District 1 was burning.
The "B-Rank Dungeon Break" wasn't just a crack in reality; it was a hemorrhage. A tear in the sky above the Financial Sector was spewing monsters onto the pristine white streets.
These weren't the goblins of the E-Rank caves. These were Ogres, massive hulks of muscle and rage standing twelve feet tall, wielding uprooted lampposts as clubs.
"Hold the line!" roared Valerius Ironblood, the Guild Master of the Steel Vanguard.
He swung his massive greatsword, a B-Rank artifact, cleaving an Ogre's arm off. But for every monster he killed, three more fell from the sky.
"We're being overrun!" his vice-captain screamed, firing mana bolts into the horde. "Where is the Arcane Lotus? Where are the reinforcements?"
"Busy holding the perimeter at the Bank!" Valerius grit his teeth, sweat stinging his eyes. "It's just us!"
A shadow fell over him.
A Twin-Headed Ogre Chieftain—a Level 120 Rift Boss—had landed on top of a crushed limousine. It roared, raising a chunk of concrete the size of a small house, preparing to crush Valerius and his squad into paste.
Valerius raised his shield, bracing for an impact he knew would break his bones.
ZWOOP.
There was no sound of thunder. No explosion. Just the quiet displacement of air.
Two figures appeared directly in the path of the falling concrete.
One was a man in an immaculate black suit that seemed to drink the light, his hands in his pockets, looking at the carnage with the expression of a landlord inspecting a damaged property.
The other was a Valkyrie.
She wore armor of white dragon-scale that hugged her form, trimmed with gold that pulsed with divine light. Wings of pure mana fluttered from her back, keeping her hovering inches off the ground.
"Kill it," the man said.
The Valkyrie didn't draw her weapon. She simply raised her left hand, catching the falling concrete house.
BOOM.
The ground didn't crack. Her knees didn't buckle.
Moira Nyx, with 13,500 Strength, caught the multi-ton projectile with the casual ease of catching a tennis ball.
The Ogre Chieftain blinked, its two heads confused.
Moira looked at the monster. Behind the visor of her [ Valkyrie's Grace ] helm, her eyes were cold.
"You're loud," she whispered.
She squeezed.
The concrete block shattered in her grip, turning into dust. In the same motion, she kicked off the ground.
She moved so fast that Valerius didn't see her move. He only saw the afterimage of gold.
CRACK.
Moira appeared instantly in front of the Chieftain's chest. She didn't use a sword. She just punched it.
Her fist, reinforced by S-Rank gauntlets and god-tier stats, connected with the Ogre's torso.
The monster didn't fly back. It burst.
The kinetic force traveled through its body so violently that its skin couldn't hold it together. The upper half of the Ogre turned into a red mist that sprayed across the skyscrapers behind it.
Eidon watched the notifications.
[ +5,760,000 XP ] (Double XP Active)
[ +288,000 SP ] (Public Cut: 10%)
"Clean efficiency," Eidon noted.
Moira landed gracefully, shaking the blood off her gauntlet. The [ Midnight Sovereign ] suit repelled a stray drop of blood that tried to land on Eidon's shoulder, keeping him pristine.
Silence descended on the street. The screaming civilians, the roaring monsters, and the exhausted hunters of the Steel Vanguard all froze.
Valerius lowered his shield, his jaw unhinged.
"What... in the hell..."
Eidon stepped forward, stepping over a puddle of Ogre blood without looking down. He adjusted his cuffs.
"Valerius Ironblood," Eidon said, his voice cutting through the silence. "Your formation is sloppy. You're letting the flanks collapse."
Valerius stared at him. He recognized the face from the news.
"The Dermit?" Valerius sputtered. Then he looked at Moira. "And... Miss Nyx?"
He scanned them. His eyes, trained by decades of dungeon diving, locked onto their gear.
"That sword," Valerius said, his voice sharp. "That armor... and that suit. The mana weave on that fabric is denser than my plate mail. You didn't find those in a dungeon."
He looked Eidon in the eye.
"Did you buy those? From the Shop?"
Eidon smiled. Valerius was smarter than he looked.
"I invest wisely, Guild Master," Eidon said smoothly. "While you chase credits, I chase the currency of the future."
"So it's real," Valerius muttered, looking at his own B-Rank sword with sudden disdain. "The items in that Shop... I thought they were just bait. But if they grant that kind of power..."
He looked up at the rift in the sky, still spewing Ogres.
"Can you close it?" Valerius asked. "My mages are tapped out."
"Moira," Eidon said, pointing to the sky. "The small ones are annoying. Close the door."
"Understood," Moira said.
She reached over her shoulder and gripped the hilt of the [ Solaris Greatsword ].
As she drew it, the temperature in the street spiked. But this time, she didn't rely on the sword's passive heat. She channeled her mana. She had reached Level 100, unlocking the Tenth Tier of [ Divine Magic Mastery ].
[ SPELL: DIVINE ART - SUNFALL ]
She shot into the sky like a reverse meteor, hovering directly in front of the rift.
She raised the sword, and the sky above District 1 turned blindingly white. A massive, concentrated sphere of holy plasma formed at the tip of her blade, resembling a miniature sun.
"Burn," she whispered.
She thrust the blade forward.
The miniature sun didn't explode; it beamed. A column of absolute light pierced the dark dimensional rift.
The monsters inside didn't even have time to scream. The rift itself began to hiss and boil. The mana anchoring the portal was incinerated by the divine frequency.
With a sound like a thunderclap, the rift collapsed, sealed shut by brute magical force.
The invasion was over in ten seconds.
Moira descended slowly, her wings fading as she touched down next to Eidon. She sheathed the sword, the oppressive heat vanishing instantly.
"Clean," she reported.
"Acceptable," Eidon nodded.
Valerius walked up to them. He looked from the closed rift to the Solaris Greatsword on Moira's back.
"That sword," Valerius said, sweating. "I saw it on the S-Rank tab. The 'Solaris'. It was listed for 25 Million SP."
He looked at Eidon, horrified and impressed.
"You had twenty-five million points? How? The entire city combined hasn't generated that much."
"I have my methods," Eidon lied effortlessly. "And I know how to spot a deal."
Eidon tapped his temple.
"Speaking of deals, Guild Master. Check the [ WEEKLY SPECIAL ]. It refreshes in..." He checked his internal clock. "Five seconds."
Valerius blinked. He instinctively opened his System Interface.
"Open Shop."
The hunters around them did the same.
In the center of Eidon's vision, the Admin Panel flashed. He had pre-loaded the item before they left the house.
[ WEEKLY SPECIAL UPDATE ]
[ ITEM: Black-Steel Warlord Set (A-Rank Armor) ]
[ QUANTITY: 1 ]
[ PRICE: 5,000,000 SP ]
Valerius gasped. He saw it. A full set of heavy plate armor, glowing with dark enchantments. It was perfectly suited for a Berserker class.
"Five million..." Valerius whispered, his hands trembling. "I have... I have two million personally. I need three million more."
He looked at Eidon, eyes burning with a new fire.
"You knew this was coming. You're taunting me."
"I'm offering you an opportunity, Valerius," Eidon corrected. "The System rewards those who grind. Hesitation is expensive."
He turned to Moira. "We're done here."
"Wait!" Valerius shouted. "The Association needs to debrief you! You can't just drop a nuke in the city and leave! We need to know—"
Eidon stopped. He looked over his shoulder, his A-Rank suit catching the light.
"Balance is for people who can't tip the scales, Guild Master."
He held up his hand. The Dimensional Ring on his finger flared with starlight.
Moira raised her hand, her matching ring glowing.
"Moira. Home."
"Yes, Eidon."
[ TELEPORTATION ACTIVATED ]
The world twisted. The grime of District 1 vanished, replaced instantly by the serene, silent luxury of the Sanctuary.
They stood in the foyer.
"Show off," Moira grinned, removing her helmet.
"Marketing," Eidon corrected, loosening his crimson tie. "Valerius will have every member of his guild grinding SP by midnight so he can afford that armor."
"But they can't pool SP," Moira pointed out. "It's non-transferable."
"He knows that," Eidon said. "But he'll make them grind anyway, hoping he gets enough drops, or he'll drive himself into the ground trying to catch up. And every potion he buys to keep his stamina up, every repair kit he purchases..."
He checked his balance.
He had started the mission with 3.5 Million SP. The panic buying during the Dungeon Break—thousands of hunters buying potions and arrows—had caused a massive spike in transaction fees.
[ CURRENT SP: 8,700,000 ]
"We made over five million just standing there," Eidon noted. "The commission on potions is small, but the volume is massive."
He looked around the grand foyer. It was magnificent, but after a month of just two people living in a mansion, the obsidian floors were gathering a fine layer of dust, and the silence was becoming oppressive.
"Also," Eidon muttered, running a finger along the stair railing and checking it for dust. "This place is a mess. We're too rich to be doing our own laundry, and you can't cook without burning the kitchen down."
Moira opened her mouth to protest, then shut it. He was right.
Eidon opened the [ SLAVES ] tab. He needed staff.
He filtered by [ DOMESTIC ], [ COMBAT-CAPABLE ], and [ FEMALE ONLY ].
[ ITEM: Imperial Battle Maid (Model: Valkyrie-Lite) ] [ RANK: A (National Threat) ] [ LEVEL: 220 ] [ RACE: Arcane Homunculus (Living Construct) ] [ SKILLS: CQC Mastery, Tactical Housekeeping, Absolute Loyalty. ] [ PRICE: 1,000,000 SP ]
"One million each," Eidon calculated. "Living constructs. High intelligence, absolute loyalty. I'll take five."
[ PURCHASE: 5x Imperial Battle Maid ] [ TOTAL COST: 5,000,000 SP ] [ REMAINING BALANCE: 3,700,000 SP ]
Five pillars of light erupted near the kitchen entrance. When the light faded, five women stood there. They were stunning—pale, flawless skin, dressed in immaculate black-and-white gothic maid uniforms with skirts that allowed for high-speed movement. They breathed softly, their chests rising and falling, eyes bright with intelligence and life.
They bowed in perfect unison. "We await your orders, Master."
Eidon nodded, satisfied. "Clean the house. Dinner at eight."
He paused, glancing at the door. "And don't worry about security. We are in the Void; no one can break in here without a ring. Focus entirely on maintaining the interior."
"Understood."
The maids dispersed instantly, their movements fluid and graceful, disappearing into the hallways to scrub the palace.
Eidon turned to Moira, expecting her to be pleased. Instead, the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees.
Moira was staring at the hallway where the maids had vanished. Her hand was gripping the hilt of her Solaris Greatsword so hard the leather creaked.
Eidon's [ Eye of Heavens ] flashed.
[ TARGET: Moira Nyx ] [ EMOTIONAL STATE: Seething Jealousy / Insecurity ] [ CURRENT THOUGHTS: "They are alive. They are breathing. They are beautiful. Why did he buy women? Why are their skirts so short? Is this his type? I'm the only woman allowed in this house. I should execute them for looking at him." ]
Eidon suppressed a nervous laugh. The "Yandere" trait was flaring up again.
"Moira," Eidon said calmly, stepping into her line of sight. "Relax."
"Relax?" Moira looked at him, her eyes narrowing. "You just filled our house with five women, Eidon. 'Living' women."
"They are Homunculi," Eidon explained, keeping his voice steady. "Yes, they are alive. Yes, they have flesh and blood. But they are programmed for absolute service. They don't have romantic desires or free will regarding their master."
He gestured vaguely around the room.
"To me, they aren't women, Moira. They are high-end, self-cleaning furniture. They are assets. Tools. Just like the Shadow Sentinels, but with better manners and nicer uniforms."
Moira didn't look convinced. She glanced back at the hallway. "Furniture doesn't breathe, Eidon. Furniture doesn't wear lace garters."
"It's just the design aesthetic of the item," Eidon lied smoothly. "Purely for aerodynamics in combat. Look, you are the Lady of the Sanctuary. They are the staff. There is no competition between a Goddess and a vacuum cleaner, is there?"
Moira paused. The comparison to a vacuum cleaner seemed to dull her rage slightly.
"Fine," she muttered, releasing her sword. "But if I catch one of them 'dusting' you, I'm burning the furniture."
"Noted," Eidon said, exhaling a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Now, focus. We have a real problem."
"What problem?" Moira asked. "I killed everything."
"The Shadow Sentinels," Eidon said, expanding the map. "Report coming in from Sentinel #04. Attached to the Mayor's office."
He projected the text into the air.
[ REPORT: GOVERNMENT EMERGENCY DECREE DRAFT 809 ] [ SUBJECT: The Universal Shop ] [ ACTION: The Government plans to declare the "Shop" a hostile foreign entity. They plan to ban the usage of "Open Shop" under penalty of treason, citing 'Unregulated Economic Destabilization'. ] [ TIMELINE: 24 Hours. ]
Eidon's eyes narrowed.
"They want to ban my business," he said coldly. "Because they can't tax it."
Moira's hand went back to her sword, the jealousy instantly replaced by murderous intent toward the government. "Do I kill the Mayor?"
"No," Eidon said. "Martyrs are bad for business. If they want to play politics... we'll play politics."
He looked at the [ ADMIN TOOLS ].
"They think the Shop is a passive utility," Eidon whispered. "They forgot that every shop has an owner."
He selected the [ GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT ] tool.
"Let's remind them who holds the leash."