Chapter 345: The Great Powers of the Upper Floors (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 345: The Great Powers of the Upper Floors (3)
"Ooh."
"Indeed..."
"It's even better than I expected."
"Was that already completed?"
Exclamations of admiration erupted from all directions.
A girl with blue hair stood where everyone's gaze converged.
She had a slender frame and vacant, unfocused eyes.
In stark contrast, thick golden chains tightly bound her arms and legs.
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.
She was the highlight of this auction, a key card that would play a pivotal role in the future power struggles among the deities.
The masterpiece of the alchemists, hailed as their ultimate creation—the 'Homunculus'.
Devoid of emotion, she possessed no hesitation when it came to taking lives. On top of that, her basic combat capabilities were exceptionally high.
In fact, the Homunculus would play a fairly significant role in the mid-to-late stages of the Tower of Trials.
'And that girl is the very first creation.'
Codename: Alpha.
Unlike most manufactured goods that improve over time with newer models, the earlier a Homunculus was created, the higher its quality.
This was because the Philosopher's Stone, the core ingredient in creating a Homunculus, was used in the greatest abundance for the early models.
"Fufu. As expected, everyone is highly enthusiastic! However, as you all know, this auction item cannot be won simply by having a lot of money."
Right. Of course.
If this were a problem that could be solved by throwing money at it, the deities would have simply sent their proxies to hand out blank checks.
After all, filthy rich bastards with nothing but coins and magic stones to their names were a dime a dozen.
Above all, the entity hosting this auction had little interest in things like coins or magic stones.
Sensing the crowd's undivided attention, the host continued.
"Placing a bid is merely the minimum requirement. To win the auction, you must be chosen by the Homunculus here. Ah! Being chosen isn't anything grand; you simply have to make her kneel. A Homunculus only recognizes the strong as her master."
In short, they had to force that emotionless doll to submit of her own accord.
Right then.
"Amusing."
A massive man sitting among the deities stood up.
Thud!
The entire venue shook just from him standing up.
He possessed bursting muscles and hands larger than a tiger's paw.
It was Heracles, hailed as Greece's strongest hero.
Boom!
Heracles kicked off the ground and leaped into the center of the auction hall in a single bound.
Despite his massive build, his movements were as nimble as a squirrel's.
"So this brat is supposed to become a weapon of war that will surpass the Titans in the future? Hmph. Even looking at her, I find it hard to believe."
Grab!
Heracles's massive hand clamped down on the Homunculus's head.
"Recognize me as your master. Refuse, and I will crush your skull."
"..."
Though her blue hair was roughly disheveled, the Homunculus still did not budge.
To begin with, the emotion of fear did not exist within her eyes.
"I'm afraid that won't work, Lord Heracles. You cannot win her recognition."
"Are you implying that I lack the qualifications?"
"No, it's just..."
The host shrugged.
"A Homunculus does not recognize deities as masters. It would be the same no matter which deity stepped forward, not just you."
She was a creation of the alchemists, forged using the Philosopher's Stone.
Therefore, the magical power of a deity was utterly useless against her.
"That is why... all the deities have brought their own 'Apostles'."
Apostles were proxies.
They were those who received the blessings and magical power of the deities to carry out their will.
Rustle.
Shove.
As if they had been waiting for this moment, Apostles began to stand up here and there.
And then, Olympus was the first to move, as if to take over from Heracles.
"Medesus. So you were the Apostle Hermes brought along?"
"Yes. I heard about the Homunculus from him."
"Can you do it? You only get one chance."
"Of course. I will make sure to bring that Homunculus back for the sake of Olympus."
Standing 190 centimeters tall with a solid, muscular build, Medesus, whose brown hair fell to his shoulders, drew his sword.
Shring!
As the sword's gleam scattered, the free-flowing magical power characteristic of Greece surged forth.
"Hmph. Very well. I shall place my trust in you."
Heracles nodded and took a step back.
Medesus glanced at the host.
"If the condition for submission is making her kneel, what are the limits on the methods we can use?"
"You may attack her, or you may use other means. However, killing her is strictly forbidden. This is, after all, a test of qualifications."
"It won't even come to that."
Swish!
Medesus's sword vanished.
It was a strike packed with both weight and speed, as if intending to sever her legs entirely.
However.
Clang!
The Homunculus, who hadn't budged until now, moved for the first time.
Before anyone knew it, the one-meter-long short spear in her hands spun in a circle like a pinwheel.
At the same time, the Homunculus leaped backward off the platform, attempting to buy a moment to breathe.
"Cheap tricks!"
Medesus immediately closed the distance.
With a massive stride forward of his right foot, the gap between them shrank to less than thirty centimeters.
Clash! Clash! Clash!
In an instant, dozens of blows were exchanged.
It was a flurry of sword strikes that caught her off guard, so fast that it was difficult for anyone to even react.
Yet.
"This can't be... How?"
As time passed, Medesus's expression gradually darkened.
Clearly, he was the one unleashing a storm of attacks, while his opponent was barely managing to block them.
And yet, for some reason, the precarious balance showed no signs of breaking.
Boom!
A vertically descending strike stopped just above the Homunculus's forehead.
Blocked once again.
He was superior in both strength and technique, yet he lacked that decisive, finishing blow.
"Ugh!"
"..."
Having blocked the strike with her short spear held horizontally, the Homunculus once again slipped out of Medesus's range.
"Stop running and fight me!"
Going any further than this would mean he was trying to kill her, not test her.
However, there were too many eyes watching for him to tuck his tail and run.
Leaving aside the furious Heracles, he couldn't allow the prestige of Olympus to be dragged through the mud in a place where so many factions had gathered.
If they couldn't have her, he would rather kill her so that no one else could.
In that case...
A blue aura enveloped Medesus's arm.
Hummmmm!
A fierce light intensified its momentum.
He intended to end this in a single blow using his Unique Sacred Chant.
[Medesus activates the Unique Sacred Chant, 'Unmeshed Rift'!]
"I clearly said no killing...!"
The host stepped forward at this sudden turn of events.
However, Medesus's attack was a beat faster.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
It was a space-severing type attack.
The superheated air still clung to the path where the sword had passed.
It was proof of just how incredibly fast the attack had been executed.
And yet.
Sssss!
The Homunculus survived even that attack.
Perhaps she had deflected its trajectory with her short spear, as the long sword gouges on the ground around where she stood were subtly warped.
"What on earth are you? For a mere doll..."
Medesus muttered in a hollow voice.
He had never imagined she would block even that.
"That is enough. If you go any further, we may have to permanently ban the members of Olympus from our auction house."
Only after the host issued this stern warning did the heated atmosphere finally cool down.
Of course, the minds of the deities who had watched the clash began to fill with entirely different thoughts.
"This is... truly remarkable."
"To think she could block an attack even when an Apostle of Olympus activated his Unique Sacred Chant."
"The First Homunculus... I want her even more now."
A weapon of war that was on par with—no, perhaps even superior to—a high-ranking Apostle.
For the sake of the power struggles on the upper floors, they had to obtain her at all costs.
That was the shared thought of everyone gathered here.
"Those foolish Greeks have reached their limit. This is the kind of pathetic display you get when you take in some mediocre resident from the late 20s floors as an Apostle. The Demon World will prove that we are the ones truly worthy of possessing her."
Guntaper burst into a mad laugh.
"Cantura!"
At Guntaper's command, an old man draped in black rags appeared.
A demon residing in the late 30s floors.
His scrawny build, topped with two short horns, was quite striking.
"Keke. I admit she's a bit fast, but she's no match for me anyway. I'll finish this in under a minute."
Once the minimum bid was paid, Cantura drew a pair of scimitars.
Tap!
With a soft sound of brushing against the ground, Cantura dashed forward.
Whoosh!
His speed was almost akin to teleportation.
While Medesus had relied on superior strength and technique earlier, Cantura targeted her blind spots with movements specialized in assassination.
"..."
The Homunculus met his surprise attack with her usual expressionless face.
Clang!
Clang!
Once. Twice. And then thrice...
Once again, the battle began to drag on.
* * *
Already, seven had tried.
The Apostles of the deities challenged her one after another, but every single one of them failed to make the Homunculus kneel.
Even considering that the absolute top-tier Apostles couldn't make it due to the wars raging across the various floors, this was an absurd result.
"At this rate..."
"She's like a fruit hanging on the far side of a river."
"I never expected even the Apostle of Eden to lose. She truly is an incredible masterpiece."
Awe for the Homunculus spilled from everyone's lips.
Of course, it was tinged with the bitter aftertaste of knowing they couldn't obtain her.
'Hmm... As expected, I suppose.'
The host stroked her chin with her small hand.
The Homunculus, the highlight of this auction, was an item that could not be won simply by trying to overpower her with brute force.
If only they had thought a bit more deeply about the 'Philosopher's Stone', alchemy, and her nature as the first of her kind...
If they had, she thought at least one faction would have figured out how to clear this trial...
But it seemed there was no faction capable of winning the bid.
'I guess this is the end.'
The host raised her hand to announce the conclusion of the auction.
But right then.
Someone stepped forward.
It was Jinhyuk.
Having closely observed the situation while preparing something, Jinhyuk finally made his move.
Hummmmm!
His subspace inventory opened, and an item to be paid as the entry fee emerged.
"Ha! I wondered what it was, and it's just a bracelet? With such a mediocre treasure..."
Guntaper, who had been scoffing, suddenly froze.
It was no ordinary bracelet.
An ancient kingdom buried and lost beneath the sands.
It was a high-grade relic that could only be obtained from that very place.
The one who possessed this should have been... the former head of the Ataraxia family.
He didn't know why it was here, but one thing was certain: it was more than enough to meet the minimum bid for the auction.
Grip.
Jinhyuk held Fang.
It appeared he intended to subdue the Homunculus through combat, just as the Apostles had done before him.
'I thought he might be a bit different... but this man is just the same.'
The host dismissed the brief glimmer of hope she had harbored.
Every single one of them.
Seeing how he drew his weapon first, the outcome was already obvious.
However, her disappointment was short-lived.
'Oh?'
The host's mouth parted slightly.
Her cute rabbit ears twitched repeatedly.
A sweet scent wafted toward the tip of her nose.
There was no mistake.
The Philosopher's Stone.
To be precise, he had melted down an imitation replica of the Philosopher's Stone... and sprinkled it over his own body.
"...?!"
The Homunculus's blue eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
And with that, it began.