kscans

Chapter 31 - The Auction and the Trouble

Six days had passed since then.

The night I killed that adventurer, I returned to the cave alone. Fortunately, the body was still there, and I collected the materials: four Ogre horns and two magic stones. The Goblins yielded nothing.

Afterward, I buried the corpse and used my Analysis skill on the surrounding area. To my surprise, the soil was filled with diamonds. Elated, I pocketed two of the larger ones—a twenty-carat and a thirty-carat—and headed home.

Since then, a few things around me have changed.

First, Beautiful Sword stopped recruiting. It had only been for a day, but most adventurers seemed relieved rather than disappointed.

Curious, I asked a nearby adventurer why.

"Well, anyone who could get into that party would have to be incredibly strong. If they kept recruiting forever, we'd all feel pressured, like we had to try to get in. Most of us don't handle that kind of pressure well, except for that stupid newcomer. That's why everyone's relieved the recruitment is over."

That was the reason he gave.

I didn't fully get it, but I decided to interpret it as 'you can't do good work in a tense atmosphere.'

After that, Tina and I maintained a good friendship. We'd talk, eat together, and go shopping—it felt like we were on dates.

The gazes from those around us were a mixture of envy and murderous intent. 'Of course,' I thought, trying my best to accept the current situation.

Something unexpected happened too: Leona and Bardos started sparring constantly.

For Bardos, it was the fight he'd always wanted, but I wondered why Leona was fighting him. I tried asking Bardos, but all I got was a stammering, evasive conversation. He wouldn't tell me why.

Their battles were quite something. Bardos attacked like a tempest, and Leona would defend and counter. The result was a draw, with both of them running out of stamina.

They continued to spar after that, with wins and losses on both sides. A short while later, while Tina and I were out shopping, we saw Bardos and Leona at a weapon shop, looking at wares together.

They both looked so happy that we decided not to disturb them and left.

Life went on like this, and after collecting the pelts from the specialty shop, I decided to head to that auction.

*

At 11:00 PM.

I arrived in front of the usual building and said to the man in the black suit, "Kuroda's recommendation."

He immediately stepped aside, and the door opened.

Impressed by the quick response, I went inside and took the elevator down. A guide was waiting, and I followed him to the same room as before. Inside, the faces were different, though the business suits and homeless attire were familiar.

But there was one person I recognized.

The owner of the shop who had told me about this place.

"Yo, brown-haired kid. Long time no see. That Anaconda skin I got as a commission fee the other day? Sold for eight million. Looks like you made a killing too. I've heard the rumors."

The owner noticed me and came over to talk.

"...Glad to hear it," I replied. "When you say rumors, do you mean about rare animals or something of that sort?"

"Something like that," he said. "So what did you bring this time? I've got an antique pot. Best not to ask how I got it."

He pulled a pot out of the bag he was holding.

It looked ancient. "...A boar pelt," I said. "It's a big one. No idea how much it'll go for yet."

I showed him a small part of the boar pelt from my bag.

Just then, the back door opened, and Kuroda and his escorts appeared.

"Welcome, esteemed guests with your various circumstances. Thank you for participating in tonight's auction."

He gave a similar speech to last time, explaining the rules.

'There are first-timers here, so he has to start from scratch,' I thought. 'Being the manager must be tough.' Eventually, people went to the back one by one, and then it was my turn.

I went to the back and presented the boar pelt and the twenty-carat diamond.

Kuroda looked troubled. "...Excuse me, but selling these two as a set would be difficult. Would it be acceptable to list them as separate items?"

I didn't quite understand why it would be difficult, but I accepted his proposal.

I wanted to avoid any unnecessary trouble. I'd decided to comply with their requests as much as possible.

I received two number cards and returned to the room.

I was given new numbers, ten and fourteen. There were twenty people in total.

'Same as last time,' I thought. 'Is the number of participants always fixed?'

The auction began.

The auctioneer gave his opening speech and introduced the first item.

"Our first item is evidence of embezzlement from a certain company. With this, you can blackmail the company for money or even control it. We'll start the bidding at ten thousand."

'They even sell things like this,' I thought, impressed by the nature of the underground auction as I watched.

It was eventually sold for four hundred thousand.

Things proceeded smoothly, and then the tenth item was brought out.

"Next up, item number ten: a boar pelt. While its size is normal, the quality of its fur is far superior to that of a conventional boar. Furthermore, the boar's head has a one-meter-long horn. We have confirmed with an appraiser and a 3D scanner that it is not a fake. A very rare and valuable item. We'll start the bidding at ten thousand."

I knew that boars on Earth didn't have horns.

But I put it up for auction to send a message: get too involved with me, and you'll find yourself in danger. Those who live in the underworld have some experience with danger.

So, I thought it best to use that experience to make them think I was more than they could handle.

No one wants to risk their life.

Bidding continued, reaching five million. It finally sold for twelve million.

'Made quite a profit,' I thought as I continued to watch the auction. I still had one more item left, but since diamonds can also be found in this world, I wasn't expecting much.

...Until that moment.

The fourteenth item came up, and the auctioneer began his explanation.

"Next, item number fourteen: a rough diamond. This stone is twenty carats, and we have confirmed that it is not a fake. But that's not all. The quality and brilliance of the ore are also of a higher grade than conventional ones. A rare item that you may never see again. We'll start the bidding at ten thousand."

The moment he finished, the bids flew.

One million was the first, then three, nine, fifteen million. It kept climbing, reaching twenty million, and then, after a bid of twenty-seven million, no one else raised their paddle, and it was sold.

...Twenty-seven million!!!

How could it go for such a high price?!?

I was shocked that it sold for more than the boar.

When the auction ended, everyone was paid. When it was my turn, I received two cases. After the five percent commission, the total was thirty-seven million and fifty thousand. It was an astronomical amount.

Kuroda explained, "It seems you were not aware, so let me clarify. We understand that the boar pelt you brought is very rare. However, a twenty-carat diamond is not only rare but also incredibly valuable."

"Even a ten-carat stone can be traded for tens of millions or even a hundred million. It's almost unheard of for items to be traded in the hundreds of millions, even at an underground auction. The purpose of an underground auction is to buy things that can never be sold on the open market. So, I have a request. Please limit your sales to just the pelts. The wolf pelt from last time was very popular, and we've had requests to list it again."

It was a strange request.

An underground auction should be all about making a profit. But whatever. I just wanted to avoid any trouble that might get me banned.

I nodded.

Kuroda looked relieved.

The conversation ended, and I took the cases and left the building.

As I walked for a while, three cars—two vans and a limousine—pulled up and surrounded me.

Seeing this, I knew it was related to the auction and calmly waited to see what would happen.

Men in black suits and yakuza-style thugs poured out of the vans. From the limousine emerged a woman in a suit and an elderly man in an expensive-looking business suit.

'A secretary and a president,' I assumed, but the next person to get out was someone I knew.

The shop owner.

The president said to the owner, "...This is the man, there's no mistake?"

The owner nodded. The secretary handed the owner an envelope, which he checked before leaving.

'Money,' I thought. 'So I was sold out.'

My reaction was strangely detached. This was the underworld; I had to be prepared for things like this.

Just then, the president spoke.

"A pleasure to meet you. I should introduce myself, but my position forbids it. I know it's rude, but you also came from that building. I hope you can understand."

His polite speech was laced with the commanding tone of a superior.

'Definitely the president of some big company,' I decided.

I nodded silently. The president observed, "You're very cautious. Well, I'll be direct. Come work for me. The boar pelt you brought is exceedingly rare and of high quality. Unfortunately, I was unable to win the bid, but if you join me, you can get as many as you want. What do you say? I guarantee you a position at the executive level."

An invitation delivered as a command.

'He must have been raised in a very privileged environment,' I thought.

Corporate life... I'd returned to the countryside because I was sick of it, and that's how I ended up in another world. I honestly had no desire to work for a company again. It was easy to imagine what a man like this would do if he found out about the other world.

Domination by force. An act of war, taking advantage of the fact that Japan's constitution doesn't apply there.

I couldn't let him bring that kind of thing into that world.

I had found my purpose there as a hunter.

I wouldn't let him defile it.

I replied, "I refuse. I don't take orders from anyone."

To my firm rejection, the president said, "Then I'll just have to make you say yes."

He gestured to several of the yakuza.

As they approached, they spouted some petty-sounding lines. I recognized their faces. They were the same yakuza who had hassled me when I first entered the underground shop. So they were employed by this president.

I'd suspected a connection to the police, but it seemed my fears were unfounded. Knowing that, I unleashed my magical energy.

The yakuza stopped in their tracks, their faces contorted in fear as they backed away. The men in black suits felt it too and faltered.

The president grew irritated. "What are you doing, you useless fools! Enough, call Mr. Dean!"

A man in a black suit obeyed the president's command and called someone from the van.

Out came a giant black man, at least two hundred centimeters tall. He was incredibly muscular, and I could tell at a glance that he was a former professional wrestler. 'Probably the strongest of his bodyguards,' I thought.

Mr. Dean stood before me. "Hey, do as the president says."

His Japanese was fluent.

I shook my head and released my magic, but he didn't flinch. Instead, he looked at me with a wary expression.

"You're dangerous. I'll crush you here."

As if responding to his own words, he switched into combat mode and threw a punch at me.

I dodged the incoming right fist. It was far too slow. My combat experience in the other world was considerable. The giant threw several more punches, but I dodged them all. Then, I countered with a single right hook to his stomach.

The giant clutched his gut and dropped to one knee.

I seized the opportunity.

"Hooh, a-dadadadadadadadada!! Hoo-ada!!!"

I hammered him with a furious barrage of punches to his torso and face.

The giant took the hits defenselessly and fell to his hands and knees.

I looked down at him. "Still want to continue?" I asked, my voice laced with killing intent.

Sweat poured down the giant's face. "...E-Even if you defeat me, a second, a third Mr. Dean will come for you..."

To his half-finished line, I yelled, "What are you, the final boss of some video game?!"

I threw a right uppercut.

The giant took it square on the chin and was knocked unconscious. The people around us grew frantic at this turn of events, and even the president looked unsure of what to do.

Just then, an idea flashed in my mind.

I said to the president, "Mr. President. I won't become your subordinate, but how about a trade?"

To my proposal, the president asked, "...What kind of trade?"

He'd realized that force wouldn't work and accepted my offer.

I was relieved that he seemed to have experience in these matters. "I'd like to trade the wolf pelts I have for a palm-sized piece of fire-starting alloy."

Not just the president, but everyone around us was dumbfounded. They must have thought I was going to demand something outrageous. The president conferred with his secretary.

The secretary checked something on her phone and reported back to him.

"Why do you want such a thing?" he asked.

"I need it for the work I'm currently doing," I replied. "It's better if you don't ask for more details. Some things you're happier not knowing, right?"

I added a hint of killing intent to my words.

The president flinched but quickly composed himself. "...Very well. It's easy enough to obtain. Could you come to the children's park tomorrow at noon? As a landmark, how about a man in a black suit holding a teddy bear?"

To his proposal, I said, "That works. I'll bring a large backpack."

The negotiation was settled. They got into their cars and left.

'What a pain,' I thought as I headed home. After a while, a person emerged from an alley.

He was a very overweight man with round glasses, wearing a slightly dusty long-sleeved shirt and jeans.

I recognized his face. An old classmate from middle school I used to hang out with.

Seeing his unchanged face, I asked, "Takeo? Are you Takeo Wada?"

To my question, the man replied, "Are you... Shinsuke? Kaikawa Shinsuke?!"

It seemed he remembered me too.

...And with that encounter, I would come to make a regret that I could never take back.