novellk Chapter 356 Poaching Teams and Auction Houses
Chapter 356 Poaching Teams and Auction Houses
The large guild "Thor's Hammer" mobilized more than 200 core members and used their overwhelming force to forcibly "take over" several core areas deep in the swamp that spawned the fastest and had a chance to produce high-quality leather armor.
"Clear the area! The 'Thor's Hammer' guild is leveling up here. All unauthorized personnel, leave within ten seconds! Otherwise, it will be considered provocation and will be dealt with by death!"
Liu Jian, a well-equipped commander, stood on a high place, his voice amplified and carried across half of the swamp.
Behind him stood a neatly arranged, menacing formation of mages and warriors.
Solo players and small teams dared not speak out in anger, and could only curse as they retreated to the edge of the area where monsters respawned slowly and were scattered.
However, the edges are already overcrowded.
"Damn it, these guild dogs!" a hunter with the ID Zhou Cheng cursed under his breath. He and his three friends hadn't managed to kill many decent monsters in half an hour.
"What should we do? We can't compete with them." Teammate Chen Tao, a pastor, was worried.
"Forcibly taking it is definitely not an option."
A sly glint flashed in Zhou Cheng's eyes.
"See that little puddle over there? The spawn point is a bit off-center, their large group can't cover it. We'll have a few people in our group, specializing in 'poaching'! They hunt the big ones, we snatch the rest, grab them and run, using speed scrolls!"
Soon, a small group of unwilling solo players spontaneously formed a "poaching team."
They moved like ghosts along the edge of the "Thor's Hammer" defenses, using the terrain and blind spots to instantly eliminate low-health monsters with high-burst skills, then relying on hunter traps, rogue smoke bombs, and pre-prepared speed boosts...
He escaped quickly amidst the guild members' angry shouts and pursuit.
"Chase them! Kill those bastards!" The captain of the "Thor's Hammer" squad was furious after their monster was stolen.
But the poaching teams are slippery; once they succeed, they immediately disappear and reappear in another location.
The guild's main force was extremely annoyed by this guerrilla tactic, and the dispersed pursuit made it easy for other lone wolves to take advantage of the situation.
In this swamp reeking of decay, a silent yet fierce war of attrition unfolds, marked by both hostile takeovers and counter-hostile actions, as well as mopping-up operations and guerrilla warfare.
Everyone's nerves were on edge, and the red-named lights flashed one after another.
......
When the wilderness becomes a bloody battlefield, the trading system in the main city takes on a different kind of madness.
Auction house.
In the last 24 hours, the price curve surged upward at a near-vertical angle, completely deviating from rationality.
Intermediate Life Recovery Potion (restores 1500 health points): Seven days ago, it was priced at about 50 silver coins, but now it is priced at 2 gold and 50 silver coins, and it was sold out instantly as soon as it was listed.
The situation is similar with mana potions.
[Random Teleportation Scroll] (Low-level, teleportation range 500-1000 meters): Available but not in stock.
Any item that appears in the auction house will instantly trigger bidding from dozens or even hundreds of people, and the final transaction price often exceeds 5 gold coins, which is more than 20 times the usual price.
This is the last straw to hold onto when faced with unforeseen circumstances.
Decent level 25 blue (excellent) equipment, especially weapons and armor, has seen its prices skyrocket.
A level 25 blue two-handed sword that increases strength by 15 points and has a slight life steal effect was auctioned off for a high price of 120 gold coins, enough to buy half a set of blue equipment of the same level under normal circumstances.
Survival items have become legendary: any scroll, accessory, or even one-time use item with descriptions such as "immune to all damage for 0.5 seconds," "forced into stealth for 1 second," or "cancels the next fatal attack (2-minute cooldown)."
No matter how short-lived its actual effects are or how demanding the conditions are, it will immediately be labeled as "sky-high price" and be snapped up by major guilds, wealthy players, or astute speculators.
A low-quality amulet that can only be used once and provides 0.3 seconds of invincibility upon activation sold for 80 gold coins.
The purchasing power of gold coins depreciated sharply in the face of panic buying. Bartering once again became the most mainstream and "hard currency" method of exchange.
Outside the auction house in Luoxia City, a huge open-air trading area spontaneously formed, bustling with people shoulder to shoulder.
"Change! Level 28 blue quality mail chest armor, high constitution and high defense. Only replace it with a dagger of the same level that increases healing effect or an equivalent amount of instant life regeneration potions, at least five sets!"
"Looking to buy the recipe or finished product for the [Advanced Antidote]! I'll trade this [Fire Wall] skill book for it!"
"Look at this! [Flash Dust] (Blinds surrounding enemies for 2 seconds)! Just trade one [Random Teleport Reel], or two [Stone Skin] Reels!"
"Buying all equipment or scrolls that increase movement speed with gold coins! Prices are negotiable!"
The sounds of hawking, bargaining, and arguing mingled together.
Everyone was frantically adjusting their equipment and supplies, trying to use every spare resource to gain even the slightest advantage that might bring survival in the brutal competition. The air was thick with urgency and calculation.
III. The Explosion of Social Media Channels and Global Rumors
Compared to the hustle and bustle of offline transactions, the information flow of online social channels presents collective anxiety and chaos in a different way.
[World Channel] (Refreshing at a rate more than five times faster than usual):
(Scanning past quickly)
"Level 30 Shield Warrior 'Sun Zhiqiang' is looking for a fixed team! Good awareness, follows commands, and aims for a stable performance in the preliminaries. Looking for a team with a healer and ranged DPS to support us! Priority given to players in the Luoxia City area!"
"Selling the recipe for [Intermediate Invisibility Potion] (lasts 15 seconds)! Trading only for a top-tier dagger around level 30 with high agility and high critical strike chance! Serious inquiries only, scammers stay away!"
"The 'Broken Army' Guild (Yanyang City) is recruiting a large number of high-damage DPS classes (level 28 and above) with good skills! We offer raid group benefits, cooperative gameplay during the preliminaries, and guaranteed survival! For details, please contact 'Wu Tian' privately!"
"High price! High price offered to buy player 'Lin Tian's' current location or predicted match region! Message me if you have any insider information! The reward will definitely satisfy you!"
"Anyone from 'Crimson Moon City' want to team up? We're a casual player alliance, mainly focused on support and logistics, looking for a group to stick together!"
"The 'Iron Curtain City' and 'Scarlet Crusade' guilds are clearing out 'Wailing Gorge'! Bring it on!"
"Scammer! 'Wang Defa' is a scammer! He promised to replace the reel, but after you paid, he blocked you! Be careful of this ID!"
"Latest rumor: Someone opened a 'partial map fragment of the preliminary rounds' from a golden treasure chest in the 'Dark Swamp'! Not sure if it's true!"
"Horror! I heard that 'Lin Tian' has privately announced that he'll wipe out all players in his region once the preliminaries start! Better safe than sorry!"