Chapter 96: Dungeon Market's Auction House (2)

"Ladies and gentlemen. Let's begin today's auction. The first item for sale is Asran, the champion of the world."

The inside of this auction house was like an opera house. There was a large stage in the center, with seats all around it. However, the shape of the seats was a little different from normal. There were clusters of two to four seats connected together, and gaps between each cluster.

'Is this an advancement of couple's seats in theatres?'

Yong-Ho briefly recalled a theatre where he worked for a short time. It was similar but different. The auction house looked more akin to the end of year award ceremonies on TV.

Sitri led Yong-Ho to a spot in the center of the hall. In that spot was a long sofa with a long table beside it, adorned with the number '27'.

"This man bravely attacked the dungeon of the King of Violence. Although the King of Violence showed mercy, the very fact that this man survived is a testament to his value."

The auction continued while Yong-Ho was looking for a seat.

Sitri silently sat on the left-hand side of the sofa, while Yong-Ho, still holding Catalina's left hand with his right, hesitated for a moment before sitting beside her. Naturally, Catalina sat next to Yong-Ho on the right side of the sofa.

There was enough space between Yong-Ho and Sitri to fit another person. Which was quite a striking difference from Catalina who closely sat next to him. It seemed to naturally symbolize Yong-Ho's distance from Sitri, which had not yet been filled.

Sitri didn't mind, however, and Yong-Ho, who had now sat down, was finally able to look at the stage.

"As a champion, he's got talents in many areas. He's a powerful prosecutor, a wizard and an outstanding tactician. He truly is a jack of all trades. Although he is excellent as he is, he'll still be able to perform satisfactorily even if you resurrect him as an undead."

The auction was held by a man wearing an elephant mask. It was truly bizarre. Other than the mask, the only thing the man wore was a well dressed suit, but for some reason he looked very attractive. It was the first time Yong-Ho had ever felt this way about a man, rather than a woman, so he suddenly felt quite agitated.

Whether Sitri had been able to discern Yong-Ho feelings or not, she spoke in a quiet voice.

"That's the Incubus, Rod Karot. One of Samael's henchmen. He's a dangerous person who can attract others subconsciously. Be careful, because his seduction works on both men and women."

Sitri finished talking with a smile. Yong-Ho thought he could pay back Sitri, but he decided not to mention it. Instead he focused on the auction again.

The man in the elephant mask, the Incubus Rod Karot, stood next to the champion Asran.

He looked like an ordinary man in appearance. He had murky blond hair, which was quite common, and was of an average size. Yong-Ho examined the warrior more closely. He soon realized that his eyes were dead. It was as if his eyes had begun to decay. There was no light left in his gray eyes, which were now closer to black.

It wasn't his figure or appearance that didn't match his fancy armor, it was his eyes.

Yong-Ho thought of Burgrim.

He had lost all hope in life and was barely alive.

Yong-Ho fantasized what must have happened in his mind. He would not have attacked the King of Violence alone, so he must have had companions. What happened to those companions? Had they all died? Was he in despair because he had been taken to this strange world and enslave?

"That's it for the introduction. Let us now begin. The starting price is 5000."

It was enough money to purchase hundreds of lower class spirits.

Yong-Ho cleared away his useless delusions and looked at Asran objectively. Even within this auction house, Yong-Ho did not fight the surging tide of mana. He naturally invoked the power of evolution.

[Name: Asran (M)]

[Race: Human]

[Strength - Level 4 | ★★★ (3)]

[Stamina - Level 4 | ★★★ (3)]

[Mana - Level 7 | ★★★☆ (3.5)]

[Skill - Level 6 | ★★★☆ (3.5)]

Since he wasn't one of Yong-Ho's spirits, he could only see a rough amount of information, but Yong-Ho felt both admiration and disappointment.

Asran, the champion, was the highest level of existence that Yong-Ho had examined to date. However, he didn't have much potential for evolution.

Yong-Ho suddenly turned to his side. Catalina's breath was calm. It was an incredibly quick adaptation, even despite Yong-Ho's resonating mana.

Yong-Ho had four horns, while Catalina only had three. The difference was huge. If considering the absolute amount of mana possessed, it was clear that Catalina had less than half of Yong-Ho's.

Nevertheless, Catalina was able to successfully adapt to the flow of mana within the auction house. She protected herself by gently passing on the mana swirling around her.

'Come to think of it.'

Aside from Aamon, who degraded himself, Catalina had by far the most potential out of all of Yong-Ho's spirits. She had a potential of four stars, which even the warrior Asran did not have, and even her lowest potential was three and half stars, which was comparable to Asran.

Catalina was a shiny gemstone. The beauty and value of the cut would be dependent on the method of cutting.

"Master?"

Catalina noticed Yong-Ho's gaze and asked him quietly. Yong-Ho responded as if it was nothing and then lifted the power of evolution.

The champion Asran was auctioned off to a man wearing a dragon mask.

The auction continued. Like Asran, there were times when a person came up for sale, and there were also times when mysterious artefacts came up as well.

Yong-Ho enjoyed the auction in his own way. When people came up for sale, he examined their potential with the power of evolution, and when items came up, he evaluated them with the power of greed.

It was important for him to expand his understanding of the world and fill in gaps in his knowledge.

Time passed.

The thirteenth item now came up to the stage.

"You may think of this as a short break. This is the cursed crown of Einkel."

A small crown was placed on top of a cart pushed by a woman in a bunny mask. The crown, made out of pure metal, was not only worn but was also covered in damage, as if it had been poorly kept.

Karot subsequently gave details about the crown. His explanation was so frivolous, that it felt like the only reason for it was for people to just have a break. Even the curse of the crown felt mischievous.

However, Yong-Ho swallowed dry saliva. Karot's explanation wasn't heard.

Greed raised its voice. But, it was different from before.

Greed had always been obsessed with value. It pointed Yong-Ho to its desire.

However, Greed did not point to the crown. It stretched out its branches everywhere except for the crown.

Nevertheless, Yong-Ho felt a deep coveting feeling towards it.

Greed was the same. It was saying that he needed to get his hands on the crown, even though it didn't stretch out its branches towards it.

It was an unknown sensation.

It had never been like this before.

No, was that really the case?

Had this sensation really never been felt before?

There had been a similar sensation. But, that just made it even more incomprehensible.

Just before entering the main auction house, he had encountered a man wearing a ghostly mask. When his eyes met with his.

It was similar to the sensation that he felt at that time. Obviously it wasn't entirely the same, but he felt similarities.

"The price starts at 100."

Karot's voice broke through his mind. Yong-Ho reflexively looked at Sitri. And Sitri gently greeted Yong-Ho's gaze, as if she knew that he would look at her.

Yong-Ho was embarrassed by Sitri's gaze, but only for a moment. Instead of hesitating, he asked in a slightly urgent tone.

"I'll pay for it as soon as I return. Could you lend me the money?"

Sitri responded with a smile. Instead of talking to Yong-Ho about Gatabuta - to say that something is right or wrong -, she raised her long slender finger to participate in the auction.

Few coveted the crown, as evidenced by its frivolous sale in the first place. Even so, after Sitri's bid became a little too high, all the other potential bidders eventually disappeared entirely.

The final bid was 500. He couldn't afford to be extravagant, but he was able to cover this amount.

Yong-Ho, who prayed whenever the price went up, breathed out a sigh of relief. After Yong-Ho managed to regain his tranquility, Sitri spoke.

"Then shall we go back now? You've now had plenty of experience in the higher skies, your guard has crossed a threshold and you also got an item that you wanted."

When Sitri mentioned that his guard had crossed a threshold, Yong-Ho hurriedly looked at Catalina. Catalina blinked as if she was wondering what Sitri was talking about, but quickly understood. It was the same for Yong-Ho.

Catalina's mana control had noticeably improved from before entering the auction house. Yong-Ho's mana control had improved as well, but if one were to compare them, Catalina's improvement was clearly superior.

"Thank you."

"Well, I just kept my promise."

Sitri responded gently to Yong-Ho's thanks and then stood up first. She then naturally led Yong-Ho and Catalina out, as she had done with them when they entered,

***

It was almost near the end of the auction when the King of Gluttony entered the auction house.

The King of Gluttony felt rather satisfied, as his secret deal with Samael had been quite successful.

The woman in the parrot mask politely handed over the catalogue to the King of Gluttony. It was a catalogue of the items that were auctioned off today.

The catalogue did not simply just contain pictures or descriptions. The catalogue recorded specific moments with mana, making it possible for the reader to get a vivid feel of the item.

The King of Gluttony suddenly stopped, as he was turning one of the pages with a light touch. The woman in the parrot mask, who was focusing on the King of Gluttony, asked in a quiet graceful voice.

"Master, have you found anything of interest?"

The King of Gluttony did not answer. He just stared at the catalogue Instead of repeating her words, the woman in the parrot mask peeked at the catalogue. On the page when the King of Gluttony's hand had stopped, was the listing of the cursed crown of Einkel.

It was a small enough item to be a children's toy. The curse of the crown also seemed rather crude.

Nevertheless, the King of Gluttony continued to stare at it. He stared at the item for a long time, then spoke in a low tone.

"Who won this item?"

That was the King of Gluttony's question. However, the woman in the parrot mask could not answer. In the case of an anonymous auction, the Dungeon Market never divulged the buyer's information.

"Please wait a moment."

The woman in the parrot mask stood up after barely being able to squeeze out an answer. Now that this was the case, she had to figure out which masked attendee had won the crown. If she were to ask that question from on the auctioneers, she would at least be able to know what they looked like.

When the woman in the parrot mask left, the King of Gluttony exhaled a long breath. He reached out and touched the image of the crown floating in the air.

The curse of the crown was crude. The shape of the crown was also of little value.

But the metal that made up the crown.

Ordinary people were unable to recognize it.

Even for discerning blacksmiths, it was difficult to appreciate the true value of the metal.

But the King of Gluttony knew.

It wasn't because he had a good eye.

The power of Gluttony was telling him.

The great ancient power was shouting.

Seven Deadly Sins. Seven Sins.

A fragment of the great demon king's soul. A portion of the highest existence.

Seven Miracles

A fragment of the great demon king's flesh.

And the mysterious fragments. Dozens, hundreds of them.

The metal that made up that crown was one of those mysterious fragments. But even so, it was a fragment of the body of the great demon king.

God's metal.

Yes, what other expression would suit such a metal.

The King of Gluttony was a meticulous man. He asked himself.

Did the buyer recognize the true worth of the crown? Perhaps he just bought the crown for his own amusement.

It didn't matter if it was for just personal amusement.

But if that was not the case, then would he have recognized the true nature of the crown.

'No, it can't be.'

The only king inside the auction house was the King of Gluttony himself. If there was another king, then he would have known. All six existing kings were kings that the King of Gluttony had personally met and competed against.

But why? Why did he have such an awkward feeling?

The King of Gluttony waited for the woman in the parrot mask to return. And suddenly he recalled a man.

A young man wearing a white mask that he had encountered before the auction began.

The King of Gluttony shook his head. He turned the pages of the catalogue in the hope that it was just an unfounded fear.

***

"Thank you very much for today."

Yong-Ho climbed off of the cat carriage and thanked Sitri. It seemed like they had been away for a long time, but the night was still not yet over. The dawn was still far away.

Sitri laughed. She gazed at Yong-Ho with affectionate eyes.

"I'm also happy when my beloved customer improves. Just think of it as something I did for myself. And-"

Sitri suddenly stopped talking. She squinted her eyes and smiled.

"You look sweet together, but can't you let go now?"

Yong-Ho blinked, but soon understood. He glanced at Catalina's hand which he had still been holding ever since they had left the auction house and returned to Mammon's dungeon.

Catalina became flustered, causing her ears to begin to flap. Yong-Ho became startled and quickly let go. Both of her ears were bright red.

Sitri did not tease the two of them with silence. Instead, she took the crown out from between her breasts and held it out to Yong-Ho.

"Here's the crown. You have a good eye."

Was that just a joke, or was the crown really worth something?

While Yong-Ho was contemplating on it, Sitri took a step back.

"You should go in. Eligor will be waiting for you."

He didn't know about Eligor, but the High Meerkats had just woken up and were now watching them.

Yong-Ho nodded. He first gave Sitri a farewell.

"I'll see you next time then."

"Yes, you too. I look forward to seeing you again."

Sitri also gave her farewell in return. Catalina bowed her head after briefly pondering how to say goodbye.

Yong-Ho and Catalina then headed side by side back to Mammon's dungeon. Sitri looked at them from the back and wore a lonely smile upon her face. She climbed back onto the cat carriage.

The figure of Yong-Ho. With Catalina standing next to him.

Reminded her of Mammon and Elune. Sitri reminisced for a long time as the cat carriage flew through the night sky. She sang in a quiet voice, as dawn approached.

"Mammon."

The great King of Greed.

The only man the Sitri had ever loved.

Only

And.

Sitri looked down at her hand. She bit her lips without realizing it. She remembered what she wanted to forget, but couldn't.

More than a thousand years ago.

The day the Mammon disappeared from this world.

Sitri clenched her fist. She held the same hand to her chest that had taken Mammon's life. Once again, she called out Mammon's name.

But there was no answer.

Only a watery voice hovered in the dark night sky.