Auction House (1)
Auction House (1)
The sixth morning since I opened my eyes in this world dawned.
Rest and time were all this body needed to recover.
A body with no need for meals is remarkably convenient. How could it not be, free as it is from so many biological burdens?
So I had returned from the temple and stretched out on the bed immediately, closing my eyes. After a sufficiently deep sleep, the moment the sun rose I donned the coat I always wear and left my one and only nest.
I strolled through that legendary Infinite Labyrinth as easily as walking a garden path. My destination: the Temple of the God of Amusement.
I could have used perception inhibition on my way out of the maze, but I chose not to. For my future activities, I needed to make my existence known, starting from within the academy itself.
The only flaw was that it was early morning during vacation, so no students were around.
The Street of Light was just as deserted.
But before the Temple of the God of Amusement—
A woman stood there. She wore a perfectly tailored black suit, her golden hair hanging down to her waist in a neatly tied ponytail, an aura of cold beauty about her.
It was the priestess who had guided me to the prayer room the day before.
【Inside a Rift stained with blood.】
【Radiant golden tresses rippled in the wind.】
【The woman slowly turned her head, stepping over the dismembered flesh of demonkin.】
【Eyes, beautiful as carved sapphire ice, held 'us' in their gaze.】
'Claire Vin Asen.'
The information in my head called her Claire.
A beauty with shining blond hair and a cold impression framed by blue eyes.
Furthermore, she was an Awakened who radiated an overwhelmingly powerful presence, even here on the Street of Light.
Beyond that, I knew that Claire was annually invited to serve as proctor for the Ring Scramble hosted by Arena Academy.
Clack—
The heel of a dress shoe struck the ground.
The blue-eyed woman turned toward me. My reflection filled those clear eyes, and she pivoted, bowing politely in my direction.
"I am Claire Vin Asen, assigned as your guide. Please address me however you see fit."
'Overkill for a guide.'
This was a woman whose every action cost a tenth of the academy's budget.
Unlike yesterday, I could feel the presence of other clergy inside the temple besides her.
'A courtesy, I suppose.'
Vuar was different from other gods—always firm on give and take.
He must have been awfully pleased at the prospect of reflecting me into the game.
"You must have heard everything from Vuar already."
"Indeed. Should you have any discomfort or additional requests beyond guiding, please do not hesitate to speak."
"I will."
No reason to refuse an offered kindness.
If a middling priest or holy knight had been assigned to me, I wouldn't have cared. But the woman before me possessed both the skill and the standing to grant practically anything.
"Then I shall escort you by car."
"You can drive as well?"
"Yes. With the exception of piloting aircraft, I am proficient in most vehicles."
"I see."
Claire Vin Asen.
A new detail about her had been added.
**
[Seoul - Restricted Zone Levels 1-3]
A thoroughly controlled location for fledgling Awakened fresh from their awakening and low-rank Awakened to earn money and secure by-products.
Inside a Level-1 Rift that had opened beneath some abandoned building there.
"Hmm~"
A clean-cut middle-aged man in a pale purple suit hummed a little tune as he flipped through documents piled on his desk.
『Attendance Roster
- White Mane Guild
- Black Hound Guild
- Anima Guild
·
·
·
- Midas Union』
A clandestine auction held once a year.
Kim Deok-su, the middle-aged manager of this particular venue among countless others, studied the roster of guilds, magic towers, and alchemists who had filled the seats again this year, a smile impossible to suppress.
These were people who would soon be competing with each other, throwing money around with abandon. How could he not smile?
A building artificially constructed inside the Rift.
On paper, a perfectly ordinary Level-1 Rift, but every Awakened actually using it was just a stand-in, their name on the list as a proxy.
Any worry of getting caught?
The officials who should be enforcing the law were already in on it. What was there to worry about? Even if a crackdown happened, it wouldn't matter.
A luminous crystal the size of a human head floated behind Kim Deok-su.
The source that maintained the terrain inside the Rift and summoned the monsters.
Shatter this, and the Rift would collapse before long. And what would happen to the Awakened left inside?
Perhaps it was some consideration from the gods, but whenever a Rift closes, anyone still inside is randomly ejected to various locations across the world.
No need to flee. So they could take their time burning any documents that needed destroying before the Rift shut.
"Heh-heh. Is there an easier way to make money than this?"
He was putting the attendance roster into a drawer and reaching for the documents on auction lots when—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Someone pounded frantically on the solidly shut door.
Kim Deok-su's face twisted as he called out for them to enter.
"Boss!!"
"What... what is it, you bastard? Fuck."
"I—I think you'd better come out..."
"Come out? Who? Me?"
"...Yes."
At the sight of his underling nodding with a face drained pale, Kim Deok-su blinked. Then he infused mana into the glass on his desk and hurled it.
"Ghk!!"
The underling's forehead split open at once, and he dropped his head in a panic.
"Fuck. Explain what happened first, so I can make a judgment."
"I—I'm sorry. It was so shocking, I just..."
"Forget that. What is it?"
The underling didn't even think to wipe the blood dripping from his forehead. He swallowed hard and spoke.
"I'm not sure if it's really her, but... Cl-Claire Vin Asen has entered the premises."
"Claire? Claire, Claire... No. That Claire?"
The underling nodded like a madman. The blood from his forehead splattered everywhere, but Kim Deok-su paid it not the slightest attention. Couldn't afford to.
"Fuck. That Claire? The Eccentric God's Executor?"
"She resembles the descriptions..."
"You should have stopped her!!"
"...Five of the men who tried to stop her have already lost their heads."
"Fuck!! Then it really is her?!"
The dogs guarding this place weren't just any foot soldiers.
They were fighters who could clear up to an 8th-Stage Rift without issue—experts strong enough that even the masters of the mid-sized guilds attending this auction couldn't guarantee a win against them.
And five of those men had lost their heads.
"Why did she come? Shit. When it was time to do things her way and turn down the money we offered, she stayed quiet! Is she suddenly jealous that other temples are taking bribes now?!"
"Well... that's..."
The underling hesitated, then rushed to speak when Kim Deok-su made a move to grab something from his desk.
"She said... she's here to participate in the auction."
"What?"
Kim Deok-su dug a finger into both ears for a moment.
"Oh. Must've had some wax buildup. Yeah. Say that again."
"She said she came to participate in the auction... More precisely, she brought a man who seems to be her companion, and said she herself is merely an attendant... The mood downstairs is completely fucked..."
"Fuck."
Kim Deok-su seriously considered whether he should just smash the crystal.
'No. No.'
He rose from his seat.
"Boss?"
"Let's go. We may not have invited them, but when a heavyweight like that shows up in person, it's only polite to go and greet them. Yes. Might as well use her to keep the money-spenders in line."
He had made a decision in a very short time.
That the God of Amusement's Executor had truly visited this place to participate in the auction.
If there had been any other reason, he wouldn't be talking to his underling right now—his head would already be flying off his shoulders.
An Awakened unofficially assessed to be within the global top twenty ranking.
Claire Vin Asen.
That monstrous woman possessed more than enough power to do so.
Leaving his office with the underling, Kim Deok-su walked—nearly ran—toward the lounge.
"Ready?"
"Hoo. Good."
He steadied his breathing, and the underling opened the door.
Rows of seats placed at regular intervals stretched beneath soft lighting, ending at a raised stage.
The gaze of every attendee seated there turned toward Kim Deok-su.
Their expressions were uniformly grim. The atmosphere in the air had shifted the instant the door opened.
He had no trouble finding the cause of it all.
A blonde woman in a black suit standing beside the seats closest to the entrance.
Gulp—
Kim Deok-su's eyes drifted to the man sitting next to the woman—next to Claire.
A man with unkempt dark hair, wearing oddly designed glasses, quietly gazing at the stage where the auction would take place.
'That Claire... is really acting as an attendant?'
The woman standing beside him as if guarding him. The man sitting there as if that was the most natural thing in the world.
Kim Deok-su swiftly organized the situation in his head and translated those thoughts into action.
Bowing at an angle that struck a balance—not too servile, yet suitably deferential—he approached the spot where Claire and the nameless man were. He clasped his hands below his stomach and lowered his head politely.
"I am Kim Deok-su, the manager of this venue. Forgive my rudeness, but might I ask if you are aware that this is ordinarily a space open only to invited guests?"
A short silence.
Kim Deok-su calmed his heart, which felt as if it would leap out of his mouth at any moment, and waited for an answer. Head still bowed.
"We are aware."
A woman's clear voice. The kind that seemed as if merely hearing it could purify your ears.
'Half the battle is won.'
The mere fact that Claire had bothered to reply gave Kim Deok-su a little more confidence as he proceeded to his next move.
He raised his waist slightly, gaze fixed on the floor.
"I was told by a staff member that you have come to participate in the auction."
"Correct."
"I see. First, I wish you to understand that nothing I am about to say is intended to offend our honored guests in any way. It is simply the response required of a person employed by this organization and seated in the position of manager here."
'Good. My head is still attached. I don't feel any killing intent, either.'
Covertly licking his dry lips, Kim Deok-su continued.
"Originally, the proper course would be to shatter the crystal sustaining this Rift and dissolve this gathering. By the rules, you are indeed uninvited guests. However, this humble one has vaguely heard rumors, enough to roughly estimate the honored guest's true skill—"
"So."
'...!!'
At the deep, resonant voice that burrowed into his ears, goosebumps erupted across Kim Deok-su's entire body.
"What exactly do you intend to do about it?"
It was a question devoid of any particular emotion. It should have been, yet cold sweat began beading all over Kim Deok-su's body.
'Stay calm, Kim Deok-su. Their goal is the auction, so I still have the upper hand.'
A man so significant that Claire Vin Asen willingly served as his attendant.
"...I would ask that the honored guest remove his glasses and show his face."
"Will that suffice?"
At the man's question, Kim Deok-su curled his toes tight inside his shoes.
"Yes. By rights, you would need to disclose your name and identity, but... since you have such an undeniable guarantor with you, the face alone will be sufficient. The auction will then proceed without any further issues."
"Very well."
The man gave his consent, and Kim Deok-su sighed softly, raising his head.
The man, who had been facing the stage precisely, turned his head to look at him. Then a large hand rose and gripped the bizarrely shaped glasses covering half his face.
White frames with a swirling pattern—the ridiculous-looking glasses were pulled downward by the man's hand. And the moment they moved—
"Urrggghhblargh!!"
Kim Deok-su retched and collapsed to the floor.
"Urrggh, blaaargh!!"
Writhing like an insect, Kim Deok-su vomited up the contents of his stomach.
'Monster... A genuine, genuine monster....'
The golden eyes. They had been unveiled just a sliver as the glasses lowered.
The instant he met them, Kim Deok-su had seen his own body crumbling away like dust.
That—
That was a terror no one clinging to life could ever accept.
'Get... get up....'
The retching wouldn't stop. His body spasmed uncontrollably.
Just as Kim Deok-su was struggling desperately to rise and save his own life—
"If it displeases you, I shall dispose of him."
"That would be best."
Dispose?
Of what?
That was Kim Deok-su's final thought.
**
The man who had introduced himself as Kim Deok-su turned to ash alongside the filth he had vomited, vanishing from existence.
'So that's what she meant by "dispose."'
I had simply meant that the mess was unpleasant—get it out of my sight. Claire, however, had removed the man himself from the world entirely.
The way she had dealt with things without hesitation from the moment we entered the auction house... this woman's entire way of thinking was on a different level.
I fiddled with my adjusted glasses and turned my gaze toward the stage.
'I'll have to be careful no one accidentally knocks these off at home.'
With that thought in mind, I spoke to Claire.
"Shall we get this auction started now?"
"Of course. You. There."
Claire called to someone.
Without needing to turn my head, I could perceive the surroundings from a third-person viewpoint through the mana spread throughout the room.
The man she had called was the human who had followed Kim Deok-su in.
"M-Me?"
"From now on, you are the manager of this venue."
"Wh-what?"
The nameless man's eyes darted around for a moment, startled.
"...The auction will commence immediately."
Instantly, the dumbstruck look on his face wiped clean, he bowed his head and sprinted toward the stage.
The man disappeared behind the stage.
Before long, the soft light that had been illuminating the seats below gathered and converged upon the stage.
A single young man appeared before it.
His hand holding the microphone trembling slightly, he flashed a refreshing smile.
"We will now begin the 13th Auction."
And so the auction began.