You Have Been Invited to the Auction House of the Gods - Chapter 86
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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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86
The professor was taken away while unconscious.
Someone could have woken him up, but after the full story of the incident became known, only contempt remained in the gazes directed at him.
The Magic Tower Master, who arrived late, looked around the laboratory,
and the moment he saw the magic circle carved into the floor, he couldn’t help but be horrified.
“…You did this to a student?”
After a brief silence, he bowed his head.
Along with words that he would grant any request.
The handling of the incident afterward was exceptionally swift.
The Magic Tower expelled the professor and imposed the maximum disciplinary punishment.
Tearing out all his mana circuits and banishing him from the Magic Tower.
For a mage, that was tantamount to a death sentence.
The moment one loses magic, their life as a Hunter also ends.
Separately from that, civil and criminal charges were also pursued simultaneously.
The investigation and trial were also exceptionally fast.
Just a week ago, they had arrested a Magic Tower Hunter for illegal gemstone weapon surgery.
And in that process, the Magic Tower Master had been thoroughly tormented by the Association President,
and the Magic Tower’s laboratory that I had blown up at that time was still under repair.
‘It must be because of the Association President…?’
In any case, the Magic Tower Master had no choice but to declare unconditional cooperation.
Public opinion was also boiling over.
‘Minor’ and ‘illegal experimentation.’
The combination of these two words that should never be used together brought forth anger in itself.
Of course, behind it all was the Association President’s calculation to divert attention elsewhere.
In any case, the professor was sentenced to prison, and even after release, he would never be able to return to the Hunter world.
With that, the incident was completely concluded.
***
If there are several turning points in life—
Yoon Yi-seo was now facing one of those turning points.
Ashin, the universally acknowledged top guild in South Korea that was breaking new records daily.
She had joined that place as the youngest member, where there hadn’t even been a recruitment notice since their first guild member recruitment.
Of course, she still couldn’t believe what kind of coincidence all this was.
Well, it was understandable enough.
She was scouted by the Magic Tower for her tremendous mana, but couldn’t use magic.
She had struggled and endured for a year like that.
When she went to the library with the feeling that it would be her last time, she met a shabby mister who said he would help her use magic.
Just when she thought her life might be turning around, she fell into the professor’s trap and almost lived her entire life as a battery for mana extraction,
but if that exam village mister happened to be Korea’s only S-rank Hunter—
who could believe it?
Even novels didn’t have stories like this.
The hundred-million-won salary was nice, and suddenly having 30 aunts and uncles was also nice.
Most of all, what pleased Lee Seo was the cream puffs… no, now it was the fact that she could learn and use magic.
And what about the benefits?
They even built a new magic training ground just for her.
Of course, it was a personal practice area.
However, having to see that shabby-dressed mister every morning was a slight flaw.
“Mister, that’s not how you do it.”
Yoon Yi-seo finally let out a sigh.
Next to her, that shabby mister who was the real owner of Ashin was silently drawing magic circuits.
“It says that if you add overheating and rotation formulas, hot wind will be generated?”
He was following the theory written in the Fundamentals of Magic, but what came from his hands was not hot wind but cold cutting wind.
“The standard text is based on common things, so that’s why. The mana that mister uses…”
Lee Seo paused mid-sentence, lost in thought.
A man with no mana was creating circuits with strange energy, and yet they worked.
Moreover, he was surprisingly good at it for someone who claimed it was his first time.
“Ghostly energy.”
“Right. That thing. You’re using overheating magic with energy that sounds like it would make ghost screams. So the temperature is overheating in the other direction.”
She couldn’t use magic, but the experience she’d gained from rolling around the Magic Tower for over a year hadn’t gone anywhere.
No, during that year, she had thoroughly searched through every single book to solve her own problems,
so when it came to theory, there were only a handful of people at the same level who could keep up with her.
That’s why she was teaching magic every morning like this, feeling she should do something as a guild member of Asin, but…
there were too many variables.
Magic was said to have many variables, but this was excessive.
Well, she herself had spatiotemporal mana and couldn’t even use regular magic,
and that mister’s mana was full of ghostly energy, so there were bound to be many variables anyway.
“And instead of just drawing it raw, try finding a method that suits you, mister.”
“Find a method?”
“If you think of it like drawing with a pencil, you can draw faster and more accurately.”
“Really?”
“Well, something like a brush seems like it would suit you, mister.”
“A brush… That’s not bad either.”
The Merchant withdrew the circuit he had been maintaining.
“Let’s stop here for today.”
“Huh?”
“You’re going out on porter work today as an apprentice to follow…”
“Ah!”
“You forgot?”
“Thanks for reminding me.”
At his words, Yoon Yi-seo gathered the necessary items at the speed of light.
It wasn’t a metaphorical expression but genuinely fast speed.
‘Magic really is convenient. Using it in ways like that too.’
The Merchant made an incredulous expression watching Lee Seo accelerating.
How long had it been since he started teaching her basic magic, and now her use of magic was as natural as breathing.
“Well then, see you tomorrow!”
Her voice grew distant.
The Merchant briefly looked at the entrance where Yoon Yi-seo had left.
At that level, she definitely had talent for magic.
Above all, her passion for magic was worth acknowledging.
The Merchant sat cross-legged on the floor of the now-quiet training room.
Then he became absorbed again in the words Lee Seo had thrown out.
“A brush…”
With that, his eyelids slowly closed.
Somehow it felt like the brush he would create would be covered with ghostly energy like ink.
***
Having finished her apprentice schedule, Yoon Yi-seo trudged toward the training ground.
The Merchant had apparently already left work, as the training ground was completely empty.
She moved the grimoires that had been placed aside to one side and buried her face on the desk.
“Haah…”
It was her first day at work and she hadn’t even removed her apprentice tag yet, so it was natural to be tired and exhausted.
Moreover, while Lee Seo was a Hunter, she was a magic-type Hunter.
Her physical abilities were at the level of an ordinary person.
So the rough porter work was bound to be more arduous for an intelligence character.
So was the porter work difficult?
No, rather it was problematic because it was too easy.
With the skills of experienced guild members combined with the Universal Cart and Laser Butcher Knife,
she could understand why Hunters kept saying “Asin, Asin.”
Not only did the speed of conquest increase, but the strategic supply made her realize that dungeon conquest could be this comfortable.
Lee Seo’s heart began to race at such professional behavior from her senior guild members.
That was exactly where it ended.
There was no room for her in that professional performance.
She wasn’t even allowed to carry luggage.
Of course, it was true that the aunts and uncles were worried because she was too young,
but they should give her work to do, or at least let her experience it.
That way she could decide whether to take on the role of Porter or work as security personnel like Mister Dolsoe,
and determine her role within the Guild.
She wasn’t a hothouse flower.
If she had to make a comparison, she’d say she was more like a wildflower.
She had experienced all sorts of turmoil at the Magic Tower.
For Lee Seo to try growing in a greenhouse felt like wearing clothes that didn’t fit.
In the end, Lee Seo, who had returned after just watching, decided to do what she could.
“Right… let’s try just a little more today.”
Yoon Yi-seo lifted her head.
On the desk lay the Space-Time Magic Tome she had received from the Merchant that morning.
Slowly stroking its cover, she carefully turned to the next page.
After all, magic was what she could do best.
‘This magic seems like it could be quite helpful?’
With that thought, she began immersing herself in her research.
***
The next morning,
what unfolded before the Merchant’s eyes as he headed to the Guild Main Building in a refreshed mood was…
“Hey! Why aren’t the kids moving?!”
“No, why are they moving so fast!”
The Guild had become a scene of chaos.
The Goblins were in ultra-slow mode with barely any movement,
while the Guild Members were brewing coffee at lightning speed.
The elevator doors seemed to be stuck in slow mode too, not even closing.
Even the clock in the lobby was acting strange.
The hour and minute hands were spinning at Mach speed.
The Merchant let out a sigh.
“What now…”
At those words, the Merchant’s eyes turned red.
As his Fire Eyes opened, the flow of mana covering the inside of the building came into view at a glance.
The Merchant ignited Karmic Fire at his fingertips.
Then he began cutting along the mana lines.
The flow was twisted in two layers.
Acceleration and Deceleration.
Those two circuits were devouring each other while maintaining expandability and continuity.
‘Is it because it’s the work of a mage who reached the divine realm? It’s certainly impressive.’
Even in the midst of this, he was analyzing it.
With a sound like space tearing, the distorted flow of time returned to its proper place.
The Goblins who had been frozen simultaneously swayed and stretched,
while the Guild Members who had been brewing coffee stared blankly at the coffee pots in their hands.
“No need to look for the culprit.”
Having finished cleaning up, his gaze turned to Yoon Yi-seo, who was hurriedly coming up the staircase.
“Yoon Yi-seo.”
“…I’m, I’m sorry.”
She bowed her head deeply.
“What did you do?”
“Well, yesterday I combined Acceleration and Slow. I wondered if I could cast it on other people like a buff…”
The Merchant scratched his head.
“So that’s why all the floors ended up like this.”
“…Yes.”
He was silent for a moment.
Then he slowly opened his mouth.
“It was half successful.”
“Huh?”
“At least it worked. You cast both acceleration and deceleration simultaneously.”
It was Yoon Yi-seo who was surprised by his calm tone.
“Still, you did manage to find a role you could handle.”
“Pardon?”
“Why are you surprised? What? Did you think I brought you here to make you a porter?”
Isn’t that the obvious assumption?
Since Asin is a Porter Guild, when they recruit guild members, naturally they’d want them to work as porters…
“Jin-woo.”
At his call, Kim Jin-woo came running from somewhere.
“Yes, Elder Brother!”
“We need to upgrade the training ground equipment a bit more. Get ones with control functions.”
“I’ll prepare them right away.”
As Jin-woo ran off, the Merchant looked back at Yoon Yi-seo.
“This time it was just deceleration and acceleration, so it was manageable. If it had been dangerous magic, we could have had a real disaster.”
“…Yes.”
The Merchant turned around as if his business was finished.
“From next time, submit your research reports first. That way, we can at least protect you when things get dangerous.”
Yoon Yi-seo lifted her head.
Her eyes had somehow become bright and sparkling again.
It wasn’t relief from not being scolded.
Rather than such relief, it was joy from finding meaning in her place at Asin.
“…Yes!”
Her cheerful response echoed through the lobby.
‘This time… I might really be able to do well.’
With that thought, she quietly hugged her grimoire to her chest.
***
After sorting out the situation, I went up to my office.
Normally I would have gone down to the basement for magic training, but today there was a report from Sadangpae that a guest was coming.
I settled into my chair and took a sip of the coffee that a guild member had brought at lightning speed.
“Finally, some peace and quiet.”
It had been too hectic since morning.
Before those words were even finished—
I heard knocking from outside the door.
Knock, knock.
That distinctive gait and familiar presence.
The door opened and Association President Han Ki-cheol entered.
In just a few days, his gaze had become much sharper.
“Now then, have you finished sorting out your feelings?”
I slowly rose from my seat.
***
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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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