Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 196

Dungeon Journal – Episode 197

The Black Merchant’s auction house looked much the same as before, bustling with imps and beast-men, as if the chaos of the underground had spared this particular place.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

The guide who greeted him seemed strangely familiar, as if anticipating his arrival.

“You are……?”

“Yes, I once owed Count a great debt.”

The imp, scratching his head with an embarrassed look, was the very one who had stolen his younger sister Hyunji’s wedding money.

He’d seen him following the Black Merchant’s procession, so it wasn’t a complete surprise, but his changed appearance over the past year was certainly eye-catching.

“Was that a woman?”

“Pardon? What did you say?”

The imp’s characteristically short stature was unavoidable, but his chest was… somewhat full. His figure was distinctly feminine, which caught Kim Jin-woo off guard.

The imp guide tilted his head, confused by his unintentional murmur.

“It’s nothing.”

The imp quickly dismissed his question and whispered in his ear. “Are you uncomfortable with me calling you Count? Please understand that I received instructions from above and wouldn’t dare use that glorious title.”

The guide looked distressed, as if he had misinterpreted Kim Jin-woo’s frown, assuming it was about the sudden realization that imps had genders.

“There’s no need to be uncomfortable. I prefer it that way, so call me that.”

Come to think of it, he realized he had spoken informally without realizing it and glanced at the imp, but the imp didn’t seem to mind.

“Is the auction starting right away?”

As before, the only information he had before arriving at the auction house was the date, so he inquired about the schedule.

“You’re here quite early, Count. More people haven’t arrived than have, so there’s still some time before the auction begins.”

The imp asked if there was anything he needed, appearing quite attentive.

“It’s confidential, but your rank is among the highest of those attending the auction. If I were to make you uncomfortable, even a low-ranking imp like me would lose his head.”

He noticed then that the space he was in was more luxurious and offered a better view than the VIP room he had stayed in before. He could clearly see the stage and the entire auction house with a simple turn of his head.

“I see. I’m enjoying quite a bit of luxury, thanks to you.”

Contrary to his words, his demeanor was quite natural. He accepted the imp’s excessive respect and courtesy without any sign of discomfort.

It had been almost three years since he had first set foot in the underground, and the luxury he had enjoyed as the King of the Labyrinth was no less than this. Such extreme hospitality was nothing new to him.

“Then I’ll be on my way. I’ll send someone to take care of you. You can contact them if you need anything.”

The imp, who had been providing various explanations, didn’t have much more to say since Kim Jin-woo already had experience with auctions, so he quickly departed.

After the imp left, a beast-woman appeared, scantily clad.

“I am Yamyoo, honored beyond my station to serve such a distinguished guest.”

He already knew that beast-women were in charge of serving the VIPs of the auction house, so he accepted the beast-woman’s greeting without much reaction.

“I will do my best to ensure your comfort.”

Looking at the cat-woman bowing her head with a rather sophisticated air, he couldn’t help but chuckle as he thought of the savage and rough beast-men of the labyrinth.

“Ah…….”

The cold impression he had gained from obtaining the Seal of Frost instantly softened into a gentle expression.

The cat-woman blinked in surprise at the dramatic change, then quickly lowered her head.

“I-I’m sorry. This lowly one was presumptuous enough to be intoxicated by your radiance…….”

“Tsk.”

She spoke human language fluently and had sophisticated gestures, but she was still a slave.

The cat-woman’s slave mentality was so deeply ingrained that she trembled at the mere sight of him, making her as insignificant as the under-elf rabble he had so despised.

Feeling inexplicably displeased, he turned his gaze to the window in front.

“Hmm…….”

Contrary to his expectations, the general seating area of the auction house, which he had thought would be rather empty due to the war with Moai, was quite crowded. And the faces of those who attended were all… extraordinary.

“I heard that only those who live below the 10th floor were invited this time.”

He nodded, accepting the explanation of the cat-woman, who was still intimidated but faithfully performing her duties with a trembling voice.

“In fact, some of the people sitting there shouldn’t be in the general seating area, but we had to put them there because there were no seats in the VIP room.”

“So the VIP rooms are reserved for nobles of at least Count rank.”

“That’s what I’ve been told, but this lowly one doesn’t know which person is in which room.”

He strained his eyes and looked at the VIP rooms across the way, wondering how many Counts had come to this auction house.

However, the specially designed glass of the VIP rooms could not be penetrated even by the Eye of Truth [a magical ability], so he stared at them for a long time, only to strain his eyes.

He turned his gaze back and looked at the auction participants filling the general seating area, then raised his head.

He looked with a burning gaze, hoping to spot a noble from another underground city, but all he saw were lower-ranking nobles who were strong but not particularly special.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

At the knock, he answered, and the black marketeer poked his head in.

“Oh, I was so worried that you wouldn’t come.”

The black marketeer, as always, approached him with exaggerated greetings and pushed his large head inside the door, feigning friendliness.

“How is it? Do you like the room?”

“It’s much better than the one I used before.”

“It should be. This place is originally reserved for the precious ones who live on the 12th floor.”

The beings on the 12th floor were at least dukes of the underground. The moment he heard that, Kim Jin-woo unknowingly glared at the VIP room across the way with a stiff face.

“Does that mean dukes are here too?”

The cat-woman gasped and sat down on the floor at the sight of his eyes, which had quickly turned fierce and gleaming. The black marketeer also looked at him, his face somewhat pale.

“I asked if dukes are here.”

“As you know, I’m just a low-ranking employee at Black Merchant. Unless they’re my clients, I don’t know who’s attending or which room they’re in.”

The black marketeer’s attitude of spouting lies with a pale face was truly sly.

He had already told him that a guest from another underground city, possibly a High Lord [a powerful ruler], might come, so he wondered what he was trying to hide by telling such blatant lies.

“Let’s just say that.”

However, Kim Jin-woo, who could no longer cause trouble as a guest unless he was in the Great Labyrinth, soon suppressed his murderous intent.

His eyes were still on the many VIP rooms lined up across the way, but his expression was as usual.

“Just in case, the guest I mentioned before hasn’t arrived yet.”

The black marketeer, who had changed his attitude as easily as flipping his hand, spoke shamelessly.

“If you wish, I can let you know separately. Shall I do that?”

Kim Jin-woo had been assigned a luxurious VIP room, but in reality, he was trapped in a narrow space.

He needed someone to keep an eye on the situation outside, so he didn’t refuse the black marketeer’s offer.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

He asked, noticing that he seemed to be lingering as if he had something else to say, and the black marketeer bowed his head.

“After the auction today, if you would allow me, I would like to ask for a moment of your precious time.”

“Why?”

He had assumed that he would be taken to his lodgings after the schedule was over, so he looked puzzled at the unusual request.

“Count, no, Lord. There is someone who wishes to meet you.”

Not Count, but Lord, meaning that someone wanted to meet a High Lord. At the unexpected words, he narrowed his eyes and looked at the black marketeer.

“Is this an official request from Black Merchant? Or is it just your meddling, like your relationship with Anatolius?”

“Well, I promise that either way, it won’t be a loss for you.”

It was a rather vague answer, but Kim Jin-woo didn’t hesitate for long.

“Okay, I’ll meet them.”

“Then I’ll come back after the auction to explain the details. For now, please enjoy the event prepared by our Black Merchant.”

After leaving those words, the black marketeer left the room, and he turned his head back to the window.

Just then, an imp in a clown costume came onto the auction stage and bowed his head with exaggerated gestures.

“Thank you to all the distinguished guests who have attended our Black Merchant’s ‘Special’ Auction.”

There were still quite a few empty seats, but they seemed to be starting the auction anyway. The imp, who skillfully calmed the commotion in the hall, spoke cheerfully.

“As the situation is, we will serve you with a fruitful auction that will not make your difficult journey in vain. And we bow our heads once again to thank you for not forgetting Black Merchant and visiting us.”

The host, who had comically prostrated himself, began to announce the start of the auction when the participants showed some signs of concentration.

“We will now begin the Special Auction hosted by Black Merchant!”

The atmosphere quickly intensified with the sound of splendid drums.

However, the host, who seemed about to put the first item on stage at any moment, was somehow rambling about announcements instead of introducing the item.

“Before we start with the first item, I would like to inform you of one important fact.”

The host did not care about the murderous glares from the general seating participants who were pressuring the stage.

“The auction will continue for a week, and you may not leave in the middle. If there is anyone who wishes to give up, we recommend that you use the portal scroll in your possession right now.”

“How dare you!”

“How dare a mere merchant tell us what to do!”

A commotion spread among the participants, and the atmosphere quickly turned hostile. They seemed ready to tear the host on the stage to pieces at any moment, but the host, who was receiving all kinds of malice, maintained his composure with a pale face.

“For your information, this is something that all nobles of Count rank or higher have agreed to.”

The commotion in the general seating area stopped abruptly at the host’s words.

Some of them still had dissatisfied faces, but they did not dare to object to something that high-ranking nobles had agreed to.

“Now, I will count to one hundred. Those who remain after that will be considered to have agreed to all of our instructions.”

Was it a case of claiming authority under a powerful name? The host looked at the participants, who had become mute, and counted the numbers with excitement.

The participants looked at each other and sized each other up at the sound, which was somehow cheerful.

“Ninety-seven, ninety-nine, one hundred!”

When the host finally shouted one hundred, not a single participant had opened a portal and disappeared.

“If there is anyone who uses a portal in the middle, they will probably incur the wrath of the displeased superiors. Of course, I am sure that the distinguished guests here are responsible enough to take responsibility for their actions, so that will not happen.”

The host delivered a threat that was not a threat in a voice that did not care about the commotion just a moment ago.

However, the host, who seemed about to start the auction at any moment, was somehow stalling again.

“Hmm?”

Kim Jin-woo, who had been watching the scene unfold from the window as if he were watching a play, tilted his head as he saw the black marketeer appear again.

“The guest I mentioned has just arrived at the auction house.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the outside became noisy, and dozens of shadows entered through the door behind the auction house.

“I never said that there would only be one guest. Of course, there is only one person who will interest you, Lord.”

The black marketeer muttered with a hateful face.