Leah led them out of the network of tunnels and into a gargantuan cavern. It was well lit, too, and Mark saw a sea of shacks down below. There had to be over a hundred people in here, bustling around in their own little groups.

"Wow," Elise said, mouth open in awe.

"Welcome to the Underground Market," Leah said with a proud smile. "Here, we trade goods and barter services. If you need people to join you, there are plenty of established groups down there along with lone travelers."

Mark looked at Samara, who shrugged. How so many people had appeared in the central mines compared to the east wing was beyond him. Fortunately, Leah had chosen to warn them against using visible necromancy in a show of rare goodwill. Otherwise he might have a lot of explaining to do.

His group continued to follow Leah as they descended down into the market. Though he was a newcomer, no one in the crowd spared him more than a glance. Instead, most minded their own business.

Leah stopped at a small stall. "This is our sponsor," she said. "It's hard to sell things here without getting in trouble with some greedy people. So we have to join others to stay secure."

A burly man stepped out from the door and smiled at her. "Hello, Leah, Andrew, Ralph," he said. "How are you all doing?"

Leah stepped forwards and smiled back at the man. "I was rescued from my dumb decisions by these people here," she said. "Please give them my due respects."

The man stared at her. "I don't believe you," he said. "What really happened?"

Leah glared at Andrew before the man could open his mouth. In his nervousness, he looked away. She then gave the burly man a knowing look, but neglected to say another word.

"Fine. Keep your secrets." The man turned around to head back inside. "I'm Manuel. It's nice to meet some new people around here." Andrew and Ralph followed him in.

"You can choose to sell things through us, or pick another group if you want," Leah said. "I'll take you around the rest of the market first. I won't lie, I do want your help with something, but that can wait until later. Deal or no deal?"

"Deal," Mark said.

Leah's smile returned. "Let's go."

With Leah's help, their search went much more smoothly. She first introduced them to a couple of shopkeepers she knew. These were people who ran stalls and were experts in some type of craft.

Unfortunately, one of the shopkeepers was out exploring. The other who remained was called Micah, a potion seller. A floral scent lingered around his wooden home, and many people loitered around to chat. It seemed the store was closed.

"How are these homes built?" Mark asked.

"Someone managed to gain a skill working with leftover materials they found in the mines. I don't know the details," Leah shrugged. "They're fairly important figures here, above even craftsmen."

A person appeared in the distance - Micah. The man had a head full of gray hair and was wearing a patchy brown-and-black suit.

"Good day, Mr. Micah," Leah said. He immediately recognized her and approached them with a smile.

"You've met new people? That's great," he said. "I know how troubled you've been lately."

Leah nodded, a bit shamelessly. "They're going to help me do something," she said. "Can we come in for a look?"

"Sure," Micah said. "But I don't have much. Supplies have been running low as of late." The man opened his store and let them inside. Elise probably expected something better, judging by the glow in her eyes, but she was quickly disappointed once she saw how barebones the living space was.

Other than the bed, there was a chest in the corner and a crate used as a makeshift table. Five sets of plant materials, a preservation satchel, and a few potion bottles sat on top of this table along with some half-eaten food. Micah took another bite while standing before he spoke again.

"Welcome. Feel free to rest," he said. Leah immediately flopped down on the bed. "So what brings you here?"

"We need to resupply our potions," Leah said.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Micah nodded. He reached inside the back of the crate and came up with three different potions. One was red, one blue, and the last was green. "This is all I have, until the explorers return," he said.

Mark was not very interested in the quality of the potions. They looked more murky than the ones found in the dungeon. His gaze instead landed on the back door of the house. From what his enhanced senses told him, the smell was coming from there.

"That's where I grow my plants," Micah said with a laugh. He walked out and opened the door, letting him look outside. Enclosed by the makeshift fence was a patch of soil containing several flourishing green leaves. "Gets pretty boring around here when you can't explore the mines like the others."

"Why is that?" Mark asked.

"Too old," he said. "The system may have given me more Vitality and Endurance, but some of my diseases remain. I can't match up to the others outside. So I sit here, and focus on what I can do."

Mark took in the details of each and every plant. They were healthy. They were strong. Not a tinge of wilt appeared on any of the leaves. It was a beautiful sight to see life flourish again in this small corner of the market. Mark let out a long sigh, and turned to the old man again. "Can I ask some questions?"

Micah chuckled. "Ask what you want," he said. "I got plenty of time."

Samara came to stand next to Mark, noticing how absorbed he seemed in this conversation. "Farming?" she asked, listening in. "I'm also interested."

"How do you grow plants in these conditions?"

Micah smiled. "You've got to find the right soil," he said. "Not much here can be used to grow the types of plants I want. Some places are better than others though. I got this spot by being one of the first here."

Mark wondered how much better his pocket plane's dirt was compared to the dirt here. Identify gave some details but didn't exactly describe how wide the gap was. He'd have to explore on his own, especially considering the wildly different environments. "How many resources does it take to set up something like this?"

"A lot," Micah admitted. "I had to find and collect things in other places before I could grow these herbs here, prove my value. So there's guaranteed to be some danger involved. Now, I just rely on the other groups. They've got everything handled."

"Does it take a lot of time for each harvest?"

Micah nodded. "I've been tending to these plants since the third day," he said. "Not expecting anything to bear fruit until another week has passed. These things grow pretty fast," he chuckled.

That was all Mark needed. Though Micah was kind to give some advice, it was clear the shopkeeper was unwilling to tell him much more than that. Now it was Samara's turn to ask questions.

Her first question was not received well though. She tried to ask him about the plants' properties, and Micah simply shook his head. "Sorry, I can't answer that," he said. "Trade secret." He flashed a grin, and Samara seemed to accept this. She opened her mouth again, but Micah stopped her midway.

"I'm going to need rest soon," he said, holding out a hand. "Are you buying anything?"

Leah purchased all three potions. "Don't blame him," she said once they filed out of the store. "He keeps his work safe and protected. In fact, it's already pretty rare that he even said so much to you, Mark. I think he likes you."

"I didn't get that impression." Samara's arms were crossed while she walked away.

"Try seeing it from his perspective," Leah said softly. "You walked in and immediately asked about important details. Anyone would think this type of person was trying to gain an advantage. Compared to Mark, you were far too specific."

As they continued deeper into the cavern, Mark's eyes landed on a few people slumped in the darkness, where the torches couldn't light up fully. Their clothes were ragged and torn. Some of them continued to hold weapons in their hands and were so wary they stared at every passerby, including him.

"The unlucky few," Leah remarked. "They're the ones who have lost too many team members and were too scared to go explore again. So they've stagnated."

Then Mark stopped in his tracks. He had seen something incredibly familiar, and went to go take a look.

"The bounty board?" Leah saw him move through the crowd and turned back to follow him. Eventually, the three of them made their way to a large board in front of a shoddily-made, yet large wooden building.

Mark saw Hector and Annabelle's faces displayed proudly in the top corner of the board. Apparently, they were worth a good amount of goods from a faction called The Umbral Blades. Further details were available upon visit. He quickly looked away before Leah could see what he was looking at.

"Those are the necromancers we're enemies with," she said. Mark scanned the papers his gaze happened to fall on. He was surprised to see their approximate levels appear on the posters.

"What's up with the levels?" he asked. Leah's explanation confirmed his suspicions. Most of the factions here knew about the existence of Identify as a learnable skill. Not everyone had it, but they knew when it was being used on them.

"You've got to beware those three people in the center," she said. "They're the most powerful necromancers who have explored more of this place than anyone else."

Mark nodded. They were about Level 33, the highest he had seen so far. "Anyone else we have to watch out for?"

She pointed at a few more posters near the center. "All of these people here are dangerous threats to the market and have made enemies out of our leading factions," she said. "Don't worry. It takes multiple factions to agree to place them onto this board."

Mark knew that Hector and Annabelle's appearance on this board was no coincidence. The Mage-Thief was a part of the Umbral Blades. And she had a good deal of power to be able to order an attack on the two.

"Let me give you more details about this group of necromancers," Leah said, not noticing the turmoil of Mark and Elise. She led them inside the building to a smaller board in the interior.