Dungeon Hunter - Chapter 153

Chapter 153: Chapter 49. The Fifth Auction of Devildom (1)

If my memory served me right, there were about three months left until the fifth annual Auction of Devildom. Because they had to skip the fourth annual event due to incidents in the Underworld, there was a need to institute more adequate strategies.

“Full-fledged business started in the 3rd year of the Auction of Devildom, didn’t it?”

Hadn’t Mago appeared and livened up the atmosphere as much as one could?

In the fourth year, I didn’t know what came about. Among the things I saw there were the Titans, but that wouldn’t have been everything. It must have become the toehold of a turnaround, and an opportunity to store up more strength.

Things were different from the previous life. Just the speed of progress itself was several times faster. Even if you had no memory of the previous life, the speed was extraordinary. The possibility that demons who had gone through the third and fourth years of the Auction of Devildom would contend for victory in this fifth year was high.

The angels appeared and Oculus died. The fight for land began in earnest and was emerging on the surface. Judging by that, all of them would be wanting a hidden card or something right about now…

There was a substantial chance that one could find one of these at the Auction of Devildom.

“The demons under Oculus’s command. There’s no way to know what became of those bastards.”

In the first place, it was certain that Oculus, their head, had died. However, what had happened to the remaining demons under his control, like his clones, was an open question. There was no way they wouldn’t be affected by it, but there was definitely a possibility that they survived.

And if in fact they were still alive… I couldn’t rule out the possibility that they had been absorbed by a different faction. I would have to make my plans while keeping all this in mind.

“In many respects, this fifth year is going to be a fierce contest.”

The drastic changes. Even if they were stuck inside their dungeons, there was no way they would not know. They would be assuming that if they continued to progress slowly like this, they could become prey themselves.

For the moment, even Pandemonium had raised and killed the awakened heroes. This seemed to be a significant indication that he would gather their points and strengthen his dungeon and use them at the Auction of Devildom. I didn’t even have a clue for what strategy Ariel or Ufa had devised.

“There are definitely variables. If I want to avoid being shaken by these variables, I will need something completely my own.”

In truth, if you looked at it from my perspective, all things around me were variables. Now was the time, when I had temporarily brought my body down, to figure out my surroundings and create a weapon that was mine only.

“I can’t do it with just points alone.”

The era for me to lead by my dominance in points and make my presence known had already passed.

What would I need?

I needed to impress on all of them anew that there was an existence such as myself, and I definitely needed to do something in order to make them all nervous and stir them into preparing to fight.

“I’ll lead the way and plot a change.”

I nodded my head. The answer itself was simple. This was not the board I wanted, and since this was the case, if I flipped the board once again, that would solve the problem.

The problem was the method of flipping the board.

“Deboron…”

I lightly clicked my tongue.

If I could at least get in contact with Deboron, then the work of flipping the board might not be too difficult. On top of that, he would be under the impression that I had died in the World of Spirits. I would have to contact him at least once.

However, the ways to get to the World of the Spirits were also a concern. There was no way for me to make contact with Deboron directly from here. And if I wanted to go there myself and settle this…

“I’ll have to open a crack.”

There are still many things not known about interdimensional cracks. There’s no guarantee that even if you went into one, you would come out at the place you wanted. But I had the token that Deboron had given to me. Though it wasn’t more than a small pebble, it would do. As long as I had it, if I could just open a crack and make a connection with Deboron, it would suffice. There was no need to actually cross the crack.

A crack was a kind of a line. I could only make communication with Deboron if I opened this line.

Then, there was a figure that came to my mind out of nowhere.

Oswen!

That’s what he said. That after he made the Seven Sins he had thrown it away into a crack.

That must mean that he had opened the crack because he himself had wished it.

That was my only lead. The instant I remembered him, I moved my feet.

“I’d better meet with Oswen.”

I hoped he had the answer.

“You’re talking about a crack?”

Oswen was creating his own hand in Gaparam’s laboratory. Originally he had six of them, but since four of them had been chopped off, it seemed he had attached fake arms to replace them.

I could see Gaparam and Dwarking nearby also, but they weren’t the objects of my attention right now. I looked only at Oswen as I spoke to him.

“If you threw out the Seven Sins into the midst of a crack, you must know how to open one, too.”

“I do, but… it’s dangerous. And it’s also impossible to do just by myself.”

“What do you need, then?”

Oswen shut his eyes. Then, after thinking deeply, he let out a deep sigh.

“If you open a crack by force, there’s a possibility that things you can’t know may fall out. For instance, beings of the World of Spirits, mythical animals… even things from Nothingness. Egos that have been locked inside the cracks for a long time. They are incredibly destructive and illogical.”

“Do I look like I wouldn’t be able to take them on?”

I had the confidence to take on even beings from the level of transcendence if they appeared.

My will was firm. Oswen knew that. When he realized that I would never give up, Oswen raised his head.

“Alright. However, the materials will not be insignificant. To make that ‘equipment’, we’ll definitely need Gaparam’s help, too.”

“Tell me what you need. Let me prepare it all for you.”

“First, lend me Rage, please. I have to make a mold for the equipment.”

Swipe.

I handed him Rage without hesitation.

Oswen stared at me, as if to say it was a little unexpected.

“Is it okay for you to just give me that?”

“It’s an object that you made in the first place, isn’t it?”

“Even I don’t remember how I made this very well. In any case, since you’ve already lent Rage to me, then let me borrow one more thing. That item, the heavenly wings, is so wonderful. That’s just the thing for storing an immense amount of mana.”

It was possible to detach the heavenly wings. As soon as I stopped the supply of mana, the heavenly wings fell from my back and I handed them over as well.

“Ah! The Paranormal ring! Please give me that, too. It seems like there’s no item as good as that for determining the irregularity of a crack.”

“Do you really need it?”

“Your Majesty, the Emperor. Do you think I would tell a lie to anyone?”

I was doubtful, but Oswen was the only person who knew the proper knowledge within this area.

I also had to do this so that the subordinates of my troops could move more efficiently.

“I shall let you know the remaining things little by little. Just the fashioning of the mold will take up a significant amount of time… and this equipment will be a single-use item. On the other hand, the amount of material it uses up transcends imagination. Are you sure you want to open a crack?”

He asked again. I nodded my head.

“I want to open one.”

“Good. Then… Gaparam, could you be my assistant for a while?”

Gaparam, who had been watching us from the side, opened his mouth and spoke with a slight tone of disbelief.

“Can you really open a crack?”

“Have you just been a fool your whole life? Now that I think of it, it seems that you spent a long time in the mountains comforting yourself—you should broaden your mind. How could you misjudge me? Hmph, can’t you see how Dwarking here is looking at me with respect?”

In fact, Dwarking was staring at Oswen with unlimited respect. He appeared to avert his eyes more from Oswen than from me, his dungeon master.

Oswen seemed a bit disappointed that, unlike Dwarking, Gaparam seemed not to know his value. I wondered if this was more the case because, even though their areas of expertise were different, he knew that they had both reached the level of craftsman.

“You are knowledgeable and very skilled with your hands, but that’s not enough for me to acknowledge you.”

“Tsk tsk. We’ll see. This time I’ll show you what I’m capable of.”

A strange psychological battle went back and forth.

I spoke in the middle of it.

“How long will it be until it’s completed?”

“At the least, I would have to give it one month.”

“Report your progress to Lyhee. If you need anything else, you can also tell Lyhee.”

“Very good.”

Oswen agreed.

With that, my method for opening a crack was also arranged.

It would take some time, but during that time I also had other things to do.

[What a surprising achievement! For the first time, ten “Villages of Lizard Men” have been brought into the world.]

[You will receive 200,000 points.]

[300 achievement points will be added.]

[What an amazing achievement! The “angels” have risen in sufficient numbers to be able to reproduce for the first time.]

[You will be given 400,000 points.]

[500 achievement points will be added.]

[A huge achievement! For the first time, you have successfully gathered the “Seeds of Origin.” However, the seeds that emerge from the Tree of Origin do not grow into the Tree of Origin. Instead, they grow into the “Tree of the World,” but unlike the usual “Seeds of the World Tree,” they sprout even without any special conditions.]

[You will be given 1,000,000 points.]

[1,000 achievement points will be added.]

…

The best way to build up points was to attain many achievements. And for my “plan,” I just had to unlock special achievements and obtain unusual items.

There were the Seeds of Origin, the Quintessence of Origin, the Tears of Angels, and a few other types of items that could only be purchased at the Achievement Store.

I had also recovered 30,000,000 points in the space of just one month. This was the result of adding up the points I had put into recovering my dungeon and building Gaparam’s laboratory, investing in his research, and the equipment to open a crack.

And then… the notice finally came from Oswen that my equipment had been completed.

“I see, it’s a carbon copy of Rage.”

“For opening cracks, there was nothing quite like Rage.”

If you just glimpsed at the equipment that Oswen made, it wouldn’t seem to be any different from Rage. Obviously the mana that flowed out from it was totally different, but outwardly, it was an exact copy of Rage.

“It’s not good if you leave a crack open for a long time. This is because, while His Majesty the Emperor is certainly powerful, if such beings appear through the passageway in large numbers, it can strain his strength.”

“Just a minute is fine.”

“Alright. Well, let’s open the crack right up, then.”

In addition to the replicate of Rage with a different mana, there were several other strange looking items. A compass, the Thousand Wings which heaved with grey light, and even the Paranormal ring. They all looked the same as the originals, but were completely different objects. They were all made by Oswen.

Oswen slipped on the ring and held the heavenly wings. He then stuck the sword that looked like a copy of Rage right into the heavenly wings.

Rooooooar!

In that instant, all kinds of mana spilled out. Sparks flew, the area around us froze, and at times, a stiff wind also blew. It was, simply put, chaos!

After that, light flooded in and a dark passageway appeared on the opposite side of it.

Holding the light inside itself, the passageway twisted slightly.

“It looks like a way to take a detour to a crack through another passage.”

I didn’t know that for sure, of course. I could just tell that it looked like it would be something similar to that.

After this, the twisted passage disappeared, only to be replaced by a crack.

“It has opened. If the mana in the fake heavenly wings runs out, or if we lose the ring, then the crack will disappear.”

I promptly stuck my hand inside the crack. The stone that Deboron had given me was curled up inside.

Soon the pebble began to shed mana, and just as quickly, began to vibrate little by little.

Click!

I knew it in my gut. The connection had been made.

—There shouldn’t be anyone contacting me through this thing… who is this?

“Deboron. It’s me.”

—If you just say, “It’s me,” I won’t know who it is. How do you know about this communication link?

I could hear the suspicion in Deboron’s tone.

“Is there anyone else you’re contacting through this pebble besides me?”

There wasn’t. It was difficult to imagine that Deboron would give multiple people something similar.

Almost as if he had realized it, Deboron’s voice shook.

—No way…! But, no, could it be?

I spoke with a chuckle.

“It’s been a while.”