“500,000 Gems!” the auctioneer’s voice rang out, echoing through the grand hall.
Clara’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. ‘Hmm? He’s not fighting back anymore?’ she thought, glancing at the young man below.
Her smile faded into a slight frown of disappointment. She had expected more of a challenge, but it seemed there was a limit to how much money he had at his disposal.
From her elevated position, she could see the stress etched on his face.
The indifferent gaze he directed at the auctioneer masked a deeper turmoil, one that Clara found amusing.
Although this battle had been one of wits and wills rather than physical combat, she felt an inexplicable sense of victory.
The price for the cauldron had skyrocketed beyond her expectations, nearly exhausting the 650,000 gems she had brought for today’s event.
Despite this, Clara felt a sense of satisfaction.
The entertainment value of the bidding war had been worth it, and she was convinced that the cauldron was worth far more than the 500,000 gems she had ultimately paid.
If not, Clara always had many ways to recoup her losses almost instantly, thanks to her family’s vast business empire. There was really nothing to worry about.
“500,000 Gems going once! Going twice!”
Clara stood from her chair, ready to leave the auction house. She had secured something valuable today, and the real competition with the financial titans of the world hadn’t even begun.
Those monsters of money and business were still perched in their private balconies, indicating that the items they truly coveted were yet to appear.
With her limited resources, there was no way Clara could compete with them for the treasures they desired.
She accepted this and planned to retire for the day to make use of her newly acquired unique- ranked item.
But as she was about to step out, a sudden announcement froze her in place.
“1 MILLION!!!”
“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!! 1 MILLION GEMS FROM OUR DEAR OLD VIP, THE GOLDKEEPER, MR. BOSEMAN!!!” the announcer shouted with overwhelming enthusiasm.
“1 million?” Clara couldn’t believe what she had just heard. The Goldkeeper himself was willing to spend a million gems on a gamble for a fairly old-looking relic? She couldn’t fathom what was going on.
‘This wasn’t reality, right?’
The room fell silent, the gravity of the bid sinking in.
All eyes turned towards Boseman’s balcony, where he sat with a calm, almost indifferent expression.
‘There was no way, right?’
Boseman was not known for his impulsiveness. If he was willing to throw down a million gems, it meant the item held immense value.
“Going twice!”
“SOLD!!!!”
But the actions down below were all too real. The crowd, equally as confused as Clara, erupted into applause, a mix of enthusiasm and bewilderment in their clapping. In the end, all her effort had come to naught.
Clara sank back into her seat, her mind racing. What had she missed? Was there something about the cauldron that even she, with all her knowledge and experience, had overlooked?
She watched as Boseman’s calm demeanor contrasted sharply with the chaos his bid had created.
—-
After the sudden earthquake ended moments after it began, the crowd hustled up in strange murmurs and conversations, trying to decipher what had just happened.
There were cracks forming from a certain balcony above, and a sudden tension of mana resonating in the air.
Was this not an earthquake but an attack? The uncertainty rippled through the room like a tangible force.
I started to wonder but… anyway, I’m a bit grateful. Because of the sudden shake, the poison lingering around me seemed to have dissipated.
I could feel my strength slowly returning, but even still, the dizziness and the searing anger inside me lingered more than expected. In the end, who was the one responsible for all of this?
As I stood there, trying to regain my composure, I caught sight of Clara. She was looking around, clearly just as puzzled as everyone else. Her confident smirk had disappeared, replaced by a frown of confusion. It seemed even she didn’t have all the answers this time.
Was it the terrorists’ remnants?
No…. that couldn’t be the case.
General Auvin and what little remained of his men should still be hiding. A manhunt was still underway for all of them at the academy, and besides, the man only targeted nobles.
There were a bunch of commoners here. Killing them off would put their cause in jeopardy.
It wasn’t until the very end of the semester when they would show up again and cause a ruckus upon the whole school. So, until Act 1, Chapters 4 and 5 arrive, any notion of the terrorists is invalid.
Although changes can happen because of my interference, the story was still following its predetermined path.
“Riley, are you okay now?” Seo asked once more, tapping my back gently while holding my other arm. Seriously, this beautiful girl was bad for my heart.
“Yeah, I’m fine…” Even though my reasons for inviting her today were rather selfish, and now here I was ruining the overall vibe she came here for just because of the randomness and my bad luck. It seems to be getting me into more trouble than expected. Now what’s next? “500,000 Gems!!!!” the announcer shouted into his magical mic, staring directly at me. This guy was being too obvious now.
But I’m sorry, I won’t fight back anymore. Clara can have the cauldron for all I care. Right now, I just wanted to relax. My body felt too tired.
Looking at the triumphant Clara, she smirked at me before turning her attention back to the
stage.
In the end, we accomplished nothing here, huh? Although I could still stay and hope to find something that might interest me or be beneficial in the future, seeing Seo distressed and concerned as she kept glancing at me made me reconsider. It was time to stop for the day. Although the cauldron was a miss and disappointing, giving up on it now was the right choice. Especially with that price tag on it, I couldn’t afford it, and it wasn’t like it was the only way
for me to level up anyway.
There were still a couple of days left until the duo exams, and there were a couple of different monster sites and dungeons near the academy that I was already planning on visiting, so leveling up and getting stronger wasn’t exactly a problem.
Though I still wish I could have the cauldron to make use of the items I just bought a few days ago, I guess I’ll have to be satisfied with something like this for now.
By the start of Act 2, the second semester will begin, and there will be a whole bunch of OP items coming up in the auction during that time, so my goals right now have increased:
[Get stronger.]
[Secure enough money.]
Getting money through monster hunts and mission completion would be beneficial, but I
know it wasn’t going to be that easy. Besides, other ways of getting money were already being
planned out in my brain,
So I should ignore it for now.
Clomping down on my chair, I waited for the auctioneer to be done with it, waiting for my cue
to leave the auction house. But then…
“1 million gems!”
Somebody just offered a million gems for such a basic-looking cauldron. Almost immediately, everyone’s eyes, including my own, looked at a certain balcony above us.
There was a man who seemed to have just arrived in his balcony.
He sat back down, looking at all of us with an indifferent gaze. Well, that was until his eyes
landed on me.
With a small wink at me, he proceeded to put his attention back on the auction.
I don’t know what the hell he was trying to convey with that, but why the hell would you wink
at a stranger?
My mind raced with questions. Was he trying to signal something? Was there some hidden message or connection I was missing? Or was he just trying to mess with me?
The whole situation felt surreal. Here I was, struggling to figure out my next steps, and now I had this enigmatic stranger seemingly trying to communicate with me in the oddest way
possible.
When Seo and I finally emerged from the auction hall, we walked with light, bitter steps, the weight of disappointment settling over me like a heavy cloak. I realized I had gained nothing
from the day’s events.
“Did you really want that cauldron, Riley?” Seo asked curiously as we found ourselves a bench nearby to sit and gather our thoughts.
“No, not exactly…” I answered honestly, relieved that she seemed satisfied with my response.
She reached out and grabbed hold of my right hand, a gesture that had become almost routine after spending a week together.
At first, the touch of her smooth, silky hands would send a rush of warmth through me, but
now it was almost second nature.
Was this what happened with time and exposure?
‘Well, it was quite nice…’
Although we had arrived during the bustling activity of high noon, now the sky was beginning
to turn a golden orange hue as the sun dipped towards the horizon.
It was a shame that the academy wasn’t near a beach; witnessing a majestic sunset would have been a beautiful addition to this romance fantasy world we found ourselves in. Remembering the intricate backgrounds of the games I had played, I felt a renewed desire to
explore this world further.
‘Maybe I should travel around once I achieve my desired ending?’
Tomorrow marks the end of the week a Sunday and the day of the goddess, meaning the academy would surely be as busy, if not even busier, than it was today.
This realization left me with little to no option but to be discreet about clearing up dungeons
in random places here inside the academy. Though it was a shame, I could still visit them during my weekdays, just after classes.
If those dungeons were still not cleaned up by then, I better go there myself.
No matter what, I must make sure to grind as fast and as safely as possible.
[Kobold’s Cave]
[Orc’s Village]
[The Forest Helper]
[A Kindred]
Right outside the academy, there were three open missions upon which anyone could embark.
Looking at the list, memories of the grievances and annoyances I felt during my time as a noob, when I didn’t know about all of these experience hot spots, came to resurface. Right then, I was really glad for the knowledge and experience I had gained since those early
days.
It was time to put that knowledge to good use and make the most out of every opportunity that presented itself.
Of the four missions possible, only three of them could be finished by me solo.
The first mission and the second one seemed manageable, while the third and fourth options were rather death traps that would surely get me killed.
So, for tomorrow, maybe I should head to the Kobold’s Cave.
Those little dog like critters were not much different from goblins, so they were very doable
even if they gang up on me right now.
‘I guess I better start buying some knives then…. maybe at that old man’s place for reassured
quality?’
Since kobolds were little tiny people with dog-like features who lives in the most narrow
caves you can think of, swinging a sword and using a spear would be downright stupid when it comes to dungeons like that.
It would be wiser to use the bow, if not even better, fire magic on the cave bastards. Getting up from the bench.
“Let-“I was about to gesture to Seo that we should go now, but then a voice called out to
me.
“Young Master Riley, I believe?” An old-looking yet greatly well-groomed and handsome butler suddenly appeared right beside us.
WTF?
I couldn’t even hear him coming, let alone notice his presence.
Even Seo tilted her head for a moment surprised by the butler’s sudden appearance, before
making an understanding expression just by looking at his feet.
What was up with martial artists always understanding random stuff, just by looking at one’s
physique alone?
“Master Boseman wants to meet you. If you’re not too busy, would you care to join us? Of
course, the beautiful lady in your hands is invited as well,” he said, his voice carrying a tone of
respect and invitation as he gestured behind him.
My eyes followed his gesture, and I saw a rather grand and luxurious carriage with Boseman
inside, waving at me with a warm smile.
What the heck was going on right now?
The sudden invitation caught me off guard, and I exchanged a puzzled glance with Seo.
Was this some sort of prank or a misunderstanding?
But the butler’s demeanor seemed sincere, and the sight of the opulent carriage spoke
volumes about the seriousness of the invitation.