Neon light from the signs in the financial district reflected off the rain puddles when I arrived at the underground warehouse of the Hunters' Black Market.
Unlike the Association's clean, bureaucratic lobby, there were no questions here about where items came from or whether you had a hunting license. Whoever had gold or high-quality crystals called the shots.
I adjusted the collar of my dark overcoat and walked up to the head appraiser's counter, where an elderly man with a monocle and scars across his neck sat waiting.
“What does a newbie want around here?” he grumbled without looking up from the artifact he was polishing. “If you're here to sell Rank D or F loot, the scrap counter's in the back.”
Without saying a word, I took three Rank A pure mana crystals from my tactical inventory—salvaged from the ruins of the Nameless King's Dungeon—and placed them on the velvet table.
The dense purple glow illuminated the appraiser's face. His monocle slipped off.
“W-where did you get these?!” he stammered, picking up one of the stones with trembling hands in silk gloves. “The mana density... it's perfect! These came from a high-level Dimensional Rift!”
“I want to sell two of them,” I replied, keeping my voice firm and calm. “And I want the payment in purified mana coins, along with access to today's private auction.”
“Immediately!” the old man said, his mocking tone shifting into a servile bow. “You'll have the finest box in the house.”
Twenty minutes later, I was seated in the VIP section of the hidden auction. Money wasn't the only reason I'd come: I needed an inventory-expansion ring and information about the Rank S Dimensional Rift that would open in the Capital City six days from now.
The auctioneer stepped onto the stage and struck the gavel.
“Ladies and gentlemen, our next extraordinary lot: the Abyss Ring (Rank A). It can store tons of equipment and conceals the user's aura from mana detectors below Rank S!”
My [Shadow Camouflage] already hid my aura, but a physical item that blocked external scans would keep the Association from discovering my sudden level gains.
“Starting bid: 50 million coins!” the auctioneer announced.
“60 million!” shouted a Hunter in heavy armor from the audience.
“80 million!” another called out.
I waited for the bids to slow. When the auctioneer raised the gavel for the third strike, I leaned forward in the box.
“150 million,” I declared, my voice amplified by mana as it echoed throughout the hall.
Silence seized the room. No one in the audience dared to top the bid.
[Transaction Complete!] [Abyss Ring Acquired (Rank A)] [Secondary Effect Activated: Your [Prime Devourer] class is now fully masked from guild readers and sensors.]
With the ring on my finger, I felt the weight of my magical presence vanish from the outside world. To anyone looking at me now, I seemed like just another ordinary Hunter.
As I left the auction through a side alley, three figures emerged from the shadows, blocking the exit. All of them wore iron masks and wielded poison-coated daggers.
“Hand over the ring and whatever coins you have left, kid,” said the mercenary leader. “Maybe we'll let you walk away.”
I smiled beneath my hood.
“Three Rank B Hunters... The Black Market really does deliver the rewards straight to my doorstep.”