The rift tore open with a low, echoing WHOOOM.
A wound in reality split apart just outside the southern gates of Aurelion City, the largest guild metropolis on the Blue Star. Purple lightning crawled across the edges of the portal as its unstable energy bled into the air.
Then—
A single figure stepped out.
Kaien Vlorian.
Dust fell from his boots as he crossed the threshold between the rift and the real world. His white silk tunic was torn and stained from countless battles, the deep-blue cloak around his shoulders fluttering weakly in the wind. His black ebony hair fell freely past his neck, framing a face that had grown sharper, more mature over the past three years.
He looked sixteen now.
Not bulky.
Not overly muscular.
But lean, balanced, and refined like a blade honed to perfection.
The rift sealed behind him with a thunderous crack.
Kaien exhaled.
"So this is Aurelion City…"
Towering guild spires made of crystal and enchanted steel pierced the clouds. Airships drifted overhead. Mana-lamps glowed along streets that never slept. Tens of thousands of hunters moved in every direction—armored elites, weary low-rankers, noble escorts, merchant caravans.
This was the heart of the Blue Star's adventurer economy.
And Kaien had just returned from a hell that none of them could even imagine.
Kaien adjusted his sword at his back.
Chronos remained silent, his divine presence suppressed beneath layers of concealment.
Nyxara's voice flowed into his mind.
[ Rift exit successful. Welcome back, Kaien. ]
Kaien gave a faint smile.
"Feels unreal."
He began walking toward the city gates.
...
Two guards in silver guild armor stood at the entrance, lazily scanning badges.
"Next."
Kaien handed over his guild ID.
The scanner blinked.
Rank: E
Name: Kaien Vlorian
Status: Active
The guard blinked.
"…E-rank?"
He looked at Kaien again. The aura, the presence, the sword on his back—it all screamed danger.
"You come out of a rift looking like that and you're E-rank?"
Kaien shrugged.
"Haven't had time for a re-evaluation."
The guard laughed awkwardly and waved him through.
"Yeah, yeah… sure."
They had no idea.
Inside the Lion's Den
Aurelion City swallowed him whole.
Airship floated overhead.
Hunters argued over contracts.
Merchants hawked relics.
Healers dragged wounded adventurers toward emergency clinics.
Kaien walked through it all calmly, heading for the massive structure at the city's center—
Kaien headed straight for the guild's exchange hall.
....
The Guild Exchange Hall.
This was where monster cores, demon materials, and sovereign loot were bought and sold.
And Kaien had a lot to sell.
The First Core
The exchange counter was long, made from reinforced mana crystal.
A young clerk looked up lazily.
"Next customer."
Kaien stepped forward and removed his spatial pouch.
"I'd like to sell."
"Monster parts or cores?"
Kaien tipped the pouch.
A glowing black crystal rolled out.
The moment it touched the counter, the temperature in the hall dropped.
The clerk froze.
"…That's… a Sovereign Core…"
Then another fell.
Then another.
Then a crimson one.
Then a violet one that pulsed like a living heart.
Kaien calmly emptied the pouch.
Dozens of cores spread across the counter.
S-rank.
SS-rank.
Abyssal.
Tyrant-class.
The exchange hall went silent.
People stopped walking.
Someone dropped a crate.
"That… that's impossible…"
"Those are continental-level materials…"
"Who is that kid?!"
The clerk's hands trembled.
"S-sir… those are… those are restricted-teir items…"
Kaien leaned on the counter." And?"
"I...need a senior appraise."
"Then call someone who can process them." The clerk ran.
Nyxara's report...
[ Inventory summary: 68 Sovereign Cores, 11 Tyrant Hearts, 3 Abyssal Sovereign Remnants. Estimated value exceeds national treasury reserves. ]
Kaien whistled softly.
"So I really did overdo it."
The Professionals Arrived
The air changed.
A group of high-ranking guild officials pushed through the crowd.
At their front was Master Haldren, Director of Exchange Operations.
His eyes locked onto the cores.
"…You acquired these?"
Kaien nodded.
"From an S-rank rift."
"Alone?"
"Yes."
The hall erupted in whispers.
"Impossible…"
"An E-rank?"
"He must be lying…"
Haldren took a slow breath.
"Process the transaction."
The Numbers That Stopped a City
Crystal panels lit up.
Cores were scanned.
Values skyrocketed.
Nyxara narrated calmly.
[ Converting materials to Velrions. ]
[ Exchange rate applied. ]
[ Total value: 92,370,000 Velrions. ]
The hall exploded.
"WHAT?!"
"That's more than a noble house's fortune!"
"He just became a tycoon!"
Kaien watched the number appear on his guild account.
92 million Velrions.
"Nice."
The Truth Remains Hidden
Haldren stared at Kaien's badge.
"Your rank is still E."
Kaien nodded.
"I haven't re-evaluated."
The director's lips twitched.
"…Then the entire ranking system is about to collapse."
Kaien smiled faintly.
"That's why I'm here."
Kaien's Plan
As he left the hall, Nyxara spoke softly.
[ You are now one of the wealthiest independent hunters in Aurelion City. Multiple noble families and guild branches have marked you. ]
Kaien looked up at the towering Guild Core Tower.
"Good."
He clenched his fist.
"First I sell my loot.
Then I get my rank checked.
Then…"
His eyes sharpened.
"I show this world what an E-rank really is."