It wasn't just the big shots in the second-floor boxes who were intrigued.

Many players on the first floor, reminded of the previous auction's drama, turned their heads to glance at the box where Dawn Guild was situated.

As expected, after John's bid of one hundred and seventy million, Kingserp's demeanor visibly fluctuated.

The dark mist swirling around him began to churn violently.

"Galewind... it's you again, ruining my plans!" Kingserp's voice, cold and resentful, seemed to emanate from the depths of hell.

However, John remained unfazed, responding casually, "That's a strange thing to say. Am I not allowed to bid? Is this auction only for you?"

Kingserp snorted darkly, his voice dripping with scorn, "I don't believe a solo player like you can pull out such a huge sum of one hundred and seventy million!"

"Auctions are not about who has the bigger fist, but about who has deeper pockets. Make sure you can afford what you bid."

John smiled lightly, "You needn't worry about that. Whether I can afford it or not is none of your concern…"

Kingserp fell silent. Against Adam and others, he could freely mock and taunt, but facing John, he lacked the courage to continue his jeers.

After all, John was someone who could take action right there and then.

The experience of being instantaneously defeated last time was still vivid in Kingserp's mind, a sensation of utter powerlessness he never wanted to relive.

"So, what's it going to be? Are you going to raise the bid?" John asked, his smile easy, his gaze serene.

Yet, this relaxed demeanor sent a shiver down Kingserp's spine.

He sensed immense danger, as if John might strike at any moment.

Kingserp had witnessed John's recent encounter with the AGHHO assassin intruder from the second floor.

That AGHHO leader was a true master assassin, with a level certainly above 200.

Yet, in the face of John, he was like a mouse before a cat, utterly toyed with.

Kingserp admitted to himself that he couldn't possibly defeat that master assassin.

Had John become even stronger?

This thought raged furiously in Kingserp's mind.

As an arrogant madman, he couldn't bear the thought of another player being so much more powerful than himself.

But the reality was right in front of him, undeniable regardless of Kingserp's acceptance.

"What are you hesitating for? You were so decisive just a moment ago," John's calm voice echoed again, fueling Kingserp's internal fury.

"Of course, I'll continue. If you, Galewind, can afford that amount, then what does it mean to me?" After some hesitation, Kingserp finally gritted his teeth and said, "One hundred and ninety million!"

John's relaxed and cheerful laughter resounded in everyone's ears, as if he had encountered something amusing. Yet, to Kingserp, that laughter seemed fraught with immense danger.

"Then let me round it up to a neat two hundred million. Will Guild Leader Kingserp continue?"

At this point, John's nonchalant attitude had completely shattered Kingserp's defenses. He was filled with an intense rage.

"Two hundred and ten million!" Like a madman, he recklessly continued to raise the bid, treating money as if it were nothing, with complete disregard.

The high-ranking members of Dawn Guild behind Kingserp exchanged glances, all wanting to dissuade their guild leader from his frenzy.

Yet, not a single one dared to step forward.

John's aggressive move last time had left them with a deep-seated fear.

Facing John again, they could only tremble, devoid of their usual madness.

Hearing Kingserp hysterically shout out the price of two hundred and ten million, John showed no surprise, his tone remaining calm and steady.

"Two hundred and twenty million, let's continue..."

Kingserp, flailing his arms in rage, was beyond caring about the money. His only thought was not to lose to John in bidding.

His communication channel was flashing wildly with messages from Karthus in the neighboring box.

As an ally, Karthus was well aware of Kingserp's current state and felt the need to intervene, to prevent Kingserp from falling into John's trap in a fit of anger.

However, his messages were all ignored by Kingserp, or rather, Kingserp didn't even notice that he had incoming messages.

"Two hundred and thirty million! I want to see just how much you can fork out!" Kingserp roared.

John's smile remained unchanged, his voice still calm and soothing, "Two hundred and forty million..."

He paused, then added lightly, "If Guild Leader Kingserp continues to raise the bid, I might have to consider whether to follow suit..."

Upon hearing John's last remark, a surge of triumph filled Kingserp.

Just as he suspected, John didn't have the financial backing he was flaunting.

The current bidding had already far exceeded the real value of the Key of the Saint.

It was only because everyone was caught up in the moment that they kept pushing the price higher.

Forcing himself to calm down, Kingserp began to analyze the situation.

In his view, if he continued to bid, John would surely follow for another one or two times.

The allure of a treasury dungeon was too great for anyone to resist.

Kingserp couldn't believe John would simply give up now.

Having already driven the price this high, he decided to let John bleed a bit more.

He would raise the bid one last time and then give up the competition for the Key of the Saint.

This was the plan Kingserp formulated in his mind.

He started to envision the angry expression John would have when spending over two hundred million to acquire the Key of the Saint.

The thought of irritating John filled him with glee.

Without hesitation, he declared, "Two hundred and fifty million! If you dare, continue!"

As soon as his words fell, Kingserp noticed everyone looking at him with a strange expression, as if they were staring at a fool.

Especially the players on the first floor, their eyes even held a tinge of pity.

Before he could react, he heard John's light laughter, "Guild Leader Kingserp is indeed generous. I don't possess such a lavish spirit. Since that's the case, I'll step down. Congratulations to Guild Leader Kingserp for acquiring the Key of the Saint for two hundred and fifty million!"

Kingserp was momentarily stunned, then it felt as though something exploded in his brain.

Had he just realized that he was the one who had been massively outplayed?

"You…" Kingserp felt a surge of anger rising to his throat, nearly spewing out, rendering him speechless.

"Why so agitated, Guild Leader Kingserp? Could it be you feel the price is too low, giving you a thrill of scoring a bargain?" John raised an eyebrow, his tone playful, prompting chuckles from those around.

In another box, Karthus was sighing heavily.

Even he could tell that John's last remark was a ploy to provoke Kingserp into continuing to bid.

As long as Kingserp named any price, John was ready to withdraw immediately.

Sadly, Kingserp himself failed to see it.

Blinded by anger, he wanted others to play the fool, not realizing he would end up being the fool himself.

Silence enveloped Kingserp's box, a heavy, unspoken pressure suffocating everyone present.

Finally, Kingserp calmed down, only to realize he had made an incredibly foolish move.

Spending an astronomical sum of two hundred and fifty million on something he couldn't use was ludicrous, even for a top-tier guild like Dawn Guild.

For them, coughing up such a massive amount of money in one go would be painfully felt for a long time.

Now, Kingserp had only one thought: to abandon the bid and let the item go unsold.

Auction failures were common occurrences.

High bids retracted or bidders unable to pay the price they offered could lead to an item going unsold.

If Kingserp were to announce his withdrawal from the auction at this point, the Key of the Saint would re-enter the auction cycle according to the rules.

It would be somewhat embarrassing, but compared to the loss of two hundred and fifty million, a little embarrassment seemed trivial.

However, before Kingserp could declare his withdrawal, John's calm voice echoed again: "Guild Leader Kingserp, your prolonged silence... could it be that you're regretting spending such an amount? Just a friendly reminder, if you don't want to part with the two hundred and fifty million, you can officially announce your withdrawal from the bidding."

"After all, forcing you to pay such a steep price for an item you can't use does seem a bit unfair."

Hearing John's words, Kingserp's heart sank.

John's seemingly considerate reminder was actually a tactic to corner him completely.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, if he really announced his withdrawal, it would deal an immeasurable blow to Dawn Guild's reputation.

He would probably be on the front page of the gaming forums by tomorrow.

John's intention was clear: to force him to grudgingly accept this loss.

Such a ruthless strategy!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.