The First Order - Chapter 1028 - The Bizarre Black Market

“Look, I don’t need to be the strongest — I just need to be slightly stronger than the guy trying to kill me.”---Zayn Eldrake was nothing more than a nameless extra in the grand tale of summoned heroes — a disposable swordsman in the legendary Hero of Light’s party, fated to die in an early battle against the monsters of the Apocalypse.But when he awakens in this doomed body with memories of his past life, he refuses to meet the same pathetic end.He knows the story. He knows the heroes. He knows their strengths, their weaknesses… and most importantly, their women.With the power of [Devourer’s Pact], Zayn can consume the abilities of those he defeats, transforming himself into something far greater than a mere extra.Strength, magic, divine blessings — everything in this world is his for the taking. And if fate itself stands in his way? He’ll devour that too.

One scam package,That's all it took to drag the 17-year-old Cail into the world of the void....He thought he had ordered a limited-edition sneakers. But what came was a shady-looking package on his front gate. It smelled like rotten egg and sulfur. Inside the package was a strange box.It's filled with eccentric junk. They looked very intricate and mysterious. He thought, “I probably got someone else's package, a package from someone that was very interested in mysticism.”An old coin, a cracked compass, a ring with an ugly center stone, and some other weird looking trinkets.So he did what any broke student would do:He sold it. He figured someone might want them for cosplay or something. Well, except the gold-rimmed glasses that seemed to fit him very well.“Damn, I paid 7,000 nu for that sneaker; I better get something out from this scam package.”Then all hell broke loose. Strange people started approaching him.People brought that junk. Very strange people wearing suspicious get up trying to buy those stuff in the sketchiest manner possible.As he kept selling, he realized that the box was refilling, it seemed to have an endless supply of those strange stuff. Those people called it 'artifacts'.Then one day he woke up with a strange tattoo on his arm; inside the tattoo was an independent space containing the box. It is basically inseparable from him.“I didn't ask for any of this to happen. But now, strange people come to me with desperate offers. Money, memories, and even soul.”He's just trying to survive high school while earning some money!He had no idea what was going on, but apparently, this thing that he got? It's not just an artifact. It's a contract.As Cail navagates school life, part-time jobs, and otherworldly clients, he starts asking the real question:When did I become an artifact dealer?!By day, he is just an ordinary student, a NPC character.And by night? He is The Dealer. Selling ancient items and dealing with people that he probably shouldn't be talking to.“Since I'm already in this mess, might as well profit off of it.”

In 2036, humankind steps foot on Mars for the first time.

Abandoned by Fate, but Chosen by Chaos.A world where magic reigns supreme and the mightiest wizards stand at the apex.A world where one’s mana affinity, if one even had it, determines one’s status in society, whether one could soar through the skies like a dragon or remain grounded, scraping by like rats or chickens.This was the world Hal Fennec was born into.Raised in the poverty of a border village, Hal had one wish: to give his mother a better life, one free from the constant fear of beast attacks and invasions by the Fellkin.But fate seemed to be playing a cruel joke.Despite being the brightest and most confident among his peers since childhood, Hal turned out to be barely qualified to become a wizard.His natural talent, contrary to his expectations, was nowhere near enough to fulfill even his modest dream of a decent city life.But then, just when his final hope was snuffed out and the future seemed gray and bleak, a twist of fate—or more fittingly Chaos—granted him a system that would turn everything around.