After escaping the pursuit of the mad guard, the students got to the Underbelly by descending into an underground pit that opened up into a dark maze like a city's sewer.
Ayn led the way, claiming he had been here before, though the others doubted it since he acted so overly instructive.
They found themselves clinging to Darien instead after hearing from Jakob that he had neutralized the guard who chased them.
Keeping his eyes open in the darkness of the underground maze, Darien acted like he was oblivious to their wonder. He also ignored Jakob's incessant requests about how he was able to conjure Ice.
"Seriously, Darien. Ice? Don't act like nothing happened."
"You froze a man solid. You… you can do magic?"
The guard must've defrosted at this moment. Luckily for them, they had escaped the vicinity before then, leaving the crazy man clueless and fruitless.
Since the man was unable to see the students in the dark alleyway, Jakob was the only witness to Darien's ice manifestation.
Jakob didn't look like the sort who would blurt out such happenings to anyone, so Darien believed he was safe.
Until he reached a level of power where he could afford to hide nothing, he wanted no obstacle to hinder his progress in any way.
Eventually, after twisting through damp stone corridors and squeezing past a collapsed archway that forced them single file, the group came upon a low passage where the air was colder with the echo of dripping water.
The maze was split twice more, one way marked by strange carvings and the other sloped downwards into dim torchlight.
Following Ayn's stubborn lead, they took the latter until the path opened into a greater cavern bathed in the flickering lights of hanging lanterns.
"Yes, this must be it…."
Ayn whispered as all five of them saw three figures standing restlessly before a barred gateway of a dozen thick poles.
The figures stopped smoking their pipeweeds when they saw the five new figures approaching anxiously, clearly a sign they hadn't been here before.
The air was heavy with the putrid smell of burnt leaf, incense, smoke, and herbs.
The only active action that was taken in the tense moment was Ayn pressing forward with forced confidence to get them through.
"As freshers in the Academy, gold's going to be a problem soon, so we're here to make some money. We aren't even Ascended yet, so really, there's no need to bother about us."
One of the three dark figures flicked his red eyes across the five of them after Ayn spoke.
He frowned behind his mask when he realized the boy had lied, for among the five, one had indeed Ascended—the strange-looking one with silver hair.
Yet, seeing that the boy had no affinity of any kind and was still only a Rank 1 Novice, the figure felt no fear, just as Ayn had claimed.
The boy must have Ascended only a day or two ago, almost the same as not having Ascended at all.
"Try not to die."
The young entrees shuddered at those chilling words as one of the masked figures stepped forward and dragged open the gateway.
The creak of metal echoed through the cavern of dust before the students filed through with hesitant footsteps on the uneven ground.
Darien was surprised by how little resistance there was when he had expected a demand for coin pieces or a ritualistic test to prove their worth.
Could it be that their lives held so little weight here that no wager was worth the trouble?
The thought of this left a pit in his stomach as they advanced into the Underbelly, already hearing background sounds.
"I hope no one is having second thoughts now?"
Ayn said with a clever grin as they walked through a rocky hallway that led toward the source of sound.
The others mumbled positive replies, tagging along.
Eventually, they began to see people, first sparsely, who spared them no glance, then in small groups and cliques.
As they were approaching, a few were leaving, while some were discussing lightly amongst each other. The place was dim, poorly lit, and the stench of different people was unbearable.
Darien's eyes widened as he and his colleagues merged into the Underbelly, glancing around the high ceiling, slatted with basalt, and ornamented with strange crafts.
The walls were of basalt too, but carved smoothly for comfort and also etched with engravings and markings.
With
'There's no way this place has gone unnoticed for this long!'
He thought, believing that there was no chance the nobles, royal guards, templars, and officials weren't aware of the Underbelly.
How could a place like this sit directly beneath the ceremonial capital of the entire dukedom without sanction?
As if he had read Darien's thoughts perfectly, Ayn began to speak about important details as they walked deeper into the underground bazaar.
The deeper they went, the more bodies, the more noise, the more drunken laughter, and the more smell.
"Don't look so shocked, guys. The lower guards of the city know about this place, even some mid nobles too. But they take their cut and keep here running."
The others were shocked to hear this, glancing at each other. Ramsey looked at Bowen, and Jakob looked at Darien.
"I don't know about the high lords or the duke himself. But it's either that they don't care or they pretend not to. But this is how the Underbelly stays alive."
'So that's how it is? Silence and greed.'
To their left and right were corridors branching off into other veins of the maze. People entered and emerged from them, and a few even had tamed terrestrial beasts.
It was a hodgepodge of distinct individuals, dressed differently, speaking differently, and walking in their own way.
Before the black market, the boys even passed a particular section filled with the loud moans of women and the hoarse grunts of men engaged in their pleasures.
They managed to leave that place to arrive at the black market, where lanterns burned with colored flames. All manner of goods were displayed there, be it legal or forbidden.
Only Ramsay and Darien had anything worth selling, so the others lingered with caution while they haggled nervously with two masked buyers with long nails.
Ramsay and the traders were taken aback when Darien reached into thin air and pulled out his items.
They knew it was from a spatial dimension, but they didn't expect it from a being like him.
The taller one glanced down at the items when the young seller was done presenting them.
(Minor Beast Fang x3 (Lv.1) Stone Hide (Lv. 2) Gravel Mole Claw (Lv. 2) Furnace Boar Hide (Lv.2) Boar Meat (Lv.2) Blazewyrm Scales (Lv.2) Blazewyrm Fang (Lv.2))
"This is all."
Darien said confidently, aware that he still had Life Core with him.
The trader nodded at Darien before seizing the goods for his side.
He had an appraisal-type skill that helped to conclude the prices of things, and this made his plug renowned for price precision.
So without delay, a faint shimmer glowed from his palm, and strange inscriptions appeared in the air above the tables.
The boys watched the screen of symbols and values unfold until readable figures emerged.
"51 gold."
The trader simply said, handing Darien a small pouch of 5 platinum and 1 gold piece.
As for Ramsay, who came with a rusty wooden flute, the appraisal confirmed a value hardly above that of firewood.
After that, the two returned to the others, who were glad to see that they had made some earnings, Darien especially.
Half a hundred gold pieces must be enough to serve for more than three weeks for a student in the academy.
"You are very lucky!"
"Where the hell did you even get those drops, man?"
It felt like a successful outing, even though only Darien and Ramsey had managed to sell and earn coin; the others still shared in the relief of not leaving empty-handed.
But before they could even gather their thoughts or decide on the next move, a group of people rushed past them, shoving shoulders and brushing cloaks as they sprinted deeper into the halls of basalt.
"Quick! Don't miss it—two big names are about to clash in the arena!"
"They say it's Gerath the Crusher against Lirien the Blood Fang! Hah, the pit's gonna shake tonight!"
"Two Rank Threes! It's gonna be bloody—place your bets quick before the lines close!"