In a dimly lit, upscale warehouse in a back alley of the city, two individuals find themselves in a tacit and illegal auction. The warehouse was a front of course, one that lead to a complex underground auction hall embellished with lavish furniture. The air is thick with an unspoken tension, the hum of whispered conversations mingling with the soft clink of high-end glasses. It's a private event — invitation-only — with no official documentation, just an obscure mail sent obscure raven-delivered mail with vague instructions. Each attendee were required to follow a motif of dark clothing and masks mislead their identity.

Ethan and Ashley weren't invited. No, far from it. But as long as the instructions from the letter is followed, none of the guards nor the organizers bothered to ask any questions. To them, the two are nothing more than the multitude of regular patrons who have equally obscured identities.

"You're starting to develop a habit of jumping into danger, professor. I never knew you had this side of you," Ashley tacitly remarked via Ethan's [Pen Pal] skill.

"The villain's sudden exponential growth gave me the impression that shortcuts to power exists, with a little bit of intel we might be able to reap the benefits without suffering repercussions. This is of course, just a test drive," Ethan replied using the same ability. Both had gotten accustomed to this mode of communication, giving them the air of mystery as the other guests wonder how this two individuals seem to be in sync despite the visible absence of verbal communication.

"Well, you were severely outclassed during that encounter. Fortunately Louie's vanity got the better of him."

"Indeed, that was a reality check. I will always be careful from now on."

"Says the guy who lead us to an illegal auction."

"My familiars have gathered intel beforehand, we should be good."

Ethan's skill to maintain indefinite summons further augments the Beckoner Class' innate ability to share senses with their summons. After the fight with Louie, Ethan has been passively keeping an eye with the events that transpired in town. With [Memory Palace], he is able to accurately retain and retrieve information—giving him unparalleled intel gathering ability.

The auction is for stolen artifacts, rare collectibles, and illegal contraband — items that would never see the light of legitimate trade. As the auctioneer, a man in a tailored suit, raises his gavel, a crowd of masked individuals sits quietly.

The first item was presented, a lifelike painting of a delicate woman with the ability to hold conversations. Starting bid, 200,000 gold....

***

After some time of waiting, Ashley couldn't resist the anticipation anymore, "Uhm, professor?"

"Yes?"

"Four items has already been put up but we're not bidding on any of them?"

"That's because we are here to sell not bid."

"What? But aren't we here to replenish our supplies in preparation for the next challenge?"

"That will be phase two. For now, we'll need to auction off all items from Louie's inventory. Better get rid of them now before someone traces them back to us, last thing I want is a lover or a family member of one of Louie's victim in our doorstep."

"Fair point, how do we get the money then?"

"Oh that's easy, as long as you have one of these" Ethan shows a black card with the insignia of a raven and the words Blackmarket Relations etched in gold, "they'll transfer the gold after deducting hosting fees."

As if on cue, the announcer shouts "Sold for 160,000 gold!"

[System Notification: 60,000 gold has been transferred to your account]

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Ethan shows her the transaction screen and Ashley's pupils dilated.

"The hosting fee is awefully exorbitant..." Ashley pouted.

"Can't be helped, the fact that they have so many patrons must indicate the legitimacy of the business, and that the transactions are secured. A small price to pay for safety."

Time passed and the auction was over. Ethan and Ashley ended up buying nothing but has gained a tidy sum of 4.8 million gold. Each patron were escorted by the staff into a different door. The amount of doors that appeared out of nowhere baffled the two, but decided to leave as well. They found themselves exiting the warehouse from whence they came.

"So... what about phase two?"

"Follow me." Ethan started to walk back to the town which lead Ashley to a remote alley. As they entered, a package was waiting for them.

"H-how did you know there would be something here?"

"A group of thieves planned to attack the highest bidder. To get the guards of their trail, they planned to leave the package here to retrieve it at a later time. Turns out they succeeded."

Ethan kneels down to inspect the package and proceeds to decode the runes, which took about 20 minutes "Now that the tracking runes are removed, no one will know who took the package nor where it is."

"That decoding tendency could become an interesting skill."

"Perhaps, but for now it's still being cultivated. There are three more locations, we need to check the rest."

"There's more? Just how many thieves are there?"

"There's forty of them, their leader Baba Lia is quite the shrewed leader."

"Woah, your intel gathering ability is out of this world, professor! Let's get all the packages then."

"They only planned to steal 5 packages and I only know the location of three."

"Three it is, then."

"You sure don't hesitate huh."

"Come on prof, we're stealing from thieves. There's no need to hesitate," Ashley grins, her steps light and bouncy as they move to the next location.

***

After the brief retrieval of items and decoding the rune trackers, Ethan and Ashley excitedly goes back in their tavern quarters to sort out the items. They are as follows:

[ The Raven's Feather ]

Description: A feather that ummons a shadow apparition of yourself to do you bidding (Requires Quillmancy every minute)

Side Effect: Overwhelming feeling of dread and inevitable doom.

Source Code: Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven (1845)

[ Siren's Song ]

Description: A music box that lulls the listener to its direction. Has a range of 60 feet radius.

Side Effect: The music box doesn't differentiate ally or foe.

Source Code: Homer, Odessey (8th Century B.C.E.)

[ Rye Grass ]

Description: A rare bundle of delicate rye that exudes a calming aura. Dispels mental debuffs and curses by absorbing them and using it as battery.

Side Effect: Extremely lethal when consime. (Just don't)

Source Code: J.D. Salinger, Catcher in the Rye (1951)

[ Mantle of the Unseen ]

Description: A cloak imbued with the powers of the Invisible Man, once worn, grants the wearer invisibility but does not nullify any sound.

Side Effects: Prolonged use causes the user spatial disorientation ruining one's sense of balance and coordination.

Source Code: H.G. Wells, The Invisible Man (1897)

[ Ivory Whale ]

Description: A small ivory figurine that transforms into a magical mount when thrown. It bears the characteristics of a sperm whale subservient to the item user.

Side Effect: Due to the transformation size, the item can only be used once every three days.

Source Code: Hermann Melville, Moby Dick (1951)

[ Bread of Satiety ]

Description: A consumable item with the appearance of hard bread, one bite can nourish a grown man for a day.

Side Effects: Does not provide all the nutrients a body needs, can result to malnourishment after a week of consumption.

Source Code: J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings (1954)

Each package location contained two magic items, as they open and inspect the items inside, they were genuinely surprised with the sheer usefulness of the items that are now in their possession. None of them bid on anything, but the fact that Ethan and Ashley had won the auction is as plain as day.

"Where did Lorenz and Cassius go anyway prof?"

"Lorenz went to the smithy, says he'll runechant and fix our writing armaments. Cassius went off to training alone, says he might develop a soul weapon once he discovers more of himself."

"Awww, the kid's copying his dad!"

"I'm too young to have sired him. I just hope he didn't do anything reckless like challenging a villain. You know, I somehow regret revealing all my skills."

"You still don't trust them?"

"I do. But, being an exemption amongst adventurers, there are people who are bound to be envious of my abilities just like how Louie did. Being strong is a double edged sword, perhaps I should go back to being ordinary."

"You've never been ordinary, professor. Word travels fast among students, most of them really enjoyed your classes and says they learn a lot from you—sometimes beyond the subject matter."

"I'm just doing my job."

Ashley gave him a gentle look and smiles knowingly, "Indeed, you did a wonderful job in teaching those kids."

She gently pats Ethan's shoulder giving him an overdue but well-deserved praise, if there was something missed back in his old world, it would be the gratefulness of his students. He chuckles as he thought to himself, 'Man, I wonder what expression they'll make once they heard stories of my new adventures, nobody will believe me'