**Chapter 15: The Ripple Effect**
The giant holographic face of Athena dissolved into star dust.
"Arrogance," she whispered before vanishing. "It will be your tomb."
Zayne stood alone in the silent arena. He sheathed his dagger.
"Arrogance is assuming the outcome," Zayne replied to the empty air. "I only calculate it."
He turned his attention to the loot. The chest for a Floor 10 Clear was massive, ornate, and floated a few inches off the ground.
*Click.*
The lid swung open.
[You have obtained: 15,000 Coins.]
[You have obtained: The Dullahan's Vertebrae (Crafting Material - Epic).]
[You have obtained: Skill Book - "Grave Lord's Aura" (Passive).]
[You have obtained: Ring of the Headless (Unique).]
Zayne picked up the Ring first. It was made of black bone, cold to the touch.
[Item: Ring of the Headless]
[Rank: Unique]
[Stats: Strength +10, Agility +10.]
[Passive Effect: "Pain Nullification". The user feels 50% less pain from non-lethal injuries. Does not reduce damage taken, only the sensation.]
"Useful," Zayne muttered. Pain caused hesitation. Hesitation caused death. He slipped it onto his left hand, next to the *Ring of the Glutton*.
Next, the Skill Book.
[Skill: Grave Lord's Aura (Passive)]
[Effect: Enemies within 10 meters with lower Willpower than the user suffer a "Fear" status, reducing their Defense by 10%.]
"Defense reduction." Zayne nodded. It synergized perfectly with his speed. He learned it immediately.
A cold, grey mist began to seep from his skin, invisible to the naked eye but palpable to the soul. The air around him dropped five degrees.
[Current Level: 21]
[Unassigned Stat Points: 15]
Zayne dumped everything into **Intelligence**.
[Strength: 45]
[Agility: 55]
[Intelligence: 24 -> 39]
[Void Energy: 150 -> 190 (Scaled with Int)]
He needed a deeper pool of energy. *Dimensional Cut* was expensive, and *Void Pocket* required constant upkeep.
"System, exit."
A portal opened. But this one didn't lead to the next floor. It led back to the City of Beginnings. The Tower required a "Registration Update" after every 10 floors.
***
**[Location: City of Beginnings - Central Plaza]**
The atmosphere in the city was hysterical.
The sky above the plaza had turned gold. Massive letters burned in the clouds for everyone to see.
**[CONGRATULATIONS TO PLAYER 'ZAYNE' FOR CLEARING FLOOR 10.]**
**[THE FIRST CHAPTER HAS ENDED.]**
**[CITY SERVICES UPGRADED: AUCTION HOUSE UNLOCKED. GUILD HALL UNLOCKED.]**
Thousands of players stood frozen, staring up.
"Floor 10?" A man in heavy armor dropped his shield. "We just lost two guys to the poison plants on Floor 2. And he cleared Floor 10?"
"He's a monster."
"No, he's a god. If we can get him in our party..."
In the VIP section of the newly unlocked Guild Hall, the leaders of the emerging factions were already convening.
**Krav**, leader of the Red Dragons, slammed his fist on the table.
"Find him! I don't care if you have to turn over every stone in District 9. Find Zayne! Offer him 100,000 coins. If he refuses... kill him and see if he drops his gear."
**Viper**, a mysterious assassin wearing a mask, sat in the corner polishing a dagger.
"Kill him?" Viper chuckled. "He killed the Dullahan in 45 minutes. If you try to kill him, Krav, your guild will be the first to be erased."
**Elara Vance**, who had just returned from clearing Floor 2, stood by the window looking at the golden text.
"Zayne..." She bit her lip. She had thought she was catching up. She was wrong. He was accelerating.
***
**[Location: District 9 - The Slums]**
Zayne stepped out of the portal.
He didn't appear in the main plaza. He had used his *Black Market VIP Card* to redirect his teleport coordinates to the alleyway entrance.
He pulled his hood tight. The *Shroud of the Nameless* worked perfectly; to any onlookers, he was just a blur of shadow, Level: ???.
He walked into the crowded street. He needed to sell the loot he couldn't use and buy consumables for the next leg.
"Did you hear? Zayne unlocked the Auction House!"
"I bet he has Legendary items."
Zayne walked past the gossipers. He entered a general store.
"Water. Dried meat. 50 kilos," Zayne ordered.
The shopkeeper, a nervous NPC, nodded. "Right away! Uh, 500 coins."
Zayne paid. He swept the supplies into his *Void Pocket* instantly.
The shopkeeper blinked. "Space magic? Are you a Mage?"
"Something like that."
Zayne turned to leave, but the door blocked his path.
Three men stood there. They wore red armbands. **Red Dragon Clan**.
"Hey, pal," the leader, a thug named Brutus (Level 8), smirked. "Nice cloak. We're collecting a 'Security Tax' for this street. Since you look rich, how about 1,000 coins?"
Zayne sighed.
"Get out of my way."
Brutus laughed. "Or what? You gonna cry to the guards? We *are* the guards around he—"
[Passive Effect: Grave Lord's Aura triggered.]
Zayne took one step forward.
The temperature in the shop plummeted.
Brutus felt his knees buckle. A primal, lizard-brain terror seized his heart. He looked at the hooded figure and didn't see a man; he saw a gaping abyss of death.
[Status: Fear.]
[Defense -10%.]
[Willpower Check: FAILED.]
"I... I..." Brutus stammered, urine staining his trousers.
The other two thugs dropped their weapons, trembling violently.
Zayne didn't even draw his sword. He just walked forward.
Brutus scrambled out of the way, falling over his own feet, hyperventilating.
Zayne stepped out into the street.
"Ants," he whispered.
He headed toward the Auction House. He had a *Minotaur's Horn* and *Dullahan's Vertebrae* to sell.
It was time to break the economy.