Chapter 321: Surprise

The Record feature of Soul Vault worked exactly like one would expect from the Inspect skill. Although it did not describe the items, it provided the names of the items very easily.The only requirement was that the item should exist somewhere within Ash’s memory, even if it appeared for only a brief moment. This also included the countless books he had memorized, the ones he had studied deeply, and even those whose meanings he had yet to fully understand.

Another necessary condition was that the item should be stored inside his Soul Vault, obviously.

And till now, the only thing that ever appeared as Unknown was...

- Rusty Hourglass (Unknown) (A) x 1

- Yin and Yang Array Plate (Unknown) (C) x 1

"But that doesn’t make sense!!!"

Ash shouted, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Anyone in his place would have been shocked, because the thing appearing before him was something he had never expected to see here.

The Rusty Hourglass was the artifact he had stolen from the Dragon Continent. It was not an ordinary relic—it was the Rune of Time. And now, something with a similar description had appeared once more in his records.

And he knew exactly what this was.

This was the item he had been searching for a while now. He had fought the Hollow Mother for it, had risked his own life and even the lives of many Dwarves while searching for it across the whole continent filled with parasites in the air.

Every clue he followed, every sacrifice he made, had been to obtain this one thing.

This Rune, which was supposed to appear only within the Land of Forge, had somehow ended up inside the Vault of the Black Market located in the Neutral Continent.

Wait, wait, wait, wait...before coming to any conclusion, let’s check it first...

He hurriedly exited his Soul Space and returned to the closed cave where his real body rested. The air there was cold and still, only the faint sound of dripping water echoing through the darkness. Without wasting another second, he summoned the Unknown Array Plate. The round metal plate appeared in front of him, its surface covered with intricate carvings resembling the eternal dance of Yin and Yang.

He pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto its center, muttering its TRUE NAME softly with anticipation. His expression showed both hope and nervousness; he wanted this to be real more than anything else.

"Rune of Harmony"

The moment his words echoed through the cave, a brilliant light burst out of the plate. The Yin and Yang symbols began to rotate rapidly, faster and faster, until their shapes blurred and the entire array trembled violently.

In a blink of an eye, the spinning reached such an extreme speed that the plate itself started to crack apart, its structure dissolving into radiant fragments.

The symbols then merged together, transforming into a strange liquid that shimmered with colors beyond description. The unknown substance hovered in the air for a second before it suddenly shot toward him, seeping into his body through his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.

Everything happened so fast that he had no time to react.

"Ughhh!!!!"

Ash groaned in pain, his body twisting as his hands clawed at his own face. His nails tore across his skin, leaving bloody marks, only for them to heal the next second as his regeneration activated. The pain, however, did not fade. It felt as if molten metal was being poured directly into his skull, burning through every nerve and vein.

It was a pain beyond imagination, yet Ash refused to collapse. After everything he had gone through, his body and mind had grown used to pain. Compared to the torments he had already faced, this was something he could still endure. What would have driven any other person into madness or even death was, for him, barely within the limits of control.

And while he struggled to stay conscious, countless changes began to unfold inside his body. His mana pulsed violently, his body flickered with unstable energy, and his entire being began to shift.

Something deep within him was awakening, reshaping both his power and the essence of his existence itself.

Everything in his body was already in ’Balance’, there was ’Stability’ through every single organ, even the cells were filled with ’Life’ and ’Death’. With ’Boundless Knowledge Potential’ in the brain, ’Concealed’ beneath muscles, filled with ’Space’. Each part of him seemed to exist in perfect order, like every fiber knew its role and every pulse followed an unseen rhythm that tied his existence together.

And right now, another change was happening.

Everything in his body was becoming one.

Everything was starting to get in harmony, like countless scattered melodies slowly blending into a single tune.

All different aspects of his powers were starting to stir and merge into one, connecting and resonating with each other in ways he could not control.

His bones aligned once again, his muscles shifted and readjusted as if reshaping themselves into a more complete form.

His body, which could already be said to be perfect in every way, was becoming more and more perfect, almost reaching the realm of Absolute Perfection. Each breath he took carried energy that didn’t belong to humans, and each heartbeat echoed like a silent drum vibrating through the air.

Just then, his blood stirred.....

And lines of text started to appear in front of his eyes, though he could not see them, as he was withering on the ground while scratching his face, unable to endure the agony that burned through his nerves.

Golden black scales started to appear on Ash’s withering form, and an enormous amount of power filled his body. The air around him trembled, his skin glowed faintly, and then the next second... cracks formed all over his body.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

An inhuman amount of agony pierced through Ash as the moment an error occurred, the pain crossed every limit he had ever known. It was not the pain of flesh tearing or bones breaking—it was something deeper, something that clawed at his very soul until his mind could no longer hold on.

It felt as if molten liquid was seeping into every corner of his being, burning through his veins, sinking into the depths of his spirit. His withering slowed only when his consciousness finally broke apart. He went unconscious, but his body kept reacting, convulsing on its own, driven purely by instinct and chaos.

The scales receded along with the fading glow of his body. The pain lessened, his movements grew weaker, and at one point, his body stopped thrashing altogether.

The cave fell silent once more, broken only by the faint sound of uneven breathing of something human—yet not quite human.

While Ash was absorbing another rune, the black market was fuming with uncontrollable rage. The fact that someone had managed to sneak into one of their second-most heavily guarded strongholds, steal everything, and then leave completely unscathed from their second-most secure base in the entire world. It was an insult to their pride and reputation, something they could not ignore.

Within hours, bounty posters of Ash began circulating throughout every corner of the world. The posters depicted a mysterious figure wearing a half-black cat mask, with disheveled black hair and a high-end hoodie that reflected faint light under the shadows. His face was hidden, but his presence alone looked dangerous and untouchable.

The bounty placed on him was nothing short of staggering—ten billion Gold coins, along with a vial of Soul Essence as an additional reward. That vial alone was something even Saints desired, a treasure capable of strengthening their souls and extending their lifespan.

By releasing this bounty, the black market made its intentions clear. They wanted everyone, even Saints and high-ranking organizations, to join the hunt for the thief who had humiliated them and stolen the treasures. What hurt them the most was that Ash stole the Divine Items, the body parts of Titan.

The news that someone had actually robbed a black market base spread like wildfire across the continents. At first, most people dismissed it, thinking it was just a baseless rumor made up by some overzealous storyteller.

After all, the black market’s bases were hidden even from the eyes of the most powerful figures. How could some unknown individual just appear out of nowhere, find the location, and steal everything before disappearing without a trace? It sounded impossible, almost laughable.

That was why most people didn’t believe it. They thought it was an exaggerated rumor, something too far-fetched to be true.

But then, the black market released an official bounty notice on an unknown individual—complete with his partial appearance and an unbelievable reward amount. That single action silenced every doubt. People who had laughed before found their breath growing heavier.

Because if the black market was releasing a bounty on someone, then it wasn’t just a rumor anymore. It was an undeniable fact. Someone had truly robbed them.

And from that moment on, chaos spread quietly through the underworld. Mercenaries, bounty hunters, assassins, and even Guilds started to move in secret. Although most of them were busy quelling the ceaseless onslaught of dungeon breaks, they still wanted to get the Soul essence vial in the hope of breaking through next realm. Especially the Saints.

Everyone began searching for clues, for even the smallest lead that could point to the masked thief.

All eyes turned toward the continents, waiting for the one who dared to steal from the black market to appear again. And somewhere, deep within the shadows, the hunt for Ash had begun.