Kai sat on the edge of his narrow bed, eyes locked on the flickering system panel floating just inches from his face. He didn't even hear the distant chatter from the dorm hallway.
[Void Gaze – Rank 1]
Allows user to see through surface-level matter, illusions, and low-tier concealment spells.
Can identify void-imbued artifacts.
Passive Insight: Hidden structures and auras may become visible.
Cooldown: None.
Stamina Drain: Minor when active.
"No cooldown? No charge-up?" Kai muttered. "That's busted."
He looked around his room. It was the same as always—boring, standard, dorm-grade. Bed, desk, single drawer, one cracked lamp. Nothing out of place.
Let's test it.
"Void Gaze."
The moment the words left his lips, the world shifted—not visually, not like some game filter—but subtly. It felt like looking through fogged glass that had just been wiped clean.
His desk shimmered faintly, then returned to normal.
Was that real?
He looked toward the far wall behind his bed. Something—no, a shimmer—flashed for a split second.
Kai leaned in.
"Come on… don't be my imagination."
A soft purple outline lit up around a rectangular segment of the wall.
There's something there.
He pressed it gently. It didn't budge.
He pressed again, this time channeling a little energy through his hand.
Click.
The panel slid open with a whisper. Behind it was a narrow, dusty compartment, no bigger than a shoebox. Inside sat a black, ancient-looking ring with faint glowing marks on it. The inscriptions were alien, elegant, and unsettling.
[Void-Bound Ring – Broken]
Reacts to hidden spatial signatures.
Void compatibility detected.
Artifact binding recommended.
Warning: Unstable unless used by Void Class user.
Kai's breath caught.
A Void artifact. In my wall. How long has this been here?
He picked it up carefully. It was cold, like it hadn't been touched in decades.
Someone knocked on his door.
"Kai? You dead in there?" Mina's voice.
"Still breathing," he called back.
She pushed the door open. "You skipped the class ranking ceremony."
Kai held up the ring. "Found this in the wall."
"In the what now?"
"Behind the bed. I used my new skill—Void Gaze. It's like… it reveals things no one else can see."
Mina narrowed her eyes. "Are you messing with me again?"
"No joke. The wall had a compartment I'd never seen before."
She looked skeptical but approached. "So what's it do?"
"No idea. But the system says it's a Void-bound artifact. Seems like it's compatible with my class."
She folded her arms. "Which you still refuse to talk about."
Kai shrugged. "What if I told you it's garbage?"
"You don't act like someone who got a garbage class."
Kai slipped the ring onto his finger. It fit snugly, and the moment it locked in place, he felt a soft pulse in the back of his mind.
The world didn't change visually, but something had shifted. Like a second set of senses had turned on.
It's resonating…
He activated Void Gaze again. A flicker pulsed beneath the desk this time. Not a compartment—something else.
He leaned down and pulled out an old, heavy textbook.
But beneath it—wedged into the wooden base of the desk—was a coin. Black, matte, no engraving on the surface. But to his eyes…
[Obsidian Token – Auction Access: F Rank]
Teleport artifact. One-time use.
Auction Tier: Underground, Floating Sector.
Entry via Void-Class Anchor only.
"A teleport token?" he breathed.
"Wait, what?" Mina stepped closer. "Is that… a coin?"
He showed it to her. She just saw a dull, smooth circle.
"There's text, Mina. It says it's an invitation to an auction. A floating one."
"Floating what?"
"Auction. Hidden. Requires a Void-class anchor to access."
She crossed her arms. "That sounds incredibly sketchy."
"I know. Which makes it ten times more interesting."
"Or ten times more dangerous."
Kai leaned back and flipped the coin. "Think about it. Why was this in my dorm? In the wall, behind my bed, completely invisible until I got this skill?"
"You think someone left it for you?"
"Or maybe… it only responds to Void energy. Maybe no one else has ever been able to see it."
Mina was quiet for a moment. "You're telling me this 'garbage' class is already letting you find ancient artifacts and secret teleport tokens."
Kai grinned. "Yeah. Garbage."
"Can I punch you?"
"Nope."
He looked at the coin again.
"Let's go to the market," he said suddenly.
"The upper market? Why?"
"Test this thing properly."
Thirty Minutes Later – Sector 7 Upper Market
Kai walked slowly through the crowd, Void Gaze activated. The world buzzed with noise, but beneath it all—strange lights, flickers of symbols on walls, invisible pathways painted in faint purples and blacks.
"This place is littered with traces," he muttered.
"What are you seeing?" Mina asked, sticking close.
"Markings. Symbols. Something's hidden here."
They passed an old vending machine shoved into a corner.
Kai paused.
There, under it—a faint glow.
He crouched. "Help me move this."
Mina sighed. "You're going to get us kicked out."
Together, they budged it just enough. Kai reached underneath.
His fingers brushed a small square case.
He pulled it out—an ancient bracelet, dull silver, with seven small black stones embedded around it.
[Whispering Bracelet – Void Fragmented]
Contains remnants of auction chatter.
Inert until in proximity of Obsidian Auction beacon.
Kai exhaled slowly. "Another one."
Mina peeked at it. "It's empty."
"It's not. It's talking. Whispering. I can hear echoes."
"You've officially lost it."
"No. I think this bracelet lets me hear conversations from the auction once we get close. Like… pre-event intelligence."
He slipped it into his pocket.
"This skill isn't just about fighting," he murmured. "It's about finding. Secrets. Wealth. Hidden paths."
Later That Night
Kai sat by the window in their shared dorm.
He placed the obsidian token in the center of his palm.
The ring pulsed.
The bracelet echoed faint voices. Laughs. Bargains. Cries.
And the system chimed again.
[Quest Activated: Path of the Hidden Collector]
Attend the Obsidian Auction.
Collect 3 Void-class artifacts.
Reward: +1 Passive Skill Unlock, Void Gaze Evolution.
Status: 2/3 Artifacts Found.
Kai stared.
"This isn't a normal class," he whispered. "This is a map… to everything the world never knew existed."
And I'm the only one who can read it.