The members of the Tai Chi Guild stood up, their killing intent palpable as they stared at the Demon Emperor and his group.
"Look at that? Keep staring and I'll have your eyeballs fed to the dogs."
A man wearing a white suit standing behind Demon Emperor laughed coldly. His fingers were long and slender, holding an exquisite tiger tooth dagger, its blade flashing rapidly as he twirled it.
"Say that again?"
A NUK brute who resembled Ma Dong-seok cursed, grabbing a chair nearby and throwing it at the man in the white suit.
"Didn't anyone teach you manners? Let me do it for you."
The man in the white suit sneered, effortlessly dodging the chair with a swift move. Then, he bent down quickly and lunged forward, striking the brute's hand, pinning it to the chair with a sharp stab. A blood-curdling scream followed.
Bradley: "What the hell? How did this turn into a fight? I'll go get the hotel security."
"No need. Let them get acquainted first," Orson grinned, his lips curling up.
The Tai Chi Guild was a notorious faction in NUK. The Dragon Totem Guild was just one of its branches, and the woman from earlier, the one who had spoken disparagingly of Orson and the other US players in the dungeon, was one of their members.
This woman wasn't simple—she hailed from a NUK oligarch family, involved in both the legitimate and underground worlds.
The NUK members in the room were furious, and one of them quickly circled behind Demon Emperor, leaping to take down the two-meter-tall giant.
Smack!
Demon Emperor didn't even glance at him. Like a solid tower, he extended his dark arm and grabbed the attacker by the neck with his large hand, lifting him off the ground. The NUK man kicked his legs wildly in the air, his face turning purple.
Demon Emperor's strength was astonishing—he lifted the man as if he were a mere chicken.
Everyone in the room was stunned as Demon Emperor held the man up with one hand while removing his sunglasses with the other. His face was scarred and menacing as he glared at Pokpung: "US. Is this fun?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it radiated authority and dominance.
"Holy shit! This guy's brutal!" Madman's jaw nearly dropped.
Pokpung's expression darkened as he watched his man being tossed aside. "Demon Emperor, you dare lay a hand on me?"
"The daughter of the NSK Enterprises Group's director, and you think this is NUK?" the man in the white suit laughed loudly.
Pokpung gave him a cold, venomous look, "You can try me, lackey."
The man in the white suit, Slaughter Spree, who was always by Demon Emperor's side, smiled maliciously, "Nice tattoos you have. Let me take off your arm, and I'll sew it back on. Don't worry, with my skills, it won't be a problem."
Pokpung sneered, "You? What do you think you are, threatening me?"
Pokpung's bodyguards, clearly seasoned killers, stood up, positioning themselves behind him. They quickly reached for their weapons, and Slaughter Spree's face flickered with uncertainty.
"Damn it, could these bastards be carrying weapons?" Madman cursed, his face pale.
Orson nodded calmly, "That's a possibility." Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire
"Had enough yet? Sit down!" Blank walked up to the stage with a microphone, frowning as she scolded them.
The crowd was stunned, expecting the situation to escalate further. Some were even preparing to leave.
But instead, Demon Emperor looked at Blank, shook his head helplessly, and smiled. "Sorry, I got a bit too excited seeing an old friend."
Bradley: "Hiss… Who's really in charge of the Slaughter Guild? I feel like Demon Emperor's a little scared of Blank."
Orson smiled without answering. Before Demon Emperor made a name for himself in the underground world, he had been just a driver for the Bruce Family, one of the Ten Overlords of the US. When he saw the Bruce Family's young lady angry, how could he not obey?
"Useless fool."
Pokpung cursed under his breath, signaling for his injured subordinate to be taken away. It was clear that Demon Emperor and his crew had a past with Pokpung, and it hadn't been a pleasant one.
"Demon Emperor, did you bring enough cash? This way, please." Orson gestured to the seat next to the NUK members.
Slaughter Spree froze, cursing inwardly, "You trying to get someone killed?"
"Alright, it's your turf. You make the call," Demon Emperor sighed and took a seat with his crew.
The two sides exchanged a tense stare, each group glaring at the other, as if the situation could erupt into violence at any moment.
But this was exactly the outcome Orson had wanted—the more they competed, the more intense the bidding would be. He just had to sit back and collect the money.
Blank set down the microphone, her brows furrowed as she noticed something odd in the hotel. The moment Usher entered the hotel, the remaining rooms on the upper and lower floors were quickly filled with unfamiliar faces. The parking garage was also packed, but when checking the surveillance, there were hardly any people getting out of their cars.
Even though K.D. had set up security around the hotel, they couldn't block off the roads openly. That would have caused too much of a stir and attracted unwanted attention.
Blank exchanged a glance with the auctioneer, who nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
At that moment, the staff on this floor was replaced with military personnel. Otherwise, if regular hotel employees had seen what had just transpired, they would've likely called the police by now.
"The first secret scroll, bidding continues."
"210 million gold."
Slaughter Spree called out loudly, glancing provocatively at the NUK members next to him.
"Shit."
Davis cursed angrily, and his assistant raised a card, "220 million gold."
"230 million gold!"
An IND man placed down his phone and shouted, then quickly started confirming the amount on the other end.
"Has that poison-spreading bastard not shown up yet?"
Usher glanced at the IND members, visibly annoyed. In the Titan Dungeon, he had been made a fool by Poison King Sinternan, and he wasn't happy about it.
"He hasn't come. This guy is sneaky, and these IND people are all international students," the Strategic Trickster shook his head and laughed.
"240 million gold."
Slaughter Spree smirked arrogantly and shouted again, this time taunting the NUK people. He even used a translation app on his phone to repeatedly play his message, aimed at the NUK members.
The crowd was getting tired of his antics, but no one dared speak out. After all, his swift blade earlier had left a deep impression on everyone.
"Bastard!"
Pokpung's face turned ashen with rage, wishing he could slice Slaughter Spree into pieces.
The two sides alternated bids, driving the price up to 280 million.
"320 million gold. Anyone else want to compete with me? I'll stay in this fight until the end," Usher said coldly, staring at Demon Emperor and Pokpung.
"I bow to your might," Demon Emperor smiled and nodded.
Pokpung: "The first godly rich man of the US, your reputation is well-deserved. I'll give you this one."
Everyone knew Usher's strength. Even though there were other big players present, few dared to challenge him in terms of wealth.
At the same time, these people weren't stupid. They knew better than to challenge the local ruler, Usher, who was the undisputed king of Baiguo City.
With the gavel strike, the auction was concluded.
Next, the second secret scroll was presented.
"Fixed price: 300 million gold."
Kanting raised his card calmly, his sudden move making an impact.
"This is the costly Growth Forbidden Magic Sword Spirit Twins, worth 20 million gold."
The crowd was in an uproar. If anyone could rival Usher financially, it was the Sword Soul Guild, the overlords of NR.
Though many wanted the secret scroll, most felt that even 100 million gold wasn't worth it.
No one spoke up, and Kanting successfully secured the item.
The only real benefit was obtaining a lead on the SS-level job, which would greatly enhance their strength compared to other S-level players once awakened at level 50.
Infinite Dimensions was a game about gaining the upper hand, and those who acted first would always be ahead of the curve.
Only one more secret scroll remained, and everyone weighed their options, knowing that if they missed this chance, there would be no other opportunity.
"The final secret scroll…"
Before the auctioneer could finish, Orson interrupted, "Apologies, everyone. Due to an oversight by the staff, the starting price for the secret scroll was set incorrectly."
"There… there was no mistake?" The auctioneer was taken aback, double-checking the details.
Orson smiled brightly at the beautiful auctioneer, "A few seconds ago, everything was fine, but now it's wrong."
"The starting price is 400 million gold. If there are no bids, it will be withdrawn," Orson stated nonchalantly.