The shadow receded.
The whispers faded, retreating into the object sitting in the velvet lining of the bone chest.
It wasn't a sword. It wasn't a shield.
It was a ring.
Black metal. A single gemstone that looked less like a jewel and more like a trapped singularity. It pulsed, syncing with my heartbeat.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
I reached out.
"Don't touch it!" Sir Gowan screamed, lunging forward. "That is a Cursed Artifact! It will consume your soul!"
I smirked.
"Joke's on you, tin can. I sold my soul ten minutes ago."
I grabbed the ring.
[System Alert]
[Mythic Item Detected.]
[Soul Binding in progress...]
Pain shot up my arm. Cold, freezing agony. It felt like sticking my hand into liquid nitrogen.
[Status: Binding Success.]
[Item: The Ring of the Void Monarch (Mythic)]
[Grade: Growth Type (Currently Tier 1)]
[Passive Effect 1: Infinite Inventory (Time Stasis inside).]
[Passive Effect 2: Gluttony. The Ring can 'eat' other items to upgrade itself.]
[Active Skill:
I suppressed a moan of pure pleasure.
Infinite Inventory.
In the future, a 10-slot bag costs ten million dollars. A 100-slot bag causes wars between nations.
And I just got Infinite.
I slid the ring onto my finger. It resized instantly.
"System," I commanded mentally. "Auto-Loot. Everything."
WOOSH.
The mountain of items on the ground; the Epic dagger, the gold, the rare armor, the spider legs, the venom sacs vanished.
Sucked into the ring in the blink of an eye.
The square was empty.
Just me. A blood-soaked teenager.
And a very angry Knight.
"Where..." Gowan stuttered, looking at the empty pavement. "Where did the treasury go?"
"Magic trick," I said, stretching my neck. Pop. Pop. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a world to conquer."
I turned to leave.
"Seize him!"
Gowan didn't shout it.
Someone else did.
A voice that oozed entitlement. A voice that sounded like it had never been told 'no' in its entire, pampered life.
I stopped.
I knew that voice.
I turned around.
Descending from a gilded carriage on the edge of the square was a young man. Blonde hair, designer silk armor (useless), and a face that screamed "Punch Me."
[Target: Julian Azure]
[Heir to the Azure Dragon Guild]
[Level: 5]
[Class: Swordsman (Boosted)]
Julian.
The "Young Master." The man who, in my past life, bought the Hero's starting gear for pennies and sold it for billions.
He walked toward me, surrounded by four bodyguards. They were Iron-Rank mercenaries. Big, dumb, and meat-shieldy.
Julian looked at me with a mixture of disgust and greed.
"Peasant," Julian sneered, holding out a gloved hand. "You have acquired items that are restricted for Nobility. The 'Void Fang' is a dangerous weapon. Hand it over, and I will compensate you."
He snapped his fingers.
One of his guards threw a leather pouch at my feet. It jingled.
"Fifty silver coins," Julian said graciously. "Enough to buy a farm and retire. Be valid."
I stared at the pouch.
Then I looked at Julian.
Fifty silver.
The Void Fang dagger alone was worth 50,000 Gold.
He was trying to scam me. He was trying to rob me.
[Dopamine Spike: Rage +100%.]
I started laughing.
"Fifty silver?" I wheezed. "You want an Epic weapon... for fifty silver?"
Julian frowned. "Too little? Fine. Sixty. Do not push your luck, trash. I am Julian of the Azure Dragon Guild. If I want you dead, the law will thank me."
"Julian," I said, stepping closer.
The guards tensed. Hands went to hilts.
"Do you know what the funniest thing about the Apocalypse is?"
I tilted my head.
"Money doesn't matter anymore."
I pointed at his chest.
"Levels matter."
I pointed at his guards.
"Skills matter."
I looked him in the eye.
"And right now? I'm Level 15. You are Level 5."
I let the words hang in the air.
"You're not a Noble anymore, Julian. You're just XP with a wallet."
Julian's face turned red. "Kill him! Cut his arms off! I want that ring!"
The four guards charged.
[Combat Mode: Engaged.]
To the crowd, it looked like suicide. Four grown men against a skinny boy.
To me?
It looked like a buffet.
[Skill: Combat Step.]
I vanished.
I didn't run away. I ran in.
I appeared instantly behind Guard #1.
He was slow. Heavy armor. Two-handed axe.
I didn't use my dagger. I used my hand.
[Touch.]
[Skill Copied: 'Axe Mastery' (D-Rank).]
[Skill Copied: 'Brute Strength' (Passive).]
"Thanks," I whispered.
Then I kicked the back of his knee.
CRACK.
The joint snapped backward. He screamed, collapsing.
Guard #2 swung a sword at my head.
I ducked. The blade passed through the space where my skull was a millisecond ago.
I grabbed his wrist.
[Touch.]
[Skill Copied: 'Deflect' (D-Rank).]
I twisted.
SNAP.
I broke his wrist. The sword fell. I caught it with my other hand before it hit the ground.
"You're holding it wrong," I lectured.
I jammed the pommel of the sword into his throat. He went down, gagging, clutching his crushed windpipe.
Two down. Three seconds elapsed.
Julian's eyes were bulging out of his head. "What... what are you?"
Guard #3 and #4 hesitated. They looked at their writhing comrades.
"Don't just stand there!" Julian shrieked. "Use your Skills! Blast him!"
Guard #3 was a mage-type. He started chanting. A fireball formed in his hand.
[Skill: Fireball.]
I smiled.
I want that.
I dashed.
The fireball launched.
I didn't dodge.
I raised my left hand; the hand with the Void Ring.
"Gluttony," I commanded.
The ring pulsed. A small black hole opened on the gemstone.
The fireball hit the ring.
It didn't explode.
It was eaten. Sucked into the void like spaghetti.
[Ring Satiated.]
[Stored Energy: 50/100.]
The mage gaped. "My... my magic?"
I was already in front of him.
I grabbed his face.
[Touch.]
[Skill Copied: 'Fireball' (E-Rank).]
[Skill Copied: 'Mana Manipulation' (D-Rank).]
"Mine now," I said.
I channeled mana. My hand ignited.
The mage screamed as I shoved a fireball; his fireball directly into his gut.
BOOM.
He flew backward, crashing into the fountain, his robes smoking.
Three down.
The last guard dropped his weapon and ran. Smart man.
I turned to Julian.
He was alone.
He backed away, tripping over his own expensive cape. He landed on his ass in the dust.
"Wait!" Julian stammered, holding up his hands. "I... I can pay you! I have gold! Real gold! Ten thousand! Just let me go!"
I walked toward him.
Slowly.
I let the Void Fang Dagger materialize in my hand. The purple smoke drifted around my fingers.
"You don't get it, do you?" I asked softly.
I loomed over him, blocking out the sun.
"I don't want your money."
I crouched down.
"I want your dignity."
I grabbed the collar of his silk shirt.
RIIIIIP.
I tore it off.
"Hey! That's Armani!"
I grabbed his belt.
SNAP.
"My pants!"
I worked fast. Efficiently. Ruthlessly.
In ten seconds, the Heir of the Azure Dragon Guild, the "Future King of Commerce," was stripped down to his polka-dot boxers.
The crowd watched in stunned silence.
I took his clothes. I took his rings. I took his boots.
"System," I said. "Fuse these trash items."
[Processing...]
[Material Recycled.]
I tossed the resulting scrap metal into my inventory.
Julian curled into a ball, covering himself, shivering. "My father... my father will kill you! The Guild will hunt you down!"
I leaned in close.
"Tell your father," I whispered, my voice cold as the grave. "That Cain Cross is open for business. But next time?"
I tapped the flat of the dagger against his cheek.
"Bring better loot. Or I'll take your head instead of your pants."
I stood up.
"SCRAM."
Julian scrambled to his feet and ran. Barefoot. Crying. Snot running down his face.
"I'll remember this! You'll pay!"
He disappeared into the alleyway.
I turned back to the crowd.
Thousands of eyes stared at me. Fear. Awe. Terror.
This was it.
The Dominance Shift.
In the old world, a porter bowed to a noble.
In the new world? The noble runs away in his underwear.
I looked at Sir Gowan, who was still standing there, pale as a sheet.
"Are you going to arrest me, Sir Knight?" I asked.
Gowan looked at the broken guards. He looked at the smoking mage in the fountain. He looked at the giant dead spider.
He sheathed his sword.
"I... I didn't see anything," Gowan muttered. "It was self-defense."
"Smart choice," I said.
I checked my notification log.
[Reputation Updated.]
[Title: 'The Mad Dog' acquired.]
[Fame: +500.]
Good. Fame meant higher prices at the Auction House.
But I wasn't done.
I had loot to sell. I had skills to fuse.
And most importantly?
My Status Screen was blinking with a new notification.
[Hidden Quest Triggered: The First Fusion.]
[You have acquired incompatible skills (Physical vs Magical).]
[Access the 'Fusion Furnace' to stabilize your soul?]
[Y/N]
I grinned.
The Fusion Furnace. The engine of my godhood.
I needed a private place. A sanctuary.
I looked toward the East District.
The Auction House.
Neutral ground. High security. And the only place on the planet that could handle the volume of goods I was about to dump on the market.
I sheathed my dagger.
I started walking. The crowd parted like the Red Sea. No one dared to touch me.
I was Level 15.
I had a Mythic Ring.
I had the Hero's Talent.
The Apocalypse had just started.
And I was already winning.
——————————————————————————————————————————
[Location: The Gilded Rose Auction House - VIP Suite]
[Time: 1 hour later.]
"You want to sell... what?"
The Manager, a fat goblin-hybrid named Mr. Vix, adjusted his monocle. He was sweating.
I sat in the plush leather chair, my feet up on his mahogany desk.
"You heard me," I said.
I waved my hand over the desk.
CLATTER. THUD. CLINK.
Items poured out of the Void Ring.
Spider fangs. Venom glands. The rare armor I didn't need. The skill books for classes I wouldn't play.
And finally...
I pulled out the Void Spider's Heart.
A pulsating, purple organ the size of a basketball. It hummed with raw, destructive mana.
Mr. Vix's eyes almost popped out of his skull.
"That... that is a Boss Core!" he squeaked. "We haven't even had the first wave yet! Where did you get this?!"
"Found it," I said dryly. "It fell off a truck."
I leaned forward.
"I want a private auction. Tonight. Invite the Top 3 Guilds. Tell them..."
I paused for dramatic effect.
"Tell them I have the Key to the First Dungeon."
Mr. Vix swallowed hard. "But... do you? That's just a Boss Core."
I smiled.
I reached into my inventory and pulled out a small, unassuming scroll I had looted from Arthur's corpse before the spider ate him.
[Item: Dungeon Map - 'The Crypt of Whispers']
Arthur was supposed to find this next week. It was the location of the first Hidden Dungeon.
"I have the map," I lied. "And the Core is the key."
"I'm going to pit them against each other, Vix. I want to see them bleed gold."
"What is your starting bid?" Vix asked, his greed overcoming his fear.
I stood up.
"One million."
Vix choked. "Gold?"
"No," I said, walking to the door.
I looked back, my eyes glowing with the anticipation of the chaos I was about to cause.
"One million mana crystals."
"I'm not here to make money, Vix."
"I'm here to corner the market on Evolution."
[Current Assets:]
Level: 15
Wallet: 5,000 Gold (Pocket Change)
Key Items: Void Fang (Epic), Ring of Void Monarch (Mythic), Dungeon Map.
Status: Wanted by Azure Dragon Guild. Feared by Locals.
Objective: Bankrupt the Guilds. Fuse Skills. Become a Monster.