The alley got narrower until the rain slowed to a soft drip from the slanted roofs overhead. Ilwoo kept moving, weaving through broken crates and wet piles of rope, his boots splashing in shallow puddles. The others stayed close behind, their hoods pulled low.
"Ilwoo," Hayeon said quietly, glancing at the moss-stained walls that closed in around them.
"If you're taking us somewhere safe, this isn't it. This is..."
"A dead end," Jinhyuk finished. He was right. The alley's path ended in a blank wall of bricks facing ruins by time, the rainwater making it glisten under the faint lanternlight from behind them.
"Great," Nari said, leaning against the opposite wall. "Dead end. So much for trusting our fearless leader."
Ilwoo didn't answer. He stepped forward, his palm tracing along the brickwork like a man searching for light in darkness.
His fingers slowed, pausing on one brick, its surface worn smooth, edges chipped. He took a deep breath and pushed in.
A gentle click responded, its echo barely audible in the cramped space.
The wall shuddered. A faint line of light appeared down its center, widening as the bricks pulled apart in a slow manner.
"What the...?" Sergeant Kim stepped back and saw what had happened.
The hidden door revealed a small chamber beyond, barely large enough for their party. But more impressive was what occupied the center of that space, an elevator, its brass gates gleaming despite being underground.
"An elevator?" Minji stared at the contraption.
"Down here?"
"Yeah, there are dozens of hidden paths across the kingdom," Ilwoo explained, sliding the brass gate open.
"You knew about this the whole time?" Nari's voice carried a mixture of admiration and irritation. "You could have mentioned the secret passages before we spent half an hour trudging through back alleys."
"We don't have much time," Ilwoo said, glancing toward the distant, empty alley. But he knew it wouldn't stay empty for long. He stepped into the elevator.
The elevator creaked under as they stepped in. Hayeon lingered near the edge, her hand brushing the cage's bars like she wasn't sure if it was solid.
"This feels like it's going to drop us straight into hell," she muttered.
"That's one way to describe it," Ilwoo said, gripping the lever mounted to the side. He pulled.
The machinery groaned, chains rattling above. With a shuddering, the platform descended, the light from the alley shrinking until it was a pale coin far overhead.
The shadows around them thickened, broken only by slits of light from the passing floors, a glimpse of storerooms, corridors, flickering lamps, and the silhouettes of figures who didn't look up as the elevator passed.
By the time they reached the bottom, the city above felt like a different world.
"Welcome to the black-market," Ilwoo announced at their party.
The black market stretched out before them, carved into the underground like a hidden city. Rows of stalls spilled over with various items that Ilwoo recognized, but he didn't wait to buy such things; he went to the place that he wanted.
Minji's gaze swept the crowd. "And here I thought the surface was dangerous."
"Keep your hoods up," Ilwoo said. "And keep your hands away from those things."
Ilwoo moved through the market with purpose, the rest of his party trailing behind him, passing stalls selling everything from exotic items.
Vendors called out their wares in languages both familiar and strange, while customers haggled with the intensity of people whose lives depended on getting good deals.
"Over there." Ilwoo nodded toward a building set apart from the merchant stalls. The market bustled, but the steady flow of people going in and out made it clear that important business was happening inside.
Above the door, a sign hung crookedly, marked with a single ink-black symbol: a quill dripping ink into an open eye.
"This is it," Ilwoo said.
"Information gathering services?" Nari guessed.
"The best in the district."
They approached the building's entrance, where a single guard stood beside doors made of dark wood bound with iron.
The guard's eyes assessed them carefully but not hostilely, carrying the unspoken warning that if they caused trouble, he would deal with it.
"Business?" the guard asked.
"I wanted information," Ilwoo said. "We need an appointment."
Ilwoo glanced at his party, but they didn't understand. He knew how these places worked. Information sellers always had time for good-paying customers.
The guard studied him for a moment before nodding once and opening the door.
Inside, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. Where the market outside buzzed with commerce, this space felt more like a library crossed with a bank—hushed voices, serious faces, the sense that important decisions were made here daily.
"Sir?" A woman stepped in front of them as they entered the hallway with a polite greeting, mid-thirties, with a polished manner, the kind of person who handled delicate transactions for clients who preferred privacy.
"I heard you need information from our guild?"
"That's correct." Ilwoo leaned forward slightly. "We need information about hidden routes through the demon realm."
The woman's expression didn't change, but her shoulders tightened at the mention of the demon realm.
"Sorry, sir. That kind of information is only given by top-level information dealers."
"Then arrange a meeting."
"The fee alone would be ..."
"We'll discuss payment when we know what we're buying." Ilwoo's tone carried the confidence of someone familiar with expensive transactions.
The woman studied him for a moment, then nodded.
"Wait here," she said.
She returned fifteen minutes later with a different expression, one that suggested the meeting she'd arranged was more significant than routine business.
"If you'll follow me," she said, leading them deeper into the building.
They were escorted to an elevator, another one that took them several floors higher. When the doors opened, they emerged into what could only be described as a penthouse office, complete with windows that somehow showed a view of stars despite being underground.
The light was dim, filtered through sheer curtains hung from the ceiling. Behind a desk sat the host, face hidden behind a pale veil that shimmered faintly in the lamplight.
"Welcome," the figure said, voice clearly feminine despite her face being hidden.
"I heard that you wanted information about the demon realm. Specifically, hidden routes through it."
"Yes," Ilwoo said. "I want the quickest route that can get me to the demon realm in a few days."
"Well... I can give you the information, but..." Ilwoo noticed the figure. Even with her face hidden behind a veil, he could see the curve of her smile.
"I never imagined that the most wanted heroes from another world would come to me, asking for information about the demon realm."
The moment she spoke, Ilwoo's party tensed, but he remained still, meeting her gaze with a faint grin.
"As expected of the best info-gathering guild, you guys dig up details fast." He leaned forward, both hands clasped under his chin.
"Then can we discuss prices about your details?"
The figure tilted her head. "I like your style, straight to the point, but..."
She raised her finger, "For routes to the demon realm... that's valuable information."
"So what can you offer?" She looked at Ilwoo, working out how much he was worth to her.
Ilwoo glanced over his shoulder at the others. Minji's brow furrowed. Hayeon's lips parted as if to speak, but Ilwoo faced forward again.
"I can give some valuable information."
The host tilted her head. "Money?"
"No. Information."
She leaned back slightly. "Go on."
"The fall of the Steelheart family," Ilwoo said evenly.
The reaction was immediate and dramatic. In the space between one heartbeat and the next, a dozen blades appeared from hidden spaces around the room, all pointed directly at Ilwoo's throat.
His party members started to react, but found similar steel pressing against their own necks.
Ilwoo kept his posture loose, as if the cold metal at his neck was nothing more than rain. But his fingers twitched once against his thigh, the only sign of unease.
The host's hand rose slowly. She pulled the veil aside. Her face was sharp and pale, framed by hair the color of midnight. Her eyes locked on his, the shock of knowing written in them.
"Who are you?" she asked.
Ilwoo didn't answer. Instead, he said her name.
"Selene Steelheart."
For the briefest moment, her gaze widened. "How do you know my name?"
Selene Steelheart, the last heir of the House of Steelheart, is one of the main characters during the events on the second floor of the Tower of Nightmares.
She leads a rebel group against the kingdom's injustices, but her tragic fate comes midway through the story when she dies.
"I know you," Ilwoo said. "And I know what happened to your family."
The silence that followed was taut.
Selene's jaw shifted slightly, but her voice was steady when it came. "Lower your weapons."
One of the guards hesitated, the tip of his sword still hovering near Ilwoo's throat.
"Now," Selene said, her tone cold enough to freeze the air.
The blades drew back together. The guards stepped away to the walls, though a few kept staring at the group.
Ilwoo adjusted his cloak, as if brushing off nothing more than dust.
"Now," he said, "shall we discuss the price of our deal?"