Dungeon Hunter Chapter 116:

Chapter 116: Demon World Auction (3)
 

“Nice to see you! The time has come once again for the Demon World Auction! I, Dubolong happily greet you . ”

The spacious hall .

The curtains opened and Dubolong appeared in clown makeup .  Dubolong bowed his head as his expression seemed to give off ‘innocence . ’

"Alas, the numbers have reduced from last year . As a host, my heart is pained whenever a guest disappears . However, we can’t stop the auction . Furthermore, this auction has goods that have never been seen before . It isn’t an exaggeration to call them delicacies or treasures . ”

“Stop chatting . ”

“…I’m sorry, Grand Duke Upa-nim . Then shall I proceed straight away?”

Upa was in a hurry . Someone was clearly aiming for him . The gap in power with the other factions was already starting to show .  He definitely had to restore the balance somehow .

He also wanted to see the progress of other demons through the auction . The quality of the goods in this year’s auction was incomparable to last year’s .  He didn’t have sufficient words to express how important it was . He needed to obtain the ‘necessary’ items .

"We’ve had a number of concerns due to your average points rising so rapidly . It couldn’t be the same as last year . In particular, we took a lot of time preparing the first item . . . now, I will introduce it! An epic grade item . Just wearing it will drastically increase your force! Haien Moon’s Necklace!”

A dark spirit brought out a piece of jewellery as Dubolong proudly introduced it .

A necklace with a small miniature of the moon that gave off a fantasy-like atmosphere .  Very pure magic power could be clearly felt from it .

'It came out . ’

I nodded lightly .

I was familiar with this item .  I definitely needed to buy the necklace .

It was originally worn by Ariel Diablo .  But . . . would that happen again?

I opened Mind’s Eye .

-Name – Haien Moon’s Necklace (Epic) Description: A necklace that belonged to the prophet and sword master Haien Moon . It is said that his magic power reflects the moon itself and that he also died under the moon . * Magic power will increase by 3 when the moon is out . The secret swords techniques of the collection ‘Moonlight Falling (Epic, Passive) can be used . *** If magic power is more than 90, the speed of collecting moonlight will accelerate .

The Haien Moon’s Necklace itself was very beneficial .

The option of having magic power grow by three under the moonlight wasn’t difficult to find . It was possible in the unique grade of items . However, I needed to learn the secret sword technique ‘Moonlight Falling . ’

The ‘secret technique’ name attached to it meant that it could exert more power than its rating .  Moonlight Falling could be used with dual swords . I obtained the Emperor’s Sword so I desperately needed a dual swordsmanship skill .

Each demon observed the item with their own skills .  Afterwards, they looked at the Haien Moon’s Necklace with shiny eyes .

Dubolong gave a dark smile and opened his mouth .

“The auction will start at . . . one million points . ”

One million! It was high from the very start . It was close to the average number of points .

However, the name Haien Moon made it worth it . Haien Moon was a sword master . There was almost no information remaining about him but it was known that he was unparalleled with the sword .

“One million . ”

“Ohh! I don’t have to worry now . Ariel Diablo has called one million points . ”

Ariel Diablo's eyes shone . She knew how to handle all weapons . A weapons master . Naturally she had her eyes on items that could teach her swordsmanship .

She had a strong greed and obsession towards learning other techniques . All the demons were aware of it and the ‘challenge’ she threw out .

Challenge, yes a challenge .  She had an easier time wielding weapons . But this was a unique sword technique . If a true weapons master obtained their hands on it then it would show great destructive power . That’s why she tried to acquire numerous skills .  It was self-explanatory that her skills would advance one step further if she obtained Haien Moon’s Moonlight Falling . I was certain since I had seen it directly in my previous life .

Ariel was excited after learning the value of this item . She opened up her magic power and her goat horns grew longer .

“1 . 1 million . ”

I opened my mouth .

At that moment, the atmosphere in the venue became cold . Ariel sent me a frosty glare . However, I didn’t care about her . The auction was a place where everyone could equally bid . Backing down from a challenge didn’t suit me .

If I wanted to obtain the item then I would .  My points last year and the year before couldn’t compare to what I had now .  I didn’t know how many points Ariel Diablo had but . . . there was clearly a limit .

Dubolong gave a big nod and said .

"1 . 1 million points! Randalph Brigsiel-nim, you really are a strong man . ”

“1 . 2 million . ”

"Ah, Ariel-nim! As expected, there is a fierce competition . ”

Haien Moon’s Necklace was quite valuable . I relaxed and looked around at the dynamics of the demons . The starting price of one million . It was still possible for the dukes to participate . They would have obtained a large number of points from the angel invasion .

Only Upa’s faction was quiet .  They needed immediate power .  This meant a strong creature .  A secret sword technique wasn’t in their sights .

Upa and his faction seemed to be restraining themselves at the moment .  Okullos and Pandemonium were seeking different things .

‘I need a moderate push . ’

A bid that Ariel couldn’t touch .

It would also be impossible for the other demons .

Let’s see .

“1 . 5 million . ”

“…Is the same thing as last year going to happen again? Randalph-nim has bid 1 . 5 million points!”

Last year, I had gobbled up most of the good auction items .  And I intended to do that this year as well .

Ariel looked even more determined . It was inevitable . There was an average of 1 . 3 million points . I alone had raised it by 300,000 . The real average was closer to 1 million .  1 . 5 million would be burdensome even to a grand duke .

"1 . 5 million . Is there really nobody else?”

Dubolong carefully searched the venue .

And .

"Congratulations! Haien Moon’s Necklace has been sold to Randalph-nim . You won’t regret it . The winning item will be sent . . . don’t you already know?"

Shortly after the auction ended, it would be sent to my dungeon through a crack .

Dubolong sent me a playful wink .

I folded my arms .

The following auction item was enough to grab my attention .

"Let me introduce you to an unusual lich . Usually a lich is reminiscent of ‘death . ’ Oddly enough, this lich cares about ‘life . ’ The lich ‘Gaparam . ’

There was no need for a cage .  The lich wearing a white robe proudly walked in .  Despite the freshly rotten skin, his actions weren’t awkward at all .

But that wasn’t the surprising part .

"I want a demon who will allow me to continue my research . The cost of my research is three million points a year . I inevitably went bankrupt and had to form a contract with the dark spirits . I am seeking the help of someone here to continue my research . ”

“ . . . Do you have to speak?”

Dubolong shot back .

This was a little unusual .  No, it surpassed unusual .

An auction item trying to appeal on his own?

‘I’ve heard the name somewhere before . ’

Actually, this had been a mystery since I received Dubolong’s note .  I had apparently heard the name somewhere but I couldn’t remember it .

"Life research? That is vague . Tell me properly . ”

Upa said . Then Gaparam pulled out a vial that contained the form of a fetus .

“This is a directly manufactured homunculus . Although it was a failure, there was some degree of performance . My goal is to go beyond magic and biotechnology to create a homunculus more perfect than ‘Dellaisis . ’

Homunculus .

A flawless life .

It was unknown if Dellaisis was a demon, human or fallen angel but it was still created . It took one month to become an adult . It took three months to learn everything around it . The problem was that it had an extremely short lifespan and died within three years .

A complete homunculus meant that the maximum lifespan would increase . However, no one had been able to solve that problem yet .

"Impractical . "

Grand Duke Pandemonium said .

He was one of the demons who had worked closely with this project .  Therefore, he was skeptical about the completion of a perfect homunculus .

Gaparam frowned as he asked .

“Why do you think it is impractical? Magic has no bounds . There is no reason I can’t step through the door to create a homunculus . ”

"How many years have you poured into this?”

Pandemonium asked Gaparam, who replied with a rotten smile .

"This will be my 360th year . ”

“740 years . More than double that number . That is the number of years I studied the homunculus . ”

That reminded me, Pandemonium was the oldest among the grand dukes . I had the impression that he existed since the time when there was no devil, so I couldn’t easily predict his age .

"Are you saying that it is impossible for me? Don’t make me laugh!”

"It is just impossible . Do you want me to explain it simply? One plus one equals two . Trying to make it equal three is out of the question . It is the same for this: nothing else will appear . Creating a homunculus isn’t impossible . However, the life expectancy is extremely low . ”

Cynical and critical .

But I looked at Gaparam with a slightly different perspective .

'Homunculus . . . Gaparam . A special event . ’

It would surface . I finally remembered the name Gaparam .

It was from my previous life . A special event that suddenly emerged before the last war . Gaparam had appeared accompanied by a finished homunculus and a chimera corpse .  He smashed the dungeon of a duke .

The demons’ power surpassed unimaginable levels as the last war approached, yet he managed to capture the dungeon of a duke .  Gaparam died after being attacked by countless other demons in the faction . However, he just laughed and said ‘the research was completed’ before he died .

At the time, I confirmed the greatness of a homunculus . Due to the quick learning ability of a homunculus, they easily became stronger and faster . So there was no choice but to have a shorter lifespan . Gaparam had somehow managed to surpass those limits . A homunculus that rivaled a high class 4Lv creature!

‘The research was completed . ’

Gaparam’s exhibition .

I stared at him .  I was mindful of the demons around me and kept my reaction cold .

This was a product that didn’t appear in the original Demon World Auction . It seemed to be due to the sharp increase in points .

"It will succeed . Everything has been set . As long as I can continue my research!”

He shouted but the atmosphere was cold .

“Homunculus . . . ”

"It is the height of inefficiency . ”

"I can’t throw away three million points . There is no one who has that many points . ”

That’s right . ‘Three million points for one year of research’ was unrealistic .

"That was only required in the early days . As long as I have a proper workshop, one million a year will be enough for me!”

Gaparam was desperate . His voice was trembling .  But that was still too much . one million points . That was still a distant number . Many demons saved and could barely gather a million points in one year .

As the silent atmosphere continued, I spoke up .

“Dubolong . ”

"Yes, yes? Randalph-nim . What's wrong?"

"So, is it going to start?”

"Ah, it is starting at 0 points . His ability itself is like an ordinary lich . . . and nothing else is prepared . ”

"Damn demons! You don’t know how great my research is! It is a crime! A sin!”

“ . . . I guess it isn’t popular . ”

Dubolong sighed .

Then he said .

“Shut up Gaparam . We will leave it up to fate . What they do with you will be purely up to the winning bidder . ”

“Damn!”

Gaparam stamped his foot and cursed bitterly .  Anyway, he signed a contract so there was nothing he could do . He could only hope that he was lucky enough to meet a demon who would allow his research .

"There was an uproar for a while . I'm sorry . Then let’s proceed with the auction . The introduction is already over and like I said, it is starting at 0 points! No . Call out something that suits your taste . ”

It was only a lich . They could buy one for 28,000 points at the store .

“1,000 . ”

"Then I will bid 5,000 points . ”

“50,000!”

“100,000 . There isn’t anything special . Anyway, he may cause problems . ”

But the price soared to 100,000 .

The Demon World Auction was an opportunity to get the good items for a cheap price . Anyone could buy one from the store, so this was an expensive price for a lich .  It was due to the story of the homunculus . The demons couldn’t afford such research but they could use the lich for other matters .

Gaparam’s face gradually became more stiff . His body was shaking as he formed fists . He didn’t want his research to be treated like this .

“100,000 points has come out . Is there any more?”

Dubolong had no expectations .

Gaparam gave one last outburst .

"My research will be finished! The perfect homunculus will be born! Why don’t you do it?”

“He is mad . Dubolong . Is it possible to cancel a bid?”

"I'm sorry but that is impossible . "

The mockery and contempt .

Gapraram’s research didn’t receive any recognition at all .

Dubolong frowned as he attempted to quickly conclude the auction .

"Then 100,000 . . . ”

“500,000 . ”

“ . . . Randalph-nim . Did I hear wrong?”

"500,000 points . Dubolong . ”

He blinked . But Dubolong soon regained his stability .  From his position, the lich was being sold at an expensive price .

Dubolong looked at Gaparam and nodded . He was saying that I had the points to cover the research . Gaparam’s expression loosened a little bit .

"It is clearly a loss . ”

"Two years ago and last year . . . it is that **** . ”

Of course, the demons had a totally different reaction .

“The lich ‘Gaparam’ has been sold for 500,000 points! Randalph-nim, congratulations . ”

Gaparam bowed deeply to me . After raising his head, he looked at the other demons and declared .

"You ignorant bastards! You will be sorry! My research will be completed! Then it will be too late for you!”

"Just go!”

Dubolong growled . Then the dark spirits dragged Gaparam out . Gaparam’s expression wasn’t bad .

A moment of silence .

He was a creature who made a large impact .  However, it was in a bad way .