Kaito moved past the stalls without pausing.
Glowing shields. Enchanted rings. Ancient scrolls that shimmered with what looked like tier-5 enchantments.
He didn't stop for any of them.
Because he knew better.
The Black Market was famous—for two reasons. One good. One deadly.
And the stalls? They weren't the good kind.
In his first life, the forums had exploded with complaint threads weeks after the Black Market first appeared.
"NPC Scam! Lost 10 Gold on a Fake Scroll!"
"Legendary Sword Crumbled Into Rust Outside!"
"Glory Admins Ignore Marketplace Fraud?"
He could still remember the thread that got the most upvotes. A player had spent half his life savings buying what he believed was a rare inheritance-class flame spirit. The thing even glowed in his inventory.
Until he left the Black Market.
Ten seconds after stepping out of range… the "flame spirit" reverted into a common-tier toy item with no stats and a generic 'cosmetic only' tag.
Dozens followed. Fake crafting templates, hollow enchantments, gear that dissolved after three uses. All of it carefully disguised behind NPC illusions that passed every known appraisal skill.
The worst part?
The Glory developers responded.
> "The Black Market is an autonomous neutral zone governed by in-game systems. All transactions are final. Any risks taken are part of the intended player experience."
Translation? You got tricked. Deal with it.
Ever since, veteran players approached the market with extreme caution. Only NPC-run shops—especially those that refused to negotiate or discount—were considered safe. The more arrogant the NPC, the more likely the goods were real.
And yet, most players still bought from stalls.
Greed made people stupid.
But not Kaito.
"I'm definitely not stopping ," he muttered, voice muffled stopping his moving gaze beneath the mask. "No matter what you sell"
He stepped past a jewelry merchant hawking "Astral Shards," whose glow flickered inconsistently. Another stall showcased a rack of supposedly unique mana orbs—except the colors were slightly off, and the tier tags were one update too old.
Too many tells.
Even now, some players might've fallen for it. But Kaito had memorized every failure thread. He knew which vendors were authentic—and which had ruined hundreds of careers.
No… he wasn't here for baubles.
He had one destination in mind.
And to reach it, he had to pass through the western atrium—where the cloaked crowd thickened.
Here, players and NPCs alike gathered beneath a domed ceiling carved from obsidian,
'The Black Market Auction House'
It was one of the most majestic structures in the entire underground sector. Built with obsidian spires and carved crystal arches, it sprawled across the space of four football fields and rose high into the darkness above—layered in shadowed platforms and floating bridges. It was a place where the unseen elite gathered.
It wasn't just players who sought its treasures. Even the Tier 4, Tier 5, and occasionally Tier 6 NPCs—figures spoken of in hushed tones—would sometimes appear to place bids. Items traded here weren't just rare—they were historic. Some said that even empire-level blueprints and kingdom-class contracts had exchanged hands here.
As Kaito crossed the central dome of the Black Market, his gaze swept across the wide entrance of the auction wing. A dozen cloaked figures were already queued in silence—no chatter, no noise, no names. But their movements betrayed them.
Players.
Not many. Perhaps only ten or fifteen.
But he had expected that.
Even small towns like South Glade had teleportation formations near them. If South Glade had one, it was likely that a few others existed quietly near other border towns or secondary hubs. So yes, a handful of players might have made their way here—those who were lucky, well-funded, or well-connected.
Even In his past life, he'd seen auctions that made system-wide headlines.
One scroll sold for 5000 gold coins.
An empire's general had shown up once, flanked by knights, and outbid every player with a literal cart of gold.
He didn't stop.
Because he already knew—the Black Market Auction wouldn't begin for another two hours.
He turned left—away from the auction atrium, toward the tunnels that dipped beneath the trade quarter. Few players even knew about these passageways. Even fewer dared venture into them without a guide.
The scent changed here.
Less incense, more oil. Less perfume, more metal.
He walked past chained furnaces where NPCs poured molten alloys into molds the size of carts. Sparks danced against ceiling runes designed to prevent fire damage. Blacksmiths moved like machines—faster than any player could ever hope to match.
And then, there it was.
The workshop entrance.
Above it, an iron sign swung slowly, bearing a name in the old script of Glory:
Verdantech Arms
Kaito stared at it for a moment, the corners of his mouth twitching.
He remembered this place.
A hidden engineering workshop run by one of the few 'Grandmaster Engineer' in the entire game.
The workshop sold basic to high tier engineering tools,
He stepped forward.
A screen flickered above the door.
[Access Node Detected – Verified Mask Signature]
[Cloak of Dusk Protocol Confirmed]
[Verdantech Arms Workshop — Entry Authorized]
The heavy iron doors hissed and parted.
Warm orange light spilled out, tinged with smoke and the hiss of pressurized valves.
Kaito stepped inside.
A graceful NPC woman dressed in a reinforced workshop robe approached him with a respectful bow.
"Lord Baron, welcome to Verdantech Arms," she said, her voice calm and confident, Kaito even cloaked, his rank is visible through the black market's internal registry. "I wonder—what items does my Lord seek today? We specialize in rare engineering tools and guarantee the authenticity of every product."
Kaito nodded slightly, keeping his tone neutral.
"I'd like to browse the newest goods you've received this week."
"But of course," the woman smiled. "We've acquired several new prototypes and advanced utilities recently. I'm certain you'll find something that suits your taste."
"Guide me to them then."
"Right this way, my Lord."
She led him toward a curved staircase at the side.
As they ascended, the second floor revealed itself—sleek, warm-lit, and filled with floating display cabinets. Each cabinet contained rare engineering props encased in anti-theft fields: combustion runes, explosive trap cores, long-range targeting systems, and sealed canisters pulsing with alchemical pressure.
Kaito's eyes swept across the displays—unblinking.
In his previous life, he had never even known this floor existed. Most players didn't. Entry required noble status,
Now, he was a Baron.
And for the first time, he was seeing what the was hidden from so many.
Among the displays, one item immediately drew his attention.
Stormstride Boots.
A pair of jet-lined tactical greaves, sleek and lightweight, fitted with arcane thrusters and micro-stabilizers. Kaito recognized them instantly.
One of the godly escaping tools in Glory.
With these, a player could escape from nearly any ambush—whether in the wild, surrounded by monsters, or being hunted by other players. A single burst could carry the user far enough to vanish from sight, and the speed bonus could break through most forms of crowd control.
More importantly, this was epic-grade equipment, crafted by an Engineering Grandmaster. Whether in terms of raw stats or passive effects, it outclassed every known variant of common-tier escape gear—such as the widely distributed Flashrunner Boots—by a wide margin.
But as his gaze slid to the price tag, even Kaito paused.
1200 gold coins.
Even with his wealth, that was no small amount, He cannot buy them for now as he has other uses for the gold.