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[Translator - Prøks]
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Chapter 80: The Atark Clan's Mana Cultivation Technique
"6,000 gold."
"6,001 gold."
"7,000 gold."
"7,001 gold."
Every time they raised the bid by 1,000 gold, I diligently followed, like an ant carrying the hopes and dreams of insignificant men.
In technical terms, I was an 'ant that doesn't get shaken off during ant shaking.'
"10,000 gold."
"10,001 gold."
Finally, when the bidding surpassed 10,000 gold.
The red masks turned their gaze towards me for the first time.
"..."
As we made eye contact through the masks without a word, goosebumps rose on my arms. I quickly whispered to Daisy,
"I think this is as far as I go. You take over from here."
"Leave it to me."
Daisy was a warrior who understood the aspirations of insignificant men.
"20,000 gold."
"20,001 gold."
"30,000 gold."
"30,001 gold."
A strange heat filled the air.
The audience fell silent as the bids skyrocketed. They showed no signs of giving up, and Daisy's eyes, fueled by the mission of an insignificant man, were filled with madness.
"40,000 gold."
"40,001 gold."
Now the bids were increasing in increments of 10,000.
At this point, I started to find it odd.
What were they thinking, raising the bid like this? No matter how rich they were, they wouldn't throw away tens of thousands of gold without a second thought.
Did they really know something about that cultivation technique?
But something felt off.
It seemed like they were determined to buy it, but I couldn't sense any longing for the mana cultivation technique.
Of course, the same went for them. They probably couldn't understand why I was following their bids. But I had no intention of telling them. I'm a man of few words in situations like this.
One of the red masks cracked their neck and stood up.
"50,000 gold."
Daisy immediately followed.
"50,001 gold. Give up if you're scared."
"You little... 100,000 gold."
"100,001..."
I grabbed Daisy's wrist and stopped her. In my opinion, their 100,000 gold bid was a mistake. They must have shouted it out of anger.
I shook my head and surrendered.
"I give up."
Clap clap clap—
I was the first to applaud the men, dropping the act of being insignificant. The ending is always important. If you end well, even a loss can look like a victory.
Sure enough, the gray masks also applauded us. It seemed like they were impressed by my magnanimous attitude, even in defeat.
The black mask, who had been observing the situation, announced the end of the auction.
"The highest bid is 100,000 gold. If there are no more bids, we'll conclude. 3, 2, 1, Sold."
Once again, applause filled the room.
"That's the highest price we've seen in years. A beautiful finale. I hope everyone who won a star is satisfied, and we'll see you next time. Thank you for your participation."
The red masks looked visibly uncomfortable. They were whispering to each other in hushed tones, their masks touching. It was quite strange behavior for people who had just won an auction.
Meanwhile, the black mask left first, and then the gray masks dispersed and exited under the guidance of the assistants.
Daisy and I also got up from our seats and headed for the exit. The red masks were intently watching our backs.
* * *
"100,000 gold? They're crazy."
As we returned our masks and went outside, Daisy muttered in frustration.
"It's definitely a trash cultivation technique."
I read Daisy's expression and asked,
"Are you disappointed?"
"...A little. But it was too expensive. There's nothing we can do."
Daisy looked around and said in surprise,
"That's strange. We're in the opposite alley. How did we end up here?"
Looking around, the shabby restaurant we had seen when entering the auction house was nowhere to be found. The surroundings were unfamiliar.
"Their deception is certainly good."
Daisy's stomach growled as she tilted her head in confusion.
"I'm hungry. How about we get something to eat, brother?"
"Let's eat later. I'm craving stir-fried chicken."
"Then can we at least wash up? I feel icky after wearing that mask."
"Wait. The dreams of insignificant men haven't ended yet."
"Oh."
Daisy's expression changed with interest, sensing something from my answer.
"I'm intrigued."
"Let's take a walk."
I wandered around, looking at shop signs and greeting people when I saw them.
I stared intently at random passersby and debated with idle old men.
If a professional stroller had seen us, they would have considered it a very poor walk.
In short, the two of us roamed freely like stray dogs in the back alleys of Donkey's territory.
And when we encountered someone else taking a similarly poor walk across the street.
I quietly said to Daisy,
"Let's go eat dinner."
On our way back to Khaoto, the back of my neck itched, but I never looked back.
* * *
Daisy and I settled into a spot at the edge of Donkey's restaurant and ordered stir-fried chicken.
The place was almost full, and I saw several familiar faces inside. It seemed like my subordinates were having dinner together.
While we were resting and exchanging casual greetings, a waiter came out with a tray of food.
"Your spicy stir-fried chicken is here!"
I looked the waiter up and down and asked,
"Precious little one? Are you a waiter here?"
The kid replied with a grumpy face,
"I'm not Precious. I'm Allen. Please remember!"
"The little waiter is feisty."
Donkey, who was in the kitchen, came out with two bottles of moonshine, chuckling.
"I hired someone because we were short on staff. He's young but very quick on his feet."
"Being quick is important for a server."
As I picked up a piece of spicy stir-fried chicken, the flavor was rich, and after taking a sip of moonshine, it felt like my throat cleared, making me sigh in satisfaction.
"Kyaaah."
This is why I can never stop coming to Donkey’s restaurant. The young server was running around attending to customers, while those who arrived late were lining up outside. Even though the place was packed, the boy remained calm. Just as Donkey said, he was indeed quick and efficient.
I looked outside for a moment and then called the boy over.
"Bring me another glass. A glass one."
"Yes, sir."
The boy brought the glass and immediately returned to the entrance to attend to more customers.
Two new patrons entered, glanced around, and ignored the boy’s guidance as they approached my table.
"Seems like it's full here. Mind if we join?"
Daisy pinched her nose and glared at the men.
"Get lost."
I continued savoring my stir-fried chicken without saying a word. One of the men, younger, sat down uninvited and asked me,
"Is it really that good?"
"Never tried it before? Once you do, you won't be able to stop."
The man let out a random chuckle and said,
"Heh, well, at least we get to eat something good before we go."
"Care to try?"
Maybe my expression was convincing, because the man, unable to contain his curiosity, picked up a piece of the stir-fried chicken. While he did, I poured moonshine into an empty glass.
[TL/N: Makgeolli→Moonshine (author changed the drink) ]
"…This is incredible."
"Have a drink of moonshine, too."
With the feeling of offering a final meal, I handed him the moonshine, and the man, without hesitation, brought the glass to his lips.
Just as his lips touched the glass.
In a flash, I grabbed the glass and shoved it deep into his mouth.
"Guh!"
The glass smashed into his mouth, and two of his front teeth flew out with a spurt of blood.
While Daisy, dagger in hand, lunged at the other man, I punched the first guy again, aiming straight for the glass stuck in his mouth.
Crash—
The glass shattered, sending a mix of blood, teeth, and shards flying out.
His mouth was now a mess.
Grabbing the back of his head, I slammed his face down onto the table.
Thud— Thud— Thud—
With every slam, a clattering sound echoed as metal skewers fell to the ground.
"These flea-ridden dogs followed me all the way here."
The man, his face now covered in blood, collapsed to the floor, unable to hold himself up.
"Is 100,000 gold too much for you?"
Thud— Thud—
"I asked if it’s too much."
"…"
I searched the unconscious man's belongings, and as expected, the mana cultivation technique appeared.
Daisy asked,
"Brother, what should we do with this guy? Should we kill him?"
I looked over and saw that Daisy had already shattered one of the other man's legs with her dagger.
"Bring them outside."
As I stepped outside, the little waiter, sensing the situation, quickly cleaned up the blood on the table and tidied the surroundings. It was an instinctive action ingrained in him.
* * *
The two men were kneeling side by side on the street.
As expected, the red masks were remnants of Yale. I had suspected it as soon as we made eye contact at the auction house. I sensed a familiar murderous aura.
I sat on a chair, arms crossed, looking at the blood-soaked Yale members.
"Why did you follow us?"
I drew the Red Dagger from my belt and said,
"Were you that upset about the 100,000 gold? Did you follow us to steal the money and kill us? Are you beggars?"
"..."
In truth, there was no need to ask. The reason I had wandered the streets like a stray dog was because I had anticipated they would follow me.
I glared at the two and got to the point.
"What kind of clan is Atark? Why did you spend 100,000 gold?"
"...I don't know."
I threw the Red Dagger in my hand, piercing the neck of the man who answered.
The other man's eyes shook frantically, and he blurted out words like a machine gun.
"I don't know. I really don't know. We were just following orders from above. We were only told to obtain the cultivation technique at any cost if it appeared."
"Is that so?"
The man continued to answer, even as blood poured from his mouth.
"It's true. I know nothing about Atark or whatever. We didn't even know the cultivation technique would be at the auction."
It didn't seem like a lie.
These guys were weaker than the Yale members I had killed in Bayern. They were even weaker than the one-eyed man I had tormented. They were probably low-ranking members.
"How much did you bring?"
"We brought 100,000 gold. It's all the funds the organization had saved up. We were told to buy any artifacts that might appear. We followed you because we were afraid of what would happen if we said we spent all the money on the cultivation technique. I'm sorry."
"They sent low-ranking members for such an important task?"
"The higher-ups can't leave the organization right now."
"Why?"
"It's been chaotic since the group head died. They're busy reorganizing the organization."
"You're talking about Blood. Who's the current leader?"
"It hasn't been decided yet. It's likely Par will become the leader."
"Damn it."
It seemed like neither this guy nor the higher-ups knew anything about the cultivation technique.
This guy was simply ordered to obtain the cultivation technique, and when I kept bidding against him, he had no choice but to go up to 100,000 gold.
What an insignificant situation. He was insignificant, and I was even more insignificant than him. I was the most insignificant man.
As I remained silent for a moment, the man realized my identity and said,
"Please spare me. I'll crawl if you tell me to crawl, bark if you tell me to bark. I haven't been a member of Yale for long. Please give me a chance."
His tone was certainly more normal than other Yale members. He continued,
"I can help you. Yale is in a hard-to-find location. You won't be able to find it even if you search all of Uta. I'll lead the way."
I approached the kneeling man and said,
"You were a man with the potential for rehabilitation."
"Thank you."
I patted the man's head with my right hand, warming it up.
"Make sure you rehabilitate."
"Yes. Yes...?"
A flame spear erupted from my right hand and pierced through the man's head.
Boom—
With an explosion, sparks flew, and his head burst open.
In my opinion, there's no need to keep alive those who go around stabbing people with metal skewers.
As the two men disappeared into hell, my subordinates, who had been watching from Donkey's restaurant, approached.
Daisy carefully wiped the Red Dagger and handed it back to me. One-Eye looked at the Yale corpses and kicked them.
The Crazy Mage Squad members also appeared one by one, looking at the flames and commenting,
"It burns better than a scarecrow."
Zion brought a branch from somewhere, started a bonfire, and watched the flames.
Meanwhile, the locals also gathered.
Since we were acting like it was no big deal, the locals didn't seem too surprised. This is why atmosphere is important.
I sat on a chair by the roadside and said,
"Don't just watch, clean it up."
While my subordinates cleared the street, I sat on the chair and opened the old booklet.
[Atark Clan Mana Cultivation Technique]
I turned the first page of the faded booklet and read it line by line, enjoying the cool night breeze. The speed at which I turned the pages gradually increased.
While the bonfire Zion had lit crackled, I was completely absorbed in the cultivation technique.
Suddenly, I wanted to say this to the insignificant men.
If you're going to be insignificant, be insignificant to the end.
'Even if you can't eat it, it's still a Gorani.'
The 100,000 gold was worth it.
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[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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