Chaos Erupts at the Auction
As the intruding auction continued, the post revealing the truth about Luwak mithril was buried under an explosive wave of new threads.
People cooped up in the Shelter for so long, starved for new stuff, were exploding with reactions to the auction items.
Even minor things got huge responses, everyone hyping together like kids.
"Ooo... my god!! A device that lets you put out fires even lying down!!! This is a revolution!!!"
"...Handy, but do we really need it? Only five bids per person, gotta pick wisely."
"Can't wait for the next items!!!"
Before anyone could even wonder about how the Dawn Mithril was obtained, the crowd was too dazed by the parade of amazing items.
Not just powerful monster parts—rare minerals, herbs, elixirs, even relics from fallen ancient kingdoms.
"Unbelievable!!! The Golden Compass from the ancient kingdom of Lisverel 2,000 years ago!!! Lost long ago, whereabouts unknown...!! How in the world!!!"
"Uh... relics might be tricky to handle, right? Not sure if they'll help the Dungeon Master... and putting out a mysterious lost item... hmm...."
And more bizarre items kept pouring out...
"Hey hey hey!! Look at that, that one!!! Dragon Knight's Photon Concentrator!!!"
"Don't shake it, Elise. I'm watching. Focus here."
"What? You said you didn't wanna come before, now you're all serious?"
I was checking each auction item one by one, monitoring the Gallery, broadcast chat, and reactions around me.
Harder to pick than I thought...
With only five Dragon Tablets for summoning evolution bodies, everyone seemed to bring out their ace items that'd make eyes bulge.
...The auction items' quality was way higher than expected.
"Alright!! Next up~~!!!"
The auction was nearing its second half, so I needed to finalize my bid list soon.
Every item was a rare treasure; without clear criteria, it'd be a nightmare to choose.
First criterion: scalability.
Could my dungeon upgrade using that material? That's priority one.
No point in a great item if Kkomangi can't absorb it and it doesn't help the dungeon.
And how much benefit from successful absorption? Better than just adding a new monster from parts—ideally something to create a whole new dungeon like the elixir baths.
People think my dungeon absorbs anything thanks to the elixir stuff, but...
From feeding Kkomangi random things, absorbable materials fell into two categories.
First: dungeon byproducts. Almost all absorbable. Dungeon-exclusive minerals, plants, etc.
Second: special processed goods helpful to the body, like elixirs. Probably because Kkomangi's a slime-dungeon hybrid.
A living dungeon with biological traits?
Anything outside that? Not interested.
Ancient hero shields and such? Obviously unabsorbable.
Though lately Kkomangi ate minerals too—but only the Mirror of Fate so far. Super special case, not counting it.
Second criterion: rarity.
Stuff you couldn't get otherwise—prioritize those.
First auction, everyone's overexcited, bringing real treasures.
Miss this, might not see 'em next time.
Dawn Mithril? Top bid priority.
Not a growing dungeon mineral or plain metal... but divine relic category like the Mirror.
Kkomangi licked and swallowed the Mirror.
Reacted to the divinity inside, not just metal.
Dawn Mithril, called a divine item with actual holy power? High chance Kkomangi eats it.
Third: cost-effectiveness.
Immediately usable items key.
Deepest-layer monster parts? If can't summon properly like a dragon, gotta process into tablets.
High-cost monsters burden even Kkomangi.
Still growing, so that'll resolve eventually.
Anyway, judging items by these standards.
"Hmm... no clue what to pick...."
"Next up!!! Flame Warrior... Warrior!!! From Vulcan's party!!! The Immortal Heart of Koronia, a rare octopus-headed monster from the Black Sea!!!"
Kerres's party watched from the waiting seats.
Archer Lennia anxiously said to Kerres,
"...Kerres, tough to win with our item...?"
"...Yeah, level's higher than I thought."
Their item: Spearflame Feather.
Trophy from the Blue Flame Monster Bird, a rare deepest-layer monster also called Phoenix. Infinitely burning feather—potent alchemy catalyst.
Symbolic of life in shamanism, main ingredient for lifespan-extending elixirs.
But others' items outvalued theirs by at least a step or two...
The announcer smoothly handled the unannounced mage climbing the stage.
"Hm? Teraspel's mage Lexion!! What brings you to the stage?"
"Heh heh... Just wanted to demo the next item myself."
The middle-aged mage said with a kindly smile.
"Oho? Demo it yourself!! Appeal time? Must be something special!! Great!!! Let's reveal it now!!"
"Wait, jumping ahead like that fairness... "
Ignoring Goseongji's protest, the hyped announcer yanked the cloth off the item.
A butterfly the size of a human head in a jar.
"Here!! From Teraspel's mage Lexion...!!! Dream Butterfly, rare deepest-layer insect monster!!! Alive too!! Fragile as a slime despite deepest-layer habitat, no attack power!!!"
"Haha... yes. Do you know the Dream Butterfly's survival strategy?"
"Oho, survival strategy?"
Lexion opened the jar and released the butterfly.
"Watch what it does."
As the lid opened, it flew high, scattering glowing powder.
The powder spread wide through the auction hall, forming Dream Butterfly shapes within.
Dozens in seconds.
Beautiful wing patterns glowing, tracing flight paths.
"Waaah...."
"Even in daylight it's this pretty... must be stunning at night."
"Never knew such a monster existed... amazing."
The audience reacted variously—not the usual frenzy, more like appreciating a mystical butterfly show.
"Ooo... definitely different vibe from the others. Why show the Dungeon Master?"
"Haha... Niche market play. Imagine these in the Dungeon Master's park dungeon? The powder's just an illusion medium, harmless to humans."
"Got it!! Thanks for the show!!!"
Bullkan had intruded into the auction hall.