You Have Been Invited to the Auction House of the Gods - Chapter 8

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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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8

 

 

The moment I finished exactly the 100th strike—the training ground began to collapse like spreading ink.

 

[Strike Success (100/100)]

[Mind-Ki-Body Response Rate 91% Achieved]

[Basic Training Complete]

[You will return to your original location shortly.]

 

With that message as the end,

 

“…!”

 

My vision shook once again with a feeling like my body was shutting down.

 

I saw a familiar ceiling.

 

My room. My bed.

 

I squinted at the sunlight streaming through the curtains.

 

Wondering if it was a dream, I looked down at my palms.

 

It wasn’t a dream.

 

The blisters embedded in my palms and knuckles were telling me so.

 

‘Was it something like Mental Image Training?’

 

I put those thoughts aside for now. What mattered right now was the results of the training.

 

I got up from bed and carefully stepped down.

 

My body felt light.

 

I didn’t need to strain my nerves to control my body, nor did I need to struggle to regulate my strength.

 

Unlike before when I moved clumsily like a broken robot, now everything felt natural.

 

‘So this is what harmony of Mind-Ki-Body meant.’

 

It had only been one day, but the effects were definite enough to feel immediately.

 

As if the frustration I’d felt all this time had been released, a desire to move my body came flooding in.

 

Despite training all night, my condition was better than ever.

 

Let’s go to the Dungeon.

 

I quickly put on some clothes and headed outside.

 

Looking at the time, it was just before 7 o’clock.

 

‘Should I walk there today?’

 

Perfect condition and cool morning air.

I wanted to savor this feeling a little longer.

 

It was also true that the more I used it, the faster I’d adapt.

 

I put in my earphones and was crossing the crosswalk at a slightly brisk pace when it happened.

 

‘…?’

 

My Sixth Sense reacted.

 

My gaze was fixed on my smartphone, but I felt the presence of metal rapidly approaching, brushing against my skin.

 

I reflexively pulled my body back.

 

Screeeeech—!

 

Right beside me, a white SUV that had ignored the signal crossed the crosswalk and passed right in front of me.

 

If the braking timing had been even half a beat later, I would have been hit.

 

I watched the back of the white SUV and let out a short breath.

 

“…Are they really crazy.”

 

I heard someone nearby asking “Are you okay?”

 

What just happened wasn’t simple luck.

 

‘Did my Sixth Sense grow along with everything else?’

 

What used to only display red warnings in my vision could now be felt through my skin.

 

Anywhere my Ki Sense could reach, danger rang through my nerves like a warning, and then my body reacted.

 

‘At this level, I could probably handle dungeons several levels higher?’

 

I’m still F-rank so I can’t go to higher dungeons alone, but…

 

‘If I could get promoted, that might be different.’

 

That thought made me chuckle.

 

I, who couldn’t even do hunter work and only worked as a porter, was now running dungeons and even thinking about promotion.

 

I walked with light steps, feeling passion for work for the first time.

 

When I arrive at the Association, I should also ask about the promotion criteria.

 

***

 

When I arrived at the Association, there was a long line in front of the reception counter.

 

They were all unaffiliated low-rank hunters.

 

Since porter requests are first-come-first-served, this scene is always the same if you’re even a little late.

 

Normally, I would have stood in that line grumbling too…

 

But today was different.

 

I pulled a number ticket and headed to the Subjugation Request Counter on the side.

 

That place was quiet without a single line.

 

The reason is simple.

C-rank and above hunters don’t need to come to the Association.

 

They either receive designated requests, or most belong to guilds that handle everything from dungeons to requests.

 

Only F-rank hunters like me receive requests directly from the Association…

 

But ironically, there were more counters than at the crowded porter counter.

 

The treatment of hunters and porters is different from the start.

 

Porters are replaceable consumables, but hunters are not.

 

Porters who carry luggage behind raid parties and hunters who protect the safety of citizens.

 

How could the value of these two jobs be the same?

 

That was the reality of this society.

 

Well, I don’t entirely agree with it…

What would change if someone from a porter background spoke up?

 

Less than a minute after pulling my waiting ticket, it was my turn.

 

The staff member sitting at the subjugation counter looked up at me with a pleased expression.

 

“Mr. Han Sang-in. Nice to see you again.”

 

We’d only met once or twice, but she remembered my name. That was unexpected.

 

“…You remember my name?”

 

“Of course. I’ve seen you often since you switched from porter work to subjugation. Cases like that are rare.”

 

The receptionist smiled and continued.

 

“Usually not many people transition from porter to subjugation work. Most end after their first entry.”

 

‘Left an impression…’

 

The receptionist’s words weren’t wrong.

Former porters rarely consistently take subjugation requests.

Most quit after one or two attempts.

 

Since I was steadily building a record, even if occasionally, it wasn’t incomprehensible that the receptionist remembered my name.

 

“Not at all.”

 

I replied awkwardly while taking out documents to submit across the counter.

 

I had just come to receive another suitable F-rank request today— but she added first.

 

“Oh, and you know you can apply for E-rank promotion after participating in a raid party just once, right?”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“The conditions aren’t particularly difficult. It’s based on raid parties, not solo subjugation, and the dungeon grade needs to be D-rank or above. Since participation itself is the criterion.”

 

This was originally what I was going to ask about, but since she mentioned it first, it was actually more convenient.

 

Anyway, for hunters C-rank and below who don’t have promotion examinations, advancement is relatively free.

The conditions aren’t that strict either.

 

Looking at the receptionist’s face, it seemed she had already prepared to some extent.

 

The method of building achievements through solo raids then only requiring raid party experience was beneficial for both hunters and the Association.

 

“Is there a raid party I could join today by any chance?”

 

“I prepared one thinking you might ask. It’s a D-rank abandoned subway dungeon, and the raid party consists of 4 people total. There’s one C-rank hunter as raid leader, and the rest are two D-rank members.”

 

The raid leader was an assassin-type hunter, and the rest consisted of a healer and a warrior.

 

Assassins rarely become raid leaders.

They act alone often and aren’t the type to give orders.

 

‘It’s a bus party.’

 

Just as lower-rank hunters need raid party experience for promotion, higher-rank hunters need experience as raid leaders.

 

At first glance, it might seem like there would be positive synergy where they help each other grow…

But rather than learning, they just coast along, and rather than teaching, they clear the dungeon alone.

Reality doesn’t always match our imagination, does it?

 

The Association turned a blind eye to such practices to some extent.

 

“I’ll participate.”

 

“Yes, then please fill out these documents. Assembly is at 10 AM at Jongno 5-ga Abandoned Subway Station.”

 

The Receptionist handed me the documents with a smile.

 

“Congratulations on your promotion in advance. Please be careful out there.”

 

‘Congratulations…’

 

I smiled briefly and signed the documents.

 

***

 

Jongno 5-ga Abandoned Subway Station.

 

Perhaps because Gwangjang Market was nearby, there were quite a few people around despite the dungeon being there. No, it was actually bustling.

 

Well… even if a dungeon appears, people still have to live their lives.

 

Especially for dungeons that appear in the city center like this.

 

The entrance leading to the abandoned subway was blocked off with barricades.

 

People seemed accustomed to such sights now, naturally passing by as if avoiding construction signs.

 

I showed my permit to the Management Staff and descended into the station platform.

 

Contrary to my expectation that it would be eerie after becoming a dungeon, the station platform was surprisingly neat and orderly.

 

Only the station’s structure remained, while the surrounding fixtures and equipment were only things prepared for emergencies.

 

‘Did they pay more attention because it’s a high-traffic area?’

 

Walking a bit further in, I saw three people gathered by an old pillar.

 

“Over here.”

 

Among them, the thinnest man with sharp eyes raised his hand first.

 

“Han Sang-in?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Nice to meet you. I’m in charge as the Raid Leader for this raid. Please take care of me.”

 

It was a formal greeting.

His tone, his gaze. The distance was clear.

 

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s just exchange introductions and start right away.”

 

At the Raid Leader’s words, the two hesitant hunters spoke up.

 

“I’m Lee Su-ah, a healing-type hunter.”

 

The woman holding a thin staff introduced herself first.

 

Then a bright-looking young man heavily armed with armor followed.

 

“Hello. I’m Kim Jin-woo. As you can see, I’m a close-combat warrior.”

 

These were my fellow passengers on the same bus.

 

After introductions ended, the Raid Leader gave a brief explanation about the dungeon.

 

There are zombie-type monsters.

Follow the dungeon path, defeat the boss, and each person selects one reward.

 

That was all.

 

There was no explanation about what kind of zombie-type monsters there were, the dungeon structure, or what to be careful of.

 

“Any questions?”

 

At the Raid Leader’s words, Kim Jin-woo raised his hand.

 

“Are there any precautions or anything like that?”

 

“Precautions… there are none.”

 

There’s no way there weren’t any.

 

“Then there are no more questions, right?”

 

As if he wouldn’t take any more questions, the Raid Leader turned toward the Dungeon Portal without even listening for an answer.

 

“Let’s go in then.”

 

The Raid Leader threw himself in first.

Lee Su-ah and Kim Jin-woo followed after him.

 

Following behind them, I quietly stepped forward as well.

 

***

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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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