Chapter 67
Chapter 67: The Protagonist (5)
"The acquisition and merger results have come in!"
In the executive office of the Black Mage Group, a polished black nameplate adorned the wall. As the wall split open, Thomas emerged, dressed in an immaculate suit.
Makia, the representative of the Black Mage Group, covered the abdomen of the test subject she had been examining and rose from her seat. Her movements were so natural that it looked as if she were merely covering documents.
"-Ughh! Uughh-!!"
The nameless nobleman bound to the desk thrashed about in response to that sensation. Makia Jangche immediately covered the sound with black magic power.
Kraaaah!
The dense black magic engulfed the test subject and let out a brief roar.
In the silent office, Makia opened her mouth.
"My Thomas, you say the results have come in?"
Thomas bowed his head respectfully. A pale hand descended before his eyes, and Thomas placed a kiss upon it.
His body trembled.
"The soul of the Shareholder has successfully settled into the Possessor's body!"
Thomas, trembling with thrills, joyfully reported the results of the acquisition and merger.
"What a magnificent achievement! As expected of my Thomas!"
A pleasant smile graced Makia's lips.
The project that had begun with the singular determination to kill the Saint and Saint-nun had borne great fruit.
"I shall provide you with a detailed report."
Thomas flowed black magic power, creating a semi-transparent screen.
The screen was filled with documents neatly organized with various charts and materials typical of office workers.
"First, here is the relevant documentation. As evidence that the Possessor's soul has completely disappeared, the Status Window has vanished."
The purpose of this acquisition and merger was for the company's shareholders—powerful Black Mages—to seize the Possessor's body and absorb their memories.
Additionally, if they could utilize the [Status Window], it would have been even better.
"I had hoped the Shareholder would fully enjoy the ability of the Status Window... but unfortunately, that did not come to pass."
When the Possessor's soul disappears, the [Status Window] likewise vanishes.
It was unavoidable since it was a power bound to the soul.
Well, it was disappointing, but it couldn't be helped.
Makia, fitting her role as the group's representative, focused on the major achievement at hand.
"So, what is the possibility of this project?"
What mattered most were the Possessor's memories.
In response to her question, Thomas turned the screen, displaying statistics of the Demons that had descended.
"In this world, creatures called Monsters genuinely exist. Therefore, when ordinary people think of evil abstractly, they naturally first associate it with Monsters."
This was natural.
From ancient times to the present, Monsters had been what most terrified humanity.
However, for Black Mages, this posed a very serious problem.
"Moreover, looking at ancient records and folk traditions, evil entities typically take the form of Monsters."
Thomas clearly pointed out the problems faced by the current Black Mages.
"I don't wish to admit it, but... the Shareholders are the same."
The company's shareholders consisted of at least 7-Circle Black Mages.
That meant they had sacrificed over a million offerings.
Whether they had reached 7-Circle or beyond, the form of the abstract concept of "Demon" was constructed solely based on universal human imagination.
'Our manifestations are inefficient,' Makia Jangche nodded quietly at Thomas's report. It was something she already understood well.
The Demons that the Black Mages of this world had summoned were mostly in the form of Monsters.
Common Goblins and Troll-like figures were the norm, and at best, they were Dragon-Species creatures.
'Meanwhile, the Possessors were different.'
Makia Jangche recalled the war from ten years ago.
The Possessors—beings who didn't even reach the Shareholders' toes, and who without [Skills] couldn't properly wield Black Magic Power—yet these Possessors formed 6-Circles and summoned Demons of unbelievable strength.
'A Fallen Angel, King of Demons, and Lord of Hell.'
In other words, Lucifer.
That strength was enough to call forth Hell itself into the present world and block the Imperial Army's advance.
Moreover, Riferoze Astia herself had reportedly struggled against the Hell King.
"Thomas, your explanation is sufficient. Now, what of the Shareholder's memories?"
Makia was eager to know.
She had conducted many acquisitions and mergers before, but never had she obtained the Possessor's memories so completely.
Looking at Thomas's face, there was surely good news.
"The Shareholder reports that information the Possessor had studied comes to mind clearly and systematically."
Contrary to her expectations, Thomas delivered very welcome news.
"...There are still many aspects of Earth's culture and artifacts they don't understand, but their recognition of Demons and Monsters seems quite solid!"
At the mention that they didn't understand Earth's culture and artifacts, Makia deeply empathized.
'The Possessors' world... To begin with, I can't even comprehend that humans number over 8 billion.'
Did it make sense that there were more humans than Goblins?
Makia had also heard much information from Thomas and continues to learn about it bit by bit.
Even she, in her current state, had not yet understood even fragments of this world called Earth.
'Electing a king through voting, and entire populations observing different worlds from within small screens...'
A world where imagination is concretized into videos and images, creating virtual spaces to indirectly experience new worlds.
Moreover, Thomas mentioned that just before his possession, technology appeared where merely pressing a button could create whatever one desired.
She simply couldn't believe it.
'Thomas would never have lied, though.'
Believe it or not, what mattered were the memories the Possessors possessed.
In the world they observed, very powerful Demons existed in concrete forms.
That meant...
'A Demon like the Demon Lord Lucifer...'
Could be summoned to a level similar to the first representative of the Black Mage Group in the past.
"You've worked hard. As expected of my Thomas."
Having finished her thoughts, Makia drew a bright smile and gently stroked Thomas's cheek.
"So, did you learn which Demon the Shareholder wishes to summon?"
"Sargon's Eye... It seems they desire that power, likely because the location where they plan to kill the Saint and Saint-nun is a Labyrinth, where the power to control the Thousand Demons and conquer the world is needed—the King of Darkness."
"If we're fortunate, we might even obtain an item called the [Absolute Ring]."
***
Erik held the [Auction House Creation Ticket] in his trembling hands.
Why did this come out?
'So I can create an auction house...?'
Imagining the auction house from the game, he found it hard to believe.
If he tore this, could he create an auction house?
Behind the shocked Erik, three Possessors rubbed their eyes and confirmed the item's name tag.
[Auction House Creation Ticket]
No matter how he looked at it, the name was identical.
An auction house creation?
Not using it, but creating it...
"Brother, what is that thing? Why does everyone look so out of it?"
In the midst of this, only Jang Du-sik blinked, clueless.
"From before, I've noticed that whether it's you, brother, or the Possessors, you all get weird whenever you see a small ticket scrap—"
Jang Du-sik quickly covered his mouth.
Because Erik, who had been holding the ticket with trembling hands just moments before, suddenly tore it apart and approached him with threatening steps.
His demeanor was quite menacing.
'Geez, I only made a comment because I felt left out...'
Jang Du-sik squeezed his eyes shut, expecting a blow to the head, but upon hearing a voice, he cautiously opened one eye.
"An auction house, you see, is a focal point for gathering Possessors in one place."
A smile spread across Erik's face.
'Moreover, I can receive a fixed transaction commission.'
Looking at the screen that appeared after tearing the ticket, Erik was certain of this.
He had never thought this would appear in reality, so he was extremely pleased.
Originally, in the game, the [Auction House] was a basic feature that was open to everyone.
However, he thought that when reality came into being, [Community] appeared, and the [Auction House] disappeared.
That wasn't the case.
"So what exactly is an auction house?"
What is an auction house?
It's a system where you register items, and anyone can bid on them from anywhere, anytime, with the highest bidder purchasing them.
A basic transaction commission of 10% is attached here, which was the developer's safeguard against various abuses.
But in reality, it was different.
'10% goes entirely to me.'
Creating an auction house meant Erik became its owner.
After hearing this explanation, Jang Du-sik tilted his head.
"That's it?"
"Of course not."
Erik continued his explanation with an excited voice.
There were no restrictions on what could be sold in the auction house.
From [Equipment Items] that could be directly used in reality, to [Cosmetic Items] similar to Possessor appearance change rights, to [Faction Formation] items like Guild Home Creation Tickets.
Only after these details were added did Jang Du-sik nod in understanding.
"So basically, you can buy and sell everything, and you take a 10% cut—is that what you're saying?"
Though something felt odd, Erik was satisfied with the gist and offered Jang Du-sik praise.
"Your learning grows richer with each passing day."
"Hehe! Really, isn't this all thanks to you, brother? Every day pouring holy power into my head—how long do you plan to treat me like I'm brainless?"
With the massive Erik and the hearty Jang Du-sik laughing loudly, their surroundings rang out.
The Possessors covered their ears and exchanged glances with one another.
'Can you not either, Nishida?'
'I can't either, Pung-ho?'
'Me neither.'
[The Auction House has been opened.]
An Auction House button appeared on the status windows of the three Possessors, but no matter how many times they pressed it, only the message [You have not met the conditions.] appeared.
Nishida Ryo and Kang Pung-ho stared fixedly at Park Chang-ho.
It was a sign to take responsibility.
'Damn bastards,' Park Chang-ho reflexively pressed his temples and approached Erik.
Normally, he would have hesitated more, but Park Chang-ho took brave steps forward.
'...Ugh, goosebumps.'
Yet his body still trembled reflexively.
The massive Paladin standing in the middle of the holy water fountain was that intimidating.
'C-come on, it's not hot, right?'
He had been burned by holy power before, more than once, so he knew better, yet he was still terrified.
Splash!
However, when he actually submerged his feet in the holy water, nothing changed.
Rather, he felt good and at peace.
"U-um, it says I can't use the auction house..."
Park Chang-ho asked while submerging his feet in the overflowing holy water.
His voice was barely a whisper, but Erik responded, turning his gaze down to Park Chang-ho.
"You can only use the auction house with my permission."
"P-permission?"
From Erik's perspective, this was very welcome.
The [Auction House] was connected to the [Divine Management] window, not his status window.
'Moreover, I can set conditions as well.'
If everyone could use it, there might be situations where earth creatures' exclusive items were traded in his auction house, which wouldn't make sense.
Even if that happened, he could manage the auction items, so prevention was possible, but...
'It would be a lot of work.'
In such a situation, being able to restrict usage to only approved people was very favorable.
[Follower of the Unnamed God]
[Individual Approval]
Erik had currently set two conditions.
These usage conditions were something he, as the owner of the [Auction House], could freely change.
And he decided to fully activate the auction house after escaping the Labyrinth.
'After creating a city for the Possessors.'
That was when he planned to proceed with it.
After the Great Cataclysm Patch, the world's state would definitely change significantly.
For that, he would need to gather hundreds of thousands of Possessors in one place.
'The auction house will probably become the focal point.'
Accustomed to capitalism.
And the auction house would be a veritable repository of convenience.
***
"The treasure box opening ends here."
Erik stored two [Black Boxes] with around 300 uses remaining in his inventory.
All immediately necessary items had been prepared.
'When I desperately need something, better rewards will come out.'
Based on his experience with treasure box openings so far, it was clear that the Labyrinth's rewards operated with the exact same mechanics as in the game.
In the game, rewards were notoriously rare items that the character needed.
Now they were providing what he needed in real life.
With that thought...
'Why are those guys hesitating again?'
Erik's eyes fell upon three Possessors who were being evasive.
Nishida Ryo and Kang Pung-ho were staring fixedly at Park Chang-ho.
"Is there a problem?"
So Erik asked Park Chang-ho directly.
"B-brother, things are going crazy in the Community!"
The answer was simple.
After the [Auction House] was created, posts began flooding the Community at an insane rate.
"Most of them are asking why they can't use it—"
With Park Chang-ho's words that followed, Erik's face twisted.
The reason was:
[Creatures below the level of even a supporting character NPC cannot use the auction house.]
[A photo of Nishida Ryo immersed in the holy water fountain]
It was because of the post Nishida Ryo had uploaded.
"D-dammit, Park Chang-ho! Why did you tell him that?!"
Nishida Ryo began backing away from Erik in panic.
'He actually took a picture and posted it?'
Isn't this guy genuinely insane?
Erik looked at Nishida with his head tilted halfway, having completely forgotten his anger.
This guy is seriously insane.
'He was talking about being a second lead or something...'
The twisted desires he had seen in the temple.
Might this be unique to Japanese otaku sensibilities?
Erik seriously began considering disposal.
That's when it happened.
"Whoa! No, Saint!"
Kang Pung-ho's short hair fluttered as he blocked Erik's path.
His courage to protect his comrade was admirable, but Erik's confusion only deepened.
'Are these guys actually caring for each other?'
Thinking about the reports he'd received from the information bureau, none of this made sense.
As the Director of the Possessor Management Bureau, hadn't they been backstabbing him, checking each other, and passing blame among themselves?
As if sensing his confusion, Kang Pung-ho quickly began explaining.
"—Public opinion is actually very good!"
The inhabitants of this world despise Possessors.
It's a problem that they've taken over their families' bodies, and there's a widespread perception that they're strange beings incapable of feeling pain.
But the biggest problem is that they're rejected by holy power.
[Is that really holy power?]
[Isn't that one of those guys from the Possessor detention camps? I don't think there's another Paladin that huge.]
[What's the method?]
These kinds of posts were going up.
"So?"
"Let Nishida write more posts!"
Erik considered Kang Pung-ho's words for a moment.
'When I gather Possessors and create a city, it might make things easier.'
Afterward, gathering Possessors, creating a city, and expanding [Followers] to earn GP.
Considering even the activation of the [Auction House] and collecting 10% transaction fees, Kang Pung-ho's suggestion was actually a sound direction.
With that, Erik readily accepted Kang Pung-ho's proposal.
"If it succeeds, I'm thinking of changing your gender as desired. Additionally, I'll let you change your name to whatever you want. However, if it fails—"
Erik didn't finish his sentence, but in his hand appeared the [Possessor Appearance Change Ticket].