The Dark Master of the Abandoned Auto-Hunting Game

Chapter 9

In Dungeon Replay, there are various races.

Among them, there exists a race with particularly outstanding base specs.

If one were to name the strongest among melee warriors,

it would be the Saberfang tribe.

With black hair and black eyes.

A naturally steel-like physique.

High specs.

Moreover, there are no attribute restrictions, allowing them to adapt to any situation.

‘Lastly.’

They have one peculiar characteristic.

That is, they can ascend two levels at once.

‘The amount of experience required for ascension is slightly higher than that of other races, though.’

Still, their growth rate is much faster than that of other characters.

‘Of course, once they reach a higher level, they have to wait for the two-level growth, which is a limitation.’

Even considering that, their physical specs are impressive.

‘The measure of their strength is the number of tails they have.’

For the Saberfang tribe, each tail represents two ascensions.

Thus, strong Saberfang warriors possess multiple tails.

The Saberfang boy currently in sight has three tails.

That means he has ascended six times.

Even among mid-tier explorers, that’s a respectable level.

It is indeed puzzling that the Saberfang tribe is treated as slaves in the auction house.

Rayzen understood the reason.

[Wow, she’s still a woman of terrible taste!]

Syria was also aware of the circumstances.

As she said, this is a very distasteful situation.

‘The Bloodlord.’

A strong enough individual that even the Empire would turn a blind eye to some extent.

A lord.

The Bloodlord is one of them and the owner of the auction house.

The Bloodlord’s hobby is to capture rare races.

This naturally sparked backlash from various races.

However, as a lord who dominates the world, the Bloodlord erased the races that rebelled against her.

Literally erased them from this world.

In the end, countless races fell silent.

They merely mourned for those who had been captured and mostly gave up.

The only fortunate thing is that the Bloodlord truly only captures them as a hobby.

She tosses them into the auction house without any harm.

So, if one desires, they can buy those who have been captured with money.

But most minority races do not have such wealth.

Thus, regrettably, they often just give up.

‘It seems that even after 100 years, she’s still quite spry.’

Well, the Bloodlord is also an immortal.

A hundred years wouldn’t be a significant issue for her.

But because of that, Rayzen had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

A chance to find companions to venture into the dungeon.

‘The Saberfang tribe is fundamentally individualistic.’

They send their offspring into the world once they grow to a certain size.

They may have more offspring,

but they do not take care of the older ones.

Thus, no other Saberfang would be looking for a somewhat grown Saberfang boy.

‘If I don’t buy him, he’ll end up in a bad place anyway.’

Of course, even being by Rayzen’s side wouldn’t guarantee a good fate.

But it’s still better than being dragged off by someone with bad taste.

“100 gold, 100 gold has been bid! Is there any more?”

The auctioneer urged the crowd to continue bidding.

But everyone merely showed subtle reactions.

No one raised a sign.

“If it’s a Saberfang child, isn’t it related to the Lord of the Mook?”

“That boy has already been up for auction several times, and no one has bought him.”

“Ugh, there’s no need to poke the fire unnecessarily.”

At that moment, Rayzen’s ears caught their conversation.

Rayzen blinked.

‘Lord of the Mook?’

It was a name of a lord he had never heard before.

A hundred years had passed.

It was only natural for a new lord to be born.

But he never expected a lord to pop up here.

[Rayzen, the Lord of the Mook is a lord from the Saberfang tribe.]

Syria’s voice echoed in his mind.

So there was a lord among the Saberfang tribe.

‘Wait, then.’

The Bloodlord, that crazy woman.

Did she kidnap a child from a race with a lord?

No matter what, it seemed she hadn’t touched the same lord.

‘…Has she truly lost her mind?’

More than that, another problem arose.

He had purchased a slave from a lord’s race.

‘…It’s my fault for not having gathered information about the lord beforehand.’

Still, he never expected a race with a lord to appear as a slave.

Who would have predicted that the Bloodlord would go mad?

“How do I… again…”

“Then the Saberfang child is won by VIP guest number 13!”

As Rayzen raised his hand,

The Saberfang child was declared the winner.

No one in the auction house clapped.

Everyone merely looked at the winner with pity.

Rayzen quietly clenched his fist, receiving their gazes.

“……Syria, do you think we can win against the Lord of the Mook?”

[Ha, Rayzen, it’s me. I’m Syria Nosferatu, you know?]

Syria dyed her shadows red, proving her strength.

Rayzen swallowed hard.

‘Right, we have insurance on our side.’

Opportunities to buy a Saberfang boy as a slave are rare.

‘It’s worth the risk for the future.’

That’s nothing.

Let’s have a showdown with a lord.

Still, he learned one thing today.

‘I need to gather information diligently from now on.’

A hundred years have passed, so much has likely changed.

Lack of information could trip him up, just like today.

‘Mistakes related to the Lord of the Mook can’t be undone anyway.’

If there’s a thread, there’s a gain.

He just needs to increase the gain.

‘Having been burned once due to insufficient information, I’ll consider it a lesson learned.’

There’s nothing more valuable than enlightenment without risk.

Rayzen thought positively.

So now, it’s much more beneficial to think about how to use the slave.

‘I need to make sure he becomes strong enough to be a companion while building a solid trust relationship.’

Slave magic isn’t omnipotent.

If he keeps getting stronger, he’ll be able to break the contract himself.

‘I’ll adjust to that gradually.’

There are still many auctions left.

Rayzen pushed the Saberfang boy out of his mind.

Let’s focus on the next auction.

It’s time to spend some money.

* * *

At the auction, Rayzen acquired several decent pieces of equipment.

Among them, he was particularly fond of a staff.

‘As expected, it’s an underground auction house.’

There are plenty of items that are hard to find on the surface.

‘The necromancer spellbook that came up in the middle was definitely a trap.’

He recalled the necromancer spellbook that had appeared earlier.

Anyone would want a spellbook from the necromancer category.

However, the moment he saw it, he had a gut feeling.

That’s a trap set by the Empire.

The moment someone buys it, they would surely be taken away by soldiers.

It’s so deadly that one couldn’t survive.

[Those wicked imperial bastards! Let’s just smash everything!]

Before the Empire fell, Syria was ready to destroy it.

‘Don’t do that.’

Confronting the Empire head-on was something he wanted to avoid.

Rayzen would just die, even if Syria didn’t.

Rayzen calmed Syria down.

Then he followed the attendant to collect the items he won at the auction.

Rayzen was guided to a private room inside the auction house.

The room was lavishly decorated at first glance.

Those who win multiple auction items are wealthy.

Thus, the auction house prepared a private room to treat them accordingly.

Rayzen sat on a plush sofa and waited for a moment.

Soon, footsteps were heard beyond the tent.

Rustle—

The tent was lifted, and a woman walked in.

She was relatively short among women.

With her voluminous red hair tied back,

These two features made her appear quite young.

Dressed in elegant attire,

her lips curled up between a splendid butterfly mask.

“Thank you for waiting, dear guest.”

Rayzen admired inwardly.

‘Wow.’

Most people don’t know this.

But Rayzen, on his 65th run in Dungeon Replay, knows.

The golden butterfly mask.

There is only one person who wears that mask and roams the underground market.

‘The Bloodlord.’

The owner of the underground market, a being that even the Empire cannot recklessly touch.

She was here in this moment.

A hundred years have passed since then.

She still had the same hobby as a century ago.

‘She really still has a bad personality.’

It’s certain.

She must have come out of curiosity after hearing that he bought the Saberfang boy.

[Rayzen, this woman…….]

Syria reacted as well.

Strong individuals recognize strong individuals.

Perhaps the Bloodlord subconsciously sensed Syria’s presence.

“Dear guest?”

Seeing Rayzen’s reaction, the Bloodlord called out in confusion.

“Oh, I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

Rayzen said openly, acting nonchalant.

Then she looked at Rayzen for a moment through her mask.

It felt like she could see right through him.

‘Stop looking. No, please stop looking.’

Clap—

Soon after, the Bloodlord placed the items she had brought on the table.

These were all the items Rayzen had won at the auction.

“Here’s a bonus for purchasing many items.”

The Bloodlord handed over a pendant.

“It’s an artifact that nullifies magical attacks, but only once.”

“Thank you, I’ll accept it gratefully.”

Rayzen carefully took the pendant.

Even a one-time item can save a life.

‘This place is a service paradise.’

“And finally.”

The Bloodlord clapped her hands twice.

Then the curtain behind her was drawn back, and a boy walked out.

A Saberfang boy.

A boy with striking tiger ears and black hair.

The Bloodlord unclasped the handcuffs on the boy’s wrists with a click.

“Please place your hand on the necklace.”

Following the Bloodlord’s words, the boy placed his hand on the bone necklace around his neck.

The boy stared blankly at the bone necklace.

After a moment, some of Rayzen’s mana was absorbed into the bone necklace.

The imprint effect was activated.

Thus, the Saberfang boy became Rayzen’s slave.

“The imprint is complete.”

The price had already been paid before coming here.

Hearing the Bloodlord’s words, Rayzen gathered his belongings.

‘The Lord of the Mook and all that.’

He was thinking of leaving the underground market quickly.

Getting involved with the Bloodlord was something he wanted to avoid.

“Dear guest.”

At that moment, the Bloodlord suddenly grabbed him.

“Is there something still left?”

“Well, I’m a bit curious as to why you bought the Saberfang boy.”

The Bloodlord asked with a smirk beneath her mask.

It was a surprisingly straightforward question.

“Despite appearances, that boy is a toxic asset.”

Knowing full well why it’s a toxic asset, why sell it?

It’s truly malicious to say that to someone who has already bought it.

But thanks to that, he obtained the Saberfang boy.

“I’m tired of the explorer types.”

Rayzen answered sincerely.

“If I were to entrust my back to someone, wouldn’t someone bound by a subordinate contract be more trustworthy?”

As he said this, Rayzen looked back at the Saberfang boy.

“Above all, a Saberfang who has ascended six times would be more reliable.”

The Bloodlord fell silent for a moment.

Then she smiled and nodded.

“Yes, that’s true. I understand. Thank you for your answer.

If you come again, I will repay you with even better service, so please use us again.”

He was already planning to come again to collect more equipment.

Of course, he wanted to avoid the Bloodlord event next time.

Rayzen quickly left the room.

* * *

After Rayzen had left,

The Bloodlord, left alone in the room, slowly removed her golden butterfly mask.

Her red eyes were revealed.

“Bloodlord.”

Before her, a man in a black suit appeared, bowing deeply.

The fact that she took off her golden mask meant she intended to rule as the Bloodlord.

In this case, he must announce his presence as a subordinate and bow his head.

“Hmmm, I wondered if it was someone sent by the Lord of the Mook.”

The reason the Bloodlord kidnapped the Saberfang boy.

It was to get to the Lord of the Mook.

The Lord of the Mook had rebelled against the Empire.

But the Bloodlord knew well that the reality was different.

‘Well, if it’s a rebellion, then it is.’

Though it was kept secret from the public,

the Lord of the Mook had killed an imperial noble.

‘By killing an imperial noble, the Lord of the Mook learned the Empire’s secrets.’

The Bloodlord was quite interested in this.

‘What the old dragon of the Empire is hiding must be this.’

She was one of the rarest races in the world.

The dragon race.

Currently, the remaining dragons are the old dragon belonging to the Empire, a recently born little one,

and a wicked dragon far to the east.

Lastly, just herself.

Among them, the old one had tightly hidden the Empire.

‘It’s not so much out of curiosity about the Empire.’

She had a curiosity about the secrets the old dragon was hiding.

This reason might be related to the secret the Lord of the Mook had discovered.

So this time, she intended to draw the Lord of the Mook down.

That too,

as the sibling of the Lord of the Mook.

The best bait to lure out the Lord of the Mook.

‘But no matter how long I wait, he doesn’t seem to have any intention of showing up.’

In the end, she was getting tired of keeping him and was about to let him go.

But what a surprise.

“I’ve caught a peculiar one.”

A wicked smile hung on her lips.

The Lord of Blood Pests observed Rayzen.

However, he was definitely not a figure related to the Silent Lord.

At best, he was a rookie of about six ascensions.

Yet for some reason, it was hard to take his eyes off him.

‘And.’

The shadow beneath the rookie continued to bother her.

Something that even the infamous Lord of Blood Pests found unsettling.

That something was within the shadow.

‘What could it be?’

For the first time in a while, a curious being had appeared.

The dragon race was a species driven by curiosity.

Her curiosity was piqued.

“I was going to meet that Silent Lord as a younger sibling, but now I’ve stumbled upon something strange.”

She said this as she carelessly tossed the golden butterfly mask.

The man quickly caught her mask in his hands.

“Is there something odd about that man?”

“Plenty.”

The Lord of Blood Pests smiled with a meaningful expression.

“Shall I look into his information?”

At the man’s question, the Lord of Blood Pests rubbed his chin.

“Don’t bother.”

The Lord of Blood Pests shook his head.

Whatever was in the shadow, there was no need to poke the beehive.

“Whether long or short, news will come in due time. Just wait until then.”

“Yes.”

It was dull for a while.

So please, let it be a toy worthy of her interest.

With such expectations, the Lord of Blood Pests quietly vanished into the darkness.