You Have Been Invited to the Auction House of the Gods - Chapter 96

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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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96

 

 

KWAAAAANG―!

 

The atmosphere vibrated as if being torn apart, and a massive mushroom cloud bloomed upward.

 

Near where I had crashed, a crater the size of a lake was formed.

 

From the crater, lingering heat was still creating heat mirages.

 

It was a scene that vividly demonstrated why S-rank Hunters are compared to nuclear bombs.

 

I stepped a few paces away from the crash site and drew Galmu.

 

‘He’s not the type to die from something like this.’

 

No, he must not die.

I gave up luxury tourism and crossed the border without a visa to catch that bastard.

Besides, there was still a lot I needed to hear from that bastard’s mouth.

So that bastard must not die yet.

If he’s dead, I’m planning to drag him along even if I have to use a staff of rest.

as I expected, a figure rose from within the smoke filled with heat.

 

In one hand, he held a stone chunk that resembled a human form,

In one hand, he held a stone that resembled the shape of a human figure,

I could tell that it was the truck driver.

Then he trudged out of the smoke.

 

Liu Chen’s revealed appearance was quite grotesque.

 

No trace of humanity remained in his body.

 

Was it because I had cut away the last remaining human part of him?

Was it because I had cut away the last remaining part of him that was human?

His entire body had been replaced with gemstone weapons.

Intricate circuits, incomparably more sophisticated than before, were etched into his rough skin that had become like precious stone.

If every part that was human has been replaced, can we still call that thing human?

Not the magnificent grandeur of armor that stirs a man’s heart,

It felt like a robot suit from a movie had become human.

Not the majestic grandeur of armor that stirs a man’s heart,

It was a grotesque sight, like a rotting dead tree.

“I don’t know why you’re here, but it’s actually for the best.”

“I flew here because I missed you.”

“I feel the same way.”

The corners of Liu Chen’s mouth curled up grotesquely.

It was just a casual remark, but his expression gave me goosebumps.

That was something uncomfortable that went beyond bizarre.

“Mr. Han Sang-in, thanks to you, I was able to see new horizons. So you too…”

“Aren’t you getting tired of all this talk about joining the church and whatnot?”

“No. I’ve given up on trying to convince you now. It’s difficult to explain a miracle to someone who hasn’t witnessed one. Instead…”

The circuits etched into Liu Chen’s body began to emit light in sequence.

With a resonant humming sound, the light from the circuits spread throughout his entire body.

Crack!

The surrounding ground warped as a heavy, ominous aura erupted forth.

“Let me show you directly. The miracle I experienced!”

***

I struck down the fireball flying from the sky.

Flames erupted from Liu Chen’s heels.

Then in an instant, he closed the distance between us and threw a punch.

but at least I’m still fundamentally within the human category.

 

‘It’s not like he’s a robot from some mecha series.’

 

I let out a bitter laugh at his appearance, changed beyond what could be considered human.

 

I quickly formed a shield of Karmic Fire on my left arm.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at how much he had changed—to the point where I could hardly think of him as human anymore.

He quickly created a shield of karma fire on his left arm.

He absorbed the impact and stepped back.

“Everything is within my predicted range.”

 

A grotesque sound mixed with resonance and metallic scraping flowed from his mouth.

 

“Ha, really…”

 

It wasn’t even a human voice anymore.

No, it sounded like metallic scraping forcibly scratched out to imitate a human.

 

At the same time, Stone Spears shot up from below along my evasion route.

 

I wrapped Karmic Fire around my feet and used the rising Stone Spears as footholds, leaping high into the air.

 

This time, flames burst from Liu Chen’s back.

 

Using that as propulsion, he leaped high into the sky.

 

“I have abandoned limitations.”

 

Liu Chen approached right in front of my nose in an instant.

 

He looked grotesque from afar, but up close it was even worse.

 

“Blood, flesh, emotions—such things are merely impurities that hinder evolution.”

 

He placed his hand on my shoulder.

 

“So, you should join as well.”

 

“Join?”

 

“The new form of Future Humanity.”

 

As he said this, the corners of his mouth rose as if they would tear.

 

The chilling part was that the emotion mixed in that smile was ecstasy.

 

I gripped Galmu with both hands.

 

Then I drew a half-moon arc and sliced off Liu Chen’s hands that were gripping my shoulders.

 

“Get lost, you crazy bastard.”

 

Liu Chen, with both arms severed, fell straight to the Surface.

 

It seems I still don’t have flight capabilities.

 

I threw off the two arms that were still hanging on my shoulders like discarding filth.

 

Those falling arms returned to the crashed Liu Chen as if equipped with propulsion, spewing fire.

 

Then they docked perfectly to the clean cut surfaces.

 

With a spine-chilling friction sound of metal and bone grinding together…

 

“…”

 

It felt like some innocence somewhere in my heart was crumbling.

 

‘He wants me to become a monster like that?’

 

It was absurd.

 

I resolved to quickly end this disgusting fight and slowly descended to the Surface.

 

Liu Chen was smiling.

 

“It can’t be helped. I’ll remove all the impurities remaining in your body.”

 

Crazy talk.

If the impurities he’s talking about are my blood and flesh, what would remain after removing all of that?

 

“It will be painful, but that’s fine too.”

 

I’m the one who’ll be in pain, so why is he the one saying it’s fine?

 

“That pain is also one method of embarking on the path of evolution.”

 

As he finished speaking, his back opened.

Not as some metaphor or anything—literally, his back plate opened wide like wings.

 

And what extended from there were Tree Branches.

Filled with Ghostly Energy.

 

Each and every one of those branches was a Magic Circuit.

 

Then Liu Chen pulled out his left arm.

 

Crack—!

 

His left arm, with something long trailing behind it, took the form of an elegantly extended Staff.

 

“Then I’ll quickly save you.”

 

With those words, hundreds of Magic spells poured from the Tree Branches growing from his back.

 

“…Crazy bastard.”

 

***

 

Surely among my ancestors, there must have been a nobleman who worked at the Hwatongdogam, developing cannons and explosives during the Joseon Dynasty.

 

Explosive firepower.

 

I quite like that phrase too.

 

But that preference only applied when I was the one doing the shooting.

 

I quickly stomped my feet and spread my ghostly energy.

 

‘Dominating Pressure.’

 

Several incoming spells were dispelled by the ghostly energy that spread out like ripples centered on me.

 

But other spells immediately filled those gaps.

 

I activated my Fire Eyes and quickly swung Galmu toward the incoming spells.

 

Galmu, swung at high speed, consecutively dispelled the spells.

 

While gradually closing the distance with Liu Chen.

 

But even that wasn’t so easy.

 

This crazy bastard wasn’t targeting me specifically with his spells,

he was just bundling up the entire area where I was and bombarding it.

 

What good did it do to dispel the spells coming at me?

Spells that fell in distant places would explode and deal damage anyway.

 

‘Tsk, they say stray bullets are scary.’

 

I, who never even went to the military, was now experiencing firsthand that there are more cases of getting hurt by ricocheting bullets than by direct hits on the battlefield.

 

‘Tsk, if I could just get close, he’d be nothing…’

 

I gritted my teeth at the sight of Liu Chen triumphantly spouting about Future Humanity.

 

There was no answer like this.

 

‘What method could I use to break through the firepower and get to that bastard?’

 

Then suddenly, one crazy idea came to mind.

 

Strong firepower should be suppressed with even stronger firepower.

 

And I knew a way to increase that firepower.

 

It was the method I used when dealing with Kang Mu-heon.

 

That Liu Chen bastard draws circuits on his body, so there’s no reason I can’t do the same, right?

 

I know, it’s not a good idea.

 

This was literally a crazy thought.

 

But would I rather die?

 

There wasn’t really any other method that came to mind in the current situation.

 

And if more commotion broke out here, Liu Jian might notice.

 

Having one more S-rank Hunter added to this battle was not welcome.

 

So I began drawing circuits all over my body while blocking Liu Chen’s bombardment.

 

When all the circuits were drawn, I gripped Galmu with both hands.

 

Bombing was pouring down, but I didn’t care.

 

And I injected ghostly energy to activate the circuits.

 

“Hup…!”

 

Pressure built up at each joint and blood flowed rapidly.

My entire body expanded like crazy.

Something was filling my whole body beyond its limits.

 

At the same time, ghostly energy and Karmic Fire flowed out around me regardless of my will.

 

The spells flying toward me simply evaporated in those two powerful energies.

 

I lowered my stance and aimed the sword at Liu Chen.

Then, like a bullet being fired from a sniper rifle, I pulled the trigger.

 

Thwoom—.

 

A firing sound that was neither loud nor quiet, muffled as if by a silencer.

 

A single small beam of light fired from Galmu’s blade tip pierced straight through Liu Chen’s body.

 

The sound disappeared.

 

And following that,

 

Kugugugugung—!

 

A massive explosion chased after the beam of light.

 

A beam of light so massive that Liu Chen’s magical bombardment became meaningless swept past in front of me.

 

A shock sound that surpassed the speed of sound split the world, loud enough to make my ears ring.

 

After all of that had passed, nothing remained before me.

 

In that vast emptiness, Liu Chen’s body collapsed just like that.

 

As soon as I saw that, I immediately erased all the circuits.

 

“Whew…”

 

Steam was rising from my body as if something had overheated.

 

“I can’t use this for long.”

 

Maybe if I developed it further in the future, but for now it was too much.

 

I slowly approached the fallen Liu Chen.

 

The tree branches and miscellaneous things that had grown from his body had all evaporated, and Liu Chen lay there like a withered old tree.

 

I couldn’t confirm if he was breathing, but thanks to the faint movement of ghostly energy that remained, I could tell he wasn’t dead yet.

 

I activated my Fire Eyes and severed all the circuits carved into his body.

 

Then I entrusted him to Yamyeong.

 

“You said you prepared an airplane, right?”

 

“I’ve prepared a transport aircraft cleanly.”

 

“Go ahead first. I have something to take care of.”

 

“Understood.”

 

Yamyeong didn’t ask anything.

 

It seemed like he already knew what I was thinking.

 

“Is there room left on the transport aircraft?”

 

“It’s spacious enough to carry an elephant.”

 

“Good.”

 

With that, I turned my head and started walking, then paused and called out to Yamyeong.

 

“Yamyeong.”

 

“Yes, Lord.”

 

“Do you have some spare Chinese yuan?”

 

I need to settle the lodging and meal expenses properly.

 

***

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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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