*>+1,000 Copper*
Another cash deposit entered Jisha's coin pouch.
When the crowd heard the name "Beyonder" uttered by the NPC, another hubbub commenced.
"Lujen? Isn't that the leader of Shock Collar?"
"Lujen is a Beyonder?"
"Is there something special about him that none of us knew?"
"... Are Beyonders players?"
Most players had begun to figure out the true meaning of the word, but some were still skeptical.
"How can a player have a level 5 item already?"
"Maybe Beyonders are just special types of NPCs?"
"... Then Lujen has just been an NPC this whole time?"
*Well, it doesn't matter who wants to believe what. At the end of the day, I'm the one getting paid.*
*>Hutian Crest: Dammit, we should have bid on it. The NPCs seem like they're going crazy for this item.*
*>Censer: Maybe...*
Jisha silently observed the group chat once more. She disagreed with their sentiment; she pondered how good the buyer's foresight skills were.
*Decent, maybe?*
As a regressor with perfect foresight, it was difficult to accurately judge. But if the reason Lujen had purchased the dagger was to flip it for a higher price later, he would be in for a world of hurt.
In an ordinary game, the following logic would apply:
Assuming Lujen was a beta player, he would have seen other villages and towns in Synergy. The further one progressed towards the center of the continent, the higher the cost of living would be. Thus, higher-tiered locations were more wealthy. These wealthier NPCs would buy the dagger from Lujen at a price far higher than 1,000 Copper.
*But Synergy is not that simple.*
This dagger was a highly valued item among even the NPCs of this small hamlet. There was no telling what fickle methods they might employ to claim the dagger. In addition, news from the auction would spread to other locations in the game world. Higher-leveled NPCs would hear about this auction and about who purchased the item. It was possible for Lujen to be hunted down and killed before he even knew what hit him...
Of course, in ordinary circumstances, high-level NPCs would not be interested in low-level auctions. However, the item this time was too extraordinary!
Jisha sighed as she pitied Lujen's fate.
After the crowd quieted down once more, the cart rolled off stage and returned with another item. When the players saw this item, they didn't think much of it.
But when the auctioneer NPC picked the item up and gave her monologue...
"This is the second item of a Beyonder! Though it's an ordinary slingshot, the fact that it's the second item a Beyonder is selling will give it great value! This bid starts at 40 Copper!"
... they were stunned!
The NPCs in the audience fervently began bidding once more.
"50 Copper!"
"60 Copper!"
"70 Copper!"
...
*>Simulator Child: What the hell?*
*>Ardent Expo: What the hell is right...*
*>Hutian Crest: Wait, isn't that...?*
*>Censer: Yeah, it's a level 5 Slingshot. A player is selling that?*
The group chat, as well as the audience, exploded with commotion when they recognized this item.
Of course, not everyone recognized the item, but the ones who did were quick to tell the uninformed.
This was a level 5 Wooden Slingshot! What did that mean?
*That's impossible.*
When Lujen laid eyes on the level 5 item, he instantly knew what it meant.
As the leader of an organization as well as being a beta player, he knew every possible weapon the system would bequeath a level 5 player upon completing the class evolution quest.
Level 0 players were split into melee and ranged, and once they hit level 1, not much changed; the only class evolution available upgraded a Starter Melee/Ranged into an Adroit Melee/Ranged.
However at level 5, there were far more options.
For the second class evolution quest, an Adroit Melee could evolve into a Fracasier, Batonista, or Neophyte Battle Magus.
An Adroit Ranged could evolve into a Pitcher, Slingshotter, or Neophyte Mage.
Fracasiers would receive rudimentary grappling gloves that slightly boosted one's strength and speed. Batonistas would essentially receive an upgraded version of the Adroit Melee Stick. Neophyte Battle Magi would receive a short wand that excelled in short-range spells.
Pitchers would receive rudimentary gloves that enhanced one's throwing speed and accuracy. Neophyte Mages would receive a short wand which excelled at long-range spells. And Slingshotters would receive the very slingshot that was on sale now!
This meant that not only had a player already hit level 5, but they were willing to sell their best item, one that practically defined their class!
Lujen was a bit confused when he tried to process this.
After all, he was only level 3, and that was with the help of his organization snagging quests for him. The amount of experience required to level up to 5 was almost double what he currently had.
Not only this, but the only reason he could think of why a level 5 Slingshotter would sell their weapon was that they had a better weapon!
*And what if this is the same player that sold the dagger? My money went straight to them!*
Lujen felt like he was about to lose his mind when he had this thought, thus refusing to bid on the slingshot.
But as he watched the NPCs bid...
"450 Copper!"
"475 Copper!"
"490 Copper!"
...
His envy and frustration grew. Why wasn't he the one with all this money? He thought he had planned his strategy from the beta phase perfectly! Yet...
"800 Copper!"
... he could only watch as a nonsensical bid benefitted the anonymous player.
"... You f*cking retards!"
Lujen could no longer contain his anger as he threw a fit in his seat.
*>+800 Copper*
Of course, this was the final bid. No other player wanted to bid on the worthless item, and the NPCs must have decided the price was too high.
The group chat had also come to the consensus of not bidding on the slingshot. After all, since they were beta players and organization leaders or branch leaders themselves, they knew of the second class evolution quest and what items were given out.
Why spend hundreds of Copper only to receive something that was given out for free at level 5? But they couldn't help but express envy when they imagined a player receiving 800 Copper.
*>Censer: Ah... No point in thinking about it anymore. Let's just get some good items for ourselves...*
*>Aphro Expo: Yeah...*
This time, the crowd wouldn't simmer down so easily as they too realized that players had earned 1,000 Copper and 800 Copper respectively, resulting in the auctioneer having to step up to restore order.
When the crowd finally calmed down again, the cart rolled out and brought a third item onto center stage.
"Don't tell me this item is also being sold by a player..."
"I really hope not. It's so unfair! How can someone have a thousand Copper in two hours?"
"They're obviously guild players... How can normal players have a chance?"
*Normal players, huh...*
*>Coin Pouch:*
*>Silverium: 1*
*>Bronzium: 93*
*>Copper: 3,496*
*Yes, solo players are pretty normal, aren't they?*
Jisha was confident that she was the wealthiest player in the game at this point. The only thing left to do was to spend this money.
The auctioneer introduced the third item to the crowd.
"There are no more items being sold by Beyonders today. The Covan Auction House is very fortunate to be the home of the first Beyonder's items, and it is already a feat that there were not one, but two items from them! We shall now move on to our regularly scheduled program - items from our World Residents.
"Our first item is a standard rank D healing potion: the famous Homeopathic Twine Remedy! The bid starts at 100 Copper!"
"..."
"100 Copper!"
"..."
"110 Copper!"
After the excitement from the previous items, the mood in the audience seemed to have died down significantly. The bidding from the NPCs was far less fervent than before. And this was natural - after witnessing something extraordinary, how could ordinary things catch one's eye?
But the auction pressed on, and at the very least, Jisha's group chat seemed to be interested in this item.
*>Hutian Crest: Bid 150 Copper!*
*>Dolphin Killer: Ha, we need this more than you. 200 Copper!*
*>Censer: Damn, 200 Copper for a worthless potion. Enjoy getting ripped off.*
*>Fae Sol: Alright! I'll take that as a final bid, then!*
And for the first time today, Jisha placed a bid in the auction house.
"200 Copper!"
A/N: Join my discord or check SH for more chapters. links in synopsis