Hae-Hyuk alongside all the other pinnacle experts were going to be stuck over there for a week. However, the others weren't. The champions and guests had absolute freedom during the week as long as they didn't engage in physical battles. Which meant that people could chat, trade and plan.

Most of the guests hadn't been invited simply to remain spectators. They were the spokespersons of the experts they came with. Their job was to sell or buy the other's services for a price. Not every pinnacle expert believed he had a chance to get the treasure. And some decided to give up on it to pursue other benefits.

It was the case of Isla for example. The two champions she got were only there to help Jin and Min-Su advance. Both of them were aware that they were not here to win and no one expected them to. Their goal was solely to help Jin and Min-Su cross a bridge. If they were lucky, they would be able to cross one themselves later on, if not they would die. But they knew of this fact and were fine with it. They made a deal beforehand.

They sold their lives.

And in exchange, Isla had promised them to care for their descendants. Such a promise, obviously made under the watchful gaze of the heavens, was worth their lives. As men in their forties who had been unable to cross over the 10th stage even after trying dozens of times, there wasn't much for them to expect from their own future. It was better for them to place their families under the protection of an expert, even if the price was their lives.

At least, there was still a way for them to survive this if they managed to cross a bridge too after helping the two others.

It wasn't the case for all the champions here. Some experts had picked champions solely to sell them as products. And this week was the time to sell them for a big premium as last minute goods. A lot of guests were meeting in the grand hall and excitedly discussing and negotiating.

Sophia was part of the commotion. Hae-Hyuk had told her about this beforehand in hopes that she could secure some helpers for Jin and Min-Su. Due to her sense of justice, he trusted that she would do her best to help the two, even though she was forced to dabble into this.

She was. She despised Hae-Hyuk for what he did but she was aware that she had no choice but do her best. The lives of her two friends might depend on this.

The problem was that there weren't that many champions for sale and there were many buyers. There was one especially cunning guy who always upped the prices. He seemed not to care at all and just gave in to the sellers. Due to him, all the others were grinding their teeth as they were forced to offer higher prices as well.

They had no other options. It wasn't just about hiring a new helper. It was about taking down one rival as well. It wasn't just a minus one or plus one but the combination of both. And so, the grand hall was overseeing fierce business competitions.

Meanwhile, at a different hall, the other guests and champions were mingling pleasantly while trading some treasures. Min-Su was here. He looked around as he searched for some things that might be useful. He did find a few but unfortunately gold was meaningless here. After all, the champions were going to put their lives on the line, would they need gold? No, they would not. As for the few guests that weren't in the grand hall, they were obviously not interested in gold either as they obviously came from respectable factions.

Basically, everyone was trying to barter and trade for better items and treasures. No one gave a fuck about money. They were solely attracted by items. And this proved to be a pain for Min-Su who did not have anything to trade. The only items he had were those he would use. Still, he stayed around to check things. Even if they didn't end in his hands, they would end in someone's hands. And that someone would be an enemy.

As for Jin, he was outside. At the entrance. And he meditated in front of the impressive sculpture of the founder. As he looked at her, he felt something impossible to describe. It seemed like all his senses were being heightened under the stony glance of the giant statue.

He wasn't planning to buy anything as he didn't think he would have the time to adapt to a new addition to his arsenal and it might only negatively impact his battle tactics. He didn't really care in hiring helpers either. To him, even helpers were a potential threat. Who could say there would never be a betrayal? Especially when one's life was on the line.

It was far easier to say you would be ready to die compared to actually having to face death. As someone who killed himself, he knew what death was like. The fear he felt before he jumped, the fear he felt as he fell... It couldn't be explained. It was instinctive, an overwhelming sense of fear. When faced with such fear, if there was a way to escape the sentence, who wouldn't take their chance?

Unless they wished for death but very few did so wholeheartedly. Jin did back then because he couldn't see any hope for his future. It was despair that pushed him to jump. But in this case, death was solely a promise some champions would make. When it was time for them to truly face it, would they step forward? Jin did not believe they all would.

As such, it was better to consider everyone as an enemy. He would slaughter all who blocked his path to survival.

Because he didn't want to die this time.