Before the auction began.
Unlike the heated atmosphere of the banquet hall, the underground prison was somber and bleak.
The underground prison, a space used to temporarily hold slaves to be sold at auction. Various races were gathered there. The moment they entered, they were already stripped of their right to be respected as living beings. They were merely products waiting to be sold.
That was why they were housed separately by race. This was a measure taken by the Underworld Merchant Guild to prevent the products from being damaged in any unforeseen circumstances.
The stories of those captured in the prison were incredibly diverse. Adventurers who failed in dungeon raids. Defeated soldiers sold to slave traders or kidnapped mercenaries. Among them were even illegitimate children of noble families.
Monsters were no exception, of course. They too had various stories. Some monsters were dragged there while leading a nomadic life, while others were dungeon masters who fell into slavery due to immense debt owed to the guild. There were even cases where dungeon masters sold their subordinates to repay their debts. Some were imprisoned as their dungeons collapsed, with various stories coexisting in one place.
At the same time, those imprisoned knew they were destined to be sold somewhere. They didn’t know what fate awaited them. Until they discovered their end, the shadow of despair would never lift from their faces.
Even amidst this, there were those who sang of hope. Particularly in one sector of the prison, without being buried in despair, they clasped their hands in prayer, spreading songs of hope.
They knew that hope was the power that illuminated darkness.
“Ah, Goddess. Please take pity on us and grant us the strength to overcome this severe ordeal.”
Lepina, a priestess of the White Church, prayed quietly. Since being imprisoned, Lepina had filled every moment, every day, with prayer. Perhaps, someday, the Goddess would extend a helping hand. She hoped her faith and earnest longing would reach the Goddess, expecting a spark of hope to ignite.
After finishing her brief prayer, Lepina looked around. Beside her was another priest, a man named Talin.
“Talin….”
Talin’s physical condition was not good. He was still bandaged and lying on the cold floor. The wound, obtained during a dungeon subjugation, had festered due to a lack of proper treatment. If not treated properly, his life might be in grave danger.
The reason they ended up here was simple. As priests of the Church, they had embarked on a dungeon subjugation and failed. More than that, they were captured by the monsters guarding the dungeon. And their story was that they were now being sold here.
“Talin, hold on just a little longer. The Goddess will surely hear our prayers.”
Lepina comforted Talin, who was struggling. Fortunately, Talin was also a priest with deep faith. Even in the worst situation, he never let go of the thread of hope. Lepina gently patted his shoulder and then turned her head back.
Behind them were seven Paladins. However, they were all trainees, not officially ordained Paladins. Even with experienced Paladins, they might not be able to escape from here, but there were only trainees.
‘Sigh….’
It seemed almost impossible to escape from here. The situation was that difficult, but Lepina did not despair. Perhaps all of this was a trial sent by the Goddess. If they overcame this trial, they would surely be rewarded with greater growth.
“Everyone, let’s pray.”
Lepina said quietly. At her words, Talin painfully forced himself to sit up. Along with the two priests, those who had not yet received their official knighthood also joined their hands. Their prayers continued in this hellish space, hoping their earnest hearts would echo in the sky and reach the Goddess.
‘Someday, I pray for salvation from this hell.’
How much time had passed? Footsteps echoed in the quiet underground prison. The footsteps soon stopped somewhere.
“……”
It was the prison where Lepina and her companions were confined. Sensing a presence, Lepina opened her eyes.
“…Who is it?”
As she turned her head, a small demon stood outside the iron bars. This small demon, characterized by its red face and small wings, was no taller than Lepina’s waist. The small demon did not answer Lepina’s question and quietly gazed at them.
An awkward silence ensued. After a moment, the small demon opened its mouth.
“I am a servant who attends Serinu-nim. I have no name granted to me, so please call me as you wish.”
Lepina understood the current atmosphere.
‘Serinu….’
She didn’t know who it was. But it was certain that this entity was related to the people who had imprisoned them. Furthermore, such an entity had sent its subordinate. She would likely find out what was happening by talking to the small demon in front of her.
“However, what business do you have with us?”
Lepina replied in as polite a voice as possible. There was no reason to antagonize the other party with a coercive attitude. And wasn’t the small demon being gentle with them?
And her prediction was correct. The small demon in front of her took something from its pocket and handed it through the bars.
It was a small glass bottle. The bottle contained a liquid, and even from the outside, a holy power could be felt.
“…….”
Why could she feel holy power from what the demon handed over? Lepina was puzzled. Moreover, there were a total of nine glass bottles. At the same time, Lepina noted that the number of her companions was nine.
“This is a potion that temporarily boosts holy power significantly.”
What the small demon handed over was a potion. However, the potion’s characteristic was unsettling. It was a potion that supposedly increased holy power.
“…Why does a demon have such a potion?”
Naturally, no good words came from Lepina’s mouth.
“Ah, please don’t misunderstand. I am not here to argue with you, Priestess.”
At the demon’s words, Lepina calmed her excitement.
“I am merely here to convey the words of my master, Serinu, to Priestess Lepina.”
Lepina’s expression turned bewildered at the small demon’s words. She had no memory of revealing her name to anyone.
‘Indeed….’
It wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. This was an organization that dared to human traffic a priest belonging to the Church, so they would have this much information.
“The potion I just gave you temporarily increases holy power. Oh, and you don’t have to worry about side effects. High priests participated in the creation of this potion.”
Lepina bit her lip at the small demon’s words. A mysterious potion that increased holy power. The fact that such a potion was created with the participation of a priest from the Church was very strange. Not only did they participate in its creation, but the result was now in a demon’s hands. Lepina wasn’t so foolish as to not understand the meaning of that.
“There are those who have joined hands with demons…”
Lepina murmured exhaustedly, but the small demon continued its story.
“What you need to do is simple. Drink that potion before you go on stage later. And-”
The small demon’s request was simple. Drink the potion and attack the target designated by the demon. If they did so, they promised to release everyone here safely. Lepina pondered the small demon’s request for a moment.
‘It’s not a trap, is it…?’
If the small demon’s words were true, and the potion’s effect was real, it would be a slight chance to escape from here. In any case, escape was impossible with the current number of people. That’s why they were only praying. The other members also held hope in their eyes at the small demon’s words.
‘To think that we have to use the power granted by the Goddess for a demon….’
Even if they didn’t want to, they couldn’t help it.
“Haa… haa…”
Above all, Talin’s condition continued to worsen.
‘Perhaps….’
Perhaps this situation itself was a path opened by the Goddess? Lepina comforted herself and looked at Talin. As Lepina glanced at Talin, the small demon handed over something else.
“A premium potion. If you are to fulfill our demands, it would be better for at least one person to maintain a good condition. If you wish, we can write a contract.”
Lepina was bewildered and relieved at the demon’s contradictory act of trying to heal a priest. The thought that they might actually escape if they followed the demands filled her mind. The premium potion handed over by the demon was not enough to completely heal Talin’s wounds. However, it was enough to buy time.
“But… who is the target?”
By this point, she was curious. Why were they asking her to do this, even offering such help? There were many monsters imprisoned here, not just them. Would such a large organization issue orders to attack someone just like that?
“If they are members of the same Church, we will not do it.”
Lepina was firm. If the target to attack was a member of the Church, she would absolutely not do it.
“Ah, don’t worry, they are not human.”
While the small demon and Lepina were talking, another being approached. This time, it was a different monster, a skeleton dressed in a tuxedo.
“Clack-”
(It’s your turn.)
Naturally, Lepina could not understand the skeleton’s words.
“Clack-clack-clack.”
(Serinu-nim added another condition.)
The skeleton conveyed all the orders given by Serinu. The small demon nodded while listening to the skeleton’s words. Then, she casually said to Lepina.
“Your turn is coming soon. Just keep one thing in mind. You will all drink the potions I gave you and go upstairs. There will be one person wearing a black mask. Attack that person.”
The implications conveyed by the skeleton were to attack the Arch Lich as well as the black-masked figure next to him. However, from the small demon’s perspective, telling them to attack two people at once would be too much of a burden for Lepina’s side. The small demon had served Serinu for a long time. And it realized that Serinu was currently more focused on the black mask than the Arch Lich. That’s why she said it like that.
“I’ll give you 5 minutes to prepare.”
The small demon said so and handed over a key. It was the key to the chains that bound Lepina and her companions’ hands and feet.
* * *
Coming to this auction was truly an excellent choice.
‘To think that I could sweep up monsters with this much jewels….’
It required a whopping 5000 jewels to summon 10 monsters through gacha. It was called gacha, but in reality, most of them were 1-star monsters. To buy 10 1-star monsters for 5000? It was truly the worst value for money. But not at this auction house. For only a few hundred jewels, multiple monsters came into my hands.
‘I should take the Gargoyle I just acquired back to Earth.’
When I first saw the Gargoyle, I didn’t intend to bid on it, but I changed my mind after hearing the presenter’s words.
‘To think that Gargoyles had such a trait….’
Gargoyles found on Earth were all F-Rank monsters. But this one had a trait where it grew stronger the more mana was infused into it. This was a fact unknown even among hunters. As soon as I heard that, I quietly commanded the Arch Lich.
– Bid on this one too.
The Arch Lich bid on my behalf as commanded. Thanks to that, all the monsters up for auction as slaves entered my hands.
‘I hope auctions are held frequently from now on.’
This was a sincere wish. It was the content I liked the most among all the content I had experienced so far. What kind of slaves would appear next? I waited with bated breath.
“Now, esteemed participants of the auction! Our next item is a group of humans!”
At the presenter’s words, the atmosphere completely cooled down.
“Let’s not bid on those.”
I whispered to the Arch Lich, and it nodded. The group of humans belonged to the Church, consisting of two priests and seven Paladin trainees. There was no need to bid on those who weren’t officially ordained Paladins, and the priests didn’t seem particularly useful either.
‘Well, it’s not good to monopolize everything.’
I was already sweeping up the auction house. As a result, other monsters were watching me and the Arch Lich with displeasure. This time, I decided to let others have a chance and passively watched the stage. Moments later, the Church members appeared on stage.
There were exactly nine individuals, and it was easy to distinguish who was a priest and who was a Paladin trainee. It seemed there was one female priest and one male priest.
“Tsk.”
Looking at the priests, I couldn’t help but click my tongue. Out of the two priests, one was not in good condition. His body was bandaged.
“Now! Who will take all of these individuals?! Won’t it be refreshing to take out your anger towards the Church on them?! Haha!”
The presenter said this while turning his gaze towards me, as if looking directly at me.
‘What?’
And then, something sudden happened.
“Whoa?”
Monsters around me started screaming. The priest and Paladin trainees on stage suddenly jumped out of their places. The problem was…
“!”
They were heading directly towards me. They had no weapons, but their clenched fists glowed with a soft light. Without even thinking, I knew what that power was.
‘Holy Power…!’
Why were they suddenly attacking me? And why did the chains that the slaves wore come off so easily?
“Damn it!”
There was no time to think. I had to stop the charging attackers immediately. Fortunately, some Paladin trainees were blocked by nearby monsters. But even more problematic was the priestess who was approaching with a furious momentum. I immediately raised my hand and cast a skill. A skill I obtained last time, Divine Shield. Although it was a C-Rank Skill, it was said to be a shield created based on the Goddess’s favor and holy power. However, it was the first time I was using this skill. I needed a moment.
“Cover me!”
At my words, the Arch Lich flicked its finger. Then, one of the skeletons next to the Arch Lich exploded.
“?!”
Startled by the sudden explosion, the attackers flinched.
‘Now’s my chance.’
While the attackers momentarily flinched.
“Divine Shield!”
Holy power gathered in my hand, and a shield-shaped barrier unfolded. That vast, holy shield shone brightly like light, illuminating the surroundings. Simultaneously, the priestess, who had approached me, collided with my shield with her fist.
*Boom-*
The collision between the opponent’s attack and the Divine Shield I cast let out a roar, creating seismic waves like thunder and lightning, emitting a tremendous light. Unlike the aftershocks that spread around, I was unharmed. The opponent was the same.
‘Could it be because same attributes clashed?’
Normally, even when same attributes clashed, there should have been some kind of effect. But the source of power now was holy power. Perhaps the current situation was also due to the specialty of holy power. I accepted it calmly. However, the priestess seemed very surprised. Looking at me, she stammered with a look of horror.
“W-why do you have the Goddess’s power…!”
