After the massive door closed behind them, a heavy silence ruled over the space.
Lian took a few steps forward and realized for the first time that the upper part of the black market was just the tip of the iceberg.
Here...
It was a completely different world. The ceiling of a massive cave was hundreds of meters above their heads, and thousands of glowing crystals shone among the rocks.
Wide streets made of black stone, multi-story buildings on both sides, blue magic lanterns lighting up everything.
But what caught the most attention... were the people present.
Lian understood with just one look. None of these people were ordinary.
A burly man in armor covered in monster claw marks passed by them. His presence was heavier than many Academy professors.
A little farther away, a woman in a silver cloak stood. Just a brief glance was enough for Lian’s instinct to scream that he should not get close to her.
Kain lowered his voice.
"This is where the rich buy."
Lian was silent.
Kain continued.
"The upper floor is for normal Awakened. But the lower floor... is for monsters."
His gaze moved over the crowd.
"Even I have never seen this place before," he whispered in amazement.
Lian raised an eyebrow.
Kain gave a bitter smile.
"I mean human monsters. Killers, legendary hunters, guild leaders, nobles."
"And people whose names alone can terrify millions."
The further they went, the stronger the sense of danger became. Even the air here was different, as if the smell of blood, greed, and death flowed through the market.
A few minutes later, they reached the largest building, where the old man had told them to go. To their surprise, when they entered, they saw the Fallen corpse placed on a stone platform.
The old shopkeeper had called a few people, but no one had approached the carcass yet.
The atmosphere was strange, as if everyone was waiting for something. Then suddenly, a deeper silence fell over the hall.
Several guards stepped aside. The crowd unconsciously made way, and a woman entered.
Long black hair, white skin, purple eyes that glowed in the darkness, a black dress with no armor visible, and a seductive body that was barely hidden.
But the strangest thing... was the aura around her. There was no direct pressure.
But Lian’s instinct was screaming.
Danger.
Danger.
Danger.
Even the people present lowered their gazes. The guards bowed their heads. The old shopkeeper immediately bowed.
"Lady Miranda."
"Damn... she came herself?" Kain almost whispered.
Even he was shocked.
Lian glanced briefly at his friend. This was the first time Kain actually looked nervous. Who is this woman?
The woman walked forward without paying attention to anyone. Her gaze fell on the Fallen corpse.
A few seconds of silence. Then she ran her hand over the creature’s skin. For a moment, nothing happened. But slowly, her expression changed.
Her calm face became a little more serious. Then for the first time, she looked directly at Lian.
"Where did you get this?"
Her voice was quiet, but strangely the entire hall heard it.
Lian gave the same answer as always.
"The tenth Ruined Realm."
Miranda just looked at him, as if examining whether it was a lie or the truth. But in the end, she said nothing, and then looked at the corpse again.
"Interesting."
Just that, just one word. But the old shopkeeper lost color. He knew better than anyone what this reaction meant.
A few minutes later, the full inspection was over.
Miranda finally announced the result.
"Fallen, and in very good condition."
"The normal price of a Fallen monster on the black market is 100,000 dollars per level. But this is the first Fallen corpse from the tenth realm. There is no other sample currently available."
"From the condition of this monster and its appearance, it is clear that it truly belongs to the tenth realm."
And suddenly, the entire hall exploded. Confirmed! The first corpse of a Fallen monster from the tenth Ruined Realm!
And it was not going to fall into the hands of the government or the Federation... but the black market was going to get the first Fallen corpse.
And if this was true, it would cause a huge uproar!
Everyone’s gaze fell on Lian. Who is this boy? How did he get something like this?
"I am willing to pay 10 million dollars for this."
For a moment, Lian thought he had misheard.
This number... several times more than all the money he had expected. The equivalent of several years of income for a normal Awakened.
Kain almost shouted.
"What?!"
"That much?!"
Whispers immediately began around them.
"Impossible..."
"He’s just a student."
"Damn it..."
"I’ve been a hunter for ten years and still haven’t sold anything like that."
At that moment, a man in golden armor stepped forward. His level was at least fifteen.
"This price is ridiculous. At best, it’s worth only a million dollars." He said in disbelief.
Miranda did not even look at him, and just replied in a cold tone.
"If you have a problem..." For the first time, her purple eyes locked onto the man.
"Go hunt a Fallen monster yourself."
Silence. The man immediately fell silent. No one else dared to speak.
"Oh, well, I have another Fallen corpse too."
Kain’s eyes widened in shock, and he looked at his best friend in absolute disbelief.
How many other secrets had this bastard hidden from him? What kind of hell had happened in that one week? How did he have two Fallen corpses?
"Oh? Show me." Miranda was also surprised.
He brought out the second corpse too.
BOOM!
The sound of the second impact, and this time even the breathing of the crowd stopped.
And this one was even more massive. Even though it was a corpse, it radiated a terrifying aura. The aura of a king among monsters.
"Snow fur, and such horns... also level 19?" Miranda’s cold eyes lit up, and she stared at this second corpse in amazement.
The value of this one was even greater than the previous one. From the horns and skin of this monster, very valuable armor and weapons could be made.
And her gaze fell on Lian again, looking at him as if he was a treasure.
Two Fallen monsters. Two complete corpses. In this boy’s possession.
Even Kain swallowed hard.
"Brother... you’re really crazy."
Lian just shrugged.
He had made his decision. The fallen city mission was approaching. He needed equipment, and otherwise, he did not want to attract this much attention.
"I will pay you 50 million dollars for both corpses." Miranda said without hesitation.
She was really generous. She did not want to lose such a good customer. Especially if these two corpses fell into her rivals’ hands, she would take a big hit.
"Well, I want some equipment. Can you deduct their cost from the 50 million?"
Miranda was silent and fell into thought. Her serious face made her beauty multiply several times over... Then her gaze fell on the old shopkeeper.
"Give him whatever he wants for free. No need to charge money." Then her gaze fell on Lian, and with the same seriousness, she added.
"Take whatever you want. Today you are my guest. Come see me before you leave." Then, while ordering her staff to carry the two corpses, she returned to her office.
An hour later.
Lian had almost completed all his purchases. A lightweight B-rank armor made from the skin of a level 50 normal rank bear monster.
Light, resistant, and suitable for warriors and his fighting style.
Armor and weapons are divided into six ranks based on their function and ability.
F, E, C, B, A, S.
Of course, legendary and mythical weapons also exist, but they are outside the normal standards and are not bought and sold in markets.
For example, the armor he had obtained in Frostheart was B-rank but had no upgrade capability.
Every piece of equipment has a limit. Some equipment can be upgraded, and those can be upgraded using Fragments.
Of course, most items, weapons, and equipment cannot be upgraded, and only a limited number of them have this capability.
And none of the equipment here had upgrade capability.
Next, a pair of speed-boosting boots, which could create explosive bursts of speed in short moments and were B-rank.
Two emergency talismans for escape or saving lives, a shield talisman, and a rare healing crystal.
But the most important purchase... was his new weapon. A long sword with a dark silver blade. Its body was made of a special monster alloy, and the horn of a level 45 normal rank mammoth monster had been used in its construction.
The blade shone in the light of the crystals. And the moment Lian’s hand touched the handle... he felt that this weapon was made for him. This sword was also B-rank.
Everything was almost done.
His gaze fell on Kain, who was clearly going crazy from disbelief and curiosity, but understood that this was not a good place to ask questions.
"Let’s go see that woman." He said quietly.
"I don’t think Madam Miranda would want to see me. Better go alone." Kain nodded and preferred not to go, staying where he was.
"Do you know her?"
"Of course, who doesn’t know that woman? She is known as one of the dictators of the underworld!"
"Then tell me more about her before I go see her."
And while they were talking, Lian did not know that spies from some of the country’s largest powers had become aware of his existence.