Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Vermouth's Claw
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037
—It's Vermouth's Claw!
The moment the star of the auction finally revealed itself.
Kwaang!
With an explosion, the windows shattered, and smoke billowed up.
“Protect the VIPs!”
Three-Eyes shouted.
Kakakang!
Sparks flew from the swords of those presumed to be Goldians.
The fortunate part was.
“How dare you cause a ruckus in the presence of Greus himself!”
Most of the VIPs were ranker-level players with considerable personal skill.
By the time the smoke had somewhat cleared, the auction house interior was a wreck.
The bodies of fallen masked intruders and the injured Three-Eyes and Goldians.
The fortunate part was that the VIPs were mostly unscathed, whether thanks to those who had risked their lives to protect them or because they had defended themselves.
“…It went as planned.”
From a room overlooking it all, Samuel spoke to Go Yohan.
Even as that happened.
Kang!
The battle raged on.
The masked intruders madly charged toward the legendary item, while the Goldians desperately fought to protect it.
Or rather, they appeared to be fighting.
To an ordinary ranker, it might not be obvious, but in Go Yohan's eyes, it was clear they were deliberately falling back and opening a path.
The unexpected element was.
Kwaang!
The man called Greus.
He was stronger than anticipated, targeting the masked intruders from behind and already taking down three.
“Die!”
Two masked intruders couldn't even exchange a single blow with Greus.
In the end, one of them threw himself forward.
Kwang!
Using a pre-prepared mana bomb, he smashed the display case containing Vermouth's Claw.
“Has anyone here ever gripped it and infused it with mana?”
Go Yohan asked at that moment.
“…….”
No answer came.
“Of course not. If they had, this auction wouldn't have happened in the first place.”
Most of the legendary items Go Yohan had recovered bore only faint curses and weren't worthy of being called true evil artifacts.
But Vermouth's Claw was different.
‘Evil artifact.’
It was undoubtedly one.
A creation forged by corrupted dwarves, the Dvergs, hammered for a hundred days in a bloodlight furnace.
The lowest grade among evil artifacts, perhaps.
Kwa kwa kwang!
But undeniably an evil artifact.
That was when it happened.
Kwaak.
One of the masked intruders finally grasped Vermouth's Claw in his hand.
Paaa!
The surging energy wave made it seem as if time had frozen—everyone locked in combat halted.
Twitch.
At the same time, the arm of the masked intruder holding Vermouth's Claw swelled grotesquely, as if about to burst.
Veins bulged hideously on his exposed arm.
“Let go!”
In that instant, Greus regained his senses and charged in.
The moment he did.
Shaaak!
The masked intruder swung Vermouth's Claw.
Until now, the masked man hadn't been able to block even a single strike from Greus alone.
Seruk!
Yet that one blow severed Greus's arm.
“……!”
It was something even Richard and Samuel hadn't anticipated, their eyes widening in shock.
“A legendary item…!”
The power of a legendary item—no, the power of an evil artifact.
“Kuaaaak!”
The moment Greus's scream echoed.
Thump!
Everyone's hearts pounded in unison.
Normally, corruption wouldn't occur immediately.
It would only manifest once it had fully parasitized and taken root in the host's body.
‘Not on my watch.’
But Go Yohan had no intention of letting it happen.
[The Great Sin awakens the evil artifact.]
[The Great Sin summons the evil artifact's true form.]
With the goddess's voice.
Shooooaaa!
Everything was swallowed by darkness.
*
*
*
The Three-Eyes Convention Hotel was instantly engulfed in darkness.
But fortunately.
Hwaaak!
It was a fleeting illusion, as if the darkness was sucked back into its source.
Toward the masked intruder clutching Vermouth's Claw.
“…….”
In the silence.
“Uwaaaak!”
Screams erupted.
The terror felt amid the enveloping darkness was not something even seasoned players could endure.
“…This can't be.”
It seemed even Richard and Samuel hadn't expected this level of power.
And rightly so—they possessed legendary items that weren't even revealed to the public.
Yet even those lacked such force.
Kwaaaang!
Part of the hotel exploded outward.
The fortunate part was that the Goldians, having some conscience, had rented out the entire building and evacuated it.
Amid that explosion.
“Kyaaaak!”
Even ordinary citizens began getting caught in the aftermath.
With all the attention on Goldian's auction, waiting reporters went wild pressing their shutters.
In that chaos.
Kwaang!
“It's Greus!”
Struck once more, Greus was blasted out with the explosion.
The top-tier ranker twitched limply, seemingly unconscious.
Step, step.
Emerging from it all was the masked intruder, still gripping Vermouth's Claw.
“This, this is….”
“What are you doing?”
Go Yohan spoke then.
“You need to stop it.”
“…….”
“What's happening now won't end with just an insurance payout.”
“……!”
“How many do you think will die?”
Go Yohan said.
“What else do you think that evil artifact will do?”
“…….”
Neither Richard nor Samuel could respond.
“If every VIP dies at a Goldian auction, can you take responsibility?”
Even for Goldian.
Gulp.
It might be impossible.
“You got hit hard.”
Samuel muttered, opening his mouth. His armament had already changed.
The appearance of the Golden Knight, matching Go Woojin's nickname.
In fact, just looking at that form, Samuel seemed more fitting of Golden Knight.
No, more precisely.
‘Jewel Knight.’
An item adorned with countless gems over gold.
Among them, that armor was Goldian's treasure, their hidden legendary item.
‘Golian Armor.’
Standing at the broken window, Samuel said.
“To have a proper conversation with you, it seems I need to take some responsibility.”
Golden light began pouring from his entire body.
And soon.
Kwaang!
The golden knight clashed with the masked man wielding Vermouth.
Kwaang!
Samuel successfully blocked the strike that had sent Greus flying.
-VIPs have already been evacuated.
Greed's voice rang out.
‘No civilians should get swept up either.’
-Understood.
It was Yun Seungha’s voice.
Swiik.
Now the view extended beyond the auction house to outside the building.
People screaming in shock, reporters madly snapping photos as if filled with a sense of duty.
Amid it all.
Kwaaa!
The masked intruder spewing streams of black energy.
-This belongs to us.
-How can you call it an evil artifact?
Even in Travania, they had said the same.
That it was a great holy relic that would allow them to fight demons.
And those things had parasitized their hosts, corroding Travania like parasites.
“Watch closely.”
Go Yohan said.
“And see why this is a demon, and why this is an evil artifact.”
*
*
*
Samuel shuddered at the energy emanating from the sword tip.
‘What is this?’
Samuel was world rank 41.
But that was only part of his power revealed.
By Goldian's intelligence standards, Samuel's true abilities placed him solidly in the world top 20.
Add the legendary item Golian Armor to that.
[Golian Armor]
[Legendary]
[Stats increase proportional to possessed gold.]
[Skill power strengthens proportional to possessed gold.]
[Special Skill: Radiance of Gold]
[Can substitute a portion of damage with gold.]
He was confident he ranked in the world top 10.
Yet such a man.
Kwang! Kwang!
Was being pushed back relentlessly.
It wasn't any swordsmanship or skill.
Moreover, as the one who had hired the masked intruders, he knew their capabilities.
Kwaang!
Samuel was utterly stunned by this moment.
“Keuk, keheuk.”
The masked intruder gripping Vermouth's Claw couldn't handle its power, spewing blood with grotesque noises.
Even so.
“Kihe.”
He swung the sword while letting out monster-like cries.
The strange thing was.
‘Its shockwaves aren't affecting bystanders.’
It was implausible without someone's intervention.
A certain person came to mind, but.
Kwang!
Samuel had to focus on the now.
But the situation didn't improve.
“Support!”
Goldian's guild members, Three-Eyes' bodyguards, and arriving association members.
“Stop!”
They mustn't join this fight.
“……!”
“Don't interfere!”
Intervening would only get them killed pointlessly.
‘This is a test.’
It was the test laid out by that man—the ones he wanted to meet.
Kwaang!
A crack formed in the Golian Armor.
There was still plenty of gold slumbering in the vault, but the item couldn't absorb the damage that came flooding in instantly.
Woooong!
Darkness surged forth once more.
That was when.
“This should be enough.”
When?
The white-haired man appeared, standing between the masked intruder and Samuel.
By the time he came to his senses, darkness blanketed everything, with only the masked intruder holding Vermouth's Claw, Samuel, and Go Yohan standing.
Shaaaak!
The instant the masked intruder swung Vermouth's Claw at Go Yohan.
The very thing even Golian Armor struggled to block.
Kwaak.
Was gripped effortlessly, just like Samuel's shattered unique weapon moments ago.
“……!”
As the stunned Samuel fell back.
“Young dragon. Or rather, merely a fragment of one.”
Go Yohan's voice echoed.
Kwaaaa!
Darkness erupted from behind the masked intruder, beginning to take form.
It was unmistakably.
“D… Dragon…!”
A monster that had never appeared in the world before: a dragon.
Dyed in pitch-black sheen, boasting three horns on its head.
“Even a fragment, yet unable to speak.”
As Go Yohan extended his hand toward the dragon.
Crack!
The dragon's neck was yanked as if being torn out.
And soon.
Kwaduk!
It was ripped free by some invisible force.
By the time Samuel blinked again.
“Do you now understand what this is?”
Vermouth's Claw—arm and all—had been torn from the masked intruder and now rested in Go Yohan's hand.
“Greed will contact you. See you soon.”
Go Yohan walked away slowly, holding only Vermouth's Claw, as if this were all routine.