“What the-?” The thug flinched, caught off guard at Vaan’s sudden charge. “You-!” He swung his knife at Vaan.

But it was slow. No, it wasn’t that it was slow, but that Vaan sped up.

A subconscious action. Reflexes that he didn’t have were making him move with skill he didn’t possess and then the Spark of Creation was filling in the gaps.

The knife cut wide, biting only at air.

At the same time, Vaan grabbed the thug’s neck.

“Kuh-!” The thug tried to stab Vaan’s arm to make him let go. But when the knife struck his clothes, it dissolved.

-A headache.

‘Go on.’

The thug stared at him, his eyes wide. He grabbed Vaan’s arm, trying to pry himself free.

But-

‘You remember the goblin, right?’

-Right.

Dissolving everything to enhance himself. Using the material to create skills and abilities he didn’t possess.

“H-Hey! That guy really managed to fight back!”

“Don’t just stand there! Do something!”

Voices from the ones surrounding him.

Vaan ignored them and stared at the person he was holding.

A horrific sight. Flesh dissolving before his eyes. Mana being ripped out and drained into his body.

But at the same time-

“Hah!”

A knife stabbed into Vaan’s back. At the same time, arrows, spears, and other weapons pierced his body, sending blood splattering.

But…

“W-What the hell?!”

The person who stabbed Vaan in the back fell on his butt, scrambling backwards. “T-This guy…!? M-Monster?!”

A headache. At the same time, a flow of strength.

The wounds inflicted in his body began to unravel, healed by ‘Restoration.’ At the same time, his body itself began to strengthen.

A refreshing feeling.

After a few minutes with hushed silence, the thug in Vaan’s hand was gone, not even ashes in the wind.

At the same time, he felt… Good. His body felt stronger, his senses a bit sharper.

With that, he lowered his arm and turned to stare at the other thugs that tried to ambush him.

Frantic scrambling. But even so, they didn’t dare to run too far. As if they were afraid doing so would provoke Vaan further and make him chase them down like a ghost.

Vaan smiled. The headache he had was gone and his heart stopped racing too.

Was it because he was suffering from a depletion of resources earlier after overusing his ability?

Well, whatever the case was it was done. And now this situation…

Vaan idly adjusted his shirt and said, “I heard that there is an underground auction house in this area.” He grinned and said, “You wouldn’t happen to know where it is, would you?”

---

A decrepit building in the middle of the slums. After a few casual reassurances that he wouldn’t devour their souls, the group of men that attacked Vaan led him to the leader of the slums… Or rather, the one responsible for the underworld in Bruegal.

“H-He’s inside, Sir!”

Vaan’s current guide, a scarred man with a bald head and tattered clothes, bowed his head and said, “D-Do you need anything else?”

“I’ll be fine, thanks.” He answered with a smile and then looked to the building.

The door was chipped and cracked, something that looked like it would break with a strong wind. An empty building that was just a placeholder in the area, not actually serviceable.

But Vaan could sense it. A presence inside.

And, as if it could sense Vaan as well, a voice called out. “Come in.”

Smooth and suave. That was how the voice sounded. Fitting, considering it was said to belong to the leader of the underworld here.

Vaan walked inside, pushing through the door.

There was a man standing there, his back turned to Vaan and looking out a window.

Was it to look mysterious? Or was he actually staring at something?

Vaan didn’t know. But the man turned around to look at Vaan after he entered.

A sharp face that was objectively handsome, but more on the feminine side. Light brown hair parted to one side and brilliant green eyes that glowed in the dark building. His mouth was set in a stern frown as he appraised Vaan.

“So you are the one causing trouble in my territory? Who devoured one of my men?”

-Odd. It was odd.

Vaan had the sense that he should be intimidated. That he shouldn’t be acting like this. But-

“Indeed.”

-He let out a thin smile and leaned back against the wall. “Is that a problem?”

A headache. A sense of incongruity. At the same time, a sense of danger.

The way Vaan was acting was wrong. No, not wrong, but unnatural. This wasn’t how ‘he’ acted.

But he could sense it. The moment he showed weakness in front of the man in front of him would be his end.

The man was silent for a while, those brilliant green eyes quietly staring at Vaan, as if peering into his soul.

Then, the man smiled. “I suppose you must be new to this area. Well, no matter. I can forgive losing a mover or two.” He waved his hand and the surroundings shifted. The decrepit building suddenly turned into an office room and the man sat down in a plush crimson chair behind a dark wooden desk. He waved to the chair on the opposite side of the desk and said, “Have a seat, please. You wished to learn about the auction house, did you not?”

“I did.” Saying that, Vaan sat into the seat, casually leaning back with one arm over the backrest. “I’m interested in selling and buying.”

“Mm. Might I have your name then?”

“Yours first.”

“…I suppose that is fair.” The man nodded and placed his hand over his chest. “My name is Thomas Volo, leader of the Dark Mark syndicate that currently serve as the ruler of Bruegal’s underworld. I also happen to be the current auction master of the auction happening later this evening. Now.” He smiled, an expression that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “May I have the name of the monster disguised in human flesh standing before me? Or rather, of the vengeful spirit bound within that young man's body?”