in didn't sleep that night.
Even beneath two layers of salvaged tarps and a concrete overhang in the Heap's outer zone, the hum of Rift energy in his gloves wouldn't stop. Every time he closed his eyes, the masked Broker's voice echoed through his mind.
"The seals are breaking…"
The words weren't a warning.
They were a prophecy.
And Jin was starting to believe them.
Morning – 6:21 A.M.
The Scar Zone had changed overnight.
Even from a distance, Jin could see it—new heat distortions in the air, flickers of unnatural movement, and a thin green mist that hadn't been there yesterday. Civilians stayed well away. Even the scavenger gangs who ruled the outskirts had gone quiet.
But Jin wasn't just a rat in the Heap anymore.
He was a Trader.
And the system agreed.
[Trader Rank-Up Achieved – Rank 2 Unlocked!]
📈 Benefits Unlocked:– Dimensional Storage: 20 Slots– Market Filtering (Rare Items & Black-Class Materials)– Passive Stat Gain: Trade Mastery Lv. 1– License: Rift-Scout (Low-Tier Gates Only)
📦 New Submarket Access: Artifact Exchange Node (Requires Evaluation)
⚙ Personal Rank Title: "Wandering Barterer"
Jin's inventory interface morphed instantly. A clean, slate-black panel now hovered over his vision with slick category tabs—Items, Submarkets, Allies (locked), Rift Map (beta), and Guilds (preview only).
He tapped the last one.
[Guilds Preview: Access Restricted]
Known Guilds Operating in Local Territory:– The Aegis Vault (Defensive Traders, Gate Sealers)– Crimson Weigh (Rift Combat & Monster Harvesters)– Iron Banner (Industrial Traders, Arms Market)– Midnight Offer (Black Trade & Forbidden Exchanges)
Status: All operating under veil. Contact by invite or high-rep trade only.
Jin frowned.
He wasn't ready for them yet.
But the mere existence of guilds made everything feel real now. Organized groups were profiting off the gates. That meant infrastructure. That meant influence. That meant…
He could do it too.
But not alone.
8:00 A.M. – The Slag Den
Jin met her where rumors said she'd be—leaning against a pillar of molten scrap, sunglasses reflecting nothing but fire.
She was older than him by a few years, lean, sharp-eyed, dressed in cobbled-together Rift leathers with glowing seams.
Her name was Veyna.
"Trader?" she asked without looking at him.
"Yeah. Just got to Rank 2. You?"
She grinned.
"I hit Rank 3 last week. But I don't sell in the city. Too many vultures. I scout. Harvest. Gate-run when I feel like bleeding. You looking for a partner?"
"I'm looking for a gate."
At that, she turned to face him.
"Most Traders don't look for those. Gates look for you. And if you're lucky… they let you live."
They shared a ration bar while he explained the Shadow Broker, the claw, the mutant jackal. She listened without flinching.
Then said one word:
"Stupid."
"What?"
"Taking a Rift shard into a Broker's trade circle without shielding? Idiot. You're lucky your system didn't corrupt. Or mutate."
Jin smirked. "I got points. I got gear. And I got this."
He lifted his gloves. They pulsed faintly.
Her eyes widened. Just a little.
"…You might actually be useful."
That Afternoon – At the Edge of the Gate Scar
Veyna led him to a section of the zone he hadn't dared approach before—a field of collapsed monorails and ancient armored drones now fused with bone-like growths.
"There's a micro-gate here," she whispered. "Just opened. Not classified yet. System won't pick it up unless you're close."
As they approached, Jin's interface flared again.
[Micro-Gate Detected: "Hollow Vault – E-Class"]
Status: Semi-StableEntry Cost: 10 TPScout License: Verified
Dungeon Type: MazeThreats: Ambulatory Constructs, Residual Spirits
Special Note: Time Compression Active – 1 hour inside = 10 minutes real-time.
A time-dilated mini-dungeon.
Jin's first.
He swallowed. "We going in?"
"No," she said, tossing him a small token etched with black script. "You are. This is your test. Survive, and I'll take you to someone who can teach you to build real trades. Maybe even start your own guild someday."
He stared at the gate.
A swirling spiral of green-gold light stood between the rusted train husks. No guards. No sirens.
Just silence.
He nodded.
"I'll be back."
Inside the Hollow Vault
It was cold.
And dead quiet.
The dungeon was a series of corridors—rusted steel walls fused with strange bone plating, flickering lights that cast no shadows, and mechanical groans that echoed without source.
His gloves pulsed as they tracked movement.
Then, a whisper.
"Traaaaade… give… give it back…"
He spun around.
A flickering, humanoid shadow hovered at the end of the hallway, its body wrapped in chains of code and data fragments. A broken trader? A failed run? Or something else entirely?
Jin's system offered no stats.
Just a note:
[Wraith-Like Residue] – Unknown EntityRecommendation: Avoid direct combat. Offer trade?
Jin opened a trade window.
The shadow paused.
He hesitated—then offered a low-tier item: one of the ration packs.
The shadow shuddered, reached forward… and vanished.
✅ Trade SuccessfulItem Received: [Wraith Coin]Description: Used for trading with Riftbound Entities
Bonus: Vault Map Fragment (1/4)
Jin's heart raced.
It wasn't just about killing or escaping.
Even monsters wanted something.
And he could trade with them.
That was his edge.
That was his weapon.
He pushed deeper into the vault—gloves lit, TP flowing, and a fire growing in his chest.
This wasn't the end.
It was just the first step.
To Be Continued…
📌 Author's Note:
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— [RealmVendor]