He took out a doll and straightened his posture.
Looking at his reflection through the mirror bug, he steeled his resolve.
At the very least, he needed to keep his mind sharp.
The thought of running away crossed his mind for a moment.
But it was already too late.
From the moment he stepped into this place, there was no escaping it.
‘Besides, what excuse could he possibly give if he fled?’
The exact intentions of those involved were still unclear.
However, considering the nature of this location, there was one thing he could be certain of:
They wanted him to use points.
Points he didn’t currently possess.
The auction house was filled with items he would find useful.
Things he wouldn’t even get a glimpse of on the lower floors.
Yesterday alone, he had almost made a purchase several times.
There was only one thing he could do in this situation—keep his points to himself.
Until he understood exactly what was going on, participating in the auction would be sheer madness.
[Message: A notification from the mirror bug displayed on the screen. It was Hwaryoung, letting him know she was waiting outside.]
He decided to head out.
Firming his resolve, he opened the door.
“Good morning,” Hwaryoung greeted warmly. She still had that cheerful expression.
He cautiously returned her greeting while surveying his surroundings.
Quite a few people were moving about.
All of them emanated strong magical energy.
They were heading in the same direction—the auction house.
“Shall we get going as well?” she said.
They joined the flow of people and headed toward a door deep inside the Arcana Society.
The door was a distortion in space.
Each person placed their gemstone against the door to pass through.
He followed suit, and the door opened for him.
Inside was the same place as yesterday—the lowest chamber, directly in front of the stage.
He quietly took a seat.
Yesterday, he had been too focused on the items to even think about observing his surroundings.
Today, he needed to take a moment to gather his thoughts.
Soon, magical energy began filling the auction hall.
The auction seemed about to begin.
Like yesterday, it was likely to stretch from morning until evening.
The mere thought of it was exhausting.
Hwaryoung casually offered him a cup.
A deep fragrance wafted from the tea, adorned with a few blooming flowers.
“Thank you,” he said.
“It’s nothing, really,” she replied with a lighthearted smile.
He sipped the tea quietly, feeling his tangled thoughts clear up slightly.
The first auction item—’what was it again?’ He recalled the item list Hwaryoung had shared yesterday.
Ah, the Core of Thunder.
It was said to be an essence extracted from a lightning spirit.
It would make a perfect heart for one of his dolls.
The auction began.
The first item was placed on the stage—a strange stone emitting a bluish magical aura.
People began bidding.
However, being the first item, the response was lukewarm.
The bidding stalled at a mere 500,000 points.
Considering its power, it was far superior to yesterday’s Wraith Tree Brain, yet it was priced so low.
He recalled the Wraith Tree Brain, which had approached two million points yesterday.
In comparison, this was incredibly cheap.
He swallowed nervously.
“Are you not planning to buy that?” Hwaryoung asked.
He glanced at her.
She smiled softly, but her eyes remained calm.
“No, it’s too expensive for me,” he replied with a wry smile.
Hwaryoung said nothing more.
The item was eventually sold for 700,000 points.
If it had been up for bid yesterday, he might have purchased it without hesitation.
***
More items followed, none of which caught his attention.
He idly checked his points.
[10,302.]
He barely had over 10,000 points.
Yesterday, he hadn’t even bothered to check.
He glanced at Hwaryoung.
She was looking at the stage with slightly sparkling eyes.
A fan had been placed on the stage, seemingly catching her interest.
“Are you not participating in the auction, Hwaryoung?” he asked.
“Oh, me?”
Hwaryoung seemed surprised that he had spoken to her.
She had been so engrossed in the fan that she appeared momentarily flustered.
“Yes, you seemed interested,” he continued.
“It’s too powerful for me to use, and it’s quite expensive as well,” she replied.
“Are you short on points?”
“Yes. It will probably exceed a million points easily.”
Hwaryoung sighed lightly.
As she predicted, the fan quickly surpassed a million points and climbed toward two million.
“I see,” he said, scanning the surroundings.
Since he was at the lowest level, he couldn’t see the people above, but he could sense the overwhelming magical energy emanating from them.
Curiosity got the better of him.
“The people here—what level have they reached? Their magical energy is extraordinary,” he asked Hwaryoung.
She turned away from the stage and pondered his question for a moment.
“Hmm, let’s see. Most of them are in the advanced or mastery stages, I’d say. But I can’t be certain.”
“I see.”
“Yes. And since this is the upper-level auction house, you’ll find people who’ve climbed quite high. Most of them are likely beyond the seventh floor,” she explained.
That powerful fan must require such high-level mages to wield.
And yet, here he was, sitting among them.
The fan was sold to an unknown bidder.
Hwaryoung looked slightly disappointed but said nothing.
Another item was brought up next, and again, points surged past a million.
He sighed inwardly.
Competing with these people was laughable.
He had foolishly thought that five or seven years of effort might be enough.
The next item caught his attention—it was a heart extracted from a Swordscale Tracker.
When he had seen the illusion of its living form, he had been captivated.
A lizard the size of a human, capable of slashing prey with a single swing of its tail.
Its magical energy was said to be sharp and chilling.
This heart would be a perfect core for the combat dolls he primarily crafted.
Unlike other mages with complex circuits, his magic was simple and straightforward.
Suppressing his desire to bid, he half-closed his eyes.
Watching would only make it harder to resist.
“Not going for this one either, I see,” Hwaryoung said.
He gave her the same answer as before.
He could feel her gaze resting on him for a moment before she spoke again.
“Come to think of it, how long has it been since you joined the academy, Evron?”
“Four years now,” he replied.
“Only four years? You seem so cautious, like someone who’s been here for decades. That’s a good attitude to have.”
He gave a bitter smile.
‘A good attitude?’ Perhaps she was hinting at something.
But it wasn’t enough.
If he were truly cautious, he wouldn’t have come to this suspicious auction house in the first place.
The auction continued.
He stopped looking at the stage altogether, instead making small talk with Hwaryoung.
She mentioned that she had been at the academy for 40 years and had reached the fourth floor.
It was truly an exceptional talent.
As they continued to talk, time seemed to pass quickly.
The subject of the Ouroboros’ essence came up in passing.
Its price, however, was surprising.
It sold for a mere six million points.
The price was unexpectedly low.
Curious, he asked Hwaryoung, who answered succinctly.
Defective items, regardless of their attributes, always fetched lower prices.
He clicked his tongue in mild regret.
‘Six million points… That would take 13 years to accumulate, assuming no issues arise.’
“Well then, shall we head out?” Hwaryoung said.
Before they knew it, the auction had ended.
She led him along the same path as yesterday, to the door leading to his lodgings.
As she waited for him to enter, he spoke.
“May I take a look around the city for a bit? This is my first time in the upper levels.”
“Of course. Shall I accompany you? I could show you around,” she offered.
“No, I wouldn’t dare trouble someone as busy as you. I’ll wander around on my own,” he replied.
“Is that so? I hope you enjoy the sights,” Hwaryoung said with a smile as she departed.
He watched her retreating figure for a moment before turning toward the exit of the massive building.
Stepping outside, the city’s panorama unfolded before him.
Many individuals crossed bridges, all radiating the powerful magical energy fitting for the upper levels.
Below, countless layers of bridges stretched into the distance, filled with people.
He slowly observed the scene.
He frowned. ‘As expected, no one’s carrying one.’
He waited for a while, but nothing changed.
People merely flowed along.
There was no reason to stay any longer.
‘Where should he go next?’
He began walking slowly.
Reflecting on it, there was a place he had always wanted to visit when coming to the upper levels.
He needed to go there and gather his thoughts.
There was no fear of getting lost.
The layout of the streets was nearly identical to those on the lower levels, with buildings hanging from the ceiling.
Though the floors differed, the locations remained the same.
Eventually, he arrived at a brightly glowing building. A sign greeted him: [ Arcana General Tavern].
‘A menu board outside listed various drinks and dishes.’
‘Whenever he came to the city, he would occasionally visit a tavern like this.’
It was the perfect place to organize his thoughts.
Now was no different.
He needed to clear his mind, cluttered with numerous thoughts.
Upon opening the door, he was welcomed by an atmosphere entirely different from the taverns below.
A soft light enveloped his body.
It felt as though faintly shimmering particles floated in the air.
The light came from crystal spheres embedded in the ceiling, scattering a fine, glowing dust.
The light created a path before him. Following it, he arrived at a table—a neat surface with a small candle burning on top.
As he sat down, the space subtly warped, giving the feeling of being quietly isolated.
It seemed designed to help patrons focus solely on their conversations and meals, undisturbed by the outside world.
He began examining the menu prepared on the table.
Though he had glanced at it outside, he needed to make a careful choice.
After all, the prices were exorbitant.
In the end, he had no choice but to order the cheapest option—a drink called Starlight Mist.
A single glass cost a thousand points.
With that purchase, a tenth of his points disappeared.
The absurdity of discussing millions of points earlier now hit him fully.
While waiting for the drink to arrive, he focused inward.
His tree was absorbing magical energy through the shadow tree.
For the moment, he halted it and directed his will entirely toward the shadow tree’s domain.
Gradually, numerous lights appeared, entirely connected to him in a way that transcended magical energy.
Countless small lights revealed themselves.
These were the mirror bugs he had delivered to Miryeong.
The bugs maintained strong connections with one another, but those connections left deep scars on their bodies, as though forced.
The bugs flickered faintly, teetering on the brink of extinguishing.
Within these connections, they existed merely as terminals, temporarily holding information.
When he first came to the city, he had sensed their presence, but he had never thought to examine them closely.
He had simply assumed everything was functioning properly.
He traced the locations of the bugs and let out a bitter smile.
‘As I suspected, something’s off.’
The drink arrived, carried by magical energy.
He stared at it quietly as it was placed on the table.
It wasn’t liquid but something akin to flowing smoke, shimmering within the glass.
The silvery mist inside sparkled faintly, like condensed starlight, perfectly embodying its name.
He carefully took a sip.
The mist flowed gently, spreading through his mouth like light fog.
The taste was intriguing.
A bitter yet smooth flavor wrapped around his tongue, leaving a lingering, spicy aftertaste.
The mist seeped into his thoughts, cooling his mind and gradually untying the knots of his tangled thoughts.
The complex situations that had seemed overwhelming began to feel surprisingly simple.
***
Seven months had passed since he started delivering mirror bugs. He had created 700 of them.
A small number, perhaps, but significant in its way.
Yet no one in the city carried a mirror bug.
Not on the upper floors, nor the lower ones.
He hadn’t heard of any students using them in the past months either.
It was strange.
If it had been him, he would have promoted them extensively and sold them for high prices, just as he had done at the tower.
But he had been so focused on supplying the bugs that he hadn’t noticed this silence until now.
He checked the locations of the bugs.
They were scattered across several buildings in the city—all owned by the Arcana General Trading.
Nowhere else.
Sure, he had seen someone use a mirror bug before—Hwaryoung.
But she, too, was part of the Society.
It made him question the premise he had built his assumptions upon.
He had believed they were using his mirror bugs to establish a massive communication network within the academy, generating enormous profits.
‘But had Miryeong ever explicitly said that?’
Thinking back carefully, no.
She had only mentioned delivering 100 bugs a month.
There had been no clear timeline or stated purpose.
It had all been his assumption.
‘Because that’s what I would have done,’ he thought bitterly.
But if their purpose was something else…
He took another sip of the drink.
It became clear why they had burdened him with debt.
If he found himself owing millions of points and Miryeong declared the deal over, ‘what then?’
Sure, he might recover what he had lost.
Without the burden of making mirror bugs, he could steadily grow stronger and eventually create his own network.
But such potential was sure to collapse under a mountain of debt.
He calculated his earnings.
3,000 points per month after deducting expenses.
And classes would soon end.
Even if he started new classes, there was no guarantee they would use his mirror bugs.
It was an uncertain future.
If they pressured students into limiting his opportunities, there was no way he could earn enough points.
This entire situation stemmed from borrowing points from them—a choice he had made, one that even Professor Irien couldn’t easily intervene in.
At that moment, he realized the truth: they had no intention of maintaining a network across the academy.
‘Why?’ He could only speculate, but unlike him, points were secondary to them.
‘If he refused to accrue debt, what would happen?’
He gave a wry smile. ‘That comes with its own challenges.’
Yet, by understanding their purpose, he glimpsed a small opportunity.
He downed the remaining drink.
It was time to act quickly.