Chapter : 85
A Long Road Toward Solo Mastery (7)
The names of artifacts were usually given temporarily by their discoverers or owners. The Lightning Axe that Suhyun possessed likely had a fitting name among the other races as well. Most names were intuitive, reflecting the superpowers they contained.
However, some famous artifacts had proper names. Whether because of the artifact’s abilities or the achievements of its wielder, such names proved that the artifact was extraordinary.
And this artifact had a very famous name.
“Fish Intestine Sword…!”
A sword of modest length, somewhere between a dagger and a longsword. At first glance, it didn’t seem special, but Suhyun, knowing its true value, shivered.
“Those insane bastards… did they steal this artifact from the Chinese government?!”
The artifact’s ability was of the cutting type, a strongly enhanced cutting power. In the future, the Chinese esper Liu Xin would become infamous with this Fish Intestine Sword.
Judging from the circumstances, it was highly likely that the Chinese side had retained possession of this item. Somehow it had fallen into someone else’s hands, and that person had come to a Korean city to dispose of it.
“Incredible… truly incredible.”
It wasn’t typical for Suhyun to be impressed, having often faced the Chinese military head-on, but he genuinely admired this. No matter how lucrative it was, stealing an artifact under the Chinese government’s control was a life-threatening act.
Even with strict information control, once the day ended, the emergence of this artifact would leak out, and the moment anyone got information, the Chinese government would descend immediately. The organizers had to flee if they wanted to survive.
Looking ahead, the Fish Intestine Sword would inevitably return to Chinese hands.
If not for Suhyun.
“Sorry, but I absolutely cannot miss the Fish Intestine Sword.”
Beyond being Liu Xin’s cherished weapon, the Fish Intestine Sword held another hidden secret. Suhyun had almost died because of it. Knowing this, he could not give it up.
Even if the place was drenched in blood, he would take it.
Suhyun restrained his twitching hands and waited. No matter how easy the target seemed, he could not afford to be careless. He ran simulations in his mind, over and over, planning exactly how to steal it and get it out.
“Wait… huh, the organizers are being rather blatant. They’ve got someone watching.”
Suhyun felt a subtle killing intent behind him. No matter how well one hid their presence, they could not deceive Suhyun’s senses.
A sniper. The organizers had clearly pre-positioned them.
Even for an esper, very few could instantly counter a sniper’s shot from a blind spot. A headshot meant instant death, even for an esper.
If the worst happened, the hidden sniper would eliminate the culprit immediately. This auction was worth that level of precaution.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting!”
As the masked auctioneer appeared with greetings, scattered mechanical applause broke out. Nobody cared about the auctioneer’s jokes. Everyone here had come for the artifacts.
“First up, a dwarf sculpture! From the northern lands’ dwarves! As you know, items from the north, due to Russia and China, are rare. Starting bid: thirty million won.”
“Haah…”
The man sitting next to Suhyun yawned conspicuously. Everyone knew this was just a preliminary step to hype up the artifacts.
“Too dull for a black market auction.”
“Can’t be helped. We’re here for the artifacts.”
The advantage of a black-market auction was that the range of items was far broader than at an official auction. Anything that existed could be sold here.
But today’s items were mundane by comparison, so they went for low bids or sold immediately. Suhyun could hear other participants murmuring quietly.
“And finally…”
“!”
Everyone’s eyes widened. The auctioneer, savoring their attention, gestured ceremoniously. Armed men brought out a sword from the display case.
“A sword-type artifact. Examine it.”
“What type of ability?”
Hands busily moved. These were not naïve people—they naturally understood the risks of stolen goods. They needed to know the source to weigh risk against profit.
‘No info will be coming out.’
The Chinese government managed artifact information obsessively. Those here couldn’t extract it easily.
“Thank you for waiting. Here is the artifact.”
“What’s its ability?”
As if expecting the question, the auctioneer lifted the sword from the case and stood in front of a large boulder.
Swoosh!
A single strike cleaved the thick rock. A low exclamation came from someone nearby.
- Cutting type, at least grade A.
Everyone quickly reported the data back to their networks. Suhyun observed the scene leisurely.
“This is an extremely rare and invaluable item. The lucky person who takes it home will…”
Snap!
“?!”
Suddenly, all the lights in the auction hall went out. In the confusion, Suhyun immediately understood the situation.
Someone else was after the artifact!
‘Damn… I knew it could happen, but…’
With so many variables, things became complicated. Suhyun had planned to take it during the final bid, but…
‘Impressive, they managed to cut the lights. Their surveillance is top-notch.’
Suhyun could fight head-on and use his foresight to exploit gaps, so he didn’t bother with the blackout. But the hall was now filled with pitch-black darkness. Whoever did this was skilled.
“Don’t move! Anyone who moves will be considered hostile!”
The organizers, caught off guard, abandoned pretense and shouted fiercely. To them, the artifact was as valuable as life itself. They wouldn’t hesitate to risk human lives to protect it.
“Turn the lights on!”
“They won’t work!”
“Damn it…”
All electronic devices had been disabled. Suhyun realized the intruder had used a small EMP.
Flare—
One of the espers ignited a decoration on the wall. A temporary measure, but clever enough to reveal the area around the case.
The auctioneer clutched the Fish Intestine Sword, frantically scanning the surroundings. Thanks to his shouts, participants remained in their seats—but relief was premature. The blackout was no accident. Someone wanted that artifact.
“You, stay by me. If anyone approaches, kill them immediately!”
“Yes!”
Panicked like a trapped rat, he glared around. This was a far cry from his earlier calm presentation.
‘So, what’s your next move, intruder?’
The calmest person in the room was Suhyun. Realizing the sword hadn’t disappeared, he relaxed and awaited the intruder’s next move.
They wouldn’t have expected him to immediately secure sight after the EMP. Would they retreat, or try another attack?
The intruder defied expectations—appearing out of thin air.
‘A teleporter!’
Among rare and unique abilities, this one stood out. The intruder could instantly move through space. Suhyun now understood how the intruder bypassed the ironclad defenses and triggered the EMP.
The intruder was dressed entirely in black—mask, top, and bottom. Appearing midair, they threw water at the wall fire, extinguishing it.
Darkness returned, but the intruder already knew the sword’s location.
‘I’ll take it nicely.’
Another teleport. The auctioneer, flustered, didn’t notice the intruder behind him. A tranquilizer dart hit his neck.
“Ugh…!”
The intruder tried to take the sword from his falling hands—but it wasn’t there.
“?”
Although it was dark, the intruder had night vision goggles. She blinked and checked again—the hand that should hold the sword was empty.
“!”
She finally realized the sword’s location. Someone seated in the audience now held it.
‘How?!’
Her gaze met Suhyun’s. Though she couldn’t see his face behind the mask, she seemed to catch him smirking.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Ahhh!”
“Help!”
Thanks to the intruder, Suhyun had an opening. While the intruder appeared midair, extinguished the fire, and drew attention, Suhyun psychically moved the sword and incapacitated all espers.
The remaining obstacle was the armed disruptor. Though people were ordered to sit, gunfire and screams in the dark forced movement. Suhyun’s feigned shout triggered the audience like a snapped string.
“Uh… uh…”
The auctioneer, supposed to give commands, was unconscious. The espers were down. Guards failed to control the crowd. In the chaos, Suhyun calmly slipped away, blending with the dispersing crowd and letting out a chuckle. He owed a debt of thanks to the other thief for making it this easy.
Those who heard of today’s events would certainly believe a teleporting thief was responsible.
“Wait, stop there.”
“Thanks. I’ll make good use of this.”
A voice behind him in the alley. Suhyun answered casually.
“Could’ve just handed it over if you were grateful. Isn’t it a bit unethical to take it from my setup?”
“Don’t talk to a thief about ethics. I was aiming for it too. You just interfered with my plan. Since you benefited, I let it go. Had you caused trouble, I wouldn’t.”
Suhyun’s shameless attitude stunned the intruder.
“You should’ve taken it while I was being nice. Haven’t you seen my ability?”
“I did. Teleportation.”
“I could still put this sword to your neck.”
“You underestimate me. Try it if you can.”
Realizing Suhyun understood teleportation, the intruder knew she couldn’t instantly teleport the sword to his neck.
‘Can’t leave so easily…’
She moved, throwing knives and teleporting midair to disorient him.
“Your attack lacks intent.”
‘How?!’
Suhyun calmly avoided and blocked every attack, targeting her in turn, leaving her in shock. He hadn’t even removed his mask from inside the hall. Narrow vision, yet he evaded everything.
Shk!
Bullets embedded in her previous position. Suhyun smirked and kicked backward.
Thud!
“Ugh?!”
“Teleporting behind your opponent is a teleporter’s bad habit.”
Suhyun correctly predicted her move, dodging and countering. The hit intruder tumbled backward.
“Afraid to kill while stealing? How amusing.”
‘This arrogant human…!’
Luiril ground her teeth internally. Never had she been so one-sidedly beaten. She, a teleporting esper, had always thrown others into chaos—but now, she was at a loss.
‘Teleport again…!’
She tried, staggering, but the teleport failed.
“Your coordinates aren’t precise, are they?”
Suhyun used the Ring of Confusion to momentarily freeze her movement. Teleportation fails if coordinates aren’t immediately calculated. He grabbed her neck and slammed her into a wall.
“Don’t try teleporting. At this range, I can break your neck faster than your ability can activate.”
