chapter 4
4. Auction
The auction house under the shadows, Schwarz.
A prison made of iron bars, similar to a cage used to confine animals. The stench from not washing and the smell of rotten food. And until it smells like water. These scents blend and create harmony.
I am imprisoned in such a place with my whole body restrained. Five restraints. I can’t even block my nose because I’m tied up so much that I can’t lift my arms.
Playing game in the corner of the room Hikikomori, who used to be a mutuber, is suddenly in a situation like this.
It’s just that, perhaps because he inherited the player’s abilities and the personality of Jean Barenberg, he was strangely cool and calm in this situation.
“Be prepared for the auction as it will be up in a little while. You’d better not do anything stupid. Because the elite of Schwartz are gathered in this underground auction house.”
The guard said so and left.
I raised my head and looked around, and there were many other people besides me. Of course, it did not discriminate between races. Elves, Beasts, Dwarves. Etc.
‘Seeing that there are young girls, it seems that there are nobles with quite bad tastes.’
Befitting an idiot game, the aristocrats in this world are idiots too. Well, I’m from an era when slavery was abolished a long time ago, so it’s only natural that I don’t understand.
I want to save them, but I decided to quit soon. Because there’s nothing I can do here anyway. More than anything, I had to take care of myself right away.
‘If it goes as planned, I will go to Frances Descartes.’
But will things go according to the future? If you go to France Descartes, there is no problem because they are familiar, but you can’t help but think about the variables you don’t know.
“How did you get here?”
A middle-aged man sitting next to me asked. He was a man with a shaggy beard and shoulder-length hair that he didn’t even know when he had shaved. A musty smell emanated from his hair, and his brow furrowed.
“Because we lost the war.”
Hearing my words, the middle-aged man’s eyes widened.
“Speaking of war, are you from Warenberg?”
“Yes, but.”
“To come all this way after losing the war… Do you want to become a leader or a noble?”
“He was the Prince of Warenberg.”
The middle-aged man’s eyes widened again.
“Huh, I see all the royalty of Barenberg in places like this.”
The middle-aged exclaimed and slightly bent his head. He must have been quite surprised to see the obvious embarrassment in his voice.
“Originally, destiny is not known at all. I never thought I would come to a place like this.”
“Heh heh, it seems the Prince of Barenberg has given up.”
“How can I not give up in this situation?”
I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and continued.
“Then how did you come here?”
The middle-aged man smiled and said. It was a sad face.
“I came here because I fell in love with gambling. If I had known this was going to happen, I would not have borrowed money from the underworld. He would have been left broke if he had been in moderation and fell out. Well, it’s useless to regret it now that you’ve come.”
The middle-aged smiled bitterly as he said that.
The reason he became a slave was more pathetic than he thought. Even if he has nowhere to borrow money, he borrows from the underworld. Gambling is so scary.
I asked him.
“How are the other slaves sold here normally used?”
I know vaguely, but I can’t stand my curiosity. I wondered if what I was thinking was correct.
“Well, pretty beasts and humans, including young elves whose talents haven’t bloomed yet, will be used as s*x slaves by high aristocrats, and dwarves stuck in the corner will go into munitions factories. Sometimes there are slaves who meet good masters and live a more comfortable life than before, but that is rare.”
It was as expected. This idiot game was at the level where even the worldview came out. Well, all games set in medieval fantasy are like that.
‘Why is the background so hopeless even though it’s a romance fantasy…….’
In fact, couldn’t this problem arise because of a conflict between the director and the developers? A developer who wanted to create an authentic fantasy soul-like genre, and a director who wanted to show unresolved romance…….
‘It’s at the level of a dog sh*t game.’
Take a moment to have a nonchalant conversation with a middle-aged person. The tightly closed door opened and the guard entered.
“Come out.”
The jailer inserted the key in his hand into the door behind the bars and opened it. Then he pulled the chain around my neck and pulled me up. Until forced to gag her mouth. I feel really dirty for once.
“Look straight ahead and walk. If I fall, I’ll be annoyed.”
Oh, be sweet. I didn’t know if I would fall for you if it weren’t for this situation.
That’s how I was led upstairs by the female guard. Perhaps it was the light she hadn’t seen in a long time, and her eyes felt sore.
“Open your eyes properly!”
Damn it! The short whip in the jailer’s hand hit my back. Mind-numbing pain. I wanted to scream a little bit, but Jean Barenberg’s personality was mixed and only a light moan came out.
To endure the pain, I gritting my teeth and climbed the stairs. When I went up to the podium of the auction house, masked nobles sat in their seats and whispered.
-Everyone! Thank you very much! The product that came out now is Jean Barenberg, the first prince of the now extinct Barenberg Kingdom!
The nobles did not show any reaction, as if they already knew that I was being put up for sale. I just opened my mouth slightly and let out a little exclamation.
―We will show you the show we have prepared and let you know the starting price of the auction!
A show? What do you mean?
―These are the monsters we painstakingly prepared!
At either end, Schwartz’s staff appeared, dragging large iron bars. Inside the iron cage was a ferocious monster. It’s so menacing that I’m thinking of breaking through the bars with my teeth and getting out.
―It may be dangerous if the monster is released, but don’t worry! We Schwartz’s elite executives will protect you!
Then protect me, you dog.
―Let the show begin!
The auctioneer came over and whispered to me.
“You’d better not do anything stupid. There are elite members all over the place, and there are also slaves stamped on them.”
I don’t know how many times I’ve been told not to do anything stupid today. I think I’ve been hearing it ever since I was arrested.
Cheolkeong. The five restraints on my arm came loose. Bulky, muscular arms. I moved it this way and that way to make sure there were no problems.
“Now, take this and do well. Because we have to raise the auction unit price.”
What the auctioneer gave me was neither a sword nor a spear. Just one long chain. How are you going to fight with this?
However, complaining was a luxury.
Boom! The door of the iron window opens and the demons run amok. The staff who had been dragging the bars quickly left. Schwarz’s combatants stood by the podium so that they could jump out at any moment.
Kleur!
A beast in the form of a lion, Core Lion. And although he walks on two legs like a human, he actually looks like a crocodile, Alligator Man.
Both of them were the basic monsters of Lo Panso.
―Let the show begin!
The auctioneer got out of the way. Running away from a monster was a bit funny.
The demons are salivating and approaching me. Judging by their appearance, they seem to have starved for several days.
Ah!
Beasts attacking with their mouths open. I took a deep breath and let go of the pounding.
Once I jumped high. The running Core Lion and Alligator Man collided with each other. As soon as I got down, I strangled Core Lion with the chain. Krarak! Core Ryan struggled to and fro in pain.
Alligator Man attacks. The chain was moved to induce the Core Lion to fit instead. Core Ryan, who was hit by Alligator Man, struggles with wounds. His blood was splattered here and there.
Tightened the chains a bit more. Pudeuk! Core Ryan’s cervical spine, which was struggling, collapsed. sh*tty battle. It’s not surprising that this is the result. It was the most basic monster of Lopanso.
I grabbed the end of the chain and whirled it around. Alligator Man drools and runs. I flicked the chain instantaneously and hit the guy between the foreheads. Baek! Alligator Man, whose head has turned after being hit by a chain out of nowhere, is losing his mind.
Do not miss a chance. The chain was twirled again. The chain, which had risen high using the recoil, slammed down on the top of his head. Bang! There was a heavy sound and Alligator Man’s pupils rose toward the ceiling. His skull was smashed
With this, the battle is over. To test Jean Barenberg’s abilities with these monsters, they should have been brought in piles. Testing with only two, tsk
After the fight, when the excitement subsided, I felt very dirty in that I became a spectacle for those guys.
―Have you seen it! This is the power of the now doomed Prince Warenberg! It’s engraved with a powerful thrall stamp, so don’t worry about rebelling!
The auctioneer cautiously climbed onto the podium and continued.
―Look! The face is also smooth, so you can use it well at night!
What, night service? What kind of dog is that?
―Let me tell you the starting price of the auction, it starts at 10 million!
It can be seen as literally 10 million won in Korean money. As it is a domestic game, the currency is the same. For reference, the cost of living for a family of four in this game is 100,000. But 1,000 from the start.
Perhaps only elven breeds with outstanding beauty and unsoiled by others have a price similar to mine.
The thought of this made the aristocrats on the seats disgusting.
―Then let’s get started!
As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, the nobles rose from their seats. The reaction was hot.
-Two thousand!
-Three thousand!
—Four thousand!
-7 Thousand!
―100 Million!
Ugh. The price keeps rising. The price tag on me is outrageous. This is a bit embarrassing.
…… Everything would have been fine, except that his status was that of a prince of a ruined country that had been defeated in the war.
I rolled my eyeballs to find a familiar mask. Her mask, which appeared in the original graphics, is a cheap rabbit mask purchased at the night market. It was such a cheap mask, with the left ear folded and the right ear pricked up.
I looked around my head diligently to find it, but I couldn’t find the mask. Where are you hiding? Is it because you’re short that you can’t see it?
‘Could it be that the content has changed?’
No, this would ruin my plans. I was captured as a slave anyway, and as planned, I went under the command of Frances Descartes to change the future and prevent me from becoming the final boss.
But I can’t even see you at the auction house…….
‘This really sucks.’
-Now, 100 million! Any more?!
Huh, I let out a deep sigh. I hate to wait at night because I got caught by a strange lady.
‘I’d rather fight back and die.’
Did you say that the lesser evil is better than the worst? Better a battle slave driven to death than a night service. I must have shown my strength, because if I went in as a battle slave, I’d be fine with it.
―100 Million! 1 Million! Now, 5… 4… 3… 2… One… Now, it seems there are no more, so bid… !
The bidding is coming to an end. He let out a deep sigh. Judging from the aristocrat who presented 100 million gold, she is a fat lady. There must be a greedy smile hidden behind that thick mask.
The time I gave up.
―500 Million.
A woman, standing boldly with her head stiff, offered a different amount from the one presented in front of her.
A familiar cheap rabbit mask from the game.
It was Frances Descartes.