Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 340: The Auction House of the Gods (1)
“…You.”
A low, growling voice emerged from Shub-Niggurath’s mouth.
It was only natural.
The one who should have been dead was still alive and breathing.
Moreover, the other humans, whom he thought he had killed moments ago, had vanished like smoke.
“That was really close.”
Jinhyuk grinned.
His body, which had been covered in wounds, seemed to have completely healed, as if nothing had happened.
Simultaneously…
*Crack!*
*Crackle!*
The world surrounding him began to collapse.
The fragments cracked like a turtle’s shell.
This place was not reality.
At least, it wasn’t reality until just now.
“You created a mental world…?”
Shub-Niggurath scanned his surroundings in disbelief.
This wasn’t just a mere imitation of a part of the world.
The entire world had been perfectly replicated.
All seven areas where the gates had appeared.
“How… could you create a world of this caliber?”
The scenery was unbelievably detailed.
Detailed enough to deceive even a being who governs all worlds.
“I put in a lot of hard work. There was a lot to prepare.”
Through the ‘Soul Stone of Longing’ he received from the senior administrator Bendyvia, Jinhyuk had maximized his potential in barrier techniques.
He shattered four yellow moonstones to establish bases in the four most mana-rich locations on Earth.
Siberia in Russia, the salt desert in Bolivia, the Grand Canyon in the United States, and Cairo, the capital of Egypt.
It took a long time, but the efforts were well worth it.
He managed to create a grand barrier capable of deceiving Shub-Niggurath.
“Impossible. If there had been even the slightest inconsistency in the surrounding mana… I would have noticed.”
Indeed.
A being as sensitive to mana as a primordial entity wouldn’t miss such discrepancies.
That’s why Jinhyuk had prepared a suitable mechanism.
“I didn’t activate this barrier myself. I only laid the groundwork. The actual activation was left to someone trustworthy.”
Right at that moment.
– Oppa, I did everything you asked.
– Hyung, this is amazing! The damage is much less than we expected!
A status window appeared, containing the voices of Yu Yonhwa and Lee Taemin.
Jinhyuk had passed the essential materials to them, ensuring they mastered every step required to activate the barrier.
Day after day, without rest.
“External assistance, is it…?”
Shub-Niggurath’s voice grew a pitch higher.
Although the tone of annoyance remained unchanged, there was now a hint of interest.
It made sense.
Hadn’t he always played games where the outcome was predetermined?
Victory was a foregone conclusion, and every process merely served to fulfill that premise.
However…
That premise was now being shaken.
At this very moment.
“No matter how great a divine entity you are, I figured there must be at least one flaw. The manifestation of your thoughts isn’t perfect. Especially when constrained by the system.”
The Aquarius from the Zodiac Constellation was an illusion-type ability.
However, this ability had a hidden secret.
When combined with two opposing elemental abilities, it could trigger a perfect illusion.
Master’s *Dark Heavenly Demon Art* and Teresa’s *Call of the Stars*.
These two abilities subtly interfered with Shub-Niggurath’s senses.
“The more confident you are in your perfection, the less prepared you are for the unexpected. Well, thanks to that, I was able to buy some time.”
“…It sounds as if you know my abilities well. Even though this is our first encounter.”
“I got lucky.”
“Lucky, huh…”
Shub-Niggurath’s body began to slowly disintegrate into dust.
The time it could stay in the current realm had run out, and it was starting to return to the 50th floor.
“A foolish administrator told me to be wary of a certain human. It seems it wasn’t entirely nonsense.”
He recalled Hastings bowing his head, questioning why he needed to worry about a mere human.
At the time, he found it so absurd that it was almost insulting…
But now, he understood the meaning behind that advice.
A human who had dared to toy with an ancient being.
He had never met such a bold and cunning individual before.
Thus…
Shub-Niggurath spoke one last time.
“Don’t let those foolish tower residents defeat you. Climb up.”
To where he was.
To the summit of the tower.
Reach it.
To settle the score that hadn’t been settled this time.
“I’ll be waiting… there.”
*Crackle…!*
Shub-Niggurath’s body completely disintegrated into dust and scattered.
Finally, they had survived the worst threat.
“Phew.”
Jinhyuk let out a long sigh of relief.
At the same time…
*Ding! Ding! Ding!*
[The being from the 50th floor is retreating.]
[You have achieved a remarkable feat!]
[This achievement will be recorded in the ‘Hall of Fame’ for a day.]
[Many divine entities in the upper floors of the tower are expressing a deep interest in your presence.]
[The major factions are starting to move in earnest.]
A series of status windows appeared in quick succession.
Of course…
[You have completed a hidden quest.]
[You are rewarded for accomplishing the impossible.]
[The fourth privilege for the first conqueror of the tower has been unlocked.]
The rewards were also quite generous.
‘This is… really amazing.’
Jinhyuk’s lips curled into a smile.
Both body and mind were exhausted from running non-stop since the Murim.
Yet, like a refreshing rain during a drought, all his fatigue seemed to vanish in an instant.
And for good reason.
The rewards he was receiving now far exceeded his expectations.
[Your level has increased!]
[Your level has increased!]
[Your level has increased!]
[Your level has increased!]
[Your level has increased!]
[Your level has…!]
[You have obtained an entry ticket to the ‘Auction House of the Gods’. (Time-limited: This item provides a free service for one month from the time of acquisition. After one month, it will convert to a paid service.)]
[As a privilege for the first conqueror of the tower, you receive a priority bid right for one auction round.]
[You have obtained a ‘Lucky Random Box (Purple)’.]
[You have obtained 5,000,000 coins!]
An increase of 18 levels.
Gaining this many levels in a single raid, especially when you’re in the triple digits, was unheard of.
Moreover, an entry ticket to the Auction House of the Gods was a reward that couldn’t be obtained under normal circumstances.
While other players were struggling to acquire slightly rare items from the coin exchange…
‘I’ll be able to monopolize opportunities on a completely different level.’
His heart raced with excitement.
Like a child receiving multiple presents at once, he wondered which one to handle first.
But first…
Jinhyuk activated his personal status window.
—
**Name**: Kang Jinhyuk
**Gender**: Male
**Age**: 28
**Level**: 144
**Strength**: 109
**Agility**: 67
**Stamina**: 67
**Mana**: 372
**Gap**: 100
**Luck**: 10
**Adaptability**: 78
**Spirit**: 101.38
**Stat Points Available**: 54
**Coins Available**: 16,743,550
**Class**: Ruler of Runes
**Unique Abilities**: ‘Fusion’, ‘Grave of Swords’, ‘Blessing of the Stars’, ‘Judgment of Anubis’, ‘Blood Magic’, ‘Mandala’, ‘One Second of Invulnerability’, ‘Thousand Poisons’, ‘White Beast’, ‘Shared Fortune’, ‘Sanctuary of the Sun’, ‘Dark Heavenly Demon Art’, ‘Triple Magic’, ‘Giant’s Strike’, ‘Breath of the Fire Dragon’, ‘High-Speed Sword’, ‘Right Arm of Tombgrave’, ‘Berserker’, ‘Domain of Wind’, ‘Shadow Blade’, ‘Blood Explosion’, ‘Black Tears’, ‘Leg of Tombgrave’, ‘Monstrous Strength and Spirit’, ‘Core of the Legion’, ‘Ancient Barrier’, ‘Heavenly Demon Divine Art’, ‘Mantra Taming’, ‘Nihilism’
**Skills**: Too many skills; switched to ‘Collapse’ mode.
—
His level had already reached 144.
At this level, he ranked among the top even among the tower residents.
Of course, if you consider the additional stats from the Gap and various other stats, his actual level would be much higher.
‘The Spirit stat, which was hard to increase, also skyrocketed thanks to this battle.’
He gained a lot from the battle with Shub-Niggurath.
[Mana has increased from 372 → 402!]
[Agility has increased from 67 → 91!]
He invested in Mana and Agility.
Mana was the stat that consumed the most, while Agility was excellent for dealing with multiple fast-moving enemies.
‘I should raise it in advance if I want to dodge those many branches in the future.’
With this, his stats were neatly organized.
Then next…
Jinhyuk’s gaze turned to the golden parchment in his hand.
It was the ticket to enter the Auction House of the Gods.
There was still time before the association staff or other players could get here.
Indeed.
What kind of items would be up for trade?
Jinhyuk tore the ticket to enter the ‘Auction House of the Gods.’
*Wooong!*
With a bright light, the surrounding scenery changed completely.
***
A grand structure reminiscent of a Greek temple.
Soft clouds drifted gently in between.
A lake reflecting the bright moonlight and birds with four wings also came into view.
It was a mystical and beautiful place, as if he had truly entered the abode of the gods.
At that moment…
*Pop!*
A pure white fairy appeared.
With small wings and a cute appearance, she looked like Tinkerbell from a fairy tale.
“Wow! It’s the first time a human has visited our auction house! Oh my gosh! And you’re a player too? Goodness. Oh! My name is Setilda. Isn’t it a pretty name? Hehehe. The angels also visited today and had a lot of conversations here.”
If nothing else, she was quite a chatterbox.
The fact that she talked so much also made it easy to extract information.
It seemed even archangels were present at the auction.
“My name is Kang Jinhyuk.”
“Yes, Jinhyuk! A warm welcome to you. Are you looking for something in particular? I shouldn’t be the one to say this, but we have everything here.”
“Today is my first visit, so I’m not looking for anything specific… I just wanted to look around and see what this place is like.”
“Oh! I see. Feel free to look around, and if you need anything, just call me anytime.”
Setilda fluttered around with a bright smile.
She was a dizzying fairy in many ways.
She may look like that, but she was actually a mid-level administrator, the same rank as Rick.
Leaving Setilda behind, Jinhyuk entered the auction house.
*Whoosh!*
Between the torches lined on both sides, he saw glass cases.
These were the auction items for this round.
**[Root of Yggdrasil]**
**Difficulty of Acquisition**: Impossible to Measure
**Description**: ???
**Starting Bid**: 12,585,000,000
**[Pandora’s Box]**
**Difficulty of Acquisition**: Impossible to Measure
**Description**: ???
**Starting Bid**: 33,210,000,000
Even with the ‘Eyes of Gluttony,’ the detailed contents couldn’t be seen.
That meant the items being traded here were out of the ordinary.
‘I’ll need a bit of luck to use the priority bid right wisely.’
No matter how secure his bid right was, if the items this round weren’t great, the hard-earned hidden card would lose its shine.
While he was pondering…
*Thud!*
Suddenly, the ground he was standing on shook violently.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
Someone was approaching.
And it was a being with tremendous power.