Five thousand gold. Take it or leave it. Noah's voice was calm, but his tone carried an unshakable finality. To him, this so-called Winds of Velocity set was hardly essential. If push came to shove, he could just buy another mobility skill later. The only reason he even bothered offering was because blood-boosting gear hadn't shown up on the market yet, and this set happened to be here. Getting all five pieces in one place? That was rare enough to tempt him.
Standing outside the office door, the auction manager froze, staring at him in disbelief. Five thousand? For a set worth over a hundred thousand? Is this guy for real? He felt his temples throb. Some of those pieces had been sitting in the vault longer than his entire career. And this level-one lunatic had the audacity to throw out a flea-market price?
After a long pause, the manager forced a smile. "Sir, how about this—I'll contact the sellers and see what they say."
"You've got five minutes," Noah replied without hesitation, arms crossed.
The man darted back inside, muttering curses under his breath.
Five minutes later, he returned, looking conflicted. "The sellers said five thousand is… well, ridiculously low. Could you at least add something to make it reasonable?"
Noah didn't even blink. "Forget it then. Not adding a single coin. You can keep that dusty junk in your vault for another decade if you like." He turned on his heel, leaving the manager blinking in shock.
He'd barely made it a few steps before hurried footsteps followed him. "Wait! Sir!" the manager called, panting slightly. "The sellers agreed! And—they're throwing in three appraisal scrolls as a bonus!"
Noah stopped mid-stride, arching a brow. Free scrolls? That was practically free money—each one cost ten thousand gold on the market. Three meant thirty thousand saved. Now that was more like it. He spun back around with a faint smirk. "Deal."
Back in the office, the manager swiftly processed the transaction. The system screen lit up before Noah's eyes.
[Transaction Completed: 25,000 Gold deducted.]
Once the payment went through, the manager pulled out the three glittering appraisal scrolls and asked, "Would you like me to appraise the equipment now?"
"Go ahead," Noah said, reclining on the sofa with an unhurried air.
The first scroll flared with light, revealing the stats of the gauntlets.
[Darknight Gauntlets (SS): +21 Strength, +12 Intelligence. Part of set: Winds of Velocity.]
The manager's brows furrowed. A matching set piece? Interesting. He picked up the second scroll, muttering under his breath as he used it.
[Darknight Chestplate (SS): +18 Constitution, +15 Spirit. Part of set: Winds of Velocity.]
By now, his mouth had gone dry. What were the odds that two of the unappraised pieces would perfectly match the other gear? He glanced nervously at Noah, but the man just sat there, sipping tea like this was all perfectly normal.
Trying to stay composed, the manager used the last scroll.
[Darknight Legguards (SS): +12 Strength, +16 Agility. Part of set: Winds of Velocity.]
The manager froze, utterly dumbfounded. Three for three. This was no coincidence. Either this level-one player had ungodly luck… or he possessed a terrifyingly rare ability to see through hidden attributes.
Noah rose from his seat, a satisfied grin tugging at his lips. "Looks like my luck's not bad today. Full set—just what I needed. Appreciate the help, boss."
Before the man could say anything, Noah scooped up all five pieces and strolled out the door, leaving the office in chaos. The manager slumped into his chair, half in shock, half in regret. If those pieces had been listed as a full set, their value would've skyrocketed to several times what he'd just sold them for. The auction house had just bled tens of thousands of gold in profit. And all because this mystery player could apparently see through unknown stats.
"A special talent… it has to be," the manager muttered, eyes gleaming with awe and envy. "An S-rank appraisal ability at the very least. That kid is no ordinary player…"
Outside, Noah quickly equipped all five pieces of the Winds of Velocity set. His movement speed doubled instantly, making him feel as light as air. Slipping out of the auction house like a phantom, he made his way toward the central plaza of Asura City.
The system's recent maintenance announcement still lingered in players' minds, but the servers were back online now. If Noah wanted to grind levels, stack health boosts, and take another shot at the historical leaderboard, there was no time to waste.
"Wait, sir!" a voice called again, just as he was stepping into the plaza.
Noah sighed, half-turning. "What now?"
The manager came running after him, holding out a sleek, golden card with both hands, face filled with reverence. "You are one of our most esteemed clients. Please accept this auction house access pass."
Noah blinked. "An access pass? What's the catch?"
The manager explained earnestly, "It's a mark of honor, proof of your strength and status. There's no way to buy one—they're only given to our VIPs. With this pass, you'll have a permanent twenty-percent discount, remote trading access anywhere in the Land of Divine Punishment, and you can contact me personally to handle your transactions. My name's Adam, but you can just call me Al."
Noah's eyes lit up. A privilege money couldn't buy? That was practically a treasure in itself. "And I earned this… how?"
"Our boss has a standing rule: any player with an S-rank talent or higher is considered a VIP of the highest order."
"Oh, I see," Noah said, trying to keep a straight face. S-rank, huh? Not even close, pal. But he wasn't about to correct their "mistake." Instead, he took the card with a calm nod. "I'll accept it, then. Tell your boss I appreciate the gesture."
With the pass safely tucked away, his life in the auction house would be a lot smoother from now on.
Moments later, he reached the plaza's teleportation gate, stepping through in a flash of white light. The world shifted around him, pulling him back to the newbie map.
"Traveler! Welcome to the Land of Divine Punishment!" boomed a rough, guttural voice from above.
Noah froze mid-step, startled. What the…? He glanced up sharply—and blinked in disbelief. The elegant Goddess of Dawn was gone. In her place, a hulking brute with a bushy beard and a massive battle-axe stood on the floating platform, looking utterly unbothered.
"I'm Gorrad," the man grunted lazily. "Not thrilled to be your greeter today."
Noah's mouth twitched. So this is what 'server maintenance' accomplished? Replace a radiant goddess with this walking mountain of hair? Unreal. Clearly, since he'd "borrowed" the goddess, the system had scrambled for a replacement. Talk about a downgrade.
He didn't linger. A shimmer of light whisked him straight to the entrance of the Wolf King Valley dungeon. Dozens of players crowded the area, shouting for party members, their chatter filling the air just like before.
The world chat was in uproar.
"What's going on? The goddess just vanished without warning!"
"Thought I was the only one who got booted. Guess it's universal."
"Bro, for a second I thought she blacklisted me for peeking under her skirt earlier!"
"Faggot, give me back my goddess! Life's meaningless without her."
"Hey, you serious about that? My dad runs a funeral home. Full package service. DM me."
"Looking for an in-game wife. Serious inquiries only."
Noah scanned the messages, shaking his head with a faint smirk before turning his focus to the dungeon gate. Pulling up the historical leaderboard, he noted his new position:
3rd Place: Demon-Slayer (solo) – Time: 5:52 – Rating: SSS
Only two seconds behind second place. Seventeen seconds from first. Close. So close.
A system chime interrupted his thoughts.
[Attention: SSS Talent – Divine Heir – Daily Blessing Activated!]
[You have received 20x Dragon Phoenix Blood.]
Another day, another reward. Noah barely reacted anymore. There'd be time to use it later. Right now, he had only one goal. A flash of white light engulfed him as he entered the dungeon once again, determined to crush every record standing in his way.