Auction

Ethan looked at him trying to see through what is going through his mind. He had always been in a guard because of his missing memories. He had always ignored this topic and tried to pretend that it never happened. It lead him to be on guard always as someone might ask him about his past that will be sure to raise some suspicious.

Ethan had always noticed their face expression when he tried to avoid the topic of past but he always kept his expression straight. He thought he might have fool them but it seems it was too naïve of him to believe that.

"…If you ask me, I simply didn't consider myself as a weak person…"

"Are you self-hypnotizing yourself…?!"

"Shut up…! Hear me first. If you consider me weak then what about you…You might be strongest among first-year but what about second or third-year. They are easily stronger than you…"

Adam doesn't take his word to his heart. They are only stronger because of their age. With his system, he is comfortable in making his way to the top or even strongest in the world!

"…You're telling me, you simply believe that you can catch up with rest…?"

"…No, I am telling I will catch up with you…"

Adam was in a daze for a second. He does consider himself as a strongest among the first year and he took pride in it. He felt a little hurt about Ethan declaring that and he felt a little threaten with confidence…wait confidence isn't this is what he is looking for?

"…Let's forget about that… what I am trying to ask is how do you carry yourself… you know, don't you feel uncomfortable when you talk with other people… like a being worried about their opinion or reaction or their feeling toward you… or like when you talk with us. You don't care about our rank or… strength or anything along the line."

"… Wait…, I kind of understand your question. You are asking me how I response to other people's opinion about me, right?"

"…You can say that…"

"Be more specific! Will you…? "

"…"

"It's simple I don't care about it."

"…That's not what I was expecting-"

"But I understand what you want to ask. It is all but useless worries. You just need to stop caring about other people response… Your worries will never go away. You might be able to talk with one person successful but it will again emerge when you will talk with other person. It will stay there unless you stop caring about it. You will notice the change in your life."

"…You say some difficult things…"

"You asked me…"

Ethan had already told him what he can. He can't just tell him about his memory thing as an example, can he? His first day of academy starts with being humiliated by a senior student. She was a beauty at that! To cope with such damage, he stops caring about other people opinion and one thing lead to another one and etc.…

He doesn't even want to remember it. Who would want to? Agh, this cursed memory, he is remembering, he is remembering it… fuck!

Ethan starts throwing his hands in air as if to remove the image from his mind… or he is simply trying to divert his mind. Trio looked at him weirdly. They already know his weirdness but they still found themselves confirming it again and again.

*

Ethan was staring at the gun in his hand. It was the Thompson Contender! The same gun that Ethan believes that they will steal it from the auction house but they didn't, instead they got it for free! He looked back as how this leads to happened.

Ethan comes out of the car with swag and opens the rear door of the car. A long leg with long black dress comes out of the car. Ethan extended his hand but she didn't even bother to take it and comes out herself. Ethan mood turns sour at her rejection but he still maintains his expression.

Raven comes out and looked at him with a faint smile. She was wearing a long black dress that covers her most of the skin. She alters her facial features slightly but didn't change her brown hair or green eyes. She still looks overwhelming beautiful.

"… You don't need to do anything unnecessary."

She moves forward and climbs the stairs. Ethan looked at her with his practiced smile. He just wanted to help her, must she do that to him? He follows after her right away. He was also wearing a different suit this time. It was a pure black suit without vest. It was quite a drag last time but Ethan feels that he look thin without it.

An attendant leads us to our room. The invitation is limited to high-class bidders. When he was here as a journalist, he found out that auction is just open to anyone. You need to have the invitation to participate. Raven, being a resourceful woman, was able to get her hands on it without any problem.

Ethan rested himself on the chair and relaxes. This is the most comfortable chair, he had ever rested in his life. Ethan wonders if he had ever sat on a chair in the first place, he had, right?

"…So, what's the plan?"

"…You know that half of battle is won by preparation?"

"…So, we are going fight…?"

"…No, we won't but they will."

Ethan rested his back. It will be better to wait for things to unfold. He was only told a part of the plan. It's more like that's the only part he is useful for. Ethan even wonders if she would have brought him otherwise. He will admit it feels good to be able to act like rich. Rich suit… high-class reservation… will he ever be able to see it by himself?

"…Auction will start by an hour."

"Hm, I know."

"I am telling you to work!"

"…Yes ma'am!"

Ethan straightened his back and looked at her like a soldier waiting for orders from his superior. Ethan suddenly looked around at the corner of the rooms.

"… There are not any cameras inside the private rooms."

"Why?"

"Respecting privacy…"

"Wouldn't people be able to plan something out from here?"

These rooms don't have any cameras. What if people use some skill and power to their advantage? It's like leaving a wolf in your house without any surveillance…

"…No, they won't be able to unless they are able to break the runes below our feet…"

"…Can you?"

"No."

That was unexpected. Ethan never thought she will say that. He knows her enough to know that she is extremely prideful. She will never admit her weakness.

"…It's not weakness…"

!

"It's drawn by a RuneMaster. I am not on the same level as them so it's impossible with my skill now…"

Ethan reminded himself about her mind reading ability. She had been not doing this lately so he almost forgets but it seems Ethan hurt her pride when he said- think that.

"… I am sorry."

"Just go and do your work as you were told."

Ethan had done everything she had asked him to and rested on his comfortable chair. He glanced at Raven who seems to be in deep thinking. She had always been a mystery to her. She always shows multiple traits and multiple sides that it is hard to tell anything about her.

"For the first item, we have…It is called Dusk Harbingers."

A Heavy sword with crimson blade and cool hand guard was shown over the stage that everyone can see from mirror in front of their private rooms. Ethan looked at the sides and sees the multiple mirrors on other private rooms. There are total twenty-eight mirror, means twenty-eight rooms.

Auction starts with boom and first object that comes out is an A-Rank Sword. It is a sword which provides 100% strengthening to Fire Art. All G-A Rank Artifacts are mostly about enhancing Arts and Magic but that doesn't mean everyone can use it. Ranks are important for the same reason.

Some of the Artifacts have some condition that provides more strengthening as long as user fulfills a certain condition. They are the Artifact that sells for real money…

"Price starts with hundred million…"

[100,000,000 C]

Ethan looked at the mirror which suddenly turns into screen and shows the bidding amount. Ethan is solely focus on amount of zero. He had hard time counting them all. It's like he starts with most-right hand one and suddenly get lost in the middle and then recount it but again lost between zeroes.

"…It's hundred million."

"I know that and also heard it…"

"Then why are you staring at it like that?"

"I have hard time believing just… I don't know. I wonder when I will be able to have such money or buy things of such costs."

"When you will be able to count them correctly…"

Ethan turned his head to look at her but she didn't bother to glance at him and keep her eyes on items. Bid kept increasing without knowing any limit. It's just first item but people seems to be showing some great enthusiasm as they bids kept increasing per seconds.

The Harbingers Dusk was finally sold for 145 million. That amount of money… was just wasted on sword… Ethan wonders what he would do if he got such money… buy a house… a sports car… a bike… or maybe resources to become strong.

Auction continuous with new vigor as new items keep popping. Every item sold here starts in hundreds of million in totals. He finally felt like he doesn't belong here.

After five items, it finally came… the gun he was here for. The Thompson Contender… It has an old yet fancy look. It doesn't have any engraving or any design. It's just sleek metal design that makes his twitches for a test drive.

It's a shame but he won't be buying it. He just looked at it. He doesn't know how Raven is planning to get it but he can only believe it for now. He can already imagine himself reloading its bullets in a style without even looking down.

[200,000,000 C]

Price surprisingly reaches to two hundred millions. He is starting to get nervous slightly, Will Raven plan work? She might be able to steal the items she wants easily but what about his… But he can't really complain here. She had already done enough for him. If he get, then fine. If not, then he can't really do anything.

Ethan glanced at the table besides him and notices two glass of wine. The attendant most like mistake him for an adult but… well he is mature enough to be mistaken as an adult. Ethan didn't turn around and sneakily stretched his hand toward the table and tried to grab the glass.

Slap.

!

Ethan withdrawn his hand to his chest and turned his head toward her. Her hands carry a long stick which she used to hit him.

"… I don't like telling you the same thing again and again but-…"

"…I understand I won't do it. I just go curious every time I saw you drink, you always drink it like water… no, do even drink water in first place or it is already substituted by wines?"

"…"

She didn't say anything but just stare at the mirror/screen that shows the current bid and image of the gun with its long bullets. Bids seem to be increasing and has already reached three hundred millions.

[320,000,000 C]

"…Four hundred million."

Raven suddenly whispered something that Ethan didn't catch up because his mind was focused on elsewhere.

"Did you say something…?"

Ethan suddenly felt something weird catching his eyes. The screen displayed 25 on the screen which was same room as they were in. Screen shows four hundred million below the current bid. Ethan looked left and right at Raven and screen respectively.

"…Five Hundred Million."

"RAVENNN…!"