"Changing prices on a whim? Orgod, do you still have any credibility left?" Davis slammed his hand on the table, shouting angrily.
"Are you messing with me?" Jungle Maniac gritted his teeth, clearly upset. He had limited funds and was now being played.
"Baka yarou... (idiot)" A UJ district player, who had been quietly sitting in the corner, was about to shout when—
A well-dressed woman waved her hand and stopped him, shaking her head at Yamamoto. "That's not the purpose of this trip. Don't get involved."
"Anyone with an issue can leave now," Orson said flatly, his expression cold, like a soulless coin-collecting machine.
"It can start now."
Orson gave a quick glance at the woman, Ishinaka, who nodded politely. Without much thought, he turned back, looking for "Naoko's arm" to pull her closer. But, oddly, Naoko didn't follow him this time.
He hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. What a useless woman! She'd been clinging to him constantly, and now when he needed her, she wasn't there. Definitely a negative review.
"Starting bid: 4 million gold. This is a rare in-game item, which—" The auctioneer began reciting the description, but the atmosphere in the room was off. The players looked at each other awkwardly. Forty people, all vying for just a single clue. Most of them thought it wasn't worth it.
Even though the Dragon's Kiss Guild's top players weren't short on cash, no one thought it was worth the starting price.
"4.1 million gold," Kanting called out smoothly, his smile still soft as ever.
He turned to Orson, nodding politely. "Take good care of my friend. Thank you."
"Oh my god! What kind of organization is Sword Soul Guild? They're loaded!" Ivy exclaimed in awe.
"They're backed by the Holy See," Usher responded coolly.
"Ah? The tiny country we see on TV?" Skyslasher blinked, shocked.
Usher didn't speak further. The Holy See had a population under 100,000, but it boasted the most followers worldwide. Many top global tycoons funded them. Unless a superpower intervened, no private individual or group could compete in wealth.
Of course, Sword Soul Guild was just a tool to spread the "word," so not all their funds were funneled there.
Orson found it odd. The connection between Kanting and James seemed beyond usual. Kanting was willing to spend this much not just for the secret scroll but as a favor, probably to avoid a dull auction.
"4.5 million gold," Pokpung suddenly raised the bid, shattering the quiet. This caught even Kanting off guard.
Orson narrowed his eyes, noticing that earlier Usher had only offered 3.2 million, but now Pokpung was going all out.
"Interesting," Orson smiled but said nothing as he walked back to his VIP room, ready to watch the show.
Demon Emperor's face lit up with a playful grin, and Slaughter Spree immediately joined in. "5 million gold! Come on, hit me back, stick with it, you trash!"
"5.5 million gold!" Pokpung snorted, continuing the escalation. The other big players around looked stunned. This was way over the top!
Slaughter Spree raised an eyebrow, laughing maliciously. "5.51 million gold!"
The auctioneer awkwardly cleared his throat. "Sir, the minimum bid increment is 100,000 gold."
"Then 5.6 million. Come on, hit me again!" Slaughter Spree laughed in their faces, clearly enjoying how irritated the NUK players were becoming.
"6 million gold. I'll add 100,000 each time the US bids!" Pokpung growled coldly.
Madman and Bradley exchanged glances, eyes wide. Were these NUK players seriously playing with their money?
"This is insane, it's like they're just throwing away gold!" Madman muttered, his eyes tracking the incredible rise in bids.
"Do you realize? If you can't come up with this much, you won't be leaving this room." Demon Emperor's voice turned chilling as he stared down Pokpung.
"Is that something you should worry about? If you can't keep up, just get lost!" Pokpung sneered.
Demon Emperor didn't reply, merely watching with amusement.
With a sharp cry, the hammer fell. "6 million gold, sold!"
Strategic Trickster's brow furrowed. Something felt off. Lowering his voice, he turned to Usher, "The divine item—get it and leave immediately."
The auction continued without incident, with players bidding on various items. The process was uneventful, with most focusing on what they needed, while some people tried to stir things up but didn't want to spend too much money.
The most expensive "divine item" went for 2.8 million gold, and Usher walked away with it easily.
"Next up: item transfer. Please prepare for delivery."
Staff brought out the prepared game helmets.
"I need to interrupt. If I'm not mistaken, there was still a divine item that hasn't shown up?" Ishinaka suddenly spoke up.
"You mean the Broken True Sutra Mirror?" Orson smiled at her. Ishinaka, though young, looked very composed, with impeccable makeup and the poise of someone in their early thirties. She spoke with a calm tone that made her words feel weighty.
Ishinaka nodded, and Orson grinned, "Not for sale anymore."
Yamamoto, glaring with a sinister smile, retorted, "Not for sale? Just like that? How dare you claim to be the best in the world?"
"That's just the ranking given by Infinite Dimensions. I've never claimed it myself," Orson replied indifferently, though a certain woman was pinching his waist painfully.
"Do you think just because it's a divine item from the UJ district, it belongs to you?" Orson scoffed, finding the whole situation amusing.
At this, Madman and Bradley burst out laughing. It was a perfect case of strong-arming, and their opponents couldn't even protest!
Even the auctioneer couldn't hold back, a smile tugging at her lips. "There's indeed no such item. Sorry about that."
Ivy whispered, "Although this kid's methods aren't exactly fair, in this case, he's right."
Skyslasher added, "This guy's pissed off so many people. Doesn't he fear retaliation?"
"He's not worried." Usher's tone was full of fear and suspicion as he looked at Orson. There was an almost unspoken sense of danger.
Both Madman and Skyslasher gave him curious looks.
Usher wiped his forehead, his face pale as he murmured, "I feel like… he could kill us all in an instant."
"Wait, does he have a bomb planted in this building?" Skyslasher asked in shock.
Strategic Trickster frowned and shook his head. "Impossible. If he wanted to take us all out, he wouldn't be here himself."
"It's fine, Mr. Lin. You're the one in charge. Don't regret it," Ishinaka said coldly. With no further gain from the auction, the top three guilds of the UJ district were the first to leave.
Orson sat down in his game capsule, logging into Infinite Dimensions and started collecting the money.
"Ding dong…" "You have received a new message." "You have earned 3 million gold!" "You have earned 3.2 million gold!"
The gold in his inventory surged rapidly. As agreed, Orson sent the items to Usher, pocketing 11 million gold in pure profit!
Other regions' gold started flooding in, and soon his total reached 20 million gold.
The speed of earning was unreal.
"Black on black really is the quickest way to make money," Orson murmured to himself. "Titan Council" instances, here I come. Gonna make billions in gold!
Global Announcement:
"US District Orgod has sent a gift to NR District Kanting: ss-level Career Awakening Scroll!"
Global Announcement:
"US District…"
Just as he sent his third "gift," a flash of red light filled his screen.
There was a loud bang as the interface shattered, revealing the real-world scene!
Someone had violently smashed his game capsule, and in a flash, Orson was forcibly logged out of the game!
Opening his eyes, he found a gun barrel aimed at his face.
"Get down, US scum! Don't move if you want to live!" The man yelled, tossing him a game helmet, ordering him to put it on.
"Son of a—!" Orson didn't reach for it. Seeing Madman and another large man wrestling nearby, Naoko screamed in horror.
"Orson!"
Bradley roared, rushing to try and knock the bodyguard down.
Although Bradley was large, the bodyguard was a professional killer, grabbing Bradley by the hair and smashing him into the game capsule.
"Orgod, this is the consequence of crossing me! Hand over all the gold, items, and Soul Seal!" Pokpung sauntered into the room, smirking at Orson, who was clearly outmatched.
Her men, all armed, had taken control of everyone in the room after Orson and the others entered the game.
Orson, however, remained calm. His lips barely moved as he muttered, "Explosive Fireball…"
"What did
you say?" Pokpung furrowed her brows, stepping closer to hear clearly.
Orson raised his hand, aimed at the gunman, and repeated, "Explosive Fireball."