Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 60 - Into the Black Market

Chapter 60 - Into the Black Market

As everyone’s gaze shifted toward Pete,

he slowly faded from sight, like ink dispersing in water.

A man who could use a skill to vanish like a mirage.

Someone like him didn’t even need a mask.

«I’ll follow you from the shadows,» came his voice from nowhere.

«Alright,» Jhin replied.

Luke jumped slightly at the disembodied voice, glancing around nervously.

But Jhin calmly tracked Pete’s faint presence more clearly than before.

[Activating Skill: "Soft skills (A)".]

By focusing on the most unnatural flow of energy in the area,

he could faintly make out Pete’s outline — blurred but traceable.

’In Exodia 1, it wasn’t this easy to see him...’

Back then, Soft skills could only detect the weaknesses inside a monster’s body.

Now, in Exodia 2, it could grasp the entire flow of the surroundings with ease.

Was it because of the skill’s rank up?

Or because this world had turned into reality?

Maybe both.

Either way —

compared to Exodia 1, Soft skills’s growth speed was nothing short of monstrous.

’Well, it’s not surprising, considering how hard I pushed myself in the Trial nexus.’

Rarely did places exist where Power rampaged so wildly.

That brutal environment had more than one hidden cost —

one reason why it had taken Jhin so long to escape.

Meanwhile, Luke shrugged and repeated,

«Still, we’re short on masks.»

There were five of them — but only three masks.

Millie remained the only one without a mask.

But Jhin hadn’t covered her face by accident.

There was a reason.

«Let’s go.»

With that, they opened the door and stepped into Zone D-5.

And immediately—

What they saw exceeded every expectation.

’...Did they stick a portal on the door?’

Instead of a regular train car,

the "safe zone" stretched into a vast four-story structure.

It was enormous —

a scale far beyond what Jhin had imagined.

Caleb swallowed nervously.

«This place...

looks like a famous casino.»

It was styled like a luxury casino you’d expect to find in Glittercity.

How had they managed to stuff something like this inside a train?

But then again —

this was a dungeon.

A place built from the rules of a game —

and trying to explain it scientifically was meaningless.

Jhin cleared his mind and scanned the area.

Surprisingly, there were plenty of people scattered around in small groups, chatting leisurely.

From the air, Pete’s voice drifted in again.

«As you know, there’s an auction here.

Jerry was supposed to deliver merchandise for it.»

Then—

A well-dressed goblin approached.

Unlike the goblin spawns they’d fought earlier,

this one had two horns — a Lutin, a mid-tier goblin.

The goblin spoke in flawless Corelandsn.

«May I see your letter of introduction?»

His speech was smooth, unnervingly human.

Of course —

there shouldn’t be any true monsters inside a safe zone.

Meaning —

this goblin had once been human.

«Are you merchants?

What goods are you delivering?»

Instead of answering immediately,

Jhin leaned closer and whispered something into the goblin’s ear.

Hearing the words, the goblin’s eyes widened sharply.

«Oh...

Is that true?»

Its gaze darted toward Millie, standing slightly behind.

Even with a cap pulled low over her face,

her presence shone unmistakably.

The goblin narrowed his eyes suspiciously and asked,

«May I verify the goods?»

«Of course.»

Jhin casually lifted her cap just slightly.

Even after days of travel without proper washing,

her skin gleamed like polished porcelain.

The goblin bobbed its head, nodding heavily.

«Confirmed.»

But oddly enough—

it was breathing heavily, almost excited.

Its eyes gleamed strangely as it stared at Jhin .

Something felt... wrong.

But Jhin decided to ignore it for now.

«Shall we proceed to a private area?»

«Sure.»

Jhin nodded smoothly.

The goblin led them through a narrow side corridor —

away from the bustling casino floor.

Behind the scenes, hidden from public view,

countless goblins hurried about, hauling massive crates.

Crates filled with food, rare items —

and likely, merchandise for the auction.

There were even cages containing living monsters.

’Buying and selling orcs, huh.’

Seeing it with his own eyes, it was almost absurd.

But someone must have been willing to buy them —

otherwise, they wouldn’t bother.

It was another reminder that this world’s insanity ran deeper than it seemed.

Jhin shook his head, watching a line of captured orcs shuffling by.

Who knew where they had been dragged from?

Barely surviving a dungeon...

only to end up here, caged like animals.

Their luck was beyond terrible.

But Jhin ’s gaze didn’t linger long.

He wasn’t here for monsters.

Then—A group of humans appeared.

Chained like animals, drooling, their eyes milky white.

Victims of hidden contracts.

Bodies stripped of their souls, reduced to puppets.

Jhin narrowed his eyes sharply.

They were in the right place.

And just then—

Caleb grabbed his sleeve urgently.

Frowning, Jhin followed his gaze—And froze.

Stumbling at the end of the chained procession,

a man tottered weakly, his eyes darting anxiously left and right.

Unlike the others,

he was still conscious.

Naturally.

’...Evan?’

A survivor of the Stoneveil city Station incident.

A man who had once fought skeletons by his side.

What the hell was he doing here?

As Jhin stared, the goblin waiter nearby noticed and asked:

«Are you interested?»

«...A little,» Jhin replied smoothly.

«How much?»

«They’ll be auctioned off.

Highest bidder wins.»

Evan was dragged further and further away.

Still, none of them made a move.

Not even Caleb — who trembled with fury.

’...Just a little longer.’

It wasn’t time yet.

There was a reason they had gone through all this trouble.

Why they had disguised Millie as "merchandise."

It was all part of the plan.

No reckless heroics yet.

But soon— they would realize. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

They had already been exposed.

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📖 Good news! You can read THE NOVEL on my Patreon for a much cheaper price, with full downloads available! 🐉✨

PATREON : LEVELING MONARCH

👉 Check it out now:https://www.patreon.com/c/levelingmonarch/

See you there