Jason sat on the edge of the helipad atop the Silvercore Tower, watching the skyline shimmer with the neon glint of a city that never slept. The Silvercore Tech Expo had concluded with unprecedented success, and his reputation had soared to untouchable heights in the global tech industry. But he knew it wasn't just about tech anymore—it was about power. And in the shadows of that power, other forces had begun to stir.
The System Auction was the underground event of the century. Hidden beneath the layers of society's glittering elite, an exclusive gathering was about to take place—where ancient artifacts, forbidden abilities, and even full-fledged systems would be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
Jason received the encrypted invitation at midnight, embedded within a system notification from the Rebirth Billionaire System itself.
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
You have been granted access to the Forbidden Auction hosted by the Obsidian Circle.
Location: Shifting coordinates. Entry Code: GENESIS-IX.
Time until event: 22 hours.
Reward: Unknown Opportunities. Unknown Risks.
Caution: Only awakened beings and system holders may enter.
Jason stared at the message for a long moment before smirking. "Looks like we're playing with gods now."
The Preparations
Back in his private suite, Jason activated the System Lab. With the latest upgrades unlocked from his previous achievements, his laboratory now included a Quantum Fabricator, a Dimensional Stabilizer, and a Temporal Replay Node. These weren't just tools—they were advantages in a war he hadn't even seen yet.
He called Auri, the AI assistant of the Rebirth Billionaire System.
"Bring up the Auction Profiles," Jason said.
Auri's holographic form flickered to life—a translucent woman with flowing silver hair and golden eyes that shimmered with data streams.
"Jason, the System Auction is a once-in-a-generation event. The participants will include other system users, demigods, heirs of forgotten lineages, and AI-enhanced overlords," she said calmly. "The risks are... significant."
"I'm not going in to bid," Jason replied. "I'm going in to observe. And maybe... steal."
"Then you'll need more than observation," Auri replied, hands moving through floating holograms. "Initiating cloak protocols. Upgrading defensive layers. Embedding Phantom Identity Framework into your neural signature."
Jason felt a warm wave wash over him as the changes were applied. His very presence would become untraceable, his identity unrecognizable, even to other systems.
He opened his system inventory. He'd prepared a small arsenal of defensive and utility tools:
Chrono-Delay Capsule – slows time for 30 seconds within a five-meter radius. Soul Mirror Pendant – reflects one mental or spiritual attack. Godsilver Token – a bargaining chip rumored to be tradable with celestial entities.
He strapped on his newly crafted black-tech armor—a lightweight suit composed of nanite mesh, reactive memory fiber, and embedded stealth runes from the Mystic Auction he'd secretly infiltrated two weeks ago.
The auction was tomorrow.
And he would be ready.
Entering the Shadow Market
The Obsidian Circle's auction house wasn't located in any one place. It shifted every few hours through dimensional folds, slipping between layers of reality to avoid detection by sovereign authorities and universal enforcers.
To reach it, Jason had to traverse through the Veil Gate—a cloaked nexus point located beneath the ruins of an old cathedral in Rome. It was hidden by divine seals, illusion barriers, and a memory erasure field.
Fortunately, Jason's system included a Null Decryption Eye, which bypassed those illusions like static on an old radio.
As he passed through the stone arch, reality shimmered—and in a blink, he stood in a place that defied logic.
The sky was filled with reversed constellations.
Floating platforms orbited a black monolith that hovered in the air, endlessly absorbing light.
Strange beings moved through the crowd: a vampire queen in silk shadows, a merchant cyborg from Dimension XR-3, a phoenix cultivator in golden robes, a boy who seemed to carry an entire galaxy in a crystal jar.
Jason's cloaked identity registered him as "Draven-Null," an interdimensional rogue investor.
"Welcome to the System Auction," a silver-masked usher said, handing him a booklet made of living light. "The opening bid is scheduled in 20 minutes. Please proceed to your designated pod."
Jason scanned the auction catalog:
Fragmented Legacy System: Monarch of Devouring FlameRelic: Chrono-Sigil of Lost KingsComplete System Core: The Banker's Hand (Grade A)Skill Stone: God-Tier Passive – Absolute EquilibriumSoul Contract with a Fallen Archangel
Each of those items could shift the fate of a universe.
And someone in this room was going to win them.
Unless Jason stole them first.
The Auction Begins
The auctioneer was not a person, but a construct—a giant floating eye made of obsidian and amethyst, pulsating with ancient code.
"Welcome, distinguished bidders," it said in a voice that reverberated through Jason's bones. "Let the bidding begin."
The first item appeared—a swirling flame suspended in crystal. The Monarch of Devouring Flame System.
"Starting bid: 3 Dragon Hearts or equivalent universal currency."
Immediately, offers rang out. Ethereal numbers filled the air.
"5 Dragon Hearts."
"10 Phoenix Feathers and one demi-plane."
"Offer: Two-dimensional empire rights for 20 solar cycles."
Jason watched, noting the bidders, their reactions, their connections.
He was mapping them. Identifying their systems. Finding weaknesses.
That's when he saw her.
A woman in a black veil seated across from him. Her aura was masked, but Jason's system pinged a match.
[SYSTEM WARNING: High-level system user detected. Codename: Nightshade Oracle. Affiliation: Void Syndicate.]
Jason frowned.
The Void Syndicate was a ghost story among system users—an organization of system holders who had forsaken the rules entirely, feeding on other systems and devouring their cores to ascend into something beyond human.
She was bidding passively. Not for the systems, but watching. An observer—like him.
Their eyes met.
Jason smiled behind his mask.
She smiled back.
They both knew this was no ordinary auction.
The Vault Breach
As the bidding intensified, Jason activated a subroutine in his system. His goal wasn't to buy—he wanted to access the System Vault, a legendary chamber where all unsold or confiscated system cores were stored.
Auri appeared in his HUD.
"Vault located beneath central monolith. Security is woven with logic paradoxes and temporal locks."
Jason responded mentally. Break them.
He used the Chrono-Delay Capsule, causing a subtle ripple in local time. The floating eye paused slightly mid-announcement—just a hiccup—but enough.
He slipped a Phase Displacer under his seat and triggered it.
For one millisecond, Jason ceased to exist in this reality—and in that time, Auri's logic chain broke the vault's encryption layer.
[SYSTEM SUCCESS: Vault access granted.]
Jason reappeared inside a circular chamber made of shifting code and transparent alloy. Rows upon rows of floating spheres—each one a system.
He was looking at the crown jewels of the multiverse.
He approached one labeled:
Eclipse Sovereign System [Dormant]
Grade: S+
Status: Sealed
Condition: Requires Soul Compatibility Check.
Auri's voice echoed in his mind.
"Jason… this system is almost incompatible. But if you absorb even a portion of it, your evolution will accelerate."
Jason gritted his teeth. "Do it."
Energy surged into him. Pain. Fire. Gravity collapsing in on itself. Visions of burning stars, universes undone.
His body convulsed.
His heart stopped.
Then restarted—faster, stronger.
[SYSTEM UPGRADE: Rebirth Billionaire System has absorbed 4% of Eclipse Sovereign Protocol.]
[New Ability Unlocked: Quantum Dividend—For every timeline affected by your wealth decisions, passive influence multiplies exponentially.]
Jason gasped, falling to his knees.
But the vault alarms were already blaring.
Escape from the Auction
Back in the auction chamber, chaos erupted.
"INTRUDER!" the eye screamed, collapsing into a mass of red fire.
Guards poured in—humanoids, beasts, drones.
Jason burst through the floor, trailing silver flames. His presence was no longer cloaked.
Every system user looked his way.
Half drew weapons.
The other half hesitated.
Because they recognized that energy.
Someone shouted, "That's the Genesis Flame! He's the one who cracked the Temporal Nexus!"
Jason grinned, even as his body burned from the inside.
"I didn't come to bid," he said, raising his hand.
"I came to take."
And the world exploded.
Aftermath
Jason landed on top of a skyscraper back in Neo-Tokyo, breathing heavily. His armor was in tatters. His system was still recalibrating. But in his hand was a sealed core—something he didn't even remember grabbing.
Auri whispered, "That's a Divine Blueprint. A seed for a new world."
Jason looked up at the stars.
"So... now I'm a world builder?"
"No," Auri corrected. "You're a system maker now."
Jason's smirk turned cold.
Then he opened his system dashboard.
[NEW QUEST UNLOCKED: Forge the Sovereign System]