With his backpack full, Guan Ren had no choice but to temporarily put down his work and head back to Sunward Town.
Finding a good spot in the central square, Guan Ren spent a gold coin to set up a stall. He displayed his equipment on the shelves for all to see and sat down to rest with his eyes closed.
Previously, by killing Slaughter Charge and his gang, he had smoothly leveled up from level 2 to level 3. However, due to the influence of The Heart of Heaven's Punishment, he only received 6 free attribute points and did not even get the 5 normally automatically allocated by the system with each level!
Guan Ren, however, did not show any discontent. After all, he could plunder attributes, so as long as he killed more monsters, he'd never lack for attribute points!
What's more, the free attribute points he received from leveling up were not simple, as they could be used to enhance combat attributes as well as fixed attributes!
In other words, it's possible to increase luck and charm values with the free attribute points!
For him, this was extremely good news!
Without hesitation, Guan Ren allocated all 6 points to his fixed attributes, with 5 points going to luck and 1 to charm.
As a result, his luck value finally increased to 10, and his charm was no longer zero.
With Guan Ren’s increase in charm, something miraculous happened. Players passing by his stall turned their heads at a significantly higher rate.
In fact, players spending a gold coin to set up a stall were few and far between, making Guan Ren’s stand quite conspicuous in Sunward Town. Coupled with the bonus from 1 point in charm, it quickly attracted a crowd's attention.
"Damn! They are all of ordinary quality, and all are level 3 equipment! Who is this guy? How is he so powerful?"
One player, seeing the purely ordinary quality equipment on the stall, was almost floored.
Due to Heaven's Arrival’s generous drop rates, having one piece of inferior-quality leveled equipment was cause for rejoice among players. Yet, Guan Ren appeared out of nowhere, presenting a bunch of ordinary quality gear!
How could this not shock people?
However, in Heaven's Arrival, to protect players' privacy, detection spells could only reveal others' levels. Regarding other attributes, they remain undetected!
Unless one party engages in malicious PK, their ID would then be exposed.
"Bro, are you selling that Boar Leather Armor for one gold coin?"
"I'll pay 10 gold coins! I want all this equipment!"
"I offer 20 gold coins! Step aside, you poor sod with only 10 coins!"
...
The crowd was noisy, gathering more and more onlookers, most of whom were just there for the spectacle.
"Slaughterworld Syndicate is taking over! Everyone else, step aside!"
A cold shout rang out, a group of players were rudely pushed aside, they were angry but dared not speak.
The Slaughterworld Syndicate was one of the top hundred guilds in the region, not someone these solo players could afford to offend.
"It's you!"
Slaughter Charge recognized Guan Ren at first glance, his expression changing as his eyes flickered ominously.
"Brother Charge, long time no see."
Guan Ren smiled wryly at Slaughter Charge, clad in starter gear.
But Slaughter Charge was not bothered by past affairs, instead took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart, and addressed Guan Ren: "I'm here to buy equipment, you don't plan on refusing to sell to me, do you?"
"Of course not! Guests are gods, and harmony brings wealth. As long as the price is right, let's trade!"
Guan Ren shrugged his shoulders; he did not regard Slaughter Charge highly, confident even if the other sought to deal with him later. Currently a member of Lin Ruo Xue's studio, he knew the studio valued efficiency, and it was vital to show sincerity on his first day of work.
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Furthermore, he genuinely needed some gold coins to carry out his subsequent plans.
With a mindset of profiting where possible, Guan Ren welcomed all comers.
Of course, there was a caveat — you had to have the right price!
"I’ll take any amount of equipment for 10 gold coins each!"
Slaughter Charge said firmly, his gaze concentrated.
With the current price of gold coins trading at 220 Sea-Blue Coins each, 10 gold coins amounted to 2200 Sea-Blue Coins — a fortune to the average player.
And Guan Ren's stall had a full twenty pieces of equipment!
If bundled together, that was over forty thousand Sea-Blue Coins!
The onlooking crowd gasped, casting envious glances towards Guan Ren.
But Guan Ren remained unmoved by the offer, slowly shaking his head, stating, "Too low."
Having lived another life, Guan Ren knew exactly what this equipment meant at the game's beginning.
They might appear as mere ordinary quality items but to the newbie village three hours into game launch, they were worth far more than 10 gold each!
If up for sale, a piece of ordinary quality equipment could fetch at least 20 gold at this time!
With strong equipment early on, one can harvest more resources in the newbie village!
For rewards, wilderness Boss fights were all predicated on having formidable strength.
With so much gear on hand, Guan Ren, to any force, was a hugely desirable asset!
"Think it over and make a decision promptly. Otherwise, once people from other powers arrive, it won't be as easy to swallow this batch of gear."
Guan Ren sat still, a picture of calm confidence.
Only the beginning had passed; the real spectacle was yet to unfold!
Due to his previous rampage in the Boar Forest, he had met the trigger conditions for a hidden event.
All he had to do was stay in Sunward Town for half an hour, and the hidden event would activate — that's when the real excitement would start!
"I'll take it all for 20 gold pieces each!"
As soon as Guan Ren finished speaking, Slaughter Charge clenched his teeth and offered 20 gold coins per piece.
"Holy... did I hear that wrong? 20 gold a piece? Is he crazy?"
"You don’t understand? This is an investment! If the people from Slaughterworld Syndicate get their hands on this batch of equipment, they can surely secure the top spot in Sunward Town!"
"But... where are they getting so many gold coins? Currently, everyone is scraping together money just for potions and monster hunting for survival - I doubt they have much spare change. I only have 20 silver coins after squeezing every last bit out of my pockets!"
"What do you know? Which powerhouse guild doesn’t have a financial consortia backing their operations? Not to mention dedicated gold farmers or simply buying gold coins at premium prices from solo players."
In the world of Heaven's Arrival, 1 gold coin = 100 silver coins = 10,000 copper coins. Additionally, due to scarce monster resources at the beginning of the game, most players struggle to accumulate a single gold coin.
"Wait! I'll pay 21 gold!"
As the words echoed from afar, a group of graceful female players parted the crowd and approached the stall.
The woman at the front, with a purple veil adorning her face, dressed in a purple robe, gazed at Guan Ren in his starter gear, saying, "The highest offer wins, right?"
"Of course. But let me ask this Slaughterworld Syndicate brother first. This lady is willing to purchase this batch of equipment at 21 gold coins. What about you?"
"22 gold!"
Slaughterworld Syndicate furrowed their brows, glaring at Guan Ren.
"25 gold!"
The woman said lightly, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.
"Who is that lady with so much money?"
"Don’t you know her? Are you new to the game? She is Violet, one of the top ten beauties in our Nine Provinces gaming world! Her guild, Clear Rain Pavilion, is also one of the top hundred, just like Slaughterworld Syndicate!"
"That incredible? With two powerhouses clashing, one is bound to lose!"
Guan Ren appeared calm on the outside, but inwardly he was ecstatic.
At this rate, he was certain to make a killing!
"25 gold once, 25 gold twice, 25 gold..."
"30 gold!"
Slaughterworld Syndicate, their faces twisted with rage, regretted their necessity to outbid Clear Rain Pavilion.
Violet frowned slightly at this. 30 gold coins exceeded her budget, and she was ready to surrender the bidding war.
After all, she wasn’t foolish enough to overpay, and the gold could be better utilized later for more significant tasks than obtaining ordinary quality equipment.
"Roar!!!"
Just then, a thunderous roar emanated from beyond Sunward Town, startling everyone. They looked towards the horizon, sensing the arrival of an exciting event.
"The good stuff is coming!"
Guan Ren’s lips curled upward as the system announcement boomed through the skies.
[Ding! Due to player 'Officer Guan' slaughtering a vast number of boars in the Boar Forest, the Boar King has been enraged and will lead an assault on Sunward Town in half an hour! Please prepare in advance, players!]
A monster's attack on the city?
Everyone was dumbfounded, but then, their faces lit up with excitement.
Since everyone had low levels, death was inconsequential.
And once a city-besieging Boss was defeated, the reward would be substantial!
This was a risk-free deal!
"I offer 35 gold!"
Violet bit down on her teeth, making her decision.
Armed with this batch of equipment, they could gain a definitive advantage against the Boar King!
Thus, she pushed the price bravely to 35 gold coins per piece!
"40 gold!"
Slaughterworld Syndicate's gaze hardened, their lips curling into a vicious smile.
They'd just reported to their guild leader and were now supported with resources, prepared to go as high as 50 gold per piece!
"Lanlan, we have a hidden mission at the guild, so I can only allocate so many gold coins, my apologies."
Violet, hearing the message from her communicator, frowned and reluctantly had to give up the fight.
"Sold! Congratulations to the Slaughterworld Syndicate brothers for obtaining this batch of equipment at 40 gold coins apiece! Joyous indeed!"
After closing his stall and spotting Violet looking dejected, Guan Ren was struck with an idea, saying, "You provide the funds, and I'll provide the muscle. I'll snatch the Boss right from Slaughterworld Syndicate’s grasp for you. What do you say?"