Hex was led into a dim room where a compact, shielded computer sat at the center. He entered the login ID and password provided by the black market reception, and immediately gained access to the Galactic Dark Net.
What greeted him was a deluge of shocking, illicit content.
[Looking for memory-wipe injections? Complete personality resets, trauma filters, obedience serums…limited-time deals available now!]
[Plasma-edge katanas, illegal pulse rifles, cloaking drones, unregistered and Federation-proof!]
[Fresh bio-clones from the Eltara sector! Customizable features and total obedience guaranteed.]
[Assassination services available. Silent kills, messy diversions, political removals, satisfaction guaranteed or full refund with bonus credit.]
[Forbidden tech recovered from collapsed dimension-19..time lag grenades, entropy fields, anti-reality cores now open for bidding!]
[Female Whores..Just look at them. All of them are virgin and top-class models.]
Aside from this, there were dark deals offering assassination tokens, cursed bio-chips, illegal power enhancers, and even gene-harvesting services.
Hex scrolled silently through the page, eyes narrowed.
After adjusting to the overload of content, he accessed a random forum. Entry into most of these forums required tons of Galactic Karma, the dark net's contribution, and an activity score. Luckily, this account was pre-loaded and well-established.
He posted his first question in a public forum titled Newbie GDN Help, a space for fresh entrants to clear doubts.
[Mate, I'm having trouble accessing the dark net. Does your planet's Home Intelligence Bureau track your activity?]
Responses popped up within seconds:
[????]
[What the f*ck did you just say?]
[Tracked?? Holy shit..]
[Wait… that's possible??]
[Damn…I fucked up…Oh God…I am finished.]
Just like several novices panicked, fearing the local security service knocking on their doors.
Gasps, swears, and chaos erupted in the thread until one user finally replied with some clarity.
[You're probably confusing the "Dark Net" with the "Galactic Dark Net."]
Hex's eyebrows furrowed. This was the first time he'd heard of a distinction.
He sent a private message immediately:
[Is there a difference?]
[Of course.]
[There's a local Dark Net which is custom-built for each planet. That one is monitored tightly by your local government, with full surveillance, AI oversight, and human watchdogs.]
[But the GDN, i.e, the Galactic Dark Net is universal. It's decentralized, used by people all over the universe. And no one, not even a planetary intelligence agency, has the authority or resources to trace activity here.]
The user went on to explain in more detail.
The most fascinating part of the GDN, he said, was the total lack of regulation. Things like bioweapons, mind drugs, slave trafficking, and forbidden technology were traded openly. No search engine could index the content. And even the most advanced police surveillance tools were helpless as every post was masked through layered encryption, with IPs changing hundreds of times per second. To trace a single user over time would require multi-galactic-scale AI resources and even then, it would most likely fail.
[Here, anything is possible. As long as you can afford it.]
Hex leaned back and pondered.
He hesitated briefly, but decided to dig deeper. His curiosity burned.
He started searching forums about crystals, gene cores, and other related terms to verify what he'd seen in his own body and the Federation tests.
After a few minutes of deep diving, he came across a particular term
[Superpower Inheritance.]
"What is this…?" Hex murmured.
He clicked on the link. It led him to a detailed webpage filled with information and photos of various glowing crystals all labeled and categorized.
His eyes widened the moment he began reading.
Apparently, gene essence crystals, which store the complete genetic blueprint of a superpower, could be extracted from the dead on condition that the person isn't dead for more than 36 hours, after which the gene essence crystal slowly melts down.
These could then be implanted into the bodies of non-awakened humans, who would awaken that same ability, sometimes even gaining a portion of the original user's constitution and physical traits.
The chances of rejection? Around 40%, much like organ transplants. However, the site listed specific drugs that could reduce rejection to below 10%.
He scrolled further, heart pounding, until he reached the marketplace.
These crystals grant powerful abilities when absorbed, and their ranks and prices vary based on potency and rarity.
The Flame Control Core, an elemental-type Gene Essence ranked D, allows the wielder to manipulate and control fire. It is priced at 1.2 million GCP.
The Hyperspeed Neural Drive is a C-rank speed-type essence that enhances reflexes and movement to superhuman levels, costing 3.5 million GCP.
Next, the Bone Shatterer Core, ranked B, grants immense strength and is especially effective in melee combat. It is available for 8.0 million GCP.
At a higher tier, the Psycho-Space Manipulation crystal is an A-rank psychic-type essence, offering control over mental space and limited telekinetic abilities. This rare power is priced at 25 million GCP.
Finally, the Null-Zone Origin Seed is an S-rank void/anti-magic type crystal. Exceptionally rare, it allows the user to cancel or negate magic and energy-based attacks within a localized area. Its market price reaches a staggering 70 million GCP.
Even the lowest grade F-rank crystals were priced at 500,000 Galactic Credit Points.
Hex sat in silence, eyes still wide.
"So I was right… People do know about this. It's not a myth."
"Doesn't that mean as long as I am rich, I might be able to become invincible, cause others can only transplant a few abilities, whereas I have infinite possibilities."
A bitter laugh escaped his lips.
"If I had known earlier… maybe I wouldn't have wasted so much time."
But the smile froze on his face the next second, as a dreadful realization struck him.
"Wait… doesn't that mean I can also be a target?"
With that, he started to search around and shuddered in the cold.
Thousand…no millions of articles of people getting hunted.
"All those people who are posing with the crystals are hunters."
The realisation gave him deja vu.
"I'm someone with a confirmed gene crystal, awakened with no background. That puts me at risk."
A cold breath escaped his lungs as his instincts flared.
He began connecting the dots.
From Henkui's earlier words, the home planet lacked talents. Chaos Born had appeared in the lower sectors, and not enough elites had stepped up. The Federation was stretched thin, and desperate.
And then Hex remembered a rumor from the Elite class back at his academy.
There had been a boy who awakened right before the entrance ceremony. A quiet rumor had circulated that he could arrange powers for a price.At the time, people laughed it off.
But now?
Now it didn't seem so funny.
"Could I be hunted too?"
The thought sank into his bones like frost.