“Um, um, Nisha. A-Are we… Are we, just by ourselves… O-Okay?”

“My, you’re uncharacteristically meek.”

Two people who had secretly snuck into Valhalla, known as the world’s largest and worst auction house, whispered to each other.

The man known as the strongest on Earth, yet more cowardly and timid than anyone else, continued to whimper in a small voice that didn’t match his tall and large build.

“B-But… Ni-Nisha. As I thought, just the two of us…”

“There, there. Stop whining in a way unbecoming of your title as Emperor. Our task is clear.”

The world’s well-known rank 1, Emperor Jin Sa Hyun, continued to tremble with an anxious face.

The slave auction, known as the highlight of the auction house, was about to begin, yet he was like this. How could they properly complete the mission at this rate? The woman who had been pondering for a moment stood up.

“Or would you rather sit and rest? I’ll take care of everything.”

“Uh, huh? N-No. I’ll help too…”

Jin Sa Hyun hurriedly stopped her from her ambitious statement of dealing with all the world’s criminals and rankers mixed in here by herself. No matter that she was world rank 3, Nisha’s main role was as a healer. There was no way a healer alone could handle all of this.

As they conversed in lowered voices, the main auction began in earnest. Nisha, not showing a hint of tension, narrowed her eyes and watched the auction.

‘Hmm?’

The atmosphere was strange. The flow of the auction itself was no different from what they had heard, merely a scene of desires and chaos mixed together, but the condition of the humans brought out as products was odd.

“Ugh, aah. Aaaah-!”

Movements as if they had lost all reason. The auctioneer hurriedly tried to stop him, but was helplessly overpowered.

In an instant, the auctioneer was dead, covered in blood. A situation that should never happen in a normal slave auction had actually occurred.

“Ni-Nisha?”

“It wasn’t me. Hmm. This is strange…”

They were the world’s rank 1 and 2. It would be simple for just the two of them to overturn this auction house. Yet they were quietly observing the situation in order to catch those behind it all.

If they didn’t catch the masterminds here, another auction house would simply be set up elsewhere.

It would be good to clear out villains and deal with the evildoers behind such deeds all at once.

But what was this commotion?

“This is strange. It’s different from what Silence told us…”

The slaves began to riot all at once. Their frenzied behavior seemed at a glance as if they were under some mental magic, but no magic controlling them was visible.

More precisely, there were only traces of the magic that had been suppressing them being overwritten and erased.

“Stop them! Damn it, what’s going on!”

“Just hold out until Lord Gale arrives!”

“Evacuate the VIPs first! Escort them this way!”

It was chaos like no other. Even though the situation was different from what they had heard, what they needed to do was clear, so they reluctantly tried to control the situation when-

“Hurry, stop them!”

People began to collapse.

From low-rank hunters to physical-type hunters with low mental strength. As they fell one after another, the scent of flowers rose amidst the foul stench filling the auction house.

And then.

“Where did you go, you bastard.”

A young girl walked out.

Grass grew and flowers bloomed where she stepped.

The Saint, Nisha, immediately recognized the girl’s identity.

“Always making prophecies like riddles.”

A girl who had made it into the rankings just by awakening.

The key to saving this world, as prophesied by Silence.

“Found you, Yohwa.”

She was smacking the back of some man’s head.

“I said you’d die by my hand.”

I searched the entire gate to find this bastard who hit me on the head.

It was no trouble at all to undo the branding and brainwashing of the slaves trying to stop me.

They were bewildered when they saw the shackles on them break. Some trembled in disbelief, while others feared the retaliation to come.

Some were enraged. They said that without the branding, it would be easy to take revenge on those who had done this to them, and rushed out in extreme anger.

I didn’t bother interfering with them. They were separate from me.

I was just angry and wanted to smack the heads of those who had done this to me.

“W-What? Why is a slave acting on their own… Hey, didn’t you sign the contract?”

“Damn it, what’s going on! Hey! If you go back to your place now, I’ll forgive you! Hurry up and get in!”

“That’s the new S-class that just came in! Damn, we didn’t have time to brand the S-class product that came in right before the auction!”

“Didn’t you put on the magic-blocking shackles?”

“We did, but…!”

The guards watching the slaves were flustered. Some people who had followed behind me ran away in fear upon seeing them.

There really are a lot of strange people. I hit each of the threatening guards holding swords and whips on the head with my staff.

“Staff, it’s a magician! Be careful, ugh!”

“What, a strength mage!?”

“Hey! Are you okay!?”

There was no need to hesitate since these guys were the same as the one who hit me.

“You all…”

There was one memory that flowed in when I used my skill.

Part of the memories of those enthralled by me. I could choose not to see them if I didn’t want to, but I had to see a little of their memories nonetheless.

“You’ll all die.”

Those terrible and tragic memories fueled the anger enveloping me.

I remembered what Baek Jang Mi had said. Whether awakened or not, they all start as the same humans, so we should understand each other and live together in harmony.

Cheon Shin Woo also came to mind. His personality that would turn everything upside down at the slightest provocation.

Perhaps, though their methods were different, both Baek Jang Mi and Cheon Shin Woo had worried about and seen situations like this, which is why they acted that way.

“Damn it, get out of the way!”

Some slaves whose branding had been undone went berserk. I hadn’t given any special suggestion. With their brainwashing undone, they acted purely of their own will and anger.

I reached what looked like the auction house. Due to those who had gone berserk before me, it had long since become a terrible hell.

People rampaging to kill even one more person regardless of their own condition, fleeing customers, auction house staff trying to stop them. Even those who couldn’t escape in time and were trampled to death.

It wouldn’t be difficult to sort out this situation. If I willed it, everyone here would obey and stay still.

But could that alone resolve the resentment of those who had suffered?

“It’s that bitch! That bitch is the cause! Catch her!”

Someone shouted loudly at me. In the chaotic scene, several guards rushed at me.

“You little bitch!”

And among them was a familiar voice.

“Haha.”

Finally found you, you bastard.

The big man who rushed to subdue me was tied up by vines. As he struggled to break free with his strength, his face grew grim as I approached.

“Hey, why isn’t anyone stopping her!”

He shouted at those around him. The armed people hesitated and didn’t come any closer than a certain distance.

“You.”

As I raised my staff, the big guy’s body stiffened. Soon, his eyes filled with terror.

: Casts an illusion to enchant the target. Can be cast on multiple targets.

“I said you’d die by my hand.”

As soon as the words ended, the skill was complete. The man before me rolled his eyes back and fainted. All it does is make them have repeated nightmares, yet he’s overreacting.

Yeah, have all the nightmares you want. Experience firsthand what you did to others.

Only after achieving my goal did my anger subside enough for me to see my surroundings.

The area had already become deserted.

Corpses strewn on the floor with some people sleeping like the dead in between. A few people were also lying among the blooming flowers, catching their breath.

“…”

This wasn’t what I had intended.

“Um…”

It seems I caused too much trouble.

I stood still for about 3 minutes, thinking. Is it okay to have caused such a big incident? Wouldn’t it have been better to quietly slip away? Did I act too impulsively, losing my reason? And so on.

After thinking and pondering, the conclusion was clear. Right, I’ll just manipulate the memories of everyone here! Then they’ll forget my face!

I immediately put the plan into action.

The Illusion of Enchantment was truly an unfair skill. I could control people at will, overwrite memories, and make them dream.

As I cast the skill, things became a bit subtle. Why is my skill specialized for humans rather than monsters? It makes me feel like some kind of boss monster.

Anyway, the gate’s entrance and exit are determined by the owner. Unless the owner opens the door, no one can leave. So while some people may have fled to safe zones, it seemed no one had actually escaped.

That makes things easier, thankfully.

“…?”

As I was trying to somehow clean things up, I suddenly felt a sense of incongruity.

Something alive yet not alive, and beings that even I could not do anything about. Why are such things here? Just as I was about to examine them more closely-

“How dare you do this in my auction house…”

A foul stench wafted over.

Looking up, I saw an extremely angry, ugly man with a very fat belly glaring at me.

“How dare, how dare you…!”

What’s this now?

“How dare I?”

“…”

At my words, he soon closed his mouth. After looking around, his eyes lit up as he saw the few still alive, and he stroked his beard.

“I wondered what bold fool would do such a thing in my auction house…!”

Then he grinned lecherously.

“But it’s been a while since I’ve seen such a precious ability. I heard a sudden S-class slave had appeared, but to think it was an S-class awakened.”