Unsurprisingly, Kieran's comment incited a heated response from everyone who joined the Player Auction.
In addition to performing research at the Adventurers' Guild once information on the orders was revealed, they also learned a few matters from the menu that popped up to summarize the item's effects.
In short, the advantages of an early official guild were simply unprecedented.
As long as one could godfather the creation of player-owned guilds, they were bound to receive an advantage many would fail to overcome. Because of this understanding, many Overlord guilds, including Eclipse and Advent, gained permission from their board of directors to place absurd bids.
If the rewards were anything like what Kieran received for his feats thus far, spending a large and almost unthinkable amount of money was worth it.
The edge was worth it.
At that moment, voices that had yet to speak began to place their offers.
And while the Gold amount barely moved, which Kieran expected, given that everyone would want to claim what appeared on the UCETS platform, the cash offers continued to balloon.
Eventually, the order had offers as high as 42,000 Gold and $125 million.
When calculated together, this item would cost the one that purchased it close to $250 million!
Under normal circumstances, a purchase this large would take ample time to recoup. However, that wasn't true with current conditions.
The inflated exchange economy supported rampant spending, especially after the guild began to learn of Zenith Online's long-lasting effects.
'These people have become quite mindless, consumed by the goal of obtaining more status and power,' Mors thought to himself, silently gazing at the bidding information before him.
Even he had to admit that this item's appeal was unmatched.
For the current gaming community at least.
After all, if the item was more readily available, there wouldn't be such a high demand for it.
In the meantime, Kieran stood inside the Godhand Bazaar with a gleeful expression.
The gullible nature of these players far exceeded his expectations. He thought his attempts to goad them would fall short, but that clearly wasn't the case.
However, though the money was tantalizing, it didn't entirely target the desire that Kieran wished to quench.
'The others are good, but you… Charles. I want you. Let's start by wringing those pockets dry,' Kieran thought to himself.
After a moment of silence, Kieran spoke through the virtual interface.
"This has been quite an amazing auction thus far. Though, it would seem that the names attached to the great Behemoths are not performing that well. What happened to your grasp of supposedly unlimited funds?"
As Kieran spoke, Solomon gnashed his teeth with a darkened expression.
As one of the leaders of a Behemoth guild, he felt Kieran's snide remark was poking fun at him. Of course, he was correct, and Kieran didn't do much to hide this fact.
They had learned enough from Kieran's stream that he didn't hesitate to call anyone out. He was a person that openly welcomed any challenge and participated in and overwhelmed conflict.
In any case, going against such an opponent was a natural headache producer.
'This damned guy. He knows how valuable a guild is to us in a setting like this. The first one to form a proper guild will be able to monopolize Raids. Unlike Dungeons, Raids should give extremely bountiful loot,' Solomon thought, clenching his fist tightly.
As this was not his first experience with gaming, Solomon was familiar with the value of Raids and how they surpassed the worth of Dungeons.
Furthermore, although there was no official announcement regarding this information, Solomon was confident that Raids existed in this game.
All of the other essential functions of a VRMMORPG were present in the game so far, so why wouldn't raids?
'Since it has come to it, we'll just have to use that method,' Solomon thought, his expression becoming vile shortly after.
"You're correct. It's quite unsightly that we're being outshone by guilds of lesser status. With that being said, I think it'd be in your best interest to know your place unless you want to make an enemy out of Golden Brigade. What can you do when the weight of a Behemoth comes tumbling down on your shoulders?" Solomon voiced.
Following his comment, many of the participants utilized the virtual interface to voice their concerns and express some signs of wanting to withdraw from the auction.
Though, because Kieran expected such a card to be played, he intervened.
"Those methods are not applicable here. Not only are the participants, aside from myself, anonymous, but I won't tolerate you attempting to use your status to ruin my auction. You'll be expelled from the bid if you continue to flaunt your meaningless fame," Kieran retorted.
"Meaningless?!" Solomon seethed, gnashing his teeth behind the virtual interface. 'What does he mean meaningless? Does his brain not work properly? How could a Behemoth be meaningless? We rule the gaming world and beyond!'ραпdαs `n?ν?| сom
"Yes, meaningless. If you haven't noticed, despite the benefits of your status in the real world, it has gained you nothing here. It's meaningless. This is a world of action. Unless you have the means to take action, you should quiet down," Kieran continued.
Unsurprisingly, his response caused a string of gasps. Many people soon came to a swift understanding as to why many started to refer to Kieran as the Hidden King.
This demeanor was definitely befitting of someone with lofty status—like a king talking to their lesser subjects—attempting to school them.
"Now, as I said before, it'd be better if you didn't attempt to flaunt your status. This is an auction, not a wrestling match. Be civil, you mindless brute," Kieran said, sighing disappointedly.
From the others' point of view, it almost seemed like Kieran was targeting this guy. However, they couldn't understand why that was the case.
Until now, they had never once met each other.
Then again, when revisiting Kieran's words and noting his tone, it seemed too indifferent to call it open targeting.
Eventually, the participants of the auction considered another possibility.
What if Kieran simply disliked people that used the power of their backing to obtain things easily?
Or, what if Kieran disliked the fact that Solomon was attempting to reduce the value of the order?
Then again, the last possibility wasn't very likely.
Kieran estimated that the value of the order was close to being reached.
There weren't many guilds that would part with a quarter of a billion dollars simply to secure exclusive rights in creating a guild. Only a Behemoth could justify this exorbitant expenditure.
As a result, the bidding on the order came to a close soon after with Solomon obtaining the item for 45,000 Gold and $125 million.
Overall, Kieran was satisfied with his gains from the creation order, but Solomon felt black-hearted. Though he had obtained the order, he still needed to increase his World Fame.
Fortunately, that was easier than obtaining the creation order through natural means.
However, Solomon's feeling of triumph and glory didn't last long because another announcement was administered through the system, making him wonder if he just had a stroke.
Did he not spend a ridiculous amount of money to secure this guy's only Official Guild Creation Order?! Why was there another one?
"What's the meaning of this?" Solomon exclaimed through the interface as Kieran opened the bids for the second order.
Kieran chuckled softly before shaking his head. "The meaning is quite simple—I like money. So I'm auctioning off what I possess. Do I need to explain myself to the likes of you?"
"I was under the impression that this was your only order! Otherwise, I wouldn't have paid such a steep price," Solomon complained, powerlessly dropping to his knees.
"Well, your impression is not my concern. I didn't tell you to be so foolish with your spending or assume that I didn't possess another. Did you forget? I was the first person to clear a Hell Mode Dungeon," Kieran replied, his tone filled with mockery.
"Now, back to the task at hand, people. We'll be auctioning off my final item of the auction before I return to my previous matters. The same rules apply," he announced not long after.
As he listened to the conversation between Solomon and Kieran, Mors smirked. 'That guy was played like a fiddle. One could easily tell from his words that he had been had.'
"Enough with the games," Mors spoke directly. "What's the buy-out price on the item? If it's reasonable, I'll take it off your hands. Apocalypse is not like Golden Brigade. We're quite healthy."
'Apocalypse? A top three Behemoth is present. How interesting. Well, he's not wrong. Whereas Golden Brigade is in the last spot, Apocalypse is in quite a secure position,' Kieran thought.
"I'm willing to take 40,000 Gold and $100 million. I mean, surely you can overtake Golden Brigade in becoming the first official guild, yeah?" Kieran responded.
"That price is suitable. I'll take it. I suppose it has just become a war between Behemoths again. Hasn't it, Solomon?" Mors said in response, openly teasing Solomon.
With his expression dark, Solomon cursed under his breath. Though he was the Guild Master of Golden Brigade, Solomon suspected Mors was closer to completing the guild-making criteria.
Unfortunately, even though they were separated by different empires, the reward of becoming the first official guild was a global feat. Only one presence could obtain it.
Afterward, there'd be no leftovers for anyone to claim.
With another hefty addition to his bank account and a resupply of Gold Coins to support the Godhand Bazaar's item production, Kieran felt comfortable with his current position.
Though it wasn't the most secure, as a lot of foundation building still needed to happen, Kieran believed that he could form the proper relationships.
Once finished with the Player Auction, Kieran logged out of Zenith Online.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om