The vault's interior was a cathedral of dead wealth. Mountains of paper cash lay scattered like fallen leaves, but in the center, a pedestal of pure white light stood defiantly against the encroaching darkness of the Market.
On it sat a small, golden key that pulsed with the rhythm of a heartbeat.
[IDENTIFYING ASSET...] [ITEM: THE MASTER KEY OF THE DIVINE TREASURY (RANK: S-LEGENDARY)] [EFFECT: ALLOWS THE USER TO OPEN ANY SYSTEM-GENERATED GATE WITHOUT A KEY. PASSIVE: INCREASES KARMA COLLECTION RATE BY 20%.]
I walked toward it, my boots crunching on useless hundred-dollar bills. This was the 'First Dividend'—the reward for the first person to reach a Rank-E status in a capital city. In my first life, this key went to the 'Iron Fang' Guild, giving them a monopoly over every dungeon in Asia.
Not this time.
I reached out my hand, the violet glow of my eyes reflecting in the golden surface of the key. But just as my fingers were inches away, a sharp, icy wind sliced through the vault.
"Step away from the asset, civilian."
I didn't turn. I didn't flinch. I just felt the temperature drop by twenty degrees. A woman was standing at the entrance of the vault. She was wearing a white combat suit that looked like liquid mercury, and her hair was a shock of silver that defied gravity.
Sophia 'The Frost Queen' Vance. She was a Rank-D Awakened, the leader of the 'Blue Aurora' Group. In the future, she would be one of the few who stood against the 5% elites. Now, she was just a government agent trying to secure 'System Assets' for the state.
"This is property of the Global Security Bureau," Sophia said, her voice like cracking ice. "You're under arrest for unauthorized liquidation of citizens and monster-slaying without a license."
I slowly grabbed the golden key. The moment it touched my skin, it dissolved into my palm, merging with my 'Divine Foreclosure' interface.
[ASSET ACQUIRED: MASTER KEY OF THE DIVINE TREASURY]
"You were too slow, Sophia," I said, finally turning to face her. My expression was a mask of cold indifference. "In the Market, there are no 'citizens.' Only buyers and sellers. And you... you look like someone who's about to experience a very painful margin call."
Sophia raised her hands, and the air around her crystallized into hundreds of jagged ice shards, all pointed at my heart.
"You don't understand the situation, kid," she said, her eyes narrowing. "I'm a Rank-D. You're just an E-Rank who got lucky. Give me the key, or I'll freeze your blood inside your veins."
I let out a short, dry laugh. "Rank-D? You think the System's ranking matters to me?"
I opened my interface and flicked my wrist. A holographic contract appeared between us, glowing with a dark, suffocating purple light.
"Sophia Vance," I said, my voice deepening with the authority of the Void. "Your organization, the GSB, is currently operating on borrowed time. Your 'government' is bankrupt. Their currency is worth zero. Their laws are expired contracts."
"Enough talk!" Sophia shouted, launching the ice shards.
I didn't move. I didn't dodge.
[AUTHORITY: PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT - DEPLOYING ASSET 'IRON GUARD']
From the floor, the electrified shield I had seized from Park Jin-do in the previous chapter materialized in front of me. The ice shards shattered against the blue lightning of the shield, falling to the floor like harmless glass.
Sophia's eyes went wide. "How... how are you using his skill? He just died minutes ago!"
"I don't just kill, Sophia," I said, walking through the mist of shattered ice. "I repossess. Everything you are—your skills, your potential, your very existence—is just an asset I haven't acquired yet."
I pointed my silver pen at her.
"But I'm feeling generous today. I won't liquidate you. Instead, I'll offer you a 'Strategic Partnership'. You work for me, you give me access to the GSB's database of potential Hunters, and in return... I'll let you live through the first 'Market Crash' next week."
"You're insane," she whispered, her hands trembling. She could feel it—the sheer weight of my Karma. It wasn't just power; it was a cosmic debt that threatened to swallow her whole.
"No," I said, my violet eyes locking onto hers. "I'm just the only one who knows the market is about to hit rock bottom. And I'm the only one with enough liquidity to buy the survivors."
The building began to shake. Outside, a massive Gate was opening in the center of the city—the first 'Dungeon Break'.
"The first crash is here," I said, looking toward the exit. "Decide, Sophia. Are you an asset? Or are you a liability?"
She looked at the chaos outside, then back at me. The look in her eyes changed from defiance to a deep, primal fear.
"I... I need to report this," she stammered, backing away into the shadows of the bank.
"Go ahead," I said, letting her run. "Report to your masters that the new owner of the city has arrived. And tell them... I'll be coming to collect their debts very soon."
I walked out of the bank, the golden key pulsing in my hand. The city was a warzone, but all I saw were opportunities.
The Era of Bankruptcy was in full swing. And I was just getting started.