You Have Been Invited to the Auction House of the Gods - Chapter 171

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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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171

 

Thunk. With that sound, the bat monster’s heart was pierced.

 

Park Si-on exhaled roughly while looking at Galmu, which had transformed into a spear.

 

‘It seems even better than the Director’s spear…?’

 

There was only one person Park Si-on would call Director.

 

Knight Commander Raphael.

 

And what weapon would the Vatican’s Knight Commander use?

 

The holy relic Longinus, of course.

 

Well, that was a story of the past now…

 

It had been quite some time since that relic, the Vatican’s pride, had passed to Yun Seo-won.

 

Park Si-on, who had been staring at Galmu for a moment, soon shook his head.

 

The sword given by the Vice Guild Master was no different from a hero’s gift to Park Si-on,

 

but even so, how could he compare it to the Vatican’s holy relic?

 

‘Still, if it were in sword form, it might even surpass Longinus?’

 

He briefly recalled the appearance of the sword the Vice Guild Master had used.

 

‘I think it was called the Heavenly Demon Sword…’

 

It was the first time in his life he’d held a weapon that fit his hand so perfectly.

 

In addition to good compatibility, it even had abilities that assisted in combat.

 

When thrusting the spear, it momentarily increased density to transmit force directly,

 

and when swinging the spear, it maintained density while increasing the shaft’s elasticity.

 

A weapon that changed according to combat situations, as if the sword had a will of its own.

 

At a glance, it was clearly no ordinary weapon.

 

That’s why Park Si-on’s sense of responsibility increased even more.

 

‘I must live up to expectations.’

 

How could he lose in the competition after receiving even a beloved sword from the hero—no, the Vice Guild Master?

 

Park Si-on strengthened his will to win and moved forward.

 

The labyrinth was simpler than expected.

 

No, it was closer to a dungeon than a labyrinth.

 

Underground passages made of skull walls.

 

It resembled the catacombs that appeared in mystery-themed documentary programs.

 

Why such a grotesque structure remained beneath the Vatican was unknown.

 

Unlike the name “labyrinth,” the paths weren’t complicated.

 

Straight underground passages stretched on, with occasional forks in the road.

 

But choosing the wrong path at a fork wasn’t a problem.

 

Even if you took the wrong path, you’d reach a dead end before long.

 

Then you just had to turn back and choose the opposite path.

 

Of course, there were peculiar points.

 

Here and there, patterns were carved into the dead-end passages.

 

But they weren’t traps.

 

With the Vatican’s symbols and faint traces of sacred power remaining,

 

they seemed to be remnants of faded emblems.

 

Occasionally, monsters would jump out.

 

Cave bats that shot ultrasonic waves,

 

or rat men the size of humans.

 

They were B-A rank monsters, but they were no match for Park Si-on, the beloved disciple of the Knight Commander.

 

Even though he was young, he had been taught Vatican spear techniques to the extreme.

 

Moreover, through personal training with South Korea’s Heavenly Demon, he had even learned the ultimate technique of the Hundred Flowers Meteor Spear.

 

In that state, Park Si-on would be hard-pressed to find an equal among his age group.

 

Park Si-on actually found this easier than the previous two competitions.

 

‘This is the overwhelming force the Vice Guild Master spoke of…!’

 

No. Park Si-on still had a long way to go before he could even approach the overwhelming force Han Sang-in had spoken of.

 

But geniuses are typically the type who understand ten things when taught one,

 

so Park Si-on was also creating his own enlightenment as he went.

 

Thus, while pioneering the forks and understanding the meaning of overwhelming force(?), Park Si-on was able to reach the exit more easily than expected.

 

When the path ended, what appeared was a wide space.

 

A high ceiling and an empty cavern.

 

On the opposite side, a massive stone door leading to the Holy Grail Chamber was glowing with sacred power.

 

And in front of that door stood one person.

 

Saint Elena.

 

No, her current appearance was closer to a knight than a saint.

 

Instead of pure white ceremonial robes, she wore form-fitting platinum armor.

 

Her long golden hair was pulled back tightly.

 

In one hand, she held a long spear—something familiar.

 

It was Director Raphael’s weapon, taken by Yun Seo-won.

 

The Holy Spear Longinus.

 

The Vatican’s sacred relic was in her hands.

 

“You came faster than I expected.”

 

The Saint spoke calmly.

 

Park Si-on didn’t answer.

 

Instead, he tightened his grip on his spear.

 

The Saint continued speaking as if she didn’t care.

 

“Didn’t you notice anything strange on your way here?”

 

In this situation, the only thing Park Si-on would find strange was the Saint herself.

 

The Holy Grail’s choice wasn’t first-come, first-served.

 

But according to the tournament rules, whoever reached the exit first should leave.

 

Who could escape the labyrinth faster and enter the Holy Grail Chamber.

 

That was the victory condition for the final competition.

 

If so, regardless of the Holy Grail’s choice, the Saint would be the winner of the competition.

 

But victory or defeat seemed irrelevant to her.

 

No, it was closer to complete indifference.

 

Otherwise, there would be no reason for her to wait for her competitor Park Si-on.

 

“What do you mean strange?”

 

“The fact that there’s a labyrinth no different from a dungeon beneath the Vatican, and that the labyrinth’s exit leads to the Holy Grail Chamber… isn’t that strange? No, can a passage full of abominations like catacombs even be called a labyrinth?”

 

“I see you believe the conspiracy theory about an S-rank boss monster being sealed here.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

The Saint agreed as if she were a conspiracy theorist herself.

 

“Long ago, before Raphael, your master, there was an incident.”

 

She began to tell an old story.

 

“Here in the Vatican Catacombs, they were conducting an experiment.”

 

The past that the Vatican concealed, the story of this labyrinth that couldn’t even survive as a conspiracy theory.

 

“It was an experiment about time.”

 

But Park Si-on couldn’t focus on her story.

 

He had to be on full guard against whatever the insane Saint might do.

 

“To think mere mortals tried to develop a time machine… how arrogant.”

 

But she continued her story, paying no attention to Park Si-on’s attitude.

 

“Punishment came for that arrogance. Instead of a time machine, they succeeded in dragging out history from the past. It was a terrible nightmare.”

 

“…What does that have to do with now?”

 

At Park Si-on’s words, the Saint paused briefly.

 

“It’s related.”

 

She smiled and checked the time.

 

“The S-rank monster that the former Saintly Knight Captain could barely seal with Longinus is a witness to that nightmare.”

 

The Saint raised Longinus high.

 

Then she drove it straight down into the center of the cavern.

 

With a thunderous sound, the entire cavern shook.

 

The sacred power waves emanating from Longinus burned the ground pure white, forming complex patterns.

 

“What is this…!”

 

Park Si-on looked around.

 

A massive sacred power pattern carved into the ground with the waves.

 

That complex magic circle drawn with countless geometric and religious symbols.

 

Park Si-on could recognize what it was at a glance.

 

‘…The Saint’s words, were they true?’

 

It was the Vatican’s binding spell.

 

And a binding meant to seal away a massive existence at that.

 

Park Si-on looked at the Saint with shocked eyes.

 

“Why would you go this far…”

 

Park Si-on couldn’t understand the Saint’s actions.

 

If an S-rank monster truly awakened from its seal as she claimed, it would be a disaster for the Vatican.

 

Even if she became a Saint, various problems could arise.

 

No, perhaps the Holy Grail’s choice could be denied.

 

Even if she overcame all that criticism and denial,

 

what meaning would there be in being a Saint of a ruined Vatican.

 

The countless Citizens and Hunters who followed the Vatican.

 

What would a throne built upon their corpses amount to…

 

But her expression was telling him.

 

As if she couldn’t care less about such things.

 

The Saint turned Longinus counterclockwise.

 

“Stop that right now—”

 

Before Park Si-on could even finish stopping her, the binding that had been sealing the massive demon crumbled away.

 

In that moment, the air changed.

 

The humid and cold basement filled with a terrible aura.

 

The Saint, looking satisfied, pulled Longinus from the ground.

 

She gave Park Si-on a sly smile and walked straight into the Holy Grail Chamber.

 

Park Si-on kicked off the ground to catch her.

 

That was the moment.

 

The skull wall of the cavern crumbled as a roar echoed out.

 

It wasn’t like those bat monsters he had faced in the underground passage.

 

Beings that couldn’t rest even in death.

 

The Undead Legion was surrounding him from all sides, advancing toward Park Si-on.

 

***

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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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