CHAPTER 34 — The Black Market
Aiden moved deeper into the Safe Zone city, letting the noise of the Class Ceremony fade behind him. The streets grew narrower as he walked, the neon glow dimming into flickering signs and shadowed alleyways. The crowds thinned. The air changed—less polished, more raw. The city’s bright fa?ade peeled away, revealing the undercurrent beneath it.
He followed the flow of people who didn’t walk with the confidence of citizens or the discipline of hunters. These were the ones who kept their heads down, who moved with purpose but avoided attention. Aiden recognized the type. Survivors. Smugglers. People who lived between the cracks.
He blended in easily.
The alley opened into a wider street lined with old brick buildings. A faint hum of conversation drifted from a stairwell leading underground. Aiden paused, listening.
Voices.
Footsteps.
Metal clinking.
A low bass thrum vibrating through the floor.
He followed the sound.
A rusted metal door sat at the bottom of the stairs, half-hidden behind peeling posters. A man leaned against the wall beside it, arms crossed, eyes scanning the street. His jacket bore no Guild insignia—just a faded patch of a snarling wolf.
Aiden approached slowly.
The man’s eyes flicked toward him. “You lost, kid?”
Aiden kept his voice steady. “Looking for supplies.”
The man studied him for a moment, then jerked his chin toward the door. “Downstairs. Don’t touch anything you can’t afford.”
Aiden nodded and stepped inside.
The air changed instantly.
Warm.
Dense.
Buzzing with energy.
The underground chamber stretched wide, lit by hanging lamps and neon strips. Makeshift stalls lined the walls—tables covered in Force Cores, Class Crystals, illegal weapons, and strange artifacts Aiden didn’t recognize. People moved between them, haggling, whispering, exchanging credits and contraband.
Aiden’s breath caught.
This was the black market.
A place where the Guilds had no authority.
Where hunters sold unregistered kills.
Where rogue researchers traded forbidden tech.
Where Force Cores changed hands like currency.
Aiden slipped into the crowd, keeping his hood low.
His Perception hummed with the vibrations of dozens of conversations.
“Got a fresh Agility Core—straight from a Rift beast.”
“Class Crystal fragments. Not full power, but enough for a boost.”
“Guild sweep’s getting closer. Prices are going up.”
Aiden moved toward a stall covered in Force Cores. The vendor—a wiry woman with sharp eyes—watched him approach.
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“You buying or browsing?” she asked.
“Looking,” Aiden said.
She smirked. “Everyone’s looking. Few can afford.”
Aiden reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch. Inside were several low-tier Cores he’d taken from Forceborn dens before leaving the Wild Zone. He placed them on the table.
The woman’s eyes widened slightly. “Not bad. You’re either lucky or stupid.”
Aiden didn’t respond.
She sifted through the Cores, weighing them in her hand. “I’ll give you two hundred credits for the lot.”
Aiden shook his head. “Three hundred.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You know how to bargain. Fine. Three hundred.”
She handed him a small credit chip. Aiden pocketed it and stepped away from the stall.
He wandered deeper into the market.
A group of hunters huddled around a table, whispering about a rogue Guild splinter group. A man in a lab coat sold modified scanners capable of detecting Force anomalies. A masked figure traded Class Crystal shards—illegal, unstable, dangerous.
Aiden paused at a stall selling gear—cloaks, reinforced gloves, lightweight armor. The vendor, a broad-shouldered man with a scar across his cheek, nodded at him.
“Need something?”
Aiden scanned the items. “Something light. Durable. Quiet.”
The man chuckled. “You sound like a thief.”
Aiden didn’t answer.
The vendor pulled out a dark-gray jacket reinforced with flexible plating. “Silent weave. Dampens movement noise. Won’t stop a blade, but it’ll keep you alive.”
Aiden tested the material. It was light, almost weightless, and barely made a sound when he moved it.
“How much?” he asked.
“Hundred.”
Aiden handed over the credit chip. The vendor tossed him the jacket. Aiden slipped it on—it fit perfectly.
He now had **200 credits left**.
He continued exploring.
A few stalls down, a vendor displayed weapons—knives, batons, shock-staves, and improvised tools. Aiden approached, lifting the rebar he’d been using since the Titan fight.
The vendor snorted. “Kid, that thing belongs in a scrapyard.”
Aiden didn’t argue. “I need something better.”
The vendor reached under the table and pulled out a compact, reinforced baton—collapsible, dense alloy, and faintly humming with Force conductivity.
“Hunter-grade impact baton,” she said. “Won’t break unless you’re fighting something you shouldn’t be.”
Aiden tested the weight. Balanced. Responsive. A massive upgrade.
“How much?”
“Hundred.”
Aiden paid.
He clipped the baton to his belt and set the rebar aside. It had served him well, but this was a real weapon.
He now had **100 credits remaining**.
Toward the back of the market, he found a dimly lit corner where a group of people whispered around a table covered in documents and maps. Aiden edged closer, listening.
“…Helix Dynamics is paying double for live specimens.”
“Forceborn? Or people?”
“Both.”
Aiden’s stomach tightened.
Helix Dynamics.
The corporate guild specializing in Force research.
The same guild that would later become suspicious of him.
He stepped back, blending into the shadows.
He didn’t want to be anywhere near that conversation.
He moved toward the exit, but a voice stopped him.
“You’re new.”
Aiden turned.
A woman stood beside a pillar, arms crossed. Her hair was tied back, her eyes sharp and calculating. She wore no Guild insignia, but her posture screamed experience.
Aiden kept his expression neutral. “Just passing through.”
She studied him. “You move quietly. Too quietly for a civilian.”
Aiden’s pulse quickened.
She stepped closer. “Relax. I’m not Guild. If I were, you’d already be in cuffs.”
Aiden didn’t relax.
She smirked. “Word of advice? Don’t draw attention. The Guilds are on edge. Something big happened outside the city.”
Aiden swallowed. “What kind of something?”
“Hybrid kill. No hunter claimed it. No Guild team was assigned. They think someone off-grid is operating nearby.”
Aiden forced his breathing to stay steady.
The woman shrugged. “Whoever it is… they’re either a genius or suicidal.”
She walked past him, disappearing into the crowd.
Aiden exhaled slowly.
He needed to leave.
He had supplies.
He had gear.
He had information.
And he had confirmation that the Guilds were already hunting for him without knowing it.
He slipped out of the black market and into the night air, pulling his hood tighter.
The city was dangerous.
The Guilds were watching.
And Helix Dynamics was closer than he realized.
But Aiden kept moving.
He had a place to find.
A place to train.
A place to grow stronger without being seen.
The shadows welcomed him as he disappeared into the city’s underbelly.
The next stage of his evolution was about to begin.
