chapter 47 lark tears
Aires paced nervously outside the Pink Solution Guild Hall in Green Haven Town, gripping his communication crystal. His guild salary had just gone up in smoke—70 silver spent on two healing potions.
But in his mind, he was still a genius.
"If I explain properly, Lark will understand," Aires muttered, activating the crystal. "He'll see that I made the right call."
A faint glow flickered as the connection stabilized. A cold, sharp voice came through.
"What is it?"
Aires straightened up. "Boss! It's me, Aires! I made an important purchase for the guild!"
A long silence.
"…Go on."
Aires grinned, feeling proud of himself. "I secured two high-quality healing potions from the Auction House! One for 30 silver, and another for 40 silver! We'll have an advantage over other guilds in dungeon runs!"
Silence.
Then, Lark's voice cut through like a blade.
"…You did what?"
Aires gulped.
"I—I bought healing potions before anyone else could! Now we have them before the market even stabilizes—"
"YOU ABSOLUTE FING IDIOT."*
The roar from the crystal nearly made Aires drop it.
---
Lark Tears Into Him
Inside the Pink Solution rented headquarters, Lark slammed his fist onto his desk. His officers turned to look at him, shocked at his sudden outburst.
Lark's face was red with anger. This moron. This complete and utter moron.
"You inflated the f***ing market price, Aires!" Lark snapped. "Why the hell would you buy at the buyout price instead of bidding?! Do you even understand basic economics?!"
Aires, now sweating, stammered, "B-But boss! What if someone else bought them first?! I had to act fast!"
Lark exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. "You paid 70 silver for TWO potions. SEVENTY."
Aires, still desperate to justify himself, tried again. "But boss, now we have the potions while other guilds are still fighting for them! That's a win for us, right?"
Lark's voice dropped into a dangerous whisper.
"Aires. Look at the Auction House."
Aires hesitated but opened the Auction House menu.
[Healing Potion (9/10 Quality)]
→ Starting Bid: 40 Silver
→ Buyout Price: 50 Silver
His stomach dropped.
Lark sighed in frustration. "Because of you, the seller raised the fing price.* Now everyone has to pay more because you just proved that some idiot is willing to buy at full price!"
Aires felt the blood drain from his face.
Lark wasn't done. "And guess what? Now guild leaders are buying silver from the Virtual Credit Center, trying to keep up with the price spike! The exchange rate is rising because dumbasses like you are throwing silver around like it's nothing!"
Aires stammered. "B-But—"
"SHUT UP. Do you even realize the situation we're in?"
Lark gestured to his surroundings.
Pink Solution's guild base wasn't even owned property—it was a rented building in Green Haven Town. The guild barely had enough funds to cover the monthly fee. They were paying rent in gold, and now, thanks to Aires, prices would keep rising.
"We don't even own this damn building, Aires," Lark growled. "Our rent is due in four days. Now we have to pay inflated prices for potions AND worry about gold drying up!"
---
The Fallout
Lark leaned back in his chair, staring at the Auction House screen with a sour expression. He knew exactly what would happen next.
1. Other guilds would scramble to buy silver with real money to afford potions.
2. The market would get worse. More people panic-buying would keep pushing prices up.
3. The seller—whoever they were—was making an absolute killing.
All because of one impatient idiot.
Lark sighed. "You're officially banned from using guild funds, Aires."
Aires felt like he had been stabbed in the chest. "Boss, wait—"
Click.
The crystal dimmed as Lark cut the call.
Aires stood there, motionless.
The Auction House chat was still laughing at Pink Solution's "Venting Machine."
And now, even his own guild thought he was an idiot.
Sitting in his private office within Green Haven Town's Guild Management Hall, Lark leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. His mood was already sour from the disastrous call with Aires, but now he needed to assess the full extent of the damage.
With a sharp inhale, he opened the Virtual Credit Center—the marketplace where players could buy and sell in-game currency for real-world money.
The numbers on the screen made his eyes widen.
---
[Virtual Credit Center: Silver-to-Credit Exchange Rate]
→ 1 Silver = 85 Credits (Previously 75 Credits, just minutes ago)
---
Lark's grip on his chair tightened.
"Just minutes ago, it was 75 credits... Now it's 85?"
He tapped the refresh button.
---
[Virtual Credit Center: Silver-to-Credit Exchange Rate]
→ 1 Silver = 86 Credits
---
His fingers curled into a fist.
"It's still increasing."
A sinking feeling settled in his stomach. The rate was climbing by the second.
He refreshed again.
---
[Virtual Credit Center: Silver-to-Credit Exchange Rate]
→ 1 Silver = 87 Credits
---
Lark slammed his fist on the desk.
This wasn't just bad—it was a complete disaster.
---
The Market Spiral
Lark wasn't a fool—he understood exactly what was happening.
1. Guild Leaders Were Buying Silver in Bulk
Seeing the healing potions shoot up in price, major guilds panicked. They needed silver to stay competitive, so they started purchasing large amounts from the Virtual Credit Center.
2. More Demand = Higher Exchange Rate
The Virtual Credit Center used a supply-and-demand model. The more players bought silver, the higher its exchange rate became.
Just a few minutes ago, 1 silver cost 75 credits. Now it was 87, and still climbing.
3. The Seller Was Manipulating the Market Brilliantly
Someone had intentionally started with a low auction price for potions, baiting players into a bidding war.
Then, they slowly raised the buyout price—knowing desperate players (like Aires) would panic-buy.
This forced the rest of the market to react, sending ripples through the entire economy.
And now?
Every major guild in Green Haven Town was being forced to spend real money just to keep up.
---
The Cost of Stupidity
And the worst part?
It was all because of one moron in his own guild.
Aires had single-handedly triggered this economic disaster by buying out the overpriced potions, not once, but twice.
If he had waited—if he had let the bidding continue naturally—the prices wouldn't have escalated this quickly.
Instead, his arrogance and impatience had turned him into a venting machine for the entire server.
Lark's jaw clenched.
He needed to act fast. If this continued, Pink Solution would be completely out of funds before they even reached mid-game content.