The Diamond Extra

[Updating in progress… 78%]

It was currently 8:50 A.M. on Saturday. My laptop still remained unusable. It only went up to 79% after I anxiously waited an entire day for the new amazing features.

I stared at the update until my smartwatch rang.

[ New Brokerage account for Paul Wayne has opened.]

"Oh, it's done!"

I was concerned about this too. It would've been easy as an adult, but I was still a minor. A minor couldn't open a brokerage account without a guardian. It would've been impossible if I wasn't a Diamond cadet.

With an account finally set up, I wasted no time getting started. Using my smartwatch, I swiftly transferred funds into my newly opened brokerage account—one million shard earned from the recent monster hunt and an additional two million I had saved up, bringing the total to three million. It wasn't much in the grand scheme of things, especially compared to the big-time traders, but it was a decent starting point. Once the transfer was confirmed, I launched the stock trading program. The guild stock market, unlike the standard one, ran on weekends to set itself apart.

[Guild — Burdenwrights]

The exchange also listed the Burdenwrights guild. Each of their stocks cost worth 170 to 180 shard. I simply bought however much I could since I wasn't knowledgeable about complicated things like short selling, short buying, or price fluctuations.

[17,646 stocks of Burdenwrights guild purchased.]

The process didn't take long, so before heading out, I checked a well-known stock-related forum. [A place where stock exchange enthusiasts gather.] It was the largest community for anything related to guild stocks, boasting over 830,000 active members. I typed in the name—Burdenwrights Master—into the search bar.

[Newly listed guilds.] [Recently registered guild names.] [The guild market's been rough lately ㅜㅜ None of the new ones look worth investing in…]

None of the posts specifically discussed Burdenwrights.

"Well, what did I expect from an online forum?"

Clicking my tongue in quiet frustration, I powered off the smartwatch. In this world, information wasn't just valuable—it was currency. And like any real currency, the good stuff came with a price. Serious brokers didn't waste their time on public forums. Most guilds operated their own closed networks, secure intranets where high-grade intel could be bought. For those who preferred to remain invisible, anonymous services like the Obsidian Circe provided discreet, backdoor access to the kind of data that could tip the market.

.

"Oh, right."

Speaking of secrecy, there existed a shadowy organization known simply as The Numbers. They weren't just any gang—they were the most powerful underground force in the world. Their influence reached far and wide, yet their presence has not be officially acknowledged. Just as we use numbers to label and categorize the world around us, this group adopted the concept literally: its members abandoned their names and identities, replacing them with digits—symbols stripped of emotion, tied only to function and rank. No one knew their faces or real names. Their true identities remained buried in silence.

Yet, despite all that, I knew who their leader was… and exactly where she operated from. As far as I was aware, I was the only person alive with that information—aside from the Numbers themselves.

The Numbers were a criminal gang—undeniably. But unlike most underground groups, they rejected Phantom, the true embodiment of evil in this world. That alone made them different. Part of me wondered… what if I could become one of them? A member of The Numbers?

Unrealistic, of course.

Even if I wanted to join, it wasn't that simple. I'd asked their leader a few years ago, and she had turned me down without hesitation. Maybe it was because of our complicated relationship. Maybe it was something else.

Still, the thought lingered.

Just as I was sinking into those memories…

"Uk!"

An intense pain suddenly came over my upper left arm as though a hot knife was carving my skin. Blood spurted out into my eyes. I quickly pulled up my sleeve and saw a the strange scar on my upper arm glowing.

"The hell…"

It was incomprehensible. Gritting my teeth, I pressed my hand over the mark that was gushing blood. At that exact moment, a torrent of information surged violently into my mind.

[Codex Entry Unlocked – Stigma]

The Codex, shaped by the Creator, is bound to you. It takes the form of a divine tattoo that records your growth. As your SP, recognition, and achievements rise, new stigmas will be inscribed into the Codex—each holding magical energy that can be drawn upon and naturally replenished every day.

"Ah."

An indescribable pain throbbed throughout my head and arm. I read the screen despite being unable to move.

[Update List] ▷World Knowledge has been added to the gift, [Observation and Analysis].

***

The sky was a calm shade of blue, untouched by clouds. Though early spring brought a light chill, traces of warmth still lingered in the air. It would've been a perfect day—if I wasn't being dragged to Caelus's Association Tower to report the phantom subjugation. Honestly, couldn't they have just sent it by courier?

The commendation ceremony was held in one of the grand halls of the Association Tower. By the time I arrived, a sizable crowd had already gathered. Still, the event showed no signs of beginning. Saul Mayne, Lila Dawn, and I were pulled into a rehearsal for receiving our awards from a high-ranking official—who, of course, hadn't shown up yet. Sitting next to Lila felt like balancing on the edge of a blade.

"Yaaawn."

"Happy?"

I yawned once because I was tired I couldn't sleep all because of the throbbing pain on my left hand. Lila Dawn looked for an excuse to pick a fight.

I briefly retorted, "What."

"You've had a smirk for a while now."

"…"

It felt unfair that she could look so effortlessly beautiful while saying things like that. I had planned to stay silent—but then I suddenly remembered the reason I was here in the first place.

"I assume you still remember."

"Remember what?" she shot back, voice sharp.

Her tone sliced deeper than expected. I held her gaze and answered flatly.

"That I saved your life."

"…"

She looked like she had more to say—but kept it in.

"Whatever that was, it doesn't change this—"

"That's enough. Both of you."

Before Lila Dawn could snap back, Saul Mayne stepped between us.

"W-What?"

"Lila Dawn, switch seats with me."

For the record, our seats were on the same line.

"And if I refuse?"

"Hurry."

"No, why? I don't want to."

Seeing them all touchy didn't feel too good. Thankfully, their scuffle ended as Saul Mayne sat next to me. He looked at me and coughed.

He scratched the back of his head, glancing at me awkwardly.

"You know… I've been meaning to say something."

I didn't respond. I wasn't in the mood to talk—and he should've picked up on that.

"Back at the museum. If you hadn't stepped in, we might've lost our life."

"You still would've made it through."

My voice came out colder than I meant, but I didn't take it back.

"Saul Mayne… he would've figured something out. That's what future heroes do, right? They always rise."

He shook his head.

"Doesn't matter what could've happened. You were there. That's what counts."

"No."

Saul Mayne looked back after a single word. An extraordinary magic power suddenly erupted. The man who was supposed to give out the award finally arrived.

"H-He's here. Quickly get ready!"

The hero awarding the commendations today was a master-grade hero (SS), famously called the Fox of Fang. His hair fell to his shoulders in gentle waves, and a neatly kept beard framed his face—an uncommon sight for him. There was an undeniable aura of authority around him, palpable beyond mere presence. With every step he took, a subtle ripple of magical energy stirred the air, hinting at a tremendous power within—one so immense that even he struggled to fully command it.

"Huu."

The master grade hero, Gideon Wolfe, looked around with wolf-like eyes and murmured, "These fuckers telling me what to do."

It was so quiet that only I could hear it with my gift. With arrogance and apathy, Gideon Wolfe pushed back the guests flocking towards him.

He strode up to the podium with an air of dominance. An attendant rushed over and handed him a neatly folded program sheet. Gideon Wolfe scoffed, gave it a fleeting glance, then crumpled it and tossed it aside. The attendant scurried after the discarded document without a word.

— Now, the conferment ceremony will begin.

The host announced the start of the ceremony.

— The commendation will be conferred by master grade hero, Sir Gideon Wolfe.

Saul Mayne, Lila Dawn, and I walked up to the podium as we rehearsed. Gideon Wolfe smirked when he saw Saul Mayne.

"Are you Saul Mayne?"

"Yes."

"Mmm. I can see why those guys want you."

Intense interest reflected in his eyes. Gideon Wolfe advised Saul Mayne with unusual kindness.

"Don't waste your time with the Association. If it's real freedom you want—the kind where you make your own rules—then join Infinite Reach. Hunting lets you live on your own terms. Heroes? They're just shackled by titles and drowning in responsibilities. No fun in that."

"Still, a hero fits my personality best."

Saul Mayne refused with a smile.

The corner of Gideon Wolfe's mouth twisted up.

"You're a boring guy. Fine… And you, it's been a while, eh?"

This time, it was Lila Dawn. She made a bitter expression when they made eye contact.

"It's been a while."

"Your father told me to take care of you, but I don't plan on doing that."

"I… Teach—"

"I'm not your teacher. We only had a little class between us and you stop coming? Do you want to die?"

Lila Dawn pouted at his reproach. I struggled to hold in my laughter at her pathetic state.

"And who are you?"

"I am cadet Paul Wayne."

"Oh… Okay."

That was it for me. A completely different treatment from Saul Mayne and Lila Dawn.

It seemed indifference really, it not like I was as expecting something else.