Bullkan's Bloody Intrusion
A middle-aged man with red hair, sporting the horns and tail of a black flame dragon.
Bullkan appeared, exuding crimson battle aura.
The announcer panicked at the sight of him. This guy wasn't on the pre-memorized list of auction participants.
Tension rose from the piercing, intense aura prickling their skin, but he pressed on anyway.
"Uh…? Who might you be? A new participant? We didn't hear about you in advance…."
"…Vermin."
Kerres stepped forward to block Bullkan, sensing the ominous vibe at a glance.
"Bullkan… what the hell are you doing here? What's the idea, crashing the auction?"
"Out of my way, Kerres. Don't get in my path."
"…State your purpose. What do you plan to do here?"
Kerres drew his sword and lowered his stance.
"…Hoo, just stay put. I'll handle my business and leave."
Before they knew it, Lennia had positioned herself behind Kerres, nocking an arrow in alert.
"You crazy bastard, what the fuck are you scheming this time…!!"
"I have no intention of harming a fellow Dimensional Transferee like the Dungeon Master. You filthy bitch."
"…Kerres, can I shoot this fucker?"
Ignoring Lennia, Bullkan pulled a dark crimson gem from his bosom.
The inside of the gem churned with endless chaos, black misty energy seeping out.
It looked extraordinarily ominous at first sight.
Bullkan bellowed, his voice booming through the arena.
"I heard you're seeking rarities, Dungeon Master!!! How about this!!! Blood Jade from the Temple of Erosion!!! Nothing like the junk these nobodies brought!!! I'll trade it for the item you put up at auction!!!"
The sudden turn of events had the spectators watching with keen interest.
But they questioned the item Bullkan had brought.
"Temple of Erosion…? Where's that?"
"Blood Jade…? Looks pretty weird. Kinda creepy vibe."
"…Explain."
Naturally, all eyes turned to the announcer.
Under that gaze, he explained based on his knowledge.
"Th-the Temple of Erosion is deep in the Deepest Layer… You need a massive expedition team just to reach it… The Deepest Layer isn't all the same place… That Blood Jade is probably from the deepest spot among everything auctioned so far. …I don't know the exact abilities, but it's undoubtedly rare."
But he didn't know the details, so with the half-baked explanation, Bullkan added more.
"Seems that worm doesn't know much about Blood Jade, so let me explain. This holds the pure essence of life itself! The faceless monks of the Temple of Erosion repeat rituals for decades to create it!!! Useless for a dragonkin like me, but since you're human, Dungeon Master, you could live at least 50 more years with this!!! Not just longevity—robust body and eternal youth!!!"
Only then did people grasp the Blood Jade's value from Bullkan's addition.
No other item introduced so far offered such overwhelming lifespan extension.
"F-fifty years!? Insane… and no aging? Damn, that's tempting…? Wonder if we get Blood Jade baths later!!?"
"…Huh? That much?"
"You're an elf, you idiot!!!"
Bullkan's surprise appearance was secondary; reactions exploded in the gallery over the Blood Jade too.
"Hah…."
I pondered while checking the gallery and the crowd's reactions.
Bullkan the dragonkin's intrusion was bewildering, but…
'Blood Jade… I get it's an amazing lifespan extender….'
Still, this kind of crashing the event was problematic.
It wasn't fair to the other participants.
If I just said yes and traded the Dragon Speech Bracelet for that Blood Jade, the other explorers would rain curses on me.
And why the rush anyway? If he wants the Dragon Speech Bracelet, just wait for the next auction.
Something like that would sell for sure.
Accepting a no-prior-registration guy now looked fishy too. Blood Jade was tempting, but I signaled my proxy Yeomje to refuse.
'If he doesn't listen, force him out.'
*
Yeomje, standing on the platform with the announcer and Goseongji, shouted at Bullkan facing off against Kerres.
"Bullkan!! I am the Dungeon Master's proxy!! The Dungeon Master finds your intrusion displeasing!!! I recommend waiting for the next auction!!! Follow proper procedure, and you'll get what you want!!!"
"…Is that so? Playing it that way? When's the next auction? A week? A month? Half a year? I can't wait any longer…."
As Bullkan stepped forward, massive battle aura whipped up a gale.
BOOM-!!
CLANG-!!
A powerful explosion echoed with a metallic ring across the arena.
Kerres, sweating bullets, blocked Bullkan's path.
Bullkan's right hand was poised to smash down on Kerres.
"Nngh…!!!"
"Good… Kerres, let's see how much you've grown."
Bullkan grabbed Kerres's sword with one hand and thrust his other into Kerres's torso.
A simple strike relying on raw power and speed, no finesse.
BOOM-!!!
The air exploded viciously, foretelling a human body shattering to pieces… but
Kerres's form vanished in an afterimage, instantly relocating to Levi the Trickster's party.
"…You lot blocking me too?"
Levi brushed back her mint hair and snapped.
"What're you yapping, psycho? We agreed beforehand to auction fair and square, and you barge in trying to snag shit? You think we'd sit still? Huh?"
"Indeed. No matter how transcendent you are, you can't handle our numbers. Time to pay for your arrogance."
"Tsk tsk… You could've just joined the next auction properly… Such a shame."
Other top explorers like Goren Bollites, Terracepel's mage Rexion, and more stepped forward from the stands, encircling Bullkan.
Dozens surrounding one.
And each encircler was an elite of the elites.
Anyone could see Bullkan was at a disadvantage.
Confirming the faces one by one, Bullkan sneered at them despite the peril.
"Kuh… KRHAHAHAHAHA!!!! You idiots!!! I'll show the whole world you're nobodies even in the Deepest Layer!!! Witness what a true powerhouse is."
Black flames erupted from Bullkan's body, enveloping him.
Only his chilling, elongated glare pierced the blaze from his obscured face.
"Come on, vermin… I'll slaughter you all."
A massive inferno surged at the auction's center.
*
Rocks blasted from the auction center flew toward the spectator seats.
Not just that—water sprays, gales, flames raged, and every clash between top explorers and Bullkan shook the entire arena.
CRUNCH-!!
But a barrier erected around the seats nullified the shockwaves.
Whoosh-
The spectators sat dead silent, uncomprehending, watching the battle unfold.
Then, one by one, they snapped out of it.
The fight was so blistering even explorers struggled to track it.
Feeling threatened, some voiced concerns.
"…Uh, shouldn't we run? This feels like an emergency…."
"Y-yeah, definitely dangerous…."
But not everyone.
"This is awesome…!! This is it!!! THIS!!!"
"……?"
One man jumped up, yelling.
"This auction setup… it's like a gladiator arena, right!? Sudden dragonkin crash and brawl!!! Another Dungeon Master event, huh!! Dungeon Hwang loves surprises!!"
"I-is it? Their acting's on point then…."
"Phew, thought it was real…."
Overdosed on surprises and dopamine, some saw it as just another event.
"Woooooo-!!!!!!!!"
"Go Kerres!!! Take down that dragonkin!!!"
"Horncano or whatever? Dragonkin, smash that pretty boy's face!!!!"
*
"KRHAHAHAHA!!! Insect scum-!!!!"
ROARRR-
Bullkan's overwhelming black flames forced a lull.
"Nngh…!!"
"This madman… tanking all our combined assault?"
Incredibly, Bullkan wasn't yielding against the group.
Dragonkin's superior physique, dragon speech variables, and presumed transferee black flames…
The Deepest Layer explorers felt like they were hunting a monstrous boss, not a person.
"Look! He's tiring…!!"
"…Doesn't look it…?"
"Just hyping!!!"
Whirling flames blocked all ranged attacks.
Melee was suicidal against that firepower. Luckily, healers kept burn recovery up, but…
"No solid hits landing…."
Flames weren't the issue. Bullkan was just too strong.
He could solo Deepest Layer without transferee powers.
Frustrated, Lennia kept firing arrows.
Her arrows pierced blind spots through the blaze, targeting precisely.
Aura-compressed arrows sliced the flames.
But Bullkan dodged Lennia's incoming arrow.
"Fuck…!! Wasted a rare special arrow…!!! Dodged that with his eyes?"
Lennia bit her lip in rage.
Then…
Black flames spread wide, blinding everyone.
Bullkan closed in silently, his fist hurtling at Lennia's face.
His flame-shrouded face grinned creepily.
"You're a pain. I'll send you off first."
Time slowed for Lennia.
Death loomed as her brain desperately scanned survival options, but…
No lifeline in her life flashes.
"Lennia!!!"
"Dodge!!!"
Too late—other explorers shouted, but death was upon her.
'Ah… I'm done.'
Resigned—
ROAR-
The arena's black flames vanished instantly.
Bullkan's fist disappeared inches from her face.
Dazed, Lennia touched her face, murmuring in disbelief.
"Wha…? I'm still… why alive…? …Where's Bullkan?"
Bullkan wasn't far. Right in front of her.
Flat on the floor, mid-punch pose.
"…What the? Why am I down?"
Even Bullkan couldn't grasp the sudden reversal.
Then, an unfamiliar voice drew all eyes.
"How strange… why won't you budge?"
A new figure stood beside Bullkan.
"Who the fuck are you!!! Interfere and you're dead too!!!"
The clown mask raised a finger.
"Don't… raise your voice like that."
*
I had no clue what was happening, but…
The announcer decided to do his job.
"An-and now, the mysterious clown-masked intruder joins!!! "
Goseongji finally snapped at the announcer beside him.
"Are you insane? Commentary now?"
Regardless, cheers erupted from the seats, thinking it staged.
WAAAAAHHHH-!!!