Jayden stood over the steaming remains, finally getting a good look at what dungeon creatures actually were.
The Thunder Wolves weren't like normal corpses. Their bodies still crackled with residual Genesis Energy, bioluminescent fluids pooling in patterns that defied gravity. Where he'd struck them, the flesh had crystallized, turned to something between meat and lightning-struck glass.
"Fuck me, that's disturbing," he muttered, kneeling beside one corpse.
The creature's copper-wire fur still sparked occasionally, individual strands standing on end like they were still alive. Its plasma eyes had gone dark, but the sockets held traces of that alien intelligence. This thing had never been a real wolf. It was Genesis Energy's idea of a wolf, filtered through whatever twisted logic governed dungeons.
The Alpha was even more alien. He could see the internal structure where his strike had caved in its ribs—organs that had no analogue in normal biology. A heart with seven chambers. Lungs that seemed designed to breathe electricity instead of air. Muscle fibers that were actually condensed lightning given form.
"What the fuck are you?" Jayden asked the corpse.
Time to find out what these things were worth. He'd never done the grunt work before—that's what hunting teams were for. But he knew the basics. Monster corpses were valuable. Everything from cores to pelts to organs had a market.
His lightning cells picked up the energy signatures—cores buried in each chest cavity, still pulsing with power. He pressed his palm against the Alpha's crystallized flesh, letting his electrical field probe deeper.
The core pulled free easily, attracted to his lightning like magnetism. A baseball-sized sphere of condensed storm-light, warm and crackling with potential.
The regular wolves had smaller cores—golf ball-sized, dimmer but still valuable. His lightning cells made extraction easy, each core practically jumping into his palm when he reached for them.
"Spatial ring, time to earn your four million," he muttered.
The pocket dimension opened with a thought. He started with the Alpha, lifting the massive corpse—lighter than expected, probably hollow bones for electrical conductivity. The whole thing went into storage. Then the regular wolves, one by one. Six corpses total, each one a few hundred pounds of potentially valuable materials.
[Thunder Alpha Core (Level 7) acquired]
[Bonus: Area Boss First Kill - Random Item Drop]
[Acquired: Minor Speed Elixir]
A small vial materialized from where the Alpha had died, silver liquid that seemed to move at different speeds depending on the angle.
The System notification explained it would permanently increase movement speed by 1%, stackable up to ten uses.
"One percent?" Jayden snorted. Then his trader brain kicked in. One percent of normal human speed was nothing. One percent of his speed? That could be the difference between dodging and dying at higher levels.
He pocketed the elixir and surveyed the now-empty battlefield. Six monster corpses stored, ready for processing later. He had no idea how to butcher them properly—that was specialized work—but intact corpses had to be worth more than amateur hack jobs.
"Note to self," he said, pulling out the ten-grand phone. "Find a processor. Or learn to butcher. Or both."
But even one Level 7 core was something. He didn't know the exact market price, but nothing touched by Genesis Energy was worthless. Low-level awakened needed cores for enchantments. Artificers required them for crafting. Even the military stockpiled them for weapons research.
His fingers flew across the phone screen. No internet in the dungeon, no connection to the outside world, but the note-taking app still worked:
*Thunder Alpha Core (L7) - Qty: 1*
*Thunder Wolf Corpses - Qty: 5*
*Thunder Alpha Corpse - Qty: 1*
*Minor Speed Elixir - Qty: 1*
*Market research needed. Consider Mozart for distribution? Underground markets probably pay better than guild rates.*
He paused, feeling the Level 2 changes settling into his body. It was subtle—not like the overwhelming transformation when he first awakened.
More like his cells had gotten a software update. Everything felt a fraction smoother, a hair more responsive. His lightning cells hummed at a slightly higher frequency, and his perception seemed to extend another few feet in all directions.
The real kicker was the energy absorption. Even standing still, he could feel Genesis Energy seeping into him from the dungeon's atmosphere. Most awakened used cores for two things: increasing their Genesis Energy reserves and replenishing spent energy after fights.
Pop a core like a battery, get back in the game.
But Jayden? His body was a fucking Genesis Energy vacuum cleaner, constantly pulling power from the environment. Those cores warming his spatial storage weren't supplements for him—they were just merchandise. Pure profit.
"Permanent energy surplus," he muttered, flexing his fingers as blue sparks danced between them. "While everyone else needs to chug cores like energy drinks, I'm the fucking power plant."
Another unfair advantage on top of his already broken power set. Good. Fair was for people who couldn't turn themselves into lightning.
The business side of his brain was already working angles. Every dungeon had hunters grinding for materials, but how many thought of it as more than individual profit? This was a commodity market waiting to be cornered. Low-level materials might be penny ante individually, but volume...
Another notification pinged:
[Area Alert: Storm Sprite Swarm Approaching]
[Quantity: 12]
[Level: 2-4]
[Warning: Aerial enemies detected]
Jayden looked up from his phone to see what looked like a lightning storm having an orgy with a fairy convention.
The Storm Sprites were beautiful in an alien way—balls of condensed electricity with wings made of crystallized air. They moved in three dimensions, diving and weaving like fighter jets made of pure energy.
"Pretty," he admitted, then grinned as electricity built around his fists. "Let's see what you're worth on the market."
Time to learn aerial combat. And more importantly, time to see if these things dropped anything worth harvesting. His spatial ring had plenty of room, and the night was young.
Even if he had to start with pocket change, every empire began with the first dollar. Or in this case, the first monster core.
The sprites noticed him, their dance becoming aggressive. Tiny lightning bolts sparked between them as they communicated in frequencies his enhanced senses could almost understand.
*Fresh meat. Ground-bound. Easy prey.*
Jayden's grin widened. They thought he was ground-bound.
Time to teach them that lightning didn't give a fuck about gravity.
****
Lesson time is over?