"Only one, young master," the manager said as he pushed the heavy steel door open. "You can either open it here or take it home as it is."
Matthew stepped inside.
The vault wasn't what he expected. It wasn't sleek or orderly. It was a wide, dimly lit room with uneven flooring and the faint smell of mineral dust in the air.
Stones were everywhere. Some sat neatly on stands, displayed like luxury goods. Others were simply piled on the floor like they'd been dropped there by mistake. Some had colored tags. Most didn't.
The manager followed behind him. "Many prefer the ones on the shelves. They're larger and look impressive. People think the bigger the stone, the better the yield. But that's not always true. The ones on the ground… smaller, and less noticeable. Usually nothing inside. That's why most don't bother."
Matthew didn't answer. He only nodded.
Another scheme, he thought. Bigger stones, harder to carry—more bait than substance. He already got what he wanted: VIP access, recognition, and connections. This was just extra. Like a souvenir or something like that.
He walked deeper into the vault, scanning the piles. His eyes brushed over a chunk of blue-gray rock with a jagged top, a smooth green one as tall as his torso, and even a deep purple slab that shimmered faintly under the low light.
Jarring. Too large. Too eye-catching.
He wasn't interested in something he couldn't slip into his pocket. He wasn't planning to haul a slab out the door and parade it back home. That would raise questions.
Then he saw it. A small black stone near the floor, no tag, slightly polished, oval-shaped. It looked more like a river pebble than something from a vault.
He picked it up. It fit snugly in his palm. No weird markings. No shine. Nothing remarkable.
Matthew turned and held it out to the manager.
The man blinked. "That one?"
Matthew gave a light nod.
The manager stared at the stone for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. "Why not take something bigger? You're allowed."
"I don't want my father to know," Matthew replied flatly.
The manager didn't press. He simply nodded once and motioned toward the exit. "Very well, young master. This way."
Matthew pocketed the stone and followed.
As soon as it was inside his jacket, he paused. His steps faltered.
The stone was warm. No—hot.
He touched the outside of his jacket with a quick motion. Still warm. His fingers brushed the outline again. It didn't burn, but the heat was distinct, pulsing like something alive.
He didn't show it on his face. He just adjusted the jacket slightly, nodded at Ottep, and walked out of the vault.
"Let's go," he said. "I'm starving."
However, before he could step out of the retail section, the man with a silver mask suddenly blocked his way.
The man raised his hand slowly, revealing a black and gold card. "What a coincidence," he said. "Looks like we're both new VIPs."
Matthew frowned. He didn't know how he offended this person. But before he could ask anything, the man continued.
"I was thinking… since we're both fresh members, why not have a little welcoming match?" the masked man said smoothly. "A betting game. Let's see who really deserves the card."
Matthew's frown deepened. Still, he didn't know why he suddenly felt confident enough to accept.
"Good," Matthew said. "Let's do it."
Before he could move, Ottep stepped forward and gripped his arm. He leaned in and whispered, "Young master, this man must be a scammer. He's setting you up."
Matthew pulled his arm away and said loudly, "Isn't this just a few million? Let's do it!"
The surrounding crowd stirred when they heard his words. While the silver-masked man chuckled softly.
Inwardly, Matthew wasn't sure where the confidence came from. Maybe it was because of his rebirth. Maybe he wasn't that scared to try new things anymore.
They made a bet.
Whoever chose the better rock would win ten million—in diamonds.
The silver-masked man immediately looked at the manager from before and raised his chin. "Take us to the room where all the new supplies are delivered."
The manager nodded. "Of course. This way."
He led them down a narrow hallway behind the showroom and unlocked a steel door with a retinal scan. The door clicked, then creaked open, revealing a dimly lit space that smelled faintly of damp stone and dust.
The room was much smaller than the vault, and it didn't look like part of a luxury establishment.
Rocks of various sizes were scattered around the floor. Some were packed in wooden crates with straw, while others sat exposed on metal racks.
A few had dried mud caked around their bases, and several still had shipping tags or paint markers scribbled across their sides.
"This is where we store the newly acquired stones," the manager explained. "Unwashed, unprocessed. Straight from the quarries."
He looked between them. "You can make your bet here. But for fairness, I'll need to verify that you both have the funds. If you don't have a card with you, you may transfer the money to an internal holding account. Don't worry—our banking partners don't ask questions, as long as the amount is correct."
Matthew sighed inwardly. So this really was a setup. Everything had been prepared ahead of time. He could already guess what would happen next.
Still, he nodded. "Fine," he said.
He took out his phone and entered the transfer amount. Within seconds, the transaction was complete. A soft chime from the manager's device confirmed it.
The man in the silver mask, on the other hand, simply reached into his coat and handed over a card. "Here. Should cover it."
The manager scanned it, nodded once, and stepped back. "You may now each choose one stone. Only one. Once chosen, no switching."
The silver-masked man didn't hesitate. He walked straight toward a cluttered corner and picked up a dull brown rock that looked like it hadn't been touched in months.
Matthew's brows furrowed.
The stone looked completely ordinary. But as he stared at it, something inside him twisted.
His heart began to beat faster. What is going on?
He looked around him and realized that the manager and the man with the silver mask didn't seem to share the same discomfort as him.
"Your turn," the man wearing a silver mask said. "What? Are you going to quit like a coward?" When he didn't answer, the man continued to provoke him. "Well… let me tell you this. If you quit, you cannot get your ten million back! It will be mine!"
"I will choose one," Matthew answered before he could process it. What is going on with him? He reached in his pocket and held the stone that he took earlier from the vault. Almost immediately, its warmth seemed to comfort him. He avoided looking at the rock in the hand of the silver-haired man and approached the pile of stones before him.
He looked at an unassuming stone nearby. It was ordinary—something you'd see at the beach. But it had an even darker aura than the one the silver-masked man picked.
A part of him didn't want to choose it. But something else inside him did. Like a pull. It was subtle, strange. His hand moved before he could stop it.
He picked it up, but was immediately surprised at its weight. Because of this, the rock slipped from his grip and hit the floor with a dull thud. He stared at his hand. It hadn't looked heavy, but his arm had given out.
Seeing this, the manager bent down, picked it up, and held it out easily. "Is this the one you want?"
Matthew didn't speak. He nodded. Why did it look too light when the manager held it? Did he make a mistake?
The manager handed it to him.
This time, Matthew was ready. The weight still surprised him, but it didn't fall. He tightened his fingers around it. Something about the way it sat in his hand felt different from any other stone.
But he didn't say anything.
Seeing this, the silver-masked man tilted his head. "Now that we've both made our choices, let's see what's inside."