Wu Shaochen was steadily harvesting wild boars at a rate of one every two minutes, each boar dropping at least two copper coins and a tusk—a decent haul by any measure.
"Thirteenth one," Wu Shaochen muttered, casually walking over to the corpse to collect the spoils.
"Hmm, another piece of equipment," he said with a grin, happily picking up the item beside the dead boar and examining it.
[Butcher's Knife]
Quality: Common
Physical Attack +12
Requirements: None
"Well, this isn't much," Wu Shaochen thought, somewhat unimpressed. "More attack, less attack—it doesn't make a difference to me, especially since I can't break through defense anyway."
Looking at the butcher's knife in his hands, he noted it was rather unattractive—uglier than his starter wooden sword. He couldn't even be bothered to equip it. "Maybe I'll try putting it up for auction."
The *Divine Oracle* auction system was incredibly convenient. Players could access the auction interface and see items available in the auction house, searching by categories for what they wanted. If they found something, they could buy it instantly, without needing to return to the town. Unwanted items could also be posted for sale, with the option to choose between cash transactions or in-game currency. Cash transactions would transfer the amount directly to the player's linked bank account.
Wu Shaochen opened the auction interface, only to find it empty. "Why is no one selling anything yet?" he wondered. "How much should I price this butcher's knife at? There's no reference price."
"Maybe I'll try 500 copper coins. After all, it's the only item in the auction house, and with the drop rate so low, it should sell," he murmured, thinking aloud. He was in dire need of money, so in-game currency wasn't an option. After listing the knife, he chose a cash transaction and set the auction to a bidding model.
"Wait, I can choose between a fixed price or auction mode? Since I don't know the market price, the bidding model seems like the right choice. This is good," Wu Shaochen thought, impressed for once.
"Wait, what? A 10% handling fee for fixed price, and 15% for bidding? This is ridiculous," Wu Shaochen grumbled, his brief satisfaction quickly evaporating.
"Well, it's their game, they make the rules," he sighed.
He anonymously listed the item, selected the bidding mode with a 10-minute duration, and continued his boar-hunting expedition.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the newbie village...
"Young Master Huang, Young Master Huang, a weapon has been listed in the auction house, adding 12 physical attack," an excited youth ran up to Huang Shao, eagerly delivering the news.
"Then what are we waiting for? Buy it right away! Is it a cash transaction?" Huang Shao responded urgently.
"No, it's a cash transaction, but the listing is in auction mode with a 10-minute bidding period," the boy replied.
"Since it's a cash transaction, it doesn't matter. Make sure to get it for me," Huang Shao said calmly. For him, money solved everything.
"Understood."
Elsewhere, five youths were methodically hunting rabbits, when one frowned and spoke up.
"Junlin, an item has been listed in the auction house."
"Oh? From our observations, the rabbits in the newbie village don't drop equipment. Could someone have killed a level 2 mountain goat?" Junlin, a handsome young man, replied, puzzled.
"That's unlikely. With our current strength, we can't even handle the goats. Maybe after we all reach level 1, we'll be able to try, but I bet it's just luck. Someone probably got lucky and dropped something while killing rabbits," another youth suggested.
"Can we contact the seller? Maybe pay extra for some information?" Junlin asked.
"We can't. The seller listed the item anonymously," the youth answered.
"Well, that's unfortunate. If necessary, we'll bid on it. It's only a common item, but 12 extra attack is still very useful early on," Junlin said seriously.
"Mm."
Meanwhile, a middle-aged man approached a tall, graceful woman in a white veil with an air of elegance. "Miss, a piece of equipment has been listed in the auction house."
The woman casually opened the auction interface, glancing at the lone item. "Act within your means."
At the same time, whispers about the first auction house item spread throughout newbie village 8365. Even though it was only a common item, it caused quite a stir. The auction house's contents were only visible to players within the same region, so now, all players in the same newbie village could see it.
"Damn, someone listed equipment in the auction house!"
"Finally, we see equipment! What kind of game has such a low drop rate? It's been over an hour, and I haven't seen a single item. I thought this game didn't drop any gear!"
"Even the lowest-level equipment adds 12 attack? That could double my damage if I wear it."
"Wake up, do you see the price? It's already over 10,000. For a white item, no less! Rich people really don't know the value of money."
"Wait, really? Well, I'd better keep hunting. Maybe my next rabbit will drop something. I could really use that money—10,000 copper coins would last me months!"
A middle-aged man came before the elegant woman again, whispering, "The price has reached 12,000 copper coins. Should we continue bidding?"
"Bid up to 15,000, but no higher. It's just a common item, and soon it will be everywhere," the woman replied calmly.
"Understood."
Meanwhile, Junlin's group of youths continued their hunt, but one of them remarked, "Junlin, there are a lot of people bidding on this item. The price has already reached 15,000 copper coins—far beyond its worth."
"That's normal. It's the first equipment to drop, and it's a weapon. It's essential early on, especially in a game with such a low drop rate. Otherwise, this common item wouldn't have gone for such a high price," Junlin observed.
"Let's add another 2,000 copper coins. Anything beyond that isn't worth it. Soon, we'll be able to get plenty of these ourselves once we're all level 1. We'll tackle the goats together then."
Meanwhile, at the newbie village...
"Young Master Huang, should we bid more?" a youth asked.
"Yes. I don't lack money—let them try to compete with me," Huang Shao sneered. For him, it didn't matter if it was worth it; as long as money could solve it, it was his for the taking. He craved the rush of being stronger than others.
Meanwhile, Wu Shaochen, unaware of the stir he had caused, continued his relentless boar-hunting routine.
"Sigh, if my poison damage increases a bit more, I'll only need two strikes to kill a boar. Right now, it still takes three, which is such a hassle. Damn that spider with its annoying skills. It's messing up my talent grinding," Wu Shaochen grumbled.
"Number 18. Just one more, and I'll level up," Wu Shaochen muttered, watching the boar's health steadily decrease. With his 18 points in movement speed, hunting boars had become effortless. Soon, the boar collapsed, and a familiar system prompt sounded.
*Ding* – "Congratulations! You have leveled up. Health +20, Mana +10, and you have gained 5 free attribute points. Please allocate them wisely."
Level 3 achieved. Once again, Wu Shaochen allocated all his points to Agility. His Agility rose to 20, his movement speed to 23, his health to 150, and his mana to 80. Everything else remained unchanged. His experience was now 14/1000.
"Level 4 requires 1,000 experience? At level 3, I get 26 experience per boar. That's 38 boars to level up," Wu Shaochen complained.
Just then...
*Ding* – "The item you listed in the auction house has been purchased by another player. The transaction amount is 20,000 copper coins. After a 3,000 copper coin fee, the remaining 17,000 copper coins have been transferred to your linked bank account."
"What? 20,000?" Wu Shaochen was stunned. He quickly opened the transaction history, confirming the amount. Then, he checked his bank balance—17,700 copper coins. He swallowed hard, pinching himself to ensure it wasn't a dream. His face broke into a wide grin. For a single lousy item, he'd earned nearly half a year's salary. Who would believe it?
"Damn, there's so much money in this game," Wu Shaochen thought, in a state of euphoria. He glanced at the boar in front of him, suddenly feeling a bond with the creature. This one item had paid for his game helmet and earned him an additional 7,000 copper coins. He no longer had to worry about sleeping under a bridge.
He resumed hunting boars, now fully aware that everything here was money.