"Welcome back, awakeners!" Her voice carried the same infectious energy as before, perhaps even amplified by the break. "I hope you've all had time to calculate exactly how much financial trouble you're willing to get into tonight, because Round Two is where things get serious."
She gestured broadly, and floating displays illuminated around her in a constellation of glowing screens, each showcasing a different piece of equipment in meticulous detail.
"This round features High-Grade Equipment and Special Materials for established First Awakeners and ambitious Second Awakeners who remember what it was like to struggle!" Her smile turned conspiratorial. "We've got sixty-three lots tonight, ranging from the merely excellent to the 'I can't believe someone found that in a dungeon.' Let's see who's ready to invest in their future dominance, shall we?"
The crowd's energy had shifted noticeably from Round One. These weren't casual buyers testing the waters—these were serious awakeners with specific needs and the resources to meet them. The ambient mana in the hall seemed to intensify as people prepared for genuine competition.
"Lot One of Round Two!" Miranda announced as the first item appeared. "Guardian's Bastion Shield, Rank B, Level 18! This beauty will save more lives than a dedicated healer and looks good doing it! Enhanced durability, reduced stamina drain, and a passive that increases defense by twelve percent when protecting an ally!"
She paused for effect. "Perfect for those of you who enjoy standing between your friends and horrible death! Starting bid: four hundred mana!"
The bidding was immediate and aggressive. Knights and defensive specialists called out offers with the decisiveness of people who understood exactly what they needed.
"Four-fifty!"
"Five hundred!"
"Five-fifty!"
"Six hundred and twenty!" The final bid came from a broad-shouldered woman in the upper tiers wearing Dawn Guild colors.
Miranda's hammer struck. "Sold at six-twenty to the practical warrior who values staying alive! Wise choice—corpses rarely accomplish much in my experience!"
The crowd laughed, and the next item appeared—a staff crackling with residual lightning.
"Lot Two! Stormcaller's Staff, Rank B, Level 19! This gorgeous piece amplifies lightning-based spells by eighteen percent and comes with a passive mana regeneration effect!" Miranda spun the staff in the display with a theatrical flourish. "Warning: may attract actual lightning during storms. Not recommended for outdoor romantic walks. Starting at five hundred mana!"
The bids climbed steadily, mages and elementalists competing with quiet intensity. The staff sold for seven hundred and forty mana to a young man whose robes practically hummed with electrical potential.
"Excellent purchase! Try not to fry anyone important with it!"
The lots continued in steady succession, each accompanied by Miranda's perfectly timed commentary. She had an instinct for reading the crowd, knowing exactly when to inject humor and when to let the tension build naturally. Prices ranged from four hundred mana for solid but unspectacular pieces to over a thousand for equipment with rare or powerful effects.
Then Ciel's registered items began appearing.
"Lot Seventeen!" Miranda's tone shifted subtly, carrying genuine interest rather than just showmanship. "Kobold Greatbow, Rank B, Level 20! Now this is a serious archer's weapon, ladies and gentlemen. Plus eighteen to Agility—that's substantial stat enhancement for equipment at this level!"
The floating display showed the bow in perfect detail, its elegant curve and reinforced construction drawing appreciative murmurs from those who understood quality craftsmanship.
"Kobolds might be annoying little creatures, but they know their ranged weapons!" Miranda continued. "This bow has seen real combat and survived to tell the tale. Perfect draw weight, exceptional accuracy, and it won't break the first time you fight something that fights back! Starting bid: four hundred and fifty mana!"
"Five hundred!"
"Five-fifty!"
"Six hundred!"
The bids came faster than in previous lots, archers recognizing the value of substantial agility enhancement. Ciel watched with detached interest as the price climbed, noting which sections of the amphitheater held the most aggressive bidders.
"Seven hundred!" A woman near the front called out with finality.
Miranda waited, scanning the crowd with her practiced eye. "Seven hundred mana for a weapon that will serve you well into your Second Awakening! Any other bids? ...Going once, twice—sold at seven-ten to the archer in blue!"
The hammer struck, and Veldora leaned toward Ciel with an impressed whistle. "Seven hundred and ten? That's almost double the starting bid."
"Quality equipment draws serious buyers," Sora observed quietly. "People recognize value when they see it."
The Ironbreaker Hammer came next, selling for six hundred and twenty mana after spirited bidding between two warriors who seemed to be engaged in some kind of personal rivalry. The Orc Commander's Axe generated even more competition, its substantial strength bonuses appealing to power-focused fighters. When the hammer finally fell, the price had climbed to one thousand and fifty mana.
"Someone really wanted that axe," Veldora muttered, doing mental calculations of their growing earnings.
The Gauntlets of the Mountain fetched three hundred and forty mana—respectable if not spectacular. But the Twin Fang Daggers, with their set bonus for critical chance, sparked intense bidding among rogues and dual-wielders. The final price of five hundred and eighty mana reflected their rarity as a matched pair.
With each sale, a subtle pulse of light transmitted to Ciel's ledger token, the accumulated value growing steadily. They had registered quality equipment, and the market was responding accordingly.
But then the atmosphere in the hall shifted dramatically.
Miranda raised both hands in a gesture that commanded absolute silence. The ambient chatter died instantly, and every eye focused on the central platform where something new was materializing.
"Ladies and gentlemen," she said, her voice dropping to a register that somehow carried even more weight than her usual commentary. "We now come to the final item of Round Two. What I'm about to show you appears in Amber City's auctions perhaps three or four times per year if we're lucky. Most of you have probably never seen one in person."
The lights dimmed further, and a crystal pedestal rose from the platform's center. Upon it rested a small shard no larger than a thumb, translucent and glowing with inner light that shifted between silver and deep blue. The shard pulsed gently, as if breathing, and even from a distance its concentrated power was palpable.
The audience stirred with immediate recognition and desire.
"A Beginner Skill Shard," Miranda announced, and the hall erupted in whispers. "Rank A. An extraordinarily rare drop that can only be obtained from first-time dungeon clears, and only then with exceptional luck and performance ratings."
She paused, letting the significance sink in before continuing.
"This shard possesses a singular, remarkable property: when consumed by a First Awakener, it will instantly raise any Beginner-tier skill by one level. No grinding, no repeated practice, no weeks of marginal improvements—just immediate, guaranteed advancement."
The whispers grew louder, and Ciel felt his pulse quicken despite his usual composure. This was exactly what he needed—not just useful, but potentially transformational given his unique circumstances.
"Now, I know what some of you are thinking," Miranda continued, her tone becoming more analytical. "Why would anyone spend thousands of mana on something that only works at the Beginner tier? After all, most awakeners move through Beginner levels relatively quickly with dedicated training."
She smiled knowingly. "And you'd be right—for most skills and most awakeners, there are better investments once you reach higher levels. A skilled trainer, quality equipment, or access to better dungeons will usually provide more value per mana spent than a shard like this."
Her expression shifted, becoming more serious. "But—and this is crucial—for certain individuals with certain skills, particularly those with extra or ultimate skills that takes too long through normal advancement methods, this shard can be worth far more than its market price would suggest. It's not about the skill level itself—it's about accelerating progress on abilities that would otherwise take weeks to develop naturally."
The crowd murmured in agreement, and Ciel could see the calculations happening in dozens of minds as people evaluated whether they fit that specific category.
"Market analysis suggests these shards typically sell between four and five thousand mana," Miranda continued. "Beyond that price point, you're usually better off investing in multiple alternative advancement methods. But—" she smiled that knowing smile again, "—I suspect tonight might be an exception to typical market behavior."
She raised her voice to its full projection. "Starting bid: one thousand mana!"
The response was immediate and explosive.
"Twelve hundred!"
"Fifteen hundred!"
"Eighteen hundred!"
"Two thousand!"
The bids came so fast that Miranda barely had time to acknowledge them, her head turning to track each new offer as the price climbed with frightening speed.
"Twenty-two hundred!" A merchant in expensive robes called out from the left tier.
"Twenty-five hundred!" A mage near the back countered, her staff already glowing with anticipation.
Ciel felt the moment had come. He raised his hand with calm deliberation, his voice cutting clearly through the chaos. "Three thousand."
Several heads turned toward him, surprised by both the jump and the bidder. In the reserved section of the Dawn Guild seating area, a figure stirred with interest.
"Thirty-two hundred!" The bid came from Leon Avalon, his voice carrying the effortless confidence of someone who had never had to worry about resource scarcity. He was dressed in robes that probably cost more than most people's annual earnings, and his posture suggested this was merely a mild diversion rather than serious competition.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Ciel met his gaze across the amphitheater, reading the casual assessment in those eyes. "Thirty-five hundred."
"Thirty-eight hundred," Leon countered without hesitation, leaning back in his seat as if bored by the proceedings.
The crowd was now openly watching the exchange, sensing this had become something more than a simple bidding war. Miranda wisely remained silent, letting the tension build naturally.
"Four thousand," Ciel said, his tone unchanged.
"Forty-five hundred!" Leon's bid carried a note of mild amusement, as if he were testing how far this unknown competitor would go.
"Five thousand." Ciel's voice was steady as stone, betraying none of the rapid calculations happening in his mind. The shard was worth more to him specifically than it would be to almost anyone else, but he needed to be strategic about this.
Behind Leon, an older man in butler's livery leaned down to whisper something. The words didn't carry, but Ciel's enhanced hearing caught fragments: "...auction price... advancement quest materials... reserves..."
Leon's expression flickered with something that might have been genuine consideration. For the first time, his casual demeanor showed a crack as he evaluated his priorities. The skill shard was valuable, certainly, but was it worth more than ensuring success in his Second Awakening Quest?
"Fifty-five hundred!" Leon called out, but there was a subtle shift in his tone—this was him reaching his actual limit.
Ciel didn't hesitate. "Six thousand."
The hall went completely silent. The number hung in the air like a physical presence, drawing gasps from those who understood its magnitude. Six thousand mana was wealth beyond what most First Awakeners would see in a year of grinding.
Leon's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. Behind him, his butler's expression had gone carefully neutral—the look of someone watching their charge make a potentially costly decision. After a moment that stretched into eternity, Leon's posture shifted slightly. It was a small change, but in the language of auction warfare, it was surrender.
"Sixty-five hundred," he said, but his voice carried the weight of finality. This was his absolute limit, and everyone knew it.
Ciel paused for exactly three heartbeats, letting the tension peak. His mind raced through calculations—his current resources, the shard's specific value to his unique situation, the opportunity cost of pushing further. The Time Flow skill was the cornerstone of his entire strategy. Every level increase compounded exponentially with his realm's growth. For him, this wasn't about the market value—it was about months of saved progression time.
"Seven thousand," he said quietly, and the words fell like a judge's sentence.
The hall erupted in whispers, gasps, and at least one audible curse from someone who had been priced out long ago. Leon's expression went perfectly still for a moment before something like reluctant respect crossed his features. He glanced at his butler, received a subtle head shake, and settled back into his seat with a faint smile.
"Well played," he mouthed silently, the words visible even across the distance.
Miranda, who had been frozen in perfect stillness during the exchange, came back to life with an audible exhale. "Seven thousand mana!" Her voice carried genuine awe rather than her usual showmanship. "Ladies and gentlemen, we've just witnessed auction history! I don't think any Beginner Skill Shard has ever sold for this amount in Amber City—possibly on the entire continent!"
She let the moment breathe before raising her crystalline hammer. "Seven thousand mana is the bid! Does anyone dare to challenge this magnificent display of either wealth or madness? ...Going once!"
Silence absolute.
"Going twice!"
Still nothing. Leon remained still, his decision made.
The hammer struck with a sound like breaking glass, and the echo seemed to carry for far longer than physics would allow.
"SOLD! To bidder twenty-seven for seven thousand mana!" Miranda's smile was genuine and somewhat awed. "Congratulations on your purchase, and may it prove worth every single stone!"
The crowd broke into applause—not the polite acknowledgment from earlier sales, but genuine appreciation for spectacle witnessed. This was the kind of moment people would talk about for months.
Veldora stared at Ciel with an expression somewhere between admiration and concern. "You just spent seven thousand mana. Seven. Thousand."
"I noticed," Ciel replied dryly, though his heart was still racing from the intensity of the bidding war.
Sora leaned in, her voice low enough that only they could hear. "Please tell me you actually have a plan for that shard beyond 'it seemed like a good idea at the time.'"
"It's an investment," Ciel said calmly, which was technically true even if it didn't convey the full scope of what that investment meant for his specific circumstances.
"A terrifying one," Sora muttered, but there was a note of impressed respect in her voice. "The looks you're getting from around the hall suggest people are recalculating who exactly you are."
She was right. Ciel could feel the weight of attention from multiple directions—curious, calculating, some admiring and others envious. Spending seven thousand mana on a single item marked him as either extraordinarily wealthy, completely reckless, or in possession of information others lacked.
Let them wonder, he thought. The true value of the shard wasn't something they could understand without knowing about his realm and the exponential benefits of improving Time Flow.
Miranda raised her hands once more, drawing attention back to the platform. "Well! After that remarkable display, I'm almost afraid to continue—how do we possibly top that?"
She grinned suddenly. "By showing you Round Three, of course! We'll take another short intermission while our record-breaking bidder recovers from the financial equivalent of jumping off a cliff, and then we'll showcase equipment that will make even tonight's prices look reasonable by comparison!"
The lights came up gradually, and the hall filled with animated conversation. Ciel could hear his name—or rather, his bidder number—being discussed in at least a dozen different conversations.
"Who is twenty-seven?"
"Never seen them at the major auctions before."
"Seven thousand for a Beginner shard? They must know something we don't."
"Or they're an idiot with more money than sense."
Ciel tuned out the speculation and turned to his friends. "Round Three will be equipment beyond our level. No point staying for items we can't use yet."
Veldora nodded enthusiastically. "Agreed. Let's collect our earnings before I have a heart attack from watching you spend money."
Sora stood, stretching slightly. "My wallet is crying just from being in the same room as you. Let's go before you decide to buy something else ridiculously expensive."
They made their way through the dispersing crowd toward the registration wing, drawing curious looks but no direct confrontation. The auction staff maintained order with professional efficiency, and soon they were standing before the same clerk who had registered their items.
"Congratulations on your sales," the clerk said with a warm smile. "Your equipment performed excellently in the market. Let me pull up your final accounting."
A translucent ledger materialized in the air between them, displaying their results:
Sales Summary:
- Kobold Greatbow: 710 mana
- Ironbreaker Hammer: 620 mana
- Orc Commander's Axe: 1,050 mana
- Gauntlets of the Mountain: 340 mana
- Twin Fang Daggers (Set): 580 mana
Total Sales: 3,300 mana Commerce Fee (2%): 66 mana Net Revenue: 3,234 mana
she explained. "The Hall thanks you for your consignments and hopes to see you at future auctions."
Sora hefted her pouch with a satisfied smile. "Not bad for equipment we couldn't even use. This almost makes up for watching you throw away seven thousand."
"Almost," Veldora echoed with a grin. "My inventory feels heavier knowing I didn't personally make that insane purchase."
Ciel barely registered their teasing. His attention had already shifted to the collection counter at the far end of the wing, where successful bidders were retrieving their purchases. He approached with his token, and the clerk's expression shifted to something approaching reverence.
"Ah, bidder twenty-seven. Your purchase has been prepared with appropriate security measures." She produced a crystal case that seemed to bend light around it, making it difficult to focus on directly. Inside, the Beginner Skill Shard pulsed with that same silver-blue luminescence.
"Total payment including all fees: seven thousand two hundred and eighty mana," she said, her voice carrying the kind of careful neutrality reserved for transactions of significant magnitude. "Transaction complete. Please verify the shard's authenticity before leaving the premises."
Ciel accepted the case and examined it carefully. The shard radiated genuine power—not flashy or overwhelming, but dense and focused in a way that suggested concentrated potential. His enhanced senses detected no irregularities or hidden enchantments.
"Verified," he confirmed, and the clerk nodded with visible relief. Disputes over high-value items could become complicated, and she clearly appreciated his professionalism.
They stepped out into the evening air, which had cooled noticeably during the auction. The sky had deepened into shades of violet and indigo, and Amber City's mana lights were in full bloom, creating a constellation that rivaled the stars above.
Sora fell into step beside him, her expression thoughtful rather than mocking. "You really think that shard was worth seven thousand? Be honest—that's more mana than most people earn in a year of serious dungeon grinding."
Ciel nodded without hesitation. "For me specifically? Yes. It will save me months of progression time, and time is more valuable than mana when you're trying to stay ahead of the curve."
"Time is money, but you just made that phrase disturbingly literal," Veldora observed. "Never thought I'd see someone actually calculate the market value of temporal acceleration."
They walked in comfortable silence for a while, each processing the evening's events in their own way. The auction had been educational in multiple ways—not just in terms of market values and equipment assessment, but in understanding the broader awakener economy and the lengths to which people would go to secure advantages.
When they reached the point where their paths diverged, Veldora clapped Ciel on the shoulder. "Whatever that shard does for you, make it count. Seven thousand mana buys a lot of expectations."
"I intend to exceed them," Ciel replied simply, and something in his tone made both his friends nod with satisfaction rather than concern.
They parted ways with promises to meet for training tomorrow, and Ciel made his way home through streets that felt different somehow—as if the weight of the shard in his possession had subtly altered his relationship with the world around him.
The Nova household was quiet when he arrived, most of the family already retired for the evening. He exchanged brief words with his mother, who asked about the auction with genuine interest, and his father, whose knowing look suggested he understood more than he said.
Later, alone in his room, Ciel sat in meditative silence for several minutes before finally entering his realm.
The transition was smoother than ever, the realm recognizing and welcoming its master with what almost felt like eagerness. The ten mana wells pulsed in synchronized rhythm, and the World Tree stood like a pillar of living light at the center of his creation.
Ciel produced the crystal case and opened it carefully. The Beginner Skill Shard seemed to pulse more strongly now, as if sensing the concentrated mana of the realm around it. For a moment he simply held it, feeling the weight of seven thousand mana's worth of compressed potential in his palm.
Then, without ceremony or hesitation, he crushed the shard between his fingers.
The effect was immediate and profound. The shard dissolved into pure light that flowed into him like liquid starlight, cold and sharp and absolutely transformative. He felt it sink into his core, seeking out the specific pattern of his Time Flow skill and weaving itself into the fundamental structure.
[Beginner Skill Shard consumed.]
[Target identified: Unique Skill - Time Flow]
[Applying enhancement...]
The realm itself seemed to hold its breath.
[Unique Skill: Time Flow has leveled up!]
[Current Level: Beginner Lv. 4]
[Unique Skill: Time Flow (Beginner Lv. 4)]
– Controls time flow inside the Realm.
– Current Ratio: 1 hour outside = 5 hours inside.
– Cost: 1 WP per hour beyond 1:1.
A ripple spread through the realm—not visible but undeniably present, like the space itself was stretching to accommodate new possibilities. The mana density spiked noticeably, and the World Tree's leaves rustled despite the absence of wind.
Ciel felt it in his bones, in his very soul—the realm's temporal flow had fundamentally shifted. What had been four hours inside for every one outside was now five. The advantage had grown exponentially.
He called up his realm management interface with trembling hands.
[World Tree Output]
– Base Production: 100 WP/day
– With Time Flow (1:5): 500 WP/day
– [Time Flow Cost] – 4 WP/hour = 96 WP/day
– [Net Gain] – 500 – 96 = 404 WP/day
[Mana Wells Output]
– Base Production (10 wells): 1000 mana/day
– World Tree Consumption: 200 mana/day
– Base Net: 800 mana/day
– With Time Flow (1:5): 4,000 mana/day
The numbers were staggering. Four thousand mana per day—more than what most people made a year. Four hundred WP daily, enough to fund major construction projects with room to spare. And most importantly, five hours of training and development for every one hour that passed in the real world.
Ciel closed the interface and simply stood there, feeling the realm pulse with new vitality. The World Tree seemed taller somehow, its light brighter, its presence more profound. The mana wells hummed with satisfaction, as if pleased by the expansion of their domain.
"Worth every stone," he murmured into the stillness, and the realm itself seemed to agree.
This was why he had spent seven thousand mana without hesitation. This was why he had outbid Leon Avalon and made himself the subject of city-wide speculation. Not for pride or status, but for this moment—when the investment paid dividends that would compound with every passing day.
Leon Avalon might be the fastest to reach Second Awakening. He might have every advantage wealth and family could provide. But Ciel had something more valuable than speed or privilege.
He had time itself as his ally.
The stars above the sky shimmered with light that seemed to move at a different pace than the rest of reality, bending to rhythms that only he could command. Five hours inside for every one outside—and the skill was still only at Beginner Level 4.
What would it become at Novice? At Intermediate? At Advanced?
The possibilities stretched before him like an open road, and for the first time since awakening his class, Ciel allowed himself to truly appreciate the magnitude of what he was building.
Not just a realm. Not just power.
A foundation for something that would transcend conventional limits entirely.
He stood in the heart of his creation, surrounded by the fruits of careful planning and resource management, and smiled.
"Let them have their records and their recognition," he said to the empty air, his voice carrying certainty that needed no audience. "I'll be too busy becoming something they can't even imagine yet."
The realm pulsed once in response, and the World Tree's light seemed to burn just a little brighter, as if in agreement with its master's ambition.