Chapter 139: Bad Ending Collection – Prologue Branch: Slave Ending

Chapter 139: Bad Ending Collection – Prologue Branch: Slave Ending

“Khehehehe! A woman! A woman! She looks fresh!!”

“Kiiiiiyaaaak! St-stop! Stop the violence, you bastards!!”

I screamed at the top of my lungs, running to escape the voices.

Shit, yeah.

It’s absurd that I got possessed by the game I was playing while trying to clear game achievements.

But this is not it.

“Prepare the restraints! Kekeke! She’ll fetch a good price if we sell her to a slave trader!!”

‘I’m screwed…’

Bandits with wide, crazed eyes and yellow teeth grinning at me.

There were about three of them, and I had no weapons at all.

Dag-dak, dag-dak-

The sound of hooves circled me.

The three of them formed a circle, surrounding me.

It happened in an instant.

Although their clothes looked shabby, their movements were practiced.

Completely seamless movements.

If I had shown any sign of confusion, I might have seen a way to escape, but

Hwiriric-

“Hii, hyaaaak!!”

Unfortunately, something like a blue rope flew out and snatched my ankle.

At the same time, my vision spun, and my face plunged forward.

Sparks flew, implying it had hit with considerable force.

“Kkeu-eu-euk..!”

“Caught her! Khehehehehehehek!!”

As I writhed in pain, the galloping horse stopped.

Then, the largest bandit dismounted.

He scanned me, covered in grass, and grinned.

His thick hand cupped my chin.

“This… we caught a good one, didn’t we?”

“Khehehehehet! As expected of you, big brother! You never miss!!”

“Of course, who do you think I am? The top student of the renowned Mage Academy.”

‘Mage Academy…?’

Judging by his appearance and the type of magic he used, he didn’t seem like a particularly skilled mage.

I wriggled with all my might to free my legs from the restraints.

But the restraints showed no sign of loosening.

“Hoo.. Hoo..”

I slowly began to be engulfed by anxiety.

What should I do? How should I do it?

My mind went blank in the face of this unexpected situation.

However, despite that, the bandits began to move in perfect coordination.

“Here… look here. You’ll be fine after a nap.”

Chik-

Then, a liquid-like substance was sprayed onto my face.

Immediately, I felt an extreme drowsiness.

It seemed like some kind of magic was used.

My consciousness went out immediately, without even a moment to understand what magic it was.

****

Chalsak, chalsak!

“Hey, wake up.”

“Uuuugh..”

Something slapped my cheek hard.

As I slowly lifted my heavy eyelids, I saw something in front of me.

It was an iron cage.

Something like a tentacle came through the iron bars and tapped my face again.

“Hiyyaaaaaak!!”

Startled, I screamed and fell backward.

A slightly irritable voice came from outside the iron cage.

“Ah, shit… My ears hurt, so shut your mouth. Seriously. I should either excise your vocal cords… fuck…”

The one grumbling and moving to the side was a very short man.

He had a curly mustache and hollow eyes.

‘Dwarf…?’

Judging by his build, he was a dwarf, but he had very little facial hair.

I’ve heard of this.

Dwarves who cherish their friends and family and have good personalities are extremely cynical towards ‘deviants.’

Deviants who have committed serious crimes have their beards completely shaved off and are exiled from the dwarf country.

“Ex-excuse me… Hey…”

Trembling, I called out to the dwarf who was inserting a tentacle into the next cage.

It was dark all around, and the smell was a bit musty.

I could also hear the sobbing of women nearby.

The dwarf, who had been waking up the person in the next cage for a moment.

Fortunately, he reacted immediately to my call.

“Ha… I’m dying of annoyance. What is it?”

“Where is this..? P-please get me out. I was captured by strange people. Please…”

The dwarf said nothing.

He just fiddled with the tentacle.

Jjeok!

And then he struck my solar plexus with the tentacle.

“Kkeo-eo-eok..!”

My breath hitched, and an extreme pain spread throughout my body.

As I fell forward and writhed, the dwarf spoke in a cold voice.

“Don’t talk to me, it’ll give me a headache, fuck. Can’t you see? You’ve been captured. Those smelly bandits sold you to a slave trader.”

“Kekek, keol-lok..”

‘Slave trader…?’

As I coughed violently and clutched my chest, something on the floor caught my eye.

It was a bloodstain.

Only then did I realize the source of the musty smell that filled my nose.

As I trembled, realizing the situation belatedly,

The dwarf, who had withdrawn his tentacle, chuckled.

“Here’s a tip for hitting you in the solar plexus. It’s better not to open your mouth unnecessarily here.”

“Kekek.. What.. what do you mean..”

“It’s a pretty useful tip, so remember it well. Many slaves die because they can’t follow this. But you’re top quality, so you won’t die.”

Saying that, the dwarf left casually.

In front of the cage, a leather pouch had been placed at some point.

I touched it tentatively, feeling a bit suspicious,

But nothing happened.

Inside were bread, cheese, bacon, and jerky.

There was also a very small water bottle.

Basseureok-

‘This is…’

-Tip for solar plexus

Seeing the small memo attached inside, I let out a chuckle of disbelief.

When did they prepare this?

They said dwarves were fast, but

I didn’t expect them to be this fast.

“Hoo..”

What should I do now?

Kkooreureuk-

Amidst fear and bewilderment, my stomach growled.

Even in this situation, I’m hungry.

I sighed and chewed the food in the pouch.

It doesn’t seem very old, judging by its good condition.

Step, step..

Just as I finished eating ravenously,

I heard footsteps outside the iron cage.

‘Who is it…?’

Following the dwarf’s advice, I covered my mouth and pressed myself against the corner of the cage.

Then, a man dressed in a ridiculous clown costume appeared.

“Hmm… Knock knock.”

He didn’t knock on the cage, but made a knocking sound with his mouth.

For a moment, I thought he was crazy and held my breath,

But he didn’t seem to intend to harm me or hit me in the solar plexus.

The clown scanned my body and spoke.

“Knock knock. Can you speak? Or do you not know the common language? dkssudgktpdy? dkfdk emerpTdjdy?”

As an unintelligible language came out, I blinked blankly.

And then I cautiously spoke.

“I… I can speak.”

“Oh, good. Fortunately, I won’t need to call an interpreter.”

His tone was incredibly friendly, but the atmosphere was very strange.

How should I put it?

He looked human, but not very human-like.

Then, seeing his slightly visible horns, I guessed who he was.

‘Demon…’

Demons are hostile to humans, but not in the underworld.

They are excellent slave traders and, at the same time, shrewd businessmen.

Because they have no attachment to their own kind or to life, they can conduct business more efficiently and excellently than anyone else.

As proof, a horned woman next to me was screaming in an unknown language.

The clown glanced at the cage for a moment and then picked his ear.

Eujik-

And as he muttered something.

With a chilling sound, the commotion subsided.

At the same time, the smell of blood hit my nose.

My body trembled, and my breathing became ragged.

The dwarf’s advice was correct.

“Hoo.. I apologize. Demons have a lot of pride, so they can’t stand being ‘restrained.’ You’re top quality… so I won’t kill you. Don’t worry.”

However, his words of reassurance didn’t quite register.

I swallowed dryly and nodded.

Judging by the dwarf’s reaction, they didn’t seem to like noise very much.

As expected, the clown didn’t scold me for my silence.

Instead, he stood up with a satisfied expression.

“Good. This product is quiet, which is nice. It’s perfect as a doll for nobles.”

‘Doll…?’

I didn’t understand what that meant.

With a bewildered expression, I tried to call out to the clown,

But he had already disappeared somewhere quickly.

“Ha…”

This is driving me crazy.

As I curled up, the cold sensation against my buttocks felt even more distinct.

What should I do now?

“The auction is starting soon, isn’t it?”

That unanswered question was answered by the chatter of men heard from the end of the corridor.

“Yeah. I heard they brought in a top-quality item this time, so the nobles are all eager.”

“I saw her too. A brown-haired girl? Just past the age of majority.”

“I caught a glimpse, and she was damn beautiful. I thought she was a half-elf, but she’s a pure human. That makes her even more valuable.”

“Of course. Humans are the easiest to train.”

“If this deal goes well, the boss said he’d treat us to something delicious, so we just have to work hard today. Let’s go. It’s time for the auction.”

“Yeah. Buy yourself some food when you get your salary.”

And so, the voices of those two disappeared.

An auction.

I didn’t know exactly what kind of item was being auctioned, or who was coming,

But I knew one thing for sure.

From now on, my body would not be my own.

And soon, it would become someone’s property.

****

“1000 gold coins!”

The clown’s voice echoed loudly.

This is an auction hall where nobles gather.

A large crowd sat in their seats, all wearing masks.

The gazes from outside the cage made me feel like I was going to vomit.

“1300 gold coins.”

“1300 gold coins!”

“1450 gold coins.”

“1450 gold coins! Are there any other bidders?”

“2000 gold coins.”

“2, 2000 gold coins! 2000 gold coins!”

With each bid from one person after another, the counter in front of me clicked and moved.

It seemed to be a magic tool that displayed the price according to the bids.

“2400”

“2400 gold coins! Are there any other bidders? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”

Whether I was a valuable item or not, the nobles kept bidding high prices.

Furthermore, the price increased, and the clown’s smile widened as if it would tear.

And, around 2780 gold coins, when the price seemed to stabilize,

“6000 gold coins.”

“Y-y-you… six thousand! 6000 gold coins! 6000 gold coins have been bid!!”

An outrageous price was suddenly bid.

At the same time, the atmosphere in the auction hall died down.

Although I couldn’t see their expressions through the masks, I could tell they were all disappointed.

“6000 gold coins! It seems there are no more bidders! In that case, I will award this to-“

“20000 gold coins.”

But.

The auction wasn’t over yet.

Everyone’s gaze turned to the noble who had bid an insane price.

And there stood a man with a very sturdy build.

“Th-twenty… twenty thousand? 20000 gold coins! That’s an outrageous price!!”

Just moments ago, there were a few nobles who were considering bidding higher than 6000.

But now, everyone had lost the will to bid.

The clown knew this too.

The awarding of the bid proceeded very quickly.

“It seems there are no more bidders! In that case, I will award it for 20000 gold coins!!”

And so, the somewhat chaotic auction ended with an outrageous price.

I sighed and looked at the man outside the cage.

Am I being sold to that noble now?

My mind went blank with the speed of events, leaving no room to process my thoughts.

****

“..Drink this.”

“Th-this is…”

“It’s a fatigue recovery drink. Your complexion is bad.”

The man handed me a small bottle.

It contained a blue liquid, and I took it with a bewildered expression.

“Um.. excuse me..”

“My name is Chroni. You can call me whatever you want.”

Poo-hee-hee-

My impression of the noble I saw in the carriage was, to be honest, very good.

How should I put it?

Was it because he immediately freed me from the cage and removed my restraints, I don’t know.

He had sharp features, despite looking rather stoic.

In short, he had a very good impression.

I had imagined a gloomy, pot-bellied old man, given that people were being auctioned off here.

But he looked quite young and very dignified.

“Thank.. you.”

I gulped down the drink he gave me.

I was worried it might be some strange liquid, but the moment it entered my body, I felt my fatigue completely disappear.

“Wow…”

“How is it? Feeling a bit better?”

“Yes, yes… My fatigue is completely gone.”

“Right. Then let’s go to my house now. The children are waiting for you.”

‘Children…?’

I tilted my head with a bewildered expression.

It was unavoidable, as I had only gotten into the carriage without any explanation.

Children. What could that mean?

Perhaps he was doing some kind of charity work, or maybe he needed friends for his own children and bought me at the auction to find companions.

All sorts of thoughts and speculations raced through my mind.

I wanted to ask something, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it due to his demeanor.

‘He’s not a bad person, is he…?’

Well, this world is a bit messed up.

It’s not like everyone here is bad.

In fact, there was a noble who spent a large sum of money to rescue children kidnapped at the auction.

I felt strangely at ease thinking that this person might be one of them.

Yes. No matter what, would someone with such a good impression do something bad?

The lack of explanation is probably just because he’s stoic.

I pieced together speculations close to delusions with the limited information I had in the moving carriage.

And after about two hours of driving, we arrived at the mansion.

I relentlessly berated myself for my foolish delusions.

****

The atmosphere of the mansion was pleasant.

The servants were always smiling, and the meals were delicious.

Chroni said I would be able to meet my friends soon.

After a delicious meal and changing into clean clothes, I went up to the bedroom.

And there were my ‘friends.’

If only they weren’t all wearing collars and had needles stuck in their bodies.

I would have gladly welcomed my new home.

“Ah, uh-uh..? Chroni-nim. Th-that… this is…”

“What’s wrong? Is something bothering you?”

“Ah, no. It’s just…”

“You know, I recently had a child I played with often break. So I’m happy to meet you. Such a pretty, quiet toy.”

His demeanor changed in an instant.

Only then did I realize.

What I felt was merely a defense mechanism to protect my sanity.

Then, Chroni gently massaged my shoulder.

He opened his mouth with a faint smile.

“Don’t worry. It won’t hurt that much.”

He continued speaking in a tone of utmost joy.