You Have Been Invited to the Auction House of the Gods - Chapter 134

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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134

 

Heinrich was feeling anxious.

 

The response itself in the tent had been perfect.

 

His apology was directed not only to Han Sang-in, but to all the medical staff.

 

It was a brief and clear apology. There were no excuses or unnecessary words.

 

And the follow-up measures afterward were even cleaner.

 

He had relocated all medical staff belonging to the WHO Hunter Team to the local camp,

 

and also opened up all the medical supplies that had been used for vaccine development.

 

But Heinrich knew.

 

That alone wouldn’t be enough to improve his relationship with Han Sang-in.

 

‘I absolutely had to get Hunter Han Sang-in to join us…’

 

He didn’t regret prioritizing vaccine development over deploying medical staff.

 

It was obvious that losing even one medical staff member would mean more patients would have to bear the burden.

 

That’s why Heinrich had put vaccine development as the top priority.

 

It was a judgment that weighed the survival of medical staff more heavily than the patients.

 

Of course, in that process, there were parts that proceeded slowly for other incentives during the stay period.

 

Whether they focused or not, the timing of vaccine development wouldn’t differ that much anyway.

 

At most, it would be about the number of clinical trials.

 

He had already figured out that some medical staff were being deployed to the scene without his knowledge.

 

The reason he didn’t stop them was because he had the response phase after vaccine development in mind.

 

But now that both vaccine development and medical support had fallen through, all Heinrich could do was investigate the dungeon.

 

It was about results, but also to remove at least some of the bad impression he had made on Han Sang-in.

 

‘I didn’t know he was someone who knew how to properly use authority.’

 

I had only thought it was a position gained through lucky Awakening.

 

Even if he had connections with the US President,

 

Even if he was close friends with the Korean Magic Tower Master,

 

I hadn’t expected that a Hunter who had just passed his first year

 

would be such a predator capable of wielding his given reputation so precisely.

 

Above all, I couldn’t forget those eyes that had bound me.

 

As if welcoming a Grim Reaper, a feeling that chilled me to the bone.

 

So Heinrich quickly revised his assessment of Han Sang-in.

 

‘He’s someone who gets things done when he says he will.’

 

Therefore, he had to extract information that would somehow please him from this investigation.

 

He had no intention of overexerting himself.

 

Above all, what he prioritized most was his own life.

 

However, this Dungeon Break was a peculiar case.

 

An epidemic without a monster wave.

 

Heinrich was quite confident in that particular field.

 

The goal of this Dungeon investigation was simple.

 

If there’s infection, implement preemptive quarantine measures.

 

If entry is possible, conduct maximum investigation to create a Dungeon map.

 

And pass that information to Hunter Han Sang-in.

 

That was the final objective.

 

Whether there were Abnormal Phenomena or not, it was an S-Rank Dungeon.

 

Ultimately, Han Sang-in would inevitably be the key to conquering it.

 

Then the best Heinrich could do was somehow raise his contribution.

 

‘I need to make up for it, even a little.’

 

“As we’ve conveyed to you, our final objective is investigation.”

 

In front of Heinrich stood 30 WHO dispatched Hunters.

 

“Don’t overdo it, and prioritize information gathering above all. Then we’ll move out immediately.”

 

With those words, the Hunter Team led by Heinrich boarded the transport vehicles.

 

***

 

Dozens of transport vehicles were racing through the sand storm.

 

The sandstorm caused by the Dungeon Break’s influence constantly obscured their vision.

 

They remained highly tense while keeping watch in all directions, but nothing was visible.

 

The infrared camera showed the same.

 

Strangely, no signs of monsters or life forms were detected.

 

Relying solely on GPS as they drove, they arrived at a location where an old research building stood.

 

Though the building’s exterior walls were weathered, they were holding up well without deteriorating even in the sand storm.

 

It matched the appearance from the initial report they had received.

 

The lights visible through the windows indicated that something was going on inside.

 

Heinrich and his team members, armed with protective suits, disembarked from the transport vehicles.

 

“We’ll proceed with reconnaissance as we enter.”

 

Preparing for any possible situation, they gathered medical supplies and began entering the research institute.

 

Walking along the neatly organized laboratory corridor, Heinrich felt a sense of unease.

 

‘It’s excessively clean.’

 

It didn’t feel like a dungeon at all.

 

There were no monsters, no traps, nothing whatsoever.

 

The sterile laboratory with the smell of bleach,

 

Monitors displaying various data,

 

And even a steaming Coffee Pot that seemed to have been used until recently.

 

The facilities were so well-equipped that the Research Team could come in right now and start their research.

 

Nevertheless, Heinrich did not let his guard down.

 

Even this appearance could be a Dungeon Gimmick designed to induce complacency.

 

He moved slowly along the Corridor.

 

The experimental equipment visible through the glass windows suggested that this Research Lab was the source of the epidemic.

 

After all, facilities for biochemical research were lined up everywhere.

 

Moving a little further, what appeared was one massive Warehouse.

 

Drums marked with skull-shaped poison symbols and radiation marks were stacked in several layers.

 

The devices measuring contamination levels were showing normal readings.

 

For a Dungeon, the toxic materials were being properly managed.

 

When they reached a moderately wide Corridor, Heinrich stopped.

 

It was for brief maintenance and to assess their current progress.

 

Due to moving around in Protective Suits while carrying various Weapons, sweat was already streaming down their entire bodies.

 

The Hunters, understanding Heinrich’s intention, automatically took up perimeter guard positions.

 

“How much progress has been made on the Map creation?”

 

Heinrich’s voice was transmitted through the Radio.

 

– Mapping has been completed for the areas we’ve moved through so far. Compared to the size observed from outside, we’re about 75% done.

 

‘75%…’

 

That was quite a high percentage.

 

At the same time, Heinrich’s sense of unease grew even stronger.

 

They had explored more than three-quarters of the area, yet they hadn’t sensed any monsters, let alone any signs of life.

 

‘Should I go a little further?’

 

Heinrich’s gaze turned toward the massive iron door at the end of the corridor.

 

Currently, only one sector remained.

 

And that place would probably be the Boss Room.

 

But soon he shook his head.

 

‘Let’s stop here and go back.’

 

Going any further would be greedy.

 

Despite how it looked, this was an S-Rank Dungeon.

 

Just investigating right up to the Boss Room was already a great achievement.

 

Having made up his mind, Heinrich stood up from his position.

 

“Let’s end the investigation here and go back—”

 

That’s when it happened.

 

From the curved corridor, something was approaching the Hunter Team with a squelching sound.

 

“Everyone prepare for combat.”

 

Following Heinrich’s orders, everyone drew their weapons and took position toward the source of the sound.

 

The squelching sound grew louder and louder.

 

What revealed itself at the end was… a slime colony.

 

F-rank slimes.

 

Their appearance was identical to regular slimes, but their interior was slightly different.

 

A virus-shaped core.

 

That was the only distinguishing feature from ordinary slimes.

 

“They appear to be evolved slime specimens. Attack while being prepared for any potential anomalies.”

 

Though he said that, most of the Hunter Team was thinking the same thing.

 

No matter how much a slime evolves, it’s still just a slime.

 

The method for attacking slimes is simple.

 

Pierce through the mucus and attack the core inside.

 

However, the only thing to be careful of with colonies was that they needed to be eliminated simultaneously before they sensed danger and merged into one.

 

Knowing this fact, the Hunter Team Members quickly used their respective skills and launched simultaneous attacks on the slimes’ cores.

 

And that was the Hunter Team’s biggest mistake.

 

The sword Heinrich thrust in penetrated the slime’s core without any resistance.

 

‘It’s this easy?’

 

Even if it’s a slime, it’s still a monster from an S-Rank Dungeon…?

 

At that moment, Heinrich could see it.

 

The pierced core rapidly expanding.

 

Like a balloon on the verge of exploding.

 

And he could see his protective suit melting away where the slime’s mucus had touched it.

 

This was a massive trap.

 

“Get away from the slimes right now!”

 

Heinrich’s urgent radio call rang out, but it was already too late.

 

With a bang, they exploded and the mucus melted away all of the Hunter Team’s protective suits.

 

At the same time, the virus from the exploded slimes spread like a plague, reeking of rotten eggs as it engulfed the Hunter Team.

 

Cough—! With choking sounds, the Hunter Team Members coughed up blood.

 

As if the disease had progressed instantly, their bodies burned with fever.

 

And at that moment, even more sloshing sounds echoed through the corridor.

 

In his fading consciousness, Heinrich’s mind raced rapidly.

 

It was too late to escape.

 

He gritted his teeth and surveyed his surroundings.

 

And he spotted a relatively less infected team member positioned at the rear of the Hunter Team.

 

It was the team member who had been drawing the map.

 

Heinrich rushed to him and jabbed him with a bunch of injections that could slow the infection’s progress.

 

“Deliver all the information we’ve gathered to Hunter Han Sang-in.”

 

Without even waiting for the team member’s response, he immediately stood to block the remaining slimes.

 

The other team members seemed to understand his purpose as well, standing beside Heinrich to create an opening for escape.

 

With the sight of that team member running away as their last view, Heinrich and the remaining team members collapsed to the floor.

 

Through his dimming consciousness, a middle-aged man’s voice pierced his ears.

 

“Were there intruders?”

 

Definitely a human voice.

 

It was a doctor in a white coat, perched on the shoulder of a creature resembling Frankenstein.

 

“It’s been a while since we opened the door, and we have quite a few guests.”

 

The man laughed.

 

“Let’s take them to the laboratory. They’ve come such a long way, we should at least give them a tour.”

 

As the man finished speaking, slime tentacles extended from the monster’s back.

 

With that sight, Heinrich’s consciousness cut out.

 

***

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