Low-grade materials being this hot?
Noah found it suspicious.
No—too suspicious.
He quickly tried to check the market for other listings of fresh Silver Wolf Meat, but the system returned a blunt, cold notice:
[System]: Sorry, the item you searched for [Fresh Silver Wolf Meat] is sold out. Check out other listings instead!
"What the hell? All sold out?"
Noah came to a halt mid-stride, the wind tossing his hair as confusion settled in.
Could it be… someone's brewing potions right now and needs a ton of low-tier materials? That would explain why every last scrap of Silver Wolf Meat was gone in an instant.
The thought clicked in his mind.
Well, if that's the case… it's time to cash in.
Without wasting another second—afraid another player might undercut him—Noah yanked open his inventory and dumped all of his Silver Wolf Meat into the auction house.
6,240 units in total.
Unit price: 200 gold coins each.
He smirked. With this volume, I own the market right now. Doubling the usual price? Absolutely fair.
After setting the listing live, he continued on his way.
Radiant Burst plus basic elemental skills triggered the Windstride Set's speed boost.
With the wind roaring in his ears, he shot forward like a rocket.
So there went the Level 1 Demon-Slayer, ignoring the main roads entirely, sprinting straight into monster-infested paths. Not only was his speed unhindered—it was lightning-fast.
But his eyes never once left the auction house interface.
A minute passed. Then—
[Ding!]
Your consigned item [Fresh Silver Wolf Meat] x6240 has been purchased by player [Grimgloom]!
1,248,000 gold coins have been deposited into your account!
As an Auction House VIP Pass Holder, this transaction is exempt from all fees.
The notification popped up so suddenly Noah almost tripped mid-dash.
"Holy—! All sold?!"
He sucked in a sharp breath, eyes gleaming with excitement.
Truth be told, when he'd dumped the entire stack up for sale, he hadn't expected it to all move instantly.
But this "Grimgloom" character? They didn't just buy—they bought everything in one go.
Noah opened his account balance:
Gold: 2,125,990
Just this morning, while grinding dungeons, he couldn't have imagined Silver Wolf Meat—one of the most common drops for him—would turn into over 1.24 million gold.
That was more than his entire ranking rewards combined.
Now, his gold total had passed the two-million mark. Converted, that was two small financial "targets" in Huaxia currency.
Calm down… stay calm…
Before the grin could settle on his face—
[Ding!]
Player [Grimgloom] has sent you a private message!
Grimgloom: "Seller? Are you there? Hello??"
Noah: "Use voice chat."
Grimgloom: "…(╥﹏╥) I don't have a mic. Can I just type?"
Noah: "Fine. Say it."
Grimgloom: "Right! So, um, how did you get so much Silver Wolf Meat?? Are you part of a merchant guild?
For you to stockpile that much… your guild must be huge! How long have you been hoarding?"
Noah: "…I'm not in a merchant guild. And I didn't hoard for long. Just farmed it in one day."
Grimgloom: "Liar! No way! Not even a Demon-Slayer could farm over 6,000 units in a single day!"
This auction house chat was designed to protect buyer and seller privacy—defaulting to anonymous usernames.
Noah had noticed that. But instead of wasting time, he simply revealed his ID.
Demon-Slayer: "And why exactly is that impossible?"
Silence. Then—
Grimgloom: "W-Wait—YOU'RE THE DEMON-SLAYER?! Oh my god I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!!"
Noah ignored the flustered apology and typed again:
Demon-Slayer: "So what you're saying… Silver Wolf Meat is hard to farm?"
Grimgloom: "Yes! Not just that—any dungeon material is extremely rare! Drop rates are brutal!
For a big guild to farm today's amount, it'd take at least half a year!"
Half a year? Seriously?
For him, Silver Wolf Meat dropped so often it was practically a guaranteed loot.
Sure, maybe his insane luck stat played a role—but this much difference?
Demon-Slayer: "You're not pulling my leg, right?"
Grimgloom: "I swear on my life! Uh… Demon-Slayer sir, what's your Luck stat?"
Demon-Slayer: "Maxed."
Grimgloom: "Wait—you mean… 100 points?? That explains it!"
Demon-Slayer: "…That's your idea of max?"
Grimgloom: "…?"
Demon-Slayer: "You're thinking too small."
Grimgloom: "…Okay uh… anyway! Please allow me to introduce myself properly!
I'm the apprentice of a Master Alchemist—our lab works under the Alchemist Division of the Demon-Slaying Institute, supplying the Divine Tactics Legion on the front lines.
The front's in bad shape right now. Many warriors are badly injured and our potion stocks are running dry.
Your Silver Wolf Meat came at the perfect time! Could we… maybe work together long-term?"
Hearing they were from the Demon-Slaying Institute, Noah instantly understood.
No wonder they spent money like water.
The Demon-Slaying Institute—founded by the first Human Emperor, Ye Zhibai—was the supreme command center in the war against the demon race. Headquarters in the Imperial Capital, branches all across the nation.
They were the government's direct hand.
Demon-Slayer: "Sure."
With that, he closed the chat window.
By now, Noah had reached the far northern edge of the newbie map, standing before the boundary to the next region: The Forest of Hope.
A colossal barrier—the Boundary Wall—split the endless forest in two. One half belonged to the newbie zone, the other to the Forest Kingdom.
Bathed in sunlight, the wall shimmered like a curtain of liquid crystal, stretching to the sky like an unbreakable, transparent fortress.
Noah recognized it instantly. Air wall. Classic.
Legend said once a player reached level 50 and completed their breakthrough quest, a Star Gate would form on the wall. Passing through it meant leaving the newbie map behind forever.
And today, Noah arrived just in time.
A thief had just completed his breakthrough quest, and was now opening his first Star Gate—the gateway to a higher tier of power.
Dozens of players had gathered to watch.
The wall rippled, and a dark-green Star Gate slowly emerged.
"Cough—cough—fifty years. Fifty years! And I, Wang Teng, have finally succeeded!"
The man, easily past his prime, dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his wrinkled face.
"It was too hard… I lost everything for this day. But thanks to the Permanent Sword Insignia of the Demon-Slayer… I made it!"
He stood, looking back at his friends with a mix of pride and nostalgia.
"Brothers, I'll go ahead. See you in the Forest Kingdom!"
Without hesitation, he stepped into the glowing green gate. His figure dissolved into stardust and was gone.
"Wang Teng's gone…"
"Yeah. Our retirement squad just lost another one."
"If even Old Wang made it… when will it be our turn?"
"Probably never."
"…Do you think Demon-Slayer will leave another Sword Insignia?"
The old players sighed, staring at the slowly closing gate.
When the light faded, it felt like watching the sun set on their own dreams.
And behind them—Noah was walking forward, eyes sharp.