Balls of Fury and Dawn Mithril

The auction house, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reminiscent of the Dawn Mithril Colosseum arena, erupted in cheers that pierced the heavens.

The spectators jumped to their feet, pointing at the exhibited Abyssal Giant's testicles and shouting.

"Dungeon Hwang! That's the one!!! That's the best item in this auction!!!!! In my 20 years as an explorer, I've never seen anything like it!!!"

"No doubt about it—it's gotta be the finest item so far...!! I stake my own balls on it—it's a fact!!!"

"Dungeon Master, hold it together!? Can you really pass on this!!! It's gonna make 'em grow!!! Shiiiiiit!!!!!!!!!"

It was pure pandemonium.

Fearing the Dungeon Master might pick something else, the men were tearing at their hair and wailing in despair.

Not all spectators were like that, though—the reactions were split.

The excited ones were mostly the male audience members, while the women looked utterly baffled, staring pityingly at the men they'd come with.

"...There's only one of those things out there to begin with, so why the fuss? Sit down quietly."

"Right...? Is size really that big a deal? Why obsess over it? It's seriously gross...."

"...I kinda think it's good, though...."

At the women's icy responses, their male companions fired back.

"Hey, am I the only one who likes it? Am I the only oneeeeee!!!!!!!! It'll be good for you too if it grows biiiig!!!!!!!"

"You damn wench!! One of those fixes everything!! It's the key to a world where everyone's happy!!!"

"Can't take it anymore!! Let's chant together!!!"

Dungeon Hwang—! Balls—! Dungeon Hwang—! Balls—!

The place was total chaos.

For the record, thanks to securing seats at the auction with Elise, I was watching the spectacle from amid the crowd.

"Whoa... this auction event... it's not what I expected?"

This wasn't a baseball stadium or anything, but it was filled with roaring cheers.

Dungeon Hwang—! Balls—! Dungeon Hwang—! Balls—!

...Chanting like that makes it sound like they're calling my balls, which feels kinda weird...

"...Right? But it's fun, so isn't that what matters? When do you get to experience something like this in the Shelter? See, told you coming was the right call?"

"Hmm... yeah, fair enough. But there's still a ton more to come, and they're getting way too hyped... Is that really the one?"

Sure, it was an impressive item... but the atmosphere here had reached full-on mania levels.

Eh, whatever—if I think of it as just enjoying the content, it kinda makes sense...? Places like this have their own vibe that gets people fired up easily.

Like screaming your lungs out at a game to blow off steam and get that dopamine rush...

Elise in the seat next to me was rambling in response to my offhand "Is that really the one?"

"W-Well...? They say it makes 'em grow, so isn't that g-good...? Seems helpful for everyone...."

"......"

Just as the mood was overheating, the commentator-cum-emcee calmed the crowd.

"Ahem...!! Attention!!! No fighting, everyone—settle down!! The choice is the Dungeon Master's to make!! And you can't decide without seeing the rest of the items first, right? Next item coming up, so cool your jets!!!"

"......Proceeding... as... planned."

The crowd settled down at the commentator's words.

"Yeah, gotta check the next ones too. Even if something better comes up, doubt it'll top the Abyssal Giant's balls though..."

"......But shouldn't we pick something helpful for the Shelter or explorers...? Elixirs make sense, but do we really need dick-growth pills?"

"Exactly? Why should Dungeon Hwang pick stuff that helps your sex life? I want better gear. Or maybe elixirs that actually boost your realm."

"Shut up!! It could be more vital to some people than anything!!!"

Confirming the crowd had calmed somewhat, the emcee-commentator grabbed the cloth over the second item and announced.

"Alright...!! Next up is the item submitted by 'Trickster' Levi's party!!!!!!!"

It was covered by cloth, but much smaller than the Abyssal Giant's testicles from before.

"Pretty small...?"

"I wonder what that is..."

"This item is!!! That legendary fantasy metal—!!! The stuff used to forge the weapons of legendary heroes!!! Dawn Mithril!!"

The emcee pulled off the cloth, revealing the metal's radiant ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠glow to the world.

It was just a fist-sized lump of ore, but its brilliance was blinding even in broad daylight.

The first to react were the dwarves.

They shot to their feet, clutching their heads.

"Insane!!!!"

"It's still around???"

"That's it... that's the one!!! Dungeon Master, you gotta pick that!!!"

Next came the high-rank explorers.

Their eyes gleamed with the envy of spotting a sleek supercar.

"Oh...!! If that could be mass-produced...!!!"

"Man, I want Dawn Mithril armor so bad!"

"Buncha clueless fools who don't know its value... such a tame reaction..."

Of course, the general audience had no clue what it was.

"What's the big deal? Just different from regular mithril or something?"

"Dunno... pretty color, but that bright? Kinda impractical...?"

The murmurs grew louder as reactions varied.

Once curiosity peaked, the commentator began explaining the item.

"Dawn Mithril—the stuff from fairy tales, the material used by heroic warriors!! Plenty of legendary heroes wielded gear made from it... but not a single piece survives today!!"

The audience was puzzled by his words.

Not a single piece left? From the dwarves and high-rankers' reactions, it was clearly top-tier... so why was none of that amazing gear around anymore?

"You're all wondering right now!! 'Why doesn't any of that awesome gear remain?'!!! Simple reason!! Gear made from Dawn Mithril binds to the soul!! When the user dies, the gear vanishes with their soul!!!"

Dawn ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Mithril was also called a fragment of the egg left by Develius, the god of the now-defunct Twilight Church, upon his birth into the world.

Thus, Twilight Church followers revered it as a divine relic. As a byproduct of a god's birth, its total quantity was fixed—truly the mineral of the gods...

After the long explanation, the reactions were...

"Whoa... yeah, hearing that, it's way better than those balls..."

"But it's a divine relic—won't the Twilight Church complain?"

"They used it for gear anyway, so probably not. Most churches collapsed during the Shelter migration anyway, except the Goddess Church..."

"Hoo... seeing all sorts of wonders here. Broadening my horizons."

Watching the Gallery reactions from the auction waiting seats, the mint-haired deepest-layer explorer Trickster Levi Arlena muttered in shock.

"...How'd they figure this out...?"