The bell above the door chimed softly.
[Leo's Pawn Shop - The Black Zone]
Leo didn't look up from his workbench. He was tinkering with a disassembled mana rifle, his mechanical eye whirring as it adjusted focus.
"You're alive," Leo said flatly. "I heard the Goblin Cave raid was a disaster. The Viper Guild reported a 'Total Party Wipe' due to an Elite Monster ambush."
"Something like that," Kai replied, walking to the counter.
He dropped a heavy canvas bag onto the glass.
THUD.
The sound was solid. Metallic.
Leo put down his screwdriver. He sensed the mana residue coming from the bag. It wasn't the clean mana of monster drops. It was tainted with the metallic scent of processed alloy.
Human gear.
Leo opened the bag.
First, he pulled out the Goblin Shaman's Skull Totem.
"Trash. $2,000."
Then, he pulled out a pair of Polished Steel Shortswords.
Leo froze.
"These are Ren's," Leo said, his voice dropping an octave. "I sold them to him last month. He was proud of them."
Kai didn't blink. "He doesn't need them anymore."
Leo stared at Kai for a long moment. Then he reached into the bag again and pulled out the Hunter's Smart Watch.
It was cracked, stained with dried blood, and locked. On the back, engraved in small letters: Captain Jack - Viper Guild.
The atmosphere in the shop shifted instantly.
Leo slowly placed the watch on the counter and slid his hand under the desk—likely reaching for a shotgun.
"You killed a D-Rank Captain," Leo said. It wasn't a question. "And you brought the evidence to me. Are you trying to get me killed, kid?"
"I'm bringing you business," Kai said calmly. "Jack is 'Retired'. Permanently. The Guild thinks a monster did it. There are no bodies. No witnesses."
Kai leaned forward, resting his hands on the counter.
"You're a Fence, Leo. You don't care where it comes from. You care about the margin. I'm offering you exclusive rights to everything I find. And judging by today... I find a lot."
Leo's mechanical eye zoomed in on Kai's face, searching for fear or hesitation.
He found none. Just a cold, pragmatic abyss.
Leo chuckled, a dry, raspy sound. He took his hand off the shotgun.
"You're a crazy bastard, Kai. I like that."
He tapped the watch.
"The Guild tracks these. If I turn it on, they'll ping the location."
"Can you crack it?"
"I can scrub the tracker and break the encryption. But it'll cost you. And for the gear... I have to melt it down or sell it overseas to scrub the serial numbers. Heavy processing fee."
"Take 30%," Kai said. "I need cash, and I need this..."
He pulled out Jack's Alloy Chestplate from his inventory. It had a hole in the knee guard (where the Shadow Bolt hit), but the chest piece was intact.
"...repaired. Resize it for me."
Leo inspected the armor. "D-Rank Alloy. Good stuff. Fine. I'll fix the armor, fence the swords and the totem, and crack the watch."
Leo did some quick calculations on a keypad.
"After fees and the repair cost... I can give you $12,000 cash right now. And the watch will be ready in an hour."
"Deal."
Leo counted out the money. Kai took it, adding it to his savings.
[Current Funds: $14,800]
"One more thing," Kai said. "I need a skill book."
"Oh?" Leo raised an eyebrow. "For a Porter?"
"For an Assassin."
Leo whistled. He walked to a secure shelf behind him and pulled out a dusty, leather-bound book.
"This came in yesterday. Found on a dead Thief in a C-Rank dungeon. [Skill Book: Stealth (E-Rank)]. It's not just visual camouflage; it muffles sound too."
Kai's eyes lit up. His [Camouflage] skill only applied to his shadows or disguising his own mana. He needed true invisibility to move with his army.
"How much?"
"Market price is
15k,"Leogrinned,showinghisyellowteeth."Formynewfavoritepartner...∗∗15k,"Leogrinned,showinghisyellowteeth."Formynewfavoritepartner...∗∗
10,000**."
Kai didn't hesitate. He slid the stack of cash back across the counter.
[System Message]
[Would you like to learn the skill: "Stealth"?]
"Yes."
The book dissolved into particles of light and flowed into Kai's chest.
[Skill Learned: Stealth (Active)]
Consume Mana to blend into the environment. Movement speed reduced by 20% while active.
Kai activated it immediately.
His body shimmered like a heat mirage, then vanished completely from the shop's air.
"Not bad," Leo muttered, looking at the empty space where Kai just stood. "Not bad at all."
Kai deactivated the skill, reappearing instantly.
"The watch, Leo. Get to work."