Chapter 26 of 100

Chapter 26

11 min read2,629 words

Chapter 7

Auction at the Lord's Castle

When I started working at the labor office, I was only playing Satisfy for about 5 to 6 hours a day. However, things changed after I started punching in at the capsule room. My playtime increased by about 10 hours, and I was now logging in to Satisfy for more than 15 hours a day on average. As a result, the number of items I could produce in a day more than doubled.

[The Legendary Blacksmith's Breath amplifies the effects of crafted items.]

Lv.2

If you put your heart and soul into crafting an item, the will of the Descendant of Paguma will be imbued in it.

All stats of the crafted item increase by 7%.

There is a rare chance to grant a special function to the crafted item.

"Please, let it be a Legendary this time..."

Currently, I am crafting a plate armor with a level restriction of 120, based on the new crafting method I learned from Kan. The cost of the materials alone is a staggering 483 gold, which is nearly one-fifth of my total savings. It is the most expensive item I have ever crafted. Worried that it might turn out to be a Normal, I invested a full 20 hours of crafting time.

"...Honestly, I don't even hope for a Legendary. But please, at least make it a Unique. I beg you..."

Despite being a Legendary Blacksmith, I have to beg like this!

With a desperate heart, I combined the last piece of steel.

And the armor was completed.

Grade: Epic

Durability: 272/272

Defense: 303

Movement Speed: -6%

*Rare chance to completely defend against piercing attacks.

This armor was crafted with great care by an unknown blacksmith who possesses great skill and potential but lacks experience and reputation. By layering thinly refined steel plates, the blacksmith managed to enhance both defense and mobility.

Usage Conditions: Level 120 or higher, Strength 380 or higher, Health 400 or higher, Intermediate Heavy Armor Mastery.

[Crafting an Epic item increases all stats by +4 permanently and increases reputation across the continent by +80.]

"Damn it!"

It turned out to be an Epic.

While it's fortunate that it's not a Normal or Rare, I was far from satisfied considering the time and effort I invested.

After deducting the cost of the materials and the capsule room usage fee, I don't think I'll make much profit.

Kan, unaware of my inner thoughts, was busy praising and admiring it.

"Is this really the armor you crafted using the method I taught you? How can it be so different even though we used the same method? You really are amazing!"

"Hmm... How much can I get for this?"

I asked without much expectation.

But Kan said something surprising.

"Hmm... To be honest, it's hard for me to determine the exact price, but one thing is clear: this item would fetch a higher price if auctioned to the knights rather than displayed and sold in the blacksmith's shop."

"Huh?"

Auctioned to the knights?

It's surprising that NPC knights can buy items through auctions, and it's even more surprising that Kan thinks he can sell a level 120 armor to knights who are at least level 180.

Kan explained.

"A month ago, during the procession of the newly appointed lord, I witnessed the knights' armed armor and was amazed. I thought there must be a great blacksmith in the frontier. But after seeing your work, it's clear that your craftsmanship surpasses that of the frontier blacksmiths. Haha, as a descendant of Paguma, it's only natural."

Oh... So the armor I crafted is good enough to be recommended to knights who are level 180 or higher?

Well, thinking about it, I have the 'Legendary Blacksmith's Skill' and 'Legendary Blacksmith's Breath' skills.

Each skill increases the stats of the items I craft by 12% and 7%, respectively. And since it turned out to be an Epic, the performance of this extremely delicate plate armor might be on par with a Normal or Rare item with a usage limit of level 180.

'Thanks to the Breath skill, it even has an option.'

I asked the most important question.

"If it's sold at auction, what percentage of the sale price will I have to pay as a commission?"

"The knights' auction takes place at the lord's castle. The organizer is in the lord's name. Noble people with pride don't seek personal gain. There is no commission."

I made an immediate decision.

"Alright. Let's put it up for auction."

"That's a good decision. The next regular auction is in two days, so I'll go."

"No, I'll go myself."

"Hmm? Are you sure?"

"Yes. I've been cooped up for over a month, so I want to go out and see the outside world for a change."

"Hmm, alright. Then take this. If you have this, it will prove your identity, and you can put items up for auction without any additional procedures."

[You have obtained the emblem of 'Kan's Successor.']

How much will I earn from selling this armor? Given how much Kan is doing for me, it seems like I'll make a considerable amount of money...

'No, don't get your hopes up. The bigger the expectation, the bigger the disappointment.'

I'm a terribly unlucky person. I've had many experiences of being disappointed after getting my hopes up. So I tried to clear my mind.

Kan suggested.

"Why don't you aim to craft more excellent weapons and armor over the next two days? Since you've decided to participate in the auction, it would be better to submit multiple items."

"I was planning to do that anyway."

Over the next two days, I invested 20 hours a day and made two items.

Unfortunately, the results were one Normal and one Epic.

"Seriously, how can a Normal item come out after 20 hours of work? I'd be angry even if it was a Rare item."

Is this even possible?

No matter how I think about it, this is S.A. Group's manipulation.

They must have manipulated the item crafting probability to the worst possible level, fearing that I, a Legendary class, might disrupt the game balance if I keep succeeding.

Or, I might be even more unlucky than I thought...

***

There are two reasons why the lord hosts regular auctions for the knights.

First, to ensure that the knights always have the best equipment.

Second, to discover talented craftsmen.

Why do they want to discover talented craftsmen?

To make them trading partners.

It is said that the craftsmen who submit the best works in each field at this auction will gain the right to supply items to the lord's castle in the future.

It's an opportunity to make a big change in life.

Rustle, rustle.

Winston Castle annex lobby.

Tens of people who wanted to submit items for this auction gathered with tense expressions.

Among them were both NPCs and players, and several blacksmiths.

Looking at those blacksmiths, I thought,

'If there are any talented blacksmiths among them, it would be good to recruit them to our blacksmith shop.'

It would be quite convenient to hire new blacksmiths, make them do all sorts of odd jobs, and take a small cut each time they sell the items they make.

'When I become the shop owner after Kan retires, I should run the blacksmith shop by recruiting and overworking new blacksmiths.'

While seriously considering a kind of slave project, the auction manager appeared.

"The auction will start in 20 minutes. The auction will last for a total of 3 hours, and you can wait in the waiting room during the auction."

A notification window appeared.

[You have submitted an item to the auction hosted by the lord. Please set the minimum bid price for the item you are submitting.]

I opened my inventory and checked the detailed information of the items I planned to submit to the auction one last time.

Grade: Epic

Durability: 272/272

Defense: 303

Movement Speed: -6%

*Rare chance to completely defend against piercing attacks.

Usage Conditions: Level 120 or higher, Strength 380 or higher, Health 400 or higher, Intermediate Heavy Armor Mastery.

Grade: Epic

Durability: 83/83

Defense: 29

Attack Speed: +4% Accuracy: +8%

These gauntlets were crafted by an unknown blacksmith who possesses great skill and potential but lacks experience and reputation. They may look ordinary, but they function exceptionally well when worn.

Usage Conditions: Level 120 or higher, Dexterity 100 or higher.

"I'll submit these two as planned..."

I decided and registered the two items for the auction.

[Please set the minimum bid price for the Extremely Delicate Plate Armor.]

[Please set the minimum bid price for the Seemingly Ordinary Gauntlets.]

'Hmm... What price should I set?'

I was familiar with the market prices of level 60 equipment, but since this was the first time I made and traded level 120 equipment, I had no idea about the market prices.

'I want to set the price as high as possible, including the cost of materials and labor... But if I set it too high, no one might bid at all...'

While I was pondering, a white-haired boy approached me and asked.

"Sir~ Is there a problem?"

"Who are you...?"

"Hello. I'm Steng. My profession is a blacksmith. Watching you, I thought you might be a blacksmith too. Since it seems like you're visiting the lord's auction for the first time, I thought I might be able to help you with something."

The name of the boy who was smiling and talking.

It sounded very familiar.

'Who is Steng...?'

I definitely know the name, but I can't remember why I know it.

It's not that my memory is bad; it's just that there was no need to remember it.

I consoled myself and explained to Steng.

"I'm having trouble setting the bid price for the items I'm submitting to the auction."

Steng blinked.

"Didn't your master set the bid price for you?"

"Master?"

"The master who gave you the quest. You're performing a quest to submit your master's items to the auction, right?"

What is he talking about?

While I was wondering, Steng showed me a one-handed sword with a fancy scabbard.

"This is a weapon my master specially crafted for this auction. Isn't it amazing? It's a Rare item with a usage limit of 190."

Although a Rare item isn't that impressive, I nodded to avoid picking a fight.

Steng sighed with a smile and put the sword back.

"Ha~ When will we players be able to submit our own crafted items to the lord's auction?"

From the beginning, the conversation didn't seem to be going well.

To get the conversation back on track, I asked Steng for confirmation.

"So... You're here not to submit your own crafted items, but to perform a quest to submit your master's crafted items, right?"

Steng tilted his head with a smile.

"Of course. Even Panmir, the number one blacksmith, can't craft items good enough to be submitted to the lord's auction. How could I be any different?"

"...Can you share the quest information?"

"Huh? Why?"

"Well, I just want to check something."

"Sure. There's nothing secret about it, so I'll show you."

[Player 'Steng' wants to share quest information. Do you accept?]

When I accepted, the quest information appeared.

<Master's Errand>

Difficulty: C

There is news that the newly appointed lord of Winston will hold an auction for the first time since taking office.

Blacksmith Lazvan wants to use this auction as an opportunity to introduce himself to the lord of Winston and lay the groundwork for entering Winston.

So he assigns you, his disciple, an errand.

Quest Completion Condition: Submit Lazvan's work to the lord of Winston's auction.

Quest Completion Reward: 20 gold.

*If Lazvan's work is sold at the auction, he might teach you a new crafting method out of good mood...

I had forgotten, but it's common for regular blacksmith players to have NPC blacksmiths as masters.

By consistently completing quests given by their masters, they can level up their blacksmithing skills and learn new crafting methods.

I am a lucky case, as I am learning crafting methods from Kan without any conditions.

'After seeing this quest information, it's clear.'

The players who came here didn't come to submit their own works to the auction. They are merely errand boys, like Steng, performing quests for their masters.

As Steng said, it's impossible for players in production professions to craft items good enough to satisfy the lord and the knights with their current level.

Through this, I realize that the gap between me and regular players is probably enormous.

While I don't feel much excitement about crafting Epic items, regular players are so happy that they might dance when they craft a Rare item.

I keenly feel the greatness of a Legendary profession.

"Can I see the items your master crafted, if it's not too much trouble?"

Steng asked with a scholarly look.

I refused, sensing that it might lead to some trouble.

"Not really."

Steng looked disappointed.

"Is that so? Well, there's nothing I can do. But it's strange... I didn't think your master would let you set the bid price for the items."

"Tell me about it. Do you happen to know the average market price for level 120 armor and gauntlets?"

"Even if the level is the same, the options can vary greatly. But generally, a Normal armor sells for about 300 gold, and a Normal gauntlet for about 100 gold."

"What about Epic items?"

"Wow! Don't tell me your master crafted an Epic item? Crafting an Epic item is really rare!"

Steng, who was amazed, kindly answered.

"The price of an Epic item varies depending on the options, but even with poor options, an Epic armor should fetch at least 1,800 gold, and an Epic gauntlet at least 600 gold, right?"

"...What?"

100 gold is equivalent to 120,000 won.

So, if the Extremely Delicate Plate Armor and the Seemingly Ordinary Gauntlets are sold for 1,800 gold and 600 gold, respectively, I would earn 2.88 million won.

In just 7 days since I started working at the capsule room, I would be holding a huge sum of money.

'No, no. After deducting the cost of materials and the capsule room usage fee, the net profit would be around 2 million won.'

Still, I'm quite satisfied.

Yeah, don't get too obsessed with Unique or Legendary items.

If I can craft two Epics a week, I could earn 8 million won a month!

'I can pay off my debt quickly!'

I have a total debt of 10 million won.

At this point, with the only Legendary profession in Satisfy, 10 million won doesn't seem like much, but a few months ago, it was a huge burden for me.

I couldn't even think about paying off the loan principal while paying the monthly Satisfy account fee and the loan interest.

Things got a bit better after I started working at the labor office...

Anyway!

I can finally settle my life as a debtor.

I don't need to fear the employees of Happy Finance anymore.

"Hehehehe..."

A life without debt!

Just imagining living a proud life made me so happy that I couldn't hold back my laughter.

Then I suddenly met Steng's eyes.

Steng's face turned pale when he saw me laughing.

...I've always felt that my smile is really terrible.

When I laugh, children cry. When I laugh, middle school