Ren leaned against the cool stone walls of Drakeforge Keep, catching his breath as the Forge Drake's molten corpse smoldered in the center of the chamber. Around him, his team stood victorious, their health low but their spirits high.
The first full clear of the dungeon had been a brutal affair, but the rewards were well worth the effort. Notifications appeared in Ren's vision, listing the loot dropped by the dungeon boss.
---
Loot Drop: Forge Drake
1. Drakefang Bow (Rare)
Type: Weapon (Ranged)
Level Requirement: 10
Stats:
+15 Dexterity
+10 Intelligence
Special Ability: Flame Shot – Fires an arrow that deals bonus fire damage and applies a burning debuff.
Rarity Level: Rare
2. Lavaforged Pauldrons (Rare)
Type: Armor (Shoulders)
Level Requirement: 12
Stats:
+10 Endurance
+5 Strength
Special Ability: Molten Aura – Reduces fire damage by 10%.
Rarity Level: Rare
3. Emberheart Amulet (Epic)
Type: Accessory
Level Requirement: 15
Stats:
+25 Intelligence
+15 Wisdom
Special Ability: Ember Nova – Releases a fiery explosion when health drops below 20%. Cooldown: 10 minutes.
Rarity Level: Epic
4. Forge Drake Scales (Crafting Material - Rare)
5. 500 Gold Coins
---
Ren quickly scanned the loot. "Not bad," he muttered, glancing at his teammates. "Alright, let's divvy this up."
---
Item Rarity Levels in Ascendant Realms
1. Common (Gray) – Basic items with no bonuses.
2. Uncommon (Green) – Basic stat bonuses.
3. Rare (Blue) – Moderate bonuses with one or two special abilities.
4. Epic (Purple) – High stat boosts, powerful abilities, and often sought after.
5. Legendary (Orange) – Extremely rare, game-changing items with unique mechanics.
6. Mythic (Red) – Ultra-rare, often one-of-a-kind items found only in endgame content.
---
Item Distribution
Ren opened the team loot distribution panel.
Drakefang Bow: "Kael, this is perfect for you. The Flame Shot ability synergizes with your Arcane Arrow."
Lavaforged Pauldrons: "Gron, these are yours. Extra fire resistance will make you even harder to kill."
Emberheart Amulet: "This one's mine," Ren said. It was a risky decision—he couldn't even equip it yet at Level 6—but he knew its value.
Forge Drake Scales: "We'll sell these for gold."
Kael frowned as he inspected the bow. "This thing is worth a fortune in the player market. Are you sure I can keep it?"
Ren nodded. "We're building a team, not hoarding wealth. Use it to get stronger—it'll pay off later."
---
Selling the Excess Loot
Back in Valoria's marketplace, Ren approached the central auction house—a sprawling building where players listed items for trade or sale. The place was packed with adventurers shouting prices, arguing over rare items, and posting bids.
Ren opened his inventory and placed the Forge Drake Scales in the auction system, setting the starting price at 1,000 gold. Rare crafting materials like these were always in high demand, especially among crafters aiming to create high-tier armor.
As Ren walked away, a notification appeared.
> Item Sold: Forge Drake Scales
Final Sale Price: 5,500 Gold
Ren froze, his eyes widening. "Five… thousand?!"
He shook his head, a grin spreading across his face. "I forgot how insane the early-game economy was." Crafting-focused players and guilds were willing to pay absurd prices for rare materials, and the scales had clearly triggered a bidding war.
---
With 5,500 gold in his inventory, Ren began strategizing. In his previous life, money had always been tight, especially in the early days of Ascendant Realms. He had never been able to afford top-tier gear or consumables.
But this time, he knew how to exploit the system.
---
Early-Game Economic Strategies
Ren outlined his plan for the team as they sat around a tavern table. "Listen," he began, "right now, the game's economy is chaotic. No one knows what's rare or valuable yet, so we can use that to our advantage."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "How?"
"Materials, consumables, and mid-tier gear," Ren said. "Anything that's hard to farm but in high demand will sell for ridiculous prices. We'll run dungeons, farm rare crafting components, and sell what we don't need. With the gold, we'll buy early land plots and equipment before the big guilds monopolize everything."
Lysa leaned forward, intrigued. "You mean flipping items? Like merchants?"
"Exactly," Ren said. "But we're not just flipping—we're dominating the market."
---
Ren used a portion of the gold to outfit his team with essential upgrades:
Kael: A set of Hunter's Boots (Uncommon) for +5 Dexterity and movement speed.
Lysa: Nightstalker's Gloves (Rare), which increased critical hit chance.
Gron: A Reinforced Iron Shield (Rare) with extra durability and a 5% chance to reflect attacks.
Arlen: An Elementalist's Orb (Rare) that boosted spell damage by 10%.
The rest of the gold was reserved for potions, repair costs, and other supplies.
---
Two days later, Ren returned to the auction house, this time selling two additional rare items dropped by smaller dungeon bosses. The results were staggering:
> Item Sold: Magma Core (Rare - Crafting Material)
Final Sale Price: 8,200 Gold
> Item Sold: Frostshard Pendant (Rare)
Final Sale Price: 12,000 Gold
Ren's gold balance skyrocketed to over 25,000—a fortune for an early-game player.
Using a fraction of his newfound wealth, Ren bought a small plot of land on the outskirts of Valoria to establish the Black Veil's first base. The rest was reinvested into rare items, consumables, and dungeon upgrades.
As Ren stood in the empty plot of land, watching construction NPCs begin work on the guild's headquarters, he felt a sense of pride. The Black Veil was no longer just an idea—it was becoming a true force.
"This is just the start," Ren said to himself. "Soon, the big guilds will know who we are."
---
The Black Veil's New Power
Black Veil Treasury:
Gold Balance: 9,300 Gold
Rare Materials Inventory:
Forge Drake Scales x2
Magma Core x1
Frostshard x3
Guild Members:
Ren (Voidwalker - Level 7)
Kael (Arcane Archer - Level 6)
Lysa (Shadow Dancer - Level 6)
Gron (Iron Vanguard - Level 7)
Arlen (Elementalist - Level 7)
Guild Base: Black Veil Lodge (Under Construction)
---
As the Black Veil grew in power, rumors began spreading across Valoria and the Bronze Peaks. A new guild was rising—one that cleared impossible dungeons, controlled rare item markets, and was led by a mysterious Voidwalker who always seemed to know the future.
Ren smirked as he overheard the whispers in town. "Let them talk," he thought. "The real fight hasn't even started yet."