---
[Detecting Player Coins!]
[Auction Market Initiated!]
---
Lucy couldn't hide her surprise and with good reason. When Lucas had last visited this place, the auction section of the black building had been empty. Now, as she stepped inside, her eyes scanned a long list of items. It made sense; it had been a full month, but the sight was still astonishing.
---
[Auction]
[Name: Enchanted Potion of Strength]
[Rank: Rare]
[Type: Potions]
[Highest Bid: 9,500 Coins]
[Auction]
[Name: Starlight Sword]
[Rank: Epic]
[Type: Weapons]
[Highest Bid: 112,000 Coins]
[Auction]
[Name: Dragonheart Herb]
[Rank: Rare]
[Type: Herbs]
[Highest Bid: 11,800 Coins]
[Auction]
[Name: Gourmet Chocolate Cake]
[Rank: Uncommon]
[Type: Foods]
[Highest Bid: 1,200 Coins]
[Auction]
[Name: Ghostly Elixir]
[Rank: Epic]
[Type: Potions]
[Highest Bid: 95,000 Coins]
[Auction]
[Name: Mystic Wand of Fire]
[Rank: Rare]
[Type: Weapons]
[Highest Bid: 10,750 Coins]
---
As she scrolled through the auction listings, certain items caught her eye. However, she knew that her coin supply was limited, and Lucas was in pain. Glancing over at the market section, she noticed various healing potions and items. Surprisingly, some items from the auction weren't even available on the market, and others were priced much lower on the auction block.
As Lucy perused the auction catalog, several minutes passed in silence, her eyes scanning the seemingly endless list. Finally, a few items caught her attention.
---
[Auction]
[Name: Healing Salve]
[Rank: Uncommon]
[Type: Potions]
[Highest Bid: 1,200 Coins]
[Auction]
[Name: Field Medic Kit]
[Rank: Silver]
[Type: Materials]
[Highest Bid: 10,500 Coins]
[Auction]
[Name: Elixir of Rapid Recovery]
[Rank: Epic]
[Type: Potions]
[Highest Bid: 85,000 Coins]
[Auction]
[Name: Phoenix Feather Bandage]
[Rank: Bronze]
[Type: Materials]
[Highest Bid: 1,000 Coins]
[Auction]
[Name: Alchemist's Wound Poultice]
[Rank: Rare]
[Type: Potions]
[Highest Bid: 12,500 Coins]
---
"This looks good enough," Lucy remarked. Despite the absence of item descriptions or requirements in the auction listings, some of these names seemed fitting for healing Lucas's bullet wound. However, she knew she couldn't afford to purchase everything; her coin supply was limited.
"Opening system!" Lucy muttered under her breath.
"Yes?" Belle asked, confused by the sudden sound that broke the silence.
"I didn't ask you; I'm opening the system window," Lucy clarified.
"Oh, sorry," Belle replied, understanding Lucy's intent.
---
Name: Lucy Lyons
Age: 16 years old
Race: Human Tier 1
Gender: Female
Class: Goddess of Snow and Ice
Subclass: Insect Nurturer
Subclass: None
Subclass: None
Level: 25 (400/50000)
Stats:
Agi: 20
Str: 42
Int: 22
Vit: 32
Unallocated Stat Points: 0
Skills:
[Hail: Summon a Hail fire off at a target!]
[Insect Calls: Summon and un-summon any insect under control. (1 use/day) Grade 1!]
[Insect Evolution: Allowed the nurture and abnormal growth of insectoids. (1 use/month) Grade 1!]
[Tiny Immortal: Immune to attacks for 5 seconds. (1 use/day) Grade 1!]
Unallocated Skill Points: 24
Coins: 47000
Achievements Completed: 4 ᐁ
[Bronze] Eighty-Eight to Discover the Class Change Building.
[Silver] Class Change in One Week.
[Silver] Eliminate Three Level 2 and Thirty Level 1 Zombies in Five Days.
[Mithril] First to Clear a Level 8 Dungeon.
Items: 5 ᐁ
Basic Katana [Uncommon]
Frost Earring [Rare]
Frozen Earring [Rare]
Aqua Orb [Epic]
Snow Robe [Legendary]
Summon: 1 ᐁ
Green Caterpillar (Ruu) [Uncommon]
---
Lucy sighed as she examined her coin balance. "Only 47,000 coins..."
Disappointment washed over her as she realized that the item, she needed was more expensive than what she currently possessed. Her gaze shifted to the list of her items in the panel as she absentmindedly fiddled with her earring.
"Should I sell my items?" Lucy pondered aloud. If Lucas were here, he would likely instantly reject the idea and forbid her from doing so. However, in his absence, and with Lucas's life hanging in the balance, hesitation was a luxury she couldn't afford.
"I should auction this one," she decided, taking out one of her earrings.
---
"Do you want to auction this item?"
"Please set the following:"
[Name:]
[Rank:]
[Type:]
[Minimum bid allowed:]
---
Even though Lucy had made up her mind, this earring held sentimental value for her; it had been her first ability item. She couldn't help but feel a connection to it, gripping it tightly as if trying to hold on to those memories.
---
"Confirmation of Item Auctioning."
[Name: Frozen Earring]
[Rank: Rare]
[Type: Weapons]
[Minimum bid allowed: 10,000]
---
Deciding to sell it is a tough choice, especially when regaining items for free becomes even more challenging once the "killed" achievement has been locked since the first week. Nevertheless, looking ahead, there's a possibility she might repurchase it if she amasses enough coins in the future. For the time being, all she could do was patiently await a satisfying bid.
'I want to get the highest offer possible,' she thought. Every name in the auction was anonymous; she had no idea who the seller was, and they didn't know her either.
Finally exiting the auction, Lucy delved into the market catalog, waiting for a price that would meet her demands.
---
[Herbs | Foods | Potions | Classes | Weapons | Materials]
---
There were six options, but for now, her favorite was potions.
Scrolling through the list of potions, Lucy spotted some she liked, but their effectiveness in treating a bullet wound didn't seem promising. While there were names related to healing and pain tolerance, none of them implied they could heal a bullet wound. She could now read the descriptions and usage requirements, and still, none of them seemed to meet her needs.
Suddenly, a notification holographic screen popped up in front of her.
---
"You have received a bid of 10,001!"
"Do you confirm?"
---
'1? Seriously?' Lucy pondered. She had no choice but to decline. After all, she had initially set the starting price at 10,000, the standard rate for rare rank items, with the aim of generating more bids. A mere increase of 1 was far from her preference. Nevertheless, this process would require some patience.
It was currently three in the morning, and the sun would rise soon. Lucy wondered what Lucas was doing.
Turning to Belle, she said, "Belle, open the door. I need to talk to John."
Time waited for no one, but so did her auction. She could only wait for time to pass, knowing that Lucas's health was slowly deteriorating.
Lucy knew she could open the door herself, but she was wary. Trust issues resurfaced due to her multiple bad encounters with other groups of humans. This situation could be considered one as well, as they had almost been killed. She didn't know if it was a good or bad thing that they only had three people who could fight. On the one hand, there were fewer to protect, like Cale. On the other hand, having more people might have helped in the earlier fight, but it also increased the chances of casualties in a bigger fight. Lucy didn't want to witness that.
Emerging from the black building, Lucy was greeted by the night sky. Although it was still dark, the air was fresh, and being on the rooftop brought a chilly breeze that was rather pleasant. She shifted her gaze and spotted John seated on the ground, leaning against the building's outer wall.
"John," she called out.
Startled, John scrambled to his feet upon hearing her voice. "Yes?" he replied, still somewhat bewildered. Despite being older, everyone here understood that, for the time being, Lucy held authority over him.
"Do you have any items?" Lucy inquired.
"Items? Yes, I do have some," John answered. It was expected; that if these people could use the auction building, it meant they had a way to earn coins, and that could only be achieved by using the system's items.
"Lead me to them," Lucy instructed.
"No need," John replied.
Thinking he was refusing; Lucy drew her katana and pressed it against his neck.
"Wait, wait, put that away. It's all on me," John quickly clarified. He had initially said there was no need because the items were already on his person, and yet he had nearly lost his life due to a misunderstanding. 'I have to choose my words carefully now,' he thought.
Understanding his situation, Lucy withdrew her katana from his neck. Notifications of bidding could still be heard, but Lucy simply clicked "no" repeatedly; none of the offers met her demands.
"Show me," she demanded.
John looked at her, his voice carrying a note of helplessness. "I can't use my hands. Can you untie me?"
"No," Lucy replied firmly. She turned her gaze to Belle, who was fidgeting with her bag nervously. Lucy instructed her, "Belle will take them from you. Just tell her where they are."
John sighed in resignation. "I have four of them on me; my ring, my belt, my shirt, and the pin in my pocket."
"Do the others have items, too?" Lucy inquired.
"Yes, but mostly weapons, since they usually entrusted me with the items. I had to keep this place safe alone, but unfortunately, everyone else died."
Nodding in response, Lucy planned to search the corpses for the items. She gestured to Belle and said, "Belle, take them off, John."
Belle could only nod in understanding as she muttered, "Sorry, Uncle John."