At that moment, another figure entered the bar. It was his second uncle, having just arrived after receiving Kaito's coordinates. His face carried traces of excitement that he couldn't quite hide. Like many others, he had already seen the battle videos circulating on the forums. Players who had witnessed the fight against Elder Faelion had eagerly uploaded the footage, and it was spreading like wildfire.
Seeing Kaito and others standing against a corrupted NPC boss had stirred something deep in him. Part of him wanted to abandon all his responsibilities, to dive headfirst into the battlefield himself. But he knew better. For now, his duty lay elsewhere. Until Nina's training was complete, he couldn't let his eagerness outweigh his responsibilities. Even so, the pride in his eyes when he looked at Kaito spoke volumes.
Kaito had called him here for a reason. The management of Genesis, including it's logistical side, was largely handled by his second uncle. Kaito trusted him more than anyone else to oversee the distribution of resources. Without ceremony, he passed the remaining loot over.
"Uncle, these items will be handled by you. Distribute them as you see fit," Kaito said simply.
His second uncle nodded, but Kaito wasn't done. "Also, give each of the people who fought with us a bonus of one thousand credits. If anyone died during the battle, make it two thousand. And when they're leveling in the fields, let them have priority access to spots. That should be enough to keep morale strong."
The instructions were clear, and his uncle accepted them without question. Kaito's leadership wasn't just about winning fights it was about making sure his teammates felt valued.
Leaving the details to his family, Kaito leaned back in his chair for a moment. His gaze drifted to the window, where the game's artificial sunlight filtered in. Already, more than eight hours had passed since he had logged in. The nutrient cabin made it easier to stay immersed, but even so, time in Glory was limited. His family , The Ancestral estate, his responsibilities, and his broader plans all demanded attention.
He sighed softly. After rebirth, no matter how much time he had, it never felt like enough. There was always more to be done.
Pushing the thought aside, he stood. "I'll leave the rest to you," he told his uncle and the gathered group. "Continue your discussion here. I still have work."
Without further explanation, Kaito left the bar and stepped into the bustling street outside. His destination was already in mind.
The Auction House.
When Kaito stepped into the Auction House, the atmosphere was buzzing with energy. The wide hall was crowded with players moving in and out, their chatter blending with the hum of trading terminals. Dozens of stalls flickered with holographic displays, listing everything from herbs and ores to skill scrolls and rare equipments.
The reason was clear. More and more teams had begun clearing the Echoing Deep Dungeon, and with those clears came new loot designs, blueprints, and crafting materials that life-skill players could use to create equipment, potions, and other goods. The Auction House had become the busiest spot in town, a marketplace where the true pace of player progress could be measured.
Not long ago, Kaito himself had dominated these halls. Back when he was the only one selling the level 10 Echo Core Ember Plate, it had been a hot-selling item. Demand far outweighed supply, and the profits he made back then were far greater than the item's actual worth. That was the advantage of striking first. But now, with more dungeon clears and more crafting apprentices active, competition had arrived. Other teams were flooding the market with their own equipment, and the Ember Plate was no longer unrivaled.
Kaito, however, wasn't bothered. He had already secured his first-mover's advantage and squeezed out the profits when it mattered most. What had once been crucial to him was now just another stepping stone.
Besides, he had long since spread his designs beyond himself. The handwritten blueprints he had passed to Selvera had also been given to his second uncle. Under his uncle's management, those blueprints had been distributed to the Forging Apprentices within Genesis. Not just that Kaito had also provided them with the EchoCore Vanguard Emberplate Forging Design, a stronger evolution of the EchoCore Ember Plate. Unlike the standard plate, the Vanguard type not only carried improved stats but also came with a special skill attached, giving the wearer both defense and offensive utility.
With such equipment being forged internally, Genesis was already well on its way to becoming the best-equipped team in the early stages of Glory. For Kaito, the Ember Plate had served its purpose.
Today, his visit wasn't to sell. He had come to observe. The Auction House was the clearest window into player progress. By scanning the listings, noting which materials were being traded and which blueprints had surfaced, Kaito could piece together how far the player base as a whole had advanced.
As his eyes roamed across the glowing displays potions, equipments, scrolls, even rare crafting materials Kaito adjusted the plans running quietly in his head. Some things were proceeding as expected, others were moving faster than he remembered. He had to keep pace, no matter the cost.
While going through the different items on the panel, Kaito opened his interface and sent a message to his second uncle.
"It's time Uncle," he typed. "You can start selling the Lumina Sight Potions."
This particular potion was crucial. Without it, clearing the Misty Palace dungeon was nearly impossible. The palace's twisting halls were filled with thick mist, cutting visibility to almost nothing. Only the Lumina Sight Potion, which granted temporary clarity in heavy fog, allowed players to progress safely.
Up until now, Kaito had kept his uncle from releasing them onto the market. He had predicted that prices weren't yet at their peak, and so he had held their supply back, waiting for the perfect moment. Now, as he scanned the display, he saw the truth, the price of a single Lumina Sight Potion had climbed as high as ten silver coins.
A faint smile tugged at his lips. His patience had paid off. This was the highest point the market would ever reach. He knew it because he remembered it. In his past life, once the potions spread and more recipes appeared, the market had quickly filled up again. Prices had plummeted, never again reaching such heights. This was the window short, but sharp.
Without hesitation, he typed a rapid series of messages to his second uncle:
"Uncle you can send players to the Auction House immediately. Put the Lumina Sight Potions up for auction in batches, not all at once. At the same time, you can also station players at the Misty Palace entrance to sell directly on-site. And make sure each seller has a team of guards so as to not let anyone interfere with the trade."
The timing had to be perfect, the placements secure. Genesis would flood the market on both fronts inside the Auction House for mass exposure, and at the Misty Palace itself, where desperate dungeon raiders would pay the highest price for the potion they needed most.
After finalizing the orders for the Lumina Sight Potions, Kaito opened his inventory again. Among the rewards he had gathered from his earlier runs, there was one item he had held back a forging design for the Shadow Fang the One-Handed Sword, level 10 silver-rank equipment.
He had obtained one copy of this blueprint earlier, but during the team's most recent run through the Misty Palace dungeon, another had dropped. Rather than hold onto the duplicate, he decided to make better use of it. With a few quick commands, he forwarded the design to his second uncle.
"Uncle also Pass this on to the forging apprentices," Kaito added. "And Please, make sure they learn it thoroughly. The sooner they can produce these on their own, the better."
His uncle would know exactly how to handle it. The apprentices within Genesis were already working tirelessly on the Vanguard Echo Core Ember Plates, but giving them access to Shadow Fang's design would add a strong offensive option to their arsenal.
With that settled, Kaito listed ten Shadow Fang swords that he had forged onto the Auction House panel. Each was a gleaming silver-rank weapon, level 10, far beyond what most players currently owned. For the starting price, he set it at five silver coins apiece a figure that seemed modest at first glance, but he knew the bidding wars would drive them far higher once word spread. With one motion, he confirmed the auction.
That done, he turned his focus back to the auction items. His eyes swept across the endless list of materials, ores, herbs, and reagents that filled the Auction House's panel. Patiently, he bought up everything he recognized as valuable materials that he knew from memory would soon rise in price, as well as those he would personally need in the future. He even picked up several rare ingredients that most players overlooked, quietly preparing for the months ahead.
Once his purchases were complete, he closed the interface. Without lingering any longer, Kaito turned and left the Auction House. His next destination was already clear, the Forging Life Guild.