At dawn, I woke up before the sun rose. The cold wind that had accumulated during the night greeted me, and I began to prepare for the dungeon. This was not my first time in the dungeon, but it was my first time going alone. After packing my luggage and collecting my belongings, including the space bracelet, I headed to the black market again. Areopolis is a small city, but at least the technology is still quite advanced and the society has adapted to it. Even though the sun hasn't risen yet, I can already see people walking on their way to work and driving their cars to their workplaces. I had already received the black market ID card yesterday, so I didn't need to repeat the same process this time. Just showing this ID card was enough. Just like that, I entered the black market again. The narrow alleys of the black market have already become bustling with vendors setting up stalls and customers browsing among the various goods. I made my way through the crowd and arrived at the headquarters of the Savages. Amid the chaos of the black market, the building stood out. Its architecture was adorned with holographic projections that showcased its various services and achievements. Bright lights illuminated the building's facade, and the name of the organization could be seen in bold letters from afar. As I approached the entrance, I noticed a mix of experienced hunters, mercenaries, and merchants among the people coming in and out. Some wore elaborate armor and carried powerful weapons, while others wore low-key clothing and blended into the crowd. It was clear that the [Wildfolk] catered to a diverse clientele, all of whom sought the specialized services that the organization offered. The guards standing at the entrance are not ordinary gatekeepers. They are all people with special skills, exuding an experienced and powerful aura. They carefully check the visitors entering and ensure the safety of the venue. I walked up to the entrance and flashed my black market ID card. A guard glanced at it, nodded, and let me in. After entering, I was surrounded by a busy scene. The hall was spacious and bright, with holographic screens around it showing real-time dungeon data, task requests, and trading information. The walls were covered with photos of hunters who had achieved outstanding achievements, and their names were engraved under each photo as a tribute to their achievements. Although almost all of the names were aliases, here, these were their real identities.
This place is completely different from the guilds outside. There is no luxurious decoration, nor a strong guild atmosphere. Everything is simple and direct. After all, this is the black market. People don't come here for the atmosphere... Although some people may like it, the main purpose is not to attract customers, but to make them come voluntarily. There is a reception desk in the middle of the hall, and a receptionist in black business suit is receiving visiting customers. She looked up at me and smiled politely. "Welcome to [Savage]. How may we serve you today?" she asked politely, but I could feel her eyes narrowing as she looked at me. She was clearly looking down on me, but at the same time she was trying to be polite. This was an attitude I had become all too familiar with over the past week, so I didn’t mind it. "I'm looking for a dungeon to explore," I replied. "Okay." The woman immediately regained her concentration and began to work on the computer. "What type of dungeon do you want to explore? What level do you want it to be?" "The type doesn't matter, but the strength has to be in the low to medium second order range," I replied. Just as monsters are graded, so are dungeons. Monsters in an intermediate second-tier dungeon usually have an average attribute value of points. As the woman worked on her computer, she took in the busy scene in the hall, with various holographic screens displaying information about dungeons available to explore. "Here is the list of currently available dungeons," she said, and a holographic screen popped up in front of me, listing all the dungeon information. "Please note that these dungeons are time-sensitive, so it's best to make a decision quickly." After browsing for a while, I chose a dungeon that looked good. "I'm going to choose 'Emerald Forest'," I said, pointing to the holographic image. This is a dungeon with a forest environment, warm weather, relatively friendly conditions, and not too high a requirement to enter. The receptionist nodded, seeming satisfied with my choice. "A wise choice. 'Emerald Forest' is a mid-level dungeon, known for its diverse ecosystem and powerful beasts. Will you be going alone or in a group for this expedition?" "I prefer to act alone," I reiterated. "Okay." She noted my choice. "Please pay the entrance fee and sign the contract here." As she explained, [Wild Man] works similarly to renting a car. You can explore the dungeon, but you have to pay a fee up front, and you also have to pay a portion of the proceeds from the monsters you hunt within the dungeon. After paying the cryptocurrency, the receptionist nodded. "Your dungeon pass and expedition details will be ready shortly. Please wait." Soon after, she handed me a data card. "This is your dungeon pass and all the necessary information for your expedition. You can go to Gate 864 and the system will recognize your pass," she explained. I walked to the back of the hall, observing the surrounding environment along the way. The portal is a miracle of modern technology that can quickly and efficiently connect to distant dungeons. Of course, most of the time, dungeons will appear randomly, and sometimes they are even called "gates". Therefore, these organizations usually use portals to connect to the entrance of the dungeon. "Please stand here. This door will lead you to the teleportation hall."
Following the woman's instructions, I stepped into the portal. As I entered the portal, a swirling sound surrounded my ears, followed by a strong feeling of nausea. In a short period of time, I felt that the world was turned upside down and reversed several times. I gritted my teeth and endured the discomfort. "Welcome to the teleportation hall." When I walked out of the portal, a voice brought me back to reality. In front of me was a bustling scene, and another woman in a black business suit, exuding a professional temperament, stood not far away. "So this is the [Wild Man]'s teleportation hall." I thought to myself. [Wild Man] does not only operate in Areopolis City, this organization has access to many dungeons. Therefore, the scale and atmosphere of this place in front of me are extremely shocking. There are many portals scattered in the wide hall, and people are flowing around. Hunters, merchants, people who want to travel secretly...all kinds of people are shuttling here, doing business or preparing for adventure. "Your destination is Gate No. 864. Please follow my colleague and he will show you the way." Just as I wanted to continue observing my surroundings, the woman's voice sounded again. I turned and saw a masked man waiting. "I see." I answered and started to follow him. He was silent all the way, and I didn't talk to him either. But I noticed that people along the way greeted him one after another, and it seemed that he was very famous here. He just nodded to all the greetings without any extra response. We walked for about five minutes and finally arrived at the portal area marked with the number "864". The traffic here was obviously sparser than other places, probably because the dungeon led to this portal belonged to a lower level range. "You can scan your pass here and enter," the masked man said, pointing to the portal's sensor. From the footprints and traces on the ground, it can be seen that the portal was last used about six hours ago. “Buzz——” The vortex of light and shadow in front of the portal began to spin violently, and there were some guards standing nearby. They seemed to be there to prevent anyone from forcibly breaking in. At the same time, they might also be the ones who rushed in to support the adventurers as soon as they sent out a distress signal. "Portal 864." Just as I was about to scan my pass, a scruffy man with messy black hair and a mischievous smile stood in front of the portal and waved at the masked man who brought me over. "Hey, Marcus." The masked man simply shrugged in response to his greeting, just as he did to the others. "Still as silent as ever?" The sloppy man smiled helplessly, but the masked man did not respond and turned around to leave. "So, you are the one who is going to enter the dungeon?" the sloppy man turned to look at me and asked. "Yes." I nodded. "Well, I thought I could finally take a break..." He muttered, stubbing out his cigarette. He looked quite casual, completely different from the professionals I met here before. "Okay, follow me," he grumbled, his hands in his pockets, as he led the way to the portal. "Tom, Jerry, open the door. I have guests here." He shouted to the two guards in white blocking the portal. The guards didn't respond. "It seems like they don't respect him very much." I thought to myself. From their little movements and body language, I could see their attitude towards this sloppy man. "Oh, whatever." He handed a card to one of the guards without caring. The guard simply swiped the card and the portal opened. With a hint of joking, he motioned for me to follow.
After walking towards the portal, the slovenly man took out another cigarette from his pocket and lit it. The cigarette smoke was very strong. The urge to cough came over me, but I held it back and just raised an eyebrow. This guy's attitude towards customers was really unprofessional. Complaining to him might be the best solution. However, he just grinned, as if he could see through my thoughts. "Don't worry, they're always like this. They're just a little reserved." I took back my previous thought. He obviously didn't understand at all. "Tsk! Are you the serious type?" he complained and activated the portal. As the portal activated, I felt my body slowly leave the ground. I watched the surroundings begin to blur, and soon, the familiar whirlwind enveloped me, and that nauseating feeling came over me again.