Devta Bhakt System : Rise of The Protector
Chapter 11: Poison Meets Chaos — The Game Begins in the Auction Hall
It was a 2 - Star Seal !
But this was no ordinary seal. It wasn't glowing; it was 'pulsing' with a dim, emerald-green light. This seal was proof that wherever this woman went, the terror of her name arrived before her. The pattern on the seal, resembling a scorpion or a hooded cobra, seemed almost alive.
The information Suraj had absorbed through the System flashed in his mind. This was the class of cultivators feared even by the greatest warriors— A Poison Master.
The woman's cold, toxic eyes fixed directly onto Suraj.
"If you are finished staring," she said in a low, lethal voice that sounded like a blade sliding over silk, "then move out of my way. I have no patience for a crowd of fools."
Hearing that voice, several wealthy merchants and nobles nearby involuntarily stepped back two paces. The fear on their faces wasn't learned; it was born from horrific experience.
Karan's mind went numb. He knew that crossing this woman was a death sentence.
In that same instant, the blue System interface flashed before Suraj's eyes:
[SYSTEM SCAN COMPLETE!]
Name: Lavanya
Rank: 2-Star Poison Master
Age: 25
Skills:
Poison Palm
Eagle Claw
Salt Sword Technique
Current Status: 80% Toxic Internal Injuries.
Objective: Searching for a rare curative item (Elixir/Herb).
Suraj blinked to close the screen. The picture was now crystal clear. This was why people feared her. This was why the guards' hands were shaking, and why they weren't asking her for a token. This woman was a walking incarnation of death, yet the irony was that she herself was dying, second by second, from that very death.
Lavanya narrowed her eyes as Suraj remained stationary. "I said... move." This time, there was a faint hiss in her voice.
Suraj smiled. It wasn't a smile of fear or nervousness. It was a smile of deep, analytical curiosity.
"Interesting," Suraj thought.
Without a word, he very gracefully took a step to the side, clearing the path.
"My name is Suraj," he said again in that same calm voice, as if he were speaking directly into Lavanya's mind rather than to a guard.
Lavanya's pace slowed for a fraction of a second. She heard the name. She noted it. A strange expression flickered on her lips, but she walked past without a word. The guards with the spears immediately retreated. No one had the courage to stop this '2-Star Poison Master' for even a second.
As soon as Lavanya entered, the guards sighed in relief and turned back toward Suraj, ready to raise their spears again. Karan was now rushing toward them, about to shout, "He is a guest of the Malhotra family!"
But then... suddenly...
From beneath Suraj's black cloak, a terrifying and uncontrolled explosion of 'Internal Energy' (Qi) erupted!
"BOOM!"
This wasn't a calculated move; it was the result of the 'Energy Imbalance' occurring in Suraj's body after creating 16 living paintings. This energy wasn't refined or disciplined; it was wild, heavy, and raw.
The air around the stairs grew thick instantly. It felt as if a massive stone had been placed on everyone's chest. Suraj's black cloak began to flap violently despite the lack of wind. The crowd standing on the stone steps shuddered in unison.
This sensation was entirely different from Lavanya's cold 'poison.' This was the presence of a sleeping 'Apex Predator' suddenly jolted awake.
The faces of the two guards standing directly in front of Suraj turned as white as paper. The spears nearly slipped from their hands. Their knees began to buckle.
"This..." one guard stammered, his voice caught in his throat. "This energy... this is no ordinary human... this is a monster!"
Karan immediately stood beside Suraj and declared at the top of his lungs, "His name is Suraj! And tonight, he is the most distinguished and honored guest of the Malhotra family. Do you still dare to block him?"
The words 'Malhotra family' and 'Guest' struck the guards' ears like a thunderbolt. At the same time, Suraj took a deep breath and pulled that wild, flaring energy back into his veins.
Silence fell over the stairs once more. The atmospheric pressure vanished. Suraj looked into the guards' eyes from beneath his hood.
"So," he asked in a perfectly normal and calm voice, as if nothing had happened, "may I enter now?"
This time, no one dared to raise a spear. One guard tremblingly opened his entry log and began writing frantically.
Name: Suraj
Identity: Mysterious youth in a black cloak
Status: Extremely dangerous and powerful (Guest of the Malhotra family)
"Pl... Please enter, Your Excellency," the guard bowed nearly 90 degrees, clearing the way.
Suraj walked inside with the same steady gait, without stopping. Behind him on the stairs, he left a terrified crowd and dozens of faces filled with questions. Everyone had only one thought— 'Who exactly is this terrifying man in the cloak?'
The corridor inside the Auction Hall was far quieter than the world outside. But it wasn't the kind of silence that offered comfort; it was the stillness that warns of a coming storm.
Crystal lamps mounted on the corridor walls emitted a dim, blue light. This light didn't sting the eyes; instead, it filled the mind with a strange alertness. The carpets here were so thick that the sound of footsteps was swallowed into the void.
Karan was now walking a few paces behind Suraj. The Karan who this morning thought himself a 'smart player' in this city, felt his own steps heavy and insecure for the first time.
"Brother Suraj..." Karan whispered in a dry voice, "What just happened... on the stairs... that energy explosion... you didn't do that on purpose, did you?"
Suraj's steps halted for a second. He didn't turn back to look at Karan. His face remained hidden in the shadow of the hood. He simply said— "No. But preventing it from escaping was no longer an easy task."
Hearing this, Karan's throat went completely dry. A man who couldn't even control his power, yet was this terrifying... if he ever unleashed his full strength, what would happen?
At that moment—
At a winding turn in the corridor, where the VIP area began, a shadow stood.
It was Lavanya.
Her standing there like that didn't feel like a coincidence. It was perhaps her habit—waiting for people at dark turns where their mental balance is most fragile.
Her cold, toxic eyes fixed onto Suraj's hood. She stared at him for a long time.
"Your energy," Lavanya said without any introduction, cutting straight to the point, "is chaotic. It is burning you from the inside."
This wasn't a taunt or a casual remark. It was the precise 'diagnosis' of a 2-Star Master.
Karan involuntarily held his breath. He felt as if a fierce battle was about to break out right here.
But Suraj raised his head for the first time and looked directly into Lavanya's terrifying eyes from beneath his hood.
"And your poison," Suraj replied in that same calm and deep voice, "is eating away at your own internal organs. The irony is... it is this very poison that has kept you alive until now."
Lavanya's eyelid flickered once. Just once.
But for a Poison Master with a heart of stone, even a single flicker of an eyelid was a massive shock. No ordinary person—not even great healers—could have grasped the true state of her body at a single glance.
"The auction," Lavanya said, lowering her voice further, yet it now held a strange allure. "Rare things will be sold here tonight... things that might change the fate of one of us."
"Or perhaps... both of us," Suraj added, making his own move.
A very faint, yet lethal smile appeared on Lavanya's cherry-red lips. It wasn't a smile that signaled friendship or an agreement; it was a promise of a 'Collision.'
Without another word, she turned and disappeared behind the heavy doors of the VIP area.
As she left, the toxic scent lingering in the corridor began to fade. Karan took a deep breath and whispered, "Brother Suraj... this woman... can she be an ally, or is she our greatest enemy?"
Suraj began walking again. His eyes were fixed on the VIP entrance.
"Nothing is certain yet, Karan," Suraj said. "And believe me... that is the most dangerous situation in the world."
At the end of the corridor, the massive VIP gate was now fully visible. Behind it sat the richest, most powerful, and greediest people in the city.
Suraj knew—long before the first bid of the auction was even made... the real game had already begun.
The heavy VIP door, crafted from mahogany and reinforced metal, closed with a soft, nearly inaudible hiss.
As the lock clicked into place, a faint vibration ran through the walls. This was no ordinary door; the 'Sound-Isolation Formation' embedded within it had been activated.
In an instant, all the noise from outside — the whispers of hundreds, the echo of distant bids, and that stifling atmospheric pressure —was severed.
A silence so profound it felt unnatural settled within the room.
Inside, there were only three things: Suraj, Karan, and the massive transparent crystal wall that functioned like one-way glass.
Through that wall, the heartbeat of the entire auction was visible, yet from the outside, no one could peer in.
The room was not grand. There were no gold carvings or silk curtains. The air here carried a different kind of weight — a gravity reserved for the powerful who did not need displays of wealth to assert their presence.
Suraj narrowed his eyes at the crystal wall. His 'Clever Fox' instincts immediately sensed that this wasn't mere glass, but a protective shield composed of multiple layers of energy.
Suddenly, piercing the silence of his mind, that familiar mechanical voice echoed.
[Ding!]
"Host, would you like to obtain full technical and defensive specifications of this VIP Barrier Layer? Cost: 10 Devta-Bhakti Points."
A disdainful smile flickered across Suraj's face. He thought to himself, "This System is no better than a greedy old merchant. It never misses an opportunity to settle the score for Bhakti points."
He dismissed the notification mentally without a word. Saving resources was paramount for now. He sat down quietly in a comfortable black chair positioned at the center of the room. Karan stood beside him, his eyes wide with awe at the room's construction.
The crystal panel before them began to activate slowly. It wasn't like watching a film; it felt like peering through a secret window into the very fabric of reality. Below, the lights on the auction stage intensified, and Saira Darwan made her entrance.
Saira was dressed impeccably—a deep blue gown that made her persona seem even more mysterious. Her famous smile was fixed on her lips, a smile that gave every buyer the illusion that the greatest fortune of the day was destined for them.
"Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen!" Saira's voice spread through the hall like magic. "Tonight's auction is special as always, but today..." She took a short, dramatic pause and shifted her gaze toward the row of VIP rooms above. "...today we have guests among us who are rarely seen, but possess the power to change the course of the world."
Karan's throat went dry. He leaned toward Suraj and whispered, " Brother Suraj... her eyes were fixed right on our room. Did she recognize us ? "
"She didn't recognize us; she recognized our 'Position'," Suraj replied without blinking.
"She is a seasoned player. She knows exactly what kind of meat the predators in the VIP rooms are hungering for."
On the stage, the bidding for the first item had begun—the 'Mind-Purification Cultivation Technique.'
"Twenty thousand!"
"Twenty-five thousand!"
"Thirty thousand gold coins!"
The roar of bids grew louder in the hall. Karan asked in surprise, "This technique is mediocre at best. Why are people going mad for it ? "
Suraj's gaze was fixed on the ripples of energy vibrating on the crystal panel.
"Because, Karan, this technique doesn't calm the mind... it 'limits' it. Those struggling in their cultivation think it will give them direction, but in reality, it traps their growth within a tiny circle.
And anything that pre-determines your direction is the most dangerous thing in cultivation."
"Thirty thousand—third time! Sold!" Saira's palm struck the table.
The first item was gone, but Suraj's focus wasn't there. His eyes were locked on the next object being brought out by an assistant on a silver tray. This time, there was no velvet cloth covering it. There sat only a small, black box made of ebony.
A cold, blue mist swirled around the box.