The outburst ripped from his throat, raw and jagged. The years of refined discipline betrayed him. The calm of the capitalist had finally cracked under the pressure of a single, missing coin.
Outside the Auction House, the sound of the outburst hit Arjun like a war horn. Despite having no weapon and being drained of energy, the survival instincts surged. He lunged toward the Auction House door, sliding into a low, predatory fighting pose with his bare fists raised. His eyes scanned the room for an assassin or a monster that could have forced such a cry from his composed Lord.
Akash stood in the center of the room, chest heaving, staring at the warrior. The sight of Arjun's fierce loyalty—ready to fight the air itself to protect him—acted like a bucket of cold water. The madness receded.
"Stand down, Arjun," Akash said, his voice raspy as he forced his heart rate to level out. "There is no enemy. Only... my own oversight. I forgot some toll." Then he sent Arjun out.
Calm once more, Akash pulled another 10 Wood from his inventory and fed them into the store. The interface chimed as his balance ticked up to 1 SC. He immediately turned back to the Auction House, re-entered the 22 SC buyout, and hit submit. This time, the pickaxe vanished into the light of the network.
He leaned against the desk, exhaling a long, shaky breath.
Ding.
Three breaths. That was all it took.
[Notification]: Item [Iron-Veined Ravager Pick] has been sold for 22 SC.
[Spirit Coins]: 22
Akash stared at the blinking numbers. The market hadn't just accepted his price; it had devoured it.
Akash stood before the glowing terminal, the weight of the 22 Spirit Coins in his ledger felt heavier than any physical gold. This wasn't just a successful trade; it was the proof of concept. He had successfully converted primitive scrap into high-tier industrial capital. This was the first true step toward an exponential growth curve.
He felt the frantic, joyful need to mark the moment. He wanted a feast, a drink, a roar of music—something to match the screaming triumph in his chest. He tore through his inventory, his brain racing, searching for something — anything — that matched the magnitude of the moment.
Then, his gaze brightened. He found it: the[Rough Leather Water Bag].
This humble container had been his only companion, following him through the dust and quenching his and his subjects' thirst since dawn. It was no longer a crude tool of survival; it was a trophy.
He unscrewed the cap, he held the bag aloft toward the flickering terminal screen, the glow reflecting in his wide, manic eyes.
"To the first of many," he whispered, his voice thick with a jagged, manic energy.
He didn't just take a drink; he threw his head back and let the lukewarm water pour into his mouth. It tasted of earth and salt, but his mind transformed it. In the heat of his excitement, that stale water felt like liquid lightning. With that, the bag also became empty.
He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, breathing hard, his eyes locked on the ledger balance. He hadn't spent a single point on a luxury, yet he felt more satisfied than any pampered merchant in the inner circles. This was the high of the hunt. This was the taste of the curve.
The rush of the first win hadn't even cooled before Akash was back at the interface. He didn't change his strategy—he perfected it. With newfound confidence as he re-acquired the ingredients for his winning formula.
[Notification]: You have lost 6 SC and received[Dire Wolf's Canine]x1, [Rusty Iron Short Sword]x1, [Crude Stone Pickaxe]x1.
He spent another 8 SC to Extract and Infusion. Soon the[Iron-Veined Ravager Pick]produced.
Akash's mind whirred like a high-speed processor. He is deconstructing the price for [Iron-Veined Ravager Pick].
He started with the baseline. With a standard [Crude Stone Pickaxe], a worker could only harvest 20 units of stone per hour. It was slow, inefficient, and exhausting. . With this new, reinforced version, he estimated the output would easily double to 40 units.
At the current market price of 0.28 SC per unit, the math was undeniable. This tool would generate a massive 11.2 SC every hour.
He decided to set the price at 30 Spirit Coins. It was a calculated hook: a buyer would earn back their entire investment in less than three hours.
Akash didn't waste a heartbeat. He opened the Auction House interface, placing the [Iron-Veined Ravager Pick] into the public trade slot. But he didn't stop at just a price tag; he knew that in a market of desperate laborers, data was the ultimate salesman.
He opened the "Item Description" field of Auction Slot and added a note saying "Estimated harvest: 40 units/hr. Potential yield: 11 SC/hr".
Then he mentally commanded "Submit". He leaned back, a cold smirk playing on his lips; he wasn't just selling a tool, he was selling an unfair advantage.
After a short silence, what had to come, came.
[Notification]: Item [Iron-Veined Ravager Pick] has been sold for 30 SC.
[Spirit Coins]: 37
The taste of success was intoxicating, rivaling the cold satisfaction of the stale water he had swallowed moments before. Akash stared at his new balance: 37 Spirit Coins. The gravity of his life was shifting; he was no longer just surviving the system, he was beginning to own it.
He refused to let pride slow his momentum. Instead of basking in the win, he immediately dove back into the terminal's interface to repeat the cycle.
With each craft yielding a clean 15 SC profit, he fell into a rhythmic trance of buying, infusing, and listing. His ledger began to climb with a steady, mechanical heartbeat.
As he worked, he noticed the Realm Chat had absolutely exploded. His friend request notifications had long since capped at 999+.
They are not chit chatting any more. They were dissecting the legendary properties of his creation[Iron-Veined Ravager Pick].
[Lord Ganesh65]: "The muscle strain reduction is incredible compared to the [Crude Stone Pickaxe]. I can pull a double shift without my stamina bar hitting red."
[Lady Pushpa67]: "Just saw one on the Auction House for 45 SC. People are already flipping them for a profit!"
[Lord Raj99]: "Wait, it works on iron-ore nodes too?! Just tested it—the durability held up. This thing is a beast."
[Lord Naresh215]: "If you see a Ravager for under 40 SC, buy it instantly. It's not an expense, it's an investment."
[Lord Chandra45]: "Looking for the crafter of the 'Ravager' series. I will buy your entire stock. Stop listing on the Auction House and DM me."
Akash's cold smirk returned. He saw that Lady Pushpa was right—secondary buyers were already "scalping" his tools, reselling them for 45 SC. He was the one doing the work, yet they were trying to take a bigger slice of the pie.
In just thirty minutes of relentless trading, Akash's balance surged to a staggering 397 SP. He had successfully turned a small profit into a tidal wave of capital.