Wolf Fang Necklace

"Ding! You have slain [Gray Wolf], gaining 40 experience points. Bonus 20 experience for killing an enemy five levels higher."

"Ding! Talent effect triggered. Poison damage increased by 1 point."

"Ding! Congratulations on leveling up. Health +20, Mana +10, and 5 free attribute points gained. Please allocate them appropriately."

After using seven bottles of healing potions and killing five more Gray Wolves, the level-up notification finally arrived. However, Ethan Carter didn't seem too pleased—once again, he couldn't grind his talent further.

He allocated all five points to Agility, and his stats changed accordingly: Level 4 → Level 5, Health 270 → 290, Mana 90 → 100, Agility 25 → 30, Movement Speed 28 → 33, and Poison damage increased to 23. Experience: 0/3000.

Ethan walked up to the wolf's corpse, picked up four copper coins and a wolf claw, and was surprised to find a piece of equipment—it was a type he had never seen before: jewelry.

[Wolf Fang Necklace]

Quality: White

Physical Attack +10

Critical Rate +2%

Equipment Requirement: None

Ethan blinked at the necklace in surprise. This wasn't bad at all—definitely top-tier among white-grade equipment. The 2% critical rate stat was particularly intriguing.

"Hmm… but it seems useless to me. Poison damage can't crit anyway. Looks like offensive gear isn't very helpful for me at this stage. I'll need gear with special abilities later. Since it's not useful, I might as well sell it for cash. Another payday!" He grinned at the thought.

Anonymous listing, bidding mode, 10-minute auction time, confirmed.

"Holy crap! Check the auction house!" Someone with sharp eyes immediately noticed the listing and shouted in the regional chat.

"Damn, a necklace with +10 attack and a 2% crit rate? I just busted my ass farming goats and got a weapon with only +4 attack. How can there be such a huge gap in white-grade gear?"

"Exactly! The armor I got from a goat can't compare to the Wild Boar Leather Armor from the auction house earlier. Could it be that this gear drops from high-level monsters?"

"Hey, big-shot seller, can you share where this necklace dropped? I want to camp there and try my luck."

"Same here. Please share!"

"

This piece of equipment must be mine!" Bobby Smith stared intently at the necklace listed in the auction house. Obviously, failing to secure the [Wild Boar Leather Belt] last time left him extremely frustrated. For someone with an all-strength build like him, this necklace offered a massive boost. A single necklace provided more value than the weapon he had bought for 20,000 dollars. The 2% critical strike rate was especially enticing. While the probability wasn't high, it was a breakthrough from nothing to something. Without this necklace, there would be no chance of landing a critical hit. But with it, the possibility was always there.

Meanwhile, Jeremy's eyes lit up as he studied the auction listing. For once, there was a hint of excitement in his usually calm demeanor.

"Jeremy, this gear complements your talent perfectly," Nan Feng said seriously. They all knew about Jeremy's talent—his critical damage was doubled, meaning while others dealt 2x damage on crits, his crits dealt 3x damage. But without crits, this talent was entirely useless.

"We can't let this one slip away," Jeremy said decisively.

Likewise, the masked woman also showed a strong determination to win the item.

As soon as the necklace was listed, the price began skyrocketing, reflecting the intense competition. However, in this novice village, only three major factions could truly compete.

This time, Ethan closely monitored the auction. While the unexpected surprises from his previous sales had been delightful, he wanted to see how this auction price escalated in real-time. Within five minutes, the price had already surpassed $20,000, making Ethan grin from ear to ear.

As the auction timer approached nine minutes, the price had stabilized at $40,000, with few bids coming in—it wasn't that people couldn't afford it, but they felt it wasn't worth it.

"Bobby, no one's bidding anymore. This necklace is definitely yours this time," a young man beside Bobby said.

"No, have you forgotten what happened last time? Someone will definitely try to snipe it at the last second. Wait until the final second and raise the bid to $50,000. I want those sneaky bastards to fail!" Bobby sneered.

As the auction entered its final second, multiple bids flooded in simultaneously. In the end, a player who bid $60,000 won the item.

"Damn it! Playing dirty!" Bobby fumed, almost swinging his weapon at his underlings. He wasn't angry about losing money but about losing the psychological battle.

Seeing the failed bid notification, the masked woman sighed. She had also bid $50,000, thinking it was already beyond the item's reasonable value. She hadn't expected someone to pay $60,000 for a white-grade item. "Doesn't everything have a price ceiling? No matter how good the stats are or how useful it is early on, it's just a white-grade item that will be obsolete in a day or two."

"Uncle Lee, am I missing something in my understanding of this game?" she asked the middle-aged man beside her.

"Miss, I've never played games before. Do you know why your father sent me here?" Uncle Lee asked.

"To scout for potential investments? Since you have a keen eye, he wants you to evaluate whether it's worth investing in this game world, right?" she replied.

"Yes, and do you want to hear my understanding of this game?" Uncle Lee said, his expression turning serious.

She nodded.

"My understanding is that this is no longer just a game—it's the future spiritual world," Uncle Lee said in a serious tone. "I will recommend to your father to shift a significant portion of our real-world businesses into this game."

Her eyes widened, and after a long silence, she finally said, "I understand what to do now."

Meanwhile, Jeremy equipped the necklace, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Six grand for a white-grade item. Was it really worth it, Jeremy?" Harold asked, clearly pained by the amount.

"Yes. Jewelry has a lower drop rate, and finding one with a critical rate bonus is rare. This necklace will likely last me through the entire novice village phase. This investment will pay off many times over. This game is unlike any other—it's our golden opportunity, and we must seize it," Jeremy said firmly.

"Alright."

"Ding! Your auctioned item has been purchased. Final price: $60,000. After deducting a $9,000 service fee, $51,000 has been transferred to your linked bank account."

Ethan was dumbfounded. He had expected the necklace to fetch a higher price than his previous items but never imagined it would go as high as $60,000. He had thought $40,000 would be the final bid, but the last-second surprise had doubled that.

"Man, there are so many rich people in this world!" Ethan exclaimed. Before entering the game, he had only $700 in his bank account and was constantly worried about paying rent. Now, in less than six hours, his savings had nearly hit six figures—something he had never even dreamed of.

"Let's keep going. Forget renting—I'm aiming to buy a house now! Haha!"