You Have Been Invited to the Auction House of the Gods - Chapter 16

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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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16

 

 

I had become the tenth S-rank Hunter in the world, but nothing had changed.

 

Honestly, the fact that I’m an S-rank Hunter still doesn’t feel real.

 

S-rank Hunters were something like… something beyond human.

 

No matter how much you Awakened, that was a realm unreachable by human strength alone.

 

Just once.

A combat video of an S-rank Hunter that had caused a worldwide sensation was released on NewTube.

 

In that short video of about 10 seconds, the sight of creating a massive tsunami was deeply etched in my mind.

 

The criteria that separated A-rank from S-rank was surprisingly simple.

Beyond strength, had you reached your own miraculous ‘Unique Domain’.

 

That was the standard for S-rank.

 

Of course, the one making that judgment was the omniscient voice.

 

Whether that was the voice of a god or the existence called a system.

 

But one thing was certain.

 

That voice had never once told a lie.

 

Then that meant I too had awakened such a Unique Domain…

 

The only thing I could guess at were the Blue Flames I had wielded at the end of the Training Manual.

 

‘Demigod…’

 

I looked at the message window floating before my eyes.

 

[You have entered the realm of a demigod.]

 

The S-rank Hunter in the NewTube video was certainly worthy of being called a demigod.

And perhaps the Sword Strike I had created yesterday as well.

 

That Sword Strike that had brightly burned the world was certainly worthy of being called a natural disaster.

 

Though it couldn’t compare to massive tornadoes or tsunamis that swallow high-rise buildings.

 

“Wow… hyung-nim, how do you get stronger every time I see you?”

 

Jin-woo was staring at me blankly with his mouth agape.

 

At the same time, hot heat brushed past me from behind.

 

The smell of burning vibrated around me along with crackling sounds.

 

All that remained where I had passed was ash.

 

Every time I swung Galmu wreathed in Karmic Fire, monsters evaporated without a trace.

 

Blue flames that burned even A-rank monsters without leaving a trace.

 

I had gained powerful strength, but fine control was still difficult.

 

“At this rate, it’ll be hard to salvage any by-products.”

 

True to my porter origins, I was worried about the by-products first.

 

At my words, Kim Jin-woo replied as if incredulous.

 

“Hyung-nim… you know that’s really too much, right?”

 

I gave a slight smile and reached out to collect the remaining embers.

 

As the Karmic Fire disappeared, the hot heat vanished instantly as if it had never been there.

 

“Shall we rest for a bit?”

 

“I figured you’d say that and prepared everything, hyung-nim.”

 

Before I had even finished speaking, Jin-woo dragged over two logs from who knows where.

 

Most trees would have burned up by now.

What was funnier was that I naturally sat on top of it.

 

“Drink this in advance. We still have to run two more rounds.”

 

I took out a bottle of Bacchus from my bag and handed it to Jin-woo.

 

“Thank you, hyung-nim.”

 

Kim Jin-woo opened the bottle cap and downed it in one shot.

 

“Ahh… really, just drinking one of these gives me strength again.”

 

Literally, just from drinking that small Bacchus, the fatigue on his face melted away like snow.

 

“If we could sell these, we would have made a fortune.”

 

“Come on, how could humans sell miracles for business?”

 

“That’s true too.”

 

Kim Jin-woo clicked his tongue as if feeling regretful.

 

“By the way, hyung-nim, did you hear about that?”

 

“About what?”

 

“About the tenth S-rank Hunter being born yesterday.”

 

“Ah, ah… I heard.”

 

“I heard this through my grandfather’s connections…”

 

Though there were only Kim Jin-woo and me in the dungeon, Kim Jin-woo slightly lowered his voice.

 

“The country where the S-rank Hunter was born is Korea.”

 

“Ah, really?”

 

I don’t know how he found out, but Kim Jin-woo’s words were true.

Because I am a pure Korean person.

“Furthermore, we’ve determined that he uses a flame-type unique ability.”

“I see…”

This was pretty interesting.

How did you find out that I awakened my karma fire?

That makes sense, since I had awakened my karma fire within the virtual space of the Blurred Arrow training manual.

“Hyung, this is the birth of South Korea’s second S-rank Hunter.”

Perhaps because my reaction was more lukewarm than expected, Kim Jinwoo suddenly shot up from his seat.

“And a flame ability at that. This is the first time we’ve seen a flame ability among S-ranks. Not just any flame either, but blue fire…”

Kim Jinwoo seemed to realize something and suddenly clamped his mouth shut.

“The blue flame…”

Because there was someone right in front of him who matched the very characteristics he had just described.

but coincidentally started using flames right after South Korea’s second S-rank Hunter appeared?

Why did he start using flames right after the second S-rank hunter appeared in South Korea of all places?

Even that hunter’s unique ability, the blue flames…?

What are the chances that all those coincidences would align perfectly?

“Hyung, hyung-nim… could it be…?”

“You look so energetic, you must be all rested up.”

I got up from my seat and turned around.

“Let’s move on to the next dungeon.”

“Hyung, big brother!”

I could hear Kim Jin-woo’s urgent voice from behind, but I casually ignored it and headed toward the next dungeon.

***

With my karma flames activated, an A-rank dungeon was cleared in the blink of an eye.

Only after taking Jinwoo through three more dungeons and clearing them did they finally come out.

That was when it happened.

Jinwoo’s phone vibrated briefly.

“We received an official document from the association.”

Jinwoo lowered his shield and checked his smartphone.

While Jinwoo checked the official document, I caught my breath for a moment, drinking water beside him.

“What is it?”

“Our guild has been assigned a regular raid schedule too.”

“Fast.”

That fact remained unchanged from before to now.

No, rather, the Association had to have faster work processing speed than any other government agency.

 

Because those who file complaints with the Association are Hunters rather than ordinary citizens.

 

Moreover, regular raids are directly connected to public safety.

 

Guilds registered with the Association must regularly raid assigned dungeons.

 

This was a system that had continued since the Hunter Association was established.

 

No matter how much South Korea was a Hunter powerhouse, not all Hunters were strong.

 

Furthermore, Hunters capable of raiding A-rank dungeons were limited.

Even though South Korea was a hunter superpower, not all hunters were strong.

Moreover, the number of hunters capable of clearing A-rank dungeons is limited.

 

Therefore, the Association, as a national institution, imposes regular raid obligations on guilds and high-ranking hunters as one of the safety measures for citizens.

Of course, the state guarantees the rights that come with those obligations.

 

For example, tax exemption benefits on dungeon by-products, or military service exemptions for men.

 

“Ah, but this is a bit…”

 

Jin-woo’s words trailed off.

 

“Let me see.”

 

I took the smartphone from Jin-woo and skimmed through the official document.

 

Wastewater Treatment Zone G-17.

The assigned dungeon was A-rank.

 

Considering our track record so far, it was a natural assignment.

 

But as I read through the document, I could understand why Jin-woo had such a troubled expression.

 

“It’s an avoided dungeon.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

Not all dungeons are profitable.

Depending on the types of monsters or the dungeon environment, there are places that people are reluctant to raid.

 

Like the abandoned factory I had raided, for instance.

 

Such dungeons usually at least have high commission fees, but regular raids didn’t even have that.

 

Jin-woo opened his mouth with a troubled expression.

 

“Looking at the conditions alone, it’s A-rank, but the internal structure is a mess. The filth aside, the monsters are mediocre so there’s barely any reward.”

 

I could roughly picture the situation.

A newly registered guild, and an A-rank hunter belonging to it?

For a new guild that hadn’t even undergone the one-year evaluation, such a regular raid was a significant achievement that couldn’t be easily refused.

 

“Feels like we got the leftovers, right?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Jin-woo answered weakly.

 

“Should I file a complaint right away? If our group company formally protests…”

 

I chuckled.

 

“Forget it. Someone has to clear these dungeons. It’s not something that can be solved by throwing our weight around.”

 

“But…”

 

“We’re in the position to receive such assignments. If not now, when else would we get to handle this kind of request?”

 

A new guild consisting of one A-rank and one B-rank.

From the Association’s perspective, we were the perfect target to dump undesirable tasks on.

 

I gathered my equipment without hesitation.

 

It’s not like I had the luxury of choosing dungeons even when I was a porter.

 

“I’ll be back.”

 

“Are you going alone?”

 

“Yeah, I’ll handle it quickly.”

 

“Let’s go together.”

 

“What for? While I’m dealing with this, you should go raid dungeons and build up more achievements.”

 

Jin-woo seemed about to say something for a moment, then nodded his head.

 

I received the information about the assigned dungeon and immediately headed toward the destination.

 

***

***

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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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