Chapter 137
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: Auction House (4)
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If it was Participant 2, they had to be the one currently locked in a bidding war with me over the unicorn. And that bastard had just sent me a message telling me to withdraw my bids.
[Participant 2: Seeing you're trying to buy a monster, you must not be from the northern demon tribe. All superior-grade or higher monsters are being bought up wholesale by the north, so give up your bids.]
Not only were the monsters they'd already purchased off-limits, but this guy was brazenly provoking me to back off from bidding on any superior-grade or higher monsters at auction, claiming they all had to be bought through their northern affiliation.
I didn't bother replying to that nonsense and just raised my bid in response.
"Oh! Participant 66 has bid 300,000 gold!"
The amount I called out was a whopping 300,000 gold. Considering that sum could buy over a hundred mid-grade monsters, it might seem like overkill, but the moment I laid eyes on that unicorn, I'd decided it was mine no matter what.
Whatever nonsense that northern blowhard was spouting wasn't my concern.
"Ahh! And right as I speak, Participant 2 counters with 310,000 gold...!"
[Participant 2: I'm not telling you to give up bidding blindly. If you're a Dungeon Master, you must know the situation up north. Promise to withdraw, and once things stabilize there, I'll send you a superior-grade monster for free.]
'Ho?'
Right as Participant 2 upped the bid even higher, a negotiation proposal came flying in from them. I'd figured their initial demand to back off was leading to some threat, but surprisingly, they laid out their own situation first and even offered to send me a superior-grade monster later just for dropping the bid—no purchase required.
[Participant 2: Participating in the monster auction means you need monsters. The north will stabilize soon anyway. And since the auction's already been reopened once, a Dungeon Merchant will hold a new one before long. It's not a bad deal for you.]
They even tried to sweeten it by saying a Dungeon Merchant would hold another auction soon anyway, so I'd have another shot. It was a more reasonable pitch than I'd expected, and it tempted me a bit, but I ignored it and called out an even higher amount.
"Participant 66 bids 330,000 gold! Ahh... the competition is heating up!"
Follow if you can. I'd gathered this cash to buy other monsters but hadn't spent it properly, so I had plenty left. Right now, I had about 550,000 gold—not an insane amount, but enough to jump into the bidding war. Plus, unicorns were on the cheaper side among top-grade monsters due to their nature.
There was no guarantee their offer was legit anyway. Even if it was, delivering a monster would mean exposing my identity and location— no way I'd agree to that. And honestly, I was drooling over that unicorn.
'What now?'
Truth be told, if they had deeper pockets and kept pushing, I'd probably lose out on capital. They'd been snapping up monsters without hesitation, so their funds seemed substantial.
But the moment Kench mentioned the 'highlight item,' they messaged me—meaning they wanted to save cash for it. I already knew about the highlight item and didn't need to hold back, putting me in a strong position.
[An invitation request has arrived from Participant 2. Accept?]
'...Huh?'
Then Participant 2 made an unexpected move: inviting me to their location.
Neat feature, but...
'Why the hell would I?'
[You have declined.]
Meeting the guy who'd been yapping at me to drop out wouldn't end well. Why bother? This sudden meetup pitch was either to convince me properly or threaten me—either way, just ignore it.
-DRRRRUMBLE!!!-
"...What the?"
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The being tagged as Participant 2 in the auction house—Dragon King Radon—sent an invitation to Participant 66, his competitor for the unicorn, with a mix of intrigue, faint anger, and arrogance.
'Insolent fool. He must have inferred my identity, yet he acts so brazenly?'
A single-digit participant number like 2. Immense wealth scooping up every monster. And the 'north' affiliation he'd openly revealed in direct messages.
If the opponent had any brains, they'd realize Participant 2 was none other than Radon himself, ruler of the north. At first, other participants who'd nibbled at bids on various monsters had caught on to his identity and wisely backed off. But this Participant 66 had the gall to challenge him on a monster he'd marked.
And they ignored his reasonable proposal—made with due respect to the Dungeon Merchant and basic courtesy to fellow Dungeon Masters—and kept bidding without reply...
'Does he trust the auction house rules?'
That would make him even more insignificant. Even demons who'd been Dungeon Masters for ages, participating in multiple auctions, never dared challenge him relying on those flimsy rules.
Coming out so boldly despite knowing his identity meant one of two things: a heavyweight unfazed by his reputation, or a clueless newbie unaware what a 'Dragon King' could do in an auction house.
Either way, Radon, hegemon of the north, had extended a courteous, rational offer—only for it to be haughtily rejected. He wanted to see that fool's face.
"[Come to me.]"
The moment his personally sent invitation was rejected as expected, Radon unleashed a signature ability of the half-dragon tribe—a divine authority.
Dragon Word.
It was a power wielded only by those born of the great dragon's bloodline, where words themselves engraved laws upon the world. This authority manifested, forcibly intervening in the laws etched into this illusory realm.
'How many auctions do you think I've attended?'
Over centuries of life, he'd joined over a hundred auctions. Naturally, he'd studied this mystical 'auction house' space crafted by countless Dungeon Merchants across those years.
Of course, even his wisdom couldn't fully pierce the impenetrable fortress that was this realm created by enigmatic Dungeon Merchants. His analysis fell short—but with the power of Dragon Word, he could twist the rules somewhat.
'Forced invitation.'
Illusory or not, dream demons were extinct in this era. Magic was the primary pillar upholding this world. And magic? The half-dragon's Dragon Word could interfere with it freely.
-DRRRRUMBLE...!!!-
The instant a Dragon Word escaped Radon's lips, the rules upholding this world—this auction house—began to warp partially. The opponent's status, which had clearly 'declined,' was forcibly overridden.
The space before him distorted, dragging the insolent fool who'd rejected his offer straight here.
What to do first? Dragon Word or not, peeling away the illusion would be tough, so pressure the bastard into spilling his identity himself... Hm?
'...Why hasn't he appeared?'
Radon, who'd been gleefully pondering what to do once the fool showed, grew uncharacteristically flustered as no one emerged from the warped space despite waiting. Soon, the Dragon Word's effect fully faded, and the world's rules snapped back to normal.
"...Ha!!"
Realizing why, Radon muttered in disbelief.
"...He resisted? My Dragon Word? The very rules of this space, twisted by my force?"
Impossible. To do that, one would need control over this world itself or an innate existence on a level that could defy Dragon Word.
The former was nonsense. This realm was a complex weave of magic and dream demon miasma. Even if Dungeon Merchants held sway, lacking dream demon nature themselves, their control couldn't be absolute.
That left the latter... A being of caliber to resist Dragon Word.
"...This is interesting. An opponent with at least my level of existence..."
To pull that off, they'd need to be a master of another demon realm. The western giant wouldn't bother buying monsters. The eastern empress had no interest in auctions...
'Could it be...?'
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"Mm... It didn't feel like one of my kin..."
"Lilith? What was that just now?"
"Huh? Nothing... Hehe..."
Lilith clung back to her puzzled master. Whatever it was, scary Erzsebet had been low-energy lately, so this was her chance to monopolize Eugene. No need to fuss over trivia.
Just now, something like this space's illusion—the power of dreams—had tried intervening toward her master... Probably nothing.
As long as this was a dream demon miasma-based illusory space, no one here could surpass her power.
"What the hell? He stops bidding after I reject the invite... Score!"
Thanks to that, I snagged the unicorn for 330,000 gold. Even knowing the highlight item was next, I hadn't expected the competition to drop off like this...
'Hm. Because of Participant 2?'
My guess was that Participant 2 was the Dragon King or whatever ruling the north... But they wouldn't track me down and cause trouble just from my number 66, right?
Better safe than sorry—once I picked up the unicorn later, I'd keep sightings under wraps.
"Alright! Next up... Don't be shocked. Traces of a mythic-era race thought extinct have reappeared! Behold...!"
Now, time to watch how much my item fetches.
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"Whine. Whiiiine."
'Taking that woman instead of me... Does he prefer the smaller one?'
While Eugene was away, in the underground lake of the ruins.
Aqua, sulking in unintelligible grumbles that no one else could understand, was diligently cleaning the lake bottom.
She liked clear, pristine water anyway, and the male she fancied seemed to love cleaning too.
It'd normally be tough work, but the strange tool he'd given her made sucking up the lakebed filth a breeze.
"Whine?"
While using the [Underwater Cleaner] to hoover up muck, something suddenly snagged.
"Whiiiine?"
'Why won't this go in?'
The [Underwater Cleaner] had been gobbling debris effortlessly, but it couldn't suck up this odd black lump on the lakebed.
Finally giving up, Aqua set the cleaner aside and lifted the lump by hand.
"Whine?"
'Looks just like a slime.'
Surprised at how easily it came free, she eyed the black mass curiously before tossing it onto the lakeshore. She could ask the kid to burn it later or feed it to that weird golem.