The morning sunlight streamed through Henry's window, casting golden rays across his room. The faint humming of the city outside, the distant murmur of life carrying on, was a stark contrast to the chaos he had faced just yesterday.
Henry stretched, muscles aching in the best way possible.
It wasn't the ache of fatigue—no, it was the soreness of growth.
A reminder.
A tangible proof of how much stronger he had become.
And today?
Today was a new day.
And he had things to do.
After freshening up and throwing on a clean shirt and jacket, Henry's eyes flickered toward the bag of beast crystals sitting on his desk.
A ridiculous amount of loot from the dungeon.
Today, he'd be selling them.
And making some serious money.
But before that—
Something else caught his attention.
One particular crystal.
The boss crystal.
It sat among the others, yet it was different. Larger. Darker. It pulsed faintly, a rhythmic beat of contained power.
Henry didn't hesitate.
He gripped it in his palm, and activated Absorb.
The crystal disintegrated into shimmering motes of light.
A rush of energy coursed through his body as a familiar chime rang in his head.
+500 EXP acquired.
+10 Skill Points acquired.
You have obtained: A Level 1 E-rank True Blade.
Henry's brows lifted.
A weapon?
Before he could react, a sudden weight settled in his hands.
Or rather—two.
His fingers curled instinctively around the hilts as he examined them.
The True Blade was a dual-wield weapon—a pair of twin swords, sleek and deadly. The metal gleamed obsidian black, edged with faint streaks of silver that shimmered under the morning light. The hilts were wrapped in dark leather, molding perfectly to his grip.
Each blade was shorter than a longsword but longer than a dagger—a perfect balance between speed and power.
A grin tugged at the corner of Henry's lips.
A level 1E rank True Blade
Rank: E.
Level: 1.
Effect: +5 to all attributes
Bonus: +15 Agility
He gave the blades an experimental spin.
Fast. Very fast.
His movements felt sharper, smoother—as if the weapons were an extension of him.
Henry grinned wider.
"Now we're talking."
Satisfied, he pocketed the weapons into his inventory and turned back to the bag of crystals.
There were too many to carry in the rough sack he had used last night.
So, he grabbed a better bag—one that looked far less suspicious.
Then, slinging it over his shoulder, he headed downstairs.
Today was a big day.
A taxi ride later, Henry arrived at the Aquarium Trade Center—one of the biggest hunter markets in Neo-Veridia.
It was chaos.
Merchants shouting offers.
Hunters haggling over price.
Armored guards are stationed at checkpoints.
It was a marketplace of opportunity, where both legal and shady deals happened side by side.
Tom and Lily stuck close, their eyes wide as they took in the chaotic energy.
"You sure about this?" Tom muttered, nudging Henry. "You've got a lot of crystals."
Henry smirked. "That's the point."
They made their way to one of the official exchange counters where hunters could sell their loot for verified market rates.
The merchant at the counter was an older man, sharp-eyed, his face lined with years of hard bargaining.
"ID?" he asked, barely looking up.
Henry slid his Hunter's ID across the counter.
The man glanced at it, saw the F1 rank, and nodded absently.
"Alright, what are you selling?"
Henry didn't answer.
Instead, he tilted the bag forward.
A cascade of beast crystals spilled onto the counter.
The merchant's hand froze mid-motion.
His eyes widened.
For a moment, he just stared.
Then, slowly, he looked up at Henry.
"… Where did you get these?"
A ripple of attention spread through the nearby merchants and hunters.
People began glancing over, curious about the massive pile of loot Henry had just dumped.
Henry, unfazed, simply smiled.
"Cleared a dungeon."
The merchant's eyes narrowed. He tapped Henry's ID again, double-checking his rank.
"F1?" he muttered under his breath. "There's no way an F1 hunter—"
He stopped.
Because others had started whispering.
"Did you see how many he just dumped?"
"There's no way he did that alone."
"Must be his team's cut, right?"
"Or maybe he stole them?"
Henry sighed.
He had expected this.
People couldn't comprehend how a low-ranked hunter had walked in with this many crystals.
So, naturally, the assumptions started flying.
Either he stole them… or he was selling them to someone else.
Henry ignored it all.
Instead, he leaned on the counter, fixing the merchant with a calm stare.
"Are You buying or not?"
The merchant hesitated.
Then—nodded.
"I'll need to appraise them first."
Henry shrugged. "Go ahead."
An assistant rushed over, scanning the crystals one by one.
The air grew thick with tension as the numbers started rolling in.
F-rank.
F+.
E-rank.
High-quality loot.
The merchant's expression flickered with hidden shock, but he masked it quickly.
After a few minutes, he typed into his console and leaned forward.
"… Total value, seventy thousand."
Henry's grin widened.
"Deal."
A few seconds later—
The surrounding merchants and hunters were still murmuring, some casting skeptical glances, others looking mildly impressed.
Henry pocketed his ID and the receipt, grabbed his now-empty bag, and turned on his heel.
He didn't care what they thought.
He had his money.
And this?
This was just the beginning.
As Henry walked away, he could feel their eyes on him.
Curiosity.
Jealousy.
Speculation.
Whispers followed him like shadows.
A few hunters nearby exchanged glances.
"You think he's really F1?"
"Who cares? If he's pulling in that kind of loot, he's dangerous."
Somewhere in the crowd, a cloaked figure watched him carefully.
Silent.
Thoughtful.
Then, with a slight nod, they disappeared.
Henry leaned back in his seat as the taxi
Sped through the city.
70 thousand dollars
More money than he had ever seen in his life.
But this was only the start.
He glanced down at his hand, flexing his fingers.
The True Blade was waiting.
And he was ready.
"Time to find my next target," he said.
His grin widened.