Although I wasn't sure why, I still followed Ethan's instructions.

Even now I couldn't shake off what happened within the alley. It felt as if I got a glimpse of what may happen after I entered the Black Market—Underworld, I corrected myself.

That's what the insiders are calling it. The fact that I referred to that place as the Black Market was proof I knew nothing about it in the first place. I was also skeptical I'd find another person like Ethan in there, too.

"There are so many things to consider..."

Maybe he was right about me being naive.

I approached a slanted sign, which was also the source of the light I had seen earlier. Based on the spider web in the upper left corner, I couldn't tell how long it had been since it had been touched.

I took a look around to make sure no one was watching. I was surprised to see more of these signs in the distance.

Now I realized this sign was just one of many in the darkness. Like the stars in the sky, for example, which should have been visible if not obstructed by the hazy clouds. Those sparks of cerulean light were only visible in the dark; none could be seen with the naked eye during the day.

What I had to do was obvious. I took out the badge and rubbed it on the panel.

I took a step back when I noticed a fissure forming along the center of the building, which split apart with a slight tremor before revealing a lengthy flight of stairs plunging into darkness. It made me hold my breath for a moment.

"I've already come this far," I told myself, still hesitant to descend, "there's no point in turning back now."

I took a step forward into the shadows, one hand resting against anything to grab onto. The gap behind me eventually closed, leaving me completely blind. I reached for my phone and turned on the light, ignoring my pounding heartbeat as I proceeded further.

Taking a few cautious steps, I noticed a feeble glow in the distance.

Each stair brought me closer to my objective. After a while, I found myself walking in a straight line, not toward the glow I saw before, but an image I couldn't discern yet. I turned my head, examining the outline of my hand resting on top of the wall's rough surface. As soon as I realized that, I shut off the light and slid the phone back into my pocket.

Then, through the vast, arched opening, a whole different world spread before me.

It was unlike anything I'd ever seen before, and not even the 4th District could hold a candle to it.

Its sheer enormity was enough to make me shiver. It most likely spread beneath the entire city! If not, then I'm confident at least a large portion of it is.

Where the sky should have been, buildings hung upside down. There was a considerable difference between this and the city, where the closer you got to the center, the more enriched your surroundings became. In the Underworld, the higher you reached, the better.

Not only that but there was also the circular spot in the middle of this chaotic place from which a dim, white light tinted with blue emanated above everything else. An artificial sun, I realized. Unlike the genuine thing, I could stare at it without difficulty. Its rays, if I could call them that, couldn't even reach the outskirts where I was located.

As I lowered my gaze, the strange vista faded into what I had expected to see in the first place. Stalls were scattered everything the eye could perceive, just besides various structures of moderate sizes in comparison to the enormities above. Some merchants also utilized them as stores. That much I could tell from the signs blazing over some doorframes.

There were also bulbs of light and even torches, each stall being distinctive in its own way.

Serval colors blended in the distance. Your typical cerulean could barely be seen in the center only through the vivid scarlet encircling it. There was also a hint of orange here and there, much closer to my location, but I couldn't say it was as prominent as the rest.

My brain was paralyzed, struggling to process the sudden avalanche of information it had just received.

How could such a beautiful place be so sinister at the same time?

But I knew that every good place had its drawbacks. There were a lot of weirdos out there. Not only that, but I seriously doubted the existence of any form of legal authority.

It took some real effort to seal my opened mouth. Fortunately, the entry led into a gap between buildings, which kept anyone from seeing me. I was relatively sure there were other entrances such as this one.

All kinds of figures could be seen around. Some disguised their identities in cloaks, hats, or whatever else they could get their hands on, while others proudly displayed their features.

For a time, I held my breath. A cool drop of water spilled from the edge of a rusting ladder and landed right on top of my palm. That was enough to make me realize I looked like some sort of country bumpkin.

"Which is the exact opposite of what Ethan advised me to do..."

I needed to project more confidence. Someone difficult to read and predict. I had to be... unique, in a sense. Even if I wasn't sure whether any of the stories I heard about this place were real. I had to be cautious.

'You can buy everything you want, satisfy your deranged desires, then leave as if nothing happened. No one questions—nor cares—much about your identity. I'd never go to that kind of place. It's filthy,' Logan told me before. I had to remind myself of that.

Don't rush in; instead, consider your next course of action carefully. I thought to myself, unsure whether I had emphasized the point enough. The Underworld was an entirely different world, played by different rules. Being fired by my client wasn't the worst that could happen. I witnessed firsthand the consequences of lowering your guard.

A lot could happen within the span of a few seconds.

I pulled down my hood, wearing it as Ethan had, and turned into one of the many I stalked from afar.

That was the moment I became a part of the Underworld.