If Kael had been there, the sight of that item would have made his blood boil. It was, without a doubt, the prize from the very treasure chest that Nyxar had stolen from him in the Hidden Realm.

  Of all the crafting professions, Blacksmith was by far the most popular. The strength of a major guild was often measured by the level and skill of its master smiths. With tens or even hundreds of thousands of members, it was impossible for everyone to get top-tier dungeon gear. A skilled blacksmith allowed the guild to be self-sufficient, turning member-gathered materials into reliable equipment.

  Normally, crafted gear was a step below dungeon drops. But a top-tier smith could create unique items with special attributes, producing masterpieces that could rival even Ascendant-quality equipment.

  Most players weren't aware of this nuance. But anyone who had truly delved into a Hidden Realm understood the immense value of a Class Advancement letter from a secret manual chest.

  After explaining its background and potential, Elon began the bidding.

  “…Starting at $500,000!”

  “One million.”

  “One and a half million.”

  “Two million.”

  …..

  “Five million, sold!”

  In the end, Gorgon_Viper won the letter for a tidy five million. As he passed the [Van Tassel's Dream] to his guild’s head blacksmith, he received a private message. It was from Magnus.

  Magnus: Viper. If I wasn’t saving my cash for the Bell, you think I’d have let you get that for a steal?

  Gorgon_Viper smiled. Viper: My deepest thanks for your mercy. To show my gratitude, allow me to treat you to a night at the Elysium Club.

  Magnus: Book the whole VIP floor. I’m going all out.

  .....

  Next came the third item, covered by a golden cloth. By now, most of the audience was just waiting for the main event, assuming this was just another appetizer before the Sunfire Bell.

  Elon pulled back the cloth, revealing a small, ornate bell.

  A murmur went through the hall.

  “What’s this bell?”

  “It looks kind of familiar…”

  “The design… it almost looks like…”

  “The Sunfire Bell?!”

  “No way. Is the third item the Sunfire Bell?”

  Elon said nothing, a wry smile on his face as he let the confusion build. He gently lifted the small bell from its pedestal and carefully placed it on the stage floor.

  Whoosh.

  The moment it touched the ground, the bell began to expand. Within seconds, it had grown into a colossal bronze bell, standing over three yards tall.

  “It really is the Sunfire Bell!”

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “If this is the third item, what on earth is the fourth?”

  “Is there something even better than the Sunfire Bell?”

  “Impossible! Even Ascendant gear can’t compare to its utility.”

  Elon watched the explosion of discussion with immense satisfaction. After letting the hype build for a long moment, he finally raised his hands.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, please.”

  The crowd gradually fell silent.

  “I believe this item needs no introduction. This is, indeed, today’s main event—the Sunfire Bell.”

  As he finished speaking, every guild leader in the auction stood up, leaning forward in their private viewing rooms as if to get a better look. Elon watched the thousands of broadcast windows before him, a feeling of pure triumph washing over him. With a wave of his hand, he activated the auction system’s built-in “Trial” function.

  DDDUUUUOOOONNNGGGG!!!

  A deep, resonant chime echoed through the virtual hall. Instantly, a new buff icon appeared for every person present.

  [Voice of the Sunfire Bell]: 1 Stack

  HP +400

  Physical Attack +199

  Magical Attack +159

  Physical Defense +118

  Magical Defense +99

  Skill Effectiveness +3%

  “As you all know,” Elon began, his voice ringing with excitement, “the Sunfire Bell can be struck multiple times to stack its powerful, undispellable buff. Correct?”

  The crowd nodded, their eyes glued to the giant bell.

  Elon ran a hand along its bronze surface. “But what you may not know is… can the Sunfire Bell be upgraded?”

  “What?”

  The question hit the audience like a thunderclap. A 10-stack buff was already 4,000 health and 2,000 attack. If it were upgraded just once… would that be 8,000 health and 4,000 attack?

  Elon’s next words confirmed their wildest theory.

  “For each level the Sunfire Bell is upgraded, all of its stats are doubled. And…” He paused, his gaze sweeping across the stunned faces of the major guild leaders. “…the Sunfire Bell can be upgraded ten times!”

  WOOOOOW!

  The crowd went into a frenzy. Ten upgrades. Ten stacks. That was a potential buff of 40,000 HP and 20,000 attack. A group-wide, un-dispellable buff of that magnitude would shatter the game’s meta.

  How was anyone supposed to compete with that in a guild war?!

  I have to get it! That single thought echoed in the mind of every guild leader present.

  Elon saw the raw hunger in their eyes and nodded to himself. The stage was perfectly set. He returned to the podium.

  “The Sunfire Bell. Bidding starts at 10 million dollars.”

  Before he even finished the sentence, the bids exploded.

  “$20,000,000!”

  “$30,000,000!”

  “$50,000,000!”

  The initial volley came from the Earth-based guilds, each trying to outbid their local rivals.

  “$80,000,000!”

  “$90,000,000!”

  “$100,000,000!” Draevan, the leader of [Titan Guard], made his first move. He glanced at the other guild leaders from his server with a smug smile.

  His smile didn’t last a second.

  “$200,000,000!” Apocalypse_Dreadclaw of [Apocalypse] raised his paddle.

  “$300,000,000!” Silverwind of [Silverwood] joined the fray.

  “$400,000,000!” Draevan yelled, his teeth clenched.

  Meanwhile, on the Vesperia server, Eclipse_Raven chuckled to his lieutenant. “Look at them. This is how it always is with the Earthers. They’re so consumed with their own infighting, they’ll tear each other apart for us. We just have to wait. It was true thousands of years ago, and it’s true now.”

  His underling bowed. “Yes, sir. A keen observation.”

  On the main stage, the price had already reached 600 million.

  “Six hundred million going once…”

  “Six hundred million going twice…”

  “$700,000,000!” Eclipse_Raven finally made his move.

  “And we have a bid from Vesperia!” Elon boomed. “Eclipse_Raven enters the ring at 700 million!” He deliberately glanced towards the Khorthul server’s viewing block.

  Cinder, the Khorthul leader, smirked. “The Vesperian couldn’t hold back.” He raised his paddle. “$800,000,000!”

  “Eight hundred million!” Elon shouted. “A swift counter from Cinder of Khorthul! It looks like Khorthul has one-upped Vesperia this time!”

  Cinder leaned back, enjoying the moment. His satisfaction lasted less than a second.

  “$900,000,000!”

  The new voice made both Cinder and Eclipse_Raven flinch. They looked toward the bidder and immediately lowered their paddles. The bid had come from Leonis_Pierre, leader of the [Leonis Imperium] guild from the Aethelgard server.

  Aethelgard was, for all intents and purposes, the parent-empire to client-states like Vesperia and Khorthul. Neither Cinder nor Raven would dare to openly offend him.

  Pierre shot a contemptuous look at their windows.

  But just as he assumed victory, another voice cut in from the Carina block.

  “$1,000,000,000!”

  As the galaxy’s resident trolls, the Carinans would never pass up an opportunity to stir the pot and ruin a power player’s day. Pierre’s tidy plan was shattered.

  And for the millions of ordinary players watching, the number was simply staggering. One billion dollars.