Almost everyone's eyes turned red with envy.
The power of bloodline—if they hadn't understood its significance before, they certainly did now.
And within their group, someone had actually acquired a bloodline power.
None other than Ian.
Now that he had obtained the power of the S-class devil bloodline, it was safe to say his arrogance was about to soar.
Although the Hell Messenger profession was ranked lower than most other S-class professions, the sheer strength of an S-class devil bloodline elevated his combat prowess significantly. He now stood ahead of many in terms of power.
Especially when paired with his spiritual energy, the Hellfire ability had been honed to near perfection.
Otherwise, with no strong background to rely on, he wouldn't have dared to venture into the Sword Tomb—one of the most dangerous places in Somi Mountain—while everyone else was occupied with the Demon Locking Tower.
And now, an S-class bloodline is being auctioned!
The implications of this were obvious.
There was no need to risk one's life on the front lines; as long as one had enough money, such overwhelming power could be theirs!
But this begged the question—where did White Emperor even get his hands on something this powerful? If he possessed such a rare bloodline, why not use it himself instead of auctioning it off?
Nobody could understand it.
They truly couldn't wrap their heads around it. But while confusion lingered, another feeling quickly overtook it—excitement.
Excitement that was immediately crushed by a single message in the group chat.
[The Only Trash in the Group]: I'll bid 10,000 gold coins!
[Crow]: Are you fucking serious?! Are you even human?!
[Overlord]: I strongly suggest we kick this troublemaker out of the chat for disrupting the harmony of the auction!
[The Only Trash in the Group]: Wuwuwu… What did I do wrong?! I just want to spend my money!
[El Anouk]: Spending money is fine, but let's be real—you don't even need this. You haven't switched to a combat class yet, and your level isn't high enough to equip it!
[The Only Trash in the Group]: I'll use it when I level up! Come on, Big Bosses there are barely any ways to use money to boost strength directly! This is my one chance—let me have it!
The chat instantly descended into chaos.
Though they constantly bickered and messed with each other, opportunities like this were rare. And now, this guy was about to ignite public outrage.
[The Only Trash in the Group]: Big Bosses, come on, just let me have it! At worst, I'll lend the equipment to you all for free! And if you ever need gold coins, just ask me!
That finally eased some of the hostility in the group.
In the end, no one else tried to outbid him for the demon bloodline. They simply couldn't afford it.
After all, 10,000 gold coins weren't something ordinary evolutionaries could just pull out of thin air.
Of course, in terms of value, whether in this life or the previous one, the deal was an absolute steal.
But Novak didn't care.
The entire Abyss was his hunting ground.
And within the Abyss, demons fought, devoured, and refined their powers endlessly. With the mysterious effects of Gluttonous Face, obtaining another S-class bloodline was no big deal.
Selling it off like this was an effortless way to turn an unimaginable profit—a deal worth hundreds of thousands of times its cost. A near-zero-cost business. Something that only existed in the realms of gods and devils.
And if he could use this trade to gauge this kid's background? Even better.
Without hesitation, Novak opened a private chat.
[White Emperor]: I've mailed the item. Postage and payment are on delivery.
[White Emperor]: But tell me—does your talent have something to do with gold coins? Where the hell did you get so much money?
Novak recalled the early days of the apocalypse, back when he hadn't even cleared the Cold Incinerator. At that time, he had no income from clearing dungeons and barely had any gold coins to his name.
Yet somehow, this guy could casually spend several gold coins on items even then.
When Novak sent his message, no immediate response came from the other side. He understood—everyone had their secrets. It was perfectly normal not to want to share them.
What he didn't expect, however, was that after switching his attention back to the chat group, the long-awaited reply finally arrived.
[The Only Trash in the Group]: Brother White, if I tell you the truth, promise me you won't kick me out of the group!
Novak raised an eyebrow. What's going through this guy's head?
Instead of worrying about being killed for his wealth, he was more concerned about getting kicked out of the chat group?
This unexpected response actually made Novak relax a little.
[White Emperor]: Don't worry. The chat group's purpose isn't about that. As long as it's nothing too extreme, it's fine. If you don't want to say, that's okay—I was just curious.
This time, the reply came almost instantly.
[The Only Trash in the Group]: That's a relief! You guessed right, Brother White—my talent is related to gold coins!
Then, a screenshot popped up.
It was a screenshot of his talent!
[Make Money with Money (A)]: Killing any hostile creature increases coin drops by +200%! Additionally, daily coin income is permanently increased by +1%! All personal combat-active skills cost -35% coins!
This talent…?
Novak was stunned. Yes, it was indeed an excellent talent. But even with such a skill, accumulating over 10,000 gold coins still seemed far-fetched.
It was as if the guy anticipated Novak's doubt. After giving him a moment to process the information, another message arrived.
[The Only Trash in the Group]: Uh... Brother White, I'm actually in the Imperial Capital. My family is pretty well-known there. My father, uncle, and sister all worked in the Imperial Court before the apocalypse...
[The Only Trash in the Group]: After the apocalypse, thanks to my talent and my connection to you in Group 001, our family's influence grew significantly... But don't worry! I swear on the Cosmic Will—I'll never reveal anything about the chat group!
At that moment, everything clicked into place.
The Imperial Court.
Even amidst the indiscriminate chaos of the apocalypse, the power of the Imperial Court couldn't be overlooked.
While order had crumbled in most places—where leaders either aged out of relevance or perished without resistance—the Imperial Capital retained its strength.
In his previous life, the formation of Origin City was largely due to this enduring influence.
So that's why.
This guy had deep ties to the Imperial Court. No wonder he had such wealth.
He was likely a second—or even third—generation elite from the Imperial Capital.
After the apocalypse broke out, while others struggled to survive, this guy had surged ahead.
With a talent like that, controlling a massive finance made perfect sense.
It was even highly possible that he was the one managing the Imperial Treasury after the apocalypse's collapse.
Interesting... Novak mused with a faint smile.