Stout is a bright city.
Not only are the people (NPCs) lively, but the overall design and colors of the city are also bright and vibrant.
But where there is light, there is always darkness.
Being the second-largest city on the continent after the massive city of Tiarra, it naturally draws huge crowds—not all of whom are “bright people.”
Still, those types of people couldn’t openly do shady things in such a cheerful city center, so they turned their eyes to the outskirts.
Like, for example, a distillery in the suburbs.
At first glance, it’s a picturesque distillery built atop a low hill, sparkling in the lake’s reflection like the nearby city.
“This next item is a direct import from Dian, a descendant of the Wind Spirit.”
But come night, this place turns into a slave market where chained slaves are sold under the guise of “special liquor.”
Needless to say, there’s not a trace of that cheerful atmosphere or those bright colors.
Only gloomy, filthy masses of humanity fill the place.
“Then we’ll start at 100 gold.”
In short, even though it technically belonged to Stout—a so-called beginner area—the mood was completely different.
In other words, it was a dangerous place.
A place teeming with dangerous types you’d never normally encounter near here.
Kind of like a hidden dungeon.
And I was—
—!?
A wannabe level 1 bandit(?) who had barged into such a place with a torn sack over my head.
“What the hell—!?”
The gatekeeper flinched the moment he saw me.
Even after I calmly showed him the formal invitation I’d received, his eyes still held disbelief.
“A-are you a thief?!”
He was probably suspecting I’d stolen it based on how I looked.
However—
“Don’t worry. I just have my reasons for dressing like this. I’m a regular merchant.”
[Deception]
Difficulty 20
Critical Success
“I see…”
Even a sack couldn’t hide my irresistible charm—it was all meaningless in the end.
“That’s right.”
“Pardon me. Please, go on in.”
The air inside was filthy. That was the only way to describe it.
It stank.
Not because of the slaves, but because of the rotten humans treating them like literal merchandise in filthy cages.
“We’re at 2,500 gold. 2,500! Any higher bids?”
I was honestly relieved to have the sack over my head.
I didn’t have to try to hide my disgusted expression.
And it was good for looting, too.
Up until now it had always been a misunderstanding, but this time was different.
I was here not just to look like a thief—but to actually steal something.
“2,500 gold! Sold!”
But I wasn’t here to steal the piles of money or jewels.
I was here for a “companion.”
A level 20 Archmage was being held here.
She had lost her memory and powers and was being treated like a mere object by those who couldn’t recognize her worth.
“Next item—”
No more time to waste.
***
This hidden slave auction is a place you end up in if you fail to escape during the prologue and get forced onto the “slave route.”
Before you’re sold off completely, you’re given one final chance to escape.
If you succeed, the game continues.
But if you fail that final chance, it’s game over.
Because of that, most players who find themselves here for the first time focus entirely on escaping, completely unaware of the level 20 Archmage.
There aren’t even any hints.
It’s not just “not explained”—it’s hidden entirely on purpose.
In this game, the only chance to find her and recruit her as a companion is this one day, the day you first arrive in Stout.
Once today passes, she’s sold off and you’ll never see her again.
So unless you intentionally avoid escaping or come directly to this place, you won’t even encounter her.
First-time players with no prior info wouldn’t stand a chance of knowing.
In short, just like this place is a hidden dungeon, she too is a “hidden character.”
Of course, for balance reasons, you can’t have her at full strength from the beginning—so she starts at level 1, having lost her abilities.
But she’s still overflowing with rare traits and special skills—more than enough to be considered an OP character.
That’s why, no matter what, I had to rescue her and make her my companion.
The problem was that even with the info, recruiting her wasn’t easy.
Normally, when you arrive in Stout, you’re only level 1—maybe 2 at best.
And this place is crawling with level 4–5 mercenaries, which you’d rarely see near Stout.
Some were even level 6.
But as I said, today is the only day you can find her—so you can’t go grind levels elsewhere first.
So it’s best not to get into any fights here.
In other words, this has to be cleared through non-combat means.
“Uh… Are you a buyer, sir?”
And Bards like me are natural-born specialists in non-combat scenarios.
“Yes.”
And I wasn’t just any Bard, either.
“Ah… uh, this area is off-limits. It’s where we store the merchandise.”
“I know. That’s why I came.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I wanted to check the condition beforehand myself.”
At my words, the merchant—who had been treating the sack-headed stranger with a degree of politeness—suddenly stiffened.
“I’m sorry, but that’s not allowed before the auction. Please leave.”
With a cold tone, he dismissed me as if dealing with a nuisance.
“There’s always room for exceptions.”
“No, not here. I’d recommend leaving while I’m being nice—”
“No. There is.”
I interrupted and declared firmly.
“If you knew how much I plan to spend at this auction, I’m sure you’d think differently.”
At that moment, the merchant, who had been ignoring me with annoyance, turned his gaze back toward me.
Then he gestured toward the nearby bouncers who looked ready to toss me out at a signal.
“For example?”
He was intrigued.
Responding to his cautious test, I smiled confidently—though he couldn’t see it—and answered.
“One hundred thousand gold.”
“…!”
Of course, that was a lie.
I didn’t even have ten gold to my name, let alone a hundred thousand.
‘As if I would.’
Still, the merchant was clearly shaken.
The amount was so large that, naturally, he couldn’t just dismiss it, and he hesitated—unable to rule out the chance it might be true.
Eventually, he asked,
“Can you prove it, perhaps?”
“Would you walk around carrying a hundred thousand gold on you?”
“Uh…?”
Honestly, it was a near-absurd answer.
Basically saying “I can’t prove it, just trust me.”
Anyone with a bit of reason would realize it was nonsense, and I was sure he’d figure that out quickly.
However—
“That… actually makes some sense.”
My ‘charm’ didn’t give him time to think logically.
[Persuasion]
Difficulty 20
Roll Result: 28
Success
“…Very well. I suppose there’s no harm in just a brief inspection.”
No matter how ridiculous the words, if you have Charisma (CHA), they sound convincing.
“I’ll make an exception this once.”
In the end, the merchant nodded and waved again.
The guards who had been watching closely stepped back and returned to their posts.
“Are you looking for a specific item?”
“I heard you brought in an elf from the eastern forest recently.”
“Ah, I figured.”
As soon as he heard my words, the merchant gave a knowing smile.
“I thought someone as serious about this business as you would recognize her true worth.”
Gone was the wary attitude—he now guided me with a friendly expression.
Anyone could tell he was excited by the prospect of a 100,000 gold payout.
“This way, please.”
In truth, if they really knew her true worth, they wouldn’t accept a million gold—let alone one hundred thousand.
They’d have told me to get lost, no matter what I offered.
In the basement I followed him into, several slaves who had not yet been put up for auction were waiting.
Chained and locked inside narrow cages of iron bars, not a trace of will remained in their eyes.
The lanterns sparsely hanging on the walls barely held back the darkness, and they could do nothing against the heavy despair that filled the air.
“There she is.”
She sat quietly, hugging her knees in the corner of the cage where even the faint light barely reached.
Her clothes were ragged and worn thin, and she hadn’t bathed in a long time—her appearance was unkempt and weary.
Yet despite having the stereotypical look of a slave, there was something about her that felt… not of this world.
It must have been the unique presence she alone carried.
“As you can see, she’s a northern elf—not something easily found in the southern parts of the continent.”
She stood out—at a glance, you could tell she was different from the other slaves or anyone else present.
“Among the merchandise we’ve handled so far, I can confidently say she’s top-tier.”
The merchant’s voice brimmed with pride—as if to say, “There’s no way you’re walking away without buying her.”
“Is she in good health?”
“Sorry? Oh, yes, absolutely. No issues at all.”
“Are you sure?”
Watching the scene around me, I found my tone turning sharp without meaning to.
The merchant flinched for a moment, then reluctantly confessed.
“Uh, it’s not a health problem, but… she hasn’t spoken a word since we brought her in.”
He quickly waved his hands and added,
“That doesn’t mean she has a communication issue. She obeys commands and follows directions just fine. I think she understands our language but just doesn’t speak. Or maybe… she’s mute.”
The merchant mumbled as if trying to cover up a flaw—but he was wrong.
She wasn’t unable to speak.
She simply chose not to.
“Other than that, there really aren’t any issues. She’s in good physical condition.”
It wasn’t her voice that was blocked.
It was her heart that was shut away.
“Also, I heard she might even be able to use magic.”
And to unlock that tightly closed heart—
“An amount like a hundred thousand gold wouldn’t be wasted at all…”
—this man had to die.
『Filthy slave-trading scumbag.』
-!?
The moment I stepped up to him, placed my hand on his shoulder, and whispered venom into his ear—
[The slave trader’s mind has shattered!]
“W-why would you say… something so cruel…”
With those final words, foam began to bubble from his lips, and he collapsed where he stood.
“…?”
So naturally, the guard watching from afar couldn’t help but be confused.
“…H-hey?”
There was no clear attack, no visible blood—just a guy who dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.
The guard, who hadn’t moved a single step from the stairs since following us down here, hesitated in confusion and slowly approached.
He nudged the merchant’s limp body, but when there was no response, he grabbed his arm and checked for a pulse.
“H-he’s… dead…”
Then he whipped his head toward me.
By then, I had already removed the sack and revealed my face.
“…!”
Mockery Remark’s cooldown had already refreshed.*
I stared into the guard’s now “charmed” eyes and spoke slowly.
『That’s your future, you X-bastard.』
“Gah!”
[Critical hit!]
[The slave auction guard’s mind has shattered!]
Thud!
Just like the merchant, the guard’s eyes rolled back and he collapsed right on top of the corpse.
Another instant kill.
Aside from the non-combatant slave traders, the mercenaries in this place were all at least level 4.
This guy was no different.
Normally, a level 1 attack couldn’t even scratch their massive HP pool—but if you land a critical [Mockery Remark] boosted by 30 Charisma, it’s a different story.
Considering that level 4 humanoid NPCs average around 40–50 HP, a critical hit from [Mockery Remark] guarantees at least 60 damage.
So, yeah—one hit, one down.
Anyway—
The point is, I just took down someone far beyond my level.
And that means—
Level up!
Lv. 1 → 2
I gained a reward that’s hard to come by at this level.
But I decided to hold off on assigning stats or learning new skills for now—there was something more urgent.
I quickly flipped the sack back over my head,
“Did anyone see that?”
I asked the others nearby, who were still staring dumbfounded at the corpses.
“My face, I mean.”
Everyone looked confused, as if they hadn’t fully grasped the situation.
“I’m not threatening you into pretending otherwise. Be honest.”
When I pressed them, they glanced at each other, then one man slowly shook his head on their behalf.
It must’ve been too dark, and their attention was on the collapsing merchant.
No one seemed to be under the “charmed” effect, so I figured he wasn’t lying.
“Good.”
I searched the merchant’s body and found a ring of keys.
The others looked at me with a mix of confusion and growing suspicion.
But even in all that tension, *she* hadn’t changed.
More accurately, she hadn’t even looked my way—not a flicker of interest.
It was like she had isolated herself from the world, sealed in her own little island of silence.
Even as I rattled the keys and opened the iron gate—
She stayed huddled in the corner, unmoving, as if time itself had stopped.
“…Hey.”
I slowly approached and greeted her, but as expected, nothing changed.
[The girl does not respond to your voice.]
[It’s as if she has cut herself off from the world.]
The thing imprisoning her wasn’t just the iron cage.
It was something deeper, more fundamental.
[Just calling out to her wouldn’t work.]
[To talk to the girl, you’ll likely need to try another approach.]
But that didn’t matter.
“I know you can hear me.”
Because I—
“I’m here to break that wall.”
Cliche Novel 