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....
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."