualties from Norway’s monster invasion: zero…”
In truth, while only four sat here, nearly a hundred people were participating indirectly.
Behind each mask or device were countless specialists feeding consolidated opinions, while these four represented their families or corporate groups.
“…Preparations for the upcoming ‘Clan System’ update on the 25th are complete.”
This great faction was known as Belgrave, a secret society manipulating global affairs since the pre-modern era.
“And finally—”
The true purpose of today’s meeting.
“…We must discuss tomorrow’s schedule.”
The Diamond Auction.
{Notice! The Diamond Auction begins.}
{Period: December 16, 2032, 00:00 – December 21, 2032, 00:00}
Every year, the world trembled when this time came.
Countless people claimed this year, we’ll be the winners.
Even after the auction ended, fraudsters popped up everywhere, boasting they had won and obtained ridiculous treasures. Scams, murders, and chaos followed.
Because the real winner’s identity was never revealed.
And while the prize was rumored to be a “Mythic Guardian Spirit,” its true nature was still unknown.
‘It’s a known fact that High Rankers possess Guardians beyond Legendary grade…’
But this year, I’d get the answer myself.
‘I’ll win it and see firsthand.’
The winning bids had skyrocketed each year:
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1.7 billion diamonds two years ago.
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2.3 billion last year.
The competition only grew fiercer as infrastructure for earning diamonds improved.
This year, it would be even worse.
‘I’ve got 25 billion won. Keep 1 billion as reserve funds, that leaves 24 billion.’
At my rate—1 diamond per 5 won—that gave me 4.8 billion diamonds.
‘That should be more than enough.’
In cash, 24 trillion won—double last year’s price. Even the U.S. government couldn’t gather that in five days.
Besides, diamonds weren’t something you bought but something you earned—through quests or by transferring rewards.
Like cryptocurrency that could only be mined.
That’s why sudden spikes in demand were nearly impossible to handle.
But unlike everyone else, I could buy unlimited diamonds instantly with just a smartphone tap. That was my greatest advantage.
“Hey bro! Did you see the news?”
From outside my room, I heard Bogdan and Darius talking.
“What news?”
“The Diamond Auction. Word is Russia’s joining, bro.”
“Russia?”
“Yup.”
I checked online—no official announcement, just rumors. But the rumor came from leaked intel that both the U.S. and China were preparing to bid this year.
‘Damn it, why this year of all years…’
True or not, competition would be brutal.
‘First things first—exchange the cash.’
I wasn’t backing down. I’d dump my entire fortune, drain every source of money I had.
Because to fight the Kalininskaya clan, I needed a weapon.
{You have obtained 4,000,000,000 Diamonds.}
I exchanged 20 billion won.
Worried it might trigger alarms, but nothing happened—likely because the exchange remained within my domestic bank account without foreign transfers or cash withdrawals.
‘Well, buying diamonds like this is a miracle anyway.’
With 4 billion diamonds secured, I prepared to strike near the end of the auction.
‘It’s only the 16th. Five days left.’
I’d wait, watch the bids rise, then make a final overwhelming bid right before it closed—using my unique edge.
December 21, 12:00 a.m.
The Diamond Auction neared its end.
{Current bid: 4,000,000,000 Diamonds}
{If no higher bid is placed within 5 seconds, the item will be awarded to the current bidder.}
{5, 4, 3, 2, 1}
{The Diamond Auction has ended.}
And the winner was—me.
It was anticlimactic. Easier than expected.
I hadn’t even needed to spend the full 20 billion won I’d exchanged.
But the prize itself was anything but anticlimactic.
“Holy… this is…”
Because what I obtained was—
Patch Notes for 2033 (Preview)
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Seven new Unique weapons will be added worldwide. See details on performance and acquisition methods below.
[See More] -
Sixth Regular Raid Season schedule and details.
[See More] -
Two new Hidden Quests will be added worldwide. Activation conditions, clear methods, and rewards detailed below.
[See More]
…
It was a cheat sheet—revealing everything that would happen next year.
