Chapter 42
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Price
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Crunch.
A man nervously bit his nails, staring at the auction house's status board.
It was Hwaseong Subak Nongwon, a high-ranking farmer and the guild master of the National Farmers Association.
Ah, I have to buy it, no matter what
It had already been two days since he'd rushed to the auction house instead of his farm right after logging in.
Normally, this was the time he'd be harvesting what he'd sown the day before and planting new seeds.
The reason he was clocking in at the auction house instead of his farm was simple.
How am I supposed to concentrate on anything else?
He checked the effects of the sheet music posted on the auction house's status board once more.
Sheet Music: Work Song
Reduces stamina required for farming by 30 and increases stamina recovery rate.
Enhances labor efficiency, reducing time spent on farming by 20.
Reduces fatigue and mental stress.
Decreases the probability of heatwaves and heavy rain.
Repeatedly singing the work song enhances these effects.
Buff lasts for 24 hours.
It's unbelievable every time I see it. Who on earth made this?
No matter how many times he checked, the effects were jaw-dropping.
Stamina reduction and decreased farming time were, without a doubt, the best possible stats for a farmer.
To put it in combat terms, it was like reduced mana cost and cooldown for skills.
While others attacked once, you could attack twice. How could that not be good?
But the most important part is the reduced chance of heatwaves and heavy rain.
Above all, being able to control the weather was just absurd.
He'd suffered so many times playing as a farmer in Wonderland, a game that went so far as to implement heatwaves and downpours.
He couldn't help but sigh whenever he saw his painstakingly grown crops get ruined.
All I could do was pray that I could properly harvest what I'd worked so hard to plant
Hwaseong Subak Nongwon himself had endured his fair share of hardships to reach Farming Rank 8.
And into that situation, the Work Song sheet music had appeared like a miracle!
I have to buy it.
Whether it cost tens of gold or hundreds, he absolutely had to buy it.
It had limited uses, but if he partied with his guild members and shared it, that would be manageable.
There was just one problem.
Can I afford it?
Hwaseong Subak Nongwon's gaze turned to the real-time status board.
Ting!
Today's Hot Item
Sheet Music: Work Song Current Bid: 431G (Bidder: LimeBasil)
Sheet Music: Work Song Current Bid: 432G (Bidder: MultiGumi)
Sheet Music: Work Song Current Bid: 435G (Bidder: MegaProFarmer)
The price of the Work Song was steadily climbing.
It kept going up every minute as the bid was updated.
Considering it was 70 gold when he first saw it, the rate of increase was absurd.
Who on earth is driving the price up like this?
His gaze swept across the interior of the auction house.
In the lounge area, countless users sat chatting while watching the status board.
Seeing that the majority were users wearing what looked like expensive gear, it seemed they were all interested in the Work Song.
Wow, the price just keeps going up!
This is crazy. How high is it going to get?
At this rate, it'll soon catch up to the price of Song Hayul's sheet music.
Has there ever been a life-skill-related sheet music this expensive before?
Of course, not everyone in the auction house was bidding.
Most of them were likely veteran players who had come to spectate the Hot Item.
But to him, who absolutely had to buy the sheet music, they all looked like competitors.
Don't tell me those bastards from the Blue Farm guild are in on this too?
His eyes narrowed.
If even he felt the necessity of the sheet music so keenly, why would his rival guild not be interested?
I don't care about the other users, but I absolutely cannot lose this to Blue Farm.
If he lost the sheet music and his ranking dropped, it would be a disaster.
At the very least, he couldn't let his rival guild have it.
I have 600 gold on me
The problem was the amount of gold Hwaseong Subak Nongwon had.
The maximum he could bid was 600 gold.
His wallet was completely empty after giving support funds to the new farmer users he had recently recruited in droves.
Of all the times to recruit new guild members.
If it weren't for that, he would have had at least 3,000 gold.
Even as he deliberated, the auction house's status board let out a 'Ting!' and updated with a new high bid.
Should I try borrowing from the vice guild masters?
He tried not to rely on others if he could help it
Finally, after much thought, he sent a message to the vice guild masters' group chat.
Hwaseong Subak Nongwon: Guys, please lend me some money. Seriously, I'll pay you back right away.
CutePlanthopper: Why are you suddenly asking for money??
BarleyBarleyBlackBarley: Are you short on support funds for the new members? I can send you about 10 gold lol
What do you mean, 10 gold? Not even 100.
Hwasunong's eyes narrowed.
Hwaseong Subak Nongwon: Don't you guys know about the sheet music in the auction house right now? We absolutely have to buy this! If we don't, we'll get crushed by Blue Farm!
CutePlanthopper: We know.. but as you know, Guild Master, farmers don't have cash lying around..
Hwaseong Subak Nongwon: How can you guys who farm on such a massive scale not have money??
CutePlanthopper: hehe Of course not, we spent it on land lol I bought another thousand-pyeong plot yesterday hehe;
BarleyBarleyBlackBarley: I went broke enhancing my scythe T_T
Agh, this is driving me crazy!
Hwasunong muttered in frustration.
After all the money he'd given them, how could they back out now?
Ugh, they'd benefit from the buff too!
What angered him most was their attitude of subtly backing away, even though they knew how good the sheet music would be for them.
It was as if they knew he would get the sheet music one way or another, whether by taking out a loan or something else.
But he was the one in a hurry. Hwasunong sent a message, practically crying.
Hwaseong Subak Nongwon: Please, just send whatever you have;; This is the first time I've ever asked for something like this
CutePlanthopper: You must be really desperate.. Okay, I'll empty my wallet and send what I can.
BarleyBarleyBlackBarley: Hmph, I'm harvesting with a 1 scythe right now T_T
Soon, along with the replies, a welcome notification sound reached his ears.
Ting!
A message has arrived in your mailbox.
CutePlanthopper has sent you 100G.
BarleyBarleyBlackBarley has sent you 20G.
It's here!
Hwasunong's eyes sparkled.
But 20 gold? Was that guy trying to pick a fight with him?
No, still, with 700 gold, I have a chance.
Hwasunong forced himself to shake his head.
This amount was far from enough to buy a legendary item, but sheet music was still just sheet music.
Investing a whopping 7 million won in real money on an item with limited uses he had a good chance.
If I stay calm, I can do this.
Like a hyena stalking its prey, Hwasunong slowly entered the bidding.
Then, waiting for the right moment, his hand moved like lightning.
Ting!
Sheet Music: Work Song Current Bid: 480G (Bidder: Hwaseong Subak Nongwon)
He made a bold move, raising the bid by a whole 50 gold!
Hehe, they won't be able to follow that easily, will they?
Ting!
Sheet Music: Work Song Current Bid: 481G (Bidder: kingslon)
A cheap 1-gold raise, huh? How about this, then?
Ting!
Sheet Music: Work Song Current Bid: 550G (Bidder: Hwaseong Subak Nongwon)
Again, he made the bold decision to raise the bid by 70 gold at once.
Gasps erupted from the onlookers.
Whoa! He raised it to 550 gold in one go?
Oh, this guy knows how to bid. Raising it like that puts pressure on people, makes it hard to follow.
The way he's jacking up the price, he must have some money.
The veteran players in the auction house commented on Hwasunong's bidding.
Hearing them say he "knows how to bid" and "must have some money" didn't exactly make him feel comfortable.
After all, he only had 170 gold left.
Still, it looks like things have settled down a bit.
Thankfully, perhaps because he'd raised the bid so much at once, the price on the status board remained quiet.
One minute passed then five
Even after ten minutes, the price remained at 550 gold.
Let it end like this!
There was only one hour left until the auction ended.
If the price held until then, it wasn't impossible for Hwasunong to get the sheet music.
Just as he was thinking that
Ting!
Sheet Music: Work Song Current Bid: 700G (Bidder: Al Nahyan)
The long-quiet status board erupted.
The bid had jumped to 700 gold in a single go.
Whoa! What was that?
Holy crap, that's insane!
The gasps of the veteran players in the lounge echoed through the auction house.
Who is it! Wh-who raised the bid that high?
Hwasunong was no different.
He'd come so far, struggled so much!
Holding back tears, he emptied his wallet and raised the bid.
Ting!
Sheet Music: Work Song Current Bid: 720G (Bidder: Hwaseong Subak Nongwon)
It was all or nothing now.
He had bet all the money he had; the rest was up to fate.
Please, please! Please!
But unfortunately
Ting!
After a minute, the auction house's status board updated with a new high bid.
N-n-no way.
Staring at the status board, Hwasunong collapsed to the floor.
And for good reason.
Sheet Music: Work Song Current Bid: 1500G (Bidder: Al Nahyan )
A crazy user willing to pay 1,500 gold for a single piece of sheet music had appeared.
How am I supposed to compete with that
Hwasunong murmured, his voice hollow.
At the same time.
In a luxurious mansion, a man could be seen enjoying Wonderland.
His name was Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the wealthiest man in Arabia, known to the world as an oil tycoon.
Hmm? Today's hot item is sheet music?
His gaze turned to the auction house's status board.
Wonderland had regional servers, but the auction house was global.
He clicked on the sheet music to check its effects.
The effects seem quite good.
Al Nahyan's class was Archmage.
Though it had nothing to do with being a farmer, as a hardcore gamer, he could easily tell the effects were excellent.
I don't really need these effects, but
What moved him more than that was the price of the sheet music.
The price for sheet music with a mere life-skill buff had already passed 700 gold?
It would be one thing if it was for high-level content, but this was a very unfamiliar sight even for him.
This feeling piqued Al Nahyan's curiosity.
Shall I have a listen?
He used the game's music preview system.
Soon, Yuhyeon's work song echoed in his ears.
At the same time, Al Nahyan's eyes widened in astonishment.
!
A familiar melody was spreading through his ears.
Where on earth had he heard this before?
The song my mother used to sing to me when I was very young
The melody was similar to the song his late mother used to sing.
His mother certainly hadn't sung him a work song, but the melody was strikingly similar.
How could there be such a coincidence?
I have to buy this.
His eyes moistening, Al Nahyan pressed the bid button.
To buy the sheet music that had reminded him of such a distant memory.
Sheet Music: Work Song Current Bid: 720G (Bidder: Hwaseong Subak Nongwon)
720 gold, hmm. If I raise it enough, they won't be able to follow.
Sheet Music: Work Song Current Bid: 1500G (Bidder: Al Nahyan )
He raised the bid as easily as buying a pack of gum at the supermarket.
An amount of money that, to someone else, was equivalent to their entire fortune.
Click!
Returning to the present.
After receiving the message from Sangcheol, Yuhyeon immediately slid into the capsule machine.
Pshhh. His vision went dark, and then a brilliant light enveloped him.
The place Yuhyeon opened his eyes to was inside the auction house.
Ting!
A message has arrived in your mailbox.
The auction for Sheet Music: Work Song has ended.
The auction for Sheet Music: Work Song has ended.
.
.
.
As soon as he logged into the game, a series of notifications and messages popped up.
And at the same time.
Mr. Yuhyeon! I've been waiting for you!
A man came rushing out to greet him eagerly.
It was Ned, the high-end manager, a man with a round build and smooth, glowing skin.
As it happens, the auction just ended a moment ago! Have you checked your mailbox?
No. I just logged in
We shouldn't talk here. I'll escort you to the VIP room inside. We can speak there!
When the manager took the initiative and offered to escort him to the VIP room, all eyes in the vicinity turned to Yuhyeon.
Yuhyeon gave a slight nod.
Yes, let's do that.
He was already quite surprised to see his own sheet music listed as the day's hot item.
The last bid he'd seen in the message from Sangcheol was 500 gold.
Did they really all sell for that price?
If they really did all sell for that amount, he would have made a whopping 20 million won.
After all, he had put a total of four sheets up for auction.
I'd be happy if even one sold for that much.
Of course, he didn't entertain the thought that all of them would sell for that price.
Just as he was thinking that, he entered Ned's office.
Mr. Yuhyeon, ah, it's a huge jackpot!
Ned exclaimed, his eyes wide.
A jackpot? What do you mean
Th-th-they all broke the record! It's the highest bid for sheet music in the history of Lutetia!
The last price Yuhyeon had checked was 500 gold.
Did "all broke the record" mean all four sheets sold for 500 gold?
If so, that would be a profit of 20 million won.
How much did they sell for?
Unable to contain his excitement any longer, Ned said energetically.
The final bid was a staggering 1,500 gold!
A flicker of confusion appeared in Yuhyeon's eyes.
?
1,500 gold. Did he mean they sold for a total of 15 million won?
If four sheets sold for 500 gold each, it should have been 2,000 gold.
The amount didn't make sense.
They sold for 1,500 gold per sheet, sir! It's an absolute jackpot!
Excuse me?
The total sale price is a whopping 6,000 gold, sir!
An unimaginable answer came from him.
6,000 gold?
Yuhyeon's eyes grew as wide as saucers.
I made a total of 60 million won?
In an instant, he had earned the enormous sum of 60 million won.
And in a single transaction.
With just four pieces of sheet music.