Chapter 130
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: The Secret Auction
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Unlike the regular auction house, which any player with enough money could attend whenever it was held, the secret auction required a special qualification just to enter.
Seong-hyeok, who had earned his qualification as a 'Valued Patron' by spending a hundred million coins, was momentarily impressed to hear that Cha Hye-rin had also qualified.
But that surprise quickly turned into confusion.
‘Did the Silent Harvester really spend a hundred million at the auction?’
Before he could even question whether Cha Hye-rin had earned that many coins, memories of the auction records came to mind.
With an information team that served as his reliable support staff, Seong-hyeok had a general, if not detailed, idea of who had participated in that auction and how.
Needless to say, he had not spotted the Silent Harvester making any whale-like spending sprees.
‘There’s no way I would have missed it…’
If it were anyone else, he might have overlooked it, but Cha Hye-rin was a resident of his farm, so he naturally paid more attention to her.
That left only one conclusion.
‘There must be other ways to get the qualification.’
This was a secret auction hosted by the 'World' itself.
On such a grand scale, it was highly likely that other Hidden Pieces granted access as well.
He wanted to ask, but Seong-hyeok shook his head.
‘She must have her own way.’
After all, didn't he also harbor secrets he wouldn't tell anyone?
[The Transcendent Being, Shadow Empress Lehurin, enjoys the sight of your contemplation. She sponsors you 50,000 coins.]
[The Transcendent Being, Insect Queen Nainkito, advises her to worry about her own avatar.]
The bickering between the Transcendent Beings was brief.
After selecting YES, Seong-hyeok felt a sensation of his body floating.
[You have entered the 'World's' Secret Auction. Current entrants: 6]
[This area is under the influence of ■■■'s power. While here, the flow of time outside has been adjusted to a halt, and all powers except for coins are temporarily sealed.]
In the blink of an eye, he arrived in a special space.
More surprising than the physical teleportation, which was incomparable to Kang Yeon-ah's conditional large-scale dimensional tunnel, was the notification that appeared before him.
“Is it even possible to stop time?”
The power of the 'World' rendered his guilt about leaving the bee festival meaningless.
He couldn't fully grasp the power shrouded in static, but one thing was clear.
‘…Are these beings actual gods?’
It was a power far beyond mortal reach.
It was enough to make him let his guard down, but instead, Seong-hyeok smiled.
‘The stronger they are, the better they are to exploit.’
High risk, high return.
It was only natural that the more powerful the being, the more there was to gain.
Besides, this was strictly an 'auction house,' wasn't it?
In the end, it was a game where the richest one wins.
That meant Seong-hyeok, with his vast amount of coins earned through the power of his bees, had the upper hand.
[Current entrants: 7. All qualified individuals have entered.]
[The 'World's' Secret Auction will now begin.]
‘Whatever the price, I’ll buy it all.’
Honeybee, the auction house's official whale mascot.
The financial power built on the diligent labor of his bees was more than enough to strip even a god naked.
* * * * *
“……”
“……”
Unlike the previous auction, which used avatars, the secret auction was conducted with one's own physical body.
From Asians to Westerners, and even a player completely clad in plate armor.
Though a diverse group of people had gathered, they all likely shared a similar thought.
Seven people, chosen from the entire world population of 7.7 billion.
A number with so many zeros it was hard to fathom.
Chosen from such a minuscule minority, none of them could possibly be weak.
And perhaps there was some unspoken 'bond' that existed between the strong.
“Over here.”
“You got a qualification too?”
Like the saying, birds of a feather flock together.
Those who seemed to know each other gathered in groups.
Well, Seong-hyeok wasn't about to judge them for having connections.
After all…
“May I stand next to you?”
“You don’t need to ask for permission.”
Seong-hyeok himself had come here with Cha Hye-rin, a fellow resident of his farm.
In the end, the seven participants, including Seong-hyeok, split into their respective groups, observing each other.
The circular table in the center of the space parted, and from it, a mysterious lifeform of indeterminate shape emerged.
『Now that all who are qualified have gathered, we shall begin the auction.』
The creature, which looked like mist and seemed to both have and lack a physical form, spoke.
But its appearance was not what was important.
['World's' item 'Armor of Rhinor (★★★★★+)' has been listed.]
['World's' item 'Resurrection Engraving (★★★★★+)' has been listed.]
['World's' item 'Sword of Venor (★★★★★+)' has been listed.]
…….
______________________________
[Armor of Rhinor (★★★★★+)]
* Seller: World
* Type: Armor
* Defense +20%
* Durability +50
※ Rhinor's Thunderclap: When attacked, reflects 30% of the damage received, mixed with lightning.
※ Lightning Descent: Applies the armor's lightning to the body, increasing all stats by 15% for 5 minutes. However, using this effect causes severe damage to the armor, consuming 300 durability. (Cooldown: 24 hours)
* Durability: 1,500 / 1,500
[Resurrection Engraving (★★★★★+)]
[Sword of Venor (★★★★★+)]
…….
______________________________
A dazzling array of 5-star+ grade items, including a Resurrection Engraving like the one Seong-hyeok had seen from a Royal Gacha Ticket before.
Each one possessed an incredible effect, incomparable to the items listed by Transcendent Beings on the integrated server!
“I’m at a loss for words.”
“Now this, I want this.”
The participants salivated, eager to become the owners of the items right away.
But there was a problem.
“This is going to be tricky.”
It was only natural that an item valuable to one person would also be valuable to others.
As a sense of competition flared up among the gathered players, whether they knew each other or not, their wariness of one another intensified.
And into that tense atmosphere, a bombshell was dropped.
『This has been bestowed by a great being. It shall be granted to one who is worthy, so prove your worth.』
______________________________
[Celestial Peach of Heaven (★★★★★+) - Treasure]
※ Upon consumption, this item becomes bound and cannot be unequipped. To obtain ownership, the bound target must be killed.
* Seller: World
* Type: Consumable, Material
* Upon consumption, permanently increases all stats by 1 one time and grants the Authority Specialization 'Celestial Shield'. Current consumption: 0 / 1
※ Celestial Shield (Permanent): Creates a shield equal to 5% of your maximum health. If this shield is destroyed, it will automatically regenerate over time. (Cooldown: 3 hours)
※ Grants Qualification: Grants the qualification to consume a fully grown Celestial Peach.
* Description: A ★★★★★+ grade Celestial Peach from the dimension 'Celestial Realm'. A legendary peach said to have been consumed only by celestial beings, it grants a special authority upon consumption.
※ Upon consumption and use, you will acquire 2 Celestial Peach of Heaven Seeds (★★★★★) with a 100% success rate.
[Dagger of Essence (★★★★★+) - Treasure]
※ Upon equipping, this item becomes bound and cannot be unequipped. To obtain ownership, the bound target must be killed.
* Seller: World
* Type: Weapon
* Attack Power: 1
* All Stats +25
※ Essence Attack Power: Attack power increases based on the sum of your total stats.
※ Essence of Harmony: Temporarily reallocates a portion of your stats to a desired stat for 10 minutes. A maximum of 50% of a stat can be reallocated. (Cooldown: 2 hours)
…….
______________________________
“……!”
The listing of a Treasure item, the greatest symbol of power currently available.
Among them, the one that particularly caught Seong-hyeok's eye was the Celestial Peach of Heaven.
Stats and an Authority Specialization.
A top-tier consumable that offered both.
Moreover, what did it mean to acquire not one, but two seeds?
‘It’s a proliferating type of Treasure item.’
It wasn't a one-and-done deal.
Like the proliferating ginseng or the Solar Flower, it was a top-tier item that would continuously generate benefits as long as he possessed it.
His beekeeping farm currently had Yeon Su-hee, the Harbinger of Abundance, as well as bees that were a great help in natural pollination.
If utilized well, it could become a Treasure item with the potential to yield benefits equal to, or even greater than, the World Tree.
With a clear path to a favorable outcome, Seong-hyeok had no reason to hesitate.
[Player Korea/Honeybee has bid 50,000,000 coins for the Celestial Peach of Heaven (★★★★★+) - Treasure. Time remaining: 10 minutes.]
“I expected this auction to be tough, but still. Phew.”
“…You’ve got to be kidding me. After spending so much at the integrated server auction, he still has that much left over?!”
“Fifty million for the opening bid…”
Seong-hyeok's solid financial power, built on processed honey products.
Even in this gathering of powerful individuals, it displayed a unique strength.
* * * * *
The United States and various European nations, considered world powers since before this crazy world began.
The players from those places, who had reaped their karma to obtain high-star unique classes and the qualifications for this secret auction, could only laugh hollowly at the reality before them.
[Player Korea/Honeybee has won the Celestial Peach of Heaven (★★★★★+) - Treasure for 50,000,000 coins.]
Just as it had been at the integrated server auction, the sheer class of the bees' coin-earning potential was on another level.
Experiencing firsthand what it meant to be a frog in a well didn't scratch their pride.
“…I’m not even mad at this point.”
“This was expected from the moment the Giant of Asia was here.”
It would be one thing if their opponent were inferior.
But this was the very person who had repeatedly made headlines on the community boards, a being who could face the entire European Union alone and not back down in the slightest.
Who would be foolish enough to get angry at someone who could freely wield both military might and the premium brand of processed honey products?
Thanks to that, the laments of those who had recognized Honeybee's face before the auction even began did not last long.
[Player USA/The Memorist has won the Scythe of Berilla, the Celestial Reaper (★★★★★+) for 8,000,000 coins.]
[Player USA/Robert of Luck has won the Resurrection Engraving (★★★★★+) for 6,500,000 coins.]
[Player France/The Pure White Will has won the Armor of Rhinor (★★★★★+) for 10,000,000 coins.]
…….
The fifty million coins spent to win a single Treasure item.
With every item listed in the secret auction requiring no small amount of capital and seven competitors vying for them, the result of such a massive financial hemorrhage was obvious.
No matter how financially powerful Seong-hyeok was, it was impossible for him to monopolize every single item.
It wasn't ideal to see other items being sold off to his rivals one by one, but Seong-hyeok didn't mind much.
‘What matters is that I got all the important stuff anyway.’
Even among items of the same 5-star+ grade, there were differences in class.
Since there had been not one, but two Treasure items listed in the secret auction, Seong-hyeok had purchased the other one as well, right after the Celestial Peach of Heaven.