ALL NOVEL Chapter 46
Chapter 46
『To enter the chat room, you need 2,000 points.』
『Would you like to pay the points and enter?』
It was a room with an entrance fee. The cost was worth 2 levels.
“Yes.”
Jaehyuk nodded. ‘I can’t afford to hesitate and miss the opportunity.’
〈Resource Consumption Reduction Artifact for Sale. Auction(18/20)〉
Only two spots remained before the chat room was full.
Swoosh!
Jaehyuk pressed the enter button and felt a light dizziness.
The community was a space where the mind, rather than the body, resided.
The form of the mind was similar to the physical body, but conceptually, it was closer to a spirit.
His mind swiftly soared, piercing through the ceiling.
The dormitory building quickly disappeared from view, and when the panoramic view of the Lion’s Castle came into full view from high up, flash! Intense light exploded, and Jaehyuk’s vision blacked out.
“…”
When he opened his eyes, it was an unfamiliar space. A living room of an old mansion, tinged with the passage of time. Twenty chairs were neatly arranged in the center.
“You look like a newbie, standing there awkwardly.”
“What kind of newbie would spend 2,000 points just to join an auction?”
“True. But why does that guy look so clueless? Haha! He’ll probably die young.”
A burly man, who had been watching Jaehyuk quietly observing his surroundings, began to hurl spiteful comments without any hesitation. He, too, wore a mask like Jaehyuk.
‘That’s the downside of anonymity.’
As long as players set their information to private, the community guaranteed absolute anonymity. It wasn’t an environment where one could expect courtesy or common sense.
Assessing the situation and finding an empty seat, he pondered curiously, ‘Is anonymity truly guaranteed?’
The masks that people wore varied widely.
Most masks anthropomorphized animals or objects, differing significantly in color and design.
For example, even if it was a rabbit mask, one person might wear an eye patch on one side, while another’s ear might be bent.
‘Who knows what they do in reality, but at least their masks are memorable and identifiable.’
One person sitting next to him started a conversation, “You seem quite frugal. Why do you stick to the basic model for your mask when decorating materials don’t cost much?”
It seemed that Jaehyuk’s plain mask caught their attention. He thus learned how the masks worked, ‘It’s not determined like fingerprints but can be customized like an avatar.’
“Isn’t it inconvenient? If you go to a regular chat room without an entrance fee looking like that, they’ll perceive you as a newbie and ostracize you.”
The person with him, who had only attached a single feather to his basic mask, said. “You should talk.”
Jaehyuk replied nonchalantly, his modified voice growling like a wild beast. The man’s eyes twinkled with intrigue.
Just then, a system message announced the 20th person’s entrance into the chat room.
The participants, who had been persistently examining every corner trying to deduce the identity of the room leader, started quietly taking their places.
Among them, a woman wearing a tiger mask and a gentleman wearing a fedora mask made Jaehyuk’s heart skip a beat.
‘Do the abilities of top-tier players in reality get reflected in their avatars?’
The atmosphere they exuded was overwhelming. It rarefied, even for the ever-confident Jaehyuk, who believed that hard work paid off.
The man with the feathered mask clicked his tongue. “You seem bothered by them too. If they want to be treated well, they should show their faces instead of cowardly wearing masks like us and paying 10,000 points to drink the Potion of Projection.”
‘Potion of Projection?’
From the context of the conversation, it seemed to be an item that applied real-life abilities to the avatar.
Jaehyuk agreed with him.
Since combat wasn’t possible in a community where only consciousness was transferred, what was the point of spending 10,000 points to flaunt one’s strength?
“Thank you for participating in the auction.”
Once everyone was seated, the host appeared. She wore a fox mask and was dressed in a backless red dress.
“Since everyone is busy, let’s proceed with the auction without wasting time.”
She revealed a beautiful white bracelet.
“As stated in the auction title, it’s an item that reduces resource consumption by 20%.”
“20%?”
“That’s insane.”
People who depended on various resources, such as martial arts energy, vigor, sacred energy, or dark power instead of mana due to their jobs or skills, existed.
An item reducing resource consumption was far more valuable than one that merely specified mana or a particular resource.
It applied its effect regardless of the resource used.
Even more so, with a reduction of 20%? The crowd’s reaction was intense.
“Seems like I’m already short on budget….”
People began worrying about the bid price in earnest, and Jaehyuk even furrowed his brow.
‘Is there a problem with the item?’
If that bracelet was as valuable as it seemed, the host would have explicitly stated in the auction title that it reduces ‘resource consumption by 20%’ to attract the attention of top-tier players with many points.
‘The entrance fee would’ve been much higher.’
“This item has flaws.”
The man with the feather mask shared the same opinion as Jaehyuk. The host shared the item’s information.
〈White Snake’s Bracelet〉
Grade: Legendary
When worn, reduces the consumption of all resources by 20%.
However, upon activation, the wearer receives the 〈Curse of the Dead Snake〉.
〈Curse of the Dead Snake〉
Causes one of the following: Poisoning, Blindness, Paralysis, or Partial Necrosis.
“This is bullshit!”
“They charged an entrance fee to sell a cursed item?”
People who checked the bracelet’s details began cursing. Some even threw chairs.
The man with the feather mask chuckled bitterly. “We’ve been well-scammed.”
‘Well.’
Jaehyuk couldn’t agree with the scammer comment.
『A knight’s mind is firmly trained, resisting most status abnormalities and enduring pain well.』
With his 〈Noble Chivalry〉 skill, status abnormalities weren’t a big hindrance for him.
Surely, there would be others like him?
However, such people weren’t common enough that one out of twenty could possess them.
Perhaps there were merely a handful of individuals around the globe with such abilities.
If such people were commonplace, the host would have known.
Rather than hiding the item’s information, they would’ve actively advertised and sold it.
‘In this auction, I’m the most advantageous one.’
“The bidding starts at 40,000 points.”
The host, observing the auction participants’ reactions, spoke with a tone tinged with regret.
The fact that she had to sell a legendary item, obtained after struggling through an S-rank quest, for a low price made her feel gloomy.
‘Of all things, why did the legendary item have to turn out like this?’
The system activated.
『The auction for the 〈White Snake’s Bracelet〉 begins. The minimum bid is 40,000.』
“She’s completely crazy.”
“Who would buy a cursed item for 40,000 points?”
“What are you waiting for? Let’s get out of here.”
People stood up hastily. They intended to use the rule that if no one bid on the auction, their entrance fee would be refunded.
Jaehyuk stayed seated and pondered.
‘It’s not a White Snake’s Curse, but a Dead Snake’s Curse.’
The weakening of the curse should make it manageable. And even if it wasn’t bearable, that was fine.
As the level of his Noble Chivalry skill increased, circumstances would change. Just as Jaehyuk was about to bid, the man with the feathered mask beat him to it.
“40,000,” he bid.
Despite calling the host a scammer, he was the first to raise his hand.
As Jaehyuk stared intently at him, the man spoke with significance, “There might be people who don’t care about curses. If you can buy it cheaply and resell it to them, you’ll make a vast profit.”
“…”
“Haha, just kidding. No matter how wide the world, such an ignorant person won’t exist.”
The previously heavy voice of the feathered masked man turned cheerful again.
“Poisoning, Blindness, or necrosis can be resolved with antidotes and potions, albeit cumbersome. If you only wear it when using high-consumption ultimate skills, it might be usable. Though if you get unlucky and end up paralyzed, you’d regret it tearfully.”
The atmosphere was fluttering. A few people quietly raised their hands.
“40,500”
“41,500”
“42,000”
The woman in the tiger mask and the gentleman with the fedora mask entered the competition.
They weren’t raising the bids steeply, suggesting they still doubted the item’s value. Having to ingest antidotes or potions after each usage was a massive burden.
‘Drinking a potion during a tense battle is no mean feat.’
Above all, Paralysis was the issue. If paralyzed, you couldn’t consume potions, even if you wanted to.
“45,000”
The man with the feathered mask raised the bid in one go.
Most people groaned, backing out.
“45,500”
While maintaining her pace, the woman in the tiger mask continued.
“If only it wasn’t for the paralysis.”
The gentleman with the fedora mask clicked his tongue, giving up on bidding.
“50,000”
“…”
With the man with the feathered mask reopening the bidding, the woman in the tiger mask also fell silent.
“I think I might win…”
“51,000”
“…55,000”
“60,000”
“I thought you were frugal, but you seem different, don’t you? 65,000.”
The man with the feathered mask stared at Jaehyuk in disbelief. This time, Jaehyuk shrugged.
“Right back at you. 70,000.”
A voice reminiscent of a giant beast resounded.
The growling, modified voice of Jaehyuk echoed throughout the room, making the woman in the tiger mask and the gentleman in the fedora mask tremble.
‘A voice modified like that, no way…’
‘Why would someone of that caliber be here at such a place?’
Was the bracelet’s value more significant than anticipated?
They pondered re-entering the auction. However, the bracelet’s bid was climbing to burdensome heights for them.
“73,000”
“80,000”
It was a sum equivalent to purchasing an untouched legendary item.
“Ugh.”
At 80,000, the man with the feathered mask was also deterred.
“You must be rich, collecting money saved from masks? I’ll withdraw.”
Exaggeratingly surrendering, he whispered into Jaehyuk’s ear. “An ignorant person who doesn’t care about curses is here, I see.”
“…”
“The next time I find such a thing, I’ll come looking for you. I assure you I’ll be of great help to you.”
『〈Honest Merchant〉 sends you a friend request.』
『To accept the invitation, please set your community username.』
“The fact that I ‘yielded’ this time is an investment in forming a precious bond, so please accept it as my goodwill.”
The man with the feathered mask shared his points information, indicating his deep knowledge of the community.
‘He’s incredibly knowledgeable, almost like a veteran here.’
Moreover, being a trader, he likely had a variety of information. There wouldn’t be any harm in forming a connection.
‘A username, huh.’
Jaehyuk sought to define himself.
A noble and a knight.
A person who would punish his father’s enemies and resurrect his fallen house.
He was the law, a beacon to some and a terror to others.
‘… Yaksha.’
『Your community username is set as 〈Yaksha〉.』
『You accepted 〈Honest Merchant〉’s friend request.』
“Yaksha? A nostalgic name. Anyway, it’s different from my expectations, so I’m surprised.”
The genuine surprise in the man’s wide eyes seemed real. It seemed he had mistaken Jaehyuk for someone else.
“Well, this turns out better. The world is indeed vast.”
With a wide grin, his body was enveloped in light and gradually disappeared.
Before he knew it, only Jaehyuk and the host were left in the room. It meant Jaehyuk had won the auction.
The look in the host’s eyes as she gazed at him was peculiar.