Hat Bargain

The crowd's enthusiastic whispers covered the venue. The hat on display created an aura that was undeniably wicked and undeniably powerful. Even if for Hikari it wasn't as good as any of her current items, this coveted hat could serve a witchcraft player who made it to level 600 and beyond.

Why would Hikari auction of such a precious item to a world where such levels proved evasive? The answer was a simple one, really. She wanted to see what would happen and watch the sparks fly as several forces tried to acquire the hat. If her guess was correct, auctioning such an item would create an explosive outcome. One could call it irresponsible, but at the same time, Hikari hoped the forces of good and evil would be forced from the shadows.

The first one to take the bait was someone Hikari should have suspected. Ayase—the young witch next to her—flipped a sign up to the local attendant, hoping to start her bid.

"I see 5,000 gold coins!" The auctioneer shouted.