NOVPUBAddressing the crowd’s rising excitement, Nine’s expression grew troubled: "This magazine is designed for the Desert Eagle, and each bullet packs a punch."
"However, for some reason, this magazine can only load a single bullet at a time, meaning it requires reloading after each shot."
At this revelation, the crowd was momentarily stunned.
No sooner had Nine finished speaking than a wave of disdain washed over the masked crowd. Murmurs filled the room.
"The Desert Eagle is one of the most powerful handguns. With Spirit bullets, it would deal damage unmatched by any regular Spiritual Artifact against the creatures."
"But firing only one bullet at a time? That’s a huge drawback."
"It’s not as ridiculous as you make it out to be. Just practice the reloading speed, and maybe you can harness the power of this Spiritual Artifact magazine."
"A world-class sharpshooter takes two to three seconds to reload and chamber a round. That’s muscle memory and reaction time built over years, even decades. Are we supposed to train for years just to use this magazine?"
"Putting it that way, it does seem a bit useless."
All eyes turned to the magazine, their interest waning with every passing second.
Only Daniel looked on, eyes shining with glee.
A Desert Eagle magazine that makes every bullet shot from it spiritually charged?
Although limited to a single bullet at a time, this doesn’t matter to him.
My Desert Eagle is a high-tech product with unlimited bullets!
Every time he removes the magazine, it’s full.
This means the Desert Eagle with unlimited bullets automatically generates rounds in its magazine.
This spiritual magazine seems tailor-made for me!
Nine, sensing the room’s disinterest, wasn’t pleased.
It appeared no one was interested in acquiring this Spiritual Artifact.
Is a Spiritual Artifact really so unwelcome here?
Cutting through the chatter, Nine announced, "Bidding for the Spiritual Artifact magazine starts at ten kilograms of gold!"
She had initially hoped for twenty, but sensing the crowd’s lukewarm response, she halved her starting price.
As she’d predicted, after announcing the starting bid, the audience simply continued their low conversations, their focus nowhere near the Spiritual Artifact.
Seems like this item might just have to remain in her possession.
To be honest, she also found the magazine somewhat underwhelming, which is why she brought it to auction.
Otherwise, given the rarity of a Spiritual Artifact in the world, she wouldn’t have parted with it.
At the back of the crowd, Daniel’s gaze settled on the magazine.
What he saw was its appraisal results.
[Item]: Desert Eagle Standard Magazine (Spiritualized)
[Age]: Modern
[Condition]: Undamaged
[Detail]: A spiritualized magazine. Each bullet fired from it will be infused with spiritual energy, causing effective damage to monsters.
[Appraisal]: A firearm Spiritual Artifact, extremely rare!
[Market Price]: 5,000,000 StellarCoins.
[Buyback Price]: 40,000,000 StellarCoins.
Daniel thought he was seeing things. He checked again, and indeed, the market price was five million.
This was the first time he saw the system’s buyback price higher than the market price.
It seems even if the magazine hit the market, it wouldn’t catch anyone’s fancy.
But for the system, a firearm Spiritual Artifact was indeed worth the price.
After waiting for a long while, no one made a bid.
Nine sighed, resigning herself to the belief that the Spiritual Artifact would remain unsold.
Just then, she noticed someone at the back of the crowd raising an arm.
It was Daniel. "Ten kilograms of gold. I’ll take the magazine."
Everyone turned around, their expressions varied.
Why him again, number 13?
Does he just have money burning a hole in his pocket? Ten kilograms of gold for such a mediocre Spiritual Artifact.
Including the gold he spent on the monster cub earlier, he’s shelling out 1,010,000 grams of gold!
Where did he get all this gold? Could he be the son of a mine owner?
For Evolvers, paper money is practically worthless; gold is the real currency!
Many eyes darted around, their minds racing with different thoughts.
There were those envious of Daniel, those wanting to befriend him, and a few with a glint of malice in their eyes.
Daniel took in all the reactions, unconcerned, pretending he didn’t notice.
Those who could afford to be at the auction were Evolvers with some backing.
If they dared lay a hand on him, he wouldn’t hesitate to turn villain and kill for treasure.
Onstage, Nine was overjoyed, looking at Daniel with profound gratitude.
What defines a good person?
Someone who extends a hand when you’re at your lowest is indeed a good person!
Taking home auction items no one else wanted not once but twice? That’s the hallmark of a true benefactor!
With an exhilarated tone, Nine said, "Congratulations, Mr. Number 13, on acquiring this Spiritual Artifact!"
"After the auction concludes, I’ll discuss the transaction details with you."
Carrying so much gold wasn’t feasible; the transaction would need to be settled in private.
Daniel watched as the magazine was wheeled away by the man in black. Soon after, another cart was pushed onto the stage.
Nine, with shimmering anticipation in her eyes, spoke loudly as if addressing Daniel alone, "The next item up for auction is a coveted treasure in the market."
Lifting the cloth off the cart, she revealed, "It’s the Gene Magnet!"
The room buzzed with excitement.
"It’s finally here!"
"Gene Magnet, my precious!"
"I’ve been having intense Resonance reactions lately and desperately need a Gene Magnet to alleviate the pain. Give me a break and don’t bid against me!"
"Who the hell do you think you are?"
"Exactly! We all came for this. Who do you think you are to expect us to just hand it over?"
Number 28, the man in the mask, glowered with rage. With a flash of silver, he unsheathed a long metal blade!
Everyone recoiled in alarm, creating a vacant ring around Number 28.
Whispers rippled through the crowd. "He’s a Level 2 Evolver, and he’s unstable! He could explode at any moment due to his Resonance reaction!"
Faces paled in realization.
A Level 2 Evolver was elite even on a global scale.
The most profound change was the enhancement of their abilities.
One Level 2 could take on ten Level 1 Evolvers without breaking a sweat.
What made Number 28 truly terrifying wasn’t just his strength but the ticking time bomb of his Resonance reaction.
Even a cornered dog will leap over a wall, let alone a Level 2 Evolver who knows he’s on borrowed time!
Number 28 was pleased with the crowd’s reaction.
Disdainfully overlooking them, he fixed his gaze on Nine, "Bring me the Gene Magnet now!"
Nine’s enchanting face turned stormy, a cold smirk playing on her lips, "How audacious of you to cause a scene at my auction."
"Arlo, kill him!"
Beneath everyone’s masks, eyes flashed with confusion.
Was she actually considering killing Number 28?
Didn’t she realize the heavy price one has to pay to kill a Level 2 Evolver?
Even an Evolver of the same level would likely end up in mutual destruction unless one side was significantly stronger!
Perhaps this Arlo she spoke of is a formidable Level 2 Evolver?
But with Number 28 on the brink of explosion, being at death’s door would push him beyond his usual limits.
A mere Level 2 might struggle to subdue him, let alone finish him off.
From Nine’s side, the black-clad man who had been moving carts stepped forward, silently putting on gloves.
Number 28 furrowed his brows, sensing a disdain in the man’s actions. "So, you’re the famed Arlo?"
He spat in contempt. "Psh, any Tom, Dick, or Harry thinks they can take me down."
"I’ll give you one chance. Bring me the Gene Magnet, and I might just spare you-...What the?!"
Suddenly, a painful cry escaped Number 28.
He frantically clawed at his own throat.
It felt as if an iron grip was suffocating him, making breathing nearly impossible.
He struggled, desperately trying to pry away the unseen hands, but to no avail. All his strength couldn’t even budge one finger.
As the oxygen in his lungs dwindled, every cell in his body screamed in oxygen-deprived frenzy.
He wanted to scream, to beg, but the words were strangled in his throat, producing only a raspy wail.
The crowd was horrified, unable to comprehend the situation.
To them, it looked as if Number 28 was wrestling with an unseen force, his face turning ashen. His eyes rolled back until only the whites were visible, then he crumpled to the ground.
A brave few stepped forward to inspect, but quickly recoiled in horror, "He’s dead! He’s actually dead!"
A buzzing filled everyone’s head.
A Level 2 Evolver had just inexplicably died before their eyes.
The craziest part? No one saw who did it; in fact, nobody seemed to lay a hand on him!
Acted?!
Almost simultaneously, all eyes shifted to the stage.
What followed was a palpable wave of terror.
On the stage, Arlo’s hands came together, mirroring the motion of strangling someone.
Number 28 had met his end at Arlo’s hands!
