Elian stood before the golden glow of the Primordial Altar, his hand hovering over his storage space to retrieve the soul fragments of his fallen warriors. He wanted to start the revival process immediately, but as he reached into his Void, a sharp, crimson notification flashed in his mind.
[Error: Void Storage Capacity Reached (500/500 Slots Filled)]
[Note: Expand storage by reaching Star Level 3 or consuming Spatial Essences.]
"You've got to be kidding me," Elian muttered, dragging his hand through his hair. Between the hundred sets of Shadow Hound claws, the hides, the Beast Lord's bone-plates, and the refined essence orbs, he was physically bursting at the metaphysical seams. If he found anything else of value, he'd be forced to leave it rotting in the purple dust.
He looked at the Altar, then back at the piles of raw materials he still hadn't processed. He was a 1-Star Lord with a king's haul, but he lacked the "pockets" to carry it. The only solution was to return to the real world, liquidate the assets for Credits or Ether-Stones, and clear his inventory.
He felt a surge of frustration. He had only been in the Realm for a few hours of real-time, and he was already being forced to play the role of a merchant.
He walked back to where the 9-Star Maid was supervising the Scholar. "I have to head back," Elian said, his voice tight. "My storage is full. I need to sell this haul before I waste any more potential drops."
The Maid didn't look surprised. "A common problem for those who hunt above their station, My Lord. Before you depart, know that our territory is currently a skeleton. If you wish to survive the next ten days, you must look for Aetheric Power Cells to stabilize the barrier, Growth-Type Soil for the Cook's kitchen, and Mana-Conductive Wire for the Scholar's research. Without them, we are just sitting on a very expensive rock."
Elian nodded, engraving the list into his mind. Power cells, soil, wire. "I shouldn't be gone long," he told her. "Keep the warriors in the tanks. Don't let anyone—or anything—near the Altar."
With a focused thought, Elian triggered the return sequence. The violet sky of the Realm blurred into a tunnel of silver light, and the cold, ozone-scented air was replaced by the familiar smell of old books and his sister's cooking.
He stumbled slightly as he landed in the middle of his bedroom. The transition was always jarring, but he didn't have time to recover. He checked his phone: it had been barely an hour since he left. He took a deep breath, grabbed a heavy jacket to hide his compression armor, and sprinted out the door.
He needed a place that wouldn't ask questions about a 1-Star kid carrying a 3-Star Beast Lord's heart. Most government-run exchanges would flag him immediately, reporting his "unusual" success to the authorities. He needed a neutral ground.
He pulled up a local map of the Awakened District. His finger stopped on a flickering icon in a back-alley sector of the city.
"The Silver Ledger."
It took him twenty minutes of frantic walking to find the place. Tucked between a high-rise corporate tower and a crumbling pre-Awakening apartment block, the shop stood out like a relic. The storefront was made of dark, reinforced obsidian glass that didn't reflect the streetlights. Above the door, a sign hung from rusted chains, depicting a set of scales balanced by a silver sigil.
The entrance was guarded by two automated turrets that tracked his every move, their lenses glowing a soft, menacing red. As Elian stepped closer, the heavy iron-bound doors hissed open, releasing a puff of pressurized air that smelled of ancient parchment and high-grade oil.
Inside, the store was a labyrinth of glass display cases. Floating globes of soft white light illuminated rows of artifacts, jagged monster parts, and jars of glowing dust. It looked more like a museum of the macabre than a pawn shop. At the far end of the room, behind a counter made of solid, mana-conducting silver, sat a man whose eyes were covered by a multi-lensed mechanical monocle.
Elian stepped up to the counter, his heart thudding against his ribs as he prepared to unload the haul that would change his life.
"I have a Beast Lord's heart," Elian said, his voice steadier than he felt. "Are you buying?"