Even though the auction had ended, the buzz around it only grew louder.
A flood of posts appeared on the forums, discussing the various records set during the auction.
"ExoGenesis's Most Expensive Item Ever! You Won't Believe What It Is!" "Two Billion Earnings—This Is the Power of ExoGenesis's Strongest Player!" "Why Blackshade is a God—Let's Start with the Basics..." "New Players Asking: Is This Game Hard to Get Into? Can a FPS Player Start Earning Money?" "Join Mystic Realm, the Next Blackshade Could Be You!" "Join IFA—Come for the Richest Guild Leader and Stay for the Ride!"
And many more...
There was no escaping it—this auction had been an extraordinary event.
Players were shocked to realize just how valuable game items could be.
Whether it was the 270 million Guild Token, the 40 million skill book, or the 85 million Tidebreaker Heavy Helm, these numbers were beyond what the average player could imagine.
Even the ExoGenesis official channels weren't idle—they bought out the trending search topics, creating a massive buzz.
Even people who had never cared about ExoGenesis before—sometimes even those who had no interest in games at all—started to get curious. They too wanted to be like Blackshade.
At the very least, they thought, if they couldn't reach Blackshade's level, maybe they could still make a few thousand dollars to cover some living expenses.
Among those new to the game was Tristan's former colleague, Dawson. Initially, he had dismissed Tristan's advice, thinking that playing a game at his age—especially with a wife who always nagged him—would lead to ridicule. But now, seeing how much money could be made, Dawson couldn't help but feel a spark of hope.
He secretly decided that even if his wife opposed him, he would use his savings to buy a game helmet.
But when Dawson returned home with his new gear, he was shocked to find a game pod in his living room!
Dawson stood frozen.
To his surprise, his wife, who normally greeted him with a frown, was now smiling, "I heard ExoGenesis can make money. Since you're off work anyway, why not give it a shot? You might earn something."
Dawson hesitated, but excitement slowly overcame him. Perhaps this was his chance to change his fate.
It wasn't just Dawson. ExoGenesis's sudden popularity drew a flood of new players. Among them were some of the top 100, even top 10, players that Tristan had known in his previous life.
Tristan's rebirth had unknowingly caused a butterfly effect.
Top-tier players were about to rise, and they would make their mark in ExoGenesis.
Tristan welcomed this, though.
The stronger the overall player base, the fewer casualties there would be when the gods descended. Plus, with more elite players, his Pinnacle guild would have no shortage of recruits.
Tristan had previously searched for some familiar IDs and saw that some hadn't yet registered. This meant they hadn't entered the game.
Now that ExoGenesis was on fire, some players would inevitably join early. He could invite them into his guild, appeal to their sense of camaraderie, and make sure they settled in Pinnacle. With their help, Pinnacle would rise to the top, dominating ExoGenesis!
"Great, the hype is just getting started," Tristan thought to himself.
He shut off the forum and reached out to Horreo.
Horreo had been involved throughout the auction but, being an NPC, he had only watched and not participated. Now that the auction had concluded, Horreo approached Tristan with congratulations.
"Warrior, the auction went brilliantly. I'm sure your shop will soon become one of Davi City's most renowned," Horreo said.
Tristan humbly replied, "You flatter me, Horreo."
Then, he added, "Horreo, I'm thinking of hiring a few professional employees for the shop. Do you have any suggestions?"
Horreo pondered for a moment before responding, "I have some connections with the head of Davi City's Merchants Guild. You can just approach him directly."
Tristan nodded, "Thank you, Horreo."
Horreo waved it off, "It's nothing, really."
Tristan knew he couldn't stay at the shop 24/7—it would be a waste of his time. Hiring NPCs was a necessary step.
He wasn't concerned about NPCs causing trouble; since they were hired through the Merchants Guild, any issues could be easily resolved through them. Moreover, players had the ability to set permissions for NPCs in their shops. Even if an NPC turned out to be dishonest, the worst that could happen was a small financial loss, and the valuable items couldn't be taken by NPCs.
Thanks to Horreo's help, the hiring process was quick, and soon three NPCs arrived to begin running the shop. This marked the official start of Tristan's store's operations.
As planned, Tristan listed two bottles of Bloodline Factor in the shop, putting them up for auction.
Players could bid on the items, and if no one else placed a higher bid within two hours, they could win the items.
Once the Bloodline Factor was listed, Tristan received private messages from several guild leaders.
"Why didn't you bring something like this to the auction?" "This item can increase growth potential—this is game-changing!" Drake even messaged him: "You're hiding all these tricks, huh? You've got my respect."
Drake had initially thought that Dark Gold Grade equipment was Blackshade's peak. But he hadn't expected something even more valuable—the Bloodline Factor. It was on par with Dark Gold Grade equipment in value, if not more.
After all, equipment would eventually be replaced, but the attributes granted by the Bloodline Factor were permanent.
Drake was curious—just what kind of Bloodline Factor had Blackshade absorbed? Clearly, whatever it was, it was better than even the Dark Gold Grade items.
What Drake didn't realize, though, was that Tristan hadn't absorbed any Bloodline Factors at all. He couldn't care less about the Goblin Warrior or Tide Giant Bloodlines. Only something from a top-tier race like dragons would interest him.
Meanwhile, the topics on the forum were still buzzing with excitement.
"Bloodline Factor Has Arrived! Only at Blackshade's Shop!" "Top-tier Item That Increases Growth Potential! Even Regular Classes Can Catch Up to Hidden Classes!" "Just How Many Secrets Does Blackshade Have That We Don't Know About?" "Anyone Got Blackshade's Contact Info? This Cute Girl Wants to Meet Him!"
As Tristan had expected, the appearance of the Bloodline Factor boosted his shop's popularity even further.
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The number of players in Davi City surged to the point of overcrowding. Players bumped into each other constantly, triggering ExoGenesis's harassment system, and many ended up being taken by the guards to the "black room" for a timeout.
Horreo was overwhelmed and sighed in frustration.
"Why are so many outsiders coming to Davi City? What's so special about this place that's attracting them?"