The underground markets of London had existed long before the Gates appeared.
Smugglers.
Illegal tech dealers.
Weapon brokers.
People who preferred doing business where cameras didn't exist.
But after the Gates opened, the underground economy changed.
Monster cores were worth more than drugs.
Artifacts sold for more than weapons.
Information about Gate locations could buy entire buildings.
Power had become currency.
And the deeper beneath the city you went, the more honest that currency became.
The entrance to Marcus's market looked like a maintenance tunnel that should have collapsed ten years ago.
A rusted ladder led down into a dim concrete corridor. Old warning signs hung crooked on the walls, their paint peeling beneath years of damp air.
Arin climbed down without hesitation.
The ladder rattled softly beneath his weight.
At the bottom, a narrow hallway stretched into darkness.
The air smelled like metal, oil, and distant electricity.
He followed the corridor for another thirty meters before the sound reached him.
Voices.
Dozens of them.
Trading.
Arguing.
Negotiating.
The tunnel opened suddenly into a massive underground chamber.
Old rail infrastructure had once run through the space, but most of the tracks had been removed to make room for rows of makeshift stalls and metal tables covered with equipment.
Lights hung from exposed cables across the ceiling.
Generators hummed.
The black market was already busy.
Freelance hunters moved between the stalls carrying monster parts, damaged weapons, and strange glowing artifacts pulled from Gates.
A man argued loudly over the price of a cracked barrier bracelet.
Two women in tactical armor inspected a pile of monster claws on a table.
Another hunter demonstrated a new blade that sparked faintly with Gate energy every time it moved through the air.
Arin walked through the market like he belonged there.
Which he did.
People noticed him.
They always did.
Some hunters glanced up briefly, then looked away again.
Others whispered.
"Ghost."
"Is that him?"
"Don't stare."
Rumors moved quickly in places like this.
Arin ignored them.
He always ignored them.
Recognition complicated things.
And complicated things slowed him down.
Marcus's office sat above the market floor on a raised metal platform constructed from old shipping containers.
A thin staircase led upward.
Two armed guards stood near the entrance.
Both recognized Arin immediately.
One of them opened the door without asking questions.
Inside, the room was warmer.
Marcus liked comfort.
The office contained actual furniture instead of scrap metal tables. A leather chair behind the desk, several glass displays filled with artifacts, and a wall of monitors showing various underground camera feeds.
Marcus himself stood near one of the screens when Arin entered.
The man looked up.
Tall.
Late thirties.
Well dressed for someone operating in a criminal market beneath the city.
His expression shifted slightly.
"Busy night."
Arin tossed a small bag onto the desk.
Monster core fragments spilled across the surface.
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
"You broke them again."
"They worked."
"That's not the point."
Marcus picked up one of the fragments and studied it under the light.
"D-rank."
"Maybe."
"You're getting careless."
Arin lit a cigarette.
"They attacked first."
Marcus sighed.
"That's generally how monsters work."
He turned back to the monitors.
"You heard the rumors?"
"I hear lots of things."
"About you."
Arin exhaled smoke.
"That sounds inconvenient."
Marcus smiled faintly.
"Gate Ghost."
The name hung in the air between them.
Arin didn't react.
Marcus leaned against the desk.
"Authority is starting to notice."
"They notice everything."
"Yes."
Marcus tapped one of the monitors.
A surveillance feed appeared showing an Authority response team moving through a tunnel.
Evelyn among them.
"They were eight minutes behind you tonight."
"Slow."
"They won't stay slow forever."
Arin didn't answer.
Marcus studied him for a moment.
"You're getting stronger."
That wasn't a question.
Arin flicked ash into a metal tray.
"Maybe."
Marcus picked up another core fragment.
"These shouldn't break like this."
"They do for me."
Marcus's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That's interesting."
"Everything is interesting to you."
"Because everything has value."
Marcus placed the fragments back on the desk.
"Speaking of value…"
He opened a drawer and tossed a small data chip across the table.
Arin caught it.
"New Gate cluster forming tomorrow."
"Where?"
"Old subway sector."
"Rank?"
"Unknown."
Arin slipped the chip into his pocket.
"Send coordinates later."
Marcus nodded.
Then glanced toward the market floor below.
"You're attracting attention."
"I always do."
"Not like this."
Marcus lowered his voice slightly.
"Hunters are starting to look for you."
Arin shrugged.
"They won't find me."
Marcus chuckled.
"They might."
"And if they do?"
Arin took another drag from the cigarette.
"Then they'll be disappointed."
Back on the market floor, the noise had grown louder.
More hunters had arrived.
More deals were happening.
More rumors spreading.
Arin stepped down the metal staircase and moved toward the exit corridor.
Halfway across the chamber, someone stepped into his path.
A young woman.
Light armor.
Sensor band on her wrist.
Dark hair tied loosely behind her head.
Her eyes studied him carefully.
"You're Arin Vale."
Arin looked at her.
"…Maybe."
"I heard about the tunnel tonight."
"People hear lots of things."
She crossed her arms.
"They say you crushed a Ravager."
"They say lots of things."
Her expression didn't change.
"Maya Lin."
She extended a hand.
Arin glanced at it.
Then at her.
Then walked past her without shaking it.
Maya turned as he passed.
"You hunt alone."
"Yes."
"That's inefficient."
Arin stopped walking.
Slowly looked back at her.
"…I disagree."
She smiled slightly.
"I'm good at tracking Gates."
"I'm good at closing them."
"Sounds like a partnership."
Arin considered that for exactly two seconds.
Then shook his head.
"I work alone."
He continued toward the exit.
Behind him, Maya watched him disappear down the corridor.
One of the hunters nearby walked over.
"You know who that was?"
Maya nodded.
"The Gate Ghost."
The hunter laughed nervously.
"You're brave talking to him."
Maya's smile widened slightly.
"No."
"I'm curious."
Far below the city, another Gate embryo began forming in the darkness.
Arin felt it before he even reached the tunnel exit.
Echo Sense pulsed through the underground network.
Another distortion.
Stronger this time.
He looked down the long corridor stretching into darkness.
"…Good."
The cigarette burned out between his fingers.
Power mattered more than anything.
And the Gates kept opening.
Which meant—
there was always more to take.