SS Awakening: My Monster Merging System!

Arnold remained silent for a moment, and Cole did not press further, because the Shelter Lord’s silence was already an answer in itself.

The event had ended under emergency conditions, but rankings were still rankings, and if the system had not erased them, the result could not be ignored.

"Record him as the winner for now," Arnold said while looking at the dead dragon’s body, his voice leaving no room for argument. "If the higher office says otherwise, they can overturn it themselves."

Cole nodded once. "Understood."

Approximately 20 minutes later, Zich returned to the shelter, and the first thing he noticed was the noise.

Several players had gathered near the entrance hall, speaking in low voices while looking toward the direction of the battlefield. Some were injured, some were still covered in dirt, and others had returned so fast that they had not even taken off their hunting gear.

The event had been called off without warning, and since most of them had only felt the aura without seeing the monster, their imaginations were doing more damage than the truth.

"Was it really a boss monster?" one player whispered while rubbing his wristband.

"I heard the Player Association moved out," another replied. "If they had to move, it was not something we could handle."

Zich walked in quietly, but the moment a few players noticed him, the whispers changed direction. Eyes turned toward him one after another, and before long, the entire entrance hall seemed to understand who had arrived.

"That is him."

"Zich... the one ranked first before the event stopped."

Zich kept walking without looking at them directly, but he still noticed every stare, every lowered voice, and every finger pointed in his direction. The attention was not unexpected, but it was inconvenient, and right now, he had things far more interesting than explaining himself to a crowd of frightened players.

He moved through the crowd at a steady pace, ignoring the way some players stepped aside faster than necessary.

A few looked as if they wanted to speak to him, but his expression gave them no opening, and since blood still marked parts of his clothes, nobody was brave enough to block his path.

Several minutes later, Zich entered his plain shelter room and closed the door behind him.

He dropped his spatial bag onto the floor, sat near the table, and began taking out everything he had gained, arranging each item with more care than necessary.

First came the four soul shards, each giving off a faint glow. After that, he brought out the shaman’s staff, the saw, the lucky handband, the EXP fruit, and the other items from the dungeon chest. The dragon soul orb was already inside him, but even without it on the table, the collection before him looked good enough to make his tired eyes brighten.

"Not bad," he said quietly.

The drop rate in the Ascension Mountain was low, at least from what he had seen so far. Most monsters gave points, experience, and sometimes materials, but actual treasures did not drop easily.

Dungeons were different.

If someone cleared one and killed the boss, treasures were guaranteed, which meant finding dungeons was far more profitable than wandering around and cutting down random beasts.

Zich leaned back slightly and tapped his finger against the table.

’The problem is finding them.’

The silver ape dungeon had been found because of the map, but relying on luck was not a strategy. If he wanted more treasures, more soul shards, and stronger summon materials, he needed a reliable way to locate hidden dungeons, or at least buy information from people who already knew where they were.

Just as that thought settled, a system panel flashed in front of him.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations. You have reached Level 10.]

[Ascension Marketplace has been unlocked.]

[The Ascension Marketplace is available to all individuals who reach Level 10.]

[Interracial trade is now available.]

Zich stared at the panel, his finger stopping against the table.

"Marketplace?"

He had not heard about this from anyone, but that was not surprising. New players were usually kept ignorant until someone found a way to profit from teaching them. With a slight frown, he tapped the panel and opened it. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

A larger interface appeared.

Rows of listings filled his vision. Some were written in human language, but others belonged to races he had never seen before, with the system translating them automatically. There were weapons, healing items, monster parts, dungeon maps, skill services, party recruitment posts, raid notices, and even people advertising guide services for lower layer players.

Zich scrolled slowly, his eyes narrowing.

[Layer Two Dungeon Guide Service — Payment: 3 Soul Stones]

[Beginner Party Seeking Frontline Fighter — Temporary Contract]

[Velhari Bone Knife — Price: 1 Soul Stone]

[Layer One Hidden Resource Map — Price: 5 Soul Stones]

[Experienced Scout Available For Dungeon Raid — Rental Contract Accepted]

Most ordinary items could be bought with points or basic trade materials, but the expensive ones were different. They were priced in soul stones, and from the way the listings were arranged, soul stones seemed to be the true currency of those who had climbed beyond the beginner stage.

"So that is how it works," Zich muttered.

He continued exploring and soon found another section that allowed him to list items for sale. There were options to sell, trade, auction, and rent. The rental tab made him pause, and for a few seconds, his tired mind began moving much faster than before.

Renting was not limited to weapons. Some players rented scouting services, temporary contracts, beasts, mounts, and even class based abilities under system control. The system acted as the middleman, ensuring payment and return, which meant both sides were protected if the contract was properly written.

Zich’s eyes shifted toward the empty space beside him, where his summons would have appeared if he called them out.

’Can I rent out my pets for soul stones?’

The idea was ridiculous, but this was the Ascension Mountain, and ridiculous things had been happening since the first day. If other people needed combat help, scouting, poison support, or a temporary monster to hold the line, his summons could become a source of income without him risking his own neck every time.

His lips curled slightly.

’If someone pays me to borrow Slimy and gets disappointed, that is their problem.’

Zich continued scanning the rental rules, and the more he read, the more serious the idea became. He would need to test the limits, confirm whether summons counted as rentable assets, and make sure nobody could steal or damage them permanently, but if the system allowed it, he had just found another way to gather soul stones.

At the same time, far from the shelter, Cole moved through the broken forest with several Association members behind him.

They had followed the trail left by the undead dragon, and the deeper they went, the clearer the damage became. Trees had been crushed, stones had been burned black, and long claw marks cut across the ground. The monster had not wandered in randomly. It had come from somewhere.

Cole crouched near a torn patch of earth and touched the edge of a strange crack.

"Here," he said.

One Association member stepped closer. "A tunnel?"

Cole shook his head and stood. "No. This is not natural."

Ahead of them, between two damaged stone ridges, a blue portal shaped like a sphere trembled in the air. Even from a distance, Cole could feel cold energy leaking from it.

His expression turned grave, and so did the others when they saw it.

"A secret realm," he said quietly.

***

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