Chapter 29: Auction

Chapter 29: Auction [Fair Trade Zone Established – Knight in Shining Armor Protocol Activated] A few of the whales gasped aloud. Understandable. This feature—Knight in Shining Armor Protocol—wasn’t supposed to be discovered for at least another year in most playthroughs. Almost nobody knew it even existed yet. In a game like Final Life Online, where a single death meant full character deletion, this was one of the game’s hidden fail-safes. A secret, emergency measure buried deep in the system, designed to protect rare scenarios like mine. It could only be triggered under very specific conditions... but if you held something valuable enough to anchor the event? Then it worked. And now, it had. The towering System Knight raised his sword once again. "Now, under my jurisdiction," he declared, his voice echoing through the golden dome, "a Fair Auction Trade shall begin. The Hidden Class Token will be sold under System Authority." His words rang with unmistakable finality. No one dared move. Even the high-tier whales, clad in their flashy Epic-tier gear, just stood there—shocked and silent. They had been ready to take the class by force, but now? Now they were locked out. I had used a rare system to enforce safety. There was a price, of course. Activating the Knight meant I couldn’t just walk away with the token—I had to auction it. Publicly. But that was fine by me. I didn’t want the class anyway. Now, not only had I scored the kill... I’d bought myself 24 hours of absolute protection. Enough time to vanish, regroup, and maybe even capitalize on the chaos. The System Knight turned to me. His nameplate glowed: [Slei – Level 1000 – System Knight] The golden mask on his face shimmered under the circuit-light of the Auction Dome. His voice rolled out with slow, measured power. "What do you seek in return, Player: Blade? Gold? Gear? High-level items? Name your desired trade category." I stood still, arms crossed, letting the silence build. Behind me, I could feel the whales shifting, trying to guess what I’d demand. They were weighing their options—measuring how far they were willing to go to buy what I now held. So I decided to make things interesting. "I want skills," I said clearly. "Specifically—skills related to Taming, Beast Mastery, or anything similar." That hit the nerves I was aiming for. Even though most of them stayed still, I caught the flickers of reaction. A twitch. A flick of the eyes. A sharp inhale. A sigh—relief for some, frustration for others. Perfect. "Accepted," the System Knight said. "The auction will be converted to a Skill Trade Auction. Participants must meet the exchange threshold." [Trade Type Confirmed: Skill-Based Exchange – Category: Taming/Beast-Type] [Valid Offer Conditions:] – 3 skills of the same rank = eligible trade – 2 skills of one rank higher = eligible trade – 1 skill of two ranks higher = eligible trade The floating panels lit up as participants started to prepare offers. Then the Knight added, "You may remain within view of the auction, or leave. The Pavilion will last for 24 hours. During this time, you are under complete protection from PvP or forced trades." "However—" the Knight’s tone grew sharper, "—if you exit into a non-intelligent-zone, or reveal yourself outside the auction bounds before it concludes, protection will no longer apply." "Understood," I said with a nod. "Then I’ll be heading out now. Just give me my things once it’s over." With that, I stepped out, leaving the dome behind while the angry whales scrambled to outbid each other with higher-ranked beast skills. As I moved through the edge of the forest, I whispered to myself: "Lucky me... I got all four heads." I smiled slightly, glancing into my inventory. Each Tribe Leader Head Token shimmered faintly, their icons lined up in a neat row inside my bag. "Now I can finally continue my quest..." The quest—’Path of the Hero’—only needed one. Just one Tribe Leader head was enough to qualify for the next step. But instead? I had four. More than enough. Soon, I unequipped my glowing armor and slipped into a low-level Mage outfit—a simple, cheerful robe set that blended well with casual players. With my new disguise, I strolled easily through the busy paths, making my way toward the Village Chief’s house. Most players weren’t even paying attention anymore. Their focus had shifted completely to the auction. I passed a few groups clustered together, chatting excitedly or arguing about which whale would end up winning the Hidden Class Token. Some were even rushing toward the Auction Pavilion, dragging friends with them to spectate the legendary event. I took a quick peek at the system interface to check the current bid— [Current Trade Offer: 4x Epic-Class Skills related to Taming / Beast Mastery] "Hehehe... good," I mumbled under my breath, still wearing a faint grin. "Keep pumping it up... more and more." I exhaled through my nose, still smiling to myself as I walked up the stairs of the Village Chief’s house and knocked gently on the old wooden door—ready to turn in the quest without anyone noticing. The door creaked open. Inside the Village Chief’s house, warm lantern light flickered against old stone walls. A wooden table sat near the back, covered in hand-drawn maps and scrolls of half-faded ink. The old man himself—Chief Eldan—stood by the window, peering out at the bustle of the town. He didn’t turn around when I entered. Instead, he spoke in a low voice, calm and weathered. "You walk differently this time," he said. I paused. So... he remembered me. Maybe the disguise didn’t matter. "I’ve brought what you asked for," I replied, stepping forward and opening my inventory with a flick of my wrist. The four heads hovered before him, glowing faintly with quest markers. The Chief finally turned. His eyes, once tired and clouded with age, widened. "Four?" he whispered. "You slew four of the Tribal Lords?" I shook my head slightly and stepped forward, holding up one of the heads. "No... that last one wasn’t a tribal lord," I corrected. "It was the Horde Leader. The Dire Werewolf Alpha—the one marching toward this village." His gaze shifted to the wolf’s head, and for a moment, a shadow of emotion flickered across his face—was it grief? Or respect? Maybe both. "Pity," he muttered after a long pause. "That one wasn’t killed by you alone. But considering its power... I’ll let it pass."