[CH200+ Continued] Dungeon Diver: Stealing A Monster's Power

Chapter 282

I do another quick scan to find that including the floor we stand on, there are only 3 more to the surface.

Just as Chester said, there's only one hunter of any power level even close to ours in the immediate vicinity.

Considering this... another issue comes to mind.

The numbered badges on the agents that I've been killing have only been rising. The last one on the floor below was number 3. If this were to follow any ordinary pattern, there should be at least 2 more left. Number 2 and number 1... plus, I can't sense any other presence near the high-level hunter on my radar.

Maybe they're more skilled at hiding than I thought. I speak up in a hushed tone to Chester as we begin to walk.

"So, do you know anything about this guy? What's the point of having a black market in a city like this anyway? Isn't the entire desert its own off-the-grid market isn't it?"

He chuckles.

"Right, right, you all aren't from around here."

I never mentioned that to him, but maybe given our circumstances, it's fairly easy to tell. So, I don't mind his whispered statement. The old man continues as we pass the first concentrated region of merchants that chirp at us with prices, but stop as soon as we show our disinterest. Chester ignores them entirely.

"You're intuition is correct. There's no real reason to have a black market district in a settlement like this. The tax on dungeon loot is so low, and rarely enforced that there isn't much of a market difference between selling on the street or here underground."

I nod slowly as we pass silver doors similar to the one we walked out from and step over old wooden crates that must have come from makeshift stands or raw materials being sold here in the past.

The old man keeps talking, I listen with interest.

"Still, this isn't a lawless city. There are government officials in charge, and basic human law must be followed or it'd be utter chaos. Even if we are disconnected from the outside world, that doesn't mean the hierarchy of power structures change overnight. There are always people that want things done without those above knowing about it."

I smirk.

"Yep. Understood. Paranoia runs deep everywhere, even if the Association isn't in control. Some citizen don't want anyone messing around in their daily lives, especially their money. No questions asked. It makes sense."

Chester shrugs.

"Sure, that may play a role. More importantly, special artifact crafting orders are placed here. It's known that for the right price, anything can be bought. Nothing is off limits, not even items or information from the outside world. When a problem can't be solved by regular means, most come here to get it solved."

He pauses.

"Confidentiality is tight as well. No one knows who runs the place, and no one really bothers to ask. No matter the request small or large as long as you have enough money, it's always completed and no one will ever know you asked."

We round another bend, passing a few groups of men and women in robes and cloaks that hide their faces. Occasionally, the familiar-looking silver doors that are usually tightly fashioned to the walls are missing entirely or severely damaged.

Some lead down flights of steps just like the ones we came up, while others show wide-open warehouse-like rooms. On even rarer occasion, there are deep holes in the floor dropping further down into the shadowy depths of more abandoned underground hallways and dark rooms.

The underside of this city is larger than I'd ever imagined.

Everyone following is tense, I can feel their mana flowing through them at a much faster speed than its normal resting rate. They're on the verge of activating their skills at any sign of trouble. I'm the only one here that knows a major threat isn't nearby.