Ch.128128. Romance of the Great Sword

Everyone has their own version of romance.

My idea of romance is turning my farm into a fortress, a space where I can solve everything.

Being able to live self-sufficiently within it.

Though it’s still woefully inadequate to fulfill my romantic notion, the Rift Dimension map could be seen as a suitable foundation for satisfying my ideal.

Perhaps someday, if the Rift Dimension evolves into that level of map, I might become someone who no longer cares about Earth’s destruction.

Well, I haven’t really thought that deeply about such profound matters.

Anyway, the romance that each person holds is worth investing one’s life into.

The same goes for the romance of greatswords.

It was an auction that made me realize how many hunters have a romantic attachment to greatswords.

380 billion.

So there really are people who have this much money.

Well, compared to the assets of the world’s richest, a few hundred billion is actually cute, but seeing the price climb with my own eyes hits differently.

Besides, the fact that a single item commands such value means that this one greatsword is considered more valuable than some global corporations.

And the bidding didn’t even end there.

“390 billion.”

“400 billion.”

There were many predictions on HunterS about the Greatsword of Madness.

Who would buy it?

While the hair loss medicine had too many strong candidates to predict, the Greatsword of Madness was relatively easy to guess.

World Rank 14, S+ Class Hunter Samut.

A hunter from the Middle East, famous for using greatswords.

And World Rank 4, SS Class Hunter Pleo.

An Indian-American hunter known for wielding greatswords with masterful skill.

Both are greatsword users and hunters of ranks wealthy enough to have money to burn.

– That’s Samut and Pleo, right?

– How do you know when they’re anonymous?

– You can’t see them, so how can you tell?

– Honestly, who else would pay that much for this greatsword?

– Hoarders can’t get in here lol

The YouTube livestream, which had already surpassed 130 million viewers, was filled with heated discussions about the two competitors bidding anonymously. I was a bit surprised seeing these comments.

“Wow. Can they actually see who it is?”

“It’s true that those two are the only ones who would buy it.”

I could see who the anonymous bidders were and confirm they were indeed Samut and Pleo, but it shouldn’t have been easy for others to predict this.

But listening to the reasoning, it made sense.

In truth, it wouldn’t be strange for anyone to buy an item.

Many people purchase rare and valuable items without intending to use them, like those who buy luxury goods as investments, holding onto them until they need quick cash or until the value increases.

That’s why at item auctions, it’s often collectors or merchants buying rather than people who actually need the items.

But that’s only true for reasonably sized items.

For items with specific requirements to equip, especially weapons, people who actually need them often bid above what others might consider reasonable value when there’s nothing better available.

It’s a matter of urgency.

Weapons used by top-ranked hunters don’t come by easily.

They’re already using the best existing weapons, so unless there’s a significant upgrade, they won’t bother changing.

For example, if you’re already wielding the Greatsword of Madness, would you spend hundreds of billions to replace it with something only slightly better?

If you could sell your current weapon at full value, even a small improvement might be worth it, but if it’s an overwhelmingly superior weapon, you might boldly purchase it thinking you’ll use it for at least several more years.

Especially when there’s competition, the price inevitably skyrockets.

“500 billion. From now on, bids will increase in 50 billion increments.”

“550 billion.”

I hadn’t known much before, but the information I was getting from posts on HunterS during this auction was quite fascinating.

– Samut and Pleo: The Story Summarized

The most upvoted post, which reached #1 on the trending page, provided a good summary:

– Samut is S+ class, a Middle Eastern prince at level 69. Pleo is an Indian who naturalized as an American (though many say America poached him), an Indian-American at SS class, level 76. Both are famous for using greatswords, so they often end up being compared. They both have YouTube channels, and since their greatsword handling styles are polar opposites, people frequently compare them.

Samut uses a diving, area-of-effect skill-focused hunting style.

Pleo uses a precise, overwhelming skill to take down targets one by one. It’s hard to explain exactly, but he prefers dueling.

There’s been a lot of debate about which style is cooler or stronger, and so far, most agree that Pleo is stronger, being SS class with earlier awakening and higher level.

Yet the reason an SS and S+ keep getting compared is because Samut is a Middle Eastern prince.

Even though Pleo is an SS class hunter with American backing, stories persist that Samut, with his oil money purchasing power, can’t quite surpass Pleo in actual combat but comes close enough to compete.

Well, Pleo isn’t short on money either.

Lately, it seems Pleo has been spending a lot on top-tier items that suit his combat style, perhaps stimulated by the comparison.

Anyway, Samut is trying to overcome the class difference and catch up, while Pleo seems annoyed that an S+ class, however high, is even being compared to an SS class. In this situation, the Greatsword of Madness has appeared.

The timing is really perfect… Honestly, I think whoever gets this greatsword, whether Samut or Pleo, will have the upper hand for a while.

I thought this background might make watching the auction more interesting, so I summarized it.

It wasn’t particularly secret information.

Just common knowledge that anyone who follows these two hunters on YouTube would know.

But for those who knew nothing about them, it was quite interesting information.

“600 billion.”

“650 billion.”

“700 billion.”

For people wondering “What’s so special about this greatsword?”, this explanation provided just enough context to make them think, “Ah, now I understand.”

And my speculation was somewhat correct.

Guardian stones. And auxiliary stones.

Those wealthy enough can obtain the materials, but they lack the courage to apply them to an S- class Greatsword of Madness.

If there were enough materials on the market, they could keep trying until they succeed, but considering the cost of enhancing to +3, they’re willing to pay a premium to buy an already enhanced weapon rather than doing it themselves.

“950 billion.”

“…”

Unfortunately, the auction didn’t quite reach 1 trillion.

– What? Who is it?

– Who else? Oil money, obviously.

– Ah, Pleo. Can’t America help him out?

– That price is already pure ego, how could America help?

– Can’t he get a loan?

– Even America can’t just swipe a card for nearly a trillion like it’s nothing lol

There was no twist like “Surprise! The Indian-American Pleo bought it!”

“That was intense.”

The result was probably predetermined.

No matter how much an SS class hunter might be a rising corporate entity earning lots of money, how could they beat royal oil money?

Besides, Samut is also an S+ class hunter earning substantial income.

From my perspective, it was a good fight.

Thanks to Pleo, the greatsword’s price rose at least 4-5 times what I had expected.

Considering my initial estimate was 200 billion, that is.

Perhaps this was Pleo’s plan all along.

While purchasing would have been the best scenario, the next best option was making his competitor—or rather, challenger—Samut pay as much as possible for the greatsword.

Though it might have been a bitter pill to swallow, it was probably the best choice available to Pleo.

“950 billion. Sold!”

As the bid was finalized, Kim Su-jeong asked me,

“Oppa.”

“What?”

“You’re about to have a trillion in your account. How does it feel?”

“…”

It didn’t feel real at all.

If I couldn’t grasp it, how must the viewers feel?

– Is this for real?

– It’s 950 billion, not 950 million, right?

– Lol, I’m watching an item being sold for 950 billion with my own eyes.

– Ah, it would have been legendary if it had exceeded 1 trillion.

– Is this item really that good?

Among people denying reality, I thought:

Even a weapon made with just common enhancement stones sold for nearly 1 trillion on Earth, a lower dimension, simply because it was S- class.

If I could make a similar grade weapon using rare and heroic enhancement stones, enhanced to +9…

“Didn’t you say you wanted to build some kind of farming department store?”

“A Farming Complex Shopping Landmark!”

“Why don’t you give it a try?”

Perhaps I could turn my location into the center of the world. That’s what I thought.