novelraw Chapter 87 : Onboard Auction House (1)
Chapter 87 : Onboard Auction House (1)
Chapter 87: Onboard Auction House (1)
“……!”
Kim Geunsik’s eyebrows twitched when he saw Kang Yohan.
But only for a moment.
If he openly acted familiar here, his cover would be blown.
The proper approach was to keep a reasonable distance and act wary.
“We meet often.”
Cain Belmaier slightly bowed his head as he looked at Kang Yohan.
“Yeah. It’s about time we stopped running into each other. Let’s make sure only one of us gets off this ship.”
“Haha. Personally, I’d like to see you for a long, long time, Mr. Yohan. Ah, by the way—did you collect all the rewards you got in Daejeon? We went through quite a bit of trouble ourselves, but we couldn’t get anything, so it left a bad taste in our mouths.”
He subtly probed about the trait obtained from Gluttony.
‘As expected, he has a Trait Plunderer.’
[Infinite Greed].
He must be aiming for that black fruit that pursued endless gluttony and growth.
And he was undoubtedly waiting for the chance to feed the stolen trait to the Saintess.
But too bad.
That one hadn’t been absorbed yet—only stored.
‘Trait Plunderers can only steal traits that have been absorbed within the last week.’
[Flame] had already passed that window.
And [Blood Vessel] was a vampire-exclusive trait synchronized with the body, so it couldn’t be stolen.
In other words, if he used it now, he’d just waste a valuable item.
“I’ve been using them very well. Every single one is useful.”
“Hmm. I see.”
Cain nodded with a meaningful expression.
It didn’t seem like he intended to use the Trait Plunderer just yet.
Well, he’d probably wait until he was more certain.
He wasn’t a fool, after all.
As the brief exchange ended, an administrator with the appearance of a fluffy sheep mixed with a human woman appeared.
“Huh? There aren’t that many participants? Did they all die?”
Mid-level Administrator ‘Zarfel’ tilted her head as she looked at the gathered people in the auction house.
“Haha. It was quite a fierce situation, wasn’t it? Even when the great Administrator grants an opportunity, those who can’t seize it should be left behind. Shall we begin with those who made it here?”
“Oh? At least there’s one human with some sense. Alright. Let’s begin right away!”
Zarfel giggled and clapped her hooves together.
KUUUUNG!
An enormous number of items appeared, filling the entire hall.
Weapons and armor displayed in luxurious showcases, along with all kinds of accessories and consumables.
“Wow. Mr. Yohan, look at that. That necklace looks so pretty. It would suit someone as noble as me, don’t you think?”
“Hmm. I like that heart-shaped pendant over there… It’s even beating like a real heart.”
As expected of emotionally rich women.
Scarlett de Juliard and Park Yeri were busy looking around with sparkling eyes.
Well… one of them had a rather strange reason, though.
‘As expected….’
Kang Yohan licked his lips.
What made this cruise auction house special wasn’t simply the large number of items.
0.01%.
Out of approximately 120,000 items, only 12 belonged to Episode (20).
And this was one of the few chances to obtain them.
[Each participant may bid on only one item, and the minimum bid will be set at the discretion of Administrator ‘Zarfel’.]
[After 30 minutes, the participant with the highest bid will obtain ownership of the item.]
‘Me, Scarlett, and Park Yeri.’
A total of three chances.
‘Let’s see. First, the one I need to secure….’
Kang Yohan immediately placed a bid on one item.
[Gem of Dawn: Minimum bid 30]
‘Total bullets on hand: 153.’
He didn’t know how many Bio Rubies and accessories the Requiem Cult had gathered…
But since their desired items didn’t overlap, it shouldn’t matter much.
But then—
[Cain Belmaier has placed a bid of 31.]
A competitor appeared.
And one with an extremely irritating face at that.
“Weren’t we supposed to each take what we wanted? I recall something about getting along nicely for a long time.”
“Haha. This is something we need as well. We’re not trying to interfere.”
What a load of nonsense.
Since when did the Requiem Cult need the Gem of Dawn?
So—he was picking a fight?
Kang Yohan immediately moved toward an item in a black display case.
[You have placed a bid of 50 on ‘Bones of the Burning Ram’.]
Through Riley, he had already heard what they were after.
For now, let’s confirm it.
* Kim Geunsik.
A reliable spy had already been planted on their side.
* Yes. Go ahead.
* Do you know how much capital the Cult has?
* 25 Bio Rubies. 2,053 accessories. Total 2,078.
* 2,078…
Just how one-sided had the slaughter in the panic room been?
Even the Bio Rubies obtained from hunting Armored Crabs only amounted to 25.
But there was a bigger issue.
‘Cain revealed the balance to Kim Geunsik?’
He had hoped for an answer like “I don’t know.”
It made no sense for anyone other than Cain to know their capital—the core of this auction.
Yet Kim Geunsik knew internal information…
Which meant—
They had figured it out.
That Kim Geunsik was a spy sent by them.
Sss…
This just got a lot harder.
“Bidding on the Bones of the Burning Ram… Hmm. That doesn’t seem like a coincidence.”
Cain clicked his tongue as he looked at Kang Yohan.
Then he made a suggestion.
“It looks like this will end up hurting both sides… What do you say? Shall we do what we did the first time we met?”
“You mean use the Smile Badge?”
“Just thinking about that time keeps me up at night.”
“I don’t know… You’ll regret it. What if your insomnia gets worse after losing again?”
“Haha. I’ll take that as agreement. The winner takes all accessories and Bio Rubies.”
Cain took out a familiar badge.
The very same ‘Smile Badge’ used on the Yokai Train to Daejeon.
A trait that distorted only when striking the opponent’s weak point.
This time, too, the key was how shocking the revealed information would be.
‘Just as expected.’
He knew Cain would make this proposal.
Tap.
A pink badge was placed down.
[Pink Smile Badge]
Description: If you strike your opponent’s weak point or say something they would find intriguing, the smile changes shape.
Uses: 5
“I won last time, so I’ll let you go first.”
“I won’t refuse. Now then… let’s see.”
Cain scratched his chin, thinking for a moment.
“Ah! This will do. I know that you haven’t yet absorbed the trait you obtained from Gluttony, Mr. Yohan.”
Twitch.
The Pink Smile Badge wriggled.
And at his next words—
“The reason is because of the Trait Plunderer I possess.”
The Pink Smile Badge visibly distorted.
“Not a bad start.”
Cain smiled in satisfaction.
‘Well, would you look at that?’
Not only had he read the move, but he even revealed his own hand.
There was no way it was just to recover some petty pride.
He was hiding something bigger.
That one stung.
Then—
It was his turn.
“There are some pretty troublesome guys here. They’re strong enough to deal a critical blow to your side too.”
“You mean the Heavenly Demon Cult?”
Cain answered immediately.
Of course, the Pink Smile Badge showed no change.
“…Yeah.”
Kang Yohan smacked his lips bitterly, acknowledging the 0 wins, 1 loss.
This wasn’t going to be easy.
As the turn shifted, Cain spoke leisurely.
“Since we’re on the topic of the Heavenly Demon Cult, I know who wiped out Running Rabbit. And I also know that one of their two Guardians has been sent into the Empire.”
“……!?”
One of the two Guardians?
Damn it—had even someone of that level moved?
‘Left Guardian or Right Guardian.’
Depending on which one it was, the strategy would completely change.
The question surged up to his throat.
[The Pink Smile Badge distorts.]
“That makes two wins. Haha.”
Cain pulled out a strawberry-flavored lollipop and put it in his mouth.
He was certain.
Certain of his victory.
“Hmm. Two losses. This is a crisis. A really big one. So big my hands are trembling and my eyes are welling up.”
“What’s with that tone? If you think you can turn this around—”
A mistake?
Well, you’ve prepared quite a bit, but…
“You picked the wrong opponent.”
In truth, it didn’t matter how many rounds Cain won.
The real winner of this bet wasn’t determined by how many times the Smile Badge distorted.
He had given up the first move from the start to extract as much information as possible.
The key was when to release information that could shake the entire board.
As if to prove that—
RUMBLE!
A massive surge of ominous magical power could be felt in the distance.
The time had come.
“I heard an interesting revelation. You probably heard it too through your Scribe. That something is approaching this place.”
“I’ve heard there may be an interference, but it won’t become a variable. You may not know, but the Hunters coming with the rescue team are quite strong.”
Currently, Mage Union’s S-rank Ashvalt and a large strike force had been dispatched.
Additionally, the Requiem Cult had sent Sacred Relics and Black Knights.
Breaking through that encirclement would be nearly impossible.
[The Sacred Relic ‘Hell Spider Web’ is active.]
A large-scale weapon imbued with a binding curse.
One of the Sacred Relics of the Demon King ‘Dantalion’, this web couldn’t be easily broken even by a Mid-level Administrator.
But—
“No. Even if the Demon King himself manifested, it wouldn’t stop it. It’s a complete monster.”
“You’re spouting nonsense again…”
“Is it nonsense?”
Kang Yohan crossed his arms leisurely.
His face was filled with certainty—too much to dismiss as bluffing.
“…Check.”
Cain spoke to the priest beside him.
Then—
“……C-Cain.”
The priest using communication magic had turned pale.
“Skip the buildup. Just tell me.”
“All rescue ships have sunk. And we’ve lost contact with our Cult’s Sacred Relics and Black Knights as well. Most likely….”
They were all annihilated.
Even the escort unit equipped with Sacred Relics boasting absolute defense.
“…….”
A suffocating silence filled the hall.
The Sacred Relics hadn’t worked.
If that monster had arrived here, their survival rate approached zero.
“It seems the situation is more serious than expected. So… what are you trying to say? That since you warned us in advance, you’ve won the bet?”
As if.
If that were all, he wouldn’t have even brought it up.
Kang Yohan took out the paper he had prepared earlier.
And dropped it in front of Cain.
It fluttered as it fell, making the text unreadable.
“I know the name and abilities of the one coming here.”
Kang Yohan spoke slowly.
“……!?”
Cain’s pupils shook violently.
The Smile Badge distorted.
Which meant—
This was absolutely not a lie.
If it were, the Smile Badge wouldn’t have reacted.
“Wait… don’t tell me. You already knew who was coming?”
Cain asked, but Kang Yohan ignored him and continued.
“And I also know how to survive and escape from here.”
Right then—
Tap.
The paper stopped falling, revealing its contents.
[Prophecy: Light and darkness shall question one another over the badge, so beware. If the ninety-eighth Abyss, ‘Gramong Dukenheim’, arrives, there is only one who can show the path to survival. (1)]
A prophecy that had predicted this very situation.
Crack.
“Kyaaaaak!”
The surface of the Smile Badge split and shattered in half.