Chapter 92: Auction (3)
The dungeon monsters keep offering sacrifices – 092
EP.92 Auction (3)
– Would you like to participate in the auction using the Demon Realm Auction Participation Pass? –
The moment I touched the screen to confirm my participation.
The surrounding space distorted.
Simultaneously, I felt as if the ceiling and floor were flipping, and my field of vision changed in an instant.
“Oh…”
With a slight dizziness, the space unfolded before me was not a house.
The scenery that was a house just a moment ago had changed to a completely different place.
I wondered if anyone happened to see my sudden appearance.
With a slightly worried mind, I looked around.
‘At least that’s fortunate.’
Except for one woman, there was no one else.
Moreover, the other person seemed uninterested in me.
‘But still, luckily I ended up in a corner, didn’t I?’
Well, if I suddenly appeared in the midst of monsters milling about.
Surely everyone’s gaze would be on me.
Then, I would inevitably attract unwanted attention.
‘It’s better this way.’
My purpose from the start was simply to participate quietly in the auction.
What’s the point of drawing attention from monsters as a human like me?
It would only lead to trouble if my human identity were revealed.
Thinking so, as I was about to move.
“Sob sob…”
The woman nearby suddenly began to cry.
“?”
What’s going on?
Why is she suddenly crying?
I paused for a moment at the sight of her crying so bitterly.
“……”
Looking at the crying woman, there was something strange.
This place is clearly where social gatherings are held before the auction.
As such, it was normal to interact with others and make connections.
At least, being alone here was definitely odd.
And the appearance of the woman was the same.
The woman crying looked too shabby to say she attended the gathering.
Her golden hair seemed lifeless and unkempt, and her clothes were clearly worn out.
Clearly, the woman was also not an ordinary human but a monster.
‘What’s going on? Did the dungeon go wrong?’
Perhaps the auction is dealing with slaves.
Whatever it is, I didn’t see any benefit for me to get tangled up in annoying matters.
Just as I was about to move my feet.
“…Hm?”
The woman who had been crying suddenly raised her head with a sound.
At the same time, her eyes turned towards me.
“…..” A moment of silence passed.
“Um.”
Her familiar eyes were still fixed on me.
It’s awkward.
Why is she still looking at me?
Could she have realized that I’m human?
That couldn’t be it….
Should I just say some words of comfort?
Various thoughts raced through my mind.
Then, I came to a conclusion with one thought.
‘Is there really a need to strike up a conversation?’
After all, the other party is a monster.
It would only raise suspicion if I spoke unnecessarily here.
As soon as I reached this conclusion, my next action was swift.
I quickly turned my head and headed towards the center.
Even as I headed towards the center, I could feel the other party’s gaze, but I chose to ignore it.
‘But still, it’s a bit nerve-wracking.’
This is clearly a gathering place for monsters.
No matter how much I hide my appearance with a mask and robe, my essence is human.
‘There must be some terrifying creatures gathered here among the monsters, right?’
And just like earlier, I might encounter other monsters and end up in the worst-case scenario of getting into an argument.
Maybe I could be torn apart in an instant.
‘I need allies.’
I needed someone to guard me at least in the vicinity.
‘They must be nearby.’
My subordinates whom I brought into the social circle must be somewhere.
I searched around to find Arch Lich and Azmo.
If I had them by my side, I would feel somewhat relieved.
And soon enough, I found a familiar face.
“Huh?”
I couldn’t help but let out a sound.
It was none other than Arch Lich.
He was easy to spot as he was wearing the robe I gave him last time.
The problem was where Arch Lich was sitting.
‘Why are they piled up like that?’
Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the table was piled high with gold coins and jewels.
At the same time, monsters were lined up in front, and when it was their turn, they presented gold coins and jewels to Arch Lich.
It seemed as if Arch Lich was being treated as their master.
“…What’s this?”
It hadn’t been long since I arrived here, and there were truly bewildering situations.
Still, meeting Arch Lich was a relief.
I immediately moved towards Arch Lich.
Just having someone on my side in this vast place put my mind at ease.
As I moved towards Arch Lich, a strange scene unfolded.
Every time I moved forward, the line in front of me began to scatter.
‘Seems like they’re avoiding me.’
It felt like the monsters were trying to avoid me as they cleared the path whenever I approached.
Like a miracle of the Red Sea, the monsters parted to make way for me.
Thanks to this, there was no one between Arch Lich and me as the path cleared.
Soon, Arch Lich’s gaze turned towards me.
“!!”
Arch Lich, upon seeing me, had a surprised expression and quickly stood up from his seat.
Then, he rushed towards me and bowed more than 90 degrees, as if greeting me.
The murmurs from the surroundings were just an added bonus.
Some monsters followed Arch Lich’s lead and greeted me.
‘What’s going on here?’
I found myself surrounded by monsters, receiving greetings.
‘This guy….’
Even now, Arch Lich continued to bow, and the monsters who followed Arch Lich in greeting also remained still.
“Arch Lich, get up quickly.”
As more attention was drawn to us, I whispered to Arch Lich to stop.
In response, Arch Lich straightened up and pretended to offer all the jewels and gold coins on the table to me.
“Who is this person?”
“Clap clap clap!”
(What an impressive person!)
“Arch Lich bowing his head so deeply…?”
People around were whispering about me.
Thanks to that, I gained a lot of attention.
My original goal of quietly participating in the auction had long disappeared.
Instead, thanks to my loyal subordinates, it became an opportunity to make myself widely known.
‘Oh my, what a mess.’
I sighed deeply at the completely unexpected situation.
Then, I looked at Arch Lich and whispered quietly.
“You can have all that, just please stay quiet.”
“Clap!”
(As you wish!)
Fortunately, Arch Lich listened to me well.
Moving towards my own seat, I pulled out the chair and sat down quickly, no longer wanting to attract attention.
Although it hadn’t been long since I arrived here, I had experienced quite a lot.
‘Please, stop staring at me.’
I sat quietly, waiting for the attention focused on me to dissipate.
Fortunately, as the auction began immediately, the attention shifted away from us.
All the lights except for the one on the central stage went out.
The once chaotic atmosphere gradually subsided.
“Ah, everyone. Greetings once again. My name is Thunderhead and I will be the host of this event.”
The brown behemoth monster who climbed onto the stage started explaining about the auction along with his introduction.
The explanation about the auction was quite lengthy, but the host provided some service, aware of the boredom it might cause at the auction.
Monsters dressed in elegant attire began to move around.
‘Are they using monsters as waiters?’
While doing so, they handed out glasses, each containing a reddish liquid.
‘Are these drinks?’
As a skeleton approached, it handed a glass to me and Arch Lich.
‘Just when I was feeling thirsty.’
As the skeleton tried to drink the liquid from the glass.
“…?”
There was a conspicuous eyeball floating in the glass along with an unidentified reddish liquid.
Damn it.
An expletive popped into my mind involuntarily.
“Is it safe to drink this?”
I looked at Arch Lich next to me with a sense of unease.
He didn’t hesitate to bring the drink to his lips and quickly emptied the glass.
Naturally, since his entire body was made of bones, the red liquid splattered on the ground without wetting his high-grade blue robe.
“Phew.”
I discreetly handed the glass to Arch Lich.
“You finish it.”
Arch Lich nodded gratefully and quickly drank the drink I handed him.
‘Well done.’
Since there was nothing else to do, I listened to the host’s speech while looking at Arch Lich.
The host’s words were predictable.
It was just boasting about the auction, claiming it to be special, but among them, there was one piece of good news for me.
“…This auction has changed the rules so that only Magic gem can bid!”
“Instead, payment will be received afterward!”
The announcer’s declaration that only Magic gem could bid in this auction made my spirits rise.
‘I did buy gems in advance.’
Gems purchased with real money.
I had spent them to develop dungeons, and I learned that the gems I bought were actually Magic gem through Celia’s report.
It was also noted that the price varied greatly depending on the quality of Magic gem.
It was said that one Magic gem was worth 100 gold coins.
‘At least there’s nothing I can’t buy at the auction.’
I waited eagerly for the auction to begin with a proud expression.
Soon enough, with the announcer’s call, the auction began.
The start was simple yet smooth.
Monsters came up to the stage with a single painting.
As the painting was raised, the announcer immediately introduced it.
“Isn’t it really cool just to look at? It’s a painting by a famous artist among human nobles…”
Even though I was ignorant of art, I felt that it was well drawn.
But it was definitely not something I needed.
What I needed right now were weapons or items related to dungeon management that could actually help in battles.
Come to think of it, monsters probably didn’t have a reason to buy paintings like me, did they?
But that was just my speculation.
“Now, one Magic gem has come out!”
“Oh, the gentleman has bid for two Magic gem!”
“Yes! Up to four Magic gem are out!”
The price for the painting rose rapidly compared to its value.
Thanks to this, the announcer’s mouth opened and closed without a break.
“We’ve already reached ten Magic gem! Is there anyone else bidding?”
The price of the painting had risen to ten Magic gem, just for a single painting.
I was waiting for the painting to be awarded for ten Magic gem when something unexpected happened.
“Fourteen Magic gem!”
The price of the painting jumped to fourteen Magic gem due to someone’s bid.
“Yes! Fourteen! Fourteen are out! Anyone else bidding? No more?”
The announcer’s spirits were lifted by the unexpected harvest.
“Yes! Then, it will be awarded for fourteen Magic gem!”
The auction had been intense from the beginning.
Of course, fourteen Magic gem was nothing to me.
I could draw monsters ten times with 5000 gems.
Even if I spent 5000 gems, only one-star monsters would come out in large numbers.
Compared to such a poor value gacha, fourteen was just cute.
“But why would someone buy that painting?”
I was curious about what they were going to do with that seemingly useless painting.
I turned my head slightly to see who had bought the painting.
“…?”
There was a very familiar face there, a monster I knew well.
‘Azmo?’
He was none other than Azmo, the incubus who manages dungeons on Earth.
‘Does he have somewhere to use the painting?’
I thought Azmo would have bought it with some purpose in mind.
“Yes! The ring studded with diamonds is for the succubus lady!”
“This valiant knight’s statue will go to the incubus gentleman!”
“The perfume that seduces the senses will also be claimed by the succubus lady!”
The succubus and incubus had bought nothing more than luxury items for show.
“……”
Well, I guess so.
Seeing that, I realized that Azmo probably bought the painting without much thought.
Well, since the auction was held for him to buy, and he used his own money, I had no reason to stop him.
Regardless, the auction continued.
“Now, shall we change the mood a bit?”
The announcer smiled pleasantly.
At the same time, individuals with shackles on their hands and feet began to climb onto the stage one by one.
“Are you short on workers for your dungeon? Now is the time to acquire high-quality slaves at a low price!”
It was a slave auction.
“Worried they might escape? Haha. Each slave has a soul stamp. Slaves with soul stamps cannot escape, so the buyer has nothing to worry about! Haha.”
As expected of a slave auction, there were various races, including humans like me.
“Look at these workers for the dungeon, and these sturdy bodies. Aren’t you salivating? Or perhaps you dungeon masters are interested in nighttime companions? Maybe the slaves also see it as an honor!”
There were humans, as well as monsters like goblins and orcs.
But there was something that caught my eye.
‘Elf.’
No matter how dirty and ragged their clothes were, their unique appearance couldn’t be hidden.
Even their pointed ears were just painful to look at.
‘An elf…’
Although there was only one, the value of an elf was remarkable.
Elves were a race that lived in harmony with nature.
Moreover, elves were known for their exceptional skills as hunters.
Perhaps this slave, despite being just one, was the most rare item in this auction?
‘If I could bring them to Earth someday… it would be a tremendous help.’
Elven dungeons on Earth were known for their challenging nature.
But if an elf were included in my party?
That would be a tremendous innovation.
‘I don’t know if I can bring them to Earth anytime soon…’
Even if I couldn’t take them to Earth right away, having an elf as a slave would surely be useful in the long run.
If it was an elf, securing them was definitely advantageous.
I immediately whispered to the Arch Lich next to me.
“Make sure to secure the elf no matter what.”
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