The world twisted, white light swallowing the dingy gray of District 9, and then—silence.
Absolute, heavy silence.
The air that filled their lungs wasn't the recycled, ozone-tainted oxygen of the city. It was sweet, dense, and vibrating with mana so pure it tasted like spring water.
Eidon opened his eyes.
They were standing in a grand foyer. The floor was polished obsidian, veined with gold that pulsed with a faint, rhythmic light. Above them, a chandelier made of floating mana crystals cast a warm, sun-like glow, banishing any shadows.
A sweeping staircase led to upper balconies, and floor-to-ceiling windows revealed a view that shouldn't exist: a serene garden of impossible flowers under a twilight sky that never darkened.
[ DIMENSIONAL SANCTUARY (S-RANK) ][ CURRENT LOCATION: THE VOID (POCKET DIMENSION) ][ SECURITY: ABSOLUTE ]
"It's... huge," Moira whispered. Her voice echoed softly, absorbed by the plush velvet of the furniture in the adjacent lounge.
She looked at her hand, where the starlight ring sat on her finger. Then she looked at the house.
To Eidon, this was a tactical base. To Moira, standing in the middle of a literal palace that required a "ring" to enter, this was something else entirely.
"It has five bedrooms," Eidon said, breaking the silence as he walked toward the center of the room. "Training hall in the basement. Library on the second floor. The kitchen is fully automated."
Moira touched a vase on a side table. It was made of seamless pearl. "We live here? Just... us?"
"Just us," Eidon confirmed. "And the Sentinel, if we summon him."
Moira's cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red. "Right. Just us."
She spun around, her eyes sparkling. "I'll take the Master Bedroom. I mean—I assume you want the one near the office? So I'll take the one next to it."
"Take whatever room you want," Eidon said, missing the subtext entirely as he opened his interface. "But don't get too comfortable. We aren't here to vacation."
He walked into the kitchen. It was sleek, metallic, and empty.
"Food," Eidon noted. "We can't survive on mana alone."
He opened the [ CONSUMABLES ] tab and checked his balance.
[ CURRENT SP: 35,000 ]
"Right," Eidon muttered. "The house ate the liquidity. We're broke until the morning revenue hits."
He couldn't afford the S-Rank luxury items yet. He filtered by [ B-RANK ] and [ READY-MEALS ].
"No raw ingredients," Eidon decided. "I'm not cooking, and you're a hazard near a stove."
He scrolled past the healthy options and found the "Magical Fast Food" section.
[ ITEM: Arcane Double-Cheeseburger (B-Rank) ][ EFFECT: Satiety +100%. Minor Stamina Regen. Flavor enhanced by illusion magic. ][ PRICE: 50 SP ]
[ ITEM: Void-Spice Pizza (B-Rank) ][ EFFECT: Spicy enough to wake the dead. Clears minor fatigue. ][ PRICE: 75 SP ]
"This will do," Eidon said. He mass-purchased five hundred units of various magical junk foods.
Flash.
The kitchen island was instantly piled high with steaming boxes of pizza and foil-wrapped burgers. The smell was intoxicating—savory, greasy, and magical.
"Fast food?" Moira blinked, picking up a burger.
"It's chemically perfect fuel," Eidon said, grabbing a slice of Void-Spice Pizza. "Eat. We're going into lockdown."
Moira took a bite. Her eyes widened. The illusion magic hit her taste buds, simulating the greatest meal she'd ever had.
"Okay," she mumbled with her mouth full. "This is way better than the cafeteria."
Eidon sat on a barstool. "One month, Moira. The world is going crazy outside. We let the chaos settle. By the time we step out that door, I want you to be untouchable."
"Level target?" Moira asked, wiping sauce from her lip.
"Level 100," Eidon said.
Moira choked on her burger. "100? The highest recorded level for a rookie in their first year is 20. The Guild Masters are only Level 150."
"You aren't a rookie," Eidon said, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "You're the Guardian of Heavens. Level 100 is the floor."
He navigated to the [ SPECIAL ITEMS ] tab.
[ ITEM: Instant Dungeon Key ][ RANK: C ][ PRICE: 10,000 SP per Key ]
"10k a pop," Eidon murmured. "Pricey."
He checked his balance. ~700,000 SP left after the food.
"I'm buying five keys to start," Eidon said. "That drains the account. But by tomorrow morning, the revenue will replenish, and I'll buy the next batch. We grind, we sleep, we repeat."
[ PURCHASE: 1x Instant Dungeon Key ][ COST: 10,000 SP ]
"Downstairs," Eidon ordered. "We start now."
ONE MONTH LATER
The Training Hall in the basement had been reduced to a cratered wasteland, the Adamantine walls scorched black.
BOOM.
Moira Nyx moved faster than sound. She was a streak of silver and violence.
She was fighting a Level 110 Void Drake—a boss monster Eidon had summoned with the fiftieth key he had purchased.
"Die!"
She didn't use a skill. She just swung the Radiant Claymore.
The blade, now chipped and groaning under the stress of her strength, connected with the Drake's skull.
-850,000 CRITICAL!
The Drake didn't just die; it was erased from existence.
[ +4,840,000XP ] (Double XP Active + Dungeon Bonus) [ +242,000 SP ] (Public Cut: 10%)
DING.
[ LEVEL UP! ][ LEVEL: 99 -> 100 ]
[ UNLOCKED NEW DIVINE MAGIC ]
Moira landed, the shockwave of her impact cracking the floor. She stood up, breathing heavily, her uniform tattered.
She looked at her hands. She felt... infinite.
[ STATUS: MOIRA NYX ][ LEVEL: 100 ][ STRENGTH: 13,500 ] (135 Stats/Lvl) [ AGILITY: 13,500 ][ VITALITY: 15,000 ]
13,500 Strength. A normal Level 100 Warrior had maybe 1,000 Strength. She was a walking calamity.
"Level 100," Eidon said. He was sitting on a floating chair in the corner, surrounded by holographic screens.
He looked tired, but his eyes were burning with triumph.
"You're done," he said. "Drop the sword."
"It served me well," Moira said, looking at the Radiant Claymore. It was barely holding together.
"It's garbage," Eidon said. "But before we gear up... we have a staffing issue to resolve."
He swiped his hand, expanding the [ ADMIN PANEL ].
The last month had been absolute madness for the global economy. The entire world was addicted to the Shop. Wars were being fought over SP farming spots.
[ TOTAL REVENUE (30 DAYS): ~130,000,000 SP ] [ EXPENSES (KEYS): -5,000,000 SP ] [ CURRENT BALANCE: 125,000,000 SP ]
125Million. Even after buying 500 keys at 10k each throughout the month (a 5 million SP expense), the profit margins from global transaction fees were astronomical.
"One hundred and twenty-five million," Eidon noted. "We have enough to build an army."
He navigated to the [ SLAVES ] tab.
[ ITEM: Shadow Sentinel (Level 250) ] [ PRICE: 1,500,000 SP ]
"We need a network," Eidon said. "I wanted a hundred, but I'm increasing the budget for your gear."
He set the slider to 40.
[ QUANTITY: 40 ] [ TOTAL COST: 60,000,000 SP ]
"Sixty million," Moira whispered. "That's half the money."
"Do it," Eidon commanded.
[ TRANSACTION COMPLETE. ]
The shadows boiled. Forty Level 250 assassins rose from the floor, kneeling in unison.
"Twenty of you to the Red Zones," Eidon ordered, pointing to the map. "Watch the Invaders. Don't engage."
"Ten to the Government. Ten to the Guilds."
The shadows dissolved, shooting out of the Sanctuary to infiltrate the world.
"That leaves us with 65 Million," Eidon calculated. "Time to upgrade you properly."
[ ITEM: Solaris Greatsword (S-Rank) ] [ PRICE: 25,000,000 SP ]
[ ITEM: Valkyrie's Grace (S-Rank Armor Set) ] [ PRICE: 25,000,000 SP ]
[ TOTAL COST: 50,000,000 SP ]
"Buy."
A pillar of golden light hit Moira. The tattered uniform vanished, replaced by white dragon-scale armor and a sword made of crystallized sun.
"And for me," Eidon muttered, looking at the remaining 15 Million SP.
He spent 6,300,000 SP to push all his stats to 1,100.
[ REMAINING BALANCE: 8,700,000 SP ]
"One last thing," Eidon said. He looked down at his clothes. He was wearing a generic black suit he had bought for 100 SP a month ago. It was torn, dusty from the dungeon grinding, and frankly, beneath his station.
"If we're going public, I need to look the part. Appearance is the first step of negotiation."
He opened the [ ARMOR ] tab, filtering by [ CLOTHING ] and [ A-RANK ].
[ ITEM: The Midnight Sovereign (A-Rank Set) ] [ TYPE: High-Weave Battle Suit ] [ DEFENSE: 2,500 (Comparable to Plate Armor) ] [ EFFECTS: ] [ 1. King's Aura: Minor fear effect on lower-level entities. ] [ 2. Pristine: Self-cleaning and self-repairing. ] [ 3. Mana Weave: Regulates body temperature and mana flow. ] [ PRICE: 5,000,000 SP ]
"Five million for a suit," Eidon mused. "Expensive. But it fits."
[ PURCHASE COMPLETE. ] [ REMAINING BALANCE: 3,700,000 SP ]
A swirl of shadows enveloped him. The dusty rags vanished, replaced by a masterpiece of tailoring.
It was a three-piece suit of the deepest black, the fabric seeming to absorb the light around it. The buttons were made of obsidian, and the tie was a deep crimson silk. It fit him not just perfectly, but supernaturally, accentuating the lean, powerful muscle he had built with his 1,100 Strength.
He adjusted his cuffs. They felt like silk but were tougher than dragon scales.
"How do I look?" Eidon asked, turning to Moira.
Moira froze. She had been admiring her own wings, but now, her breath hitched.
She looked at him. The suit made him look... regal. Dangerous. Like the owner of the world.
Eidon watched the notification pop up above her head.
[ TARGET: Moira Nyx ] [ EMOTIONAL STATE: Critical Infatuation / Possessiveness ] [ CURRENT THOUGHTS: "Oh my god. He looks so Cool. Is this... is this our wedding attire? Is he dressing up for me? He looks so handsome it hurts. I want to lock him in this room so no other woman sees him." ]
Her face turned a brilliant shade of scarlet.
"It... it suits you," she managed to squeak out, clutching her sword to hide her trembling hands. "You look... authoritative."
Eidon didn't ignore the text floating above her head. A slow, amused smirk spread across his face as he read the words Wedding Attire and Lock him in this room.
He stepped closer to her, invading her personal space just enough to make her heart hammer against her ribs.
"Wedding attire might be a bit premature, Moira," he teased, his voice low and smooth. "And if you lock me in this room, who's going to buy you more swords?"
Moira turned a shade of red that defied physics. She stammered, caught red-handed by his ability. "I—I didn't—you can read that?!"
"I can read everything," Eidon chuckled, adjusting his crimson tie. "Let's stick to 'Battle Gear' for now. But I appreciate the compliment."
He walked past her toward the exit, his mood significantly lifted.
"Open the door, Moira."
Moira took a deep breath, fanning her burning face with one hand while gripping her sword with the other. She smiled, though it was shaky.
"Where to?"
Eidon checked his map. A B-Rank Dungeon Break was tearing apart District 1.
"To test the merchandise," Eidon said. "Let's go say hello to the neighbors."