Chapter 166
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: Auction House (2)
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Leaving the suspicious man Elric behind, I hurried into the auction house. Even as I did, I followed his advice and took a look around the first floor. Sure enough, they were lending out magical disguising tools for their customers.
I picked out a mask that fit just right and put it on. My build shifted slightly, and my voice changed. As I was getting used to the new look, the staff member who had lent me the tool checked my identity and informed me of my entry pass and the order in which my auction items would appear.
"The 'Greatsword of the Death Knight' you submitted will come up as number 27. And the skill stone..."
Apparently, the order of the auction was important in its own way. The rarer the item, the later it was placed, or so they said. The greatsword I'd brought was valuable, but not unique, so it had been slotted in an appropriate spot.
"It will appear second to last."
"Oh."
I was actually surprised that my skill stone wasn't coming out at the very end. From reading the catalog and learning about the auction house, I knew the Labyrinth Auction House always saved the most valuable item for last. That meant something even rarer than the skill stone was up for bid this time?
Nothing in the catalog looked rarer than the skill stone... Well, not every auction item's details were listed. They only revealed info on about half of them anyway.
Regardless, since I'd submitted something valuable, my seat was assigned quite far forward. Good. At this distance, I could probably use my [Appraisal] skill on the items.
"...Are you after something specific..."
"...This is for our guild..."
Following the staff's guidance, I sat in my seat and waited. Half the guests had concealed their appearances like me, while the other half strode in boldly without hiding their faces.
'Those not hiding... confidence?'
Looking closer, the ones showing their faces mostly bore crests from major guilds I'd heard of. A guild of that caliber could intimidate competitors just by bidding on something.
And there were plenty of seriously strong-looking folks too. Plus, several rough types who screamed underworld connections.
'...They reek of blood.'
A thick scent of blood wafted from a few. The kind that proved they'd just killed someone before entering.
Those individuals ignored the items, scanning the crowd like predators—especially those who didn't seem that strong, even to me. They wore sinister grins.
Seeing that, my body tensed up instinctively.
'Don't act like a rookie.'
I could see why Elric advised hiding. Makes sense. An auction with all these treasures draws hyenas.
The auction house knew it too, hence the free magical disguises... but those had limits.
'Act natural.'
Like a regular. Like someone with nothing to fear. Like someone with an ace up their sleeve.
No rash moves. No getting excited.
"Umm... 20 gold!"
"Yes! Bidder 44 bids 20 gold!"
'Yeehaw!'
Whoops. Said I wouldn't get excited. My lips keep twitching. But that item... it's one of mine.
"Well now, will bidder 44 take these beautiful statues?"
The current item was the statues from the 22nd-floor ruins. The appraiser had valued them highly and recommended auctioning. I'd put them up figuring I'd at least break even, but they were fetching way more than expected. The third one now.
Throwing in a few sneaky bids here and there had driven the price up nicely.
But the same bidder kept winning three times in a row. Bidder 44.
I turned to watch the woman holding up her paddle for 20 gold.
'That crest...'
If memory served, that was the Earth Guild's symbol.
Same as the one on Excel from the tournament, and Fergus from the fire festival.
Why was a woman from Earth Guild buying these statues?
'She's from Earth too, huh?'
She wore the guild crest but hid her face, so I couldn't see it—which bugged me. But her shocked reactions to the first statue, 'David,' and 'Statue of Liberty' screamed Earthling.
"Yes! This beautiful blue statue goes to bidder 44! A true lover of art!"
Whatever. Earthling or not, she's my moneybags right now. Thanks to her, I made a killing.
I had no idea why she was so set on those statues... homesickness? Or something else? Didn't matter. Once auctioned, they were out of my hands.
'They said I'd get paid after the auction ends. Moving on.'
Suppressing the urge to whistle, I eyed the next item eagerly.
"Next up: 'Blue Serpent Frog Poison Sac'! It carries deadly venom, but properly refined, it's key to mana-boosting elixirs! Starting at 10 gold..."
"10 gold."
"Yes! Bidder 11 bids 10 gold!"
For reference, bidder 11 is me.
'Was gonna buy elixirs anyway.'
Poison and medicine are separated by a fine line. Here, elixir ingredients included famous stuff like World Tree dew or century-old ginseng, but dungeon herbs and monster byproducts were way more common.
And those soaked up the labyrinth's dangerous mana, so they were usually toxic or cursed.
Removing the poison while keeping the effects was tricky, and skilled alchemists charged a fortune. Elixirs were pricey as a result...
'That's why? Raw materials are cheap. Especially the poisonous ones.'
Poison means nothing to me. Hell, it's a plus. So I bid on low-value toxic materials coming up. Might even be better than buying finished elixirs.
"Yes! Bidder 11 wins at 18 gold!"
"Hmm... buying only that stuff. Alchemist?"
"Could be a simple errand runner?"
But keep snagging the same type, and eyes started turning my way.
'Enough materials.'
No unwanted attention, and I needed to save gold. Items were getting pricier anyway. Perfect stopping point. Still snagged one elixir though.
"Now, next: 'Greatsword of the Death Knight'! An artifact with projectile defense magic, plus curse aura on the blade!"
'Mine.'
How much would it go for? Miranda swore it'd top 100 gold. Hope she's right.
My sales: Three statues, total 65 gold. Death Knight's greatsword, 180 gold. Profit: 245 gold.
Purchases: Materials, 100 gold. Decent elixir, 510 gold. Expenses: 610 gold.
And the big one: skill stone.
"The [Necromancy] skill stone goes to the bidder at 2,400 gold."
"........."
2,400 gold. That's over two platinum coins—two platinum plus 400 gold left. They take 5% commission, but still a huge win.
'Holy shit.'
First time holding this much cash. Enough for five top-shelf elixirs.
'What's next, then?'
Labyrinth auctions save the highlight for last, right? Most valuable at the end. Mine was second-last, so something rarer.
Gear? Supreme elixir? Elixir? Rarer skill stone?
Not just me—every guest stared at center stage, buzzing with anticipation.
"We're nearing the end of today's auction. Just one item left..."
The auctioneer dragged it out, building hype. As impatience peaked, the central platform sank, then rose slowly from below with something new.
'That...'
A transparent case held it securely. Nothing like I'd guessed. Instinct kicked in—I triggered [Appraisal].
[Appraisal] failed!
Attempted [Appraisal] on an item of absurdly high rank. [Appraisal]'s level has risen to 6!
'What?'
How does failing [Appraisal] level it up from 5 to 6? That thing just looks like...
'A scale?'
...some kind of scale.
"...My god. No way... dragon?"
One dazed spectator muttered it first—a word so familiar, yet unheard since arriving in this world.
'...What? Dragon.'
Dragons. Common in Western folktales and fiction. Always depicted as insanely powerful.
But since coming here, I'd never heard of them existing...
"Dragon? Isn't that from kids' fairy tales?"
"Dunno. Rumor has it the Sword Saint's blade was forged from dragon scales..."
The crowd buzzed, debating the unfamiliar term.
"Yes! Sharp eyes already! This is an incredibly rare item, even for us—the scale of the legendary dragon from myth!"
"...Hmm..."
The auctioneer hyped it loudly, but the dragon claim got lukewarm response. Anticipating that, he grinned and added,
"For the record, our auction house owner vouches for its authenticity."
"!!!!!"
The auction house owner. An unignorable name. Skeptical faces flipped to greed. Everyone started calculating the scale's worth.
"Then... starting at 1,000 gold, in 100-gold increments."
No more needed. The auctioneer stepped back.
"...2,000 gold!"
"Damn it, buy first, ask later! 3,000 gold!"
"Kuhaha! Dragon! Perfect for my gear! 4,000 gold!"
The place erupted into chaos.
The dragon scale sold for a whopping 12,000 gold.
'12,000...'
Thrilled over 2,400 from the skill stone, then something sells for five times that. Kinda...
Dragons piqued my interest, but not something I'd buy. Shrugging it off...
"Total 2,625 gold minus 5% commission: 2,493 gold 75 silver."
After the auction, I collected the heavy pouch in a private room. Felt like owning the world. But the staff dropped an unexpected line.
"Um... the buyer of your items wishes to meet the seller..."
'Hm.'
Right, sometimes winners request meetings.
"From the skill stone buyer?"
"Yes, but... also the statue buyer wants to meet you."
"Huh?"
The statue buyer... that Earth Guild woman?
'Why me?'