It was midnight, and the streets stank of fried oil, exhaust fumes, and cheap cologne.
Zeng Haofeng walked with purpose, his long coat flapping behind him like the robes of a disgraced warlord. He didn't have a warlord's robes anymore—he had bought this coat for $3 at a secondhand store, and it smelled faintly of mothballs and gym socks—but the energy was there.
Pixie hovered beside him in drone form, glowing softly. "So… explain this plan again? Because I stopped paying attention after 'I'll sneak in like a shadowless blade.'"
"We go to this auction. We obtain materials. We construct superior artifacts. And then we crush our enemies beneath our automated feet," he replied, utterly serious.
Pixie beeped. "That's adorable. But first, let's not get arrested."
They reached an unmarked alley behind an old noodle shop. A large man in a trench coat stood in front of a graffiti-covered door, arms folded like meatloaf. A glowing cybernetic eye scanned Zeng's face.
"Invitation?" the man grunted.
Zeng reached into his pocket. Instead of an invitation, he pulled out a crumpled napkin. "This… was the path fate laid before me."
The bouncer stared.
Pixie buzzed. "I uploaded a temporary clearance code to his retinal implant. Check again, meat mountain."
The man blinked. A pause. Then he stepped aside. "...Slot 14."
Zeng walked past him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Inside was chaos wrapped in neon.
Rows of folding tables held piles of junk tech—some barely working, others glowing with ominous symbols. Hackers, street mechanics, cyber monks, and alchemist-engineers haggled like wild dogs. The walls were covered in LED screens playing muted martial arts commercials. A girl with pink hair and a tail was selling 3D-printed knives made from recycled data drives.
Pixie whispered, "Welcome to the Tech Bazaar. Legally gray, morally black."
Zeng's eyes gleamed. "I feel alive."
The System chimed.
[Event Triggered: Midnight Junk Auction]
[Limited-Time Opportunity: Collect High-Tier Components]
[Reward: Skill Upgrade Path Unlock – Technomancy or Artifact Forging]
[Time Remaining: 00:57:12]
"Only one hour?" Zeng muttered.
"Exactly," Pixie said. "This is your dungeon run. Pick wisely."
He moved from table to table like a man possessed. Old processors, cracked AI cores, servo-motors, lithium cells—it was all treasure to him. He fingered a half-melted drone rotor with reverence, like it was a divine relic.
"This," he whispered, "is a pseudo-Qi-conductive core array. Perfect for stabilizing rotational spirit…"
"It's a broken fan blade," Pixie deadpanned.
Zeng ignored her.
He found a particularly rusted-looking scrap of metal with faint circuit engravings. The moment he touched it, the System lit up.
[Hidden Material Detected: Obsolete Military Nanofiber (Grade C)]
[Function: Lightweight chassis reinforcement. Highly modifiable.]
[Price: $20]
[Warning: You have $14.78 remaining.]
He stared at it, then slowly looked at the vendor. "Sir. This relic is clearly corroded beyond function. I will pay $2."
The vendor laughed. "Try again, young man."
Zeng inhaled slowly. Then, he tapped the device. A small spark flickered across the nanofiber.
[Skill Activated: Technomancy Lv.2 – Analyze Circuit Flow]
[Result: Partial circuit restoration (10%). Negotiation buff applied.]
Zeng's eyes gleamed. "It purrs for me. Eight dollars."
The man frowned. "Twelve."
"Done."
Pixie whispered, "Nice. System perks apply to haggling. That's actually broken."
They repeated this across four more vendors. By the time the clock hit zero, Zeng's coat pockets were bulging with scrap, and he had exactly three nickels left.
[Time's Up.]
[Event Complete: You collected 6 components.]
[Choose Your Path Upgrade:]
- [Technomancy Lv.2 → Technomancy Lv.3: + Efficiency, + Analysis Speed]
- [Unlock: Artifact Forging Lv.1 – Enables blueprint creation and weapon crafting]
Zeng paused.
One path deepened his current ability. The other unlocked something new.
He chose the latter.
[Artifact Forging Lv.1 Unlocked!]
[Blueprint Slot Gained: 1]
[Randomizing First Blueprint…]
A flicker of blue appeared in his vision. Then a diagram unfolded like a scroll.
[Blueprint: Thunderstrike Gauntlet (Prototype)]
[Grade: D+]
[Effect: Channels high-voltage discharge in short bursts. Good for intimidation and cooking eggs.]
Pixie gasped. "You're gonna punch people with taser gloves! I love this system!"
They returned to the apartment by dawn. Zeng immediately cleared the floor and began laying out his materials. He moved like a man carving talismans from dragon bone.
Only it wasn't Qi anymore.
It was solder, steel, and savage determination.
He built the gauntlet over three hours. The nanofiber was shaped into the outer shell, reinforced with wire. The capacitors were repurposed from three broken vape pens. The battery came from a busted delivery drone. It was crude, dirty, and held together with tape, zip ties, and spite.
But when he slid his hand into it, it hummed.
[Artifact Created: Thunderstrike Gauntlet Mk.I]
Grade: D+
Functionality: 3/5
Durability: 2/5
Energy Efficiency: 1/5
Status: Functional
Skill Gained: [Shock Palm Lv.1] – Discharge 50 volts via open palm strike. Cooldown: 20 seconds.
Zeng raised his hand slowly. Electricity danced across his fingertips.
Pixie made a choking noise. "You built it. You crazy bastard."
Zeng grinned. "This is only the beginning."
He flexed his fingers slowly, watching the blue sparks arc between knuckles. The gauntlet wasn't elegant. It wasn't divine. But it was his.
Born of scrap and fire, forged not in heavenly lightning, but in stubbornness and broken circuitry. Every wire looped was a mantra. Every bolt screwed in, a declaration: I am still here.
Pixie hovered closer, her voice quieter for once. "You know, statistically, you should've electrocuted yourself. Or burned down the apartment. Or both."
"I felt the current," Zeng replied. "It spoke to me."
"Yeah, it said 'don't touch the live wire,' and you did anyway."
He chuckled, then turned toward the window. The city beyond glowed in pulses—neon, screens, electric signs dancing like low-grade auroras. This was no sacred mountain, but it had its own rhythm. A rhythm he was beginning to hear.
He slipped the gauntlet off and set it beside him like a sheathed blade.
In this world, there were no spirit beasts, no sword sects, no heavens to defy.
But there were still challenges. Still power.
And Zeng Haofeng would ascend—wired, grounded, and unstoppable.