The Central Bank was a fortress of marble and titanium, now decorated with the blood of security guards who thought their tactical gear mattered.
I stood in front of the massive vault doors. The air here was thick with a different kind of energy—not just the mana of the Market, but the residual greed of decades of human transactions. For most, this was a tomb of useless paper. For me, it was the perfect 'Conduit' to perform my first real evolution.
[KARMA BALANCE: 1,060] [CURRENT RANK: F (99%)]
"One percent," I whispered, the violet glow in my eyes illuminating the dark hallway. "The difference between a beggar and a shareholder."
I didn't need a key. I placed my palm on the cold steel of the vault.
[SKILL: DIVINE FORECLOSURE - DEBT COLLECTION]
I wasn't seizing money. I was seizing the concept of the bank itself. The Market responded, the golden cracks in the ceiling glowing brighter. The steel began to groan, the atoms rearranging themselves under my authority.
Slowly, the vault door didn't open—it dissolved into liquid light and flowed into my chest.
[LEVEL UP!] [RANK UP: F-RANK → E-RANK] [NEW AUTHORITY UNLOCKED: 'PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT'] [DESCRIPTION: YOU CAN NOW STORE SEIZED ASSETS (SKILLS/ITEMS) IN A VIRTUAL VAULT AND LEND THEM TO DEBTORS FOR A FEE.]
A surge of cold power rippled through my veins. It wasn't the hot, clumsy adrenaline the other Hunters felt. It was precise. Methodical. Like a perfectly balanced ledger.
"Now," I muttered, looking at my reflection in the polished floor. "Let's see who's trying to rob my bank."
I felt a presence behind me. Three men. They weren't like the scared office workers. They were wearing leather armor and holding glowing swords—the first 'Early Adopters' of the System.
Their leader was a man with a scarred face and a heavy iron shield. [ASSET ANALYSIS: PARK JIN-DO - RANK: E]. Behind him, two lackeys. [RANK: F].
"Hey, kid," Park growled, his shield sparking with blue electricity. "This bank is under the protection of the 'Iron Fang' group. Whatever you just did to that door... you're going to teach us how to do it. Or we'll liquidate you right here."
I didn't turn around immediately. I slowly dusted off my jacket.
"Iron Fang?" I asked, my voice echoing in the empty hall with a chilling calmness. "A bit of a pathetic name for a group of scavengers, don't you think? It sounds... cheap."
"You little—!" One of the lackeys lunged forward, his dagger glowing with a toxic green light.
I didn't move until the blade was inches from my throat.
[SKILL: SHADOW-STEP (SEIZED FROM SHADOW STALKER)]
In a blur of black smoke, I disappeared. The lackey stumbled into the empty space where I stood. I reappeared behind him, my silver pen held like a surgical needle.
Stab.
The nib of the pen pierced his neck. Not deeply, but enough to initiate a 'Transaction'.
"Your soul is heavily leveraged," I whispered in his ear. "I'm calling in the debt."
The man didn't even have time to scream. The black mist of the Void erupted from the pen, consuming him from the inside out. In a heartbeat, he was gone. Just a pile of grey ash and a small blue orb.
[50 KARMA COLLECTED.] [ASSET RECOVERED: 'TOXIC COATING' (RANK: F)]
Park Jin-do froze. He had seen 'Awakened' people before, but he had never seen someone turn a human being into a pile of ash with a pen.
"What... what kind of monster are you?" Park stammered, raising his shield.
"I told you," I said, walking toward him with slow, deliberate steps. "I'm the accountant. And your group has been operating without a license in my city."
"Your city? Who do you think you are? God?"
"God is a CEO, Park," I said, my violet eyes flaring with an oppressive light. "And I'm the one staging a hostile takeover. Now, let's look at your balance sheet."
I raised my hand, and the holographic interface appeared, visible only to me. Park's debt was massive—murder, assault, theft. He was a 'Toxic Asset'.
"You're not worth keeping alive," I concluded. "The cost of maintenance outweighs the potential profit."
"Die!" Park roared, slamming his electrified shield into the ground. A wave of blue lightning surged toward me.
I didn't dodge. I activated the new authority I just unlocked.
[PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT: DEPLOYING ASSET 'SHADOW STALKER']
From my shadow, the monster I had killed in the previous chapter—the Shadow Stalker—emerged. But it was different now. It was draped in golden chains, its eyes glowing with the same violet light as mine.
The Stalker lunged, its liquid-ink body absorbing the electricity from Park's shield like a sponge. It wrapped around the big man, its claws sinking into his armor.
"Wait! Stop! I'll give you everything!" Park screamed as the monster began to liquefy his legs.
"You already have," I said, watching with clinical indifference as the man was consumed. "Every drop of your blood, every spark of your soul... it's all mine now."
Ten seconds later, the hall was silent again. Two more piles of ash.
[TOTAL KARMA COLLECTED: 300] [ASSET RECOVERED: 'IRON GUARD' (RANK: E)]
I dismissed the Shadow Stalker back into my shadow. I felt the power within me stabilizing. I was now an E-Rank Hunter, but with my unique skills, I could easily liquidate a D-Rank or even a C-Rank if they were foolish enough to enter a contract with me.
I looked into the dark depths of the bank vault. Deep inside, something was pulsing with a brilliant, golden light.
"The First Dividend," I whispered.
I walked into the darkness, the sound of my boots the only thing left of the old world's order. The Era of Bankruptcy was just beginning, and I was about to collect the biggest payout of them all.