System Distributing Villain: Guide to Conquering Heroines' Hearts!

Chapter 97: 97 | A Rags-to-Riches Weapon

In the novel, Ryan purchased this metallic ball for 500,000 rollards and the entire auction hall looked at him like he was an idiot.

Nobody knew what it was.

The appraisers couldn’t identify it and the seller’s claims were unverified. It was a gamble that made no sense to anyone.

But the item turned out to be the Formless Fragment.

A growth-type weapon that bonded with its wielder and took on a form that matched them. The base grade was Legendary and by the end of the story, it reached Divine.

When Ryan bonded with it, the dull metal reshaped itself into a golden sword that he named Dawnbreaker. It became his signature weapon that he carried through every major battle.

And he never shut up about how he got it for only 500,000 rollards at a random auction.

Now that same item was sitting right there in front of him.

’Sorry, son. But Daddy will keep it safe for you.’ A grin formed on Dante’s face as his hand reached for the paddle.

As a responsible father, he had to look after it. Who knew where his son might lose it?

But one thing puzzled him.

’Why did it appear three months earlier?’ He thought about it for a second before the pieces clicked together.

’Wait. Could it be that this went unsold at this auction and they just brought it back to try again? Hoping some rich idiot would take the bait?’ His eyes brightened at the thought.

And it made perfect sense.

An item that went unsold and was treated as nothing more than an expensive paperweight would turn out to be a Legendary weapon after the protagonist bought it at the next auction.

’The protagonist’s luck really is something else. Even his weapon has a rags-to-riches backstory.’

Seeing him reach for the paddle, Emma and Aria both looked at him with puzzled faces.

Aria glanced at Emma, signaling her to stop him before he threw his money at what was obviously a scam.

But Emma’s next words left Aria completely dumbfounded.

"Dante, let me get it for you." She said with an eager look in her eyes. After years of working hard and building her empire, she finally had someone to spend it on.

She was going to spoil this man rotten.

She didn’t doubt his decision for a second. He was an awakener now. If he wanted it, there had to be a reason. Besides, it was just half a million. She made that in minutes.

And in her mind, spoiling him in front of everyone here mattered more than whether the item was real or not.

’Did love eat her brain cells?’ Aria stared at her friend, holding her forehead. ’Sigh...’

A murmur rippled through the crowd the moment after seeing the item.

"Didn’t they try to sell this thing last time too?"

"They did. Nobody bought it. Can’t believe they actually brought it back."

"How desperate is the seller? Just melt it down and sell the metal at this point."

"Do they think we’ll buy anything as long as it’s related to awakeners? Half a million for an iron ball? Who’s dumb enough to fall for that?"

"I heard someone at the last auction almost bid on it but his wife slapped the paddle out of his hand."

A few people laughed at that and the auctioneer kept his professional smile, though even he looked a bit embarrassed.

The governments and the wealthy elites of the normal world were aware of mana and awakeners, but only on the surface level.

The awakener world was secretive by nature and the information that trickled down to the normal humans was carefully controlled.

Conspiracy theories about awakeners floated around constantly but they never gained traction.

Most major media outlets were owned by top corporations and the majority of those corporations had ties to awakener organizations. Some were even fronts for them.

So the truth stayed buried exactly where the awakeners wanted it.

***

Just as the auctioneer was about to move on to the next item, a paddle went up.

"500,000." Dante said calmly after telling Emma he would handle it.

She had a disappointed look on her face, thinking he was still the same as before. What she didn’t know was that Dante would have been more than happy to let her spoil him, but he was worried others would jump in the moment they saw her bidding.

The hall went quiet for a second before the murmurs exploded.

"Did someone actually bid on that thing?"

"Isn’t that the guy who came with Ms. Emma?"

"So there IS someone dumb enough."

Emma heard their words and turned to look at him with widened eyes. ’Did he bid first so I wouldn’t be the one getting laughed at?’

’Whatever she’s thinking right now, it’s definitely wrong.’ Dante was speechless after seeing the look in her eyes.

On the other hand, Aria buried her face in her hands. ’I can’t be seen with these two.’

The auctioneer’s face lit up like a prey had just taken his bait. "500,000 to the gentleman in black! Do I hear—"

"600,000."

The voice came from the corner of the hall.

Marcus was leaning back in his chair with his paddle raised lazily. His eyes weren’t even at the item on the stage.

They were on Dante.

He had just been humiliated by Dante and was looking for a way to get back at him. This was the perfect chance.

The others immediately understood what he was doing.

"I get that Young Master Marcus wants revenge but couldn’t he have picked a better way?"

"He’s too blinded by anger."

"Even if he wins the bid, can you really call that a win?"

Veins bulged on Marcus’s forehead as the whispers reached his ears. These nobodies were pissing him off more than Dante at this point.

Dante turned to look at him and a murderous glint flashed in his eyes. ’Ah... I forgot about this rabid dog.’

He had been merciful enough to let Marcus live until his buddy Ryan returned, but this guy was seriously starting to test his limits.

’Should I just kill him?’