Hyun-soo received a B-grade quest to meet the Lord.
However, one must not think lightly of it just because it’s B-grade.
‘This is a connected quest.’
Depending on the situation, quests continue to connect and progress.
If one reaches the end of the connected quests, there’s a high probability that the quest grade will change.
‘There’s no reason for me to refuse.’
Moreover, Hyun-soo had to restore the old and rusted armor of the Light Sovereign anyway.
“I’ll do it.”
Soon, Rellson handed a recommendation letter to Hyun-soo.
“Safe travels, genius blacksmith.”
After greeting Rellson, Hyun-soo moved on.
A little while after he started walking, Hyun-soo entered the beginners’ village.
In this beginners’ village, players learn how to do various quests.
It’s essentially the final tutorial.
However, most people don’t proceed with it and quickly leave the beginner zone.
Hyun-soo spotted the distant Lord’s Castle.
But before heading to the Lord’s Castle, there was something he definitely had to do.
‘The urgent fire has been put out, but…’
Tomorrow, the VVIP capsule will arrive.
And Hyun-soo’s goal was not only to enjoy the game but also to make money.
Hyun-soo needed money to erase his burn scars.
‘For food, rent, gas bills, this month’s treatment costs…’
Excluding his father’s hospital bills, he needed at least 3 million won a month.
It was now certain that he could make money here, but the road ahead was long.
‘I need to earn at least 100,000 won a day in the game.’
Therefore, Hyun-soo considered using the ‘Auction Board’ available in the beginners’ village.
Through the auction board, a user can trade what they want to sell or buy.
‘My first sale.’
Hyun-soo’s heart fluttered strangely.
This was an easy way to most accurately gauge the value of an artifact he made here.
‘The first sword I made in this game.’
Hyun-soo pulled out his first sword from his inventory and smirked.
Before selling, he checked the market price of such artifacts.
“Between 70 to 120 gold?”
That’s about 70,000 to 120,000 won.
The value was lower than Hyun-soo expected.
He soon understood why.
‘It’s too low-level.’
In fact, in Ares, players level up the fastest from levels 1 to 30.
Those who level up by eating can reach that level in a week.
After checking the market price, he started the auction.
[Please set a seller’s name.]
Another good thing about the auction board is that complete anonymity is possible. You can set a different name from your character.
“Hyun’s Forge.”
[Hyun’s Forge’s booth is now created for the first time.]
[You can use the auction board anytime, anywhere.]
[Please list your auction item.]
He wrote the sales post.
[Hyun’s (現) First Sword.]
Description: It has no level restriction, so it seems suitable for beginners to use without any problems.
An alert appeared as he wrote the post.
[Please set a starting bid.]
“Maybe about 100 gold?”
100 gold has the cash value of 100,000 won.
Considering various conditions, this seemed about right.
If it’s more valuable, bidders will compete and the price will rise.
[The auction starts at 100 gold.]
“I hope it sells well.”
Hyun-soo checked various aspects of the auction system.
‘It’s quite unique.’
The Ares auction system has its special features.
There’s also a seller subscription system.
The seller subscription system allows you to subscribe to a specific seller and get alerts whenever that seller posts something.
‘Usually, there are about 10 level-100 blacksmiths.’
There are many blacksmiths and many items to sell.
Therefore, the more subscribers you have, the more famous you can be considered.
Additionally, people could comment under the posted items.
[Ji-hoon: Hyun-soo, let’s eat and then play the game.]
[Hyun-soo: Okay.]
Hyun-soo logged out before going to the Lord’s Castle.
***
Blam was a member of the Golden Hammer, a fairly well-known blacksmith guild in Korea.
Golden Hammer would craft artifacts and then sell or auction them off, later buying them back for dismantling and repair, and then reselling them.
They also took commissions.
These commissions were from politicians who wanted to play the game, or from the wealthy, or just people with some money to spend.
They were busy and had no time for gaming.
Yet, they still wanted to start off better than others in the early stages.
In Blam’s case, being a less significant person in the guild, he only took commissions from small and medium business owners or those who used to be ‘whales’ in games and wanted to spend money in this one.
Recently, Blam received such a commission from a small business owner.
‘-I don’t have time to play the game, but I still want to start off a bit more special than others.’
Blam, browsing the auction board, entered the ‘1~50 Level Artifacts’ board.
It’s essentially the board with the least transactions.
Upon entering, he saw a sword that was ranked ‘Today’s Top New Artifact.’
“Hmm, quite a lot of comments for a 1~50 level auction item. Why is that?”
With a puzzled expression, Blam clicked on the item to check its information.
(Hyun’s First Sword)
Grade: Rare
Durability: 1,000/1,000
Attack Power: 36
Limit: Level 1-30.
Special Abilities:
· Strength +2, Agility +1.
· Active Skill: Quick Draw.
Description: The best sword a level 1 player can use, made from the most basic materials.
“……?”
Blam tilted his head in confusion.
‘Who is this blacksmith named Hyun?’
One thing was certain; it wasn’t an NPC.
He first checked the current bidding price.
[Auction starting price: 100 gold.]
[Current bid: 214 gold.]
“……?”
The amount was quite high for an artifact in the beginner zone.
Blam checked the comments.
[Wow, a level 1 sword for 214 gold? These guys are crazy lol, they have no brains.]
[You’re paying 200,000 won for a sword you can’t use after level 30? Crazy~]
[So many rich kids in our country lololol.]
[Aren’t these kind of rare swords common… from quests or given by NPCs?]
After scrutinizing the item information again, Blam’s eyes widened.
“That’s because you guys are ignorant.”
It’s not about the external appearance.
Blam’s heart was racing.
‘I have to buy this.’
As he thought this, the small business owner’s commission left his mind.
Meanwhile, the bid was still increasing.
[Current bid: 228 gold.]
[Current bid: 236 gold.]
‘Is this attracting attention from other blacksmith guilds?’
Blam hurriedly messaged the vice guild master.
[Blam: Vice Master, how much should I bid for this?]
[Kay: What’s this?]
[Blam: An artifact on the auction board.]
[Kay: Keep following the bid. This is special.]
[Blam: Right?]
[Kay: Wait, I’ll check the board too.]
Soon, the vice master messaged back.
[Kay: The regular kids don’t get it, do they, Blam? You know why this bidding war started, right?]
[Blam: Of course. It says it’s the best sword made from the most basic materials.]
Regular players might just think it’s a special sword obtained by a skilled player.
But looking at each aspect, it’s impressive.
‘The best sword’ implies it’s the first of its kind for that level.
‘Made from basic materials’ means it was crafted from really unimpressive materials.
Artifacts are influenced by the blacksmith’s skill, but greatly by the materials used.
And this one was made from the most basic materials.
[Kay: It’ll be insane if enhanced.]
Yes, enhancement.
Ares also has an artifact enhancement system.
And this enhancement follows a universal rule in all games.
‘The more basic the material, the higher the chance of successful enhancement.’
If it’s really made from basic materials, the cost of enhancement is also low.
If enhanced well, it could be useful until level 50.
And so, Blam started to follow the rising bids.
Then, vice guild master Kay messaged again.
[Kay: Blam, the guild master says we must win this bid.]
[Blam: The guild master?]
Surprisingly, the master of the Golden Hammer guild was the 12th ranked blacksmith in Korea.
He usually didn’t bother with such menial tasks.
[Kay: Look at the name.]
[Blam: The name? Why?]
Blam thought about it.
“Hyun’s First Sword… Hyun’s… hmm…?”
Blam quickly sensed something odd.
“First? The first sword he made…?”
Blam’s eyes widened.
“The first sword he ever made is rare!?”
[Blam: Insane…]
[Kay: What does ‘first sword’ imply? It’s a hint that he’ll be selling more artifacts in the future. Who else would put ‘first’ in an artifact’s name? And the reason the guild master says to bid is this.]
In fact, Blam was still questioning why he absolutely had to bid for this item, despite everything considered.
[Kay: Considering its appropriate value, I think it’s worth about 300-400 gold. But think about what happens if this unknown user grows in the future? We would be known for purchasing the first artifact he sold at a high price. Even though there’s no connection between that person and us right now, let’s create a link through this.]
Ah…
Blam understood.
This mysterious blacksmith could turn out to be a goose that lays golden eggs.
Whether by bringing him into the guild or securing deals for his artifacts.
It was about getting closer to him in any way possible.
‘Does the guild master recognize such potential in this person…?’
It was remarkable that a beginner blacksmith had already caught the eye of the 12th ranked blacksmith.
Slowly but steadily, the bid continued to rise, and Blam kept up.
***
After having lunch with Ji-hoon and logging back in, Hyun-soo reached the vicinity of the Lord’s Castle.
Then.
[Please check the auction board.]
“Hm?”
Hyun-soo, who had turned off comment notifications to avoid distractions, looked puzzled. It seemed that he had left the auction board notifications on.
As far as Hyun-soo knew, there were generally three reasons for an auction board notification: either the bidding time limit had passed, no one had bid so the system was suggesting to lower the price significantly, or a high bid had been placed and it was advising to check it out.
‘Ah, please…’
Hyun-soo had wondered if the first sword he ever made in the game was worthless.
Thinking back, that day was the first time in a long while that Hyun-soo had wielded a hammer. Moreover, it was an artifact he made right after starting the game. Literally just whipped it up.
Hyun-soo opened the auction board and closed his eyes tightly.
He slowly opened his eyes and let out a gasp of astonishment.
“Wow…?”
Cliche Novel 