The door to the "Supply House" wasn't made of wood or steel. It was a shimmering curtain of dark energy a Mana Barrier. Standing in front of it was a man who looked more like a mountain than a human. He was wearing an exoskeleton suit that hissed with pneumatic power.
[Target: Guard "Iron Wall"]
[Level: 12 (D-Rank Defender)]
[Requirement to Pass: 1,000 Credit Bribe OR proof of D-Rank status.]
The guard looked down at Lu Chen, his eyes hidden behind red-tinted tactical goggles. "Private club, kid. Go back to the slums before you get hurt."
Lu Chen didn't flinch. He used [Eyes of Deception] to make himself look like a Level 5 low enough to be overlooked, but high enough to be respected as a "legitimate" Awakener.
"I'm here to buy," Lu Chen said, his voice flat. He didn't offer a bribe. Instead, he reached out and touched the Mana Barrier.
With his [God-Level Appraisal], he could see the "nodes" of the barrier the points where the energy was weakest. He pressed his finger against a flickering spark in the dark curtain.
[Node Identified: Destabilizing for 0.5 seconds...]
The barrier rippled and parted just enough for him to slip through. The guard's jaw dropped. To him, it looked like Lu Chen had such high mana control that the barrier simply recognized him as a master.
"Wait" the guard started, but Lu Chen was already inside.
The interior was the polar opposite of the clean, sterile Blue Moon Exchange. It was a cavernous warehouse filled with the scent of ozone and blood. Rows of reinforced glass cases held items that pulsed with chaotic energy. These were "Cursed" or "Stolen" goods items the government didn't want the public to have.
[Scanning Warehouse...]
[Found: 422 Items.]
[Filtering for 'High Growth Potential'...]
Lu Chen walked past a shelf of "Blood-Soaked Greaves" and "Soul-Eating Daggers." Most were expensive traps. They gave high power but drained the user's life force.
Then, his eyes locked onto a dusty corner. Under a pile of old manuals sat a small, cracked vial containing a swirling, murky grey liquid.
[Item: Essence of the Formless Void]
Grade: Unknown (System identifies as: Ancient Legacy)
Description: To others, this looks like 'Failed Mana Potion' (Value: 50 Credits).
Hidden Truth: This is the condensed blood of a Void Beast. If consumed by someone with the Sovereign's Breath, it will unlock the 'Inventory' function and enhance mana sensitivity by 500%.
Lu Chen felt a surge of excitement. An Inventory? In this world, only S-Rank hunters with expensive "Spatial Rings" could carry items in a sub-dimension. If he had this, he could carry an entire armory without anyone knowing.
"How much for the failed potion?" Lu Chen asked the shopkeeper, a woman with purple hair and three eyes.
The shopkeeper glanced at the grey vial. "That junk? Give me 100 credits and take it. It's been sitting there for three years. It'll probably give you diarrhea."
Lu Chen paid the 100 credits. As he tucked the vial into his pocket, he continued scanning. He had 179,900 credits left. He needed a weapon. Something that didn't look like much but could kill a Level 15 assassin.
In a glass case labeled [Restricted - Experimental], he saw a pair of black leather gloves with silver wires running through the knuckles.
[Item: Ghost-Wire Striker]
Grade: Rare
Special Effect: Can manifest invisible mana wires up to 5 meters. Can be used to trap, garrote, or pull objects.
Price: 150,000 Credits.
It was perfect. It was a weapon of cunning, not just brute force.
"I'll take the Ghost-Wire Striker," Lu Chen said.
The shopkeeper's third eye blinked in surprise. "Expensive taste. That's a difficult weapon to master. Most people just cut their own fingers off."
"I'll manage," Lu Chen replied.
After finalizing the purchase, Lu Chen headed to a private "Training Room" in the back of the shop, which he rented for an hour. He needed to consume the Void Essence immediately.
He uncorked the vial. The smell was like ozone and ancient dust. Without hesitating, he downed the liquid.
[Ding! Consuming Essence of the Formless Void...]
[Merging with Sovereign's Breath...]
[Success!]
[New Feature Unlocked: System Inventory (Infinite Space for non-living objects).]
[Mana Sensitivity increased!]
[Host Level Up! Level 3 -> Level 5]
Lu Chen felt his vision sharpen further. He could now see the mana flowing through the walls of the building. He looked at the Ghost-Wire Striker gloves. He put them on, and they hummed, syncing with his pulse.
He flicked his wrist. Shhhkt! A nearly invisible wire shot out, slicing a training dummy's head clean off. It was silent. It was deadly.
"Now," Lu Chen whispered, his golden eyes glowing in the dark room. "Let's see who sent that assassin."
He pulled out his ID bracelet. He had been tracking the digital signature of the assassin's gear using a sub-function of his [Appraisal] during the fight.
[Tracking Signature...]
[Signal Found: Sector 4, High-Rise District.]
[Owner: The Zhao Family Security Detail.]
Lu Chen's face went cold. "Young Master Zhao. You didn't just take my girl; you sent a hitman because I looked at you wrong?"
He didn't feel fear. He felt a dark, bubbling thrill.
"If you want to play 'Hunter,' Zhao... let's see how you like being the prey."
[Ding! New Main Quest: The Fall of the House of Zhao.]
[Step 1: Infiltrate the Zhao Family Gala tonight.]
[Reward: Rare Grade Cultivation Art 'Heaven-Sunderer's Strike'.]
Lu Chen looked at his reflection. He was covered in grime, but beneath it was a body refined by mythic energy and a mind that saw the secrets of the world.
He didn't need an invitation. He had the Ghost-Wires.