Chapter 39: Gathering of the wealthy players

Twenty minutes passed in a flash.

Eliana reentered the game, her body materializing smoothly and she ran towars the designated street corner. When she arrived there, she was greeted by a massive swarm of thousands of players jostling for position. However, looking straight ahead, the center of the area was unnaturally calm and clear.

Ten terrifying shadowy skeletons wearing dense, dark armor stood in a broad perimeter, their glowing dark eye sockets glaring at the crowd and effortlessly holding the massive tide of players back from getting anywhere near Darklord.

"He is a necromancer? Then what grade of class did he evolve his common class into?" she muttered under her breath, her heart beating rapidly as she felt the immense aura radiating from those summons.

Arthur glanced at the soldiers before speaking in a clear, carrying voice.

"You guys go ahead. I will let you have 500 items allocated to the government at the twenty royal grade items per item price. But if you want more beyond that limit, you will have to compete with everyone else present."

"Big shot! This is not fair! Why does the government get to buy at a lower price than us?" one young player from a wealthy corporate family shouted from the front line of the crowd, his face flushed with indignation.

Arthur slowly turned his head, his featureless mask fixing its dark eye holes directly onto the vocal young man. "These are my items, and I set the rules. Ask another unnecessary question, and you will be permanently banned from trading with me," Arthur said in a cold, heavy tone that instantly chilled the surrounding air.

The young man immediately shut his mouth, clenching his fists in deep humiliation. When had anyone ever dared to speak to him in such a dismissive manner? Yet he did not dare utter another word of complaint. The pressure emanating from the masked figure was far too terrifying.

The skeleton summons standing nearby radiated a thick, suffocating aura that was noticeably greater than even the Level 11 monsters infesting the rest of the city. No one in the crowd could comprehend how this bastard had managed to become so obscenely powerful so early in the game, or how he had amassed such a staggering collection of legendary grade equipment.

"Big shot! Do you have a mage staff available?" someone shouted eagerly, raising a hand high into the air.

Instantly, a magnificent staff wrapped in swirling elemental energy appeared in Arthur’s hand, glowing with brilliant orange light.

"I offer twenty-six royal grade items! Please give it to me directly!" a wealthy heir called out immediately.

"No! Why would he give it directly to you? Do you think the rest of us came here just to watch a free show?" someone else barked angrily from the left side of the crowd.

"Big shot, I offer twenty-seven royal items!"

"I offer twenty-eight!"

Arthur watched the sudden escalation, feeling a subtle stir of surprise beneath his heavy mask. "Eh? I can actually auction them off right here? Maybe I should open a permanent auction house inside my shelter in the future. It would bring in far more benefits down the road," he thought, his eyes gleaming with calculating ambition beneath the visor.

The bidding escalated rapidly until a prominent player finally secured the high-tier staff for a staggering total of thirty royal grade items.

"Big shot! My family members are currently transferring the rest of our money into the game right now. Can you hold a dagger for me and give it to me in advance?" another player asked anxiously.

"Pay the price first and take your item," Arthur replied instantly, his voice leaving absolutely no room for negotiation.

"Do you have an assassin dagger?"

"Do you have heavy tank armor?"

"Do you have legendary spell books?"

"Do you have passive skill scrolls?"

An endless stream of questions began pouring in from thousands of players simultaneously, creating a deafening wall of noise that echoed throughout the ruined streets.

Arthur frowned slightly beneath his mask. The chaos was quickly becoming difficult to manage.

"System, can I host an automated auction online through the interface?" he asked inwardly.

[Ding! You can create a broad public auction channel, but you will have to pay a ten percent service fee on your total earnings to the system.]

"Ptui! What a damn profiteer," Arthur cursed inwardly at the system’s steep cut. However, he was currently unable to avoid it. His shelter was not yet fully prepared to host a massive physical auction house, so he had no choice but to utilize the built-in online system for now.

"Fine. I accept."

Arthur looked toward the massive, expectant crowd and raised one armored hand, immediately commanding absolute silence.

"This is the official auction account ID. Enter this number into your interface, and you will see the complete list of available items. You can bid directly through the system menu. Once a bidding process on an item begins, it will remain active for one hour before the highest bidder automatically receives the item. Go and prepare your funds properly before entering your bids. You are all dismissed," Arthur declared coldly.

The thousands of players gathered in the street were left completely astonished. They had not expected Darklord to possess the authority and resources to casually open a massive server-wide online auction channel on the spot.

Curious and eager, hundreds of players immediately opened their system interfaces and entered the specified auction ID. The moment the menu loaded, countless people nearly vomited blood from pure shock. Listed neatly in long, seemingly endless rows were more than 10,000 legendary grade items, spanning every conceivable class, weapon type, armor set, and skill scroll.

As the crowd slowly began dispersing in a state of utter daze, talking frantically among themselves while rushing to organize their funds, a strikingly beautiful female player stepped forward from the edge of the perimeter. She possessed an elegant aura and wore a stylish robe as she approached Arthur with a confident expression.

"Big shot, can I perhaps do a private, personal trade with you behind the scenes?" she asked, stepping closer while offering a charming smile. Her eyes subtly shimmered with a soft pink light as she attempted to activate a charm skill.

Suddenly, a terrifying pressure erupted from Arthur’s body like a collapsing mountain. Before she could even complete another step, the sheer weight of his raw stats and aura slammed down upon her, forcing her to her knees.

Her knees struck the concrete pavement hard, and the illusionary pink light in her eyes shattered instantly. Arthur’s voice became ice cold as he looked down at her.

"Don’t ever try a trick like this again. If you do, your family won’t have enough heads left to lose," Arthur warned, his voice echoing through her mind with terrifying authority.

Without waiting for a response, he turned around and walked away into the shadows of the alley. His skeletal generals immediately fell into formation behind him before sinking back into his shadow.

The woman remained on the ground for several seconds, her face deathly pale from fear. Her teammates quickly rushed forward to support her and help her stand.

"I was far too impulsive. I need to apologize to him properly through official channels. He is completely beyond our highest expectations," she said, her face grim as she tried to regain her composure.

Even while standing dozens of meters away, every one of her teammates had felt Arthur’s terrifying pressure for that brief moment. Their legs had trembled uncontrollably, and none of them had been able to resist the instinctive fear that had seized their bodies.

"How in the world is he so terrifying?" one of her guards whispered in horror, staring at the empty street where Darklord had been standing only moments earlier.