You Have Been Invited to the Auction House of the Gods - Chapter 89

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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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89

 

 

I was swinging Galmu when I hastily pulled my body back.

 

A stone spear shot up from where I had withdrawn.

 

If my sixth sense detection had been even slightly delayed, my extended arm would have been pierced through.

 

‘Tch, that golem is quite annoying.’

 

Heat rose from where the stone spear had emerged.

 

Since it was a bio-golem that didn’t move with mana, it was impossible to counter it with Fire Eyes.

 

Still, it was fortunate that I could read the flow of its movements with Ki Sense.

 

It continued like this.

 

Every time I aimed for an opening and tried to break through, the golem would interfere.

 

‘I knew Sister An Hyeon-su was impressive, but I didn’t expect her to be this troublesome.’

 

I had only seen An Hyeon-su’s sculptures before, but this was the first time I actually faced them in combat.

 

“Now that I’ve warmed up, I think I’ll go on the offensive this time.”

 

With those words, dozens of stone spears shot up, forming a dense forest.

 

‘A bamboo forest made of stone spears…’

 

Once again, the battlefield changed according to Kang Mu-heon’s intentions.

 

Kang Mu-heon, walking leisurely between the stone spears, opened his mouth.

 

“Please consider this handicap as me going easy on you.”

 

His movements weaving between the stone spears began to appear fragmented.

 

I expanded my Ki Sense a bit more and tracked his movements.

 

His small frame was slow but had no openings.

 

More precisely, the golem’s stone spears were filling in his gaps.

 

Kang Mu-heon used a stone spear as a foothold and threw a straight punch toward me.

 

Following his movements, the stone spears opened a path for him.

 

I brought Galmu down directly.

 

But soon my sword was blocked by a stone spear that sprouted from the side.

 

I quickly released Galmu, then wrapped Karmic Fire around my left fist and threw it.

 

Kang Mu-heon’s straight punch and my fist collided, causing an explosion.

 

I tried to follow up with the next attack immediately, but Kang Mu-heon had already used the explosion’s impact to hide among the stone spears again.

 

‘I can’t let my guard down.’

 

The battlefield itself was unfamiliar.

 

I couldn’t predict where Kang Mu-heon would break through from, or when stone spears would block my sword path.

 

Though aged, he was still a veteran who dominated the battlefield.

Every time he moved, the momentum of the battlefield changed.

 

‘A man who fights with flow…’

 

Kang Mu-heon was closer to controlling the flow of the entire battlefield rather than relying on individual martial prowess.

 

The shadows of the stone spears stretched long.

Through those gaps, Kang Mu-heon’s presence subtly fluctuated.

 

Without time to raise my sword, I wrapped Karmic Fire around my arm.

 

The impact traveled through my arm bone up to my shoulder.

 

‘What kind of strength…’

 

Even for a Hunter, there should be limits to “reasonable force.”

 

How could an old man approaching a hundred years have such tremendous strength?

 

I thrust Galmu through the Karmic Fire, but he was already gone from there.

 

“You’re certainly impressive, young man. You’re in a different league from those stupid S-ranks.”

 

“You speak as if you’ve fought other S-rank Hunters?”

 

“Heh heh, I’ve fought quite a few. They were idiots who awakened through luck rather than skill.”

 

The thought that awakening as an S-rank Hunter could be achieved through luck alone?

briefly crossed my mind, but I couldn’t deny it.

 

Of the three S-rank Hunters I’d met, two belonged to the category of idiots Kang Mu-heon mentioned.

 

“That’s why I covet you even more.”

 

Kang Mu-heon’s voice brushed past my ears, carried by the cold wind blowing between the stone spears.

 

The flow of the battlefield had changed again.

 

Now I couldn’t tell where he was speaking from.

 

“If only you would join us, we could advance the Sect’s grand plan much faster.”

 

Kang Mu-heon chuckled with amusement.

 

“That’s absurd. You want me to trust a pseudo-religion, a criminal organization that commits illegal acts?”

 

A hollow laugh escaped me.

Human sacrifice, human trafficking, drugs… What grand cause could a pseudo-religion that commits every illegal act imaginable possibly have?

 

“…The Cult isn’t as evil a place as you think.”

 

“Nonsense. Would such a place threaten me to join using my Younger Sister and Mother as leverage?”

 

“That’s a misunderstanding. After the first Break, it was an age of chaos with no government or law.”

 

Kang Mu-heon made excuses desperately.

 

“It was an era where power became authority, so we simply adopted such methods.”

 

Now even arguing had become tiresome.

 

“We never actually intended to harm them.”

 

Laughter burst out at his words.

 

Never intended to harm them?

Then why had they driven Park Ju-yong and Shin In-seon to the brink of death?

 

My expression soured at the nauseating lies.

 

“Those who martyred themselves don’t die. This… you wouldn’t believe it unless you saw it yourself, but…”

 

“Are you done talking?”

 

“…If you understood the Sect’s will, you would eventually join us.”

 

That same old tune.

It wasn’t even worth listening to anymore.

 

“Well then, it’s my turn now.”

 

Kang Mu-heon had one way of seizing control of battle.

The advantage of choosing the battlefield.

 

I intended to block that from the very beginning.

 

I ignited Karmic Fire in both hands.

 

Blue Flames blazed in both my hands.

 

While listening to his nonsense, I had spread Ghostly Energy throughout the Stone Spear Forest.

 

The colorless, odorless, formless energy had filled the Stone Spear Forest without anyone noticing.

 

“Oh? Those Blue Flames are your Unique Ability.”

 

Kang Mu-heon spoke leisurely.

“However, no matter how magnificent the flames, they’re meaningless if they can’t hit their target.”

 

In sync with Kang Mu-heon’s words, stone spears sprouted even more densely.

 

“That might be true.”

 

The surging Karmic Fire gathered into a single spark at my fingertip.

 

At its tip, a Magic Circuit drawn with Ghostly Energy was operating.

 

Compression.

 

I continued running the circuit while gathering the flames.

 

“You can use Magic too? Your skills have definitely improved again in just a week. Remarkable.”

 

Kang Mu-heon spoke as if delighted.

 

Without knowing what would happen to him from these flames.

 

“Despite having sufficient abilities, your attitude of constant self-improvement is truly admirable, but…”

 

He drew out his words.

 

“How will you hit me when I’m hidden in the Forest?”

 

Then he asked me a question in a voice that seemed to enjoy posing a problem to a Disciple.

 

“But is there really a need to hit you specifically?”

 

I could just blow up this entire Forest from the start.

 

“What?”

 

With those words, I casually flicked the compressed spark toward the Stone Spear Forest.

 

The Ghostly Energy I had spread as an explosive medium caught fire.

 

And within seconds—

 

KWAAAAANG—!!

 

The air exploded as if it were being torn apart.

 

A massive explosion and smoke erupted upward.

 

Red flames devoured the Stone Spear Forest, turning the entire area into scorched earth.

 

I leisurely watched the explosion from within the flames surrounded by Karmic Fire.

 

The enemy gains the advantage of battlefield selection?

In the end, it’s all caused by one obstacle factor called the battlefield.

 

Then wouldn’t it work to just blow away the cause all at once?

 

If I blow away the battlefield itself, wouldn’t both the advantage of battlefield selection and the enemy hiding somewhere on the battlefield be blown away together?

 

The energy mixed with Blue Flames and Ghost Valley Cry swirled before my eyes, creating various colors.

 

However, there was one problem…

 

‘The explosion is longer than I thought.’

 

Since some emotion had gotten mixed in, compressing quite a large amount of Karmic Fire had been the root of the problem.

 

Because of that, explosions were continuing to occur in a chain reaction.

 

As if it would sweep everything away until nothing remained in this place.

 

I glanced down below.

 

Actually, there was no need to look down.

 

Due to the battlefield being carved away by successive explosions, I had almost reached the bottom.

 

I couldn’t sense the presence of the Association President or Hunters, so the second insurance I had put in place must have moved quickly.

 

The explosion that seemed like it would never end finally stopped.

 

When I removed the Karmic Fire wrapped around my body, scorching heat suddenly engulfed me.

 

Around me, remaining embers were crackling.

 

“Hmm…”

 

I let out a short sigh.

 

‘He survived even that explosion?’

 

I could sense Kang Mu-heon’s presence within the flames.

 

It was a rougher and stronger presence than before.

 

As the flames and smoke cleared, Kang Mu-heon revealed himself.

 

Kang Mu-heon threw his burning martial arts uniform top onto the floor.

 

In doing so, his body was revealed without filter.

 

A lean and small body.

It was flesh that bore the complete imprint of the years Kang Mu-heon had lived.

And the menacing wounds and scars carved upon it.

It was a body that bore the complete imprint of all the years Kang Muheon had lived.

The flesh was gouged out, and layers of calluses had built up where the torn flesh had been stitched together.

Whatever had stimulated him, fighting spirit was blazing in his eyes.

 

“It’s truly regrettable. Even when told, you refuse to understand, and even when you hear, you refuse to see.”

 

He brought his hands together.

 

“How unfortunate. I didn’t want to show you this form.”

 

Suddenly, ghostly energy erupted from his spine.

Then his muscles began to expand.

Flesh tore and blood sprayed out like steam.

A chill suddenly shot up his spine.

Patterns bloomed like flames beneath the skin.

Then his muscles began to swell.

Blood vessels bulged beneath his swollen muscles.

Flesh tore open and blood sprayed out like steam.

His skeleton began to twist and reconstruct his body.

And his appearance after completing the transformation.

“That’s supposed to be a body that a human can have…?”

A ridiculously massive, muscular man appeared.

“Round 2, let’s begin.”

***

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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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