Simon’s declaration was nothing short of revolutionary.
’We are not trash, Judge.’
The moment his speech ended, the audience erupted in cheers. The judges, their faces beet-red with humiliation, practically fled from their seats.
As Simon turned and descended from the podium, students from the three great necromancer schools swarmed him.
"I see Kizen in a new light!"
"That was so satisfying!"
"I’m sorry about yesterday. You’re really on a different level."
Thanks poured in from all sides. Simon, a little flustered by the sudden crowd, accepted their praise with a smile.
"Thank you so, so much, Simon! You’ve really changed my opinion of you!" Benz from Alland shouted, following him until the very end.
Amidst the fervent welcome, Simon made his way down the stairs.
"Oh my."
In the corridor leading out of the hall, Serne stood waiting with her arms crossed. Benz, who had been trailing Simon, instinctively flinched.
"Wasn’t your policy to make as few enemies as possible, Simon?" she purred.
"Um..."
"There was no need to say all that for the sake of those nobodies." Serne’s gaze swept over Benz, and his expression immediately soured. "Your thesis was the only one the judges chose. The most brilliant scenario would have been to trample on those fools and earn Pentamonium’s recognition. Why did you deliberately put yourself at a disadvantage?"
The words of the student council president he had met the day before echoed in his mind.
’Don’t let others dictate your life! Arm yourself with a passionate heart and grand dreams, and walk your own path!’
"I wasn’t thinking that strategically," Simon admitted with a faint smile. It wasn’t for the students, nor was it for personal gain. "In that moment, I was just being honest with my feelings."
"Hmm," Serne hummed, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.
"Let’s go."
Kajan’s voice cut in. Looking up, Simon saw his roommate, who had been clinging to the ceiling like a bat, drop down beside him.
"Whoa! What the—!" Benz yelped, stumbling backward and falling on his butt.
"Kajan, why were you up there?" Serne asked, nonplussed.
"Daily exercise," he stated flatly. "Let’s go."
The two of them flanked Simon and walked away, leaving Benz and the other students to stare after them with a mixture of emotions in their eyes.
News of the incident—a first-year from Kizen humiliating the elder judges at the thesis conference—spread through Pentamonium like wildfire.
Strangely, there was almost no backlash along the lines of, ‘How dare a student be so arrogant.’ The necromancers were simply amused by the new gossip.
Just as he had planned, Simon registered his thesis, ‘A Skeleton Mage and Corpse Explosion,’ for the Pentamonium auction. The process, which was rumored to take weeks, was shockingly completed in just two hours, and the item went immediately to auction. Kajan suspected the upper echelons of Pentamonium had intervened directly.
"But didn’t I get on their bad side?" Simon asked, bewildered.
Kajan shook his head. "The rumor spread faster than we thought. And Pentamonium isn’t foolish enough to tarnish its entire reputation just to cover for a few judges. They’ll use this situation to their advantage."
"Indeed. It’s a blessing in disguise," Serne added with a bright smile. Though she had just called his actions ‘disadvantageous,’ her expression suggested she had known it would turn out this way all along.
Simon’s stunt had created the perfect buzz.
’The thesis written by the first-year Kizen brat who humiliated the judges’ → ’turned out to be about a Skeleton Mage using Corpse Explosion.’ As the rumor spread, the central, second, and even third auction houses filled to capacity.
Simon, Serne, and Kajan found seats in the audience to watch.
Though it was called an auction, it was more like an event for buying and selling knowledge. Simply put, Simon was being paid to share his original research. Furthermore, since he had officially registered the thesis with Pentamonium, he would receive royalties anytime other necromancers produced new results based on his work.
Either way, if this went well, he would be sitting on a mountain of gold.
Simon’s eyes were fixed on the auctioneer.
"We will start the bidding at five thousand gold."
The starting price already exceeded his target. Tense with anticipation, Simon began to chew on his thumbnail.
’Isn’t that too high? What if no one bids?’
As he anxiously scanned the room, the auctioneer declared the auction open.
A bid came in immediately.
"Five thousand gold! Do I hear five thousand five hundred?"
The numbers began to skyrocket. With every hand that shot up, Simon practically bounced in his seat, a giddy excitement bubbling up inside him. It felt as though every bidder was acknowledging the value of his research.
The price quickly surpassed six thousand, then seven, and finally...
"Ten thousand gold! Do I hear more for ten thousand gold?"
It had taken less than a minute to hit ten thousand. And still, the audience members eagerly raised their hands.
"Fifteen thousand gold!"
"Sixteen thousand gold!"
Three times his original goal. At this point, Simon decided to stop thinking and just enjoy the ride.
"Seventeen thousand gold!"
"Twenty thousand gold!"
"Twenty-five thousand gold!"
The numbers climbed exponentially, until finally...
"Thirty thousand gold! Going once, going twice... sold for thirty thousand gold! Congratulations, Lord Volore!"
A round of applause erupted. The man named Volore leaped from his seat, raising both arms in triumph.
Simon, his expression utterly dumbfounded, pinched his own cheek. It hurt. This wasn’t a dream.
’Thirty thousand gold!’
If Simon were a man without ambition, it was enough money to live comfortably in seclusion for the rest of his life.
’It’s just a Skeleton Mage that uses Corpse Explosion. Was my research really that valuable?’
He was stunned. He had come here hoping to afford materials for a Lich’s Life Vessel; with this kind of income, he could buy a heart of the absolute highest quality.
"Congratulations, Simon!" Serne chirped.
"Congratulations," Kajan added.
Serne shook Simon’s arm, her voice laced with a playful charm. "Now that you’ve earned so much money, you have to treat me to something delicious!"
"Ah, yeah! Of course," Simon agreed readily. He felt like he could buy out an entire expensive restaurant.
But before they could celebrate, there was business to attend to.
At the auction house’s request, Simon went to meet the buyer, Lord Volore. They sat facing each other in an incredibly luxurious private room.
"I’ve been wanting to meet you, Student Simon Polentia!" Count Volore, a man with an impressive forked mustache, was a necromancer who ruled a volcanic territory called Clonmel.
His land was frequently attacked by monsters, and though he had received royal permission to maintain a private army of necromancers, it was still a struggle to fend off the constant assaults. When he heard about a Skeleton Mage that could use Corpse Explosion—a highly effective spell in monster battles—and that the required material was the Muspel, a creature common in his territory, he had decided he had to have it.
Simon revealed the full contents of his thesis to the buyer. Volore nodded repeatedly, his admiration growing with every detail.
"So the Hexa formula could have been replaced here! I’m envious. The professors at Kizen must teach such original methods!"
Simon just smiled. In truth, he had never been taught any of this.
The two of them lost track of time, eagerly exchanging ideas about the new research.
"It’s amazing! Your research has practically saved my territory!" Volore declared, carefully placing the copy of the thesis into his bag.
"I’m honored if my research can be of help," Simon replied with a smile.
The conversation with Volore was invigorating, filling him with a sense of power and accomplishment. He had come to sell a thesis to buy materials for a Lich, but he was leaving with high praise from an active field commander and the knowledge that his work would be used for a good cause. Though he was still just a student, he felt a deep happiness at having contributed something to the world beyond the school’s walls.
"I look forward to seeing what you do after graduation. As a senior in the field, I will continue to watch your career with great interest."
"Thank you!"
As Volore left, he confirmed the purchase with the auction house staff. The two men stamped their blood seals on the documents, shared a final handshake, and went their separate ways.
Soon, an auction house employee approached Simon. "Will you be receiving payment in gold coins or by check?"
"Gold coins, please."
Simon followed the employee. A moment later, his jaw dropped.
’My goodness.’
A treasure chest, packed to the brim with glittering gold coins, was waiting for him.
After deducting the auction house’s ten percent commission, 27,000 gold was his. He carefully stored the chest in his subspace.
"You like it that much? Your face is practically glowing," Serne said with a chuckle.
Simon suddenly felt embarrassed and scratched the side of his head.
"Did you know," Serne began casually, "if you join the Ivory Tower, you could receive tens of times that amount—"
"Serne!" Simon interrupted, his eyes wide with a sudden thought. "By any chance!"
"Yes?" she asked, blinking in surprise. ’Did the money actually work on him? Is he the type to be bought, despite his appearance?’
"Besides this knowledge auction, does Pentamonium also have auctions for goods?!"
"..."
He hadn’t been listening at all. His mind was solely focused on buying the highest quality Life Vessel for his Lich.
Serne’s lips jutted out in a pout. "Hmph, I don’t know!"
"Of course there is," Kajan retorted, dropping down from the ceiling once again. "Shall we go?"
"Yes! I’d love to!"
With 30,000 gold in his possession, the world suddenly looked very different.
At the same time.
"Now, now, ladies and gentlemen! Please follow me!"
The Pentamonium Academic Conference, open to the public once a year, was an event every member of the Dark Alliance dreamed of attending. Not only did entry via teleportation circle cost an astronomical sum, but it also required a personal invitation from Pentamonium.
Receiving such an invitation was a great honor, a definitive measure of a noble’s power and wealth that could make or break their social standing.
"This time, I will guide you to the most dangerous place in Pentamonium!"
The high-ranking nobles who had gained entry were in euphoric spirits, feeling truly chosen. Their guide, hired by Pentamonium, expertly managed their moods as he led the city tour.
"We will be going right up to the Barrier. Please, try not to make eye contact with the terrible things outside. If you happen to do so by mistake..." The guide wiggled his fingers, a meaningful smile on his face as their carriage rolled along. "You might get cursed!"
The ladies shrieked theatrically and leaned into the arms of the gentlemen, who puffed out their chests and offered empty assurances of protection.
Soon, the carriage arrived before the barrier.
"This barrier was created by the first chairman of Pentamonium, Duke Goris, and personally maintained by the great Witch of Death," the guide announced proudly. "It has never once been breached in the entire history of Pentamonium! It is the very reason this city still stands."
Outside the barrier lay a desolate black plain, so gloomy that it felt devoid of all life. In the distance, the shambling forms of zombies could be seen. The paper-thin barrier marked a stark division: on one side, a highly advanced human civilization; on the other, a wasteland of death. The sight was spectacular.
"I-It won’t collapse, will it?" a noblewoman asked, her voice trembling as she watched a distant zombie.
"Haha! It has never collapsed since Pentamonium was founded! Now, you will have twenty minutes of free time. Feel free to look around!"
The barrier was a famous photo spot among the nobility. They gathered in small groups, a scene of extreme luxury unfolding as they snapped pictures with expensive mana-powered cameras.
After taking their photos and observing the zombies, however, the nobles quickly grew bored.
"Guide! We’ve seen enough here. Let’s go somewhere else."
"Of course, my lady. We will now proceed to the highlight of our tour: the Artifact Auction House, where you can purchase rare and wondrous items from around the world."
"Finally, what we’ve been waiting for!"
Just as the nobles were climbing back into their carriages to return to the city center...
A faint sound, like ice fracturing under pressure, went unnoticed. The barrier, which was said to have never allowed a single invasion in history, was beginning to splinter.

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