The auction deadline was one day.
Waiting for a long time for big money to come was unlikely. To get a job though he needed a decent suit of clothes so he was in a hurry to get money right away.
Typically there was a range of characters and items to determine the price, but the auction content of other people could only be seen by paying members so Lee Hyun was denied access.
Lee Hyun finished posting and went to sleep. Waking up early the next day, he planned to stop by a nearby employment office.
Not even an hour after Lee Hyun posted, the netizens that occupied the virtual space began heating up the internet.
Initially, no one believed the auction post. With the last patch of Continent of Magic, they were well aware the levels increased significantly higher.
The maximum level limit was 200.
In the entire server, no one who achieved such a state could be found, possibly because the figure itself was practically impossible for any man alive.
And now, there was an auction post with the character that rose to the highest level for sale.
“Some guy’s playing a prank on us.”
“What sort of moron posted this boring stuff?”
“This has happened so frequently it’s no longer fun.”
Several people commented in this fashion. Passing by some advised no one be fooled while others gave thanks for making them laugh.
From the early 21st century, phishing entries became a trend and because they were duped so often, they thought it was one of such cases again.
“No, never…….”
“Can’t be.”
Netizens tried to ignore the auction post. But their curiosity could not resist and they entered to see the post once again.
Auction posts unconditionally required screenshots of the character to be shown.
Each of the files attached to the posting were opened. The character info was truly outstanding. Various stats hit maximum and equipment items were indeed fantastic.
“Where the hell did he get those weapons?”
“Full set of Red Dragon Armor along with Red Dragon’s Backbone Shield? Wow…….”
“He says they were conferred by the Black God of Valor.”
People admired it quite a bit. Somehow it did not seem like a normal phishing post. To forge such detailed images, a great deal of effort would be needed.
“This guy definitely spent a lot of time on it.”
“The interface is Continent of Magic, but what game did he import the equipment from?”
Among those present at the auction post were current graphics designers. Looking at the base photo, they tried to find a blind spot.
“No matter how well-crafted the picture is, microscopic traces remain. Even if it looks perfect in the eyes of the public, when you apply the latest technology, the fake parts will be revealed.”
The designers magnified the images by a factor 10,000, tracked down the pixels, studied every shade, and even scanned the photo files in 3D trying to prove it was a forgery. But their attempts proved futile. Finally they were forced to acknowledge.
“All these images are real.”
“I’m the chief designer of LK Co. I guarantee this picture hasn’t been altered in anyway.”
Contrary to their expectations, the graphic designers began to confirm the authenticity of the images.
Then real users of Continent of Magic appeared. The moment they saw the images, they shouted in surprise. From the beginning they suspected nothing.
“It’s real. Character named Weed. This user’s damn famous.”
“The equipment is his, but I didn’t know he reached the top level, really impressive.”
Lee Hyun always played alone, intentionally avoiding hunting grounds with lots of people. He never participated in sieges, and minor disputes were usually ignored and passed by. But rumors about him never ceased to stop.
Slaying Dragons and Krakens deemed simply invincible and sweeping through the highest level hunting grounds all single handedly.
Not associating with other people didn’t mean they couldn’t recognize him. Among the remaining users, he was already a legend. Only Lee Hyun was oblivious to the fact that he was a celebrity.
“So the equipment is real?”
“Then, this can only be called jackpot…….”
The initial price for the auction was 50,000 won. Excluding the character value or equipment, just owning it alone according to current prices made the amount was far too low.
People hurriedly began to write down their bids. It went up in a flash from 50,000 to 300,000 won, all the way until 700,000 won. An hour had not passed before it exceeded 1,000,000 won.
The value of selling just one piece of equipment, there was no need to be hesitant about the loss. The bid began to skyrocket.
By this time, many people stopped participating out of desperation because they imagined to some extent the auction’s closing price.
Although the number of players in Continent of Magic decreased over time, after the servers integrated into one and became free of charge, there were still quite a lot of users.
Initially, it was the players of Continent of Magic who drove up the price, and following them were the wealthy office workers who increased the price further.
At one time, when the game was created, Continent of Magic kept the Republic of Korea up all night. The highest level character in that game, owning that antique had such value that you wanted to show it off to others.
The shrewder among the office workers quickly phoned their similarly aged bosses.
“Director-nim, is that you?”
-Why are you calling me at midnight? Do you want to get fired?
“Eh? That, well……. Director-nim, did you play Continent of Magic in the past?”
-Yes, what of it?
“The highest level character in Continent of Magic is up for auction. I thought Director-nim would surely be interested in it…….”
-What! Wi, Weed you mean?
“Yes. So Director-nim knows. Character is level 200. Stats and equipment are filled to the max.
Then followed the explanation.
-Right now. With your own money call for 30,000,000 won right now. I’m going back home right now to check it out, try to get the first place bid.
In the current age, people who hold key positions in companies belonged to a generation that played online games in the middle of their youth. They boosted the price range.
In large portal sites and every game related website, the hot topic talked about was the auction of the highest level in Continent of Magic. Many people started searching and instantly the keyword ranking shot skyward. From this point, the real auction began.
In the meantime though, Lee Hyun was sound asleep, completely unaware of this.
“Nogada… 50,000 won per day. Washing dishes in restaurants, 30,000 won. Supper, ham hocks…….”
He was busy summing up what to do the next day in his dreams.
With the people’s attention all focused on certain person, the auction price was soaring.
So far, nobody knew who Continent of Magic’s highest level was, but it invoked a desire to possess and show off the eternal character of the once greatest game.
The auction price finally exceeded 100,000,000 won.
At this point, ownership exceeded the market price for the individual holdings and equipment. Some people lamented over their lack of money and dropped out of the auction.
“I think the guy selling this character is a big-time weirdo.”
“How could he set the auction period for such a priceless avatar to only a single day?”