𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒𝟏
[5 minutes until the Real-Time Auction begins.]
[You can move to the Auction House using the Entrance Ticket.]
“Ah, it’s time.”
“Yes.”
I answered shortly and finished off the remaining monsters. They were stronger than expected, but not enough to fight with all my might. After dealing with the Orc Shaman and Warlord, I slowly recalled what floor we were on.
’76th floor?’
We were currently inside the Tower of Darkness. After solving the quest together, we discussed what to do next, and eventually decided to go to the Tower of Darkness. Coincidentally, none of the three of us had ever entered the Tower of Darkness, so we ended up entering it just for fun.
However, since it didn’t give anything other than experience points, it felt like a waste of time.
‘Well, it can’t be helped since it was made as a substitute for dungeons.’
The purpose of the Tower of Darkness was to provide a hunting ground for players who couldn’t go to dungeons. Considering that, maybe it was fortunate that it at least gave experience points.
“Yua, what floor are we on?”
“Probably the 76th floor?”
“Wow, we’ve climbed up quite high.”
Anyway, the Tower of Darkness is said to have a total of 150 floors, so we’ve climbed almost halfway. Also, every time we defeated a monster on each floor, a message appeared, and I looked down to the bottom left to check the message.
[You have completed the 76th floor.]
[Would you like to proceed to the next floor?]
“We should go out for now, right?”
“Yes. But should we save and go out?”
If we saved on the 76th floor and left, we could start from the 77th floor next time. Conversely, if we gave up saving, we would have to start from the 1st floor when we entered again. This was peculiar because it was designed to give rewards to the top 1,000 players who earned the most experience points in the Tower of Darkness on a monthly basis.
In other words, it meant that a player whose limit was the 10th floor should reach the 10th floor, and then challenge again from the 1st floor to gain experience points.
‘But if the 76th floor is at this level……’
Could I clear all 150 floors by myself?
Furthermore, I felt like I could clear it in a day if I fought with all my might. I thought that if I worked hard like that for a month, I could reach the 1st place in the experience point acquisition ranking, but I didn’t want to play around in this place where no items dropped.
I’d rather do something else for that month.
“Since we’ve come this far, I think it’s better to save.”
“Let’s do that. Then I’ll go out first. Move to the original location.”
I watched them leave and decided to leave this place as well.
“Move to the original location.”
[You have currently reached the 76th floor.]
[Would you like to complete it? If you want to start from the current floor next time, please shout ‘Save’.]
“Save.”
[Saved. You will start from the 77th floor next time you enter.]
[Moving to the original location.]
My location after leaving the Tower of Darkness was inside the village. After easily exiting the tower, I found Yua and Sina, who had come out before me, looking around with puzzled expressions.
“Is there something around?”
“No, it’s Saturday today. There are fewer people than I thought.”
‘People?’
Looking around, it wasn’t that there weren’t any people, but there were fewer than expected for a weekend. Maybe they entered the Auction House? Since everyone would have received the Auction House message, if they entered just to take a look, it made sense that there weren’t many people around.
“They must have gone to the Auction House.”
“Come to think of it, they seemed to be selling the Entrance Tickets without a limit. Can they accommodate that many people?”
“Well, since it’s a game, wouldn’t they have created one large space?”
Sina nodded, agreeing with my point, and then took out a white stone from her item window, presumably the Entrance Ticket.
“Then let’s move too. Enter.”
If what Sina said was true, we would all be able to enter. However, instead of entering, a random message popped up.
[Beep- Party member ‘Rudin’-nim possesses the VIP Entrance Ticket (1st Place) item.]
[Would you like to move using the existing 43rd Place Entrance Ticket?]
“……”
“……”
‘This crazy……’
Suddenly, a strange silence filled the surroundings as if we had made a promise. And Yua and Sina. Their gazes naturally turned towards me, and Sina was the first to speak to me, who was silent.
“What happened?”
“……Actually, there’s an item I listed that took first place.”
“Then it’s something to be happy about, why did you hide it?”
“I didn’t hide it, I just didn’t mention it.”
In response to my answer, Sina started to look at me with an expression that said, “What kind of person is this?” Fortunately, Yua didn’t show any particular reaction unlike Sina, but that bothered me even more right now.
“Well, I understand. Then let’s move using Rudin-nim’s Entrance Ticket.”
“My Entrance Ticket?”
“If it’s not this opportunity, when will we ever enter with a VIP Entrance Ticket?”
Well…… that’s true, isn’t it?
Nodding at Sina’s somewhat plausible words, I took out a golden stone from my item window. Sina’s Entrance Ticket was a white stone, while mine was a different color.
“Wow, is that the VIP Entrance Ticket?”
“Probably.”
I hadn’t seen other VIP Entrance Tickets, but I thought they wouldn’t be different from this one. Anyway, I used the Entrance Ticket like Sina did just now.
“Enter.”
[Entering the Real-Time Auction House.]
[Beep- You are currently in a party.]
[Would you like to enter with your party members?]
‘We can enter with party members.’
I had expected this since the message appeared to everyone when Sina used it earlier. Anyway, after confirming that it was possible to enter with party members, I decided to enter with everyone.
“Enter together.”
[Moving to the Real-Time Auction House.]
Whoosh!━
‘Come to think of it, is the VIP Entrance Ticket different?’
With the name VIP in it, I thought it would be different. Anyway, when I moved using the Entrance Ticket I had, I could see a luxuriously decorated interior and four NPCs bowing politely to me.
‘……Why are there NPCs?’
“Please take good care of us.”
Take care of what?
Anyway, after taking my eyes off the middle-aged NPCs who looked like butlers and the young women who looked like maids, I looked around the room. In the center, there was a long sofa and a table, and in front, the entire wall was a transparent glass window.
“Wow, the room is luxurious.”
“Yes.”
Sina also seemed surprised and was looking around. I could see Yua discovering the NPCs who were also greeting her and greeting them back.
‘It seems like it will start in a few minutes.’
Maybe 1 or 2 minutes left?
“But why are these people here?”
“They are here to provide various conveniences for you, as you are special guests.”
The NPC answered instead. What kind of conveniences would they provide? Anyway, Sina nodded hesitantly after hearing the answer, and I sighed while looking at the NPCs quietly waiting on both sides, feeling a sense of burden for some reason.
“Please have a seat.”
“Yes.”
Clank━
Just as I was about to sit on the sofa, I heard the door open behind me and saw a familiar figure entering.
‘The Branch Manager?’
“Oh, Rudin-nim. Thank you for coming.”
The person who entered was the Branch Manager. He welcomed me with open arms as if he was delighted to see me. Following him was Adella. Adella bowed politely to me, and the Branch Manager continued speaking.
“If you have any questions about the auction, you can ask Adella here.”
“Questions?”
“Yes. For example, if you’re curious about how the auction proceeds, the information on the registered items, or if there’s something you’d like to bid on, she will help you.”
‘He’s being more helpful than I expected.’
Come to think of it, I haven’t heard any explanation about how the auction proceeds. He’ll probably explain it when the auction starts, but as the Branch Manager said, I decided it wouldn’t be bad to hear it from her, so I nodded. The Branch Manager stepped back with a good-natured smile.
“Oh, it’s almost time. Please enjoy yourself.”
[The Real-Time Auction is starting.]
The starting message appeared as the Branch Manager left. Seeing the message, I turned my head and looked towards the window I had seen earlier. Surprisingly, the window was displaying an image of someone who appeared to be the auctioneer, like a TV screen.
━First of all, I would like to thank everyone who participated in this auction today. I am the auctioneer for today’s auction……
“It seems to have started.”
“Yes.”
I gave a short reply to Yua sitting next to me and tried to focus on the auctioneer’s words on the screen. However, Adella interrupted me.
“You don’t need to listen right now, as he’s only explaining how to bid.”
“Why?”
Can I not bid if I’m here?
“Usually, you have to open a dedicated auction window to enter your bid, but for Rudin-nim, you can just tell me the amount and I will enter it for you.”
“……”
“Also, you can cancel your bid within 5 seconds, so if you change your mind, please let me know anytime.”
I didn’t know exactly what it was, but I understood that they were offering me convenience. I nodded at Adella’s explanation and turned my attention back to the screen. Just then, I saw Adella gesture to a nearby NPC.
“Excuse me, Rudin-nim.”
The NPC approached me and placed three cups of tea on the table. Seeing the cookies served on a pretty plate, I couldn’t help but wonder if they usually offered these.
“Do they usually serve this?”
“Yes, they do. If you would like anything else to eat or drink, please choose from the menu here.”
It seems like this is part of the service.
“It’s nice, but it’s a bit overwhelming.”
Sina said as she naturally picked up the tea in front of her and took a sip. However, her words and actions didn’t quite match. Still, seeing her gradually adapt, I didn’t pay much attention and sighed, looking at the NPCs quietly waiting on either side of me.
So this is what being a VIP is like.
Anyway, Yua seemed to be getting used to the atmosphere as well, as her slightly stiff expression gradually relaxed.
“Are all the seats received through item registration like this?”
“I don’t think so.”
This was evident when comparing my seat with Sina’s. If we had moved to Sina’s seat, wouldn’t we have been greeted by an empty space without a single NPC? However, I wondered if other VIP seats, excluding Sina’s, were similar to this.
Hmm, would they offer VIP seats up to 10th place?
━Now, we will start revealing the items from the lowest rank.
Suddenly, I saw an NPC pushing a wheeled table onto the screen. On the table was a staff, and as soon as it appeared, the window on the left displayed its description.
[+7 Mana Absorption Staff] (Magic)
Description: A staff embedded with a special magic stone that absorbs mana from the surroundings. Using the power of the magic stone embedded in the staff, you can absorb a portion of magic attacks and convert it into your own magic power.
Attack Power: 58 (+28) Magic Attack Power: 155 (+75)
Durability: 33/33
*Can use D-rank Skill ‘Magic Stone Barrier (LV5)’. (Cooldown: 10 minutes)
*Enhancement Option (1): Increases Magic Power by 100.
*Enhancement Option (2): Increases Magic Attack Power by 20.
*Enhancement Option (3): Increases Magic Damage by 2%.
‘So these kinds of things appear too.’
Moreover, the screen was large, so I could see what kind of item it was at a glance.
“That staff is the 50th item, right?”
“Since they said they’d reveal from the lowest rank, I think so.”
‘By the way……’
Reading the description, it seemed like a staff that could deploy a barrier and absorb a portion of magic attacks as magic power. It was good, but it was a shame that it was only Magic-grade. Anyway, it was a staff, so it wasn’t a weapon I could use.
‘Well, it’s impressive that it’s been enhanced to +7.’
While I had all my equipped items enhanced to +10, it was remarkable for an ordinary player to have enhanced an item to that level. Moreover, since it still had some durability left, it was definitely a weapon worth using.
━A Magic-grade weapon, one of the few registered in our auction! Surprisingly, it has been enhanced to +7 and still retains a considerable amount of durability, which is why it is being introduced as the 50th item.
‘Seeing how they’re introducing it, it seems like enhancing to +7 is difficult.’
Thinking about it, it was naturally difficult. Didn’t Weapon Enhancement Stones alone cost close to 5 gold? Furthermore, since the success rate starts at 50% from +1, it would be strange if it wasn’t difficult.
━The starting price is 300,000 won. We will start at 300,000 won.
‘300,000 won?’
A staff like that should be worth at least 1 million won, yet the starting price was only 300,000 won. Curious about the outcome, I watched, and the final bid price turned out to be 980,000 won.
‘It seems that registering an item in the Real-Time Auction doesn’t guarantee it will be sold at a high price.’
Did I make a mistake? Perhaps the Beksha Leather Armor wouldn’t fetch a very high price either.
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