System's POV
chapter-124-2

Seeing the injustice that was happening around them, the Barbarians weren't able to hold it back and shouted at the masked man, who was clearly bullying the seven-year-old bidding for the Dark Wing Bow.

"Have you no shame? You're bullying a kid!" one of the bidders spoke out loud, feeling that enough was enough.

He understood that he might get in trouble for making his opinion known, but he was unable to endure the blatant bullying that the masked man was doing.

"That's right! Are you really a man?" a woman in her late thirties shouted. "Leave the poor boy alone!"

"Hear! Hear!"

"I was just waiting for your exchange to end, but it is starting to get on my nerves. If you want that bow so badly, just buy it outright!"

The other people in the auction also raised their voices of disapproval, but the masked man was unfazed.

Dorra, who didn't know how to proceed due to the commotion, was alternately looking at the two VIP Rooms with anxiety on her beautiful face.

Thirteen no longer had the funds to bid, and just stared at the masked man with the same calm gaze that he had earlier.

He knew that struggling from the start was futile, and yet he still continued to do it.

Why?

Because it reminded him of the destinies of his previous Hosts.

No matter how much they struggled, their ending was already set in stone.

He hated it, which was the reason why he decided to defy the System God and fight against Fate.

Thirteen's gaze lingered on the masked man for a few more seconds before shifting his attention to Dorra, who was standing on top of the stage.

Everyone thought that he would still bid, but he kept his silence, which meant that he would no longer bid for the Dark Wing Bow.

"50,000!" Dorra shouted after seeing that things had finally reached a conclusion. "Going once! Going twice! Congratulations to Customer Number 1. Please collect your Dark Wing Bow after the auction ends!"

Norris and Adira looked at the seven-year-old, whose presence had suddenly become so serene and still, like the surface of a lake.

But underneath the calmness of his expression, a fire raged in Thirteen's heart.

The auction continued and after the 18th Item had been auctioned, Dorra once again told everyone that they would have a short break to prepare the next batch of items that would be sold.

The finale was coming, so everyone was pumped up to bid for the last selection of items, which were considered the best among all the items that were prepared in today's auction.

Netero and the masked man took a break, looking at Gronar City from on top of the Auction House.

"You're such a child," Netero said with a mischievous smile on his face. "What did that poor boy do to deserve bullying from someone like you?"

"He needs to be brought down a peg," the masked man replied. "That's the reason why I decided to deny him the thing that he wanted."

"And are you going to continue to deny him of the things he would bid for?"

"Of course. The sooner he realizes that he can't have everything he wants, the sooner he will strive to surpass those who have stepped on him in his youth."

"Heh… looks like someone is talking from experience," Netero commented as he played with his beard. "Are you telling me that the boy reminds you of your younger self?"

"Mmm," the masked man hummed. "Pride without the power to back it up is not pride but stupidity."

"So you say, but I was also paying attention to that boy while you were bidding against him," Netero smiled. "He knew that you were just purposely messing with him and had long accepted that he would not win against you."

"So why did he continue bidding?"

"Do you even need to ask? Didn't you also feel like rebelling when you were a child? Although you know that you will not get what you want, you still make things difficult for others. You might have won, but you still spent 50,000 Silver Coins."

"50,000 is nothing to me," the masked man stated.

"You're missing the point," Netero replied. "You might have won the battle, but you have lost the war. What you gained was just a Dark Wing Bow that you won't probably even use in your life.

"On the contrary, the boy gained the recognition of everyone in the Auction House. You got a bow, but he got fame. I say he got the better deal out of that bidding war. I hate to say this, but the brat is waaaaaay better than you were when he was your age."

The masked man snorted but didn't say anything to refute the old man.

"So silly." Netero shook his head helplessly as he headed towards the staircase to return to their VIP room. "You're now a full-fledged man, but deep inside, you are still a child."

The masked man didn't follow Netero right away and continued to look over his city with his arms crossed over his chest.

A few minutes later, he turned around to return to his VIP Room to see if there were any other items that were worthy of his attention.

—-------------------

"Are you okay, Young Master?" Cristopher asked in a worried tone.

"I'm fine," Thirteen replied. "You don't have to worry about me, Cristopher."

"But, Young Master, I'm certain that the masked man will also get in the way when you bid for the Five Leaf Clover."

"I know."

Thirteen then turned around to look at the chubby boy who had a worried expression on his face.

"Then what are you going to do, Young Master?" Cristopher inquired.

The corner of the seven-year-old's lips curled up into a smirk, making the chubby boy shudder.

This was the first time he had seen this kind of look on his Young Master's face, and it made him feel as if Zion was going to do something very evil.

"Stay here, Cristopher," Thirteen said as he walked down the stairs. "I'm just going to take a little stroll."

Norris and Adira, who saw the younger boy's evil smirk, both frowned.

Although they didn't know what the seven-year-old was going to do, they had the same thought as Cristopher—Zion was up to no good.