Alfons didn’t bother with delaying the count this time. He rattled it off and the sword sold for six hundred and forty gold. Ming let out a cheer, and Arek found himself tempted to join her.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen this much money before – he’d earned more in a single hour when he was a C ranked adventurer. The difference was the method he used to earn the money.

In his past, holding the gold he’d earned formed a dense knot in his stomach. It felt rancid and wrong, stained by the actions he’d taken to get it. But now, Arek found himself excited, even if he didn’t know what they’d use the money for.

Once the sword had vanished from the pedestal, a chest plate to rival Belmont’s took its place. It was made of a dark metal and completely covered with barbs and spikes. The shoulder pads twisted upwards in an almost regal fashion.

Dim grey light flickered around the armor. It was difficult to see with all the lighting on the stage, but it was still apparent.

“That armor is enchanted with something strong,” Belmont said, leaning forwards.

“Looking for an upgrade?” Arek asked.

“Just taking inspiration. I’m not buying armor that somebody else made.”

“I’m not going to ask where you found the time to learn how to blacksmith. We haven’t been apart for more than a week in the past ten years,” Malissa grumbled.

Alfons announced that the armor had an enchantment that allowed it to change shape and control its spikes. The price quickly launched to five hundred gold. Belmont grunted. Despite his words, Arek suspected the man had been quite interested in the armor.

“Is there anything in particular we want to use our money for?” Malissa asked as the armor started to edge its way into the six hundreds. “Normally the auction is the best place to find unique goods, but it looks like everything is going to be incredibly overpriced this time.”

“Aside from Arek, I don’t think any of us have any particular things we want. We’ve all got stuff we’d happily impulse buy, but that’s not as important. We should figure out what our next goal is.”

“I know what I want!” Ming protested. “Food isn’t an impulse buy. It’s an investment to let me continue using a lot of magic.”

“If it was really just an investment, you’d eat plain but filling food,” Belmont pointed out. “That would save you hundreds of gold.”

Ming harrumphed and didn’t grace him with a response. The set of armor hit eight hundred and fifty gold, but the dings didn’t show any signs of slowing down. It had gathered the attention of quite a few people, and they weren’t content to sit around and let the strange guild win this as well.

“I think we should try to get more powerful,” Malissa said. “It’s never been a priority to me before, but I think I’d like to become a powerful adventurer. I mean, look at Magus. He just does whatever he wants, and he’s only a B rank! Imagine what we could do if we got that strong.”

“Becoming powerful would be a great way to become safer,” Belmont agreed. “Although it’s likely to bring us enemies as well. You don’t grow to B or even A rank without drawing ire from people, especially if we aren’t in a guild.”

“We’ve already got a good amount of enemies,” Arek said, chuckling. “We might as well get stronger. I’m surprised to see myself saying this, but I think I’d also like to get stronger. I’ve been scared of my power for years. If whatever that arch did to me really fixed it, I’d like to do some good in the world. Besides, all of the rarest ingredients are deep within the more dangerous dungeons.”

“Stronger means more food,” Ming said. “I’m with you guys.”

The armor finally sold for just under a thousand gold. Another sword took its place, but the Happy Sunflowers weren’t particularly interested in new weapons at the moment.

“Well, this is fantastic,” Belmont said. “We’ve come to the same conclusion that every other adventuring team figured out on their first day.”

“Better late than never,” Arek said. “But now we have to figure out how we’ll actually get stronger. Training is one thing, but it won’t take us past C rank.”

“Belmont and I need to study the books Magus gave us,” Ming said. “And if you’re going to be using magic, you might need to try to get your hands on some magic books as well. Although I don’t think you tested in as a mage, so I’m not sure if you can get one easily. Also, don’t you need to pick out a school of magic?”

“No. I don’t have any magic inherently. The runes aren’t actually a part of my body, so I can’t change what they do,” Arek said with a grimace. He didn’t say it aloud, but there was a way to improve the runes. It just meant finding someone he had no desire to see again. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll find a way to get stronger, even if it’s just through physical strength. Not all the high ranking adventurers are mages.”

A wave of murmurs broke through the magically induced silence. The party paused their conversation and looked down at the stage. The pedestal was empty. Alfons spread his arms wide and remained silent for a few more moments to build tension.

“That’s the last item of the normal auction! It’s just about time for our main event!” Alfons called. “But first, a message from our sponsor. The magically induced darkness protecting our identities today has been brought to us by the Shadowwalk guild. They work quickly and efficiently, and as you all saw today, they’re quite effective. If you’re interested, contact them and speak the keyword ‘Dancing Dragon’ for a fifteen percent discount on your first purchase!”

The magical silence wasn’t enough to suppress the groan that rose up from the crowd.