SSS-RANK: The Time God-Chapter 41: A Whisper of Opportunity

The news reached the Academy on a cold morning in late autumn. A messenger from the capital arrived at dawn, his horse lathered with sweat from a hard ride through the night.

Robin was completing his morning training routine when he heard the commotion. Students gathered in clusters across the courtyard, their voices carrying urgent whispers.

"complete collapse"

"the entire eastern shaft"

"hundreds of workers trapped"

Norman appeared beside him, his enhanced hearing having caught the news before most. "Something’s happened. The Sunstone mines."

Robin’s heart skipped a beat. The Sunstone mines.

He kept his expression neutral, but his mind was racing. Justin’s memories surged forward, this event. He remembered this event.

"What about them?" Robin asked carefully.

"Catastrophic collapse. The primary mine shaft caved in." Norman’s golden eyes were serious.

"The kingdom’s main source of mana-conducting crystals. Production is halted indefinitely."

Robin forced himself to breathe normally. This was it. The exact moment he remembered.

The Headmaster called an emergency assembly. The entire student body gathered in the main hall, instructors lining the walls with grim expressions.

"I’m sure you’ve all heard rumors by now," Valerius began, his scarred face showing unusual concern.

"I’m here to provide facts. Yesterday evening, the Sunstone mine suffered a catastrophic structural failure. The eastern shaft which accounts for seventy percent of the kingdom’s crystal production has completely collapsed."

Shocked murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"Rescue operations are underway, but the damage is extensive. Initial assessments suggest production will be halted for months, possibly years.

This will have significant economic impact on Valderra."

A Class A student raised his hand. "Sir, what does this mean for artifact production? For military equipment?"

"Shortages are inevitable," The Headmaster replied bluntly. "Sunstone crystals are essential for mana-conducting weapons, communication arrays, and defensive enchantments. Without new production, existing reserves will become extremely valuable."

Robin listened with half his attention. The other half was calculating.

In his previous life, this collapse had triggered massive panic in economic circles. Nobles and merchants who stockpiled Sunstone crystals had rushed to sell, fearing long-term worthlessness if production never recovered.

The market price had crashed within days. Crystals that normally sold for ten gold pieces each dropped to less than one gold.

Everyone thought the mines were finished. That the collapse had destroyed the primary vein permanently.

But they were wrong.

Robin remembered what Justin had learned years later, when historical economic records became public. Three weeks after the collapse, miners exploring alternate routes had discovered something incredible.

A new vein. Massive. Pristine. Crystals of quality far superior to anything previously extracted.

Within a month of that discovery, Sunstone prices had skyrocketed to one hundred gold pieces per crystal. A ten-thousand percent return for anyone bold enough to buy during the panic.

Robin had to suppress a smile.

This was his opportunity.

The assembly ended. Students dispersed to their classes, but the news dominated every conversation.

In the dining hall, Robin overheard Class A nobles discussing the economic implications.

"Father’s advisors are recommending we liquidate our crystal reserves immediately," one said. "Before the market completely collapses."

"Same here. My family holds two hundred crystals in storage. We’re selling everything this week."

"Smart. Better to get something now than nothing later."

Robin sat at the Class F table, eating his meal in silence. Norman noticed his distraction.

"You’re thinking," Norman observed quietly.

"Always."

"About the mines?"

Robin nodded slowly. "It’s an economic disaster. But disasters create opportunities for those who see them."

Norman’s eyes narrowed. "You have that look. The one you get when you’re planning something."

"Maybe."

"Care to elaborate?"

Robin considered how much to reveal. Norman was trustworthy, had proven that countless times. But this required resources Robin didn’t have.

"The market will panic," Robin said quietly. "Crystal prices will crash as everyone sells. But what if the collapse isn’t as catastrophic as people think?"

"You think production will recover?"

"I think panicking merchants make poor decisions." Robin’s eyes were distant, calculating. "If someone had capital to invest right now, they could buy crystals at rock-bottom prices. Then wait."

"Wait for what?"

"For the market to stabilize. For production to eventually resume. For prices to recover." Robin met Norman’s gaze. "It’s a gamble. But potentially very profitable."

Norman absorbed this. "How much capital would someone need?"

"More than I have." Robin’s expression turned bitter. "I have maybe three silver to my name. Barely enough to buy a meal at a decent inn, much less investment-grade crystals."

They finished eating in silence. Robin’s mind continued churning.

Three weeks. That’s all the time I have. Three weeks until the new vein is discovered and prices explode.

But without capital, the opportunity was meaningless. He couldn’t invest what he didn’t possess.

That afternoon, Robin visited the Academy’s commercial district, a small section where approved merchants sold supplies to students.

One shop specialized in magical materials, including Sunstone crystals for personal enchantment projects.

The shopkeeper was an elderly man named Gregor, his hands scarred from decades of crystal cutting. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Terrible business with the mines," Gregor said, shaking his head. "Terrible. I’ve been in this trade forty years. Never seen anything like it."

"What’s it done to prices?" Robin asked, feigning casual interest.

"Dropped like a stone off a cliff." Gregor gestured to his display case. "Normally charge ten gold per raw crystal. Now I’m lucky to get one gold. Everyone’s selling. Nobody’s buying."

Robin examined the crystals. They were small, unprocessed specimens nothing like the investment-grade materials nobles hoarded. But they were real Sunstone.

"How low do you think prices will go?" Robin asked.

"Lower. Much lower." Gregor’s expression was grim. "Word is, merchants in the capital are practically giving away their reserves.

Just trying to recover any value before the market goes to zero."

"You sound like you think it will recover eventually."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Gregor shrugged. "I’m too old to gamble. I’ll sell what I have and retire. Let younger men worry about the future."

Robin nodded thoughtfully. "If someone wanted to buy from you now, what price would you accept?"

Gregor studied him with sudden interest. "You thinking of investing, boy? That’s bold for a student."

"Just curious."

"Curiosity or not, I’d take fifty silver per crystal right now. Just to clear my inventory." He laughed bitterly. "That’s ninety-five percent loss from last month’s price. But it’s better than zero."

Fifty silver. Robin did the math quickly. He had three silver total. He’d need to multiply his wealth seventeen times just to buy a single crystal.

Impossible.

Unless...

Robin left the shop with his mind racing. There had to be a way. Some method to acquire capital rapidly.

Academy missions paid modest rewards, but nothing substantial enough. Tutoring other students might earn coppers, not silver. Selling personal equipment was pointless he barely owned anything of value.

That left more creative options.

Robin spent the evening in the library, researching economic regulations and merchant law. Looking for loopholes. Opportunities. Anything that could be leveraged.

Three hours later, he found something interesting.

The Academy had a standing policy for material procurement. Students who provided rare components, beast parts, unusual minerals, preserved specimens received compensation based on market value.

Most students ignored this. Hunting beasts for materials was dangerous and time-consuming. The pay was minimal compared to the risk.

But Robin wasn’t most students.

And he had access to a hunting ground no one else dared venture into.

The deep forest. Where he and Norman trained every night. Where Void corruption created dangerous creatures.

Creatures whose parts were valuable to Academy researchers.

Robin pulled out a pricing sheet from the library archives. Scanned through material values.

Void Shrieker talons: Two silver per set.

Corrupted wolf pelts: Five silver each.

Void Horror chitin plates: Twenty silver per kilogram.

His mind calculated rapidly. A night’s hunting could potentially yield ten to fifteen silver worth of materials. Maybe more if they pushed deep into dangerous territory.

Do that for a week, and he’d have enough capital to buy one or two crystals at current panic prices.

It was risky. Hunting for profit was different from training combat. It meant targeting specific creatures, preserving specific body parts, carrying additional equipment.

But it was possible.

Robin stood from the library table, his decision made.

Norman was waiting on their usual rooftop when Robin arrived at midnight.

"Change of plans," Robin said without preamble.

"Oh?"

"We’re going hunting. For profit." Robin explained his plan, the material procurement program, the crashed crystal prices, the opportunity if they could accumulate capital quickly.

Norman listened with growing interest. "You want to hunt Void creatures for their parts. Sell those parts to the Academy. Use the money to buy Sunstone crystals while prices are low."

"Exactly."

"And you think prices will recover?"

"I think panicking merchants are making emotional decisions, not rational ones. The mines will recover eventually. When they do, anyone holding crystals will profit enormously."

Norman’s grin was feral. "I’m in. But we’ll need to hunt harder than we’ve been training. Target high-value creatures specifically."

"I know. It’ll be dangerous."

"Good. I was getting bored with our usual training anyway." Norman stood, drawing his blade. "Where do we start?"

Robin pulled out a hand-drawn map of the deep forest, the result of months of midnight exploration. He pointed to a section marked with red ink.

"Here. Intelligence from other students suggests a pack of Void-corrupted wolves. Six to eight individuals. Their pelts alone would be worth thirty to forty silver."

"That’s enough for your first investment."

"If we survive the hunt." Robin met Norman’s golden eyes. "These aren’t training exercises. We’re hunting creatures that can kill us. For materials we need to preserve intact. It’s a different level of difficulty."

"Then it’s a good thing we’ve spent forty-seven nights forging ourselves into weapons." Norman’s smile widened. "Let’s go make some money."

They descended from the rooftop and headed for the eastern gate.

Behind them, the Academy slept, unaware that two Class F students were about to begin a hunting operation that would fund the most profitable investment in the kingdom’s recent history.

Robin’s mind was already three steps ahead. Calculating kill strategies. Material preservation techniques. Optimal selling timing.

Three weeks until the new vein was discovered. Three weeks to accumulate as many crystals as possible.

Three weeks to turn knowledge from a previous lifetime into a fortune in this one.

The Sunstone collapse had created panic throughout the kingdom.

But for Robin Stark, it had created something far more valuable.

Opportunity.

And he is very good at recognizing those.