=====Narrator POV=====

The Demon Realm and Etheria were two completely different worlds, each belonging to a separate dimension of existence.

What connected these two realms together was an enormous dimensional crack, located near the distant edge of the Demon Realm.

A long time ago, when the Demon King was still around, this dimensional crack was what made it possible for the demons to wage an all-out war on Etheria.

…And also vice-versa.

A nightmarish wasteland of epic proportions surrounded this dimensional crack from both sides, exuding a suffocatingly thick aura of death and destruction – accumulated over a long period of war and bloodshed between the two worlds.

Since ancient times, this cursed battlefield had been the eternal resting ground for too many powerful individuals from both worlds.

The sheer amount of brutal slaughter and bloodshed, combined with the abundance of demonic miasma had caused this cursed land to mutate over time – transforming it into a complex maze full of deadly, newborn dungeons.

But no matter how deadly they were, the allure of the ever-generous dungeon-clear rewards remained irresistible for both world's inhabitants.

Be it the Etherian Adventurers or the Demon Realm's Scavengers, they all salivated over the immense glory and riches they could gain from these newborn dungeons.

And so, numerous small outposts and settlements were built surrounding this artificial death-zone, catering to the needs of such individuals who regularly risked their lives in the depths of such deadly dungeons – dreaming to make it big one day!

The city of Gamor was one such settlement, belonging to the Demon Realm's side of the wasteland.

Here, a thin shroud of miasma lingered in the air, making the sky seem dark and gloomy, just like anywhere else in the Demon Realm. Two red suns – one big and the other slightly smaller – hung in the gloomy sky, illuminating the Demon Realm with an eerie crimson light.

On one side of the settlement was a seemingly endless field of barren land stretching into the horizon. And on the other side, an apocalyptic wasteland leading to an enormous dimensional crack silently shimmered in the distance.

At this moment, a lone figure covered in a pitch-black coat of fur was slowly trudging along the wasteland, making his way into the small city while leaning onto an unassuming charcoal-black sword.

The long hood pulled over his head cast a dark shadow over his face, making it impossible to see through his facial features.

The demon guards standing at the city entrance spared only a single glance at the stumbling figure trying to reach the city, before losing any interest.

After all, this kind of sight was far too common in these kinds of cities.

Scavenger parties overestimating themselves in greed and delving into a high-difficulty dungeon was the most common way to die around this place.

Most likely, this lone figure's party also met their maker in such a foolish manner, leaving only him as the sole survivor of the party-wipe.

"...Hm?"

But imagine their surprise when this limping guy suddenly walked over toward them, instead of going to a tavern and getting wasted immediately after returning!

"*cough*...*cough*... Um, excuse me. Could you please tell me where the Scavenger Market is?"

With a few painful coughs, the lone figure politely addressed the two demons who were currently guarding the city entrance.

One of them was a bulky ogre, with a long scar running down his face and a broken horn jutting out of his head; while the other one had more human-like features, but with greenish skin and a vicious set of teeth protruding out of his mouth.

Looking at the weak figure of the unknown, yet polite 'demon' in front of them, both of them exchanged a confused glance, before one of them decided to finally take pity on this poor guy.

"...It seems the loss of your party hit you pretty hard, eh?"

The human-like demon heaved a short sigh, before giving him the directions to the Scavenger Market.

"Take a left turn at the fifth intersection you see on the main street and then walk straight. You'll get there eventually."

"...Ah, thank you very much, kind sir."

The lone figure thanked the two demons, before walking away with an unsteady gait and disappearing into the busy main street of the Scavenger City.

The two demons stared at his retreating back for a few moments, reminiscing about their own past.

"...Reminds me of the time when I lost my party for the first time."

The scar-faced ogre commented in a gruff tone, with a hint of nostalgia seeping into his voice.

"Huh. Do you miss the old party, or just the dark elf girl you had a crush on?"

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

The other demon rudely interrupted his thoughts, pulling him back to the real world.

The buff ogre glared at the human-like demon, to which he simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, everyone who works here lost their party members at some point. You're not alone, even I miss my old party leader."

"You mean, you miss scamming his stupid-ass out of his share?"

"Hey! Everyone in my party did that. I just followed the footsteps of my seniors!"

The ogre gave his co-worker a disgusted look, curling his thick lips into an ugly grimace.

"Oh, yeah? That poor guy couldn't even afford some good equipment in the end because of that. Your party didn't 'lose' him, you got him killed on purpose!"

"Tsk, was it my fault that he was too stupid?"

...But in the end, no matter how polite a demon may seem to be, their world was always filled with treachery and deception.

In their world, if you weren't strong enough, you didn't even have the qualifications to breathe in the noxious air to live, let alone live your life lavishly without any concern.

The pair of demons soon forgot about the lone figure, being too busy bickering among themselves.

Only a few droplets of red liquid were left on the spot he was standing a while ago, most probably belonging to the lone, fur-coated demon.

***

Just like the Etherians had their Adventurer Guild that oversaw the dungeon-delving adventurers, the demons had also created their own version of such an organization.

The Scavenger Markets – A specialty of all the demonic cities that were located near a dungeon.

But places like these neither have any restrictions nor protect their members in the same way the Adventurer's Guild used to. And as a result, more often than not, chaos would freely run amok in these parts of all the Scavenger cities.

But what kind of cowardly demons would stop visiting such places because of some chaos? Definitely not the demons of Gamor!

As usual, the narrow streets of Gamor's Scavenger Market were bustling with a raucous crowd.

Demon scavengers with wildly different physical features were roaming the market in search of a good weapon, or some new equipment, before setting out on their journey to the nearby death-zone's dungeons.

Hawkers with open-air stalls loudly advertised their wares, beckoning the wandering demons to buy their products.

Up until this point, it was no different from the usual scenery of a human-operated flea market.

But in reality, the difference between the two couldn't be any more pronounced. After all, in this place, things didn't simply turn chaotic, but 'violently' chaotic instead!

Quite a few bloody fights would occasionally break out among the hawkers over the new customers, while many of the buyers could be seen pummeling each other over trying to buy the same equipment.

However, strangely enough, even though the buyers and sellers often got into an argument, they never tried to fight each other like in the other cases of violence.

Breaking away from the crowd of demons, a lonely figure covered in a pitch-black fur coat walked into an empty store on the side, ignoring all the other calls from the nearby hawkers.

The inside of the store was pretty much empty, with only a few worn-out shields and spears kept on display. A chubby, blue-skinned Troll was sleeping behind a crudely made wooden counter.

*tak* *tak*

The fur-coated person knocked on the counter twice, causing the Troll to flinch back in surprise before he opened cloudy white eyes with a cautious look.

Seeing that the Troll had woken up, the fur-coated customer spoke with a raspy voice.

"Hello, Mr. Tronsk..."

...*cough*...*cough*...

A few painful coughs later, he continued.

"...Excuse me, but I want to sell a demon core. You do buy demon cores, yes?"

The cloudy eyes of the Troll widened slightly, before he made an understanding expression.

"Oh! A customer, is it? Sure, I'll buy it. But, can you show it to me first?"

The fur-coated man nodded, before putting his hand inside his cloak and pulling out a fist-sized blackish-red crystal.

"How much can you give me for this?"

As he placed the crystal on the counter in front of him, the cloudy eyes of Mr. Tronsk nearly bulged out of their sockets.

'What...? Such a huge core...!'

"Hmm, hmm~ Let me check quickly..."

Suppressing his surprise, he snatched the crystal from the counter, before pulling out a magnifying glass from a corner of his rack and inspecting it carefully.

'Unholy Abyss! Such purity...!'

Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, Mr. Tronsk stole a quick glance at the mysterious 'demon' leaning on his dull-looking sword.

A myriad of different thoughts swirled in his head for a moment, before he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Where did you get a core this big?"

The mysterious 'demon' tilted his head a little, before replying in the same raspy voice.

"Is that important...?"

"No, not at all. I was just a little curious. Hehehe..."

Showing an ugly smile on his face, Tronsk pulled out a heavy pouch filled with yellow coins, pushing them toward the mysterious demon.

"Three-hundred and eighty Abyssal coins. Don't try to negotiate, I'm giving you the best price in the entire market."

The mysterious 'demon' wordlessly nodded his head, before taking the pouch and slowly limping out of his store, leaning on his dull, charcoal-black sword.

...

...

Just as he left the store, a vicious grin appeared on Tronsk the Troll's face, before he quickly fished out a small magical device from under the counter.

The magical device emitted a static noise as he pressed a button on its side, before holding it closer to his face.

"Yera, take Busir and follow the customer who just left my store, right now! He's wearing a fur coat, loaded with 'my' money and possibly even dungeon artifacts! He's weak as hell, so don't lose him!"

After a few moments of static noise, a cold female voice suddenly came out of the device.

[...Are you sure he's weak?]

"You think I'll lie to you? He's literally limping on the streets right now, so go and follow him quickly!"

[Okay, but the artifact is mine. I'll pay for it if my share isn't enough.]

"Alright, alright! Now get on it before this easy prey gets away!"

[Hmm... Got it.]

Tucking away the device after confirming the deal, the Troll smiled happily while staring at the fist-sized blackish-red crystal in his hand.

"Hehe. Who thought I'd get such a nice customer today? Lucky me!"

…

…

"Now, then."

Outside the store, the mysterious fur-coated 'demon' smiled under his shadowy hood.

"When are my HP potions going to arrive, I wonder?"