Act Like a Boss, Mr. Swallow

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[Translator – Jjescus]

[Proofreader – Zain]

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The man, overwhelmed by fear, trembled as if his body had lost control. His hands and knees desperately tried to move away from the situation, but his sweaty palms kept slipping on the ground, leaving him struggling in the same spot. Crawling was not going to solve the predicament from the start.

“Guards! No, even if they’re not guards, anyone, please help! Where the hell did they all go?”

“Where did they go? Well, they’ve gone to a place where they can’t come back.”

“What happened to the royal magic barriers, damn it!”

“Huh? You really believed in that and stayed like this?”

The voice that casually threw a joke was unusually low-toned. Devourer, raising an eyebrow, scanned the surroundings.

Three bodies were awkwardly stuck to the wall in strange postures. Twelve guards have been killed so far during the journey. Combined with the ones about to die here, it made sixteen—

“Human, you’re not armed, so it’s safe to assume you’re related to the auction, right?” Melje asked with a serious tone. There was no way around denying it. The moment he gestures a denial, the thin thread of life would undoubtedly be cut.

The security of the auction house was questionable, to say the least. It was as poor as it gets. Inside the building, designed like a snake twisting around, only mercenaries guarded the paths with considerable gaps between them, so much so that they couldn’t communicate.

Considering the mismatched attire and weapons, they were probably hastily recruited individuals. If they were elite mercenaries or soldiers hired by aristocrats who valued dignity, they wouldn’t be dressed like this.

Of course, among them, there was hardly a strong one. There was no need to waste time breaking through the guards, given how weakened they were. Devourer moved forward without slowing down, fully aware of his own strength, yet thinking, ‘It’s not because I’m strong.’

Melje, who had cast intermediate magic on the first encounter with enemies, apparently deemed it not worth the mana. Devourer ignored the guards, as if conceding his prey, and passed by. The humans who saw Devourer and Melje clad in blood-red armor could only cast the ‘Mute’ spell to prevent themselves from screaming.

There were also several layers of magical barriers, but most of them were ignored. Devourer, carrying a lot of mana, easily shattered the low-level barriers upon contact. Some that felt awkward to pass were either broken by Melje’s barrier destruction or weakened and shattered after being softened.

As a result, they reached a large hall on the third floor.

It took less than five minutes to get here. Subtracting the time spent contemplating which direction to go, it wouldn’t have taken even three minutes.

As soon as they arrived, they saw three armed mercenaries and a man reading a list with a smirk.

After killing all the mercenaries and the man who poured out sweat from head to toe, Melje and Devourer, who found him useful, slowly approached.

“H-hey! Don’t come closer! Don’t! Spare me! What do you want?! Why are you doing this to me?!”

“Alright, your words are getting through. After all, people who wield pens are smarter than those who wield swords. Asking what I want means you’re willing to do what I want, right? If you cooperate, I might spare you. So calm down.”

Something touched the hand of the man who was retreating. Following a thud sound, pain was felt at the back of his head.

What touched the back of the man’s head was a wall. When he came to his senses, he was already cornered. The shadows at the corner were covering his face like waiting for his death.

Human? Monster? From the man’s perspective, he couldn’t figure out the identity. However, it was clear that the elegant man possessed power beyond common sense, and the woman behind him used magic—actually, this didn’t matter. What mattered was that both were strong, invaders, and ruthless. Without any change in expression, they killed people, making it clear they were professionals.

“Do you know anything about the Brachycephalic Tooth that was put up for auction this time?”

The soft voice of the man covered in filth approached temptingly. The warmth exuding from that voice didn’t sound like the voice of a ruthless murderer.

Yeah, that was a voice filled with mercy. Perhaps, he might actually spare him. With that thought, the man’s mind was busy.

Half of the busy mind was venting resentment, ‘Why did such a thing get put up for auction, causing all this trouble?’ The remaining half was fear of death. In succession, he imagined the appearance of his family waiting for him at home.

He regained his composure only after the man who asked gently opened his eyes wide.

He thought desperately. Literally desperately. There was no other way to express it but desperation. If he didn’t answer straight, he would die for sure.

“I, I vaguely know! But I don’t know exactly! I’m just a regular event manager, and I’ve only memorized a few lines that the higher-ups told me! Really! Please believe me!”

“Recite those few lines now.”

“….Yes?”

“You didn’t forget, did you?”

“No, no! So, um, the Brachycephalic Tooth, part of the 36 Masterpieces, reappeared after missing for decades, and then…!”

“No, not that.”

The gentle voice turned into a seductive one.

“Tell me something that everyone doesn’t know, something only you know. For example, information about those who put up the Brachycephalic Tooth for auction. Or perhaps details about how you obtained it, where you found it—information about the monsters you encountered during the acquisition. Something like that.”

“That… I don’t know about that…”

As the man finished speaking, Melje’s staff, emanating magical power, lit up.

Low-level magic, .

“Human, you lied.”

Upon hearing Melje’s words, Devourer chuckled.

A chilling aura enveloped them.

It was a smile overflowing with pretense. Devourer slowly raised his hand to the man’s head, petting it like one would do with a pet. The man’s internal organs trembled with fear.

As if playing around, Devourer extended his right hand, seemingly to shake hands with the man. The five fingers, as if trying to applaud, touched.

Wooddddukk.

The five fingers that touched bent at an angle close to 180 degrees, toward the direction of the man’s body.

“Ah… ah… ahaaaaaaah! Aaaaaaaah!”

As he looked at his fingers, now tattered like a rag, it took 0.3 seconds.

Heat rose in his body as if his body reacted faster than his senses. Simultaneously, pain, screams, and cries attacked him. Couldn’t he feel his fingers? No, on the contrary, the sensation was even clearer. The grotesquely bent five fingers wriggled like fish fins.

The maximum pain that could be felt in the fingers and the maximum scream that could be emitted from the mouth. Tears flowed out as if all the moisture inside his eyes was drained.

Saliva from his mouth and mucus from his nose dripped. Though there was no blood, the joints of the twisted fingers were turning pitch black. Blood would stagnate. He would rot like this. The right hand—couldn’t return to the way it was.

Even so, his body still trembled. The two killers standing in front of the man experiencing death indirectly wore expressions devoid of joy, anger, or any emotion.

Eyes that seemed to say nothing had happened.

“I told you. If you come out cooperatively, I might spare you. Why provoke anger?”

“Ah, ah… I’m sorry… I’m s-sorry… I’m sorry… please… spare… spare me…”

“I’ll ask again. Do you know anything about Brachycephalic Tooth?”

Only now did the man realize. The black mana emitted by the woman behind him, the monstrous power behind the calm expression of the man.

They weren’t human. Those two weren’t human. He was foolish to have expected human-like behavior from them.

They were monsters. Not a metaphorical expression, but real monsters.

“Brachy… Th-those… Has…tin… mage tower… Wing…”

“Hey, I can’t understand well, is it because your fingers hurt? But you know, except for your fingers, everything else seems fine, right? You didn’t think your fingers were the end, did you? Answer slowly. There are many chances. Humans endure well when they’re slowly broken. Even if everything else is broken, they can still answer, right?”

That man. No, the monster’s words were sincere. The rigid tone alone made it clear.

“Has…tin’s… mage tower… ‘Wing’… was… the one who auctioned… Other than that… I really don’t know… Truly… Please…”

He spoke, squeezing out the strength from his entire body. The pouring tears blurred his vision. The two silhouettes in front of him became blurred. The indistinct black silhouette was close to a grim reaper.

Upon the man’s words, Melje’s staff glowed again. This time, a voice saying, “Sir Devde, that’s the truth,” reached his ears.

“Has…tin’s Mage Tower ‘Wing’…”

Certainly, Hastin. Devourer’s expression hardened as he thought of that.

Was there a human powerful enough in Hastin to defeat Renee? He couldn’t remember. What became certain with this was the high probability that the Brachycephalic Tooth auctioned at this event were closely related to Renee. And the fact that there was some turmoil in Hastin.

“Thanks for telling the truth. I’ll spare you. Promises must be kept.”

Again, a gentle voice was heard. Then, Melje and Devourer exchanged words. A few steps were heard.

Did they disappear? Even in the midst of the pain devouring his entire body, the man focused on his hearing.

He couldn’t hear anything anymore.

Only then, as if pouring out restrained emotions, the man groaned.

“I… I survived… you bastards… what did I do wrong… you bastards deserve punishment…”

Sobbing sounds echoed in the room. The tears didn’t stop.

—And then, footsteps were heard again.

They approached. It was the sound of returning footsteps. The ominous clattering of shoes and the uneven rhythm of footsteps were undoubtedly the footsteps of the two monsters who had just disappeared.

“I thought they came to tell me something, was that the sound?”

“Yes? Oh… no, I’m sorry! I won’t say anything… no, I’m sorry for saying useless things… please, spare me…”

“You didn’t do anything wrong.”

An unexpected response brought a few seconds of silence.

“Everyone seems to be feeling unfairly treated. So, let me tell you something. You didn’t do anything wrong. Really. No, is it too hasty to conclude that? I don’t know. I don’t know much about you, but at least you haven’t done anything wrong to us. Oh, except for lying.”

There was a mix of mischief but also a clear sincerity in the response.

“By the way, have you ever killed a monster?”

The answer did not come. When Devourer extended his right hand as if to threaten the man, only then did he nod his head up and down.

“Alright, what did you kill?”

“S-Slime…”

“Fair enough. So, how did it feel when you killed that slime?”

“That… that…”

“Did you feel guilt or something like that?”

Again, the room fell into silence, and Devourer raised the corners of his mouth slightly. The hesitant man responded to the smile and shook his head left and right.

“Yeah, that’s normal.”

And then.

“I feel the same way.”

“…”

“How do you describe the act of stepping into our territory? Have you ever used words like massacre or slaughter? Or perhaps, words like subjugation or extermination, something fancy? Oh, and lately, it seems making creatures like Homunculus or Chimera is a trend. How many monsters have you killed doing that? How many do you think might have died? Have you ever felt sorry for doing such things? Have you ever thought they might have done something wrong and died?”

No, right?

Saying so, He organized his words in a calm tone.

“It’s the same for me. The way you look at a slime is the way I look at you. Just an enemy. That’s all. You haven’t done anything wrong, and you have nothing to feel unfairly treated about. You just unfortunately caught my eye.”

In short, it’s the law of the jungle. It’s just the cycle of the food chain.

“Well, or not.”

Devourer, who sighed as if he had vented his complaints for centuries, slowly stood up from his seat. The man, with his tears partially dried, turned his head, facing Devourer, who already had his back turned. He also noticed the woman looking at him with a scornful expression.

“Foolish human.”

The woman who spoke like that, Melje, also turned her body. Then, she suddenly looked at another man.

“Well, a word for the mouth that confessed the truth so late. I’ll say one more thing. This building will collapse soon. You’ll die painfully, crushed by the ceiling.”

“Haha…”

With the voice, despair was expelled.

Many thoughts came to him. Why am I still alive? The vague curiosity about the identity of the invaders. Thoughts of family at home. Ah, by the way, has my daughter finished her private lessons and returned home by now? It’s fortunate. I’m really grateful that I didn’t bring my family to this auction. It’s fortunate that my home is far from this place. Thank you. Thank you very much.

The last thought that occurred to him was the curiosity about the intention behind the woman’s question. Thanks to the dulled senses, he could vaguely perceive the intention.

It’s an option. The last chance given to me.

“…Is there a magic that allows you to die without pain?”

“Nothing of the sort.”

The user closed his eyes. Melje’s staff emitted light once again.

Devourer’s voice, saying, “Melje, come quickly,” reached him from a distant place.

* * *

“Yo Garrote, Is that thing really that expensive?”

“It’s uncertain whether we could afford it even if we emptied our guild treasury.”

“That’s not because our guild is poor, but rather because of your extravagance, isn’t it?”

“Except for the sheep, everyone is living quite comfortably. We have only one poor sheep in terms of ability.”

Amidst the bubbling sounds, pickets with numbers written on them were raised here and there.

The price continued to soar, reaching a level where it was difficult to comprehend. The gemstones and rare items that had been auctioned so far seemed like mere trifles, as the digits of the price were in a different league.

The seats were all occupied. Most of the participants were not individual buyers but rather representatives of famous guilds or heads of households. Among them, there were also familiar faces of the aristocrats.

The expressions of everyone participating in the auction showed both anticipation and worry as the auction continued.

After 10 minutes.

The winning bid price had yet to be determined, and the price continued to skyrocket endlessly. The auctioneer didn’t even have time to move the wooden hammer in his hand. The item wasn’t something that could be brought to the desired price by gauging it properly.

The 34th masterpiece out of 36.

Auction of the genuine article, ‘Brachycephalic Tooth.’

A high-stakes showdown of wealth pouring out like each one’s showoff. From the perspective of Wooin, it was a somewhat pitiful sight, but regardless, judging by the heat of the auction house, everyone seemed to think the same.

“I’m a bit bored. Should we bid as well? Judging by the rate the price is going up, we can fool around a few times, right?”

“Get a hold of yourself, Wooin. We didn’t come here to participate in an auction, did we? You should know that better than anyone.”

“Oh, right. Right. I was foolish. Just call me the embodiment of ignorance.”

The grumbling voice was as gender-neutral as a boy who hadn’t gone through puberty. Among the aristocrats who adorned themselves extravagantly, the long sky-blue hair, reaching down to the chest, stood out. The slight wave at the ends of the hair gave a somewhat messy feeling, but it suited the girl infinitely well.

The bangs in the shape of a straight line, like they had been trimmed and polished, were right under her eyebrows. Appearance-wise, there was no denying that she was an outstanding beauty, but it was a bit of a stretch to describe her as elegant and beautiful.

On the contrary, the vibrant eyes, radiating lively energy, stood out.

The somewhat flat eyebrows just below the straight-line bangs. Rather than denying the beauty, everyone who saw the girl agreed that it was hard to find fault with her.

Despite her average height, her body seemed less developed, almost as if it hadn’t grown much yet. However, the people who saw the necklace visible through the simple blue dress wouldn’t dare to look down on the girl.

Hanging from the necklace was the platinum badge proving the ‘Hero’ position, which, until last week, had only three in the empire.

‘Iron Fist,’ ‘Punisher,’ ‘Hero of the Sand Hell,’ ‘Youngest Hero.’

And an officer of the ‘Black wolfs knight order,’ the empire’s top expedition force.

Wooin Historia.

It seemed like Wooin couldn’t stay still, as she fidgeted with her hands. The gauntlets covering both of her hands sparkled as they caught the light from the chandelier.

Originally, Wooin would have been at home enjoying snacks and relaxing. In the afternoon, she would have casually dressed up and gone on a matchmaking date arranged by the aristocrats, defeated her male opponent with strength, and planned to go for a bath with her colleagues. That was the plan. But Wooin unexpectedly found herself sitting in the auction house.

The reason was simple. She received some kind of request to guard the auction house. The condition that it had to be guarded from inside the auction house and not from the main or back entrance was somewhat odd, and the compensation was so meager that it was hard to call it a request for a hero. Nevertheless, there were no other options.

It was because Vern Hishutalt, one of the three heroes of the empire, had died in the Primordial Core.

Now, there were only two heroes left, including Wooin, in the entire empire.

In reality, the Primordial Core was considered impenetrable, and it was more like ‘impossible to conquer.’ Nevertheless, there was no doubt about the strength of the heroes, as Vern’s death had not raised any questions about the strength of the heroes. However, there were criticisms about their judgment. It was only natural that heroes, who were supposed to protect humans, volunteered to enter a dungeon and meet such an end. However, the damage fell squarely on the remaining heroes.

Wooin also needed to instill trust in the people of the empire as one of the remaining heroes. That’s why she accepted the seemingly cheap and useless request to guard the auction house.

Garrote, with her pink streaked hair that was more eye-catching than Wooin’s, and a face covered with freckles, was also in a similar predicament.

It was Garrote’s duty as a senior member of the subjugation squad to assist and restrain the not-yet-17-year-old Wooin. Garrote, also a high-ranking officer in the expedition squad, was suddenly dragged into the schedule.

With a somewhat annoyed expression, Garrote expressed her dissatisfaction.

“By the way, when will this end? Was an auction supposed to be this dragging?”

“I don’t know. I want to eat something delicious. I want to eat a salad with lots of macaroni from a famous restaurant. I want to eat pistachio cookies made by the royal pastry chef. I want to eat roasted chicken with plenty of pepper.”

“That’s the first sensible thing you’ve said, Wooin. Let’s go eat that after this. I can’t stand it anymore; I’m stressed too.”

“Yeah. Let’s just be pigs, pigs. After all, Garrote has already passed the age for marriage, right? There’s no one good-looking around, so let’s just go all out.”

“…Let’s talk about it after the auction. I won’t acknowledge you as a hero, so wait until then.”

As Garrote rushed at Wooin as if to devour her, Wooin dynamically avoided her, and when the two were in motion—

That was when it happened,

Above the noisy auction house, sudden silence descended.

Not a single sound could be heard. Although the murmurs changed somewhat, a single thunderous voice had disappeared, leaving only traces.

As Wooin and Garrote, who felt that something was wrong, looked towards the front of the auction house—

The voice of the auctioneer couldn’t be heard. The auctioneer, who was shouting enthusiastically, was now collapsed on the floor. His head was exactly pierced through by a magically created arrow.

He was dead. The survival probability was zero.

When Wooin, who felt urgency, stood up from her seat, Garrote put her hand on her shoulder. It was a signal not to rush out. Wooin, who was still excited, held her breath at Garrote’s action.

Garrote was a ‘Tracker.’ A being who could sense things even before others noticed. Garrote had never led them to losses by following her instructions.

Soon, they would see who was walking out of the curtain on the floor above, beyond the noisy auction house—two people.

Both of them were covered in blood.

“…Looks like it’s going to be a long night.”

With her tongue clicking, Garrote muttered.

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[Translator – Jjescus]

[Proofreader – Zain]

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