Thinking about the past made me lose my composure—something that never used to happen. It's unlike me. Ever since I came into this new body, I've noticed a change. In my previous world, I was always aware of my surroundings. I could read a room with a single glance. But now... my senses have dulled. Not completely, of course—I can still hear what people around me are saying—but the sharpness I once relied on is fading.
The auction was about to begin in five minutes. I took the time to observe the grand environment. The auction house was massive, its structure resembling the style of old London theatres or a grand auditorium. Nobles and influential figures from all over the Giga Kingdom had gathered here. The ground floor was packed, all waiting for the opening ceremony, where the leaders of the kingdom would formally begin the event by cutting the ribbon.
We were seated in one of the VIP rooms, accompanied by other high-ranking families. Among them was the Blackheart family. We'd heard plenty about them, and in the VIP room sat only Lady Venessa Blackheart and her daughter, Rebecca. Her father, Max Blackheart, was currently on duty as the commander protecting the King and Queen. Also present was the Tully family, known for their scholarly contributions as royal advisers. I noticed their son, a fourteen-year-old who would be enrolling in the academy next year, and the Tully family head—someone we had already met.
Several other familiar nobles greeted us as well. It was awkward for me, but Alex was clearly enjoying the attention. He was currently chatting with Rebecca. I had planned to ask her about what she said the last time we met, but before I could approach her, the ceremony began.
Three figures stepped onto the stage. Leading the event were my mother and father, followed closely by Kangaro Zakar—a demi-human with a cat-like tail and rabbit ears. Zakar opened with a warm welcome, thanking our parents for attending. My mother cut the ceremonial ribbon, and my father brought down the hammer to officially start the auction.
After a while, our parents returned to the VIP room, accompanied by Max Blackheart, who looked imposing in his armor. My father waved him off with a chuckle, saying, "Now, now, go back to your family. I don't want to endure the glares from your daughter, wondering why her daddy is still standing here."
Alex burst out laughing. Rebecca's face turned bright red upon hearing that. Max politely thanked my father and returned to his family.
The first item up for bid was a B-rank monster claw. Zakar's voice echoed across the hall. "This is from the Windwolf. Bidding starts at 50,000 G." The auction quickly heated up, with the item finally selling to a crafter for a whopping 1 million G.
Item after item came and went, with eager participants bidding excitedly. The currency here—G—is equivalent to the dollar in my previous world. It's named after Gabriel Baratheon, the first Hero of War, who unified the Empire. To ease trade between species and eliminate currency confusion, he proposed a single universal standard—thus, the 'G' was born.
I was reminded of my family's wealth when Alex laid eyes on a particular item—a magical ring. He immediately turned to Father, who, seeing the excitement in Alex's eyes, allowed him to bid. The price skyrocketed from 1 million to 7.5 million G. The ring, crafted by elves, had multiple functions—item storage, a protective shield, and other features I couldn't quite catch.
As the ring was handed over, I noticed a commotion nearby. A woman was arguing with the staff, claiming she could outbid Alex. Another person—calm and collected—intervened, escorting her away. I caught a glimpse of her: white hair, green eyes, and pointed ears. An elf. And not just any elf—Elena Salaman. She was a side character from this novel I'd read in my previous life, prominently featured in the Elven Kingdom arc.
What was she doing here in Vineta?
It seemed she wanted that ring—now in Alex's possession. Alex gleefully showed it off to everyone, including our parents and friends. Then he turned to me.
"See, Liam? Looks good, right? I know, right?" he said, posing dramatically.
I smiled and said, "Yeah, it suits you. But you do know you made that girl cry, right?"
His face changed instantly. "But... but I bid first! She was even fighting the staff!"
His scared voice was hilarious, and I couldn't help but laugh. "You really got scared over that? Hahaha."
"Don't joke like that, brother," he muttered, embarrassed.
As more items were auctioned, Alex continued to buy things until Mother scolded him. "I just stepped out to talk, and you bought half the auction!" Fortunately, Father stepped in to protect him. All four of us then sat and watched the auction together.
I was getting bored. That's when I saw Rebecca quietly slip out of the VIP room. I turned to my mother. "Mom, I'm going out for some fresh air."
"Bored already?" she asked.
"Yeah, just need a little air."
"Okay, but don't be long."
I followed Rebecca and caught up with her as she headed in the same direction. When she saw me, she looked surprised.
"Something wrong?" I asked.
"No, young master. I just needed some fresh air," she replied quickly.
Looking around and seeing no one nearby, I asked, "What did you mean the last time, when you told me to save myself?"
She flinched and tried to turn back, but I blocked her path. "I'm not here to force anything. I just want to understand."
She hesitated for a long moment, just as she was about to speak, I heard footsteps. I signaled her with my eyes. Instantly, she understood and began to play along.
"Oh, the academy, yes! It's always been my dream to attend the Hero Academy" Liam says , than playing along "That's why I'm going to the Empire City to meet my uncle and visit the academy. Isn't that exciting, young master?"
She acted brilliantly. The approaching figure turned out to be none other than Max Blackheart.
"Oh, sweetheart, why are you taking so long? The teddy bear you bought just arrived. Oh—young master!"
He looked stunned to see me with his daughter. I explained quickly that we'd just run into each other and were discussing the academy. With that, I returned to the VIP room.
Max watched me walk away, clearly unconvinced. Then he turned to Rebecca.
"Did you say anything to him, dear?"
After a moment, she replied, "I just warned him."
Max frowned. "Rebecca, I told you before—you must never speak of that to anyone. I don't want you to make the same mistake your grandmother did. Promise me."
"…Okay, Dad."
Back in the VIP room, I sat down just as the auction neared its end. My mother leaned over. "Didn't find anything you liked, Liam?"
"Nothing caught my eye," I replied. "The auction was fine—just a little boring."
Zakar's voice echoed through the hall once more. "This is the final item of the auction—a sword found at the bottom of the sea." People are exited but next word make the crowd dead " But ...It ..does not respond to mana."
A collective sigh of disinterest rippled through the crowd.
"But," Zakar continued, "the material of the sword remains unidentified. Our research shows that it is compatible only with aura users."
Now people really lost interest. In the world of Giga, only two species can use aura—Orcs and Humans. Orcs fight with fists and giant axes; the idea of one using a sword is laughable. Humans, meanwhile, only unlock aura at S-rank—like my parents. Even then, they're trained from the start in mana, so aura is mostly used for overpowering enemies or enhancing spells. No one saw any value in a sword that required only aura.
"So, the bidding for the sword starts at 50,000 G," the auctioneer announced, his voice echoing through the grand hall.
Yet not a single paddle was raised. The crowd remained still—unimpressed, indifferent, as if the weapon were no more than a rusted relic.
But for some reason, I wanted that sword.
Even I questioned myself. I hadn't even awakened my mana yet. What use was an aura sword to me?
Still, I found myself speaking. "Father, I want to buy that sword."
He looked puzzled. "Son, that's an aura sword. It won't be of any use."
"Yes, Liam," Mother added. "We'll buy you an A-rank sword instead. That one's useless."
Something about those words stung. I didn't know why, but I insisted. "I'll just use it for decoration. Please, can I have it?"
Without another word, Father raised his hand. "500 million G for the aura sword."
The entire room went silent.
That was the highest bid of the day. Even the semi–S-rank bow purchased by Elena went for only 110 million G. Only a fool would spend that much on a sword deemed useless.
Yet Father bought it without hesitation.
After the Auction ended
Zakar, visibly impressed, personally handed the sword to the guards near our room. But before they could take it, Father took it himself and passed it to me.
"Oh, I thought the King was showing mercy to his people," Zakar joked.
Father smirked. "Still playing with words, Kangaro? I like that. My son asked me for something for the first time. How could I say no?"
A storm of emotions stirred inside me. "Thank you, Father… Mother."
"Don't thank me," Mother said, smiling. "Your father's the one who went wild."
Alex burst into laughter.
Then Zakar turned to me and handed me something else. "This is the largest storage ring in all of Vineta. I intended to keep it for myself, but I'm giving it to you, young master."
"I haven't awakened yet. It won't work for me," I said.
"This one doesn't require mana," Zakar replied. "Just picture the item, and it will appear and this type of ring only five in the entire Gaia."
I was delighted—but then realized that my lack of awakening was becoming public knowledge.
Trying to push that thought aside, I prepared to leave. As we approached the car, something struck me.
I called out to Zakar, who was still nearby. "Wait—what's the name of the sword?"
He looked puzzled for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "Ah yes! When it was found, the name engraved on the box was 'Yama.'"
I repeated the name under my breath. "Yama…"
And with that, we headed back to the castle.
.
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A sword everyone deemed useless... would one day traumatize half the world just by its presence.