by A P Gore
“Grimish.” Jon threw a kick at the old bastard. “Stop staring at her, or I'll kill you right here.” Although she was enticing, Jon had a clear conscience. He wouldn't touch a woman unless she agreed, and he didn't touch any woman with questionable character. That was his personal principle and he wouldn't betray it. So, no matter how much Sarana swayed her ass, he wasn’t interested.
Clasping his hands behind his back, Jon followed her. After two minutes of brisk walking, they entered a long stone corridor. Serena stopped in front of a room marked VIP 10. “Sir, this is your room. I'll be back with snacks and drinks.” She sashayed away.
Jon's fingers clenched in a fist when he spotted Grimish still drooling over the woman despite his warning. That bugger needed a lesson once they got back to the village. If not for the granite floor, Jon would have cast Mold Earth and buried Grimish on the spot.
Jon sighed, a sigh of regret for bringing Grimish with him. Entering the room, he found a green couch waiting, and it felt damn good to his butt. Now, Jon wanted a similar one in his future house.
His list of things to buy had grown considerably in the last few hours. How was he going to move them to the village?
Grimish sprawled across the couch like it was his own bed. From the look of him, he was just short of removing his clothes and saying goodnight.
Jon groaned. “Grimish, behave.” Next time, he wouldn't bring this old bugger. Sometimes he was just too embarrassing.
“Sorry, Master.”
There was a knock on the door, and Sarana entered the room with a huge tray filled with food and drinks. Neatly, she placed it on the table in front of them, revealing another glimpse of cleavage.
Was she doing it on purpose?
“Sir, do you want to taste me these drinks for you?” she asked, smiling.
“Yes, please,” Jon said.
Disappointment flashed through her deep black eyes before she picked up all the drinks one by one and poured a small portion in her mouth.
All was good, and she was smiling, so Jon picked an orange-looking drink and brought it to his lips.
Damn, it was good. Like a banana milkshake and yet orange looking. What a weird looking drink.
“Sir, this screen will display the auction. If you want to bid, just shout your bid and the Ginnie will recognize your bid, check your balance, and then place the bid for you.”
“There's a consciousness in the room?” Jon asked.
“Yes, sir. All the rooms are under a magic consciousness called Ginnie. She assists us in a fair auction. This also prevents people bidding without money.”
“Good.” There were lots of things that Jon had learned today, and the auction house kept surprising him.
“Sir, do you want any other service until the auction starts?” An invitation lingered in her deep black eyes.
“Thanks, but no thanks. I'll call you if needed.” Jon waved her away despite Grimish's perverted gaze pleading to him.
“You’re not coming here again,” Jon said after Sarana stepped out. He’d had enough embarrassment for one day.
“But Master—”
“Just shut up!” Jon roared. “I'll give you some money to f-k yourself later.”
Grimish's gaze jumped down.
A woman popped on the screen in front of them. She could be described with one word. Stunning. “Welcome, my esteemed guests. I'm Sharia, your host for today's auction. Many of you may know the rules, but allow me to reiterate...” She went on, reciting the general rules of the auction which Sarana had already mentioned before.
After a nearly minute of the mesmerizing blabbering she came to the point. “My dear guests. Today we have thirty items for auction, and they all are praiseworthy—especially the first one. We got this item two hours ago. Generally, we don't allow late entries, but when you learn about it you’ll know why we allowed it.”
She had a knack for drawing an audience’s interest. Jon gave it to her. She was good.
“I present...” Her melodic voice rose in tone. “The fruit of miracle. An Apple of Mana. A sage in plants handed this as a gift to our chairman, and we thought, why not spread the might of that sage?”
Apple of Mana and a sage? Did someone else put the same fruit up for auction?
“Before I open it for bids, let me tell you what kind of fruit it is. It's a rare fruit with a permanent addition to stats.”
A gasp could be heard from the next room.
As she pulled the cover off a plate brought to her by an equally beautiful woman, Jon's medal flickered. That meant it was his item.
“What a crafty woman, Master,” Grimish muttered.
Jon nodded. How else could he reply?
“Welcome the Apple of Mana. It adds +2 to Intelligence permanently, and if you press it into juice, it can last for 10 days and provide you +2 Intelligence for 12 hours. If you combine it with other precious ingredients, you might get even more bonuses. The possibilities are endless. Only your fortune will decide your future.”
Silence prevailed in Jon's room. Thanks to that crafty woman, the apple should fetch at least a hundred gold for him.
The woman toppled his expectations with her next statement.
“The bidding will start at a reserve price of one hundred gold and will increase in increments of ten.”
A number popped on the screen and below it a room number. 110. Gen 05.
130. Gen 07.
150. VIP 01.
200. VVIP 04.
Jon stared at the room numbers for a moment. There was another tier for the guests. VVIP. Would he get a VVIP badge if he sold his entire stock of Grass of Journeyman’s Legend? Surely, it wouldn't. He would have to sell something even better than that.
250. VIP 11.
His neighbor had bid on it. People continued bidding more and more until his neighbor in VIP 11 bought it for four hundred ninety gold.
Wow! Jon didn't think the apple would sell for this much money. What if he put all one hundred on sale?
No, that would devalue the market and lead back to him. Who wouldn't want to eat as many apples like those as possible?
“My beloved friends,” Sharia said.
Wow, she went to beloved. Jon got goosebumps just from experiencing the bewitching skills of this lady.
“A splendid choice, the new owner of the Apple of Mana. I'm sure you will reach the heights of enlightenment with that apple. Now, I present you the second item on the list. Cloak of Zero, a unique cloak that helps the owner to enhance their guild houses’ resistance to poison attacks.”
Jon was about to pick up a drink when his gaze fell on the third property of the cloak.
Double the BP of the town. (Max 100)
Chapter 31
Deadeye's eyes shone with a strange light when the Apple of Mana appeared for auction. In BlackFlame Online, items that increased stats permanently were few and super rare. Though the apple would only increase Intelligence by two, many players would die for that because, after reaching level 25, points rewarded by the system dropped to almost zero. It was the system's way of saying, “Son, you've grown up and you should earn your share.” Only a few unique classes got extra points. Everyone else got only three stat points per level up, so those three points were like a drop in the ocean. Any item that added to stats provided a huge benefit.
So, he prepared to grab the item for himself.
But before he could react, the bid war shot to the skies, and VIP 11 scored the apple for five hundred gold.
Glancing at the stand where the VIP rooms were located, he sighed. Competing with the crazy people from the VIP pavilion would be his doom, and he wasn't there for a rare apple to begin with. The auction hadn't started yet for the thing he truly coveted.
Sharia revealed the second item, and Agatha jumped to her feet. “Honey, I need that cloak.”
Cloak of Zero
Class: Unique
Level requirement: 10
Gem Slots: 2
Allows the wearer to
enhance a property owned to defend against poison attacks.
+5 BP.
Extra Skills:
Double Dip:
Double the BP of the town. (Max 100)
Cooldown: 12 hours.
The cloak provided low benefits for being a unique item. Other than those fool village owners, no one sought out items that added to BP. Even for guilds this was a useless item, so despite being a unique item it wouldn’t be useful for anyone here. Yet, his wife wanted it. For looks, probably. What else?
The cloak looked exceptional. Woven of white silk with red diamond buttons, the cloak looked stunning. But it would be an eyesore to wear in the open. For an assassin, a cloak should have a concealing effect, not an attention-grabbing one.
He sighed, this time with regret. Though he placed zero value on it, like its name, he would have to buy it for his wife. She was a big fan of diamonds and went mad whenever she saw the sparkling things.
“Agatha, you won't be able to wear that,” Deadeye said.
Her hand rested on his thigh. “I'll make it up to you.” Her lips formed a big O while she winked at him.
He would be in for a treat if he won this.
Sharia, the woman of the evening, spoke again. “The bidding will start at fifty gold and increase at five gold intervals. Now, let's see who the fortunate one will be.”
“Sixty,” he shouted without a second thought. Sixty was more than enough, but what else could a man would do in front of his seductive wife?
120. VIP 10. flashed on the screen.
Someone was willing to spend one hundred twenty gold for a flashy piece like this? Why?
“One hundred thirty.” It was too much, but seeing the pleading look on Agatha's face he went ahead with a higher bid.
200. VIP 10.
Fuck. Why was the dumb VIP bidding two hundred? Was he hell bent on making Deadeye bankrupt? He only had five hundred gold on him which belonged to him, and he was reluctant to spend half of it on an item like this.
“Martin...” Agatha's hand moved to his crotch as she spotted the hesitation on his face.
“Two hundred twenty!”
300. VIP 10.
“Fuck you!” He glared at the VIP rooms. “Sorry, woman. That's the best I can do. Do you have any money you want to spend on this?”
Agatha shrugged and turned her face away. Well, what could he do? Spend three-hundred-plus gold on a shitty item like that? Dream on, woman.
“Take it,” he said, secretly happy that VIP 10 had pushed the bidding too high.
“Three hundred going once... twice... sold. The beautiful cloak goes to VIP 10. Now, the next item...” And that continued for so many more items which were all crap—until the sixteenth item came up.
Ring of Light
Class: Unique
+2 Constitution
-1 Wisdom
Shrouds the wearer in a healing aura generating +20 HP per second.
Other properties are locked due to the item being broken. Requirement for repair: Unknown.
Deadeye's breath turned more quiet as he studied the shiny white ring lying on the display table. This was what he’d come here for.
Sharia continued, “Though broken, this is a unique item, so we are auctioning it. Who knows what you will get out of it once you repair it. The possibilities are endless. The bidding will start at fifty gold and will increase in intervals of ten.”
“Is this the one the guild leader asked for, honey?” Agatha too straightened, her tone turning back to normal, all haughtiness vanishing like a puff of smoke. This was a guild leader's demand, and she would do whatever it took to answer it.
Deadeye grabbed her hand, praying to the God of Fortune to send this item to him. Kurush, the guild leader, had told him about the ring and asked him to grab it no matter what. He said the item possessed a skill that could rival an Epic item, so Deadeye had to buy it.
Deadeye's eyes lingered on the pile of gold Kurush had given him. Eight hundred gold. Would it be sufficient?
It should be. Why would anyone want to buy a broken item?
50. VIP 10.
What? That VIP again? Deadeye glanced at the VIP pavilion. Who was inside VIP 10?
Deadeye's fingers clenched around the juice glass he held. No matter what, he would buy this item for his guild leader.
“One hundred.”
110. VIP 11.
“One hundred twenty.”
200. VIP 04.
Was he mad or something? Two hundred gold for a broken item? Did he know the secret too?
250. VIP 10.
The bidding continued until it reached five hundred gold, and then VIP 11 dropped out.
“Six hundred,” Deadeye shouted. This was it. He would get it.
700. VIP 10.
What? Was he gone mad?
“Eight hundred.” That was it. It was his limit. Actually, Kurush had given him one thousand gold, but he had to spend two hundred to buy the invitation pass.
1000. VIP 10.
1500. VIP 04.
Deadeye's shoulders slumped. This was beyond his comprehension. Was it worth fifteen hundred gold? With that much money, he could buy a luxury hover car in real life.
1700. VIP 10.
2000. VIP 04.
2500. VIP 10.
Then the item sold to VIP10 for twenty-five hundred gold.
Deadeye's eyes remained wide open after hearing the last bid. Even Agatha grasped his hand in astonishment. Though the guild leader had that kind of money, it was still unimaginable to spend such an enormous sum on a broken unique item. Anyone could buy an Epic item with that kind of money. Maybe the winner was crazy. No matter how much value the hidden skill had, it wasn't an Epic item.
Agatha sighed. “VIP four made a fool out of him.”
Deadeye's brows drew together. “What makes you say that?” He turned to find the haughtiness back in her eyes. This was dangerous. Whenever she had that look, someone died in the end.
“It's human psychology. That man or woman—VIP ten—is a Masochist. They like to take whatever they lay eyes on. Do you think that broken item is worth twenty-five hundred gold? It's worth a dog’s fart. Even nine hundred gold would be too much for it. Did you forget he did the same with the Cloak of Zero? If he bids again, increase the bid just for the sake of it and see what happens.” A wicked smile played on Agatha's lips. This woman held grudges, and now she held one against VIP 10 they stole her item.
“Let's see.”
The auction went smoothly after that. Another Apple of Mana came up, and it went for four hundred fifty gold to VIP 08. Then another crappy unique item came up.
Soul Orb
Class: Unique
Allows the wearer to collect souls.
0/5000
This was an item coveted by mages working with darkness magic, yet it was useless as there was no efficient way to collect souls. All soul-related spells were classified as Forbidden Magic anyway, and the user would be punished by the God of Light for its use. Not worth it.
50. VIP 10.
“What, now he wants a soul orb too?” Deadeye couldn't believe the mad person anymore.
“Bid on it. He will counter-bid you for any amount.”
“Two hundred.” Deadeye bid without another thought. He had to get back at this crappy person for stealing his ring.
300. VIP 10.
“Five hundred.” Deadeye's lungs tightened. If the opponent didn't bid, he would take a huge loss.
700. VIP 10.
He turned to Agatha. “What should I do?”
“You have the boss' money too. Why are you worrying? Do you still think he’ll let you buy this? Push him, make him buy a fifty gold item with a thousand gold.”
“Nine hundred.”
1000. VIP 10.
Deadeye released his held breath. “I'm done for today.”
Agatha snatched the golden insignia from his hand and shouted, “Twelve hundred!”
Ginnie took the bid.
&nbs
p; And then deadly silence prevailed. VIP 10 didn't reply.
“What a pleasant surprise,” Sharia said. “The esteemed guest in Gen 05 has won the Soul Orb for twelve hundred gold. I appreciate his competitive spirit. It's always the winner who has the final say.” Mockery marked her words.
Deadeye dropped on his knees and looked at Agatha who was in tears. That woman had ruined his life by spending twelve hundred gold. Her whole worth wasn't even close to that.
“VIP 10. I'll find and kill you,” Deadeye shouted. His own sentence had come true. Whenever Agatha showed that look, someone died. This time, it would be him.
Chapter 32
One touch, and Jon fell in love with his new cloak’s smooth velvety texture, pure white color, and weightless cloth.
Yet he wouldn’t dare to wear it openly.
The red diamonds sewed on as buttons made this thing look disgusting.
Did Laxania even hire a good designer? Or was it the stupid game developers again? It was like the most beautiful woman in the town had arrived onstage but flashed her yellow teeth the next moment. That kind of disgusting.
“Grimish, do you know if we can remove diamonds from a unique item?”
Grimish shook his head in a big no. Ever since Jon spent twenty-five hundred gold on a broken ring, he’d been in a sort of dizzy condition. Just after the bid rose to fifteen hundred gold, Grimish was on his knees, begging Jon not to spend money on the ring.
But that old bugger didn’t know the real value of the ring. It was worth every gold he’d spent. Even if he’d had to spend all five thousand nine hundred gold he had, he would have spent it happily.
His fingers instinctively brushed over the white metal ring placed around his left middle finger.
It made him feel awesome. The set was complete.
Ring of Light
Class: Unique
+2 Constitution
-1 Wisdom
Shrouds the wearer in a healing aura, generating +20 HP per second.
Generates a drop of Water of Light every ten days. (Disabled)
Water of Light grants +20 Intelligence, +20 Constitution for 12 hours. Cooldown period of 24 hours after each use. Water of Light can boost a light type creature to go into a calm state, increasing its Wisdom and damage by 40%.