The air in the VIP district of Ironhold was noticeably cleaner than the smog-choked streets of the lower city. Here, magic scrubbers purified the atmosphere. Leaving it smelling of lavender and cold currency.
Sebastian walked out of the Arena. His inventory heavy with a staggering sum of gold.
76,500 Gold Coins.
In the current game economy, where the average player struggled to scrape together a single silver coin for repairs, Sebastian was walking around with the GDP of a small nation. The weight of it didn't burden him. Emboldened him.
He pulled his hood lower over his face. The [Shadow Weave] effect from his dagger swirled around him. Making his silhouette hazy and indistinct. He wasn't interested in fame. The whispers following his victory over the Berserker King were already spreading through the forums like a virus.
"Did you see the clip? One shot. A literal touch of death."
"Zero... who is he? Is he a dev?"
"I heard he's an AI gone rogue."
Sebastian ignored the chatter. Headed straight for the grandest building in the district: The Ironhold Auction House.
A cathedral of commerce. Built from white marble and gold-veined obsidian. NPCs in silk robes stood by the massive double doors. Bowing low to anyone who looked like they had coin.
Sebastian walked in. The main hall was a sprawling open space. Filled with rows of floating holographic screens. Hundreds of players furiously bidding on starter gear and raw materials.
He bypassed the common floor. Went straight to the private terminals in the back.
He placed his hand on the crystal interface.
[Welcome to the Ironhold Auction Network.]
[Detecting User Funds...]
[VIP Status Confirmed.]
A list of high-value items cascaded before his eyes.
Most of it was trash disguised as treasure. [Rare] swords that would be obsolete in five levels. [Flashy] robes with terrible stat distributions. The players of this era didn't know the meta yet. They chased big damage numbers. Ignoring the utility stats that actually mattered in a life-or-death struggle.
Sebastian scrolled. His eyes scanning with the speed of a machine.
Armor? Useless. He had [Void Walk].
Weapons? He had [Shadowfang] and [God-Slayer's Edge].
Potions? He could make them better than anyone.
He was looking for something specific. Something nobody else would value.
His finger stopped scrolling.
There. Buried on page 50 of the "Miscellaneous / Junk" category. An item listed by an NPC scavenger.
[Item: Rusty Iron Shard]
[Quality: Grey (Trash)]
[Description: A piece of jagged metal found near the ruins of the Old Temple. It hums slightly, but has no magical properties. Can be sold to a blacksmith for scrap.]
[Current Bid: 50 Copper]
[Time Remaining: 10 Minutes]
Sebastian's heart didn't race. It steadied.
To the untrained eye? Garbage. To Sebastian, who'd lived through the ten years of hell that followed the Great Merge, this was the holy grail.
A fragment of the [Key to the Sanctuary].
The Sanctuary wasn't just a guild base. A sub-dimension. A zone that existed outside of the normal map. Protected by ancient laws that even the Void gods struggled to breach. Securing it meant having a fortress that could withstand the apocalypse.
"Found you," Sebastian whispered.
He was about to place a buyout bid when the numbers on the screen changed.
[New Bid: 100 Gold.]
Sebastian paused. 100 Gold for a trash item? Not an accident. Someone else was eyeing it.
He checked the bidder's ID.
[Bidder: Baron_K]
Baron_K. The Guild Master of the Golden Lion Guild. A man known for throwing money at problems until they disappeared. In the previous timeline, Baron_K hadn't known what the shard was. Just bought "mysterious items" hoping to unlock hidden classes. He ended up throwing the shard away. Delaying the discovery of the Sanctuary by three years.
"Not this time," Sebastian murmured.
He typed in a new number.
[Bid: 500 Gold.]
Across the room, near the VIP booths, a commotion erupted. A man in shining golden armor. Flanked by sycophants. Slammed his fist onto his table.
"Who dares?!" Baron_K shouted. His voice echoing through the hall. "I am the Baron! Who is outbidding me on my curiosity?!"
He looked around the hall. His eyes landing on the hooded figure in the corner terminal.
"You there! Rags!" Baron_K sneered. Walking over. "Do you know who I am? Retract your bid, or I will blacklist you from every merchant in this city."
Sebastian didn't turn around. Watched the screen.
[New Bid: 1,000 Gold (Baron_K)]
Baron_K laughed. "See? Pocket change. Go back to farming rats, beggar."
Sebastian's expression remained impassive. He had 76,000 gold. Could buy this auction house if the game allowed it.
He tapped the screen.
[New Bid: 5,000 Gold.]
The silence in the auction hall was instantaneous.
5,000 Gold.
The price of a Guild Charter. The price of a small castle. This lunatic had just bid it on a piece of rusty scrap metal.
Baron_K's face turned a violent shade of purple. "You... You are mocking me. You think you have money? I have invested millions of real-world credits into this game!"
Baron_K frantically typed.
[New Bid: 6,000 Gold.]
Sebastian didn't hesitate.
[New Bid: 10,000 Gold.]
"TEN THOUSAND?!" Someone in the crowd shrieked. "Is that real?!"
Baron_K stared at the screen. His hands trembling. He had money, yes. 10,000 gold was his entire guild's liquidity for the week though. He couldn't justify spending that on a piece of junk just for pride. His vice-guild master would revolt.
"Fine," Baron_K hissed. Stepping back. His eyes burning with venom. "Keep your trash. But know this, 'Zero'. You have made an enemy of the Golden Lion today. You better stay in the safe zones, because the moment you step out..."
He drew a thumb across his throat.
[Auction Won.]
[Item Acquired: Rusty Iron Shard.]
[-10,000 Gold.]
Sebastian didn't care about the threat. Didn't care about the gold.
He retrieved the item from the terminal. A jagged, heavy piece of dark metal materialized in his hand. It felt cold. Colder than ice. A faint pulse beat against his palm. Syncing with his heartbeat.
[System Notice: You have acquired a Unique Quest Item.]
[The fragment yearns for its brothers.]
"Worth every coin," Sebastian thought. Stashing it into his inventory.
He turned to leave. Walking right past the fuming Baron_K. As he passed, he didn't look at the man. Simply let his aura—the faint, suffocating pressure of a Tier-9 soul—leak out for a fraction of a second.
Baron_K flinched. Taking an involuntary step back. A cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. By the time he recovered his wits, the hooded Drifter was gone.
Sebastian walked out into the streets of Ironhold. He had the key. Had the weapon. Had the capital.
His body though... his real body... was screaming.
"Hunger," Sebastian noted. Seeing a red flashing icon on his HUD. "Logout required."
Time to check on reality.