The Grand Exchange Data Repository was not a virtual location; it was a physical monument to capitalism and digital power, located exactly twenty kilometers from Kai's slum apartment. The massive, obsidian-black tower dominated the Mid-Sector skyline, a spire of Nexus Corp's influence piercing the smoggy sky. It housed the largest data servers outside the government sector and was protected by layers of biometric security and, far more dangerously, corporate Cultivators.
Walking toward it was a calculated risk, but Kai had no choice. Anya, the Guild Leader of Iron Rose, was the only non-Nexus entity powerful enough to grant him the thirty days of debt protection he desperately needed. He had to prove his cheat was real, not just a system hack.
Kai's new Foundation Establishment (Initial Stage) strength made the long journey effortless. He moved with a quiet, efficient grace he hadn't possessed twenty-four hours ago. He bypassed the Mid-Sector's notorious gang territory, his enhanced senses detecting potential threats before they materialized.
[NOTIFICATION: HOST PHYSICAL CONDITION – OPTIMAL]
[CURRENT ACTION: STEALTH APPROACH. WIZ (Charisma) Stat Subtly Enhancing Host's Ability to Blend in Crowds.]
He reached the Exchange lobby exactly at the agreed time: midnight. The lobby was a vast, silent space of polished chrome and reinforced glass. Only one person was waiting: a woman who was infinitely more dangerous than the armed guards Kai had just bypassed.
Anya was not in her obsidian armor. She wore a tailored suit of dark gray, her blonde hair pulled back tightly, revealing sharp, intelligent eyes that missed nothing. She looked less like a guild leader and more like a high-tier corporate assassin.
[HAREM MEMBER #1 (ANYA) – POWER RANK: DANGER LEVEL 8/10. INTELLECT: 9/10.]
"You're late, Civilian Kai," Anya stated, her voice a low, melodic purr that somehow managed to convey both disapproval and interest.
"You said midnight, Guild Leader Anya. I am on time," Kai countered, stepping into the edge of the lobby's security scan field.
"You're one minute late, according to the Exchange's atomic clock. Punctuality is the first requirement of any asset I utilize. You are here to prove you are an asset, not a liability."
"Then let's begin the asset analysis," Kai said, meeting her intense gaze. "You paid fifteen thousand credits for the truth, Anya. I expect you to honor the terms of our agreement and maintain my family's safety."
Anya's lips curved into a faint, challenging smile. "The protection is active. I keep my word. Now, demonstrate the impossible Qi Punch that shattered a Tier-3 virtual entity."
She led him to a small, private data vault chamber meant for high-security meetings. Inside, the walls were lined with advanced sensor arrays and thick, sound-dampening ceramic.
"This room measures every energy signature, every vibration. If you try any cheap technological trick, the sensors will tell me. I want to see this 'real-world' Qi you claim to have cultivated from virtual gold." Anya pointed to a thick, reinforced, glass partition designed to separate high-voltage equipment. "Hit that. Show me your 'Foundation Access' power."
Kai focused his mind. He knew his punch would impress her, but his real trump card was the System's unique capabilities.
He took a foundational stance, one he had intuitively learned through the circulation of the Qi Pill he had forged. He inhaled slowly, feeling the Essence pool in his Dantian swirl like warm water. He focused 100% of his newfound strength into his fist.
[FOUNDATION ESTABLISHMENT (Initial Stage) – QI FOCUS: 100%]
He unleashed the blow. It wasn't loud. It was fast.
Thud.
The reinforced glass partition didn't shatter. It didn't even crack. But the entire three-inch thick pane vibrated violently, and then, inexplicably, a thin, perfectly circular, scorched outline appeared in the center where his fist had connected. The glass was undamaged, yet the energy signature it had absorbed left a physical mark.
Anya stared at the mark, her composure finally breaking into genuine shock. She walked up to the glass, running a gloved finger over the perfect circle.
"That's not kinetic energy," she whispered, her voice laced with awe. "That's pure Qi convergence. That is the signature of a genuine, high-level Cultivator's core ability, but… it's too refined for a Foundation stage. How could you achieve that kind of control without a full Qi Meridian blockage clearance?"
"The System's method is highly efficient," Kai replied, feeling a small surge of pride. He had gained her Respect.
[HAREM MEMBER #1 (ANYA) – RESPECT LEVEL: 35% (Significant increase). TRUST LEVEL: 10%.]
Anya turned, her eyes burning with ambition. "The truth, Kai. If the System can convert useless virtual resources into real, tangible Qi—it means you hold the key to the greatest power source in the world. Nexus Corp has spent centuries trying to bridge that digital/spiritual gap. They use massive, flawed conversion arrays. You do it with 10 E-PTs."
Kai knew he had to offer her a piece of the puzzle, but never the whole key.
"The System is called the Star-Forge," Kai explained, lowering his voice. "It is not a hack. It is an archive of ancient celestial navigation and cultivation codes. Aethelion is not a game; it is a decommissioned, forgotten Celestial Training Archive. The virtual credits are merely the digital remnants of cosmic energy."
He continued, leveraging his [DATA] insight. "The Forge requires three things: a low-grade power source (credits), a physical medium (the Data Shard from the Shadow Boss), and a compelling motivation (my family's critical health risk). It rewards measurable real-world success, which allows me to cultivate."
Anya was silent for a full minute, processing this massive lore drop. When she spoke, her tone was entirely different—no longer suspicious, but dangerously collaborative.
"If this is true, then Nexus Corp isn't trying to monopolize technology. They are trying to monopolize immortality," Anya murmured. She walked closer to Kai, her personal space intrusion deliberate and intense.
"Listen carefully, Kai. If you are going to survive, you need more than a thirty-day reprieve. You need power. And I need a strategic alliance with the Star-Forge."
She reached out and placed a data-chip into his hand. It was warm from her palm.
"This chip contains the access codes to the old Iron Rose resource grid. Tier-2 encryption. I will finance your next five hundred E-PTs using my virtual gold reserves. But in return, I need one thing: access to the next [Data Shard] you forge. Nexus Corp is moving a high-value, Tier-4 Relic shipment tomorrow. The System will tell you to attack it. I want to be there when you do."
[URGENT QUEST ALERT: ALLIANCE FORMATION]
Title: The Iron Rose Pact.
Objective: Accept Anya's alliance. Use the supplied resources to prepare for the Nexus Corp shipment raid. Forge one advanced item or pill using the next Data Shard in Anya's presence to prove the Forge's function.
Reward: Nexus Corp shipment route data, 500 E-PTs (Immediate Credit), Harem Member #1 (Anya) Alliance Status: Active.
Failure Penalty: Anya becomes an immediate, hostile rival.
Kai slipped the chip into his pocket. The reward was immense. Five hundred E-PTs was enough power to change his life, and his family's, for the next year.
"The alliance is accepted, Guild Leader Anya," Kai said, locking eyes with her. "But the Forge has its own rules. The second Shard must be found in the real world. We fight tomorrow, side-by-side."
Anya smiled, a genuine, predatory expression. "Side-by-side, Civilian Kai. Now, get out. You have powerful resources to prepare, and a family to protect."
Kai didn't waste another second. He left the Grand Exchange, the heavy weight of the data chip in his pocket, already calculating how to use the 500 Essence Points to ensure his survival and his family's ascent. The battle was over, and the war was on.
[ATTENTION: HAREM MEMBER #1 (ANYA) – TRUST LEVEL: 25%. ROMANCE POTENTIAL: 5%.] – Note: Anya views the relationship purely as a tactical alliance, but her intense focus on Kai represents the first stage of the Harem progression.