The streets weren't quiet.
Not anymore.
Kael walked through Drift's toll zone, hood low, hands bare, balance hidden behind his mask — but his name wasn't.
Not after Vault D.
Not after Coinburn Strike.
---
> [Bounty Update: Player Kael Rivenhart (Null-13)]
Illegal Auction Fraud / Shadow Bid Theft / Unauthorized Skill Acquisition
New Bounty: 25,000 Coins
Status: Red Tier — System Priority
Location: Public — Drift S2
Kael stopped under a flickering sign.
Every screen in the district flashed his bounty.
He smiled.
Good.
---
Three players clocked him.
Low-tier hunters — armor scraped together from balance scraps, blades flashing in the dim. Their balances floated above their heads: 80C, 96C, 101C.
One licked his lips.
> "That's him."
Another cracked knuckles. "Split his bounty?"
Kael didn't move.
Didn't run.
---
> [Coinburn Strike – Ready]
Balance: 269C
Damage Scaling: 10% per use
He flexed his fingers.
The hunters closed in.
> "Bounty's high. But he's alone."
Kael raised a hand.
> [Balance Burned: 27 Coins]
[Coinburn Strike Activated]
A ripple of gold-black energy exploded from his palm, arcing in a vicious line.
The first player didn't scream — he disintegrated.
The other two froze.
---
> "Shit! He's loaded—"
Kael moved again.
> [Balance Burned: 20 Coins]
[Coinburn Strike – Double Tap]
The second hunter folded, balance ripped from his body, coins hitting the ground like rain.
Kael stepped through them.
---
> [You have earned 101 Coins]
New Balance: 350C
Public Kill Logged: Red Tier Flagged
Street-Level Alert: Active Zone S2
---
The last hunter ran.
Kael didn't chase.
He turned to the crowd.
Eyes watched from shadows.
Not fear.
Interest.
The kind that meant power. Or coin.
Kael walked away.
---
Above him, the system flashed again.
> "New Rule Applied: Coinburn Strike Flagged – Illegal Use Tier 1."
"Balance monitored. Public tracking now active."
Kael's smile faded.
So… the system was watching his balance now.
That was new.
That was dangerous.
---
He needed to go underground again.
Or higher.
Or find another Black Coin.
---
Kael ducked into Drift's lower levels, stepping past toll scanners and hacked gates — none of which pinged. Not anymore.
His mask still held.
But the system was watching his balance.
---
> [System Notice: Coinburn Strike flagged as illegal tier skill.]
Balance Tracking Active: Yes
Hidden balance status compromised.
Kael's real balance: 350 Coins.
Every time he used Coinburn Strike, his balance dipped — and now the system leaked his balance in pulses.
Not constant.
But enough.
---
"Shit," Kael muttered.
This wasn't just bounty hunting.
It was economic warfare.
Let them know you're rich, and they'll kill you just to drain your power.
---
He stopped behind a collapsed tunnel, fingers tight.
> "Need to dump coin," he whispered.
Buy gear?
No. He needed Black Coins.
Or a coin sink.
---
A flicker in the air.
Kael turned.
Nothing.
---
Then — a glint beneath a collapsed pipe.
Black.
Flat.
---
He moved fast.
A Black Coin—not claimed, not registered.
A glitch? A remnant?
Didn't matter.
Kael touched it.
---
> [Black Coin Detected.]
Skill Unlocked: Shadow Market
Cost: 1 Black Coin
Effect: Access hidden vendor – 1 minute.
His vision split.
A screen flickered in his HUD.
Items. Skills. Gear.
All priced in Black Coins — which he didn't have.
Except this one.
---
A noise behind him.
Kael turned.
Too late.
Three players burst from the shadows — stealth mode off, blades drawn.
---
> "Gotcha. Red Tier freak."
Balances: 220C / 180C / 145C
Kael moved.
---
> [Coinburn Strike – Ready]
Balance Burned: 35 Coins
Damage Scaling: High Risk
Public Alert: Triggered
The world flashed gold-black.
---
One player dropped.
The others screamed.
Kael didn't stop.
---
> [Balance Theft Available]
Cost: 1 Black Coin
You have 1.
Kael touched the coin again.
---
> [Balance Theft: Activated]
Target: Player – 220C
Drain: 110C stolen.
---
Kael's balance surged.
> Balance: 350C → 460C
The player collapsed.
The third ran.
---
Kael stood alone again.
Not a hunter.
Not prey.
---
A trigger warning blinked.
> [Balance Cap Reached – Tracking Permanent]
Red Tier status locked.
Escape impossible.
Kael smiled.
"Good."
---
Kael didn't wait.
The Shadow Market screen blinked in his vision — timer ticking.
> [Time Remaining: 45 seconds]
Balance: 460 Coins
Black Coin Balance: 0 (Borrowed Use)
He scanned the listings.
Most gear cost more than he could imagine.
But one item blinked.
> [Skill Upgrade: Coinburn Strike → Coinburn Spike]
Effect: Add burn-over-time. Chance to ignite enemy balance.
Cost: 1 Black Coin (Paid)
Risk: Corruption Increase.
Kael tapped it.
---
> [Upgrade Purchased.]
Coinburn Strike → Coinburn Spike (Unstable)
System Alert: Skill flagged. Illegal Mod detected.
Kael winced.
His screen glitched.
For a moment, the world turned black-gold, the coin HUD melting before reforming.
---
> [Coinburn Spike: Active]
Cooldown: None
Risk: Self-burn possible.
Kael didn't care.
He needed edge.
He needed fear.
---
The Shadow Market collapsed, timer ending.
Kael stood alone.
And Drift howled with sirens.
---
> [Red Tier Zone Lockdown – Initiated]
All players authorized to kill Red Tier player Null-13.
Bounty Reward: 25,000 Coins + Balance Earned.
Kael's screen flickered.
A feed opened — a city-wide bounty hunt.
> [Null-13 – Spotted near Drift Vaults]
"Kill him. Loot everything."
Kael smiled.
Let them come.
He'd burn them all.
---
They came fast.
Guild tags. Coordinated. No scavengers.
These were professional bounty killers, armed with Auction-grade gear, synced in real-time.
Kael stood in the open street, balance glowing 460C — no point hiding.
His name flashed red above his head.
> "Null-13. Coinburn freak."
---
One called out.
"Drop your balance. We'll make it clean."
Kael raised a hand.
> "Burn it."
---
> [Coinburn Spike Activated]
Balance Burned: 46 Coins
Damage Output: Scaling High
Effect: Burn-Over-Time (Active)
Risk: Self Burn – Engaged.
Gold-black fire erupted from his body, searing the air.
One guild fighter screamed — balance burned mid-fight, dropping from 150C → 90C → 0C.
She collapsed before drawing a blade.
---
The others charged.
Kael burned again.
> [Coinburn Spike Activated – Stack x2]
Balance Burned: 40 Coins
Risk: Self Burn 5%
---
The attack seared the next target, balance draining visibly from his body.
He didn't die.
Not fast enough.
Kael moved in.
> [Black Coin Residue Triggered – No Coin Required]
Skill: Balance Theft – Free Use
---
Kael drained him — 80C → 0C.
His own balance jumped: 460C → 520C
---
The last guild member fled.
Kael didn't chase.
He looked at his hands.
Still burning.
Still alive.
---
> [System Alert: Null-13 classified as Balance Killer]
New Title: Applied
Effect: All future kills yield bonus 10% coin.
Kael laughed.
Not prey.
Not hunter.
He was the market's correction.
---
Drift didn't sleep.
Not with 25,000 Coins over Kael's head.
Not with the Balance Killer walking openly.
---
Screens flickered.
> [NEW ORDER POSTED]
Target: Null-13 / Kael Rivenhart
Open Bounty Bid: Starting at 30,000 Coins
Sponsor: Guild Warrant Officer REN VARRO
Kael froze.
Varro.
He knew the name.
One of the Coin King's hands — the kind of enforcer that didn't just hunt players. He bought them.
---
A message pinged his feed.
Encrypted. Traced.
> "Auction War begins at dawn. You'll be the first lot. Let's see what your life is worth."
—Ren Varro
Kael stared.
Not afraid.
But curious.
---
A voice behind him.
"You made the list."
Kael turned.
A woman stood at the alley's edge, balance masked, face hidden. But her coin glowed Black — not residue.
True.
> "Black Coin Hunter," she said. "You stole power that wasn't yours."
Kael tilted his head.
"Come to take it?"
"No," she said. "To offer a bid."
She tossed a coin — black, polished, heavier than his last.
> [Black Coin Detected – Signature Unknown]
Skill Locked: ??
To unlock, survive next Auction War.
Kael smiled.
"Let's bid."