You Have Been Invited to the Auction House of the Gods - Chapter 153

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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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153

 

The moment I crossed the door, my senses awakened first.

 

It was a space filled with fog so thick I couldn’t see an inch ahead.

 

As if I had climbed to a high mountain region, the oxygen was thin.

 

I could breathe, but the boundary between inhaling and exhaling was vague.

 

It felt like only my mind was floating in the weightless space of the universe.

 

The atmosphere was filled with an energy that was neither mana nor sacred power.

 

I could instinctively guess that it was divine power.

 

‘Such dense divine power…’

 

Before I had time to appreciate the scenery, dizziness washed over me.

 

The concepts of front and back, up and down were blurred.

 

Just when it seemed like there was a path, after taking a few steps my sense of direction would disappear.

 

‘They really just opened the door for me.’

 

It seemed finding the path was my responsibility.

 

I activated Fire Eyes Golden Clarity.

 

The path became clear, but perhaps due to the space thick with divine power, my vision was quickly eroded with each step I took.

 

Just when I thought I would lose my way at this rate.

 

A very subtle sensation responded from deep within my vision.

 

It was my awakened demigod’s ability, the power to see value.

 

As the divine authority settled into the Fire Eye Golden Crystal, the fading direction gradually became clearer.

 

‘This way, I suppose.’

 

A golden thread pointing to the most valuable choice for me extended over the path.

 

I walked following that thread.

 

How long had I walked?

 

The suffocating fog that had surrounded me began to gradually lift.

 

Sunlight began to shine through, and water began to slowly fill up around my feet with splashing sounds.

 

The scenery that was soon revealed was a vast ocean.

 

What I was walking on were railway tracks submerged in shallow waves.

 

I continued walking along the tracks a bit more.

 

An island began to appear in the distance.

 

At the same time, the air changed.

 

‘The smell of sulfur…’

 

A smell similar to rotten eggs wafted over.

 

It wasn’t just sulfur.

 

The metallic scent and heat were mixed together.

 

‘A smell befitting Forge That Tempers Fire.’

 

As I approached the island, I could understand the source of that smell.

 

Reddish rock formations and a blackened beach.

 

On the beach stood a blacksmith workshop similar to Hae-in’s.

 

And behind it, a massive volcano stood firmly like a backdrop.

 

The railway tracks led to the island’s beach.

 

As I climbed onto the beach, I heard rustling sounds with each step I took.

 

‘Metal crystals.’

 

What I had thought was black sand turned out to be small weathered crystal fragments when I actually stepped on them.

 

I turned my gaze toward the blacksmith workshop.

 

It wasn’t just similar to the coastal blacksmith workshop—it was an exact copy.

 

The structure, the layout, even the position of the furnace and the way hammers were scattered about.

 

‘It’s not similar—it looks like it was moved here exactly as it was.’

 

That’s when it happened.

 

The door of the blacksmith workshop opened, and a being walked out.

 

Red beard.

 

A sturdy build.

 

Skin that seemed reddened as if burnt.

 

He was the most commonly imagined specimen of a dwarf.

 

Even down to holding giant beer mugs in both hands.

 

The moment he saw me, he burst into hearty laughter.

 

“Kahahaha, as expected of Nobody. You arrived much earlier than I anticipated.”

 

It was a familiar voice and appearance.

 

That dwarf I had seen in the Pyoju advertisement video.

 

“Welcome to my domain, the Island of Limnos.”

 

Forge That Tempers Fire offered me a beer mug instead of a handshake.

 

***

 

True to dwarf fashion, the welcoming handshake was boldly omitted.

 

Instead, two giant beer mugs collided in midair.

 

I immediately downed the beer mug that was larger than my face.

 

And I was able to realize.

 

How foolish my thought of challenging Golden Fragrance with human world beer had been…

 

It wasn’t simply a matter of strong alcohol content or deep aroma.

 

What was contained in the beer wasn’t grain, but the fermented taste of time itself.

 

The moment it went down my throat, vitality burst forth from deep within my body.

 

“Whew…”

 

As I exhaled, an exclamation escaped me without realizing it.

 

“Amazing, right?”

 

The corners of Forge That Tempers Fire’s mouth turned up.

 

Honestly, I had to admit that no god could match dwarves when it came to beer.

 

‘I’m glad I chose a different route when making Pyoju.’

 

Alcohol made by goblins, based on dwarf brewing facilities.

 

It was fortunate that I had chosen an entirely different concept of alcohol rather than the beer route.

 

Once the simple dwarf-style handshake was finished, we immediately moved to the main topic.

 

Forge That Tempers Fire, who had received Galmu, began observing it in a similar posture to Hae-in.

 

‘So that’s how they originally analyze things.’

 

No, he was actually bolder. He put his ear to it, tapped it, and even tasted it.

 

‘Like master, like disciple.’

 

Forge That Tempers Fire, having finished his diagnosis, opened his mouth.

 

“You’ve definitely swallowed something you can’t digest.”

 

“So can you fix it?”

 

“Fixing it isn’t a problem. Even if you just leave it alone, it’ll digest itself.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“It should be digested in about 500 years.”

 

“…”

 

In that time, all my bones would have weathered away and then some.

 

“Don’t look at me like that. There’s a quick method. I didn’t break causality to open the door for nothing.”

 

‘Breaking causality…’

 

My thoughts deepened at the words Forge That Tempers Fire casually threw out.

 

“If we forge it well this time, we can actually make it into a masterpiece of high caliber.”

 

“…Why are you being so good to me?”

 

I didn’t know what causality was, but I couldn’t think of any particular reason why Forge That Tempers Fire would help me to the point of breaking it.

 

The question was ‘Why go so far as to bear penalties?’

 

“Originally, blacksmiths can’t help but like people who use their works well, which are like their own children.”

 

Forge That Tempers Fire chuckled.

 

“But there’s one problem.”

 

“A problem?”

 

“Yes. Because I violated causality, the furnace has been sealed.”

 

My gaze turned toward the blacksmith workshop.

 

Far from being sealed, the furnace was maintaining a gentle flame.

 

“Not that one.”

 

Forge That Tempers Fire shook his head and pointed behind with his hand.

 

My gaze naturally moved.

 

“…That’s a furnace?”

 

“Since it was sealed because of you, now that you’re here, open it before you leave.”

 

Forge That Tempers Fire’s finger was pointing at the massive volcano in the center of the island.

 

***

 

The bitter cold cutting wind struck my face.

 

Frost had already settled on my skin.

 

Forge That Tempers Fire’s condition was simple.

 

If I pass the god’s trial, I can somewhat fulfill the causality.

 

And naturally, that god was Forge That Tempers Fire.

 

Climbing the volcano, you’ll find the Tomb of Swords.

 

Find Galmu there, and climb to the summit of the mountain.

 

That is the trial to open the volcano. Or so he said…

 

Then, as if it were nothing, he threw Galmu toward the mountain.

 

“If it’s your beloved sword, you should be able to find it in any form.”

 

Leaving those words, he disappeared, saying he would wait at the summit.

 

And as a result, I was climbing a snowy mountain swept by blizzards.

 

I couldn’t understand why there was eternal snow on a volcano.

 

As always, trying to understand gods with mere human reason was foolish.

 

‘Another mountain…’

 

Yesterday it was the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, today it was the Massive Volcano of Limnos.

 

‘I need to find it quickly and climb up.’

 

In the bitter cold temperature, even my breath was now freezing.

 

After climbing for another ten minutes or so, a ridge densely packed with swords revealed itself.

 

“Is this the Sword Tomb?”

 

True to its name as the Tomb of Swords, its majesty was no joke.

 

If there was such a thing as Dosan Hell, one of Buddhism’s hells, it would probably look like this.

 

Though they were clearly broken and worn, showing traces of time, the sword energy each blade emitted was no joke.

 

‘Galmu is somewhere in there…’

 

I slowly stepped into the Sword Tomb.

 

With a slicing sound, the clothing around my shoulder was cut away.

 

If I hadn’t wrapped Karmic Fire around my skin, it would have been quite a serious injury.

 

‘I need to pick up the pace a bit more.’

 

The cold was bad enough, but the feeling of swords being aimed at me from all around was even worse.

 

I had gone quite deep, but there was no sign of Galmu.

 

A crude sword like Galmu should stand out even more among such famous blades.

 

‘This isn’t an ordinary trial.’

 

It was while I was searching the area a bit more.

 

Thud.

 

I heard the sound of the earth vibrating from afar.

 

I immediately moved toward the source of the sound.

 

The closer I got to the sound, the more I began to hear the crackling sound of metal being crushed.

 

Soon after, what revealed itself was…

 

“…An elephant?”

 

It wasn’t an elephant.

 

However, it was a strange creature with a long trunk like an elephant.

 

Its back was covered with iron armor-like plating.

 

With its trunk, it was munching and crunching on the swords in the Sword Tomb.

 

It seemed to be an existence that interfered with this trial.

 

The answer to the current situation probably lay with that elephant.

 

‘I hope Galmu hasn’t been devoured already.’

 

At the same time, I slowly drew up my Karmic Fire.

 

‘First, I should greet it properly.’

 

***

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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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