Chapter 144 – Pet Master’s Interest

[Last 5 days in the evening, an elderly man living alone, Mr. Park (70), was found dead in an alley in Seoul. The body was severely damaged to the point where it was difficult to recognize, and since it was found in a garbage bag, it is presumed to be a homicide. The police stated that since the condition of the body appears difficult to achieve with ordinary physical force, they are considering the possibility that the perpetrator is a hunter, and plan to conduct a joint investigation with the Association…]

Seeing his crime from four days ago published as an article, Kim Byung-soo raised the corner of his mouth in a smirk.

‘That’s right. Go ahead and investigate hard with the Association. But you won’t find any evidence.’

He had blocked sound with his familiar’s skill and committed the murder in a place without CCTV.

Moreover, since he had the hunting dog kill the victim, there would be no fingerprints, and as far as he knew, there were no witnesses.

‘Above all, since I used trace erasing, there’s no way I’ll be considered a suspect.’

Kim Byung-soo always escaped the scene using trace erasing after committing murder.

With a skill that erases one’s existence for 24 hours, there was no concern about getting caught.

An absolute stealth state that couldn’t be detected even by hunters with higher combat power than himself.

Perhaps because of this, despite having committed murders, he had never received a call from the police.

They couldn’t even identify him as a suspect.

‘Even if there’s progress in the investigation, it would be difficult to catch me. By then, I would have already left for another country.’

Indeed, Kim Byung-soo was planning to leave for another country today.

‘South America would be good for this trip.’

Since he was going to the opposite side of the earth, there was no chance of being discovered.

As he was packing his travel items into his carrier, Kim Byung-soo finally finished his preparations.

“It’s time.”

Just as he was about to leave the house with his carrier.

Buzz-

A notification arrived on his phone.

[An item registered as your interest has been listed on Hunter Market. Would you like to check it?]

Hunter Market was the largest hunter item trading site in the country, accessible only to registered hunters.

It was widely used because anyone could list items from anywhere in the country.

Kim Byung-soo was also a member of the site.

He occasionally obtained necessary items easily through Hunter Market.

‘I even got Ye-seul from here.’

Even the rare Black Cat Summon skill book was traded through Hunter Market.

For a hefty sum of 2 billion won.

But.

‘An item registered as my interest has been listed?’

Kim Byung-soo’s registered interest was summon skill books.

Specifically, excluding the skill books he already owned.

‘Nothing has been listed for two months, and now something appears.’

He had purchased most of the available summon skill books, so he thought there wouldn’t be any new ones listed.

But now, just before leaving the country, an item had been listed.

He couldn’t help but be curious.

‘The fact that I received a notification means it’s a summon I haven’t learned yet.’

When Kim Byung-soo accessed the app to check what the item was, he couldn’t help but be surprised.

‘What is this? Ghost Wolf Summon skill book?’

Kim Byung-soo couldn’t take his eyes off the phone upon seeing a skill book he had never seen before.

‘Ghost Wolf… How could this be…’

Wasn’t this a summon that sounded incredibly rare just by its name?

“Could it be a joke…”

Kim Byung-soo, who had been muttering, closed his mouth when he saw the information uploaded by the seller.

[Skill – Ghost Wolf Summon]

-Grade: B

-Effect: Summons a Ghost Wolf.

-Usage Restriction: Level 500 or higher

-Description: A secret technique said to have been left by the death summoner Clark. It follows its master well.

The information window of the skill book, taken for verification, proved it wasn’t a joke.

‘I, I want it!’

Although he had collected all kinds of summons, a Ghost Wolf was something he had never seen before.

Naturally, he couldn’t help but desire it.

‘What kind of creature would it be? Ghost Wolf. Just the name alone is so exciting…!’

The old man was as excited as a child who had discovered a new toy.

He wasn’t interested in how the seller had obtained the skill book.

He just needed to acquire this rare skill book he had never seen before.

‘I must buy it by any means necessary.’

The trip was no longer important.

He had to buy the skill book in front of him, regardless of the cost.

‘I’m glad I didn’t leave the country yet. I almost missed the chance to buy a Ghost Wolf!’

The old man’s eyes flickered with greed.

The trip had long been pushed to the back of his mind.

* * *

‘Good. The bait has been cast…’

Min Do-jun, who had registered the Ghost Wolf Summon skill book on Hunter Market, smiled with satisfaction.

‘Now he just needs to take the bait.’

Min Do-jun had cast bait to draw out Kim Byung-soo, who was hiding underwater.

That bait was listing the Ghost Wolf Summon skill book for sale on Hunter Market.

‘Someone like Kim Byung-soo would definitely not pass this up.’

Min Do-jun knew that he, as Pet Master, had a hobby of collecting summons.

And that he constantly monitored Hunter Market for new items.

‘That’s why I chose this method.’

Kim Byung-soo would be seeing the rare Ghost Wolf summon for the first time.

There was no way he would pass it up.

‘He’ll try to buy the skill book regardless of the price.’

Therefore, he had registered the skill book on Hunter Market in the form of an auction.

In the process, he had to go through rigorous identity verification, including the registrant’s personal information, facial photo, hunter registration card, etc.

But that didn’t matter.

‘Anyway, I listed the item under Kim Jae-won’s name, not mine.’

In case of being traced back or having any problems, he had used a Black Sea Guild member as a proxy.

Of course, Kim Jae-won, following Ahn Gwang-hyun’s instructions, listed the item without questioning anything.

‘I never thought I’d use the skill book I got from defeating the Ghost Island boss like this.’

Min Do-jun, who had already learned the Ghost Wolf Summon skill, had no need for the skill book.

He had been keeping it in his inventory with the intention of selling it someday, but now he was using it in this way.

‘Now I just have to wait for him to take the bait.’

Min Do-jun was confident.

Just as a cat can’t pass by a fish shop, Pet Master wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to acquire a Ghost Wolf.

‘He’ll definitely participate in the online auction to buy the skill book.’

And if the skill book ends up in Kim Byung-soo’s hands through the auction?

‘I’ll use the excuse of a face-to-face transaction to meet and kill him. Getting the payment in the millions of won is just a bonus.’

In other words, it was killing two birds with one stone.

Min Do-jun had nothing to lose.

Even if the skill book ended up in Kim Byung-soo’s hands, he could just kill him and retrieve it.

‘For this plan to work, first Kim Byung-soo needs to win the auction…’

There was a possibility that someone else might win the auction if Kim Byung-soo didn’t have enough money.

‘In that case, I’ll have to cancel the transaction.’… If a seller registered on Hunter Market breaks a promise and cancels a transaction, they would be blacklisted, causing problems for future use, but…

‘It doesn’t matter since it’s not in my name.’

Since the sale was being conducted under Kim Jae-won’s name, Min Do-jun had no concerns about facing any consequences.

‘I’ve included a phone number just in case, so there won’t be any problems even if Kim Byung-soo fails to win the auction.’

If he failed to win, Kim Byung-soo would likely call to negotiate out of desperation.

‘Then I’ll sell it to Kim Byung-soo instead of the auction winner.’

One way or another, he was determined to ensure that Kim Byung-soo would get the skill book.

He had pulled out the trump card of the Ghost Wolf with the sole intention of meeting him.

‘It’s painful to reveal the existence of the Ghost Wolf, but it can’t be helped.’

The existence of the Ghost Wolf would certainly become known to the world through this auction.

‘It’s not like the skill itself is being revealed, just the existence of such a summon, so…’

The impact might not be as significant as expected.

‘First, I need to make sure Kim Byung-soo wins the auction.’

Not only Kim Byung-soo but other hunters would also see the item and participate in the auction.

‘To prevent random people from participating, I should raise the starting price from the beginning.’

Since Kim Byung-soo would try to buy it regardless of the price, raising the price shouldn’t be a problem.

Min Do-jun, who had given some instructions to the Black Sea Guild members in time for the auction’s start, smiled slightly.

With this, all preparations to lure out Kim Byung-soo were complete.

* * *

[Title: Selling Ghost Wolf Summon Skill Book.]

[Content: This is a skill book I obtained with difficulty from a hidden dungeon. As you can see from the information window taken with a smartphone, the item is genuine, and it’s a new product with the packaging unopened. No negotiation, no discount, selling only at the final auction price determined, and I prefer face-to-face transaction. If you have any inquiries, please contact the number below. 010-4012-XX32]

Kim Byung-soo, who read the post on Hunter Market, immediately called the number.

However, he only heard that the line was busy and couldn’t connect.

It was the same no matter how many times he tried.

Kim Byung-soo, seemingly anxious, habitually shook his leg.

‘I have a mountain of questions to ask, but why…’

Since he couldn’t get through, he thought he should at least send a message and sent a text.

[Hello. I’m interested in purchasing the Ghost Wolf. Could I know what its abilities are?]

Soon after sending the message, a reply came.

[I don’t know either since I haven’t used it. It’s literally a new product.]

[Would you consider selling it to me directly? I’ll offer a price that won’t disappoint you.]

[I’m sorry, but I’m only selling it at the auction price.]

Kim Byung-soo frowned upon reading the reply.

‘Damn. What if someone else takes it?’

He couldn’t help but feel anxious since it was proceeding as an auction.

There was a possibility of losing it to someone with more money.

‘How much cash do I have?’

Kim Byung-soo checked his account.

He had so much money that even he didn’t know how much was in there.

‘About 150 billion won.’

It was money he had accumulated over 11 years as a hunter.

Or rather, it was money that had piled up incidentally.

That’s how enormous the money a level 2,500 hunter could amass was.

‘I should charge first.’

Kim Byung-soo converted his 150 billion won into Hunter Market mileage.

This mileage was necessary to participate in the auction, and one could raise the auction price up to the amount of mileage they had.

[Time remaining until auction starts: 3 minutes 32 seconds]

Kim Byung-soo waited anxiously, looking at the time that wasn’t much left.

‘I hope it doesn’t exceed 150 billion.’

After waiting nervously, shaking his leg, the auction started when the remaining time reached 0.

[Time remaining until auction ends: 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]

The starting auction price was 10,000 won.

Kim Byung-soo entered his bid amount.

‘Should I start with 1 million won?’

He modestly entered 1 million won.

Since the auction would proceed for 24 hours, it wasn’t wise to enter a large amount from the beginning.

He needed to pace himself.

‘I must get it…’

Suddenly, Kim Byung-soo couldn’t continue his words.

‘W-what is this…!’

The refreshed amount was absurdly high.

Kim Byung-soo unconsciously muttered the amount.