Amidst the chaotic fragments of memory, Orsaga glimpsed the life of an ordinary man born a commoner, whose early years were painfully unremarkable.
There was nothing noteworthy about his childhood—no unique talents, no exceptional stories worth telling. From the age of five, he labored daily under the sun. In that forsaken place, there were no child protection laws, no mandatory education. He never learned to read or write his own name.
It wasn't until one day, while digging in the dirt, he unearthed something resembling a jade pendant. That was his first contact with the supernatural—and it turned his life upside down.
The item itself wasn't especially rare or powerful. It was merely a basic inheritance from a low-rank mage, bundled with some general information. But to a dirt-poor youth who had never known anything beyond toil and hardship, this fragment of extraordinary power was earth-shattering.
For the first time in his life, something called ambition took root in his heart.
He longed to taste the exquisite food described in the pendant's records, to sip the fine wines it mentioned, and to grasp the authority it alluded to—power over others, the life of a superior being.
He dreamed of it by day, obsessed over it by night, until his desire nearly drove him mad.
That longing became his fuel.
Though his aptitude was mediocre, the sheer force of his obsession unlocked astonishing potential. In a short time, he became a mage.
What happened afterward was unclear—Orsaga could only catch glimpses due to the fragmented state of the memory. But at the very end, he saw the man's ascension: he had become a god.
Even so, compared to Orsaga's current self, the man was still a notch below.
He had, without question, broken free from mortal limitations. His essence had evolved to another plane of existence. But how he eventually fell—Orsaga never saw that part.
It was like watching a movie with just the beginning and a few random scenes in the middle—disjointed and confusing.
Not that Orsaga cared.
The remnant soul clearly belonged to someone a few steps short of sanity. Who knew how many beatings the guy had suffered before ending up like that? The fact that there was any memory left at all was already impressive.
He wasn't picky.
As long as it tasted good, that was enough.
The smooth, resilient texture was truly unforgettable. And the hatred that had brewed for so long—now infused in the soul—acted as the perfect seasoning, elevating the dish to something divine.
Patting his stomach, Orsaga gave it a satisfied score:
'Ninety-nine points. The last one point—I'll save for whatever surprise comes next…'
As the fractured divine soul dissolved and was absorbed, the bronze fragment—whose origin Orsaga never managed to figure out—lost all of its initial indestructibility. Like a machine that had lost its power source, it quickly broke down under the heat and acid of his stomach, dissolving alongside the soul and merging into his being as nourishment—becoming part of his power.
No one, not even the two women resting against him, had the slightest idea that a true god—once high above the world, looking down upon it all—had just perished completely.
And in the most humiliating way imaginable: swallowed whole, dying silently and without a trace.
Not even a ripple was left behind.
---
The auction continued without interruption, utterly unaffected by Orsaga's little dining session.
Following the bronze fragment, the next dozen or so items failed to interest him. They were mostly weapons or potions—of little use to someone like him.
After all, these so-called legendary weapons weren't even as sharp as his fingernails. What would he do with them? Use them to pick his teeth?
Unaware of his thoughts, the crowd fiercely competed over a legendary knight's sword. Many of them kept nervously glancing at Orsaga, dreading that he might join the bidding and snatch it away.
Based on his earlier actions, he might not have been the richest person present, but he was certainly the one who treated money with the most disregard—throwing around hundreds of thousands of gold coins without even blinking.
If he jumped into the fray, he'd definitely play the role of the spoiler, drastically inflating prices just to mess with everyone.
That might be great news for the auction house, but a disaster for the other bidders.
Naturally, Orsaga noticed their hostility—but what did it matter?
Demons weren't welcome anywhere. Sometimes, just stepping into a world would trigger lightning strikes from the heavens. Compared to that, these people's hatred was like drizzle in a storm.
Eventually, the knight's sword sold for 330,000 gold coins to a noble with real power. Judging by his expression—a mix of joy and pain—that price had clearly pushed him to his financial limits.
Next, another item was brought to the stage.
It was a crystal statue, over two meters tall, intricately carved from a single block of crystal into the form of a beautiful woman, eyes closed in silent prayer. The craftsmanship was so exquisite that the figure looked almost alive.
The crystal's reflective properties made it seem as though a light mist surrounded it, adding to its ethereal charm. Its appearance drew gasps from the crowd.
The two auction hosts were clearly pleased with the reaction. Smiling, they began the introduction:
"This beautiful piece is titled Elsa's Prayer. Its exact origin is unknown. Aside from its ability to draw in surrounding magical energy and increase local energy density, the statue is also imbued with numerous warding spells. It can automatically detect and repel nearby demons or malicious entities, making it an extraordinarily practical magical artifact. Placing it in your home will give you immense peace of mind."
"The starting bid is 100,000 gold coins…"
Orsaga froze as he looked at the statue.
It wasn't the beauty that caught his attention, nor was it the active warding spells—those were far too weak to see through his disguises anyway.
What shocked him was the hidden ritual array inside the statue.
With his eyes, he could clearly see a deeply concealed, half-dormant summoning ritual at its core.
Based on the blasphemous runes etched into it, it was clearly designed to summon a specific Dark God.
He couldn't help but feel a certain admiration. These cultists were just as creative as demons.
"A summoning ritual for an Dark God… buried inside an anti-demon statue…"
"Now that's craftsmanship. One wrong move and the whole thing could explode…"
Moved by a kind of professional respect for his predecessors, Orsaga raised his hand immediately after the starting price was announced.
"110,000 gold coins!"
"112,000 gold coins!"
"115,000 gold coins!"
The bidding quickly escalated. When it reached 240,000 gold coins, the woman who had tried to investigate Orsaga earlier was gritting her teeth in fury.
"Damn bastard, he's just driving up the price on purpose!"
And of course, the one she was cursing was none other than Orsaga.
At this point, everyone else had already backed out. The price had far exceeded the item's apparent value.
A vein throbbed on her forehead as she stared at him, unwilling to give up but clearly unsure she could forcibly take it from him afterward. Reluctantly, she pulled out her private stash.
"245,000 gold coins!"
Seeing the murderous glare in her eyes—and the fact that she still had to match his bid—Orsaga finally understood something.
Smiling slightly, he raised his hand again.
"250,000 gold coins."
After several more rounds, amidst a sea of stunned faces—'this guy really is rich and stupid,' they thought—Orsaga finally won the statue for 350,000 gold coins.
__
T/N:
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