chapter 50 nightmare

Aires' Nightmare Begins—Forced to Pay for His Own Mistakes

Aires stood frozen, staring at the glowing contract as if it were a death sentence. His hands trembled.

Lark smiled, his expression smugly triumphant.

"Well? What now, genius?" Lark asked, tilting his head mockingly. "Weren't you just saying you'd leave the guild?"

Aires' jaw clenched.

His eyes darted around—to the Auction House filled with players still laughing at him, to the contract screen showing his name, to Lark's infuriatingly calm face.

"Damn it…" Aires muttered under his breath.

He knew there was no way out.

He had no gold left.

He owed the guild a fortune.

He had just inflated the market price for healing potions to a ridiculous level.

The weight of his own stupidity crushed down on him.

Lark, however, was enjoying every second.

He stretched lazily, as if he had all the time in the world.

Then, in a fake thoughtful voice, he said, "You know, Aires, you're not completely useless."

Aires glared at him. "What the hell does that mean?"

Lark grinned. "Well, you're broke, but…"

He leaned in, whispering in Aires' ear.

"You still have your 'ability' to drive up prices, don't you?"

Aires felt his stomach drop. "No way. No freaking way."

Lark's eyes glinted.

"Oh yes. You're going to keep buying. You're going to keep pushing the price up."

Aires stared in horror.

"Are you INSANE? If I buy again, the entire server will see me as a walking ATM!"

Lark snickered. "Oh, Aires… you already ARE a walking ATM. Why stop now?"

Aires gritted his teeth. His body shook with barely contained rage.

"I don't have any money left!" he snapped.

Lark's grin widened. "That's where I come in."

He snapped his fingers, and a guild trade window appeared.

[Lark has sent you 10 gold.]

Aires' eyes widened. "...What? Why are you giving me this?"

Lark chuckled.

"Think of it as an investment."

Aires felt sweat trickle down his back.

Lark's investments were never free.

Aires knew, deep down, that this was a trap.

But he had no choice.

Lark leaned in, voice smooth as silk.

"Now… go make the market lose its mind again."

Aires Falls Deeper Into the Trap

Aires' fingers twitched as the trade notification appeared in front of him.

[Lark has sent you 10 gold.]

The golden glow of the coins felt like a curse rather than a blessing.

His mind reeled.

10 gold?! That wasn't a bailout. That was a leash tightening around his neck.

His breath hitched. He had already thrown away a ridiculous amount of silver on overpriced healing potions, making himself the laughingstock of the Auction House.

And now… Lark wanted him to do it again?

Aires turned his head slowly, eyes filled with disbelief. His voice was hoarse as he spoke.

"You... you want me to buy again?"

Lark chuckled, his smug expression sharp as a dagger.

"Of course."

Aires felt a chill run down his spine.

"Why?! I've already—"

Lark stepped forward, cutting him off. His tone was playful, but his eyes…

They were cold. Calculating.

"You already started this mess, Aires. You set the market on fire. You made potions worth a fortune overnight. Do you think people will just let that slide?"

He leaned in closer, voice dropping to a whisper.

"If you're taking a loss…"

A wicked grin stretched across his face.

"Then others must suffer too. Hahaha!"

Aires' stomach twisted.

This wasn't just about buying potions anymore.

Lark wasn't trying to save him—he was using him. Weaponizing his mistake to throw the market into chaos.

Aires felt his heart pound against his ribs.

If he kept pushing the price up, others would have to follow.

No one would dare sell at a lower price once he had already established a ridiculous new standard.

Healing potions would become priceless.

And he would be the idiot holding the torch, setting everything ablaze.

Aires clenched his fists, shaking.

He wanted to refuse.

To walk away.

But then his eyes drifted to the 10 gold in his inventory.

He had no choice.

Lark owned him.

The guild contract ensured that—if he tried to back out, the penalties would destroy him.

Aires gritted his teeth, forcing himself to turn back to the Auction House interface.

His trembling hand hovered over the [Buy Out] button.

He could already hear the ridicule in the Auction House chat.

Another 50 silver.

Another blunder that would cement his reputation as the dumbest player in Green Haven.

And yet…

With a heavy heart, Aires clicked the button.

[Purchase Successful.]

The damage was done.

And in the background, Lark just laughed.

Kaelith Unravels the Scheme

Kaelith watched as the notification flashed across the Auction House.

[Aires has purchased the healing potion for 50 silver.]

His eyebrows twitched.

Again?

Something wasn't right.

At first, he thought Aires was just an idiot overpaying for potions. But no one could be this stupid—three times in a row?

Kaelith leaned back, arms crossed, his mind whirring like clockwork.

He went over everything.

30 silver purchase. Idiot move, but understandable in a bidding war.

40 silver purchase. Unbelievable. The entire Auction House had laughed at him.

50 silver purchase. …Deliberate.

Kaelith's smirk faded for a second as a memory surfaced.

Wait. Aires…?

This guy was a noob.

He wasn't a market manipulator, he wasn't even a decent player—he was one of Pink Solution's errand boys.

Kaelith's eyes flickered.

If Aires was too stupid to pull this off, then who was behind it?

That's when it clicked.

Lark.

The manager of Pink Solution in Green Haven Town.

A notorious guild officer who exploited his own members.

Kaelith grinned.

Aires wasn't some genius investor—he was just a pawn.

And from what he knew about Lark, the guy was the type to squeeze every last credit from his subordinates.

The True Scheme

Kaelith's smirk widened.

Lark must have warned Aires not to buy after the 30 and 40 silver purchases.

But Aires… he still went ahead and bought at 50 silver.

Kaelith could already picture it—

Lark, standing in the Auction House, thinking Aires had stopped at 40 silver… then suddenly hearing that he bought again for 50 silver.

His brain must have exploded.

Kaelith nearly laughed at the thought.

Aires had probably panicked, biting back like a mad dog when Lark scolded him.

And now?

Now Lark was stuck.

His dumb subordinate had inflated the market price beyond recovery.

Kaelith tapped his fingers against his arm.

If Lark wasn't involved before, he definitely was now.

Aires' reckless purchases had forced Pink Solution into a corner.

They couldn't back out—not when they'd pumped so much money into the market.

Kaelith let out a low chuckle.

"Hah… So that's your game."

If Aires wasn't an idiot, then why was he inflating the price?

There was only one reason.

He wants others to suffer.

Aires was using his own losses to force the market higher.

By making himself look like a fool, he was actually manipulating the price. Once others had no choice but to buy at his inflated price, he'd sell at an even higher rate.

A ripple effect.

Aires wasn't losing. He was investing.

Kaelith let out a low chuckle.

"Clever bastard. But you forgot one thing…"

Other players won't sit still.

Now that Kaelith had figured it out, he wasn't going to just watch from the sidelines.

If Aires wanted to turn the Auction House into a battlefield…

Then Kaelith would make sure he wasn't the only one playing the game.