You Have Been Invited to the Auction House of the Gods - Chapter 14

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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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14

 

 

Team Leader Lee Woo-ram bowed his head politely.

 

“Thank you for another good transaction.”

 

“Team Leader, then I’ll see you again next time.”

 

I also exchanged greetings and came outside.

 

“Hyung… why didn’t you tell me you were a Cheongram Trading Company VIP?”

 

Kim Jin-woo looked at me with an expression of betrayal.

 

“Would I go around bragging about that?”

 

“It is something to brag about. Even my grandfather tried all sorts of methods to trade with Cheongram Trading Company…”

 

He still had an expression of disbelief.

 

“Just what kind of items did you trade for Team Leader Lee Woo-ram to personally come out to greet you?”

 

“I don’t know either.”

 

Honestly, I still can’t grasp why I became a VIP.

 

“No wait. Since you trade items like that, of course you’d naturally become a VIP, right?”

 

The item I traded today was certainly enough for Cheongram Trading Company to eagerly welcome me as a VIP.

 

Since I brought a D-grade item for the first time.

 

‘This must be what Team Leader Lee Woo-ram wanted.’

 

“Anyway, this should be enough for guild funds, right?”

 

“More than enough. It matches the capital my grandfather gave me.”

 

But Kim Jin-woo’s expression wasn’t very bright.

 

“Then why do you look like that?”

 

“No, it’s just that my concerns about hyung’s salary have deepened.”

 

I couldn’t help but chuckle at Kim Jin-woo’s serious expression.

 

“That’s a useless worry. Now that you know, just do better from now on.”

 

That’s when it happened.

 

With a cheerful ding sound, status messages scrolled up.

 

[Promotion conditions have been met.]

[Golden Fragrance membership grade is rising.]

[Bronze → Silver]

[Additional functions according to grade are unlocked.]

[‘Message’ function is unlocked.]

[‘Direct Trade’ function is unlocked.]

 

[A message has arrived.]

[Would you like to check it?]

 

As soon as the functions were unlocked, a message arrived.

 

[Sender: Flame of Parvane]

『I have seen it. The scene where the monkey and blacksmith ate something hot. The stone monkey opened its mouth and cried out, and the hairy anvil reddened his face while swallowing tears. They said this was more intense than fire.

I am one who commands fire. But—why can I not taste that flavor?』

『That food posted on Golden Fragrance is already completely sold out. I have more time than gold, but even that means nothing.』

『I will pay the price. So sell me that spicy taste directly. I request a direct trade. Please respond.』

 

‘Flame of Parvane? Who is that?’

 

This alias was difficult to easily guess the identity of.

 

Direct trade was a function that had just been unlocked.

According to Golden Fragrance M’s explanation, it was one-on-one price negotiation.

 

‘Trading is possible with items of equal value instead of just gold…’

 

It was a new type of transaction, but it was quite appealing.

 

I didn’t need gold right away, and above all, a deity had declared they would pay the price.

 

“Jin-woo. Do you still have some of that new product you brought before?”

 

***

 

After securing guild capital, I just kept running dungeons constantly.

 

Around the time I was running my 12th dungeon, the Association contacted me.

 

A contact to visit the Association for re-measurement.

 

Living life, there comes a day when you receive a re-measurement notice.

 

Usually there are two main cases for receiving re-measurement.

 

First, in the case of Re-Awakening.

 

In fact, this case is extremely rare, even when considering the entire world – there are only a few such cases.

 

I did tell Jin-woo that I had re-awakened, but…

 

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a re-awakening.

 

But saying I was invited to the Gods’ Auction House wasn’t easy either.

 

The second case is when rank forgery is suspected.

 

Honestly, I can’t understand people who deliberately lower their ranks.

The higher your rank, the more respect and better treatment you receive, so I don’t understand why anyone would commit illegal acts just to stay at a lower rank.

It’s not illegal for higher-ranked hunters to go to lower-rank dungeons, but that seems to hurt their pride.

 

Most importantly, this case sometimes leads to illegal activities, so the Association conducts regular investigations.

 

A place with no CCTV where death is commonplace.

A place with no CCTV and where death is commonplace.

There’s a reason why dungeons are considered the perfect place to commit crimes.

In fact, the factory manager had also prayed in this case on the abandoned subway.

Wouldn’t it be closer to re-awakening rather than rank forgery?

 

Though I did run quite a lot of dungeons for that to be the case.

 

A hunter who was promoted from F to E rank doing C-rank Dungeons 3 times a day as standard, sometimes 4 or 5 consecutively – it was natural for the Association to find this suspicious.

 

I had to get re-measured anyway.

I had to get remeasured at least once anyway.

I just missed the timing.

I told Jinwoo to rest for a while and then headed to the association.

I went past the reception desk on the first floor and headed down to the basement.

A staff member was standing in front of the reception desk, and upon spotting me, walked over with a document in hand.

“Are you here for a retest? May I have your name?”

“I’m a merchant.”

“Please submit your hunter license as well.”

He took out his hunter license from his wallet.

“Yes, confirmed. I’ll move to measurement room B.”

The staff member checked the name and registration number on the list, then walked ahead leading the way.

As we moved along the corridor, mechanical equipment began to come into view one by one through the glass windows.

‘I never thought I’d come back to this place.’

“You probably know how to measure, but I’ll explain it once more.”

The staff member opened the door to measurement room B.

“Please place your hand on the inner measuring stone and use your awakened ability with the intention of releasing your power.”

When I entered the measurement room, the staff member closed the door.

In the center of the pristine white space sat a single crystal orb.

That is a measuring instrument.

He approached the measuring sphere while scanning the entire room.

It was the same testing room where I had received my grade evaluation in the past.

Anxiety began to creep in and rear its head.

This place I discovered on my own after awakening in high school.

The grade I received there was an F.

A hunter with no special abilities, possessing only a physique slightly superior to that of ordinary people.

If I couldn’t climb up, at least I wouldn’t fall any lower.

 

An F-rank Hunter. I took responsibility for my family’s livelihood by going in and out of dungeons as a porter.

If we can’t go up, at least to keep from falling any lower.

An F-rank Hunter. He made a living for his family by going in and out of dungeons as a porter.

It was dangerous and grueling work, but that was all I had.

A life spent running while looking only at today, this very moment.

 

What I gained from that was Golden Incense.

 

Even then, I didn’t know.

This is how hwanggeumhyang came to be.

Back then, I had no idea.

What ripples that single small droplet will create in my world.

Your position in the dungeon, how people treat you, even the people you’re with.

All of that changed rapidly.

 

I had obtained the Weapon of the Deity Galmu, and gained Kim Jin-woo as a guild master’s younger brother.

 

With that tiny droplet, my world was slowly changing.

 

I didn’t stop even in those brief moments.

 

I secured guild funds and invested all the remaining money into stats.

 

And the ‘Flame of Parvane’—

Through direct dealings with that deity, I obtained part of their divine power.

 

‘Karmic Fire.’

 

I had merely traded spicy ramen.

But the flame I received in return was still burning alongside my heart even now.

 

I am F-rank.

From the very bottom, I struggled without stopping,

from the very bottom, I climbed up.

 

I crawled up all those cliffs believing only in myself.

 

So isn’t it time to prove myself now?

 

I placed my hand on the Measuring Stone.

 

Taking a deep breath, I poured out the power within me from my fingertips.

 

Along with red heat, the Crystal Orb began to vibrate.

 

Wooong—

 

In an instant, blue flames bloomed from my fingertips as fierce light burst forth.

 

The protective barrier surrounding the Measuring Stone couldn’t withstand the heat and trembled slightly.

 

Soon the flames that had filled the Testing Room were gathered up in a single moment.

 

The measurement was complete.

 

“…A, A-rank!”

 

The flustered Staff Member’s voice flowed through the speaker.

 

When I exited the Testing Room, an extremely excited Staff Member approached me.

 

“The Association’s measuring device only goes up to mid-level A-rank. Would you perhaps… like to proceed with additional high-level A-rank testing?”

 

After thinking for a moment, I shook my head.

 

“I’m fine for now.”

 

Leaving those words behind, I slowly exited the Testing Room.

 

I could hear the Staff Member muttering behind me.

 

“Re-Awakening from F-rank to A-rank is possible…?”

 

Bang!

 

A thunderous sound echoed from behind.

 

When I turned around, the Measuring Orb was completely half-destroyed and shattered.

 

The Staff Member stared at the Crystal Orb split in half with a dazed expression.

 

Another Staff Member who had rushed over at the sound asked cautiously.

 

“…How do we write the report for this?”

 

The Staff Member could only stare at the Measuring Stone broken in half with a bewildered expression.

 

***

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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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