The entire Crimson Aegis Guild was completely silent. Every single mercenary in the tavern stared at Kaelen with wide, fearful eyes. The giant iron-ranked warrior was still crying on the wooden floor, holding his completely crushed wrist against his chest in absolute agony.

Kaelen completely ignored the bleeding man at his feet. He kept his dull brown eyes locked directly on the curvy, red-haired receptionist behind the wooden desk.

The young woman was trembling violently. In this brutal world of mercenaries and killers, raw dominant strength was the only law that mattered.

She had just watched a seemingly poor, skinny rogue shatter thick iron armor with his bare hands. She gulp so hard, her face pale with pure intimidation. Kaelen’s casual yet violent display of power had completely established his absolute authority in the room.

She quickly reached out with shaking fingers and grabbed the glowing purple monster core off the desk.

"R-right away, Sir Vane," she stammered softly. She stood up from her chair, her legs looking very weak. "This Abyssal monster core is worth a massive amount of gold. I cannot process a transaction this large out here in the open tavern. Please, follow me into the secure back room so I can give you your guild badge and your money safely."

Kaelen nodded once. "Lead the way," he answered with a deep, smooth voice.

He followed the terrified receptionist away from the crowded, silent tavern. They walked down a short hallway and entered a small, dark storage room in the back of the building, the room itself was filled with wooden crates, spare iron swords, and old shields. When Kaelen stepped inside, the receptionist closed the heavy wooden door and locked it tight to keep the greedy mercenaries out.

She walked quickly over to a heavy metal safe bolted to the stone wall. Her hands shook as she turned the combination dial. She opened the heavy steel door and pulled out a large, thick leather pouch.

She walked back to Kaelen and placed the heavy pouch into his open hand. She also handed him a shiny bronze token with the guild’s emblem carved into it.

"Here is your bronze-rank guild badge, Sir Vane," she whispered softly, keeping her head bowed in deep respect. "And here is fifty gold coins for the rare Abyssal core. It is a very high price. You are a very rich man now."

Kaelen took the heavy gold and the bronze badge. He stored them safely inside his hidden system inventory with a simple thought.

"Thank you," Kaelen said calmly. He looked down at the trembling woman. "But I have a problem. I need to buy powerful weapons, heavy building supplies, and special magical items. The Holy Church watches all the main shops in the capital city. Where can a man spend this much gold without the Inquisitors asking questions?"

The receptionist looked around the small room nervously, even though the door was locked. She leaned in close, keeping her voice down to a tiny whisper.

"With that much gold, you should go to the Midnight Market," she revealed secretly. "It is an illegal underground black market hidden deep beneath the old city sewers. They sell illegal weapons, dark magic books, and unregistered slaves. The Church has no power down there. In fact, a massive slave auction is happening there right now."

Kaelen smiled darkly under his tattered hood. An illegal underground market was exactly what a Dungeon Master needed to build his evil empire.

"How do I find it?" Kaelen asked.

She gave him the secret directions, explaining which dark alleyways to take in the poorest district of the capital. Kaelen listened perfectly. He turned around, unlocked the wooden door, and left the Crimson Aegis Guild without looking back.

He walked back out into the bright city streets. He followed the receptionist’s secret directions flawlessly, walked far away from the beautiful white cathedral in the center of town. He entered the slums, a terrible place where poor beggars slept in the mud and the air smelled of rotting garbage.

He found a hidden, rusted metal grate covering an old sewer pipe behind a broken tavern. Kaelen grabbed the heavy iron grate and lifted it easily with his monstrous strength. He climbed down the wet stone ladder into the absolute darkness beneath Aethelgard.

After walking through the damp, smelly sewer tunnels for twenty minutes, the narrow stone path suddenly opened up.

Kaelen stepped into a massive underground cavern.

The Midnight Market was incredibly busy. Hundreds of corrupt, wealthy nobles and dangerous criminals wearing dark masks were gathered here.

Torches burned brightly along the rough stone walls, casting long, dancing shadows over the crowd. Wooden stalls were set up everywhere. Dark merchants sold glowing poisoned daggers, stolen heavy armor, illegal potions, and rare monster blood.

This place was a goldmine. Kaelen knew he could easily build a secret supply line from this black market directly down to his dungeon on the tenth floor.

However, the biggest crowd in the cavern was gathered completely around a large wooden stage in the center of the market. Kaelen pulled his dark hood low over his eyes and walked silently into the crowd to watch.

On the wooden stage stood a fat, ugly auctioneer holding a wooden hammer. Behind him were several heavy iron cages filled with chained slaves who looked terrified and broken.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the dark!" the fat auctioneer shouted loudly to the cheering crowd. "We have a very special, incredibly rare item for you tonight! She was captured just two days ago by a squad of Elite Vanguard Knights near the distant Elven borders!"

Two heavily armored guards dragged a massive iron cage to the front of the wooden stage. They unlocked the metal door. They reached inside and forcefully pulled the prisoner out by heavy iron chains attached to her neck and wrists.

Kaelen’s eyes widened slightly in surprise beneath his dark hood.

The prisoner was a breathtakingly beautiful Elven woman. She had long, pure silver hair that fell all the way down to her slender waist. Her long, pointed ears twitched nervously at the loud noises of the cheering crowd. She possessed an incredibly slender but perfectly toned, athletic body. She was wearing a torn, skin-tight black leather assassin suit that hugged her perfect curves and exposed her pale, flawless thighs.

Despite being heavily chained and beaten, her glowing silver eyes were filled with violent, untamed hatred. She did not look like a broken slave, she looked like a cornered, deadly panther waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Kaelen quickly activated his Abyssal Aura. His eyes glowed with a faint violet light hidden perfectly beneath his hood. He looked directly at her through his system interface to see her hidden stats.

[Target Scanned: Lyriel (Elven Royal Assassin).]

[Level: 60.]

[Class: Shadow Weaver.]

[Status: Extremely Lethal. Core is infected with a High-Tier Blood Curse.]

Kaelen smirked. She was a Level 60 stealth assassin−incredibly fast, deadly, and currently suppressed by a Church curse. She was the absolute perfect weapon to protect the upper floors of his underground Sanctuary.

He needed a scout and a killer who could move in the shadows while Seraphina guarded the main gates.

"We start the bidding for this beautiful Elven killer at exactly twenty gold coins!" the fat auctioneer shouted happily, raising his wooden hammer into the air.

Kaelen reached into his dark cloak. His fingers wrapped tightly around his heavy leather pouch of gold. He did not care about the cost. He was going to buy this fierce Elven assassin, drag her back down to the deepest floor of hell, and break her pride until she was fully bound to his Abyss.