The auction house in Eternia reminded Jack of a cathedral. Its fa?ade was clad in patterned marble, etched with green hexagon motifs. The whole square and street around it were covered in the same materials and colors.

  He felt the marble's firmness through his knees as he walked. The stone was beautiful, but hard.

  A vast stained-glass dome crowned the center. Though the windows held some kind of pattern, it was impossible to tell what from here. Still, the colored panes caught the light and scattered it, casting aurora-like ribbons across the square and its surrounding buildings.

  The square buzzed with activity. Since the auction only ran every other day, many came, though the high cost of participation kept their number manageable. It wasn’t packed—just busy enough to feel alive. There was room to walk and space to talk without shouting.

  Horace walked with his hood slung low. Rob stayed just ahead, with [Stealth] active. Jack, risked tilting his head back to admire the building.

  Marie came up beside him. “Incredible. Isn’t it?”

  “Yeah. Amazing,” Jack replied. For a moment, he let himself simply take it in. The interplay of light and glass was mesmerizing.

  Horace guided them around the corner of the building, away from the main entrance.

  Amari appeared, breaking [Stealth].

  “You made it,” Amari called with a grin.

  “It was a piece of cake,” Horace said.

  “How was the scouting expedition?” Jack asked.

  “Take a look at this.”

  Amari brought up the map, the blue hologram flickering in front of them, visible only to the party. Jack leaned in.

  Several pins materialized at his command: a cluster of red ones near the mountains, green pins spreading across the west.

  “Red pins are mining sites. Green ones mark places with rare desert herbs, trees, and flowers. Thanks to Marie, we also got a lot of data on the hunting maps.”

  Toward the center of the Dune Hill, more and more orange pins appeared.

  Marie gave a mock bow, flashing a look that said, “You may applaud now.”

  Rob bumped her shoulder, grinning proudly.

  Amari continued. "Orange pins are for beasts over level 70.”

  Jack gulped. “Seventy?”

  “Yep,” Amari said.

  “What about this dotted line?” Horace asked.

  “That’s a migration route. Large herds of dinosaurs pass through it.”

  “Oh,” Horace replied.

  “Anyway, I think the best spot for the village is on the west side of the Dune Hills.” Amari highlighted a lone, oversized blue pin. “It’s deep in the herb-rich area, so we’ve got a better shot at finding water. We’re not too far from the mines either. And we’ll be as far away as possible from any player fortresses. This area is between beast lairs and should be safe. I didn’t see anything dangerous there.”

  “And it’s right before the orange pins become more numerous,” Jack said.

  “Precisely.”

  “Now that we’ve got the coordinates locked in,” Horace added, “we can hire a caravan. All that’s left is to gather our supplies.”

  “And get the money to buy them,” Jack said flatly.

  “Shall we head in, then?” Amari said, already leading the way.

  They came around to the main entrance again.

  Jack’s steps echoed faintly against the polished stone floor as they stepped inside. They entered a vast hall. The space had the quiet majesty of a sacred hall—part fortress, part museum, part palace.

  The dome he’d seen outside stretched high overhead. Now he could see the motif: a crown surrounded by two rings. Sunlight streamed through the colored glass in shafts.

  To the left, a row of teller booths stretched along the wall, each one set behind ironwork bars. Smiling NPCs in tailored vests chatted to players. Behind them, vaults and rows of safety deposit boxes extended deep into the building.

  To the right, there were smaller doors, each guarded by two NPC soldiers. They didn’t just stand. They loomed. One glanced his way, and Jack’s chest tightened. It felt as if he couldn’t breathe. The soldier glanced away and the feeling passed.

  Horace followed his gaze and chuckled. “Don’t annoy any of those, man. They’re level 99 guards.”

  “Level 99?!”

  “Oh yeah.”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  “What’s behind those doors?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Jack tried not to look too disappointed.

  Straight ahead, arches marked the entrance to the auction hall proper. Above each arch, words in Latin were etched in stone: Suum cuique. It was only the second time he’d seen Latin in the game. His hand went instinctively to his Time Ring.

  He quickly looked it up online. “May all get their due,” he said, reading the translation.

  Was it to show that both the auction house and the bidders could get something out of coming here?

  Jack wanted to stop and take it all in, but Amari and the others kept moving. They’d been here before. The awe had long since worn off.

  Amari settled near a quieter place along the wall where several tellers were free.

  “Alright. Jack, you’re up.”

  “Me? Why me?” As soon as he asked, he knew the answer. “Oh… my luck stat…”

  “And your fame!” Amari added. “We have to make the most of our strengths. Maybe they’ll give you a discount.”

  “But I’ve never been here. How does it work?”

  “It’s exactly like auctioning in any marketplace,” Horace said, stepping up beside him. “Only difference is you pay 1k upfront. Oh, and make sure we’re listed as anonymous.”

  “OK. In that case, can you pass me the items you brought to sell?”

  “Here,” Horace said, transferring the pile of shields he’d been crafting over the past few days.

  Marie followed with a bunch of poisons, and Rob handed over herbs and desert blooms he’d gathered from the Sand Sea.

  Then came Amari’s turn. He transferred to him a string of relics and fossils.

  “What are these for?” Jack asked, blinking at the list now crowding his inventory.

  “They’re for paleontologists and archaeologists,” Amari said. “Usually, I’d donate them to the museum to get the bonuses myself, but since we need the money, I’ll just auction them. Oh, and before I forget.”

  Amari has transferred you [Mastodon Might].

  It skill dropped by the Breach’s last boss.

  Mastodon Might (Epic)

  Skill description: A thesis written by scholars from the Ardent College of Biogenics. It suggests that the secret to the mastodon’s endurance lies in an energy rhythm that pulses through its marrow. It has notes on how to reproduce it in humans.

  Skill effects:

  Passive. Regenerates 1 stamina and 1 HP every 2 seconds.

  “Wait—we’re selling the epic skill?” Jack asked.

  “Yes,” came the choir of the rest of the team.

  Jack squinted. “You had a team meeting without me, didn’t you?”

  “You were with Holly. We didn’t want to interrupt,” Horace said.

  The others laughed, but Horace maintained a straight face. Jack couldn’t tell if he was joking or not, but nonetheless, he felt his cheeks burn.

  “Don’t be sad, Jack. Right now, we need the money more than we need the effects. Besides, we’ve got you to build up our stamina. You play a song, and we’re good as new. What do we need this skill for?”

  “Seen that way, it really isn’t much of a loss. Well. It looks like I’ve got everything.”

  “Well, well, well… Look who’s here,” a rumbling voice said.

  Jack turned to find the Slayer towering over him. He gulped. “S-S-Slayer?”

  The Slayer only grunted in response, eyeing Jack like a lion sizing up a mouse.

  “Slayer. No rampages here. We can’t offend the Auction House,” a girl beside him said. She scanned the team and her eyes landed on Rob. “Hello, Rob.”

  Rob nodded stiffly. “Xana.”

  A group of four other teens stood behind the Slayer—his classmates, Jack guessed. They looked their age. The Slayer didn’t. He was only sixteen, but with his broad shoulders and serious bulk, he could’ve passed for someone in his twenties.

  “So… we meet again,” Amari said, stepping up.

  “And just in time,” the Slayer replied. “I’ve been busy running errands for my guild, but I’ve got some time on my hands today. After the auction, how about we meet outside? Duel it out? I’d like another go at a fight against you five.”

  “No, thank you,” Amari said politely.

  Watching the exchange, Jack thought back to what Xana had just said.

  Hmmm… it would be fun to see the guards bludgeon this guy. The only question was whether he could provoke him into hitting him here.

  Jack cleared his throat and stepped in. “Why do you keep coming back for more? Didn’t we already beat you enough, wittew baby?”

  The Slayer turned slowly. “What did you call me?”

  “Wittew baby. Is that why you only walk around in diapers? I bet—”

  Before Jack could finish, the Slayer grabbed him like he weighed nothing.

  “Slayer! Don’t!” Xana said sharply.

  “Don’t worry, Xana. I’m just giving my good friend Jack a hug. Bring it in.” He pulled Jack in so tight that Jack could feel his digital ribs crack.

  “Jack, Jack, Jack,” the Slayer said slowly. The way he repeated his name made Jack’s skin crawl.

  Finally, he set him down. Jack scrambled away and positioned himself behind Horace.

  “Let’s go, Slayer,” one of the boys called. “We still have to decide which items we’ll sell.”

  “I’m coming. Wait up,” the Slayer said. This time, his voice was completely different. Almost normal, like any other teen talking to his friends.

  “I’ll be waiting for you guys outside. Enjoy the auction.”

  And then he left.

  “Pfft. What a jerk,” Horace said.

  “Are you alright, Jack?” Marie asked.

  “Yeah. No worries.”

  “What are we going to do? He’s going to camp us,” Rob said.

  “Let him,” Amari replied. “We’ve got a way past him. Don’t let that kid ruin our day. Jack. You’re up.”

  Everyone stayed back. Jack approached the teller, a well-dressed NPC, slightly shorter than him, with neatly combed hair and a sharp vest. A chain looped from his pocket to a polished watch. He could’ve passed for a train conductor.

  “Good morning! Welcome to the Auction House, Mr. Craftsman. How can I be of assistance?”

  The others were right; his high Fame was definitely triggering some extra kindness here.

  “We came to participate in the Auction. The one today, at noon.”

  “Very well, then. The entry fee is 1,000 gold. Due to your status, let’s say… 930 gold instead. Sounds good?”

  “Thanks. Appreciate it.”

  “You said ‘we’. Keep in mind that only someone who pays the fee can enter the Auction House.”

  Jack frowned. It wasn’t ideal, but he could always just live-stream it to his friends. It wasn’t worth spending another 4k just for that. “It's just me.”

  The NPC set a token on the counter. It was etched with the number 77.

  “Will you only be bidding, or are you planning to sell as well?” the teller asked.

  “Sell,” Jack replied.

  “Please show me the items you’d like to auction.”

  A window opened in front of him. Jack selected the full assortment of goods that the team had contributed. He dragged them into the selling window, over eighty items in total, some bundled in stacks. He double-checked that nothing was missing, then hit OK.

  Another option came up, asking if he wanted to make his name public. He selected no, just like Horace instructed.

  “Very well. Let’s see what we’ve got here,” the NPC said. A clipboard with a sheet of paper manifested in his hands.

  Uh… I didn’t know that NPCs had inventories too.

  The teller read through the list. He leaned forward slightly, scanning the contents.

  His tone shifted. “This... can’t be right,” he murmured.

  Jack frowned. “What is it?”

  The teller didn’t answer. His eyes tracked the list again, slower this time. His face went pale, and he straightened sharply.

  “Is there something wrong?” Jack asked.

  The teller looked up. “P-p-lease wait there,” he said, voice clipped. He left the counter in a hurry.

  Jack glanced back at his team. “Where did he run off to?”

  “I don’t know. This has never happened to me before,” Amari said.

  Jack narrowed his eyes. What in the list had surprised the teller? And where had he gone?