"After leaving home, I spent nearly two months traveling south. Eventually, I reached the very edge of the continent... where the land ended and the endless ocean began."
Yuki's calm narration echoed as he stood alone on a quiet beach, silently gazing at the vast sea stretching beyond the horizon.
There was no trace of his usual relaxed or playful demeanor.
His expression was sharp.
Serious.
His crimson eyes reflected nothing but determination.
"Somewhere... within this endless ocean... Illman is waiting."
After a brief moment of silence, Yuki turned around and began walking toward the nearest city.
"Finding him across an ocean this enormous would have been nearly impossible if I didn't have Chichi."
Ding.
Chichi responded with her usual cheerful sound.
A faint smile appeared on Yuki's face before disappearing just as quickly.
"Even so... I can't swim across the ocean, nor can I spend years searching for him by boat."
"I need something that will let me travel across the sea with ease."
"That's why I've come to one of the Seven Great Cities..."
"The City of Chalva."
"A city renowned throughout the continent for its auctions."
As Yuki entered Chalva City, the atmosphere immediately felt different from any place he had visited before.
The streets were crowded with wealthy merchants, influential nobles, and high-ranking officials.
Luxurious horse-drawn carriages traveled along the wide stone roads while elegantly dressed citizens walked between magnificent buildings.
Even the clothing worn by ordinary pedestrians was expensive enough to reveal their wealth.
The buildings themselves weren't towering castles.
Instead, they resembled countless elegant mansions spread throughout the city, each one displaying exquisite architecture and luxurious decorations.
Without changing his indifferent expression, Yuki quietly walked through the bustling streets.
"Tiara once told me that magical artifacts exist in this world."
"However... they're incredibly rare."
"Even the Magicarf Towers possess only a handful of genuine magical items."
"Some towers don't even own more than three or four."
After walking for several minutes, Yuki finally stopped before an enormous mansion-like building.
Two heavily armed guards stood beside the entrance.
Yuki silently presented his identification card.
After checking it, the guards respectfully stepped aside.
"You may enter."
Without another word, Yuki walked inside.
"Every magical artifact possesses its own unique value..."
"But the one I've come here for is..."
A massive auction hall unfolded before him.
Rows upon rows of luxurious seats were occupied by nobles, wealthy merchants, dukes, and influential figures from every corner of the kingdom.
At the center stood a brightly lit stage.
Beside the auction host rested a crystal table.
On top of it...
A pair of brilliant sapphire-blue boots emitted a faint magical glow.
The instant Yuki saw them, his eyes narrowed.
"Those boots..."
"Whenever they come into contact with water, they instantly freeze everything within a twenty-meter radius."
"The frozen surface lasts for approximately five seconds."
"However... as long as the wearer continues moving, the freezing effect constantly renews itself."
"In other words..."
"One could walk across the ocean itself."
Exactly what he needed.
"The bidding begins at fifty coins!"
"Sixty!"
"One hundred!"
"One hundred fifty!"
"Three hundred!"
The auction quickly became lively as nobles casually increased the price.
Then—
"Five hundred."
Yuki's calm voice echoed throughout the hall.
The room instantly fell silent.
Several nobles turned toward the entrance, surprised that someone had nearly doubled the current bid without hesitation.
Before anyone could react—
"One thousand coins."
A mature woman seated near the front spoke without even looking at Yuki.
The auctioneer's eyes widened.
"One thousand coins! Excellent! Does anyone wish to bid higher? One thousand one hundred? One thousand two hundred?"
"One thousand three hundred."
Yuki answered immediately.
The woman remained expressionless.
"One thousand eight hundred."
Yuki looked at her for the first time.
"Who is she?"
Without hesitation, he spoke again.
"Two thousand five hundred."
Gasps erupted across the hall.
"For a pair of boots?"
"They're useful, sure..."
"They only freeze water."
"Who would spend that much money just to walk on water?"
"I don't understand these rich people..."
The whispers continued spreading across the audience.
The auctioneer quickly raised both hands.
"Silence, everyone! The current bid is two thousand five hundred coins! Does anyone wish to bid higher?"
Before anyone could answer—
"Three thousand eight hundred."
A cheerful elderly man's voice echoed through the hall.
Everyone turned toward him in disbelief.
The old man sat comfortably beside his young grandson, smiling as though nothing unusual had happened.
Seeing everyone's shocked expressions, he laughed.
"Hohoho... Don't misunderstand."
"I'm not planning to buy those boots."
"I just saw that young man wanted them badly."
"So I thought..."
"...why not have a little fun?"
Silence.
The entire hall stared at him with speechless expressions.
The elegant lady clenched her teeth.
"That old fossil..."
"He's raising the price just for entertainment?"
"He doesn't even have enough teeth left to smile properly, yet he still wants to have fun..."
Just then—
"Four thousand."
Yuki calmly increased the bid once again.
The woman finally frowned.
"Who exactly is this man?"
Since every seat had already been occupied, Yuki had remained standing near the entrance.
However...
After hearing such enormous bids...
One of the auction officials hurried toward him.
"Sir."
The official respectfully bowed.
"This way, please."
Yuki blinked.
The official personally escorted him to an elegant seat near the front of the hall.
"A VIP seat?"
Yuki quietly sat down.
"I thought these seats were reserved exclusively for dukes... or the Masters of the Magicarf Towers."
"Am I just... lucky?"
The official politely bowed once more before leaving.
Meanwhile, the auction continued.
"Five thousand."
The elegant woman raised her bid once again.
The old man simply chuckled before waving his hand.
"I'll pass."
The auctioneer immediately announced,
"Current bid! Five thousand coins! Does anyone wish to go higher?"
"Six thousand six hundred."
Yuki answered without hesitation.
The woman's expression visibly darkened.
She glared toward him before speaking through clenched teeth.
"Seven thousand."
Almost immediately—
"Seven thousand seven hundred."
Yuki calmly replied.
Not a hint of hesitation appeared on his face.
"Raise it as much as you like."
"Money isn't something I currently lack."
"After all..."
"I'm one of the world's heroes..."
"And the husband of the Master of the Knowledge Tower."
"No one could possibly imagine how much wealth I possess."
Across the hall...
The woman stared at him with disbelief.
"Who in the world is he?"
"How much money does he actually have?"
"Can anyone truly afford this?"
She slowly inhaled before making her decision.
"Eight thousand..."
"Nine thousand..."
"No..."
"Ten thousand is my absolute limit."
"I'll bet everything."
She stood up.
"Ten thousand—"
The rest of the chapter (from Yuki's 20,000-coin bid onward) will continue in Part 2, maintaining the same official Japanese light novel style.
"Twenty thousand coins."
Before the woman could finish her bid, Yuki's calm voice echoed throughout the auction hall.
Unlike before, he didn't simply raise the price.
He doubled it.
The hall fell into absolute silence.
"..."
"..."
Every eye widened in disbelief.
The woman's lips remained slightly parted as she slowly sank back into her chair, completely frozen.
She couldn't believe what she had just heard.
Twenty thousand coins...
For a pair of boots.
Even the old man raised an eyebrow.
"Well, well..."
"I thought both of them were wealthy..."
"But who would've imagined this young man would offer twenty thousand coins for such an ordinary magical artifact?"
Whispers immediately erupted throughout the hall.
"Twenty thousand...?"
"Is he serious?"
"That's enough money to buy an entire noble estate!"
"Those boots are useful, but they're nowhere near that valuable."
"What kind of person spends twenty thousand coins on them?"
The auctioneer himself looked stunned.
He forced himself to calm down before loudly announcing,
"Silence, everyone!"
"I understand your surprise..."
"To be honest..."
"I'm just as shocked."
He cleared his throat before continuing.
"The current bid is twenty thousand coins!"
"Does anyone wish to offer more?"
"Twenty thousand one hundred?"
"Anyone?"
The hall remained completely silent.
Neither the elegant woman...
Nor the old man...
Nor anyone else dared to raise the price further.
After waiting several moments, the auctioneer smiled brightly.
"Sold!"
The wooden hammer struck the table three times.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
"The Frost Boots have been sold for twenty thousand coins!"
Applause echoed throughout the hall.
A short while later...
Yuki completed the payment in a private room behind the auction stage.
After confirming the transaction, one of the staff members respectfully handed him the magical boots.
"Thank you for your patronage, sir."
Yuki nodded before storing the boots and quietly leaving the auction house.
However...
The moment he stepped outside...
He stopped.
Standing directly before him was the same elegant woman from the auction.
Several armored knights stood behind her.
It was obvious...
They had been waiting for him.
The woman glared at him with an expression full of anger.
"You!"
"You cheating bastard!"
"There's no way someone like you could possess that much money!"
"You must have earned it through illegal means!"
She pointed directly at him.
"Hand over those boots..."
"...and every single coin you have."
"Now."
Yuki looked at her without changing his expression.
Then he spoke a single word.
"Move."
His voice wasn't loud.
It wasn't angry.
It was calm...
Cold...
And carried an overwhelming pressure that instantly descended upon everyone present.
The surrounding air seemed to grow heavier.
The knights' expressions immediately turned pale.
Cold sweat poured down their faces.
Some instinctively stepped backward.
The woman herself trembled uncontrollably.
For a brief moment...
It felt as though an ancient beast was standing before her instead of a human.
Yet...
Her pride refused to let her back down.
"I-I said..."
"Hand over your money!"
"You..."
"You don't know who I am!"
She forced herself to straighten her posture despite her trembling body.
"I am one of the managers of the Holy Tower!"
"Now you're scared, aren't you?"
"Hahaha..."
The laugh that followed sounded painfully forced.
Inside his mind, Yuki calmly thought,
"A manager of the Holy Tower..."
"So she's affiliated with one of the Seven Magicarf Towers."
At that moment—
Ding.
Chichi cheerfully spoke.
"The Holy Tower... and every temple in this world... serves me."
"They all pray to me every day."
"I know."
Yuki answered casually before walking forward.
He completely ignored the woman.
That simple act enraged her even more.
"You dare ignore me?!"
She turned toward the knights.
"Capture this criminal!"
The armored knights immediately drew their swords and rushed toward Yuki.
Without stopping...
Without even turning around...
Yuki sighed inwardly.
"Why do people like this keep appearing wherever I go?"
Only then did he slowly glance back.
His crimson eyes were frighteningly calm.
They contained neither rage...
Nor mercy.
Only absolute authority.
His voice echoed once more.
"Don't disturb me."
The words were clear.
Simple.
Cold.
Yet the overwhelming pressure behind them crushed the knights' courage.
Every one of them froze where they stood.
Their bodies refused to move.
Some even collapsed to their knees as fear completely overwhelmed them.
Yuki simply continued walking away as though nothing had happened.
Behind him, the woman shouted in frustration.
"I-I'll remember this!"
"You monster!"
"I'll make you pay for—"
A hand suddenly rested on her shoulder.
"KYAA!"
She screamed and jumped backward before falling onto the ground.
Looking up...
She saw the same old man from the auction standing behind her with a cheerful smile.
"Hohoho..."
"So frightened of him..."
"And yet you still threaten him."
The woman hurriedly stood up.
"I-I..."
"I am a manager of the Holy Tower!"
"How could I possibly fear an ordinary person?!"
"I'll take revenge sooner or later!"
The old man simply laughed.
"Hohoho..."
"I wouldn't recommend doing that."
"Otherwise..."
"You won't be able to bear the consequences."
The woman frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Before she could continue...
The old man answered with a smile.
"That young man..."
"...is the famous Hero, Yuki."
"And more importantly..."
"...he is the husband of the Master of the Knowledge Tower."
The woman's face instantly turned deathly pale.
"..."
Her pupils shrank.
Her breathing stopped.
"T-The..."
"...Hero..."
"And..."
"...the Knowledge Tower Master's husband...?"
Her legs gave out beneath her.
She collapsed onto the ground once again.
The old man merely smiled.
"Oh?"
"I thought so."
Without another word, he turned around and leisurely walked away with his grandson.
The woman remained kneeling there in complete silence.
Far away from the auction house...
Yuki finally took out the sapphire-blue boots.
After wearing them, he stepped toward the shoreline.
The instant the soles touched the sea...
Crack...
A thin layer of ice instantly spread across the water beneath his feet.
Another step.
Crack...
The frozen surface continued extending forward.
Exactly as the auction description had promised.
A faint smile appeared on Yuki's face.
"Perfect."
Without another glance behind him...
He began walking across the endless ocean itself.
Toward the place where Illman awaited.
The sea stretched endlessly before him.
His journey...
Into Illman's Domain...
Had finally begun.