Zone 1 Auction House
Let me say this upfront: I rather like humanoid lifeforms.
Even looking at it as objectively as I can.
I used to be human myself, and I still get along with them just fine these days.
However.
Even so, there are a few things I simply cannot tolerate.
And right now, the woman in front of me had just touched one of them.
"What did you just say?"
"I said we will put you up for auction."
Daring to put a price on me.
That was the one thing I would never endure—and had no intention of enduring for anyone.
Withdrawal: 50,000,000 won
Details: [Dragon Eye Bloom] Skill Usage Fee
I think I've mentioned this before, but Dragon Eyes are fundamentally eyes that induce terror.
The most an ordinary human can endure is maybe a million won's worth, tops.
At fifty million won, those eyes could crush even a fairly powerful monster under pure oppressive force alone.
And the effect lived up to that price.
Slip—
Thud—
The ones standing guard around us simply keeled over from being near me.
The only ones still standing were the ones I had deliberately left as exceptions—Ha-eun and Terra—plus An Su-sa, who had somehow held on half-frozen, and the woman right in front of me.
"G-Goldy-nim!"
When I started to open my mana even wider at the sight, Terra urgently grabbed my leg and called out to stop me.
"P-Please calm yourself! …If you keep going like this, even the human called Ha-eun will get caught up in it!"
At that, I rolled my eyes down to look at him.
"Eek!…"
The little guy was trembling all over.
When I checked behind him, Ha-eun did not look much better.
"…Explain it properly so I can understand. Before I just flatten everything."
I forced some of the rage down and spoke in a low voice.
The one who stepped forward to clarify was none other than An Su-sa.
"I-It's a plan. A plan. That woman has the same goal as us, you see."
She did not say it outright, but our… no, An Su-sa's goal could only be one thing.
Overthrowing the Demon King of the Ark.
"Putting you up for auction was simply a calculation that it would let us get even closer."
"And you thought I'd go along with something like that?"
"Of course not, but… there was no other way."
At those words, the woman drew a little closer and opened her mouth.
"The rarity of a gold dragon will certainly catch the interest of the higher-ups at the auction. It is not a bad choice."
"My mood is pretty damn bad, though?"
Honestly, I would not have cared if I just erased this place off the map.
From the start, what the Association had asked of me was the destruction of the Ark.
So why should I help them while feeling this foul?
"Looking at your face, you don't seem convinced, Goldy."
An Su-sa continued, looking straight at me.
"It's simple. This Ark is buried far deeper into Korea's economy than you think."
"Economy?"
"Yes. You live in Korea right now, and you use Korean won even when you activate skills, don't you?"
She listed off the bits of information she had picked up from watching my streams.
Then she explained why I needed to join this plan.
"If this place simply collapses, the value of the won will definitely swing wild. The money lines of the big shots all the way down to the local economies are tightly bound to this place."
No… it was that much of a mess?
"This place isn't just some underworld. It was created out of necessity. If I had to put it into words… you could call it a joint enterprise of the organizations."
"There has to be darkness for the light to exist. Does that make it easier to understand?"
The two of them spoke in turn.
But still.
So what the hell was I supposed to do with that?
"What's the conclusion, then?"
"We need to run this place more stably. If something goes wrong here… Korea itself could fall into chaos."
Saying that with a rather serious expression, An Su-sa glanced around and then carefully added:
"I intend to become the queen of this place."
Queen, she says….
What is this.
It's not even a succession war.
"You dragged me all the way here for something that petty?"
It was so absurd I could not even stay angry.
Even in the previous world, there had been no shortage of people who fought over thrones and crowns and came begging me for help.
Of course, I had ignored most of them, saying I had no interest in such things.
But there had also been a fair number I had killed out of pure irritation.
"So you planned to work me like a dog just so you could become king of some hole in the ground…."
"By uniting the falling succubi and reforming this place—"
"And what do I get out of it? Besides that love jewel or whatever."
"Th-that…."
"Think carefully and answer. You've already gotten on my nerves. Depending on what you say, I might just erase the entire succubus race from Earth."
I stripped away every last bit of my usual lighthearted act and declared it to the two women in front of me.
Korean won in the first place?
I had only chosen it because it was convenient for me to use.
If something as trivial as a drop in value could threaten my power, how could I possibly call myself an apocalyptic-class lifeform?
Besides, I still had plenty of treasures from the other world, including the Immortal Diamond.
The two of them seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation; they looked at each other for a moment.
"…I will promise you the current Demon King's nest. And afterward, unlimited support from the Ark."
"Nest?"
"His throne."
Was she talking about that "heart" Zehar had mentioned?
"That was something I planned to take for myself from the start."
If I just nodded and accepted this much, I would be a sucker.
If you wanted to order a dragon around, even emptying your pockets would not be enough.
"Th-that…."
Cold sweat ran down An Su-sa's forehead at my words.
She already knew.
If I went on a rampage, their extinction would only be a matter of time.
"And… the Fire Sword. I will spare no support for her either."
"What does that mean?"
"The Ark's information network is beyond imagination. We can introduce her to people connected to the Park family."
"W-what do you mean by that…?"
Hearing those words, Ha-eun stepped forward as if she were genuinely flustered.
"The S-class hunter Na Su-han. That man is also part of the Ark, so I will request a meeting as quickly as possible."
"Uncle Su-han…?"
"You know him?"
"…He was the uncle who taught me when I was little. He's close with my father, too."
Hmm.
So that was how they were playing it.
"Fine. We'll deal on those terms."
Clever of them.
There was nothing more they could put on the table regarding me.
If I wanted something, I could take it myself.
But when it came to Ha-eun, things were different.
She had talent, yet she lacked the ability to grow her own strength. I may have been human once, but I do not understand humans well.
Even now I was having a fair amount of trouble teaching her.
She herself was feeling the pressure with the Park family sparring matches truly not far off.
Support from the Ark would be of real, practical help.
And An Su-sa knew that I cared about Ha-eun, which was why she had cut the deal this way.
"But. Even so, I have no intention of letting myself be put up for auction."
"Then…."
"I-I'll go in your place, Goldy-nim."
At that moment, Terra—who had been clinging tightly to my leg—spoke up carefully.
"I will not offend Goldy-nim's mood. And I am a dragon as well…."
"Hey, hey, little ones like you aren't—"
"It is not a bad choice. In fact, a youthful appearance is rather popular among certain clientele."
The woman in front of me nodded as she said that.
I stared at her as if I could not believe my ears.
"Ah, come to think of it, I never introduced myself. I am Nehet, a high-ranking succubus."
"Uh… right."
Even in an atmosphere like this, she casually introduced herself.
…I really do not understand how succubi operate.
"There are many things I would like to test with you as well… but it seems we have no choice for now."
"Nehet. I called dibs first."
"Yes, well. If the Queen says so."
"Is that really something you should be saying in front of me?"
…I just wanted to wrap this up fast and go home.
If I stayed any longer, things were going to get dangerous in several senses of the word.
I was genuinely afraid they might start showing up in my dreams.
Succubi… well, dream demons. Their specialty is appearing in dreams, after all.
"Haa… Terra."
"Y-yes!"
"If it bothers you, you don't have to step up just because I don't want to."
Forcing something I hated onto another dragon just because his rank was lower would make me complete trash.
I do have a conscience.
Even if I had just been threatening to wipe out an entire race a moment ago….
"It is fine, Goldy-nim. As long as I can be of help to you!…"
Why was this kid suddenly in full loyalty mode?
Something felt off.
"You need money again, don't you?"
"Ahem…."
"Figured as much. If that's the case, do whatever you want. If I like what you do, I'll consider it."
"Y-yes! I will not disappoint you!"
With that, Terra trotted over to Nehet on his little legs.
"You heard that? I'm going out."
"Oh… even the casual speech. Definitely a popular type among certain buyers—"
"Cut the nonsense and get on with it. And pay back the fifty million won I spent on Dragon Eyes because of you people, got it?"
When she looked ready to say something even weirder, I waved a hand and cut her off.
At this rate we would not even finish today.
Were these people seriously planning something like a coup?
Probably just the usual leisurely pace of succubi….
"Understood. I will prepare at once."
"We will pay the money the moment the job is finished."
I still half wanted to just flatten the place right then and there, but I decided against it.
After all, this was a deal where I had nothing to lose either way.
I might need this place called the Ark later on.
Thud—
Thinking that, I followed the two succubi deeper inside.
The Zone 1 auction house.
Ha-eun and I naturally took seats in the provided chairs.
Terra had gone further inside with An Su-sa and Nehet.
Still, I could trust Terra this far.
Even if he looked like a child, he was a dragon too.
On top of that, I had layered defensive magic on him just in case.
Anyway, the proceedings seemed slower than I expected; we sat there for about thirty minutes.
Clack—
At last, a man walked out onto the platform at the front.
A pitch-black coat and a greatsword strapped to his back.
Plus the extraordinary skill I could sense from him. Was that the one they called the Demon King?
"Ha-eun, do you know who that is? You said the Demon King was a hunter, right?"
"…That's the S-class hunter Knight Slayer. He's close to National-Level."
"Knight Slayer? Is that his real name?"
"Some people hide their real names. He's one of them…."
If you're going to pick a name, at least pick something normal.
It was all flash and no substance….
Thud—
"Greetings to everyone who has gathered for today's auction."
Knight Slayer stepped into the center of the platform.
He straightened his back like a commander, even clasping his hands behind him, and opened his mouth.
"However, before we begin, there is one matter I must announce. It seems some cockroaches have crawled into this place."
At his gesture, the people behind him brought out small bundles.
Judging by the murmurs rising through the auction house, this was clearly not a normal situation.
"U-unnie?"
"…Quiet. Don't draw attention. Just watch for now."
Sensing a strangely uneasy air, Ha-eun called out to me.
I circulated mana through my body as well and kept watching.
"If any of you want something like this, I'll put it up for sale."
Guided by Slayer's hand, something emerged from the black bundle.
"…."
It looked like a small pebble—a fragment.
"That son of a bitch?"
"Unnie?!"
The moment I saw it, I had no choice but to rise roughly from my seat.
That… was a piece of Terra's horn.