Far from the soft warmth of the apartment, where lavender still lingered in the air and quiet breaths filled the rooms, Celia stepped forward without hesitation, her figure cutting cleanly through the dim-lit street until she reached the edge of the barrier.
It shimmered before her.
A thin, translucent wall of energy that curved upward like a dome, humming faintly as if alive, its surface rippling with unstable currents that distorted the world beyond it. For a moment, she paused at its threshold, her eyes reflecting the shifting light, her expression calm… almost detached.
Then—
She stepped in.
The moment her foot crossed the boundary, the world changed.
The calm streets that had existed minutes ago were gone.
Replaced.
Destroyed.
The air inside the barrier carried a heavy, metallic scent, sharp and thick, mixed with dust and the faint bitterness of burning materials. Storefronts lay shattered, glass scattered across the ground, crunching underfoot as something massive moved through the streets.
Orcs.
Dozens of them.
Their crude axes rose and fell with brutal force, splintering wood, tearing through walls, smashing anything that stood in their way. Their roars echoed through the enclosed space, guttural and violent, reverberating against the invisible dome that trapped everything inside.
Screams followed.
Human.
Panicked.
Some fought, desperation pushing them forward as they swung weapons with untrained hands, their movements frantic, uneven, driven by fear rather than skill.
Others ran.
Stumbled.
Fell.
And were caught.
Celia watched.
Still.
Silent.
Her eyes narrowed slowly, the warmth that had once been there completely gone, replaced by something colder, something sharper, something that did not hesitate.
Her right hand lifted.
Smooth.
Controlled.
And as her fingers curled—
Mana gathered.
It condensed into her palm, dense and precise, forming a blade that shimmered with pure energy, its edges sharp enough to distort the air around it.
"You lot…"
Her voice was low.
But it carried.
Cutting through the chaos like a blade drawn across silence.
Her grip tightened.
Her gaze hardened.
"You have no place in this world."
Then—
She moved.
No warning.
No buildup.
One moment she stood still.
The next—
She vanished.
Her figure blurred, dissolving into a streak of motion so fast it left only a trail of flame in its wake, the ground beneath her feet cracking slightly from the force as she launched forward, her presence tearing through the battlefield like something unleashed.
***
Two days later;
The apartment had long since fallen into its usual midnight quiet, the kind that settled deeply, wrapping around the walls and slipping into every corner until even the faintest sound felt out of place.
In his room—
Arceus sat awake.
His back straight.
Legs folded beneath him.
The faint glow of the interface painted his face in soft blue light, reflecting in his eyes as they remained fixed, unblinking, on a single number.
90,000.
Store Earnings.
The number sat there.
Still.
Solid.
Real.
An hour had passed since the notification woke him, dragging him out of sleep and into this moment, yet his mind had not slowed even once since then.
It turned.
Analyzed.
Questioned.
He leaned back slightly, his fingers rising to rest against his lips, pressing lightly as if grounding his thoughts.
"Four eggs…" he murmured.
A pause.
"That's not normal."
His gaze didn't leave the screen.
Most hunters—
One contract.
One monster.
That was the limit.
The standard.
To buy four at once—
It didn't align.
"Either they're gifts…" he continued quietly, his voice low, controlled, "or…"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"They can handle all four."
The thought lingered.
Then shifted.
A new possibility emerged, slipping into his mind like a slow-moving shadow.
"…or they're not the one using them."
His fingers lowered.
His posture leaned forward slightly.
"Reselling…"
The word carried weight.
Clarity.
His thoughts sharpened instantly.
Because this—
This made sense.
Too much sense.
"I priced them low," he said, almost to himself. "To build momentum… reputation… volume."
And it had worked.
Sales had come.
Steady.
Consistent.
But—
He hadn't looked deeper.
Hadn't questioned it.
Until now.
His hand moved quickly, pulling up the records, his eyes scanning through the transaction logs, each entry aligning, each detail reinforcing what he was beginning to see.
Then—
He found it.
ID: 17A4598B2.
His lips curled slightly.
Not anger.
Not quite.
Something sharper.
"So it's you…" he murmured.
The pattern was clear.
Repeated purchases.
Consistent.
Calculated.
"This guy…"
His fingers tapped lightly against the table.
"…is using me."
Not directly.
Not maliciously.
But effectively.
A middleman.
Buying low.
Selling higher.
Profiting from the gap Arceus himself had created.
For a moment, silence settled.
Then—
A faint breath escaped him.
"I don't mind being a supplier…"
His tone remained calm.
Rational.
"But being someone else's golden goose…"
A slight tilt of his head.
"…doesn't sit well."
Still—
He didn't act impulsively.
Didn't rush to change everything.
Because another thought followed.
Clear.
Firm.
"I can't control who buys."
A pause.
"I can only control what I sell."
His decision formed quietly.
"I'll test him."
Not confront.
Not block.
Test.
Find the limit.
Find the point where profit turned to hesitation.
Where buying stopped making sense.
Where the line existed.
Without another word, he moved.
Character Interface.
Exchange.
[Exchange Store Earnings]
Ding!
[90,000 credits have been exchanged for 900 Coins]
"900 coins…"
He exhaled slowly.
His thoughts shifted.
Back.
To something else.
More immediate.
"The dungeon…"
The memory flickered.
Barrier.
Collapse.
Seconds away from being trapped.
"…I was lucky."
His eyes hardened slightly.
"Next time… luck won't be enough."
He opened the Summoner's Shop.
Scrolled past the Direwolf Egg.
Paused.
[Growth Pill – 500 Coins]
"Time to fix that."
Ding!
[Growth Pill added to inventory. 500 coins have been deducted.]
He turned.
Black lay on the bed, curled tightly into itself, its breathing slow and steady, completely unaware of the shift about to come.
Arceus reached out, poking gently.
"Black…"
No response.
Another poke.
"My little munchkin…"
The pup stirred slightly.
"…wakey… wakey…"
Its eyes opened slowly, blinking up at him with sleepy confusion before it let out a soft sound and waddled forward, climbing into his lap out of pure habit.
Arceus smiled faintly.
"Hey there…"
His hand brushed its head gently.
"Sorry for waking you."
Woof.
Black responded softly, nuzzling into his shirt.
But this time—
Arceus didn't let it settle.
He lifted it carefully and placed it on the floor.
"Hold still."
His voice softened.
But carried intent.
He opened its mouth gently, his fingers steady as he placed the shimmering golden pill inside.
The moment it touched—
Everything changed.
Black's body tensed.
Then—
Light.
It burst outward, filling the room instantly, bright and overwhelming, forcing Arceus to raise his arm to shield his eyes as the glow expanded, swallowing the space around them.
The air hummed.
The floor vibrated faintly.
Time stretched.
Then—
It faded.
Arceus lowered his arm slowly.
And blinked.
Black—
Was no longer small.
The chubby pup was gone.
In its place stood a larger figure, its body elongated, muscles more defined, its presence heavier, stronger, its head reaching nearly to Arceus's waist.
Ding!
[Black has been leveled up to 10]
[Black reached Normal Tier]
[Black received a new skill set]
"Black…?" Arceus whispered.
But—
Yawn.
The response was… underwhelming.
The newly grown Direwolf stretched slightly, its eyes already drooping again, as if the transformation had exhausted it more than anything else.
Another notification followed.
Ding!
[Side Quest 2: Raise a monster to Level 10 – Completed!]
[Reward: 100 Coins]
Arceus barely registered it.
Because—
Black's body swayed.
Unsteady.
Its legs buckled slightly as it began to fall sideways—
And just before it hit the ground—
Light flared again.