A Spear Sells for a Fortune
The next day.
Mu-hyuk started his morning leisurely, oblivious to everything.
He took a light jog around the park.
Returned home for a shower.
Ate the meal his sister had prepared.
And enjoyed a brief rest in the living room.
Time to log in.
Around 9 a.m., he entered his room and lay down in the capsule.
A bit tense.
He'd deliberately avoided the Illusion homepage. Just in case there was any mention of Amor Serus's Spear. Today, more than anything, he didn't want to know the bid price in advance.
That would ruin the fun.
Right now, he wanted to savor this thrill of anticipation.
Hiss.
Soon, the capsule door sealed shut.
Welcome to the new world.
He logged into Illusion.
Flash.
He opened his eyes to a new world.
Peoern Plaza.
Mu-hyuk scanned the surroundings amid the countless users.
"Hey, it's Mu-hyuk!"
"Whoa, for real."
Users who recognized him greeted him.
"Great to see you!"
"Whoa, Mu-hyuk. You just logging in now?"
"Ah, yeah."
"Then you haven't checked the auction house yet."
"Gotta see it now."
At Mu-hyuk's response, the area fell silent for a moment.
Hm? What's up?
He glanced at them subtly, and they all wore envious expressions.
The price must've shot up.
Before opening the auction house, he tuned into Illusion TV. As the broadcast started, alarms notified the regulars, and viewer numbers climbed rapidly.
Mu-hyuk exchanged light greetings.
"Good to see you all. I just logged in too. About to check the auction house now."
Only then did the viewers mention Amor Serus's Spear.
Mu-hyuk smiled and opened the auction house.
Amor Serus's Spear, search.
He gazed at the rising hologram with satisfaction.
The options are just...
Slowly, his eyes drifted down to the current bid price.
"......"
Mu-hyuk's pupils trembled faintly.
Inhale, exhale.
He took a deep breath.
And checked the amount again.
"Insane."
It was a whopping 48,000 gold.
Ten minutes left.
The price was still skyrocketing rapidly.
Mu-hyuk snapped out of it belatedly.
"Whoa, amazing. For real."
He chatted with viewers to pass the time.
One minute, then another.
With eight minutes left, the price had soared past 500 million.
Meanwhile.
A bit away from Mu-hyuk in Peoern Plaza.
"This the spot?"
"Yes, Guild Master."
Hwang Yong-seok, operator of S Guild, made his appearance. Behind him trailed users from S Guild's elite legion, lined up neatly.
"Hm, that user's here too, right?"
"That user...?"
"Mu-hyuk."
"Ah, definitely."
"We'll move together then."
"Yes."
Hwang Yong-seok's eyes gleamed.
"Anyway, today..."
As he started to bring up Amor Serus's Spear,
"Hey, what about Amor Serus's Spear?"
Someone else beat him to it, halting his steps. Turning, he saw two users resting in the shade under a massive rock.
"Not yet."
"Oh, seen the price?"
"Yeah, over 500 mil."
"Damn, it's popping off. You got margin?"
BullBear's question got a nod from Geppen.
"Plenty."
"Just in case, snipe big with 5 seconds left."
"Planning to."
Hwang Yong-seok smirked as he passed them.
Plenty, huh?
Could their "plenty" really match his own? No way.
Amor Serus's Spear would be his in the end.
"You heard?"
"Yes, lots of users gunning for Amor Serus's Spear."
"Secure it no matter what."
"Understood."
A short distance on, Hwang Yong-seok stopped.
"Perfect. Rest here."
"Yes."
His aide checked the auction house.
About three minutes left.
Over 60,000 gold already.
Cutting it close.
A little later, and the auction might've ended. He'd calculated the timing beforehand, but variables always lurked.
Anyway, no worries now. The aide kept eyes glued to the timer.
Two minutes left.
65,000 gold.
One minute.
Over 70,000.
30 seconds.
Nearing 75,000.
The price surged wildly.
Big players jumping in at the end...
Finally, the aide moved.
Place bid?
He selected yes and entered the bid.
A sudden what if crossed his mind.
Or maybe...
He had to get Amor Serus's Spear. Hwang Yong-seok, son of S Corp, had ordered it—no room for failure.
Play it safe.
Money overflowed anyway.
No issue.
But no need for wasteful overbids.
The sweet spot.
That was skill.
Normally lower, but with the boss's emphasis, a bit higher was fine.
Exactly seven seconds left.
He quickly adjusted the bid.
*
While Mu-hyuk chatted with viewers, Yerin and Kim Ji-yeon logged in.
"That's it for today."
He stopped interacting to greet Yerin.
"Hey."
"Hi!"
He gave her a light hug. Sung Min-woo chuckled and positioned next to Kim Ji-yeon.
"You two dating? Us too!"
"...Really?"
Mu-hyuk looked baffled at the weird provocation.
"Heh, anyway. Spear sold?"
"Not yet, soon..."
As he answered, a message popped up.
◈ 118,800 gold acquired (after fees)
His jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Wha-what..."
He looked genuinely stunned.
"What's wrong?"
"Oppa? You okay?"
"Sold too cheap? Or..."
Even amid their questions, Mu-hyuk couldn't recover quickly.
Cr-crazy.
In cash, that was 1.188 billion won.
Even for him, an amount impossible to stay calm about. Sure, he'd made bank in Illusion, but never this much in one go.
"Oppa? Oppa!"
"Uh, yeah. Fine. Totally fine."
"What happened?"
"The price..."
"Price what?"
"Sold higher than I thought."
"How much?"
Mu-hyuk took a deep breath.
"118,800 gold."
"Huh...?"
"What? Mu-hyuk, 18,800?"
"Idiot, 118,800."
"I heard right? Makes sense, first +10 ever. Unique enhancement too."
Yerin and Kim Ji-yeon nodded at Sung Min-woo's explanation, but their faces mirrored Mu-hyuk's initial shock.
"St-still insane..."
Mu-hyuk calmed them.
"Gifts for you all later."
"For real? Sweet!"
"No need..."
"I-I'm good too."
Everyone but Sung Min-woo declined.
"Then I'd look like trash."
"Didn't know?"
"Huh...?"
"Kidding, kidding."
"Damn, heart attack."
Mu-hyuk chuckled at their bickering.
"I want to treat you."
"Well, if Oppa insists."
"Th-thanks!"
Finally, Yerin and Kim Ji-yeon nodded.
"Tch, you'd take it anyway."
Ignoring Sung Min-woo's grumble, Mu-hyuk basked in joy.
*
With the craftsman's enhancements, churning out +8s or +9s for sale could rake in steady cash.
He'd sell to Black Guild too, so regular enhancements made sense. No reason not to profit.
Plus, upgrade gear for mercenaries who'd fought alongside to +7.
And test combos with the new skill.
Busy trip ahead.
Even this rest felt wasteful now.
No time to slack.
Mu-hyuk decided to work until Duke Amur arrived.
Having tasted profit, he aimed higher than Amor Serus's Spear.
Armor too?
He settled on a bow and leather armor.
Detailed search, bows.
Sorted by price, highest first.
Bought one with killer sub-options.
◈ 1,500 gold spent
Next, leather armor.
Focused on sub-options again.
◈ 900 gold spent
Hefty price for no-enhance items.
But enhanced... their value would multiply.
Time to enhance.
Troll King's Leather Armor first.
Placed it on the disposable plate, raised the enhancement hammer.
Craftsman's Enhancement.
Two colors appeared.
Blue only, obviously!
He swung with focus.
Enhancement level rises.
Enhancement level: 100%
Title effect boosts success rate.
Craftsman's Enhancement successful.
Early stages were a breeze, as expected.
Quickly hit +4.
A silly grin crept up.
He wiped it fast.
Heh...!
Even at +4, sub-options surged impressively.
Again!
As he raised the hammer,
"Excuse me."
An unfamiliar voice called Mu-hyuk.
He looked up.
A user he'd seen in a video once stood before him.
The spear user, Geppen.