Chapter 297 I Will Buy It
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 297
Chapter Title: I’ll Buy It
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The next morning.
Jeong Yoo-shin decided to go to the auction house in the central area with the middle-aged Skar.
The robe guy had returned to the Mage Tower branch yesterday.
The big-breasted Skar was planning to go shopping with Karin, Mion, Cian, and Vivian.
And the wolf beast-person Skar decided to guard the inn.
'What about the mouse guy...?'
Jeong Yoo-shin looked around.
'He’s there.'
The mouse guy wasn’t far away.
Right next to the wolf beast-person Skar.
The mouse Skar was sitting in a relaxed posture in a palm-sized armchair placed next to the counter.
He looked like he was on vacation.
The wolf Skar poured juice into a small cup and handed it to the mouse guy.
The mouse Skar took the cup with one hand and gulped it down.
Lin, who had appeared at some point, modestly handed him some roasted nuts.
The mouse guy only turned his face and crunched on the nuts.
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his head.
"I'm going to buy equipment, are you going to tag along?"
"Squeak."
The mouse guy shook his head.
It was a stubborn refusal, so it was hard for Jeong Yoo-shin to bring it up anymore.
'Is that guy really stronger than me?'
It was puzzling.
He was curious what kind of ability the mouse Skar had.
The mouse Skar, noticing Jeong Yoo-shin's gaze, opened his eyes sleepily.
"Squeak squeak."
"Alright. I'll be back, so guard the inn well."
"Squeak."
Just as the 'Skars' were about to leave, the middle-aged Skar raised his hand.
"Wait a minute."
The people's gazes focused on the middle-aged man.
"We can't spend time with the same name like this. For today, everyone should each think of a new name. We have to avoid confusion as much as possible."
The big-breasted Skar nodded.
"I'll tell the robe guy as well too. Have a comfortable trip."
"Understood."
Jeong Yoo-shin and the middle-aged Skar left the inn and headed to the central area.
A warm spring breeze swept past the street.
Jeong Yoo-shin looked at the bustling crowd as he walked.
"There are a lot of aspiring explorers."
How many will survive this time?
He didn't know.
The middle-aged Skar opened his mouth.
"Skar, was there no reward for defeating the Outer God this time?"
"I haven't received it yet. I can get it if I go to the Explorer's Guild Headquarters."
"Why did you postpone the reward?"
"Because I haven't decided what to get."
The middle-aged Skar stroked his chin and nodded.
"Good idea. It’ll be a card that can pressure the Explorer's Guild later."
"I don't think a giant guild will move at a single request of mine, though."
"At that time, we can also try using various carrots."
At the middle-aged Skar's words, Jeong Yoo-shin ended up laughing.
It exactly matched his inner thoughts.
We get along too well, huh?
It felt like he was conversing with an alter ego in his head.
The middle-aged Skar continued to ask questions.
"Skar, what weapon do you mainly use?"
"I'm not particularly picky about weapons. If I had to say, a repeating crossbow and a longsword. I had a bastard sword, but it broke while I was fighting. I also had a black iron greatsword, but it was a treasure of the barbarian tribe, so I sent it back to the previous chief through my subordinates."
'Ah.'
Come to think of it, his armor and repeating crossbow broke while fighting the Outer God guy.
The repeating crossbow he had thrown into the air while fighting fell to the floor and was half-broken.
And the parts of his armor that were padded with plates melted because the Outer God's slimes spewed acidic fluid on it.
The middle-aged Skar nodded.
"What floor did you reach in the labyrinth?"
"20th floor."
"I heard that the area from the 21st floor is an underwater cave region. The monsters that appear there mostly have tough skin, so a heavy greatsword would be fitting there. Most of their attacks also cause bleeding or paralysis, so your armor should be sturdy too."
Great tips flowed smoothly from the middle-aged Skar's mouth.
Jeong Yoo-shin nodded his head.
'This is great.'
Jeong Yoo-shin and the middle-aged Skar arrived at the auction house in the central area while talking about this and that.
It was a huge marble building. It wasn't very far from the Explorer's Guild Headquarters.
Even though it was morning, the outside of the auction house was swarming with people.
Jeong Yoo-shin’s jaw dropped as he scanned the notice board.
"It's diverse."
There was one huge notice board hanging outside the auction house.
Magic tools, equipment, or herbs found in the labyrinth were written on it.
There were also equipment submitted by prominent workshops or magic tools invented by the Mage Tower.
Jeong Yoo-shin and the middle-aged Skar crossed their arms and read the auction items written on the notice board one after another.
The middle-aged Skar raised his hand and pointed to one side of the notice board.
"Auction Room 8 would be better. Do you see it? A greatsword that increases physical strength. That would be useful."
A greatsword that increased physical strength.
It was simple, but it wasn’t a bad choice.
"Room 8? We have about 10 minutes left. Let's go in and take a look."
Jeong Yoo-shin went inside the auction house with the middle-aged Skar.
It was crowded inside of the auction house.
There were many people dressed as explorers, and quite a few merchants from outside could be seen as well.
They approached the rabbit beast-person in the corner of the reception desk.
"Hello? Good morning. Skar-nim."
The rabbit beast-person twitched her ears and smiled.
Jeong Yoo-shin had a bewildered face.
"Do you know me?"
The rabbit beast-person replied with sparkling eyes.
"Yes. I heard you were active on the 20th floor this time! By the way, who’s the person next to you...?"
How should I explain this?
"He is my older brother."
The middle-aged Skar's expression became awkward.
"Our parents cherished each other a lot. That guy’s the youngest."
"Aha! I-I see!"
The rabbit beast-person cleared her throat several times to hide her embarrassed expression.
"A-Ahem!!! I-I understand! I also have brothers and sisters in my hometown with a large age gap!"
Jeong Yoo-shin tilted his head.
"Do you have many younger siblings?"
"Probably about 10 younger ones and 10 older ones?"
What kind of family has 21 children?
"Your parents cherish each other a lot too."
At the middle-aged Skar's words, the rabbit beast-person smiled brightly.
"Right. Hehe. Well, it's also a characteristic of our tribe. Ah! Which auction room would you like to go to?"
"It's number 8."
The rabbit beast-person held out a document.
"Understood. Please write the name of the buyer."
Jeong Yoo-shin quickly filled out the document and handed it over.
"Confirmed. You can find Room 8 by going straight down the right hallway from the central hall."
"Thank you."
They headed to Room 8 following the rabbit beast-person's guidance.
The inside of Auction Room 8 was like a wide auditorium.
It was similar to a movie theater.
The surroundings were a bit dark, and the stage area was the brightest.
There were already many people occupying the seats, so Jeong Yoo-shin and his companion sat at the back instead.
Had they waited for about 10 minutes after sitting in their chairs?
The door closed, and a human in a suit walked out toward the stage.
"Welcome!!! There are quite a lot of good items today. Supply was lacking due to several major incidents in the labyrinth recently, but a hero appeared and peace has returned!!!"
The host wearing a suit spoke while looking exactly into Jeong Yoo-shin's eyes.
The latter made an embarrassed expression.
The middle-aged Skar smiled and patted Jeong Yoo-shin's shoulder.
The host didn't stop there and went a step further.
"We’re lucky today. Why? Because that person has appeared! The barbarian Skar!!!"
The people's eyes moved with intrigue.
The silence was brief.
The people who had discovered Jeong Yoo-shin opened their eyes wide.
"Waaaaah!!!"
"Skar!!!"
"To see him in a place like this!!!"
Loud cheers and applause followed.
Jeong Yoo-shin had a bewildered expression.
'Isn’t this a bit much?'
"Skar-nim! Please stand up and say a few words!"
As soon as the host finished speaking, the magical lights attached to the ceiling turned toward Jeong Yoo-shin.
An atmosphere of anticipation filled the room full of sparkling eyes.
Jeong Yoo-shin had no choice but to stand up and look around.
There were people throwing questioning glances at him, and there were also people with blank expressions, not knowing what was going on.
However…
Most of them looked at Jeong Yoo-shin's face with smiles.
He immediately understood the situation.
'They’re all explorers.'
Looking at their equipment and atmosphere, there were many intermediate-rank explorers.
If so…
Jeong Yoo-shin opened his mouth.
"I know there are people gathered here who fought with me on the 20th floor."
"That's right!!!"
"Skar!!!"
"Thank you!!!"
"How could I have overcome that crisis alone? Thanks to many people fighting together, we overcame the crisis together. Those people are the heroes. Thank you."
To Skar, who sat down after a clean and humble speech…
"Waaaaah!!!"
"Handsome and even h-humble!"
"Skar!!! Skar!!!"
"Then we’ll begin the auction!!! The very first piece of equipment is..."
The host took advantage of the people's excitement and immediately introduced the items.
A bow that made the speed of arrows faster.
A spear imbued with the ice attribute.
Chainmail that created a shield when hit.
Most of them were equipment imbued with one-time magic, but Jeong Yoo-shin had no intention of ignoring them.
Because when life was at stake, these were items that could somehow create a variable.
Jeong Yoo-shin carefully watched each weapon and armor that came up for auction.
'If I could use all of those as Sacred Weapons...?'
Perhaps he would be close to the strongest?
Jeong Yoo-shin suppressed his rising greed.
Even if he could use all those weapons…
It would be over if he couldn't respond appropriately to the situation.
His top priority was the ability to read moves and set the board.
The auction continued.
It was a situation where only a few items were left.
"The next weapon is the Flame Sword!!!"
A longsword with a red blade came up on the stage.
The host pointed at the longsword with a confident expression.
"It's a weapon frequently found in the labyrinth, but there’s a reason it sells well!!! It's because it's a weapon imbued with permanent magic!!! Do I need to say more?!! As long as you have a rat's tail amount of mana, you can unleash a flaming sword strike anytime!!! We’ll start from 50 gold coins!!!"
The price range of equipment, which had stayed around 10 gold coins until now, jumped up.
A few explorers swallowed dryly.
And the merchants' eyes shone as if they had been waiting for this moment.
"Yes!!! 51 gold coins!!! I have 52 gold coins!!! Oh!!! 55 gold coins!!!"
The amount rose up in an instant.
However…
Jeong Yoo-shin felt like his insides were gradually twisting. His hands also trembled slightly.
'They have a lot of money.'
Indeed.
They wouldn't enter the auction house if they didn't have money.
Everyone was living by diligently farming in the labyrinth.
The red-haired man sitting in the very front won the bid at 84 gold coins.
"Now!!! The next equipment is!!! Hmm?"
At that time…
A young man who looked like an employee came running breathlessly and whispered in the host's ear.
"What?!"
The host glared at the employee as if to kill him and looked at the auction block.
"Hah. There was a setback in the order, so another item came out. The next item is the Tear of the Abyss!"
Tear of the Abyss?
Jeong Yoo-shin made a bewildered expression.
'What’s that?'
The atmosphere of the auction house, which had been full of excitement, completely changed.
"Ah."
"Hey, we came to see equipment! What's with an accessory all of a sudden?!"
"Put it away!!!"
When the people started getting angry, the host sweated profusely.
"I'm sorry!!! S-Still, please look at the item first..."
"What do you take us for?! Tear of the Abyss? You're putting out such a half-baked item?!"
A bald giant shot up from his seat and yelled.
"S-Still, if you completely gather mana..."
"It's hard enough to survive for even a year right now, when are we going to sit down and gather mana that might take years?!"
"W-We can c-combine a completely charged Tear of the Abyss with another weapon, can't we? I-If mana is imbued..."
The bald giant's face turned red.
"Hah! Hey! Who are you trying to fool?! The weapon gets stronger in proportion to the mana it has. But think about it. Let's say you hold onto that black crystal and pour all of your mana into it for a long time that might take years. On top of that, let's assume you also get a high-quality weapon and combine it with the Tear of the Abyss! But why in the world would you use that weapon? No matter how much you level up, there's a limit to a warrior's mana!"
A very long speech.
The host's face turned pale.
"I-If mages use it..."
A young man wearing a robe made a sullen expression.
"If a mage has to engage in close combat in the labyrinth, isn't it already a desperate battle? We’re rear guards, not vanguards. And like that vanguard said, using a weapon combined with the Tear of the Abyss after spending a long time and effort? With that devotion, I'd rather buy and use several defensive artifacts. The cost-effectiveness doesn't match."
Negative opinions were rampant.
"Hurry up and bring out the next weapon! The Greatsword of Physical Strength!!!"
"It's ruined! Ruined!"
"That's a scam! It's no different from a gem that just eats mana!"
Anger began to spread among the people's voices.
However…
Jeong Yoo-shin and the middle-aged Skar looked at each other.
"Are you thinking the same thing?"
At the middle-aged Skar's question, Jeong Yoo-shin grinned.
"It's good, right? It might be better than the greatsword that increases physical strength."
The host felt his heart burning.
The auction, which should have ended well, was being dotted with voices full of complaints.
'That new newbie bastard!'
Because that guy had acted foolishly, a useless item ended up popping out this late.
It was originally an item that should have been at the very front of the auction order.
Indeed.
Even he wouldn't use a weapon with poor cost-effectiveness.
In other words, it was a non-mainstream item with low demand.
Except for people with really unusual imprints, there weren't many people looking for the Tear of the Abyss.
It seemed like there were also several explorers who saw blood after being tempted by the words that it was a weapon imbued with mana.
"Th-Then this item will be for n-next time..."
"Wait!!!"
Jeong Yoo-shin raised his hand high and shouted.
The gazes of the people gathered in the auction house focused on him.
"That Tear of the Abyss, I’ll buy it."
"..."
At the sudden shout, people looked at Jeong Yoo-shin at a loss for words.
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T/N - So, from what I understand, this Tear of the Abyss needs lots of mana to fill up, and even if it gets fused with a weapon afterward, that weapon will still need mana from its user to be effective. Sounds perfect for the MC.
Also, lol the mouse guy really was more powerful than the MC. That’s hilarious! Now I’m really curious what that mouse’s imprints are…
Lastly, dang so the MC wasn’t bluffing, huh. He really gave Hellblade back to the barbarian clan. Pity. I liked its burn and extension properties a lot too. But I guess he’ll be getting a new weapon this arc, so we’ll see how it stacks up.