The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 78

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 78
‘Good. Now no one will bother me. I’ll just buy the Gray Ritual Book, keep my head down, and leave quietly.’
I had no worries about losing the bid.
I turned over the card I’d received from Inverse Heaven’s King.
A card that allowed unlimited payment in a single transaction.
Knowing Inverse Heaven’s King’s true identity, the limit was probably genuinely unlimited.
As that thought crossed my mind, I swallowed hard.
Among the Ten Demons, the most terrifying was neither the Lord of the Abyss nor the Black Tower Master nor the Cult Leader.
It was Inverse Heaven’s King.
Not simply because of raw power.
But because of what Inverse Heaven’s King truly was.
Different from an ordinary villain.
Stronger than anyone, more dangerous, and profoundly hypocritical.
When Inverse Heaven’s King’s true identity had been revealed in the scenario, the world had erupted in chaos.
‘Damn it, how did I end up entangled with Inverse Heaven’s King? Originally, Katrine was supposed to handle that entire situation. Let me just think about buying a house with the commission and stay calm. Once this job is over, I’m living quietly for real.’
Then a black magician in a clown mask ascended the stage.
“Gentlemen and ladies, welcome! We are about to begin the Dark Auction you have all been anticipating! Fanfare! Please give the warmest welcome to our proceedings!”
No one applauded.
The clown mask’s head drooped at the lukewarm reception.
“Heh heh, I see we have many reserved guests today. But I wonder—will you maintain that composure once you see the items about to arrive? This auction features extraordinarily rare treasures!”
I let the words wash over me without much interest.
There would be legendary demon swords, elixirs, grimoires, but none of it interested me.
‘Elixirs might help me, but I have no money. This card’s limit is infinite, but it can only be used for one payment.’
I let a wistful expression cross my face.
Of course, thanks to my Mana Insensitivity, even if I consumed an elixir, I would gain only about one-hundredth the benefit of a normal mage.
The cost-effectiveness was abysmal, so spending my own money on it was wasteful, but if it were free—well, naturally I’d be grateful.
‘Maybe there will be a chance during the “event.” When chaos breaks loose.’
The auction began in earnest.
“Behold! The Twilight Demon Sword closes at 2 million pena! The successful bidder is the gentleman in the lion mask!”
“Any higher?! Death’s Rest Amulet goes for 3.15 million pena!”
Just hearing the numbers made one dizzy—staggering sums exchanging hands.
‘A decent house in a good neighborhood of Free City costs around 50,000 to 100,000 pena. At those prices, how many apartments are we talking?’
What was more striking was that this was merely an appetizer.
The real treasures had not yet appeared.
The attendees’ faces were equally unimpressed.
“Is this really all?”
“This Dark Auction is disappointing.”
“I heard rumors on Dark Board about truly magnificent treasures. Unique items in the world were supposed to come up for auction.”
For reference, there were several virtual communities that used philosopher’s stones as servers, much like the academy’s Mirror Board.
Dark Board was an anonymous forum where villains gathered.
“Ha! We have kept you waiting long enough. You’ve all heard the rumors on Dark Board, yes? Today we bring you the real treasures you have been anticipating! Truly unique items in all the world—you may hold great expectations!”
The attendees’ eyes gleamed, but I remained unmoved.
This didn’t seem to be about the Gray Ritual Book, so whatever treasure appeared was irrelevant to me.
But the moment I heard what the auctioneer said next, my eyes widened involuntarily.
“Now, I’m sure you all know the legend of the Jewel Tribe—a tragic tale, to be sure. They possessed the world’s most beautiful jewels, yet were slaughtered to extinction by human greed.”
It was not merely legend, but actual history.
Recent history, at that.
The Jewel Tribe were a variant of the fairy folk, and as the auctioneer had just explained, they were born with a special gem called a Heart Essence within their heart.
The most beautiful jewels in all the world.
“Why suddenly speak of the Jewel Tribe? Don’t tell me…”
“That rumor was real?”
The clown mask spread his hands with exaggerated glee.
“Presenting now! A single, priceless jewel remaining in the world. The final Jewel Tribe member!”
Whoosh!
The curtain swept back, revealing the silhouette of a young girl in a cage.
Beauty so refined it seemed inhuman.
Most striking of all—eyes that sparkled as if gemstones had been cut into them.
A true Jewel Tribe member!
For reference, the Jewel Tribe’s Heart Essence, being a gem lodged within the heart, reflected its properties in the eyes, creating such a prismatic luminescence.
The hall erupted in astonished clamor.
Greed flooded the eyes of every attendee.
All except one.
I alone reacted entirely differently.
‘Good God. Why?’
My mind went blank.
‘What is she doing here?’
One of the 16 Protagonists.
The protagonist of the auxiliary alchemy program class—the girl who would one day become the worst villain known as the Slaughter Demon—had appeared without warning as an auction item.
* * *
“Is this really a Jewel Tribe member?”
“Yeah, hunters have searched for the Jewel Tribe all this time—it makes no sense that one suddenly appears now.”
Several voices expressed doubt, and the Clown Auctioneer let out a cackling laugh.
“I thought you might ask, so I came prepared. Pay close attention, everyone.”
When the Clown Auctioneer flipped the lever beside the iron cage, something horrifying happened.
Crackle—crack—crack!!
“Aaaahhhhh!!”
High-voltage current surged through the iron bars, and the bound Slaughter Demon screamed, as a remarkable transformation occurred.
Her eyes shimmered with radiant light.
“When pain is inflicted on a member of the Jewel Tribe, the Heart Essence within their heart is stimulated, and the Radiance Phenomenon manifests in the eyes. Just as you see now.”
!!
“All of you should be able to tell whether this Radiance Phenomenon is genuine or fabricated. Now you understand just how rare this commodity truly is, yes?”
Gulp.
The attendees swallowed hard.
“Very well. We shall open bidding at 15 million Pena!”
“17.5 million Pena!”
“No, 19 million Pena!”
“22 million Pena!!”
Astronomical sums poured forth—numbers so vast that one could purchase an entire fortress and have coin to spare.
‘The Heart Essence of the Jewel Tribe is the world’s greatest treasure, after all.’
Not merely for its beauty.
It was prized for its utility as a magical artifact.
The finest mana conductor in existence.
When the Radiance Phenomenon was at its peak and the heart was carved open, the Heart Essence Mana Conductivity Rate increased exponentially.
Thus, countless hunters had captured members of the Jewel Tribe, tortured them to death, and the species had finally been driven to extinction.
‘But why would the Slaughter Demon appear at this auction now? Could it be intentional?’
Siepin, the Slaughter Demon, possessed a cheat ability—no mere hunter could ever capture her.
‘She came hunting for prey instead!’
I watched Siepin sitting in the cage with vacant eyes, my fists clenching tight.
Her sorrowful expression was merely an act.
Siepin gazed at the auction attendees, savoring each one in her mind.
‘In her early days, Siepin only commits murders against evildoers. Everyone gathered here is her quarry.’
Most of the 16 Protagonists are Late Bloomer Types.
They begin unremarkable but grow exponentially stronger as time progresses—with one exception.
Siepin was powerful from the start.
‘What do I do? Should I just pretend not to see?’
Either way, whoever bought her would meet a violent end—but that was their own karma.
Meanwhile, the bidding had spiraled into a fever pitch.
“26 million Pena!”
“28.5 million Pena!”
“32 million Pena!”
“34 million Pena!!”
Absurd figures.
The rarity—the last surviving member of the Jewel Tribe—drove prices ever upward.
Once the bidding crossed 34 million Pena, only two competitors remained.
One was the Elder of Sky Island—a man for whom death would be a mercy.
But the other bidder posed the real problem.
‘Damn it. Of all people.’
My vision darkened.
‘It’s the Secretary to the Ran Republic Chancellor. Why would the Ran Republic be here at a Dark Auction? And the Chancellor’s own secretary, no less.’
The Ran Republic, alongside the Empire, stood as sworn enemies of one another.
‘Could it be that the Chancellor Assassination Scenario happened because of Siepin?’
The Warrior Academy contained countless branching scenarios.
Some branches were determined by the protagonists’ choices, but others unfolded randomly and without warning.
The “Chancellor Assassination” was one such branch—a scenario where an unknown figure murdered the Chancellor, escalating into war between the Empire and the Ran Republic.
‘Please, let the Elder of Sky Island win the bid. The Chancellor can’t die yet.’
But as time wore on, contrary to my wishes, the Elder of Sky Island began to lose ground.
In terms of funding, there was simply no competition.
‘The Ran Republic is searching for the highest-grade mana conductor right now because of a project that stakes the nation’s very survival. That’s why they’ll spend whatever it takes to secure it.’
“Now we have forty million penas! Will you concede?”
An astronomical sum that would leave even the titans gathered here speechless.
The Elder of Sky Island brought his staff down in frustration.
“No further bids?! I’m counting to five!”
The auction hall fell silent.
‘Damn it, what do I do?’
In just a few more seconds, the winning bid would be finalized, and after that, there was no way to reverse the result, no matter what happened.
“One, two, three…!!”
Then.
Unknown to anyone, Siepin’s expression shifted.
A sly smile spread across her face.
A smile of delight.
Relishing the catastrophe she was about to unleash.
In that moment, her mind surely raced through the Chancellor’s assassination and the flames of war that would follow between the Empire and the Ran Republic.
And the instant I sensed her intent, I did something I absolutely should not have done.
“Fifty million penas.”
“?!”
A deathly silence descended upon the hall.
Everyone—even I, the one whose mouth had just spoken—was stunned.
‘What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?’
But once my runaway mouth had started, it wouldn’t stop.
“I have an Infinite Card here. I’ll bid at least ten million penas more than them, so hand over that Jewel Tribe to me.”
That was it.
I had impulse-bought the Slaughter Mage.
And with the Inverse Heaven’s King’s card, no less.
* * *
I had done it.
A catastrophic blunder unlike anything I’d caused before.
‘Ugh! What was I thinking?!’
Siepin sat quietly in one corner of the quarters provided by the Dark Tower.
Like a sculpture, her beauty was flawless—befitting a variant of the Fairy Tribe, a Jewel Tribe member.
With her forlorn expression, she looked the sort to captivate anyone regardless of gender, but to me, she was nothing but terrifying.
‘Right now she’s probably savoring the thought of how to dispose of me.’
Siepin killed primarily evil people, not because she discriminated in her targets, but because disposing of them came with no aftermath to clean up.
The way she looked at me—as though she were already relishing how to make me meet an entertaining(?) end—sent chills down my spine.
And beyond the threat of Siepin’s murders, there was another problem.
A problem incomparably worse.
‘…What will happen when the Inverse Heaven’s King finds out what I’ve done?’
The fifty million penas I’d spent to purchase Siepin had all belonged to the Inverse Heaven’s King.
Here at the Dark Auction, sealed off from the outside world, the news hadn’t reached us yet, but once the five-day lockdown period ended, he would know immediately.
He wouldn’t kill me gently.
‘There’s only one way I survive. I have to steal the Gray Ritual Book before then.’
Fortunately, it wasn’t entirely hopeless.
There was a way.
I swallowed hard and stepped in front of Siepin.
“Master?”
Siepin looked up at me, fear flickering across her features.
‘I’m more terrified than you are, so don’t make that face.’
Yes.
There was only one way to resolve this crisis.
I had to use Siepin as my trump card… no, as my last desperate gamble.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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