Dungeon's Final Boss: Banished by My Boss, the Goddess, to Earth—So I'll Continue My Past Life - 49-50

Chapter 49: Auction Day

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In the end, time passed without any significant developments in America, and the day of the auction arrived. The auction process involved publicizing the event→recruiting participants both online and offline→deciding on a venue→announcing the event date and finally holding the auction.

Apparently, only items of legendary rank or higher followed such a strict schedule.The lower grade items, which could be found in any country and didn’t command such high prices, were often handled through online-only auctions. It felt strange to buy weapons and armor, which were consumables rather than works of art, without seeing or touching them firsthand. However, it seemed that the accuracy of appraisals in this world was trusted to such an extent.

Perhaps it was a testament to how much confidence people had in auctions for Awakened individuals. Incidentally, even lower grade items, which were usually sold through online auctions, could sometimes fetch prices in the millions of yen depending on their type.

…No, I mean… Yeah.  The dungeon drop items in this world are still in their developmental stage after all….

Even though dungeon drop items in this world were still in a developmental stage…

“That thing is supposed to be a Mythical-grade item?”

I found it hard to believe.

“Jiro, don’t say anything weird.” 

Pirolane warned from beside me.

“Ufufu~ If those fools want to pour money into something like that as if their money flows like water, we should just let them.”

At first, Pirolane had been exasperated, but upon realizing she might receive a hefty sum, she was in a much better mood. Today, we had come to the auction venue. Pirolane was here to witness the sale as the seller. I, on the other hand, had been requested to be part of the security team through the Ministry of Dungeon. Since Sameshima-san and the others knew we were here, they were on standby in case an instant-clear dungeon needed immediate attention.

And the venue… Was the sea. Inside a luxurious cruise ship, at the center of the party hall, the sword was displayed for one final public viewing before the auction began. As part of the security team, I stood in front of it. Since I was known as a support-type fighter, other selected members from our usual raid team were also present.

The sword, elegantly draped with fine cloth, left me feeling underwhelmed, but the spectators eagerly used their own appraisal methods to admire its performance. Some used crystal orbs the size of marbles, others monocles or magnifying glasses—each employing their own type of appraisal magic tool to examine the sword, yet not a single one of them seemed to question its worth.

I knew my standards were simply too high, but still, the whole situation felt bizarre.

“You’re that Dungeon Ossan, aren’t you?”

After finishing his appraisal with a magic monocle, a man turned his gaze to me.

“And you are?”

“Tougo Shimazu.”

“Ah, the S-rank Awakened from Kyushu. Nice to meet you.”

“Tch, what a smug old man you are.”

Tougo Shimazu maintained his aggressive stance as he looked up at me. I was just a little under 180 cm tall, and compared to me, he was notably shorter.

Best not to bring that up.

“Are you here to buy this sword as well?”

“Yeah. But I doubt I stand much of a chance.”

Tougo spat the words out with irritation, then shifted his gaze. Following his line of sight, I saw various people engaged in conversation. It was obvious at a glance that they weren’t Awakened. There were also several well-known figures I had seen on TV and online news. Not celebrities, but powerful corporate executives and business moguls.

“It’s not just Awakened here—filthy rich bastards showed up too. What the hell are they gonna do with it?”

“I’ve heard that wealthy people don’t buy art for admiration, but for investment.”

“This sword’s an investment too? Pfft! Weapons are meant to be used up and discarded. Any so-called ‘famous blade’ that still exists today is just a relic left behind by some straggler who got lucky and didn’t die.”

“That’s quite an extreme take. I don’t dislike it, though.”

“Hah! You might actually get it. If a big job comes up, let’s work together.”

“Sounds good.”

Just as our conversation seemed to be wrapping up…

“—!”

Both of us simultaneously turned to look. But there was no one there. At the very least, there was no one exuding the kind of presence we had sensed.

“Heh… Looks like something interesting might happen.”

With those parting words, Tougo walked away.

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Chapter 50: The Start of the Auction

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The auction moved to a different venue for the main event.

I had strictly ordered Piroane to not leave the special room or interact with others. She might get carried away and start boasting that she was the one who put the item up for auction. It would be one thing if they only asked where she had obtained it, but if she were tricked before the auction even started, that would be a real problem.

Because in the end, I would be the one left to clean up the mess. The main auction venue felt smaller than the previous one. A theater room, which could also be used for stage performances, was being utilized for this. The sword had been moved there and was now illuminated under powerful lighting. To me, its dazzling appearance seemed like it was desperately trying to appear grander than it truly was, which made me feel a bit sorry for it.

To be fair, the sword itself isn’t at wrong…

I told myself that over and over again, but I couldn’t shake off an indescribable feeling. And even if I were to present something truly worthy of being called “a real Mythical-class item,” it was obvious that it would only spark unnecessary conflict. After this sword was sold, I worried whether Piroane would get the idea to declare, “There’s something even more incredible!”

I wanted to believe she didn’t have that kind of ability. But there was a possibility she was hiding something. A very faint possibility, but still…

…Yeah. There’s no way… Right?  Maybe not. Hopefully not. Well, putting that aside…

I left guarding the sword to the raid team and instead watched the auction participants from backstage. What was that gaze from earlier? The one I felt while talking with Tougo Shimazu. There was a distinct killing intent. If someone was targeting the sword, exuding such a bloodthirsty aura seemed out of place. Then, was it directed at someone in this venue instead?

As I scanned the room, I spotted Rock Barnhorn in a corner. The wounds from being struck by the golem seemed to have already been treated, leaving no trace on his skin. However, it was clear from his demeanor and his choice of seating that his shattered confidence had yet to fully recover.

It wasn’t him, then. Who was it? There were several other S-rank Awakeners present, some of whom were internationally renowned—perhaps them? But such individuals had already been marked as high-priority to keep an eye on. I had memorized all of their faces. I also knew exactly where each of them was in the venue. I had been monitoring the precise locations of everyone, even at the moment when I sensed the killing intent. Which meant they were ruled out as the culprit for the killing intent.

“…This is annoying.”

Why did I have to be so on edge for something that was just a money-making scheme for Piroane?

I caught myself and felt a wave of self-pity.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come. The auction will now begin.”

The host appeared on stage and announced the start.

“Today’s item is this. I believe many of you have already used your own appraisal methods to evaluate its quality. However, the official assessment from the Japanese branch of D-Auction is as follows: ‘Longsword +5 or higher. Specifically, sharpness +5 or higher, durability +5 or higher. No curses or negative attributes. No additional effects.’ The overall evaluation classifies it as ‘Legendary.’ However, since there are no precedents for anything ranked above Legendary, it is speculated that it may, in fact, be Mythical class. That said, the headquarters of D-Auction has not issued an official confirmation, so we will refrain from making definitive claims. Nonetheless, based on its performance alone, this sword has the potential to stand at the pinnacle of all blades that exist on Earth. Now, before we begin, let me explain the auction rules.”

With that, the host lifted a device handed to him by his female assistant.

“This device, which features red and green buttons, should have been distributed to all participants. Those wishing to bid must press the red button. As long as two or more people have pressed the red button, the displayed price on this electronic board will continue to rise. The more participants pressing the red button, the faster the price will increase.”

He pointed to the red button with his index finger before shifting to the green one.

“If at any point you feel you can no longer bid, press the green button. Doing so will cancel your participation.”

The host then handed the device back to his assistant and gave a final warning.

“Each participant can press only one button, and only once. The auction will begin the moment the lights on your devices turn on.”

The electronic board at the front of the stage displayed an initial bid of $100,000. Or rather—like watching a stopwatch count up, the numbers rapidly increased.

“Hey, hey, what’s happening here?”

“What are they doing?”

I felt someone tugging on my sleeve. It was Piroane—who was supposed to have been isolated in the special room.

“It’s around a million yen right now? Huh, that’s cheaper than I expected.”

She grumbled something about how this wouldn’t even be enough to hire an editor.

“It’s in dollars.”

“Huh?”

She blinked in confusion.

Wait, does she not understand the concept of currency?

“The unit is dollars. Right now, 1 dollar is about 150 yen.”

“Which means…?”

“When converting to yen, multiply by 150.”

“Hmm.”

“… Don’t tell me you can’t do multiplication?”

She’s a goddess. Or at least, she was one.

“Of-Of course I can!”

The numbers on the board continued to climb at a steady pace. It surpassed a million dollars, then ten million. The speed of the increase slowed slightly. I saw Tougo Shimazu clicking his tongue. That was likely his limit.

Rock hadn’t moved at all. But the number of dropouts must have been increasing—the price escalation slowed even further. It exceeded one hundred million dollars. Then one billion dollars. The tension in the venue grew.

At fifty billion dollars, the pace slowed even more. Next to me, Piroane, who had clearly lost the ability to calculate, looked dizzy.

Sixty billion. Sixty-five billion.

“Tch!”

A loud, irritated click of the tongue echoed through the venue, and the numbers on the electronic board finally stopped.

Just shy of sixty-six billion.

“How much is that?”

“One trillion yen.”

I gave a succinct answer to Piroane, who had completely abandoned doing the math. The exact amount aside, it should be around one trillion yen. That said, I wondered what about the tax? Even if the tax and other service cut were to take half of the total away, that was still an absurd amount of money. 

…Wait, does she even understand the concept of taxes?

….She doesn’t. Do I have to be the one to explain this?

“…One trillion yen is how many yen?”

“I’ll explain later.”

Good. It seemed she was malfunctioning due to the sheer scale of the numbers. That meant if I told her the post-tax amount later, she probably wouldn’t complain.

“It’s been decided! Congratulations!”

The host announced the final price and the bidder’s number. Applause filled the venue, but the winner did not stand up. The successful bidder was likely participating online. As the applause echoed, glances were exchanged across the venue.

And then—

The ceiling collapsed. With a deafening roar, the ceiling crumbled, and amid the falling debris, a silver-bodied figure appeared.

A mechanical body? A robot?

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