As evening settled into the household, the sound of quiet footsteps echoed in the hall. Avince glanced up, watching his mother, Ashna, and sister, Amyra, enter the living room. They looked tired but content, no doubt having returned from their latest intensive training session.
Amyra slumped onto the couch with a satisfied sigh, her eyes half-lidded with exhaustion. Ashna sat beside her, a gentle smile gracing her face as she placed a hand on Amyra’s shoulder.
“Quite the workout today, wasn’t it?” Ashna asked, her tone laced with warmth.
Amyra nodded, managing a tired grin. “Yeah. I think I could sleep for a week, honestly.”
Ashna chuckled softly, leaning back. “Then rest well. We’ll pick up again after the weekend.”
Their conversation faded as they made their way to their rooms, and Avince found himself alone in the living room, his thoughts drifting to the egg he had found in the previous dungeon. Something about it had intrigued him deeply, and he had barely had a chance to inspect it. Now, with everyone resting, it seemed like the perfect time to revisit it.
Once he reached his room, Avince closed the door behind him and focused on his storage space. He summoned the egg, feeling the cool, dense weight settle into his palms. The surface was an opalescent blue, shimmering faintly in the dim light. Curious, Avince probed it with his mana, searching for any sign of life within—and to his astonishment, he found it. The dragon egg was on the brink of hatching.
Fertile dragon eggs were rare, he thought, his pulse quickening. Even more so when they were this close to hatching. Most dungeons that contained dragon monsters were notoriously difficult and usually well out of reach for anyone of his level. And yet, he had managed to come across one in a low-tier ice dungeon. The implications were incredible but also deeply troubling. He realized he had a serious problem on his hands.
Dragon eggs were not just rare; they were highly regulated. If he brought this to his family, he’d have to explain exactly how he obtained it. That would mean revealing his unique ability and his access to dungeons. And while he trusted his family, he worried that exposing his ability would only put them in danger. But keeping the egg hidden would likely cause it to perish, wasting a truly invaluable find.
The dilemma kept him up for hours. He weighed his options, considering and then dismissing various ideas until he almost resigned himself to abandoning the egg altogether. But then, a thought occurred to him, one that brought a grin to his face despite his exhaustion.
It just might work.
As morning light filtered through his window, Avince shook off the last of his drowsiness. It was Saturday, and the household was still quiet; Amyra was sleeping in after her training session. He took a deep breath, settling into his plan. First, he opened his phone and went to the Alliance Trading Center website, creating an anonymous account. While he already had a personal account, he knew he’d need to operate incognito for this plan to work. The setup was tedious—verification requirements were strict—but after hours of tinkering, he managed to bypass enough safeguards to create a basic, unverified account. It wouldn’t be useful for serious transactions, but it would suffice for his scheme.
As more of them were finally awake it was near noon , Avince's family chatted over what he would call a brunch now. His father was recounting an old adventure, gesturing animatedly with his coffee mug. “And just as the creature lunged, your mother summoned this huge wall of ice, right in the nick of time—froze the whole thing solid!”
Ashna laughed, nudging him. “You’re making it sound far more heroic than it was, Erwin. I barely kept my footing!”
Amyra rolled her eyes, half-listening as she reached for the toast. “I swear, every time you tell this story, the monster gets bigger.”
Avince chuckled, finishing his coffee and slipping his chair back. “You all can debate monster sizes—I’ve got a project to work on.” With a casual wave, he excused himself from the table and headed for the door.
“Good luck with your project, Avince!” Ashna called after him, a warm smile on her face.
“Make sure it’s not just another excuse to dodge the family stories!” Amyra added, raising an eyebrow playfully.
Erwin laughed, leaning back in his chair. “Just don’t forget to make it back in one piece! We need you back here for the next round of pancakes!”
Avince turned at the doorway, flashing a grin over his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back for more pancakes,” he replied, stepping out with a wave.
As Avince stepped into the post office, he glanced around to make sure no one he knew was around. Satisfied, he moved quickly to gather what he needed. He reached for a stack of stamps first, then some thick packaging paper, and finally, a sturdy delivery box that looked like it could take a beating.
Avince made his way to the counter, handing over the items to the clerk with a polite nod. He quickly counted out the credits, paying for the stack of stamps, the sturdy packaging, and the delivery box. Once the transaction was complete, he gathered his purchases and discreetly placed his hand over them, activating his ability.
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The items disappeared into his storage space, hidden from view. Avince walked out of the post office with a subtle smile.
In his room, Avince used his phone and opened the Alliance Trading Center app and navigated to the messaging function. His heart raced as he searched for his sister’s account. With a smirk, he began typing:
IceyGuy566: Hello! I hear you’re interested in ice-based items? I happen to be running a special promotion and would be happy to give you a discount.
A few moments later, Amyra replied.
Amyra(EyeSummonIce): Seriously? Who is this? You sound like a scammer lol.
Avince chuckled. Glancing at his sister’s username, EyeSummonIce. It was funny, capturing her ice powers and her humor perfectly. Although he didn’t expect to be called a scammer so early.
IceyGuy566: Oh, no scam here! I’m just a simple merchant with excellent ice-based goods. Name it, and I can get it for you.
Amyra’s response was immediate, and Avince could almost picture her smirk as she typed.
IceyGuy566: Alright, “merchant.” How about a glacier hawk feather, frozen kelp from the Northern Depths, and the pelt of a fenrir? Got any of that?
Avince snickered. These were all rare items, difficult to find even in high-tier dungeons. But he had an ace up his sleeve.
IceyGuy566: I have something even better. An ice dragon egg. Nearly hatched.
The typing icon blinked as Amyra typed, paused, and then typed again.
Amyra: LMAO. As if! Do you know how much one of those would cost? It’d be snatched up the second it hit the market.
Avince grinned. She’d taken the bait.
IceyGuy566: Ah, well, I’m running a special. 100,000 Alliance credits for you. What do you say?
Amyra: 100,000? Really? Do you think I was born yesterday? Ice dragon eggs go for tens of millions! This is clearly a scam.
IceyGuy566: Ah, well, I’m running a special. 100,000 Alliance credits for you. What do you say?
Amyra: 100,000? That’s daylight robbery! For a barely-hatched egg? Try again.
IceyGuy566: Alright, just for you, 75,000. Practically a steal.
Amyra: A steal, huh? At that price, I’d expect it to hatch and do my laundry.
IceyGuy566: Tough customer! Fine… 50,000, friend discount.
Amyra: Friend discount? Pfft. I’ve seen Ancient dragons sold for cheaper!
IceyGuy566: You know what, 30,000 credits. It’s practically free for something this rare.
Amyra: 30,000? For a “nearly hatched” egg that might be empty? You’d better throw in a lifetime warranty.
IceyGuy566: Lifetime warranty on a dragon egg? You’re pushing it, but fine, it’s got a no-scam guarantee. I’ll even throw in free delivery.
Amyra: Oh, so I won’t have to pay extra for the imaginary dragon to arrive at my doorstep? What a deal!
IceyGuy566: You drive a hard bargain. 10,000, final offer. I’m practically losing money here!
Amyra: 10,000? Come on, if you’re really serious, why not just give it to me for free? she joked.
Avince paused, a mischievous glint in his eye.
IceyGuy566: Fine. Consider it a gift, for the sake of building a strong business relationship. I’ll send it to you for free. You’ll see it soon.
Amyra was momentarily skeptical, assuming the seller had finally given up on the scam. But a notification soon appeared, confirming that a "gift" was indeed en route to her: an ice dragon egg. She was so confused—why would someone risk account deletion by sending an expensive item for free? After a moment's thought, she shrugged it off, chalking it up to someone with too much time to waste.
Before she could respond, Avince logged out of the account and got to work, putting his plan into action. He equipped his mana pendant, visualized a lesser ice elemental dungeon, and entered it using a significant chunk of his mana. The dungeon was chilly, its air filled with swirling frost, but the creatures inside were manageable. He breezed through, collecting several ice elemental cores along the way. At the end, he faced a lower D-tier ice elemental as the final boss, but a well-placed fireball spell was all it took to bring it down.
After returning, he carefully packaged the dragon egg with several of the ice cores, ensuring they would keep the egg cool enough to prevent any harm. He wondered briefly if his storage space preserved items in stasis; the egg hadn’t changed since he first obtained it, and he hoped that would be the case as that would be incredibly useful
As he secured the package, he took a moment to write the address on the side, making sure to include his family’s home and his sister’s username, EyeSummonIce, as the recipient. With a smirk, he signed his own username, IceyGuy566, as the sender. The playful anonymity felt fitting, and he couldn't help but imagine the look on Amyra's face when she saw who the mysterious package was from. Satisfied with his preparations, he tucked the package away, ready for the next phase of his plan.
As midnight approached, he snuck downstairs, slipping quietly past the rooms where his family slept. He placed the package just outside their front door, hidden safely within the perimeter of their home’s protective wards, and hurried back to his room.