"200,000!" As the second Duplicate Card began to be auctioned, Xiao Hua saw the situation was not favorable and directly bought it at a single price. When he tried to do the same for the third card, someone else beat him to it.
"The third item is a piece of rare-grade leather, Hydra Skin!"
Hydra Skin (Rare): A hide taken from a Hydra, extremely rare, and can be used to craft high-grade armor.
Thank goodness I came to this auction! Xiao Hua exclaimed inwardly upon seeing the Hydra Skin. With the gradual increase in level, he had been paying attention to rare hides but had never received any news about them. Obtaining the Hydra Skin would allow him to repair the Slime King Leather Armor he was wearing, allowing him to continue using it; otherwise, he would have to replace his gear once he reached level 30.
"The auction starting price is 50,000 gold coins, with each bid increment no less than 1,000 gold coins."
"100,000!" As soon as the auctioneer spoke, someone placed a bid, indicating that there were many interested parties for the rare hide.
"150,000!"
"200,000!"
"500,000!" The bidding for the Hydra Skin was far more intense than that for the Super Magic Bombs earlier, reaching a staggering 500,000 gold coins after only the fourth bid!
"1,000,000!" Xiao Hua shouted, doubling the bid price!
At this rate, the final price would inevitably reach one million gold coins. Those participating in the bidding were armor craftsmen. Crafting armor from rare hides had a chance to produce dark gold equipment, though the probability was low, and crafting dark gold equipment required many other materials.
If the price of the rare hide was around 600,000 gold coins, even if they crafted purple equipment instead of dark gold, they could still break even. However, if the price exceeded one million gold coins, the cost would rise above 1.5 million gold coins. While crafting dark gold armor could fetch two to three million gold coins, making a profit of over one million, it was too risky. If they failed to craft even purple equipment, they would be in dire straits.
Xiao Hua's situation was different. He intended to use the rare hide to repair his armor and was certain that repairing the Slime King Leather Armor would result in at least dark gold grade equipment!
The original bidders gave up, and Xiao Hua successfully won the Hydra Skin for one million gold coins.
Subsequently, the auctioneer auctioned off several pieces of purple equipment, all for level 40+, covering various professions. There were also defensive items suitable for Xiao Hua, but since reaching level 40 was still a distant prospect, buying them now would be a waste. Xiao Hua did not participate in the equipment auction, but he couldn't help but marvel at the large number of wealthy players in the game as he watched these purple items sell for over one million gold coins, with some weapons fetching two million.
"Alright, the equipment auction is complete. Now comes the main event—the auction of free skill books! First up, the universal free skill book 'Critical Venom'!"
"Critical Venom": When attacking a target and landing a critical hit, additional significant poison damage is inflicted. All attribute-based professions can learn this skill.
The skill description appeared on the magic screen, stirring excitement among the crowd. Critical hits already dealt high damage, and adding poison damage would be particularly beneficial for professions like assassins that relied heavily on critical strikes.
However, many players in the auction hall knew that the skill description was one thing, while the actual effect could be another. Having been misled by skill book descriptions before, they held back, waiting to see if the auctioneer had additional information.
"I believe there are those among you who recognize this skill book. In fact, our auction house has obtained the true skill details for 'Critical Venom.' You can rest assured that the skill works exactly as described. If there is any discrepancy after learning it, Pot of Gold Auction House guarantees a full refund of the auction price!"
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The auctioneer moved slightly, and a line of text appeared on the magic screen.
Critical Venom (Passive) (Low Level): When successfully landing a critical hit on a target, an additional 25% poison damage is inflicted, with a minimum of 200 HP. This skill requires 'Poison' to function.
"The auction starting price is one million gold coins, with each bid increment no less than 10,000 gold coins. Bidding starts now!"
This was a blatant temptation!
Looking at the skill attributes of Critical Venom, Xiao Hua shouted inwardly. No one needed this skill more than he did. With his low attack but high agility and critical hit rate, as long as he could break the monster's defense, the critical hit rate was quite high. Recalling his previous 50% critical hit rate with 800 agility, he imagined how powerful this skill would be under nearly 50% critical hits. Moreover, the effect would be even stronger when upgraded!
Indeed, this skill book was coveted by everyone. Even Piaoling, who was originally planning to bid on the final 'Icebound Land,' became tempted. As a profession with the highest output, mages had a decent critical hit rate. With a critical strike, the damage was frighteningly high. In PvP, low-health professions could be instantly killed by a high-damage mage. Adding 25% extra damage to critical strikes was enough to make one's heart race!
Seeing Xiao Hua's passionate expression, Piaoling knew he was completely captivated. She smiled and decided not to bid on the skill.
With the auction house's guarantee, many bidders became determined to win this highly practical skill, and the bid prices on the magic screen skyrocketed, rising from one million to over two million in an instant!
"2.3 million!" Another new bid emerged.
At this price, a large portion of the financially constrained bidders could only sigh and retreat. Most people in the auction hall were like Bing Feng Tian Xia, there to watch the show and not equipped with sufficient funds to compete seriously.
"3 million!" Suddenly, a voice boomed from a VIP room, echoing throughout the auction hall. The bid price on the magic screen jumped directly to three million!
A young man appeared on the balcony of the VIP room, and many people turned to look. Seeing his handsome and spirited appearance, they began to speculate about his identity.
"It's Dongfang Wentian, the playboy." Someone in the hall recognized him and whispered to others. Dongfang Wentian was known for his love of showing off and deliberately removing the barrier of his VIP room so that others could see him.
Most people understood immediately. Dongfang Wentian was a playboy who loved attention, but he had the means to do so. Allegedly, he was from a wealthy and influential family in reality, bringing hundreds of people into the game directly, never having to fight monsters yet ranking within the top thousand in China. Many found it unbelievable that someone would go to such lengths just for a game, but it turned out that similar situations existed in other major cities, albeit without the same level of ostentation as Dongfang Wentian.
Ordinary people could not fathom the actions of the rich and could only talk about it as gossip. Seeing this playboy in person, they felt that the rumors were indeed true.
Although Dongfang Wentian was known for his frivolous lifestyle and love of attention, he was not entirely as described in the outside world. As a member of an elite family, he had received a good education since childhood and had learned a lot despite not wanting to study. Moreover, he was not entirely uneducated. Standing before the crowd and bidding publicly was his way of showing that he wanted the skill book and would not let anyone else have it.
"3.1 million!" But this was just a game, and the auction was about who had more money, regardless of fame or family background. Within seconds, someone placed a higher bid.
"3.5 million!" Dongfang Wentian's face darkened. His attempt to deter others with a three million bid had failed, making it unlikely that he would secure the skill book easily.
"3.6 million!" The other bidder seemed to be playing cat and mouse, adding another 100,000.
"4 million!" Dongfang Wentian gritted his teeth, continuing to show his determination to obtain 'Critical Venom.'
"4.1 million!" The other bidder followed suit.
In the auction hall, many players watched as these two pushed the price of a free skill book to the level of a dark gold weapon, seemingly with room for further increases. They exchanged glances, amazed at the madness of the bidding.
"4.5 million!" If not for controlling his emotions, Dongfang Wentian would have shouted. Despite trying to show off, his efforts were in vain against the anonymous bidder!
"Mister, we cannot bid higher, or we won't have enough funds left for 'Icebound Land.' This individual skill is not worth so much." In the same VIP room, an older man whispered to Dongfang Wentian.
"I understand. If that person continues to follow, I'll give up." Dongfang Wentian nodded, maintaining his composure despite his anger.
After the 4.5 million bid, the anonymous bidder finally backed down. The countdown on the magic screen ticked away second by second.
"5 million!" Just as everyone thought Dongfang Wentian would live up to his reputation and secure 'Critical Venom,' the magic screen suddenly changed, showing a new bid!
"It's 13168 again. Who is this guy? He's so rich!" During the bidding, the magic screen displayed not only the bid amount but also the bidder's number. Some observant players noticed that 13168 had already bid on the Super Magic Bomb, Duplicate Cards, and Hydra Skin, totaling 1.8 million gold coins. Now, he had placed a bid of 5 million gold coins, demonstrating his considerable wealth.