Chapter 67
Chapter 67: The City of Desire and Despair (6)
Crunch.
As soon as Martin gave the signal, Sien loosened her hands.
The man in the lion mask sneered at the sight.
“Filthy nouveau riche, you don’t know your place. Do you really think the likes of you can stand a chance against me?”
“I don’t care who you are. What matters is that I’m in a really bad mood.”
“I’m not one to hit women, but I’ll make an exception to teach you a lesson in place of that man standing next to you.”
Martin barely held back a laugh.
To be honest, he wanted to burst out laughing, but he held it in, thinking about how angry Sien must be.
The man wasn’t unskilled—he had both martial arts and a unique ability at the second circle, reaching the level of a fourth circle in total.
But he wasn’t even close to being a match for Sien.
It was pitiful enough that he was weak, but now he had gone ahead and provoked her fury.
No joke, it was time to genuinely wish the man some good luck.
“You’re insane.”
“Let me teach you how to speak to your elders!”
Whoosh!
The lion mask man slid forward, thrusting his right fist at Sien.
The trajectory was sharp and clean.
And with mana infused into his fist, it had enough power to crush stone.
Bam!
The punch exploded against Sien’s face, making a loud noise that shook the entire room.
“Is that it?”
Sien asked in a calm tone.
The lion mask man instinctively realized she wasn’t bluffing.
This only made him panic even more.
“N-no way! You took that punch without using mana?!”
“Wait, that was with mana? I thought you were bragging because you were so impressive, but this is even more pathetic than I expected.”
“Shut up!”
The man threw his left fist next.
This time, he even wrapped his aura around it, aiming once more at Sien’s face.
Boom!
The sound was even louder than before.
The shock caused a nearby painting to fall from the wall, shattering as it hit the floor.
But Sien still didn’t make a single sound, not even a grunt.
“Are you done?”
“T-this is impossible!”
The man in the lion mask was genuinely shocked.
This time, he had used his full strength, save for his unique ability.
But he hadn’t inflicted any damage on her.
He couldn’t even break the mask covering her face.
“There’s nothing more to see here.”
Slam.
Sien grabbed the man’s right arm.
And then, she squeezed tightly.
“Aaargh!”
She didn’t use any mana.
It was purely her grip strength, and yet the man screamed in agony.
It felt as though his arm was being crushed by a press.
In desperation, he flooded his arm with mana to resist, but the pain didn’t subside at all.
“If you’re weak, you should know your place and stop showing off.”
Crack.
Sien’s fist slammed into the man’s abdomen.
She didn’t use aura or even mana, but his body bent in half like a shrimp.
Without missing a beat, she drove her knee into his face.
“Guh!”
Blood spurted from the lion mask man’s mouth.
Even though he used all his mana to protect his mask and bones, he couldn’t completely absorb the impact.
Martin whispered softly to her.
“If possible, try not to hit the face.”
“Why?”
“If the mask breaks and someone we know is underneath, things could get complicated.”
“Got it.”
Sien nodded, signaling her understanding.
She then raised her right fist to strike the man again.
But just then—
“Stop!”
“If you don’t want to die, release him immediately!”
Two guards, likely the man’s escorts, rushed into the room.
However, that was the end of their threats.
Bam!
“Ugh!”
“Gah!”
In an instant, they were slammed into the ground.
It was the result of Martin using Omni Distortion to increase gravity.
“Stay quiet. I’ll finish this quickly.”
“Thanks for the help.”
With that, Sien resumed her attack, focusing on pummeling the man’s body and legs.
All he could do was curl up on the ground and try to minimize the blows.
It wasn’t very effective.
“Y-you… do you even know who I am, to do this…?”
“I already told you. I don’t care. And I warned you—just shut up and take it. So why didn’t you listen?”
“Aaargh!”
The lion mask man’s screams grew louder.
Once Sien infused mana into her fists, the man could no longer endure.
She continued to hit him without mercy.
Thud.
In the end, the man collapsed to the floor.
Though his body trembled, indicating he was still conscious, he couldn’t get back up.
That was because Sien had planted her foot firmly on his neck.
“Isn’t this a bit much? I didn’t even break any of your bones.”
“I don’t know who you are, but I swear you’ll regret this…”
“I don’t want to regret it, so I guess I’ll just have to kill you.”
“P-please! I’m sorry! I won’t do it again!”
“I know guys like you too well. You’re the type to hold a grudge after starting a fight and then try to get revenge.”
“I swear I won’t!”
“I don’t believe you.”
Sien began to apply more pressure, preparing to break his neck.
But Martin gently stopped her.
“That’s enough. You’ve done plenty.”
“I told you. This kind of guy will definitely seek revenge. There’s no reason to make things more complicated later.”
“Even so, I’d prefer you let him go this time.”
Martin’s tone was calm.
It wasn’t that he felt sorry for the man.
Killing him simply for picking a fight would be justified in the black market, but Martin was uneasy about the man’s identity.
He looked like someone familiar.
‘He’s a dead man either way, but it’s better to have a good reason when the time comes.’
It was important to avoid unnecessary responsibility.
Moreover, it allowed them to guide the situation in the desired direction.
“Consider yourself lucky,” Sien muttered.
With that, she withdrew her foot.
Martin also released his unique ability.
Regaining their mobility, the guards quickly helped the man in the lion mask to his feet and fled without even looking back.
As she watched them retreat, Sien asked, “Why did you let them go?”
“Because I think I know who he is.”
“And who do you think he is?”
Martin mentioned a name, causing Sien’s eyes to widen in surprise.
“If that’s true, shouldn’t we be more cautious?”
“He’s not someone worth that much concern. He’s already been disowned by his family.”
As long as they had justification, the man wasn’t worth worrying about.
“Did you enjoy your break, everyone? Now, let me introduce our final friend of the day! A forest fairy, an elf!”
“Wow!”
“Whooo!”
The auctioneer’s voice had barely finished before the room erupted in cheers.
* * *
The elf.
Known as the forest fairies, elves are a race born with an innate aptitude for magic.
Their long ears, which are more than twice the length of a human’s, were striking, but their most remarkable feature was their beauty.
This applied to every elf, regardless of age or gender, and it was one of the main reasons they were often targeted as slaves.
“Everyone here already knows how rare elves are, even more so than dwarves! But we’ve been fortunate enough to encounter one of them in the southern regions. She showed interest in the world outside the forest and willingly followed our staff!”
“What a load of nonsense,” Sien muttered coldly.
Even after beating up the lion mask man, her anger hadn’t fully subsided.
But Martin couldn’t focus on her words.
The moment he heard “southern region,” something clicked in his mind.
‘There was definitely an incident related to elves in the south around this time.’
It was a major event, and Martin remembered it clearly—how it unfolded and the outcome it led to.
There was just one thing he didn’t know: where the elf was first sold.
‘There’s no guarantee that this is the place. After all, two-digit numbers of elves are captured as slaves every year.’
It seemed unlikely that this would be the elf involved in the incident.
Martin decided to focus on acquiring the elf that would soon be presented.
“This elf is a woman!”
“Haha! A female elf? This is the first time I’ve ever seen one!”
“Get lost! She’s mine!”
“Like hell she is! That elf is going to be mine! Don’t you dare interfere with my wish!”
The auction hall swirled with human malice and greed.
Enjoying the rising excitement, the auctioneer shouted in a louder voice.
“It’s time for the forest fairy, the elf, to make her appearance! Let’s give her a warm welcome!”
Step, step.
The curtain on the stage swayed as a guard appeared.
But what caught everyone’s attention was the female elf following behind him.
At the same time, Martin’s eyes widened in shock.
‘No way… that elf!’
Her long red hair, reaching down to her waist, looked softer than anything he had ever seen.
Her fiery red eyes shone like the finest rubies, and her porcelain skin and graceful figure could only be compared to that of a perfectly sculpted statue.
But what truly captured Martin’s attention wasn’t just her appearance.
Despite being bound by chains around her limbs and neck, the elf exuded an air of unapproachable dignity.
Overwhelmed by her presence, both the customers and the auctioneer fell silent without realizing it.
“…Martin.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll ask just to confirm—could that elf be a noble? I can’t be sure from this distance, but it looks like her mana core is open at her head.”
“Hoo. You’re spot on, Sien. She’s manifested a unique ability and is at the second circle. With her magic, that makes her total power about five circles.”
“Those bastards! They kidnapped a high elf! They don’t even realize they’re playing with fire!”
For elves, their status is determined by whether they can manifest a unique ability or not.
Elves who possess unique abilities are called High Elves and are revered by their kin.
Kidnapping one of them was tantamount to declaring war.
Despite the gravity of the situation, the auctioneer continued as if everything was normal.
“This elf’s name is Solenne! She boasts third-circle magic abilities! The starting bid is 100 high-grade magic stones… Oh! Guest number 7 has already called out 150! And now, someone else has raised it to 200!”
“A beautiful elf, and among them, Solenne stands out as truly special! Who will be the one to live with this goddess-like elf? My heart is racing just thinking about it!”
“Sigh.”
Hearing her name, Martin sighed and began organizing his thoughts.
He would set aside the influence of Nicholas von Royce.
By rescuing this slave, he could win the goodwill of the elves and strengthen his forces.
Each goal seemed incredibly difficult to achieve, and he steeled himself for the challenges ahead.
‘Even so, this is a bit overwhelming.’
The auctioneer likely only knew that Solenne was a high elf. If he knew more, he wouldn’t be acting so nonchalant.
Unfortunately, Solenne wasn’t just any high elf.
At the top of every elven village was an elder, and Solenne was the daughter of the elder ruling the southern village.
In essence, she was no different from royalty.
‘This incident really did lead to a war.’
Three years from now, the elder, enraged by his daughter’s abduction, declared war on the Altaria Empire.
Elves from all regions responded to the call, and the war spread throughout the Empire.
The conflict only ended when the southern Klaus family, the empire’s most powerful clan, subdued the elven warlord, but the chaos the war caused was unprecedented.
“Guest number 7 has bid 450! Anyone else?”
“500.”
Martin finally entered the auction.
He poured 500 high-grade magic stones into the slot.
“Wow! 500 stones! Guest number 12 is showing us the power of true wealth! And now, guest number 7 has countered with 600! Will guest number 12 raise the bid?”
“700.”
“Whoa! Forget raising by tens—guest number 12 has just upped the bid by 100! Guest number 7, do you have any more to offer? If not, we’ll… 720! Guest number 7 is still in the game!”
“800.”
Martin decisively increased the bid by another 100 stones.
With 800 high-grade magic stones on the line, even high-ranking nobles couldn’t easily participate.
As if to prove this, guest number 7 failed to raise the bid any further.
“800! 800! Is there anyone else who will bid for the elf? If not, we’ll end it here… No more bids! Sold for 800 stones! Guest number 12 has not only acquired the dwarf but the elf as well!”
Martin successfully secured the elf he had been seeking, but he couldn’t feel much joy.
He had no idea how this elf would influence the events to come.
However, he didn’t have time to dwell on that thought.
Knock, knock.
“You may come in.”
In response to Martin’s words, the door opened.
An elderly man dressed as a butler entered the room.
“The Master would like to see you.”
There was only one person in the slave market referred to as the Master.
The Lord of Beasts.
The one who ruled the underworld of Akela City—he had summoned Martin.
‘It’s been a long time since I’ve seen your true face, Heinz Schwarzenbeck.’
Even in his previous life, they had only ever fought, never really talked.
Curious to see how this meeting would unfold, Martin nodded his head.
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