Chapter 255: -251- Beautiful female player?
As of now, among players, the average level of the top group should be around level 10. SAO has not yet specified the level cap for players, but in Aincrad's 1st Floor, reaching level 10 is already considered a limit. To continue leveling up, players would need to reach higher floors, as the experience gained from 1st Floor monsters is too low to efficiently progress beyond level 10. Even Rozen, who started ahead of everyone in the closed beta, is only at level 14.
This is despite Rozen defeating several mini-bosses and completing unique hidden quests. For an average player, spending a month on 1st Floor would hardly get them to this level. A level 10 player, even among the closed beta testers, would have a maximum wealth of around ten to twenty thousands Col.
200,000 Col?
Could even a perceptive closed beta tester earn that much?
Even Rozen himself, if he were to sell all his equipment and items, would only have roughly that amount. How could other players easily come up with such a sum?
Unless the other party had indeed liquidated all their assets, or...
"The other party probably has a team composed entirely of top players, and he's the leader, right?"
Rozen reached this conclusion. Only this way could they potentially offer such a large sum.
By leveraging their position as the team leader, they could pool together all their team members' resources to achieve that number. Just as Rozen was confident in this assessment,
"Too bad, you guessed wrong this time, ZenZen."
Argo responded, leaving Rozen momentarily stunned.
He guessed wrong?
"Could it be that the other party really sold off all their assets? That's not possible, right?"
Rozen furrowed his brow.
While Rozen's weapon and familiar were indeed valuable, it was difficult for a top-level player to sell off all their equipment and items just for an unknown weapon and familiar. Such a choice wouldn't make sense, especially now that SAO had turned into a death game. Players valued armor and survival-enhancing items over weapons.
Rozen could only look at Argo with a puzzled expression.
Argo, however, only showed a wide grin and continued.
"1100 Col."
With just that simple sentence, Rozen squinted his eyes.
The mentioned 1100 Col referred to the information fee.
This information broker, Argo, believed in the principle of selling all information that could be sold. Even if it involved the client's name and information, as long as the offered amount satisfied her, she would reveal it immediately.
So, anyone who wanted to commission Argo had to be prepared for their information to be leaked. Of course, if the client didn't want to reveal their identity, they could pay Argo a fee in advance to keep it confidential.
However, this was all relative. If someone was willing to pay more than the confidentiality fee, Argo would still be willing to sell the information.
In other words, Argo could set a starting price and have two clients with undisclosed identities compete, with the higher bidder winning.
Presently, Argo's suggestion of 1100 Col as an information fee indicated that the client had provided her with 1000 Col as a confidentiality fee. If Rozen were willing to pay 1100 Col, it was likely Argo would immediately message her client, asking if they were willing to raise their offer to 1200 Col to maintain confidentiality. This was Argo's modus operandi.
And, if the situation escalated to the client offering 1200 Col, Argo might ask if Rozen was willing to pay 1300 Col.
"Calling you a shrewd negotiator is an understatement, you merchant."
Rozen smirked, retorting directly.
"Tell your client that I won't even sell my weapon and familiar for 300,000 Col, let alone 200,000 Col. Let them figure it out themselves."
While that was indeed a tempting sum, the benefits Rozen's weapon and familiar could bring were far more valuable. Take his Anneal Blade +8 for example—it might be priced around 40 to 50 thousand Col, but even with the second floor not yet accessible, it helped Rozen stay ahead, gain more experience and loot by defeating monsters, and even touch a unique boss-level monster. This eventually led to the drop of the extremely rare Thousand Layer Robe. Such gains couldn't be matched by tens of thousands of Col.
As for the Rainbow Flower Butterfly, it had already greatly aided Rozen and would continue unlocking more special abilities. There were only seven of these familiars in the entire server, and even though they were currently at a low level, their potential and rarity were extremely high—far beyond what two hundred thousand Col could buy.
So, even if the price is higher, considering the current situation, the assistance that this weapon in hand and the familiar by his side could provide far outweighs the offered amount.
Hence, Rozen would never sell his weapon and familiar.
"Is that so?" Argo showed no signs of frustration from the failed negotiation. After nodding, she said, "I'll convey your message to them then."
After speaking, Argo opened the main menu, started composing a message, and engaged Rozen in conversation as if nothing had happened.
"By the way, ZenZen, you've been leveling up in the labyrinth area lately, right?"
This sudden question made Rozen's expression wary.
"What do you want?" Rozen asked cautiously, "Do you intend to sell my location to those players who view me as a closed beta tester?"
"How could that be?" Argo chuckled wryly and replied, "You should know that even I have a piece of information that I absolutely won't sell, right?"
Indeed.
Even Argo, who's known for selling any sellable information, has one piece of information she won't trade.
That's the identity, location, and name of closed beta testers.
Because, if this information were to be leaked, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Closed beta testers would be publicly executed by regular players. I don't want to become a criminal," Argo explained, causing Rozen's expression to relax a bit.
"Then why did you ask me that question?"
Rozen inquired.
Argo then adopted a mysterious tone.
"Do you know?" Argo said slyly, "It's said that someone spotted a very beautiful female player leveling up in the labyrinth area."
"A very beautiful female player?" Rozen was taken aback.
Clearly, even Rozen never expected Argo to steer the conversation in this direction.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone