You Have Been Invited to the Auction House of the Gods - Chapter 56

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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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56

 

 

 

Following Yamyeong, I arrived at the entrance of a mountain trail leading to a small mountain.

 

Rather than being surprised by the fact that there was a mountain inside the tile-roofed house, I just accepted it now.

 

In a world where goblins exist and gods are serious about spicy stir-fried noodles,

having a mountain inside a tile-roofed house was on the ordinary side of things.

 

Except for horned horses, pretty much everything exists in this world.

 

My gaze turned toward the entrance of the mountain trail.

 

It looked like an ordinary mountain trail on the surface, but the area around the entrance was distorting.

 

‘It looks like a dungeon entrance.’

 

Moreover, not just the appearance but even the aura it gave off was similar to a dungeon.

 

‘Is it possible to artificially create a dungeon?’

 

The thought crossed my mind.

 

Above all, I couldn’t give a definitive ‘no’ to this question.

 

In the past, I would have shaken my head saying it was impossible, but I had already experienced a similar phenomenon.

 

The chain dungeon break incident.

 

The event where two S-Rank Dungeons and thirteen A-rank Dungeons broke.

 

Artificially causing dungeon breaks was possible.

 

That’s why the Association thoroughly checks the identities of those entering dungeons.

 

But creating S-rank boss monsters was a different matter entirely.

 

‘If it’s the cult, it might be possible…’

 

Having learned about the cult’s existence, I couldn’t give a definitive answer.

 

But I soon shook my head.

 

Why would those busy villains specifically target the Dokkaebi World, and Sadangpae at that, to cause such problems?

 

“Do I just go in?”

 

I asked, pointing at the distorted entrance.

 

“Yes, that’s right.”

 

“I’ll be back soon.”

 

I gave a short answer and was about to walk toward the entrance.

 

“…How about reconsidering once more?”

 

Yamyeong stopped me.

 

“Even without the Divine Artifact, our Sadangpae has already decided to follow the King.”

 

“So?”

 

“If we borrow the King’s Power, we too will be able to freely travel between the Human World like Dolsoe.”

 

I understood his concern, but it was excessive.

 

If the Divine Artifact’s power was simply freedom of movement, I might have listened to Yamyeong.

 

But that’s not the true value of the Divine Artifact.

 

Transformation, Disguise, Presence Concealment, and so on. The power of various techniques and concealment abilities needed for an intelligence organization comes from the Divine Artifact.

 

I have no need for a half-baked Sadangpae.

 

I already had plenty of goblin family members by my side.

 

“If I’m going to have it anyway, it should be the complete version.”

 

Flat cola just isn’t my taste.

 

“Pardon?”

 

“I said I don’t need half-measures.”

 

Yamyeong didn’t question me further.

 

Honestly, I wanted to say something but held back.

 

We’re still in a preliminary contract state.

 

Besides, he hasn’t directly experienced the Divine Authority and power I possess.

 

He’ll find out soon enough anyway.

 

‘Let’s see after signing the contract.’

 

Then Sadangpae will understand.

 

What kind of existence the king you will serve is…

 

I silently moved toward the distorted entrance.

 

***

 

After passing through the mountain trail entrance, I was completely cut off from the outside space.

 

‘Strange.’

 

Unlike the bizarre distortion at the entrance, the inside was just an ordinary mountain path.

 

The ground was dry, moss clung to the trees, and the scent of earth mixed with the breeze.

 

It looked ordinary. No, it was too ordinary.

 

Rather, that very ordinariness made this place feel even more alien.

 

As if it were brainwashing me into thinking this abnormal space was normal.

 

It didn’t feel like a path leading to a shrine housing a Divine Artifact.

 

I moved forward slowly without lowering my guard.

 

The closer I got to the shrine, the stronger that sense of alienation became.

 

It felt similar to the S-rank Gate where Gnugn had been.

 

‘It’s artificial.’

 

My Sixth Sense kept sending warning signals.

 

And at that moment, the first danger revealed itself.

 

“…Kim Jin-woo?”

 

What emerged from the bushes was—

Kim Jin-woo, the guild leader of Ashin.

 

And he was fully armed with Full Plate Mail and a massive Kite Shield.

 

Kim Jin-woo silently raised his shield and charged straight at my torso.

 

Full Plate Mail, and that characteristically wide and heavy shield.

 

The ground vibrated under that weight.

 

Getting hit by that thing would leave me unable to even collect my bones.

 

It was just that Ashin Guild had so many outstanding people, but a Hunter of Kim Jin-woo’s caliber would be quite well-regarded in society.

 

Of course, that’s assuming this thing possessed not just the appearance but also the skills.

 

I twisted my body to the side to dodge while simultaneously igniting Karmic Fire on Galmu.

 

Then I struck the shield hard from the side.

 

With a bang, Karmic Fire scattered over the shield.

 

Sparks flew, but Kim Jin-woo was unaffected.

He spun his body as if deflecting and prepared a counterattack.

 

Then he charged at me again as if nothing had happened.

 

‘Like a mindless wild boar.’

 

Except the problem was that this boar had physical strength comparable to an 8-ton truck.

 

I immediately went in for another strike.

 

This time I aimed for his legs.

 

But even though my attack got past the shield, it wasn’t enough to deal a fatal blow.

 

The fake Kim Jin-woo had apparently copied not just the real one’s appearance and skills, but his equipment as well.

 

That armor was something Golden Fragrance had bought for him after he’d worked so hard.

 

“Tsk, they even replicated Golden Fragrance’s equipment perfectly.”

 

It had to be something made by Golden Fragrance to be able to block my Divine Authority, Karmic Fire.

 

A dull sound of clashing metal rang out.

 

Several exchanges followed.

 

Facing this force that had put all its points into defense felt like confronting a massive tank.

 

‘Well, his defense is certainly incredible.’

 

Come to think of it, whenever I swept the surroundings with Karmic Fire, it was always Jin-woo who bore the aftermath.

 

So he had no choice but to specialize in blocking my attacks.

 

He was so pleased when he noticed one day that he’d developed A-rank Fire Resistance.

 

For a while, the standoff continued with neither side successfully landing an attack.

 

Then, the fake Kim Jin-woo’s lips curled upward.

 

“…”

 

For a moment, harsh words almost escaped my mouth.

 

“It even copies something like that.”

 

To think it would perfectly imitate even Jin-woo’s characteristic annoying sneer.

 

Receiving that sneer from a fake somehow made my anger flare even more.

 

“Right. Fake Jin-woo…”

 

I slowly lowered the tip of Galmu that I had been holding in position.

 

“I guess I’ve been too lenient with you.”

 

I stretched Galmu up toward the sky with one hand.

 

Karmic Fire began gathering above Galmu, flowing through my hand.

 

The blade of Galmu gradually began to emanate heat that was heavy, wide, and gleaming blue.

 

“But you know what?”

 

What Jin-woo had been blocking was only the aftershock of Karmic Fire.

 

“Try taking a direct hit. Let’s see if you can still laugh after getting hit head-on.”

 

With those words, I brought Galmu straight down.

 

Kwaang—!

 

***

 

Where Karmic Fire had swept through, everything had evaporated.

 

The trees, the bushes, and the fake Kim Jin-woo too.

 

I shook off Galmu once and continued walking.

 

And the next thing to appear was Noh Hyun-seong, an S-rank Hunter.

 

Noh Hyun-seong disappeared immediately upon appearing.

 

He wasn’t particularly pleasant to begin with, and he was perfect for shaking off this uncomfortable feeling.

 

After that, as if copying my memories exactly,

The association president, Park Ju-yong, and other people around me appeared one after another.

But it was impossible for them to stop me with their power.

I advanced, taking them down one by one.

The last to appear was Ahn Hyun-soo.

Her aura was intense, but she was no match for me.

No, if they were creating fakes based on my memories in the first place, implementing Ahn Hyeonsu was a foolish choice.

I’ve never seen her fight in my memory to begin with.

After smashing the last remaining statue golems of Ahn Hyun-soo, a shrine revealed itself before me.

“Is that the place?”

Now this game of memories seemed to have come to an end.

Even though they were fake, killing beings that looked exactly like the people around me… couldn’t help but leave me with an unsettling feeling.

So maybe he decided to just wipe them all out with hellfire in one go.

I wanted to quickly purify the divine object and shake off this unpleasant feeling.

When I opened the shrine door with nothing but the desire to return quickly, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

“Oppa.”

The moment I turned around, a familiar face came into view.

Hanji-ah, and—

“Mother…?”

There stood a mother who looked healthy.

Her skin wasn’t turning stone-like from petrification disease, nor was she gaunt from surviving only on IV nutrition.

“Son, let’s go back together with Mom.”

When I heard my mother’s voice after such a long time, something in my head just snapped.

Only then was I able to understand.

Why villains never touch the hero’s family even if they die.

Yamyeong said so. That even without divine power, my strength alone would be enough to help.

“That’s right… what was I suffering through all this for.”

 

In an instant, an enormous amount of Karmic Fire exploded outward from around my body.

 

“I should have just burned everything down from the beginning.”

 

I decided to just drink the flat cola.

 

***

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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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