episode_0045

When I said I’d buy the spatial bracelet, the store manager misunderstood my intention. “If you’re buying it because you feel bad about making a mistake, it’s alright. There’s no reason to buy something you don’t even want.” The manager seemed to think, who on earth would buy such a useless item? It seems he completely forgot that he was the one who brought it in. That’s why he thought I was buying it because I made the mistake of taking out the Scavenger. You know how it is, if you accidentally break a bottle in a store, you have to pay for it. Of course, I told him that wasn’t the case, as this was exactly what I needed right now. I expected him to be persistent, but he surprisingly accepted it easily. “What do you plan to do with the monster? Wizards truly must be different.” Immediately, the manager sold me the spatial bracelet. The price was practically a steal, of course. “Still, it would be better for this fellow to go to someone who knows its value. Staying here, it would just be in the corner of the store forever.” Thanks to that, I bought the spatial bracelet cheaply, but I didn’t equip it right away. Just like I made a mistake earlier, I’m not used to handling it yet, so I don’t know what might happen. If I accidentally summon a Scavenger inside the market and someone gets hurt, I’ll be branded a terrorist, no, a black mage, and immediately dealt with. So, after putting the bracelet in a suitable spot in my spatial bag, I went outside. “Is there anywhere else you’d like to look around?” “Hmm, is there a good place? Didn’t you mention an auction house earlier?” “You have to wait until evening to enter there.” “Then is there a place that sells scrolls or potions? Or maybe the place that sells that book about the dungeon you told me about.” “Ah, the bookstore? Here.” Immediately, Grace spread her arms. I wondered what on earth she wanted. “What are you doing? Are you just going to walk through the crowd?” “I don’t want to do that.” The reason Grace spread her arms was to carry me. There was no reason to refuse. Walking through the crowd unpleasantly isn’t a good feeling. “Let’s go!” Immediately, held by Grace, I moved around by jumping over the crowd. I’m now used to the princess carry. It felt a little strange at first, but didn’t they say humans are adaptable animals? I don’t feel anything anymore. Maybe it’s even comfortable? “We’ve arrived!” We arrived in front of a run-down bookstore. The visible exterior looked like a completely ruined store on the verge of collapsing. But as soon as I went inside, my mind changed. There were so many people. And among them were explorers wearing good equipment, who seemed to have considerable skill compared to ordinary people. Among them was an explorer covered in golden armor. Seeing so many people visiting, the store didn’t feel run-down, but rather like vintage art. As expected, a bookstore has to be this old to show some long-standing expertise and inspire trust. “I’ll go return the book on the 4th floor.” “……?” Immediately, Grace went to the part-timer, returned the book, and came back. “So you borrow and return books like a library?” “That’s right. Of course, the libraries in each district are free, so valuable books are rare there. Here, since you pay to borrow and return, there are many more good books. Of course, you can also buy them.” So it’s somewhat like a book rental store? But I have one question. “What happens if an explorer dies in the dungeon after borrowing a book?” “So, you pay a price almost similar to the purchase price, and when you return it, you get a portion of the money back.” “Ah, so that’s the general idea.” “Anyway, you mustn’t tell other people about this place. Even now, too many people flock here, making it hard to get the book you want.” “Alright.” Is it like a hidden gem restaurant? No wonder she didn’t tell me when I asked last time. Still, seeing as she brought me this time, it feels like I’ve gotten closer to Grace, so I don’t feel bad. “All the books related to the dungeon are here.” The place Grace led me to was a tall bookshelf. There were books there with information about the dungeon from the 1st to the 6th floor. “Books like this circulate up to the middle floors of the dungeon, but it’s hard to find information from the 7th floor onwards.” “Well, to begin with, there aren’t many explorers who go up that high anyway.” “Besides, they don’t share information. It’s their source of money, after all.” We picked up books about the 5th and 6th floors and rented them. When I first heard the price, I was surprised because it was more expensive than I expected, but since 70% is returned upon return, my psychological resistance dropped. Moreover, the rental period is a whole year. One year. It’s a structure that people can’t help but be tempted by. This might be the secret to this place’s business… After renting 2 books, I looked around inside appropriately. There was a separate space for reading books, and except for expensive ones, all books could be read freely, so I read books that roughly piqued my interest. As time gradually passed, Grace looked out the window and closed her book. “They’re about to open soon. Are you going to the auction house?” “Of course.” Immediately, I tidied up the book I was reading and went outside. Darkness was slowly settling over the city. But the market, bright as day with the lamps made by the Magic Tower, was still bustling with life. “Would you like something to eat before we go in?” “Sure. Is there a good place?” Immediately, we had a simple meal at a street vendor on the way to the auction house. Of course, Grace gobbled up raw bamboo she took out from her spatial bag. It felt kind of like being a wizard who summons a familiar named Grace, with me eating human food and Grace chewing bamboo beside me. Of course, no one else paid attention to this sight, but I finished my meal quickly without realizing it. With satisfied stomachs, we headed to the Black and White Auction House, the largest building in District 2. True to its name, Black and White. An auction house that boasts a beautiful appearance, with black and white harmoniously mixed. Above all, it’s extremely well-managed, and there are even soldiers guarding the exterior. “As I said, not just anyone can go in here. There are conditions, like being a noble, or a famous merchant, and so on.” “You definitely said you need to have a certain amount of money to get in.” “That’s the easiest way. It’s also the difficult way. Of course, it won’t matter for us. We have money, and we have Mr. Evan.” “…Am I that much?” Immediately, I arrived at the entrance to the auction house with Grace. Unlike other areas bustling with people, there aren’t many ordinary people here. The number of soldiers actually overwhelms the number of civilians. And among them was a face I knew. “Oh! Evan!!!” A knight approaching from afar, raising his hand. It was Karin. “Are you on duty here this time?” “Haha, it’s routine for new knights like me to move around to various places. Going into the auction house?” “Yes. Is it alright?” “Evan, the Witch Slayer. With a name like that, it won’t matter. I’ll register Grace as an accompanying person too.” Saying that, Karin immediately handed something to Grace and me. A small bracelet, black on the outside and white on the inside. “If you lose this inside, you could be kicked out, so keep it safe.” “Okay.” “Then have a good time?” Mhmm. Karin sent Grace and me off with a subtle smile. We immediately put on the bracelets and went inside. The interior could be described in one word. Clean. A space filled with marble that felt cool to the touch. Compared to the exterior of the auction house, which was divided into black and white, the interior was made up solely of white marble. Yet, what stood out was a scale divided into black on the left and white on the right. A stone statue like one you might see in a modern courthouse was the first thing that caught my eye. There were more people than I expected. Furthermore, people’s attire varied. I saw wizards wearing robes like me. Many people also came in wearing armor. Actually, I had imagined a dignified auction house with people wearing suits and dresses. When I mentioned that to Grace. “Well, it’s a dungeon city, after all. There are tons of explorers.” People who come to auction houses like this to buy artifacts or equipment would include nobles, but most are likely merchants or explorers. Nobles, on the other hand, supposedly give orders to their subordinates. Immediately, I walked forward toward the desk. I received help from a friendly attendant. Our number was 125. This number is what we’d use to participate in the auction. “You may stay in your assigned seats. Of course, there’s no problem with walking around.” Going up the stairs, I saw a wide central stage and numerous seats surrounding it. Among them were 10 seats near the stage that looked like VIP seats, and the rest were arranged in a circular fashion in order. Our seats were located at the very top, where the central stage was barely visible. The surroundings were enclosed by partitions and a ceiling, allowing for privacy. “It’s really well-done.” “I didn’t realize it was this much. It really is true that one must succeed in life.” As we sat and waited with Grace, an auction house employee brought us drinks and simple snacks. “They don’t just let anyone in for no reason.” “The prices of the things sold here are quite high as well.” “What can we buy?” “With the money we got from selling the light blue card, I think we can buy at least one or two things we like.” “Just how much money do high-floor ~ deep-floor explorers farming light blue cards make?” “Exactly. Won’t they make a truly unbelievable amount?” As I chatted with Grace about this and that, time passed quickly. A dealer came onto the auction stage, introduced various items, and held up placards with numbers on them for people to buy. I quickly got used to the system. “By the way, even though we’re this far away, can they see everything?” “I can see the placards being held up on the opposite side, so of course, the people hired here would be able to see them, right?” As expected of this world, are they overcoming an analog system with physical specs? “Ding dong dong!!! Number 23 is the successful bidder!!” The auction continued. Looking at various artifacts and equipment, I felt my perspective broadening. There are more diverse things in this world than I thought. There were so many artifacts with all sorts of effects. Of course, among them were things I needed and wanted to have. “Wow, too expensive now?” If I needed something, someone else needed it too. We were pushed out of the money competition. Just when I thought we wouldn’t be able to buy anything. One item was brought in. “[Eternal Burning Bonfire] is here!! This is a brand new product just made by the Red Faction of the Magic Tower!! If you have just this one, you supposedly have no reason to carry firewood when entering the dungeon!! Furthermore, it has been confirmed to work normally even on the 5th floor!! And…” It’s a better item than I expected. Didn’t I almost die from hypothermia a while ago when I ran out of firewood? If I get that, such a thing might never happen again. “Isn’t that good?” “Judging just by the description, it sounds good. But the problem seems to be that it’s a new product that hasn’t been properly tested yet. Also, if something like that existed, wouldn’t it have already been sold to explorers? It looks fake no matter how I see it.” That’s a reasonable doubt. If such a perfect item existed, the information would have spread among explorers long ago. But my thoughts were different. “It hasn’t been commercialized yet.” “Commercialized? Ah, like the ingredients are too expensive to sell widely?” “That’s right.” Even if a new product comes out with its performance completely guaranteed, commercializing it for the general public is another issue. Even in my original world, there were cases where new drugs failed because commercialization was difficult. “The price will start from 100 gold!!” Immediately, I raised my placard. “Yes! Number 125!!” However, it seemed there were quite a few people who thought similarly to me, as several people started raising their placards and following along. In the end, the price went up to 5200 gold. But from that point, the number of rising placards gradually decreased, and only I and number 72 remained in the end. “7000 gold!! Any more bids?!!” It was starting to be a burdensome price, but I raised the placard again. And after that, no one followed. We won the money competition. The final price was 7000 gold. The item was immediately brought to me by an employee. We paid the money right there as well. Looking at my spatial bag emptying, I put the artifact in the empty space. And not long after, the first auction session ended. “From now, we will take a short 20-minute break, and then the second auction session will begin!!!” Grace and I got up from our seats. Not to rest until the second auction session, but to leave the auction house. “Aren’t you going to look at anything else?” “No, that’s enough. There’s not much we can buy with the remaining money now anyway.” Given the nature of this place, where most auction prices exceed 1000 gold, we wouldn’t be able to get anything we needed now even if we found it. Moreover, they say more expensive things come out in the second auction session than the first. “This place isn’t quite for us with our current money yet.” Although we made a fortune with the light blue card this time, there’s always a higher level above you. This isn’t a place for our current experience level. “Then let’s go back. If we give the carriage driver extra money, they’ll operate, right?” “Should we just stay overnight nearby?” “Well, since it’s so large, it wouldn’t be bad to look around until noon tomorrow…” While making various plans, a woman came into my sight. A face briefly glimpsed through the robe pulled down low over her head. It’s definite. ‘Why is Han Yereum here…?’ I unconsciously followed Han Yereum as she turned the corner and disappeared. Grace followed behind me without a word. When I turned the corner, Han Yereum was not visible. Immediately, I tried to spread my senses and read the mana around me, but. *Flinch!!* A strong wave of mana shook my head. My head hurt, just like that time on the 2nd floor when I was traced back by another wizard. But that wasn’t the end of it. “Hey!!” Security guards immediately swarmed, among them was Karin. Karin, who came between the guards pointing spears at me, signaled them to lower their spears. “Ah, it’s Evan. You shouldn’t carelessly read mana here. I heard something’s installed.” “…I apologize.” “Ahaha, it’s my fault! I should have told wizards this is essential. Anyway, don’t do it next time.” “Understood.” Watching the guards retreat, I slowly caught my breath. My throbbing head became a little clearer. Just then, Grace looked at me with a serious expression and asked. “…Are you trying to chase after that white-haired woman from earlier?” What the, how does she know this? All sorts of random thoughts crossed my mind for a moment, but the answer was simpler than I thought. “The smell. It’s the smell I detected when Mr. Evan came out of the desert.” Grace had detected the smell that developed during the short time I met Han Yereum in the dungeon. It’s striking again, but she’s useful indeed. “Right.” “You’re not going to tell me what happened there, are you?” “……I’m sorry.” “It doesn’t matter. It’s human nature to have things you can’t talk about.” Sniff sniff. Grace sniffed the air and nodded. “So, shall I find her for you?” “…Please.” “Of course.” Immediately, I followed Grace. Inside the auction house, there are as many as 5 auction areas like the one we just went to. Of course, the items that appear differ, so some wealthy nobles reportedly send people to all 5 locations to find the item they want. There are long corridors connecting these auction areas. As we passed through such a corridor, we suddenly stopped in front of a staircase leading underground. A soldier was guarding that spot. “Entry is restricted here except for authorized personnel.” “Ah, I apologize.” I immediately moved away. “The smell leads underground. Is there something underground?” “If you don’t know, how would I know.” “No matter how extensive my network is, I only know information up to the lower to middle floors. I don’t have information about the upper class like this. Shall we see who goes down?” So I stood still, intending to see if anyone went down the stairs. Suddenly, a guard approached. “The auction will begin shortly. Might I suggest you return to your seats?” That friendly face. But I got the feeling from him that he was telling me to get lost. “Yes. Thank you.” I bowed and left the spot. But even so, I couldn’t fool our Grace. Grace watched, sniffing the air, while maintaining a distance. Soon, a man passed by us. “The man who just passed by went down there. Looking at how he paused briefly in front of the guard, it seems like a place you can only enter by submitting something.” “As expected.” It’s a perfectly predictable location. Isn’t it common sense to have a secret auction house beneath the main one, where only VVIPs gather? It’s dangerous to go in there in the first place, even if I could. If I carelessly went in and got caught, it would be a big problem. There’s no need to take the risk. Han Yereum said she would come find me, so I should just wait quietly. “Let’s go out.” Immediately, we went outside the auction house. Perhaps because the break time was ending and the auction was starting, people weren’t visible. Thanks to that, a group of people entering late stood out. “Could they be from the Church of Ariel?” Paladins and priests were passing Karin and entering the auction house. Hoping that some of them might not recognize me, I roughly covered my face with a cloth and watched them. Their attire was unusual. All of them walked inside, perfectly armed. As if they had come to catch someone. “Grace. Where did the paladins go?” Sniff sniff. Grace sniffing the air. It didn’t take long for the result to come out. “They’re going towards the path leading underground?” “Didn’t the guard stop them?” “No.” A bad scenario forms in my mind. Han Yereum definitely said that black mages and the Church of Ariel were cooperating. If what those guys are after is Han Yereum. Instead of black mages who can’t move easily inside the dungeon city, the Church of Ariel might have come to retrieve her. “Haa…” A situation that’s hard to just pass by. If Han Yereum weren’t a fellow Korean, I wouldn’t have even hesitated, but her words still weigh on my mind. [The evil god is after my body] I can’t believe her words 100%, but I don’t feel entirely indifferent as a fellow Korean. I have to help her. “There’s no way to get inside, is there?” “Probably not. Unless you have something like ‘Stealth’.” “Ah. That’s right.” I had forgotten. Right now, I have exactly one way to get inside. Immediately, I changed my deck. 『Deck changed.』 『Current Deck: Rogue’s Deck』 『Time until next exchange possible: 0:59:59』 My third deck. There was only one reason I chose the [Rogue’s Deck] instead of the [Necromancer’s Deck]. Because the perception of a necromancer wouldn’t be good. And that choice was the best choice. Ding dong!! 『Deck List』 [Stab (1)] 4 cards. – Manipulates mana to stab the enemy. [Evasion (1)] 3 cards. – Evades. [Stealth (2)] 3 cards. – Stealths. The first attack dealt after stealth is always a critical hit. [Ambush (1)] 1 card. – Uses mana to slash strongly. Upon successful first strike, deals stronger damage. In the original game, the Rogue’s Deck was a deck that focused on strong defense, building up poison on enemies, or attacking by cycling the deck infinitely. But contrary to my expectations, this deck, as you can tell just by looking at the basic cards, is a deck focused on assassination. The Elementalist’s Deck was like that, and the Paladin’s Deck is too. Something is subtly different from the decks I played in the original game. Perhaps there’s a high probability that the [Necromancer’s Deck] will also be something different from what I expect. “Do it right away.” Grace looked around and said to me. The reason she’s acting like she knows everything is simple. I tested the Rogue’s Deck with Grace. Including how long [Stealth] lasts and how the cards are applied. “Alright.” *Groan.* I tried to draw a card, but it didn’t draw. 『Until next draw: 50… 49…』 Ah, I had to wait 1 minute after changing the deck. “Just 1 minute…” “Okay.” A brief silence passed. Time flowed, and 1 minute passed. 『Until next draw: 1… 0.』 『It is your turn. Draw 3 cards.』 [Stab (1)] [Evasion (1)] [Stab (1)] It didn’t come out, as expected. I didn’t expect it in the first place. It wouldn’t appear among the first 3 cards. “Just 1 more minute.” “Okay.” As if already used to waiting for 1 minute, Grace was sniffing the air and scanning the surroundings. Time passed again. 『Until next draw: 1… 0.』 『It is your turn. Draw 5 cards.』 [Stab (1)] [Evasion (1)] [Evasion (1)] [Ambush (1)] [Stab (1)] It still didn’t come out. There are a total of 11 cards in the deck. Since I’ve drawn 8 cards, 3 are left. And all 3 of those are [Stealth]. Why were they all at the bottom?! “……Just 1 minute.” “Haa… Yeah. It’s not going your way.” As if understanding my frustrated feelings, Grace gently rubbed my back in a comforting manner. My mood lightened a little. 『Until next draw: 1… 0.』 『It is your turn. Draw 5 cards.』 [Stealth (2)] [Stealth (2)] [Stealth (2)] [Stab (1)] [Evasion (1)] No, is it even possible for all 3 cards to be at the bottom?! I knew it, but it makes me even more angry! “There’s no one around.” When Grace gave the signal to use it, my hot head cooled down. Let’s use it quickly for now. Time is of the essence. “I’ll use it.” I discarded 2 [Stealth] cards. The targets are me and Grace. The first card was enhanced by [Cat’s Hand], so I used it on myself. The second card was applied to Grace. My and Grace’s bodies slowly disappearing. My vision is tinged with green. This is the signal that the stealth is complete. Soon, Grace and I used Stealth to hide our appearances. Of course, we can see each other. *Rustle rustle.* Since she can’t speak, Grace gestures with her hand for me to follow. Following behind her, we enter the auction house.