A few days later.
The two items listed in the awakener-only auction caused utter chaos among awakener everywhere.
And that was only natural. The first was a lower-mid grade headgear: Colossus’s Crown. An item that raised all abilities slightly. At first glance, it did not seem that impressive—but in truth, it was an incredible effect.
After all, awakeners had natural aptitudes. Some abilities grew easily, others barely at all. For instance, physical dealers and tanks found it extremely difficult to raise magic power or magic defense—sometimes impossible.
Thus, physical dealers and tanks were always desperate for equipment that raised magic defense. Conversely, magic dealers sought equipment that boosted physical defense. There was always a demand to “raise just a little more of this one lacking stat.”
And here appeared Colossus’s Crown—an item that raised everything.
That meant users could strengthen their natural aptitudes while also covering their weak points. Of course, being a crown, frontline fighters had to consider the practicality of wearing it… but even so, it was exactly the kind of item many had long wished for.
On top of that, it was a crown. Such things always attracted buyers, regardless of function.
For example… none other than the famous magical dealer, “Black Witch” Sendou Sarina.
“This is it…! This is exactly what I needed!”
“Uh, Sarina-chan, didn’t you say a witch’s hat was the proof of a witch?”
“What are you even saying!?”
Sarina struck a dramatic pose as she shouted at her manager. At this point, such actions were reflex hammered into her body—something even she could no longer control.
“Having a second form ready is basic strategy! But it only works if the image changes drastically… and with this crown! The ability is flawless, too! Should I be Black Princess… or Queen! Either way, guaranteed popularity!”
“Whichever you like… but the bidding price’s been jumping like crazy.”
“Eh? Ah—already two hundred million!? It’s only been ten minutes! Which idiot is this!? Ah, it must be Takenaka from Genesis!”
“You can tell?”
“Of course! That dumb ID ‘GenesisNo1’—no one else would use it! ‘Number One,’ my ass! What a moron!”
Her manager could only think, “Well, Takenaka probably doesn’t want to hear that from someone with the ID ‘bracwiti’.”
Sarina’s nickname, Black Witch, was far better known than her actual name—there were doubts people even remembered it. But among awakener, where branding and public image were so important, she was one of the few whose face everyone could recognize. She had built an unmistakable persona—an absolute winner in image strategy.
Her image was so clear and bold that collaborations came easily, making her the most requested awakener for promotional campaigns in Japan. Her actual combat skill was equally strong, ranking among the top three magic dealers in the nation.
She had also been the one to demonstrate to Japan’s youth ‘what it meant to embody a “cool chuuni” without it becoming a cringe-worthy dark past.’
Yes—awakener were superhuman. Combine that with chuunibyou, and you no longer had “delusions of hidden power”—you had ‘real hidden power.’ The result was nothing less than a dark, heroic figure.
Indeed, Sarina’s job was literally Dark Mage. As though destiny itself had said, “Yes, this is what you are.” Unsurprisingly, “Dark Mage” consistently ranked among the most desired jobs in surveys.
“What about the belt? It’s already broken three hundred million.”
“The belt? Hm…”
The other auction item was Colossus’s Belt. This one boosted physical defense, and even granted use of Stoneskin—a temporary buff that hardened the body like rock to raise defense further. It was also lower-mid grade, but universally usable by awakener of any role.
Of course, physical frontliners coveted it desperately.
Yet Sarina seemed unimpressed.
“Not really feeling it. The design’s so tacky. And I’m not the kind of person who’d wear something ugly just because the ability’s good… wait, what!? The crown’s at 411 million!? Bid! Bid now! Who’s the moron bidding in one-million increments!?”
To her manager, this was the realm of gods. A battle fought with unfathomable amounts of money. This was the world of top-tier awakener.
If Sarina had decided to win the crown, she would spend another three hundred million without hesitation. She earned enough that such amounts barely hurt—and for her, image came first.
Balancing image and power—Sarina had declared it her mission. She called weak gear “empty vanity.”
She would not let anyone call awakener “grimy” or “uncouth.” She would make them say “most dazzling of all.”
Once upon a time, she had vowed it—and true to her word, she still raced among the top.
“Fu… fuhahaha! Six hundred million! Now kneel before me and regret your futile bids!”
As her manager went to the break room to brew some tea, Sarina’s voice followed: “Gyaaah, another one-million increment!?”
He could only wonder…
“Just what kind of person put items like that up for auction?”
It had to be one of the top-tier awakener. But auctions were proxy-listed, so there was no way to know. Nor did he intend to pry. Still… he couldn’t help but feel envious.
…Meanwhile, the very person being envied, Inari, had completely forgotten about the auction and was happily playing with children.