Chapter 140- The Epic Rank Item.

Chapter 140: Chapter 140- The Epic Rank Item.

[Current Highest Bid: 90G]

One hundred gold.

One hundred twenty.

...

...

...

One hundred seventy gold.

Aria figured that number was already high enough, and was probably close to the final price this particular lot would land at.

"Alright, one hundred and seventy gold, goin—"

She didn’t even finish get to finish her word before the number jumped to one hundred eighty.

"So — does anyone want to push it higher?" Aria asked, smiling.

As though in direct answer, the bid shifted again.

One hundred eighty-five gold.

She waited, but nothing more came in. "I believe we have our winner. One hundred eighty-five gold, going once..."

"Going Twice..."

...

"Going Thrice."

"SOLD."

"Congratulations to the winning bidder on the Frostbite Edge."

The bidding rolled on from there.

Every subsequent item crossed the hundred-gold threshold at minimum.

The third Rare-rank item, a shield, sold for one hundred eight gold.

The fourth, a piece of armor, went for a flat one hundred gold.

The fifth closed out at one hundred two gold.

The sixth climbed to one hundred twenty-five gold.

The eighth reached one hundred fifty gold.

The ninth also settled at one hundred gold.

Even though every figure was tracked in gold, actual payment ran entirely through USD, which meant nobody was holding back at all.

Comments kept pouring in across chat and forums.

"Are these all forged by NPCs?"

"Where are the ones made by the guild master himself?"

"Wait, how many blacksmiths does this guild even have?"

"Is this really a newly formed guild??"

"They already have two high-rank NPC master blacksmiths? I’ve never heard of any guild having even one."

People kept trading theories and speculation back and forth.

The auction pressed on.

Aria stepped forward. "Ladies and gentlemen."

"We’ve now reached Lot Ten."

The screen shifted, revealing another item, another Rare-rank piece, brought forward for display.

"This," Aria announced, "is the moment I know many of you have been waiting for. From this point forward, Lots Ten, Eleven, and Twelve are all pieces forged personally by our guild leader — Leo Stone. Every one of them is Rare rank, at Flawless quality or better."

The tenth item was a sword, which ultimately sold for one hundred forty gold.

The eleventh was a piece of armor, closing out at one hundred seventy gold.

And for the twelfth item—

Aria once again introduced." The next item is the final rare rank item for today’s Auction, it is very unique and is on par with some epic rank items. It was also forged by our beloved guild master Leo stone."

"Everyone, take a good look at this piece."

An attendant walked up, pushing forward the same style of covered cart, and pulled the cloth away.

It was a shield — round in shape, with a crescent moon carved into its very center. Everywhere else on its surface ran deep, unbroken dark, nearly two handspans across in size. The dark black was so complete that staring at it too long felt oddly like staring into the depths of night itself. The shield rested on a slowly rotating stand, letting viewers take in every angle, including the inner face. In contrast with the outer surface the inner surface of the shield bore a spiraling flame pattern directly inched to the metal. The whole Shield appeared to be forged from Blackstone ore except for the Rim which were lined with dark steel.

The item’s full details appeared on screen.

[Unbroken]

[Rank: Rare]

[Quality: Master]

[Type: Soulbound Tower Shield]

[Attributes:]

DEF +820, VIT +50, Magical DEF +380

Durability: 600/600

[Effect 1: Self-Repair]

Durability regenerates by 2 per second while in a resting state, until fully restored.

[Effect 2: Soul Bound]

Once bound to a soul, cannot be dropped on death, or traded.

(Hidden from bidders)

[Active Skill 1: Grounding Bulwark]

[Description: Plant the shield and lock its edge into the ground for 6 seconds, granting +60% DEF and total immunity to knockback, stagger, or throw effects. The shield holds its ground even when the wielder cannot. Cooldown: 35s. Mana: 130.]

[Active Skill 2: Reckoning Wave]

[Description: Absorb incoming damage for 4 seconds, then release it in a radial shockwave, dealing 120% of the absorbed damage (capped at 300% ATK) to all enemies within 6 meters. Cooldown: 40s. Mana: 135.]

[Active Skill 3: Soul Bastion]

[Description: Manifest the bound soul’s barrier as a glowing ring around the wielder for 8 seconds, redirecting 25% of damage taken by nearby allies onto the wielder instead. Every absorbed hit charges the shield further, healing the wielder for 2% of max HP once the effect expires. Cooldown: 55s. Mana: 45.]

[Passive Skill: Unbreaking]

[Description: The shield’s durability cannot be reduced by any means. Between strikes, the bound soul quietly mends the metal — the surface never carries so much as a scratch for longer than a single breath.]

Aria explained further. "As everyone can plainly see, this shield is genuinely one of a kind — and I should mention, it comes packed with three active skills and one passive skill. Our guild master has named this piece Unbroken."

"On top of that, as you can see, this shield carries two additional effects. First, a self-repair property tied to durability, which will prove enormously useful during extended hunts. Second, a soul-bound effect — meaning once you bind this shield to yourself, no one else will ever be able to wield it."

"This marks the final Rare-rank item of today’s auction."

The screen behind her shifted once more.

[Starting Bid: 200 Gold Coins]

She smiled and announced, "Let’s begin the bidding."

The bidding war ignited almost immediately.

Two hundred fifty gold coins.

Three hundred gold coins.

Four hundred gold coins.

Four hundred ten gold coins.

Climbing steadily all the way up to five hundred gold coins.

Aria looked at the sum and even she couldn’t help but be stunned at such an ridiculously high price tag. But she kept her composer and when the bidding started to Level out, she started the countdown slowly .

"Alright — does anyone want to push it higher?"

No changes...

"Okay. Five hundred gold coins, going once."

"...Going twice."

"...Going—"

Another bid landed.

Five hundred fifty gold coins.

"We now have five hundred fifty. Do I hear see hundred?"

"Anyone?"

"Five hundred fifty, going once—"

Six hundred gold coins.

"Alright, we now have six hundred gold coins."

"Six hundred, going once..."

"...twice... and three times."

"Sold!"

"Congratulations to the winning bidder, on securing this masterwork shield."

"Everyone, this officially closes out our Rare-rank auction segment. Now we move into the main event — the one, I suspect, most of you have truly been waiting for."

"The Epic-rank item auction."

"Shall we begin?"

The big screen zoomed in on a table holding a single item, draped beneath silk cloth.

"Shall we finally unveil our first Epic-rank item?"

The internet exploded at once. Every player, every guild, buzzing with excitement, flooding forums with feverish commentary.

"How many Epic-rank items are there going to be??"

"How much do you think these will even sell for? A Rare-rank piece already hit six hundred gold — Epic rank’s got to be pushing a thousand, right?"

Speculation and chatter kept mounting everywhere at once.

Aria once again stood in front of the big scree and drew everyone’s attention.

"Now then — shall we finally see what our first Epic-rank item really is?"

On the big screen, the attendant slowly lifted the covering cloth with a small, deliberate flourish.

It was a sword — resting horizontally inside a long black display case.

Even filtered through the broadcast, everyone watching could feel the regal aura radiating off it.

The blade shone silver-dark, a violet-blue sheen running steadily along its edge — a long, single-edged blade. Thin spiral channels ran from near the hilt, tracing the spine of the blade all the way to the tip, carrying the faint pulse of lightning within them. The sword hummed steadily with a low electric buzz, arcs dancing occasionally along its surface. Resting on the table, it looked plain and dark but the glow on the edge and the constant hum never stopped. It was like staring at a sword that was alive.

Aria gestured, and the sword’s details filled the screen.

[Storm Breaker — Lightning Sword]

[Rank: Epic]

[Quality: Flawless]

[Type: Lightning Sword]

[Attributes:]

STR +150, AGI +100, Lightning Affinity +80

Damage: 218–276

Durability: 120/120

[Effect 1: Self-Repair]

Durability regenerates by 2 per second while in a resting state, until fully restored.

[Effect 2: Soul Bound]

Once bound to a soul, cannot be dropped on death, or traded.

(Hidden from bidders)

[Active Skill: Violet Tempest]

[Description: Unleash stored lightning in a sweeping crescent slash, dealing 240% ATK lightning damage. Enemies struck are briefly paralyzed (0.8s stun). Cooldown: 25s. Mana: 140.]

[Active Skill: Storm Rush]

[Description: Sheathe yourself in lightning and dash up to 10 meters forward, leaving a charged trail behind that shocks enemies for 60% ATK lightning damage. Cooldown: 18s. Mana: 125.]

[Passive Skill: Thunderbound Core]

[Description: Every landed hit builds one Charge, up to a maximum of five. At maximum charge, the blade crackles visibly, and your next skill deals an additional 35% lightning damage. Charges fade after 6 seconds without landing a hit.]

[Passive Skill: Ground, Not Grounded]

[Description: Every attack feeds a small portion of its lightning back into the sword itself, restoring 3 mana per strike while enemies remain within range.]

[Effect: Storm Authority]

[Description: While wielded, the blade hums with a low, steady vibration, arcs crawling across its surface every few seconds. Lightning-attribute skills cost 15% less mana while wielding this blade, and deal 10% bonus damage.]

Aria continued. "This is an Epic-rank sword carrying full lightning attribute — and let me add, it comes equipped with two active skills, two passive skills, a full authority effect, and two additional bonus effects layered on top."

"And this piece, too, was forged personally by our very own guild master, Leo."

"Shall we begin the bidding?"

...