Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Since Kane probably won’t be going anywhere anyway, maybe I’ll do some shopping.
[Adelian Guardian Kruger – Golden Young Master]
Representative Traits: [Financial Power (A)] [Arrogance (S)]
Hidden Traits: [Sense of Affluence (S)] [User’s Eyes (SSS)]
My trait of Financial Power (A), if this were a game, would just be a device to show how incompetent Adelian is.
That’s because most traits are either innate or acquired through hard work, but Financial Power simply means having a lot of money.
Of course, for it to become a trait, it must be more than just ordinary wealth. And what about Arrogance? It means he has a nasty personality with no real talent of his own.
Even though the core has changed for me, the fact that these traits remain suggests that my unconscious gestures, tone of voice, and even my gaze must appear arrogant to others.
‘But now it’s sweet as honey.’
The traits I would have had in modern times would probably be something like Computer Skills C, right? In that case, it’s fortunate that I inherited Adelian’s traits as they are.
Arrogance isn’t bad either. Since this body was born noble but the core is modern, I might act too casually without realizing it, which would be awkward, but that will be compensated for by the Arrogance trait.
I hummed a tune as I wandered around the item hall.
“Luna. What do you think looks good?”
“What? M-me?”
“Is there another servant of mine here besides you?”
“I-I’ll go look and come back, Young Master…”
When I deliberately narrowed my eyes and spoke, Luna was startled and quickly ran off somewhere.
I’m sorry, Luna. If a person changes too much at once, people who are secretly watching me might notice something strange.
But from now on, my hand won’t be raised against you, Luna. I promise…
The original Adelian was such a jerk that other maids probably all ran away or quit because they couldn’t stand being hit.
Luna, who has a timid trait and is inherently tougher than humans as a beastkin, probably stayed by Adelian’s side half by force and half by choice.
Then after Gadia killed Adelian, she probably took Luna along because she needed someone to take care of her.
Luna’s main party joining was probably through that route, I thought as I walked around.
‘I was hoping to see if I could appraise items with the User’s Eyes, but it doesn’t work on items.’
But I do remember the appearance of really rare items to some extent, so if I see one, I should give it to Luna as a gift.
“This one and that one. Oh, that one, that one. Ah, and 300 bottles each of high-grade potions. I’d like to buy unlimited amounts of rare and above.”
“Oh my, Young Master, how could we refuse?”
“And a small subspace pouch too.”
At those words, the hunched goblin manager rubbed his palms together and quickly ran off.
I’d like to buy a large one too, but if my memory is correct, soon I’ll officially become the head of the Kruger family, inherit the blood magic, and be able to freely use the family warehouse.
Then what’s a large space pouch? The largest space in the world will be mine.
“Who do we have here? Isn’t it Adelian?”
At a moment when both Luna and the auction house manager following me were gone, an oily voice came from behind me.
I’ve never heard a voice like this in my life – would it sound like this if even the vocal cords were filled with fat?
“Oh, who do we have here.”
When I turned around, there was a brown-haired orc… No, human? A hybrid? What is it?
I smiled and said “Who are you?” with all sincerity.
“Hey, why isn’t Dmitry coming? Oh my, Adelian.”
A man about my age, who looked similar in height and weight, approached me, constantly wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, and a woman who seemed to be his companion also came closer.
‘They look alike, but they don’t.’
The curly brown hair, brown eyes, and height were identical, but a surprisingly beautiful girl called the orc hybrid was in front of me and Dmitry, and suddenly I remembered something.
‘Ah, Dmitry. The villain from the Academy.’
Since that’s a few years later in-game time, I couldn’t recognize him because he’s still a young orc now.
If the man is Dmitry, then the girl is probably his sister, Dviona.
“Since we’ve met like this, why don’t we have dinner together? With some drinks too.”
“Right, it was your birthday last week, wasn’t it?”
One with blatant seduction, one with blatant mockery.
It seems Adelian’s traits have already spread through the social circles.
Well, even in the game, you could check your traits along with health recovery when visiting the temple, so it’s probably similar here.
“Luna!”
I loosely crossed my arms and called out loudly for Luna.
Now that I’ve become a good-looking jerk with only money, do I need to manage my image for these guys who aren’t even main characters?
“Yes? Yes, Young Master…! I haven’t found anything good-looking yet…”
A lie, she was probably hiding somewhere, too scared to come back to me.
Ignoring Luna’s pale face, I opened my mouth.
“Don’t you smell pig somewhere, Luna?”
“What?”
“Hahaha, he says pig smell!”
At my words, Dmitry’s face turned bright red, and Dviona burst out laughing, slapping her brother’s back.
“I, I’m not sure… Ack! I do, I dooo…”
As Luna tried to escape, whimpering and fiddling with her white ears, I pulled one of her ears from her hand and she quickly changed her words.
Where do you think you’re pretending to be hurt? I know rabbit race are crazy about having their ears touched, and that Luna, being a warrior, wouldn’t be hurt by my strength.
“Ah, ah, Adelian! Are you talking to me right now?”
Looking at Dmitry’s bright red face, I shrugged my shoulders.
“When did I say it was you? I just asked if anyone smelled pig somewhere.”
I smiled as if to say, are you a pig? Why are you shouting?
What are you going to do about it? And by the way, I’m saying this now, but you were really annoying when I was playing the Academy part.
After the burning pig Dmitry, who was huffing and puffing, was dragged away by Dviona, who was laughing so hard she looked like her waist might break, the goblin manager returned.
‘What a shame.’
I should have humiliated him in front of more people.
Feeling regretful, I licked my lips and put on the ring handed to me by the goblin manager on my left index finger.
“It’s a ring-type artifact elaborately crafted with mithril and sapphire of the same color as the Young Master’s eyes. It has a space equivalent to a wagon load, along with temperature maintenance and slight poison resistance enchantments.”
I listen with one ear and let it out the other as he speaks while rubbing his palms together.
I was about to exclaim in admiration at how it shrinks to fit perfectly as soon as I put it on my finger, but I deliberately composed my expression and nodded with a look that said ‘This much is nothing’, then gestured with my chin.
“It’s auction time now, right? Guide me.”
Unlike the item hall I was looking at earlier, the auction hall is a place where illegal items can also be put up, so I wore a mask to cover my face and sat on the terrace on the top floor.
It’s a space exclusively for nobles. What’s the point of wearing a mask when you can’t shrink your body?
Ignoring Dmitry visible at one end and Dviona waving her hand at me openly, I looked at the stage.
Beautiful pottery, ancient books, pet magical beasts.
Things I don’t need, and since it’s the beginning of the auction, these trivial items quickly pass by, and soon humans and Ain race start to appear.
“This is a leopard race, good as a guard. He’s middle-aged but still usable. The starting price is 3 gold!”
No matter how much the Sense of Affluence trait makes me feel at ease, given the foreseeable future, I haven’t been able to sleep properly for the past few days except for the first day I came here.
As a result, even the auctioneer’s booming voice sounds like a lullaby… And this VVIP seat sofa is too soft…
I’m nodding off, falling into a deep sleep without realizing it, when I vaguely hear a drawling sound with my half-open ears.
“Next up … Boy … appearance … 10 gold!”
“Dmitry, I want to buy that! Buy it for me!”
“Wow…”
What woke me from my doze was Luna’s exclamation, who had been standing next to me without even making a breathing sound.
That timid one is making a sound? Why?
I unconsciously lifted my head, wiping my mouth with my sleeve. And then…
“Wow…”
I know female readers went crazy when the illustrations came out, but honestly, what reason would male readers have to be excited about Kane’s appearance?
Even if they say he’s handsome or a world-class beauty or whatever, it’s a male character, so what’s the big deal?
I was the same. Although I liked Kane, it was just a kind of affection, and I couldn’t even remember the physical description when reading the novel, to the point where I only found out Kane had black hair when I saw the game illustrations.
But… Wow, when this comes out in reality, it’s on a different level. As expected of a protagonist. That bastard, he’s got it all…
Even though it’s quite a distance, I can see his face as clearly as if I’d had LASIK surgery, and I had the urge to just not interfere and live my life.
A guy with no way with words seduced 6 heroines with just his face, so if I just fix his temperament a little, wouldn’t he achieve world peace nicely on his own?
Still, I want to see Rachel, who I’m most curious about, with my own eyes. If Kane’s appearance is like that, then the other heroines too…
I lifted the bidding panel with the thought of indulging my interests a bit.
“Yes, 35 gold over there, ah! And 40 gold. Again 45 gold! This is a very popular item!”
By the way, why did the original Adelian buy Kane? If it’s just for a punching bag, wouldn’t a sturdy Ain or beastkin be better?
I mechanically lifted the panel while pondering the question that popped into my head.
‘Ah, could it be…’
Did that bastard drink a lot of alcohol and roughly see his face, thinking he was a woman, buy him, and then use him as a punching bag to vent his anger?
“Eek! I can’t lose to that guy, Dmitry!”
“100 gold!”
I hear someone screaming somewhere… Anyway, I think I’m right.
“Ah, I want him. What are you doing, not lifting the panel!”
“Aren’t you obsessing too much over a mere commoner with no special abilities, Dviona…”
“Ah, hurry up~”
You were more of an idiot than I thought, my special NPC… Feeling a burning sensation inside, I downed the complimentary champagne in one shot, pushed the fruit appetizer to Luna, and then lifted the panel.
“10,000 gold.”
How much is this in Korean won? About 10 billion?
Leaving behind the other competitors and the siblings who looked like their mouths had been sewn shut, I stood up.
“Shall we go to the castle now, Luna?”
I shrugged and smiled at Luna, whose already large eyes had grown even bigger, staring at me round-eyed.
“Young Master, surely… Your taste…”
“No, Luna…”
No, it’s not like that!
My goodness, I’m shocked. To think that Luna, the queen of timidity, would look at me with such eyes.
Unable to bear the suspicion in those pink eyes, I grabbed Luna’s cheeks.
They stretch so much.
“Ow, oww…”
“Your gaze is disrespectful, Luna.”
Thinking that every part I touch feels like jelly and might become addictive, I let go and called for the goblin manager assigned to me.
“Oh my, Young Master! Shall I bring more champagne?”
It seems I must have made a fuss asking for alcohol a few times before… The taste of the champagne that had fit so well in my mouth came to mind and I hesitated for a moment, but there are more important things right now.
“I’m greatly disappointed in what’s supposed to be the continent’s best auction house. We’ll leave for today. Before that, I want to check what I bought.”
For now, at least, an image of doing whatever I want is helpful to me, so I deliberately frowned as I spoke, and the manager’s already bent back bent even further.
“Ah… Well, really good items are on certain days…”
“Enough, bring it.”
I know, I know. I know too. Does it make sense for good items to come up every day?
As there are customers across the entire continent, even in the game, really good items would only come up about once a month.
Still, after nitpicking a bit for no reason, I waited for him to arrive.
I bought it just by looking at the face without even checking the name, so it might not be Kane when I actually see him.
What if it’s not? Should I just release him and build up my good karma?
I was unconsciously shaking my leg nervously when I heard another exclamation from beside me.
“Wow…”
The moment I met those golden eyes, I realized.
‘That’s the protagonist. It can’t be anyone but the protagonist.’
I wondered why he was sold so cheaply despite his appearance and at a weekday auction… They probably thought he would die or break before they could set a proper date.
How much must he have resisted? Looking at the handcuffs and gag still seeping with blood, I activated the User’s Eyes.
[Kane Raynare – Survivor with Only Hatred Left]
Representative Traits: [Indomitable (S)] [Genius (S)] [Appearance (S)] [Physique (S)] – Unimprinted
Hidden Traits: [Misfortune (C)] [Toughness (A)] – Unimprinted
Crazy bastard, look at those traits…
Although they’re marked as unimprinted because his birthday this year hasn’t passed yet and he hasn’t been confirmed by a priest, these are jaw-dropping traits.
And among them, the highest level is Indomitable…
‘You’re telling me I have to change that?’
The fact that it’s the highest level means it’s the most powerful influence on Kane’s beliefs and sense of self.
He doesn’t bend. He doesn’t yield.
Like a tree that doesn’t bend even when a reed does.
Looking into those golden eyes glaring at me like flickering flames, I smiled.
I’ll break you, Kane.