Dungeon Hunter - Chapter 67
Chapter 67: Episode 18. The Second Auction of Devildom (4)
Devorong looked very confident. The Statue of the Goddess of Abundance was an item that could indeed surprise everyone. The auction host of such item was surely very proud. Devorong had exaggerated auction items so far to earn points. However, there was no need for such exaggeration regarding this statue.
The statue could be used towards only a single species, but that didn’t matter at all. When this item was used towards a species that was hard to reproduce or that was very powerful, the returns would be tremendous.
I imagined using this item on a monster… For instance, I thought about invoking the item and using the blessing on a high level-one Ogre.
Ogres were an expensive breeding species that cost forty thousand points. However, Ogres had extremely short breeding periods; they only reproduced once a year, and they gave birth to one or two offspring at most.
In order to have a herd of Ogres that reproduced consistently, I needed at least thirty Ogres, which could cost about one million points or even more. Unfortunately, the yields were terrible, and no demon really used Ogres for this reason.
However, the precise definition of reproduction that came with the blessing wasn’t simply bearing many offspring at once.
The blessing included triggering a species’ breeding. The blessing would elongate the breeding period of Ogres, enabling them to reproduce twice a year.
On top of that, if I was lucky, the Ogres could also birth some anomalies, such as a twin-headed Ogre or a similarly upgraded creature. Then getting such anomalies was equivalent to earning extra half million points.
Other demons must have known these facts.
In particular, the demons who were good with numbers looked at the Statue of the Goddess of Abundance with burning eyes.
It had only been two years.
If someone won that statue, he or she would be very successful. In fact, that person or demon would be a few steps ahead of other demons. The item was worth every single effort possible.
There were four factions of demons, and one remained neutral.
The seventy demons in the area were competing with each other silently.
Devorong opened both of his hands wide.
“I won’t speak much. The starting bid is 400,000 points. Please be wise with your choices.”
The Spirits of Darkness predicted that the average demon’s points were about 440,000. They assumed that every single demon would bid, which was the reason that they set the starting bid at 400,000 points.
However… No demon raised his or her hand.
There was a reason behind the silence.
Because I was hoarding a lot of points, the demons’ average had increased by another 100,000 points.
The spirits must not have realized that one individual who was holding many points increased the average dramatically.
Only a few demons had over 400,000 points. Everyone was surprised that the starting bid was much higher than their expectations, and they were hesitant to bid.
As a result, Devorong was a bit surprised.
‘It would be almost impossible to earn seven million points by the end of the second year.’
I had a lot of experiences in my previous life, but even I had come across the achievement quest serendipitously. I had earned few million points after completing that quest. No one, including Devorong, the Fairy King of Darkness, and even the demon god who designed everything, could have predicted such fortune.
Who would start the race?
Interested, I observed the other demons.
“Four hundred thousand.”
“Archduke Ariel!”
The silence lasted for another thirty seconds. However, that thirty seconds must have felt like a couple hours to Devorong.
Devorong was confident that almost everyone would bid for the statue. However, when no one bid, Devorong grew very nervous. I could easily tell how nervous he was by how his tone became bright when he was calling out Archduke Ariel’s name.
“Four hundred and fifty thousand.”
The first step was the hardest. It was always easier after the first.
“Archduke Oculus! You are leading by 50,000 points.”
“Five hundred thousand.”
“Marquis Anastasia! You have been hiding a lot of points!”
“Five hundred thirty thousand!”
“Duke Depella! We have 530,000 points. It’s moving fast, but the price is too low for how much the Statue of the Goddess of Abundance is really worth!”
Soon, there was a crisis.
The bidding stopped at 530,000 points.
After “Duke Depella with thirty mouths,” who was the master of the Mind’s Eye called out his bid, the auction became silent.
Most demons didn’t have enough points to bid a higher price. If they wanted to continue, they had to use their hidden cards. However, the Statue of the Goddess of Abundance wasn’t the last item of the auction, so it was too early to use their trump cards. If an item that was better than the Statue of the Goddess of Abundance came out after this round, those demons wouldn’t be able to bid.
Even if they did use their hidden strategies in this round, there was no guarantee that they would take the Statue of the Goddess of Abundance. They might have had a better chance had they saved an incomparably large number of points to afford tremendously expensive items…
“Anyone else? If no one bids, Duke Depella will take the Statue of the Goddess of Abundance at 530,000 points!” Devorong interfered hurriedly.
The statue was an Epic-grade item.
Its potential was immeasurable.
In addition, Devorong’s job was to increase the price as much as he could.
Devorong couldn’t afford to sell the item at 530,000 points. The Spirits of Darkness had put in tremendous effort to obtain this item, and it was definitely worth more than the current price.
Although Devorong announced that the spirits came across this item deep inside the Earth, such a place was in fact very similar to abysses, which were even banned in the Devildom. Many spirits had entered that place and saved the Statue of the Goddess of Abundance at the risk of their lives.
Most of the auction items were usually found in similar ways. Spirits entered places that no one would dare enter, places that no one could or should enter to find items…
They pushed themselves and entered such places to pick up items that had been asleep for thousands or millions of years. They made sacrifices for every item, and the prices that the items were sold at had to make up for such sacrifices.
“The Statue of the Goddess of Abundance! It’s an Epic-grade item, and its blessing is a must for running a dungeon. Depending on how you use this item, you can enjoy its tremendous potential. Five hundred and thirty thousand points. If there’s no one else, Duke Depella will take this item!”
Devorong sure looked anxious.
He shouted facts that he wouldn’t have told otherwise.
“Five hundred fifty thousand.”
Then I stepped in and broke the first line of defense.
Because I had already spent 300,000 points on Astral Code, Devorong and a few other demons looked quite surprised. The statues of the boys and girls on the ceiling didn’t smile, which implied that I actually did have more than 550,000 points in my pocket!
The estimated total was then 850,000 points… I was one of the wealthiest demons.
Breathing out, Devorong shouted, “Count Randalf! Count Randalf has bid the highest price so far!”
When the first line of defense was gone, the competition resumed.
“Six hundred thousand.”
“I was just catching my breath, Archduke Ariel! You are suddenly leading!”
Archduke Ariel was rarely obsessed with a single item. Furthermore, unless the item was an exceptionally good weapon, she would rarely spend such a large amount.
Her obsession implied that she also wanted this item eagerly.
Archduke Ariel’s faction was very close to me, and I could even see them without turning my head. Ariel, sitting in the center of a side hall, was looking at me. She looked a little bit irritated.
She had challenged me similarly during last year’s auction. Back then, she bid to show her superiority over me rather than for the item itself.
However, things had changed.
She bid 600,000 points. Perhaps that was the most she could pay for the Statue of the Goddess of Abundance. Such a number also implied that she wanted me to stop bidding higher prices.
Through this competition, she was starting to recognize my presence.
And of course, I wouldn’t stop.
“Six hundred ten thousand.”
I thought about Ariel Diablo.
She had two horns that looked like those of a mountain goat. The horns on her forehead, which were the sign of an heir of a Dark Lord, turned slightly red.
“Count Randalf! You’re like an ocean! I can’t tell where your limit is!”
“Six hundred twenty thousand.”
“Archduke Ariel…!”
“Six hundred thirty thousand.”
“It’s Count Randalf again! It sure is a close game!”
Boom!
The rail in the hall that Ariel was holding cracked.
Ariel was very aggressive and direct. Though she wasn’t greedy, when she really wanted something, she would even nag like a child to get what she wanted. Ariel didn’t play dirty like Ufa, but her demons had a hard time always attaining what she wanted.
Ariel looked desperate to get the Statue of the Goddess of Abundance.
However, I, too, wanted to take the statue.
Ariel Diablo turned around and looked at her demons.
She wanted to check if any of her demons had more than 630,000 points.
In other words, she only had 620,000 points.
Unfortunately, her demons didn’t look so bright. Ariel gritted her teeth, stared at me, and then turned her head away.
“Is there anyone else? If no one bids, this item will be sold!”
No demon bid a higher price.
Devorong sighed very lightly and clapped his hands. The price was cheaper than what he expected, but the deal was okay.
“Congratulations! Count Randalf takes the Statue of the Goddess of Abundance for 630,000 points!”
I thought about Astral Code and the Statue of the Goddess of Abundance.
These two items were the most valuable items in the auction so far, and I had managed to win them both.
Other demons would think that I had spent all of my points, and they would try to come up with new strategies. The demons would guess that one of their strongest opponents was out of the game and that the upcoming rounds would be easier for them.
Through this round, I learned that Archduke Ariel, who had narrowly missed out on the Statue of the Goddess of Abundance, had 620,000 points in her pocket. Now that I knew how many points one of my strongest opponents had, I relaxed a bit.
However, other demons didn’t know.
In fact, they couldn’t know.
They couldn’t dare imagine that I had about 6 million points left!
I smiled slightly.
‘Be careless. Completely forget about me. And be surprised.’
Once their assumptions broke down, the demons couldn’t help but panic. In fact, I planned to shock them. By shaking and twisting their minds, I would drive them mad.
By the time they came back to their senses, they would find themselves surrendering at the end of the game.
Until now had just been a warmup.
The real game began now.
For the next few rounds, I constantly bid around 20,000 points and scanned items.
The other demons didn’t care about me. From their perspective, I looked as though I was trying to win as many items with my small number of remaining points.
Then the fifteenth item of the auction came out.
The Secret Potion of the Wiseman was presented.
The potion was very economical in that it enhanced any skill that was below Unique level by one level. I had purchased this item from last year’s Auction of Devildom in order to enhance the level of my Mind’s Eye.
The starting bid was 150,000 points, and the price quickly went up to 300,000 points.
Checking one another, demons couldn’t easily ramp up the bid from that point.
At a time when everyone was wary and couldn’t easily make a higher bid, I spoke with a low voice.
“Three hundred twenty thousand.”
In the end, I took the Secret Potion of the Wiseman for 320,000 points, and demons glared at me. They must have thought that I didn’t have any more points left. I had already spent over a million points, and the demons were quite sure that I didn’t have more. Everything was still within their estimations so far.
However, it was uncertain that everything would remain within their expectations.
“The eighteenth item of the auction is… do not be surprised. It is the corpse of an Earth Dragon. It still has its hard scales and bones intact. This one is very fresh, and it looks like it can move in any moment. Now, come and check out the corpse yourself!”
The auction proceeded quickly.
It had come to the eighteenth round, and when Devorong finished his words, demons couldn’t help but pay intense attention to the new item.
They all looked at the Earth Dragon.
An Earth Dragon was similar to a Magic Dragon in that it was the highest monster at level four, and it was in the top tier of monsters. It wasn’t a usual dragon. An Earth Dragon was born with the energy of a huge forest.
It was told that a special spirit had transformed into an Earth Dragon when it met very special conditions in a very old forest. Other than that, nothing was known about Earth Dragons. They were certainly a mysterious species of dragon.
The auction item was more interesting because it was a corpse of an Earth Dragon.
Any demons who liked research would definitely be interested in this item.
Besides research purposes, the corpse of the Earth Dragon had other uses.
Dwarves could make several pieces of equipment at the Unique grade right away from the corpse. The corpse could be used for making a variety of tools.
Soon, the Spirits of Darkness showed up, carrying the corpse of Earth Dragon in a giant cart.
The length of the giant body was about seven feet long.
Still-living green scales were covering its entire body. The two eyes were hollow, looking as though they were staring at the chaos. The Mana that was seeping out from its bones felt just perfect. Its bones contained heavily concentrated Mana of the Earth.
The corpse was intact and fresh.
It looked as though it could move at any moment.
‘It’s alright.’
I nodded.
I thought that the corpse was a great item, and I was surely interested in it.
‘It would be nice to turn it into an undead being.’
With Krithli’s help, I could give a new life to the dead body of this Earth Dragon. I might not have been able to completely revive the dragon because of my undeveloped grades and skills of undead transformation… However, time would be on my side. I could store the corpse in a container that was under a conservation spell. When Krithli became better at undead transformation skills, I could take out the corpse and turn it into an undead creature.
If I was lucky, I might be able to create a Bone Dragon, which was considered the best undead monster. It would be the highest-level monster at level two. At the moment, it was just wishful thinking, but I believed in Krithli. Furthermore, the condition of the corpse was very good, so it was worth a try.
‘The bodies of high-level monsters from Adol’s dungeon were all crushed, and I couldn’t use any of them.’
Because of Golems, all of the bodies were completely crushed. It was such a shame that I couldn’t use any of their corpses.
Anyways, I was sure that other demons were thinking the same thing.
Some demons were very proficient at undead related skills. Their eyes started to glow brightly.
“The starting bid is 300,000 points! Although it may just be a corpse, it is a corpse of an Earth Dragon. There’s no need to talk about the uses of this corpse. On top of that, the corpse is extremely hard to get, and this is probably the last time you will see one!”
Devorong was correct.
It was said that Earth Dragons would normally return to their forests when they died. A corpse that was in such a good condition would be extremely hard to find again.
“Three hundred thousand.”
“Archduke Pandemonium! The corpse is of your class and you will never regret buying it!”
“Three hundred fifty thousand.”
“Ah, Duke Depella!”
“Four hundred thousand.”
“You have to take it, Marquis Anastasia!”
By then, most demons knew how many points others had. Nothing stopped them. That was the reason that the bid was rising dramatically by 50,000 points each bid.
The demons believed that as long as they knew their enemies, they couldn’t lose.
“Four hundred thirty thousand!”
“Duke Depella! Does he have a good idea for the corpse? However, the increase is growing smaller. Perhaps it’s because the bid is above 400,000 points. Still, we have 430,000 points!”
Tsk, tsk!
Marquis Anastasia clicked her tongue.
It meant that she would stop bidding.
“Four hundred fifty thousand.”
“Archduke Ufa! It has been a long time since your last bid. We have 450,000 points. Anyone else?”
Ufa didn’t bid at all besides on Astral Code. Even during the round for the Statue of the Goddess of Abundance, he merely sat on the sidelines.
I didn’t know the reason why he wanted to purchase the corpse of the Earth Dragon. However, what was important was the fact that he bid at all.
‘Then…’
I crossed my legs, sat back in my chair, crossed my arms, and spoke in a very relaxed tone.
“Five hundred thousand.”
I had bid 300,000 for Astral Codes, 630,000 for the Statue of the Goddess of Abundance, 320,000 for the Secret Potion of Wiseman… and half a million for the corpse of the Earth Dragon.
I had spent about 1.75 million points in total.
Even Devorong remained speechless and looked at me for a moment.
The demons were no different.
They were amazed at how a single demon could have earned so many points by the auction’s second year.
Even if one didn’t spend at all and saved all their income, the total would be about one million. That was the number that one could have by combating awakened heroes who entered dungeons. However, there was no way that he or she could have saved everything, even if he or she could earn one million points in the first place. Running a dungeon cost a fortune. Then they watched how one of the participants spent 1.75 million in total.
One of Ufa’s demons cried in dismay, “This is nonsense!”
It was Groggy.
Groggy had seemed elated when he took the Sword of Darkhan. Now, he had completely changed.
Frowning, Groggy stared at me, then he looked at the ceiling.
If I had less than half a million points, the statues of the boys and girls on the ceiling would laugh at me.
Groggy hoped the statues would smile, but that was wishful thinking.
No matter how long he waited, the statues of the boys and girls on the ceiling didn’t smile.
