[Mana: 350/650]
[Void Veil: Active]
Aryan stepped out of the hidden portal, his body wrapped in a shimmering, translucent layer of dark energy.
To the naked eye, he was still visible if one looked closely—like a heat shimmer on a hot road. But to the senses? He was a void.
He made no sound. He emitted no smell. His heartbeat was masked.
He found himself back in the narrow tunnel of the "Goblin Caves."
The sounds of battle had ceased long ago. The air was heavy with the metallic scent of blood.
Aryan walked forward, his scythe stored away, hands in his pockets.
A few meters ahead, he found them.
"Team Rocky."
The bulky leader, Rocky, was slumped against a cave wall. His chest was riddled with crude goblin spears. His greataxe lay broken beside him.
The Mage and the Archer were further back, their bodies torn apart. The Healer had tried to crawl away but didn't make it.
About fifteen goblin corpses lay around them. It seemed the ambush had been mutually destructive.
A few surviving goblins were currently scavenging the bodies, gnawing on Rocky's arm.
Aryan stopped just two feet away from a goblin.
The creature paused. It sniffed the air, its ears twitching. It felt a sudden chill, a sense of dread, but when it looked around, it saw nothing. Confused, it went back to looting.
"Pathetic," Aryan thought, his expression cold. "They were overconfident. They treated the Dungeon like a playground, and the Dungeon ate them."
He felt no pity. In this new world, weakness was a sin.
He walked right past the goblins. None of them reacted.
'Void Veil is incredible. As long as I don't attack, I am a ghost.'
He didn't loot their bodies. Stealing from dead hunters would leave a magical trace that the Association could track. He wasn't stupid.
He exited the cave, slipping past the guards at the entrance who were busy checking another team's ID.
Once he was in the safe zone, amidst the crowd of the city, he deactivated the skill.
The Black Market
Jaipur, the Walled City.
Aryan navigated through the narrow, bustling streets of the old market until he reached a shop with a faded sign: "Sharma Artifacts & Scrap."
It was a known spot for hunters to sell "undocumented" loot without questions.
Aryan pulled his hood up and adjusted his black mask. He walked in.
The shop smelled of old paper and rust. An elderly man with thick glasses was behind the counter, polishing a low-grade mana stone.
"We are closing," the old man grunted without looking up.
Aryan didn't speak. He simply raised his hand.
[Dimension Inventory]
A ripple formed in the air, and he pulled out the glowing blue orb—the Core of the Iron Warden.
He slammed it onto the wooden counter.
THUD.
A pulse of heavy, dense mana washed over the shop. The lights flickered. The old man's tools rattled on the table.
The shopkeeper froze. He slowly looked up, his eyes widening behind his thick lenses.
"By the Gods..." he whispered, reaching out with trembling hands. "This density... this isn't a normal D-Rank core."
He inspected it with a jeweler's monocle.
"It's a Condensed Soul Core. And looking at the purity... it came from a Guardian-type monster. Probably a Level 30 Boss."
The old man looked at Aryan with a mix of fear and greed. "Kid, where did you get this? A core like this doesn't drop in the outskirts."
"Do you buy loot or do you sell questions?" Aryan asked. He let a tiny sliver of his Void Aura leak out.
The temperature in the shop dropped by five degrees. The shadows behind Aryan seemed to twist and lengthen.
The old man gulped. He realized this wasn't a normal newbie.
"I buy. I buy," he stammered, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Look, the market rate for a standard D-Rank core is 45,000. But this... this is premium crafting material."
He punched some numbers on a calculator.
"I'll give you 3,00,000 (3 Lakh) Credits."
Aryan stared at him silently. He knew the old man would sell it for at least 5 Lakhs to a Guild.
"3,50,000," Aryan countered calmly. "And I'll throw in ten Elite Skeleton Swords I found. They are rusted, but the metal is high grade."
The old man hesitated, doing the math. Even at 3.5 Lakhs, he would make a profit. And he didn't want to offend this scary hooded figure.
"Deal."
The Payday
[Transaction Successful]
[Account Credited: ₹3,50,000]
Aryan walked out of the shop and checked his phone.
[Total Balance: ₹3,90,000]
He stared at the screen.
A month ago, he was struggling to pay for his D. Pharma books. He was eating one meal a day.
Now, he had nearly four lakhs in his pocket. It wasn't enough to be "rich" in the Hunter world—where a single A-Rank sword cost crores—but for a beginner? It was a fortune.
"Money is freedom," Aryan whispered, clenching his phone.
He stopped at a roadside stall and bought a full plate of Pav Bhaji. He ate slowly, savoring the taste. It was the first proper meal he had eaten in weeks without worrying about the cost.
As he ate, a news broadcast played on a large holographic screen in the market square.
"BREAKING NEWS: The Golden Lion Guild, led by Guild Master Vikrant Mehra, announces a massive recruitment drive for new Hunters!"
The screen showed a picture of Rahul Mehra, looking smug.
"Top rookie Rahul Mehra states: 'We only want the strong. Trash need not apply.'"
Aryan wiped his mouth with a napkin. His eyes narrowed.
"Golden Lion..."
He remembered the look on Rahul's face during the exam. The arrogance.
"I have the money now to buy gear. I have the Levels. I have the Skills."
Aryan tossed the napkin into a bin and turned away from the screen.
"I don't need to join them. I'm going to surpass them."
[System Notification]
[Hidden Condition Met]
[New Quest Generated: The Hunter Market]
[Objective: Purchase your first set of Armor and a Skill Book.]
"Looks like the System wants me to go shopping," Aryan smirked.