Seeing Leon, Kaymelin couldn't help but recall the moment he noticed the boy's talent.
He had just stolen the exact same silver suitcase in his hands right now, forced to wait for his Skill to finish its cooldown. It was thus with the eyes of a hawk that he spotted Leon from afar, guarded by a pair of swordsmen on both his sides as he descended from the sky. Kaymelin had watched with intrigue as Leon landed with the grace of a falling flower petal.
C-Rank was the minimum required rank for flight. For Leon to have achieved such a level at that age made him an outlier. A genius in the flesh.
Seeing Leon, Kaymelin couldn't help but write.
[ With the merging of worlds, children have quite the advantage. Especially those with an innate talent for combat. They can easily siphon experience from those that they kill, bringing them to higher heights at rapid rates. ]
Experience and Levels. Two aspects that could make or break a player in Grand Pantheon. Without these two things, the game wouldn't work.
So now that it was in reality, how did it function?
[ Experience is most likely a limited resource given reality's naturally finite resources. Since death is the release of a person's life, and therefore all their experiences, it is also the only time someone can steal such a mysterious resource. ]
[ Seeing how despite my constant use of Spatial Pickpocket and the fact I still haven't received any experience points for it, means that simply using a Skill does not level it up as I had previously theorised. This is clearly an aspect that does not make sense. Instead, it is a ruthless imposition of the game world's Laws. ]
The same went for Kaymelin's Appraise. No matter how much he used it, it did not level up at all. Kaymelin originally thought that the way Skills were levelled up would be different. After all, when he was bringing in Skills from the game into reality, he could level up his skills through a different resource — Proficiency.
Now, however, with the game world fully merged with reality, Experience points existed. A resource that Kaymelin couldn't grasp completely despite all his studies. It was more ethereal than Mana.
***
Kaymelin shook his head, ridding himself of such thoughts.
"Is there something wrong, Mister Wonderland? Was the rice wine too strong for you?" Leon spoke with a steady cadence. An unusual flow coming out from a boy his age.
"There is nothing wrong with the rice wine. I was simply caught in a certain thought. I shall head inside now, Young Master Leon." Kaymelin spoke with a similar formality. "Where may I leave the item you requested?"
"One of my subordinates will receive it from you later, if that's alright. In the meantime, here is your identification card for this event. It will grant you access to your own private room to observe the Auction and make any bids should any item interest you." Leon nodded at the nervous chauffeur at the side.
Jospeh scrambled to hand Kaymelin what was requested.
"Here you go, esteemed Sir. Your room is on the third floor, 311-A."
Kaymelin nodded, received the card, and headed inside.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Meanwhile, Joseph couldn't help but ask.
"W-who was that, Young Master?"
"I don't know," Leon's smiling face had turned into one of contemplation. "However, he is in possession of an item the crowd will love. I've already discussed the contract with him."
"Is he from some big organisation outside the city?"
"...It is best you avoid asking such questions, Joseph." Leon gave the Jospeh a pat on his shoulder. "But I will answer this one question so that you can practice a bit more caution in your life."
"The entire planet has no records of his life before a few days ago. We're also not the only ones baffled by his existence. Moreover, it is likely that he has ties with that guy."
"That guy?"
"Galven. The one who has been on local news lately. He appeared out of nowhere as well." Leon shook his head. A flash of worry in his eyes.
Wonderland and Galven weren't the only weird things happening lately.
The scientists in his family had noticed a few anomalies in the fabric of space. Somehow, their rare spatial Skills proved to be much easier to use, and their cooldowns were all halved. It was as if a Quest was in effect, yet none of them were aware of its existence. Moreover, the ships that left the planet experienced a concerning turbulence each time they activated their warp drives.
Leon had never experienced this pattern himself, however he had studied them in the past. Thus, he was already making preparations.
'If the other families react a tad bit too late, then I can finally take them down...'
***
Kaymelin sat down in a velvet seat and sank into its embrace. The chair shifted, morphing into the most optimal form for his comfort. There was even a massage option that he could use. Thus, with the click of a button, he could feel his acupoints being struck with gratifying precision.
"Hah," Kaymelin breathed out a sigh of relief as he looked out the window of his private room.
The venue was open for him to see. His room was floating above the auditorium below him, and he watched as people filtered in, group by group. There were other floating rooms near his own, likely used by others of high societal stature. He was the only outlier, but he didn't feel out of place at all.
"Unfortunately, I am only here to make money. I don't have anywhere near enough liquid funds to bid."
Kaymelin smacked his lips. He didn't have enough time to steal items that could help in his bids. It was a bit frustrating, but alas, such a fact was within his calculations.
"Ah, it seems like even Hailey is here."
The familiar waist-length black hair and athletic build appeared before him. She was accompanying her father as they both walked down the aisle and found their respective seats. There was a gleam in their eyes, eager to participate in the auction about to occur.
"I wonder how you two will react when you see what's in store," Kaymelin couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at the digital catalog in his hands. There was a mystery item, shrouded behind a veil of smoke and shadows. However, its silhouette was clear to see.
It was the bracelet he had taken from those devious little Earthlings.
Although he had used the Mana it had in store, it was still a bonafide treasure. All it needed was a little recharging — and Leon had already helped with that. He was going to send over that exact item right now.
[]=[]=[]=[]=[]=[]
Item: White Light (Unlocked)
Maker: Levi Wavban
Level: 472 (Growth Type | B-Rank)
Description: A regular bracelet made out of gemstones such as sapphires and rubies. A single planetary pearl was used to accentuate a sense of purity. Holds a mysterious Inheritance and another secret.
------
Skill: Path of the Sky
Level: 450 (B-Rank)
Cooldown: N/A (Passive)
Description: Naturally guides the user to learn the Sky-Breaking Sword. Increases the chance of enlightenment for every hour in meditation.
------
Skill: Sword of Light
Level: 499 (B-Rank)
Cooldown: 1 Day
Duration: 30 Minutes
Description: Summons a one-handed sword made out of light with unparalleled sharpness. Deal 200% of one's highest attribute with every attack.
[]=[]=[]=[]=[]=[]
If those Skills were the only thing that the bracelet had, Kaymelin would have been interested in keeping it. However, after unlocking it, he discovered that it still had even more secrets, he decided to sell it instead.
Whatever was hidden so deeply within such a bracelet was not going to be his problem. Moreover, he didn't want to get into direct conflict with the Earth faction just yet. Doing so would make it seem like he hated living.
"Will it create a new god, or will it cause the downfall of these century old families?"
Kaymelin smiled. This was how he was going to reach into the never-ending conflict between factions.
It was also a great way to become rich and famous.