novelThe Dungeon Market's Auction House
| ← Ch.096 | Ch.098 → |
The night sky of the demon world was overwhelming in a different sense than the daytime.
There wasn't a dazzling harmony of brilliant colors.
Instead a heavy blue, close to black, covered the sky. The darkness looked as if it was made to be cold and heavy. The horizon couldn't be distinguished, as the darkness melted from the heavens to the earth.
Starlight cascaded down. And beyond, the white moon shone.
The moon was brighter in the dark.
However, it never pushed the darkness away. The moonlight was in harmony with the darkness, as it conveyed warmth in the coolness of the dark.
And now they stood under such moonlight.
Yong-Ho now understood what it was like to be 'breathless', even though it was just for a moment.
Sitri was beautiful enough to disturb someone's mind, even if they had a clear mindset. It seemed that Sitri knew this and purposely cultivated her own beauty. Moreover, she now stood under the dazzling moonlight.
Catalina wasn't that much different from Yong-Ho. The fact that she was a woman didn't matter.
Sitri smiled gently as she met them. Her naturally flowing white dress was reminiscent of a Moon Goddess.
Time froze.
There was power in Sitri's beauty.
However, there was one that kept calm even amidst the still time. There was one who was not dazzled by the beauty of Sitri, but merely looked calmly at it.
'Aamon. '
Sitri spoke with her eyes.
Aamon didn't respond. His body was currently in the form of a bracelet on Yong-Ho's right arm.
Mammon's twelve spirits each had different feelings for Sitri.
For Elune, the one who cuts the night, it was a love-hate relationship.
For Gusion, the strong, it was resentment.
And for Aamon, the Red Lotus Demon Lance, it was sympathy. His feelings were a mix of fondness and sadness.
Sitri still had a small smile, but it was cracked. Some of her deepest feelings, hidden within her heart, were revealed.
However, her emotions only wavered ever so slightly. Sitri's beauty was like the moonlight which conveniently covered her emotions, which in comparison were like fireflies.
"My dearest customer, it's time for our appointment."
Her voice was gentle. Her red hair was slightly raised, so the curve of her white neck was clearly revealed.
Yong-Ho took a deep breath. He lightly held the stunned Catalina's frozen hand, and gave her a smile. He then gently pulled her hand and headed towards Sitri.
Sitri looked at Yong-Ho and Catalina with a warm expression. As they walked closer, she bowed gracefully and then waved her hand. She pulled two masks out of thin air and held them out to Yong-Ho and Catalina.
"This is an anonymous auction. You don't have to wear it right now, but you'll have to wear it once you enter the venue."
Yong-Ho's mask was just a plain white mask with no shape or pattern, like the one from the 'Phantom of the Opera'. It was cut off at the lower half, beneath the nose, exposing the mouth and chin.
The mask that Catalina received also exposed the lower part of her nose, but it was rather colorful and looked like a butterfly. With rainbow colors harmoniously blending in with the large black wings.
While Sitri was giving an explanation to Yong-Ho, other things were going on. The Dungeon Market courier, dressed in an all-white costume, delivered the package to Eligor.
After looking down at his mask for a moment, Yong-Ho looked back at Sitri. He was curious about Sitri's mask.
Yong-Ho didn't know where the auction was going to be held, how long it would take to get there or how he was going to get there. If Gusion hadn't told him that Sitri was 'Mammon's woman', then he would have never accompanied her, no matter how good their relationship was.
'if you thought about it... she's basically an old lady. '
It would be natural for someone to be stunned by that revelation, but it wasn't something that Yong-Ho would mention.
Yong-Ho smiled unknowingly, and Sitri tilted her head slightly in response.
"My dearest customer?"
"It's nothing."
He took a deep breath again. He remembered. Sitri wasn't the guardian of the House of Mammon. She had ignored the two previous owners, and didn't provide any decisive help to Kaiwan.
It was the same for Yong-Ho. She did show him favoritism, but only through slightly indirect help. Of course, if he thought about things such as the mana recovery potions given to him by Sitri, then it wasn't all small.
However, when he fought Foras or Agares, Sitri was just a bystander.
"Alright, let's get started. We have a long way to go."
Sitri took a step back. And clapped her hands while looking at Yong-Ho.
Catalina was the first to notice something strange in the sky as she widely opened her mouth. Yong-Ho also lightly exclaimed.
A carriage began to descend from the night sky, amidst the moonlight.
The white wagon was without a roof and looked incredibly beautiful, but Yong-Ho and Catalina saw something other than the wagon.
Dozens of cats running through the night sky.
What Sitri had prepared was a cat carriage.
***
Freya, the goddess of magic and beauty, from Northern European mythology, was said to have travelled through the night sky in a cat carriage to keep her promise with Odin. It was her mission to spread the seeds of chaos all over the world to create Einherjars, the warriors of the gods, for the last war.
The cat carriage raced through the night sky.
For Yong-Ho this was a completely new experience because he had never flown through the night sky with Salami.
Moonlight and Starlight.
Mana flowed through the blue darkness.
The wind slapped his cheeks. The cat carriage was faster than Salami The starlight turned from a point into a line, and then soon became indistinguishable from the darkness.
It wasn't physically fast.
The cat carriage seemed to leap through space. In an instance it seemed to magically leap over a vast distance.
When the starlight regained its shape, the cat carriage began its descent that seemed close to falling. The thrill, as if he was riding a roller coaster, caused his whole body to tighten up.
Fortunately, it didn't last long. When they landed on the ground, Sitri was the first one to step out of the cat carriage. Followed closely by Yong-Ho and Catalina.
As soon as the three of them got off, the surrounding landscape quickly transformed, while the cat carriage returned to the sky unnoticed. They had only taken a few steps before the place where they stood suddenly transformed from a white desert into a cozy wooden corridor.
Despite the reality in front of him, Yong-Ho felt like he was accessing the virtual space of the Dungeon Market.
Sitri took another few steps forward. She turned around in front of the door at the end of the hallway and faced Yong-Ho, while wearing her own mask. Unlike Yong-Ho and Catalina, her mask was in the shape of a lioness that covered her entire face.
"Beyond this door, is the auction house of the Dungeon Market, led by Samael, the 'Fastest Wings', one of the five directors of the Dungeon Market. Please put on your mask."
Yong-Ho put on his mask, which helped to calm his agitated mind and was a symbol of anonymity.
"My dearest customer, didn't I tell you that I would let you experience greater things?"
The lioness mask completely obscured Sitri's face. She grabbed the doorknob.
"Please, don't feel overwhelmed."
The door opened with a pleasing sound.
And then Yong-Ho realized.
The meaning of what Sitri said about experiencing greater things.
***
Beyond the door was a banquet hall for the giants.
The moment the door opened, the air changed. Unbearable weight suffocated his whole body.
It reflexively conjured up past memories.
When he had first met Aamon.
When Aamon and Gusion clashed with each other.
However, this was different. This was a completely different kind of pressure from that time.
It was like a whirlwind. Dozens of giant pools of mana collided and tangled together, creating a complex stream of mana.
Not just one, but several.
Forming a dense suffocating tightness.
There was no such absoluteness from Aamon.
However, the mana was indifferent. The streams of mana seemed to be tanged up at random.
Yong-Ho attempted to draw out his mana. He tried to resist the raging mana.
But, Sitri shook her head, as if to say not to do that.
For what reason. How come.
Yong-Ho clenched his teeth. And then he realized that Sitri was just standing there naturally. And so were the many people behind the door.
They didn't concentrate their mana. They just radiated it naturally. And their emanating mana tangled together created the current heaviness.
Ophelia had previously said that four horns indicated the strength of one of the pillars of the Southern Region.
However, if you talked about the whole demon world, then it was only enough to be slightly influential.
It was ridiculous to compare the number of demons in the Southern Region to the number of demons that existed throughout the entire demon world.
What kind of beings existed beyond his horizon?
How many horns do they have? How much power do they possess?
Yong-Ho didn't forcefully draw out his mana. He accepted the weight. He endured and took another deep breath.
Of course, it was still overwhelming.
But, he tried to get used to it. He was not afraid of the new world before him.
The real reason Sitri had brought Yong-Ho to the auction house.
Was this.
To remind him of the fact that skies exist beyond skies.
To show Yong-Ho what kind of world he would be venturing into in the future.
The significance of this auction was the attendance itself.
How much time has passed?
Having just barely regained his ability to look around, Yong-Ho heard harsh breathing coming from Catalina. The burden was heavy even for Yong-Ho, who had four horns. The weight felt by Catalina, who had three horns, was several times greater.
Catalina endured the pressure. It was thanks to Gusion. If she hadn't tasted Gusion overwhelming pressure in the arena, she would have likely passed out.
Yong-Ho grabbed Catalina's hand. Even in the midst of hardship, he shared his mana. Catalina's breath suddenly became calmer.
Sitri quietly looked at him. She then swept aside the magical curtain that obscured the beings beyond the door.
"Come this way. I'll show you to your seats."
Sitri did not protect Yong-Ho and Catalina, as Aamon had done. She took a turn and led them to their seats, while Yong-Ho followed behind alongside Catalina to keep her from falling behind.
The area beyond the door was magnificent. It reminded Yong-Ho of a grand ballroom scene seen in movies.
There was those who gathered together and chatted, while there were those who stood in secluded spots and quietly observed their surroundings.
Sitri walked slowly. Which allowed Yong-Ho to be able to take a look around.
Masks covered the faces of all of the participants. However, he knew that they were demons. The were many characteristics that could be used to identify an opponent, such as skin, body shape and unusual features.
However, Yong-Ho lacked any information in the first place. Instead of trying to forcibly identify clues, he could simply feel the participants and their natural aura.
A few minutes had now passed since they had walked through the door.
Yong-Ho realized that the mana that filled the banquet hall wasn't natural.
Most of the participants tightly controlled their mana.
Concealing the color and attributes of ones mana was one of the very basics. Even the mana that was exhaled with their breathing had been finely tuned.
'No, that's not it. '
It was clear to Yong-Ho that such coordination was almost entirely done at a subconscious level. Their level of mana control was unparalleled compared to the foes that Yong-Ho had encountered before. This was true for all of the participants.
When the door was first opened, an abnormal shock pierced Yong-Ho's back. It took his breath away. Instead of controlling his breathing, he tried to control his mana. It was impossible to do it like the other attendees right now, but he tried anyway.
He erased the color and attributes of his mana. However, he didn't forget to act in conjunction with Catalina's mana.
Yong-Ho felt like he was walking naked inside a storm. Sweat began to secrete from his hand that was holding Catalina's.
Time passed by extremely slowly.
A single moment seemed to split into dozens or hundreds of equal lengths.
And when he took a step forward, Yong-Ho suddenly turned his head.
It was an inexplicable impulse. Greed had guided his action, but it was different from usual.
At the end of his gaze, a large man came into view. The man was also looking at Yong-Ho, his face obscured with a terrifying ghost mask.
As soon as Yong-Ho turned his head their gazes instantly collided.
The slow passage of time suddenly came to a standstill.
The man was a considerable distance away, but it felt meaningless.
Why? What did Greed feel in that man?
"Dearest customer? This way."
Sitri's voice broke the frozen time. She didn't even look at the man. The moment Yong-Ho heard Sitri's voice, he was able to free himself from the man's gaze.
"Master."
Catalina spoke, and Yong-Ho squeezed her hand once again in response. He smiled at the bottom of his mask, and followed Sitri into the auction house.
He could still feel the man's gaze.
But Yong-Ho didn't look back.
***
"Master."
A woman in a parrot mask called to the man wearing the ghost mask in a quiet voice.
Instead of directly responding to the woman's call, the man in the ghost mask squinted his eyes. He was now picturing the small black-haired man, who was now out of sight.
He was so inexperienced that he even struggled with the air of the auction house.
But why?
It bothered him. It wasn't just a hunch.
"Master?"
"Nothing. Let's go."
The woman in the parrot mask looked perplexed at her master, but she soon regained her composure. She guided her master with a gentle gesture.
One of the six kings who ruled the demon world.
The King of Gluttony took a step forward.
***
"Ladies and gentlemen. Let's begin today's auction. The first item for auction today is the Champion of the World, Asran."
| ← Ch. 096 | Ch. 098 → |