Passerby Villain In A Wizard World

"Hey, how much longer do we have to walk? Is this really the way?"

Ignysyl asked Ian while yawning in boredom. It had been a while since they entered this narrow, sloping corridor after passing through that door. But there was still no sign of the market Ian had spoken of.

"It has just been a few minutes. Why are you already impatient?"

Ian replied while walking through the narrow corridor that stretched endlessly into the darkness. Unlike Ignysyl, he wasn't in a hurry.

"Still, don't you think we've already left the city?"

Ignysyl asked while gauging the distance they had walked.

"Maybe. It is a black market, after all. They might not be allowed to host it inside the city. Who knows?"

He had just responded when suddenly, he saw a flickering light in the distance ahead.

"Well, it seems we've arrived."

Ian smiled and quickly made his way forward.

"Don't use the Raven form, just hide under the Rule of Fire. It should be alright."

He didn't forget to remind him. As for himself, he was already in his earlier disguise—the one he had used at the Apothecary's Rest.

Moreover, he had also donned a dark robe he bought earlier and a mask to conceal his fake face, further enhancing his disguise.

In fact, he could have just used the Necromancer Mask to hide better, but he felt he shouldn't use it unless necessary—it involved too much risk.

It didn't take long for Ian and Ignysyl to reach the light they had seen flickering from afar. Now that they were close, they immediately realized it came from two mana lamps hanging on either side of a massive door.

And in front of the door stood a towering puppet, nearly twice Ian's height, clad in full-body armor. He recognized it as a puppet from its featureless face—smooth, expressionless, and devoid of life, with only faint etchings where eyes should have been.

{Token!}

As soon as Ian approached, the silent puppet suddenly moved, extending its arm and mechanically requesting the token.

'An Advanced-level puppet!'

Ian immediately recognized its level after seeing it up close. Only after arriving at Runeshire City had he understood how expensive an Advanced artifact was.

Even after selling ten intermediate artifacts, acquiring one suitable for him was difficult. Not to mention, this was an Advanced Puppet that seemed quite powerful.

'If I get the chance, I should purchase a few. They could be useful in the Arcane Grotto.'

Ian mused, momentarily forgetting that affording them might be a challenge.

Well, at least compared to other apprentices, he was quite wealthy. He possessed several intermediate artifacts like Windsinger's Pendant and the Necromancer Mask, and even had a rare-level artifact, the Arcane Grotto.

While lost in thought, he took out a black wooden token with complex runes engraved on its surface and handed it to the puppet.

This token was different from the one he had received from that old man. Although the black market was elusive, one could still purchase the right to enter by paying 100 mana stones each time it opened.

He got it easily by searching in the market.

As soon as the puppet took the token, the engraved runes on it glowed beautifully, resonating with its core, verifying its authenticity.

Click!

Then Ian heard a sudden clicking sound from the massive door ahead, followed by the puppet's mechanical voice.

{You may enter.}

After saying that, the puppet once again returned to its earliest position on guard without caring about anything.

However, Ian noticed the puppet did not return the token. It seemed you had to purchase a new one every time the black market opened.

'Damn profiteers!'

Ian cursed the organizers under his breath and pushed the huge door open, swiftly stepping inside with Ignysyl.

Otherwise, what could he do? He wasn't about to fight a puppet of unknown strength over 100 mana stones.

The moment Ian passed through the door, he felt a strange sense of disorientation. It was as if he had been forcefully transported to another location through a displacement array.

And before he could adjust, a wave of hustling and bustling noise bombarded his senses.

"Fresh beast cores! Just harvested—no lingering soul remnants!"

"Cursed artifacts! Handle at your own risk—no refunds!"

"Blood inscriptions for hire! Strengthen your body or cripple your enemies!"

"Ancient talismans! Protection, destruction, or deception—name your poison!"

"Ten-year ghost lotus! Refined for intermediate-grade elixirs!"

Despite its name, the black market wasn't much different from an ordinary vegetable market in Ian's opinion.

The only real difference was that everyone wore dark robes like him, concealing themselves using various techniques and artifacts.

And the goods they sold varied widely. Using his mental power, Ian even noticed someone in a corner selling what appeared to be human organs.

Although he was still a rogue Wizard at best, Ian understood that a major part of a Wizard's life was dedicated to research. And honestly, what better research material was there than humans themselves?

So, it wasn't strange to see such bizarre things here, even though carrying out these activities openly was still forbidden in the Calvora Continent.

"Let's go to the place. It's almost time for the gathering to start. Also, don't steal anything here."

Seeing Ignysyl scanning the bustling market filled with countless treasures with sparkling eyes, Ian hurriedly reminded him with telepathy.

After all, someone capable of running a black market right next to Runeshire City had to be powerful. If Ignysyl was reckless, they could end up in trouble.

"I know. I was just looking around. Do you think I'm a thief?"

Ignysyl huffed, clearly offended. How could he—a magnificent little dragon—stoop so low as to steal from such a place?

That Dreamshard didn't count, as Ian took it away from him anyway. He was a good little dragon.

"Yeah, I was just saying it casually. Let's go. That tower must be the place."

Ian didn't care about his pride. He pointed at the towering structure at the center of the bustling black market and made his way forward.

"Hey, don't you want to shop around a little? I can help you get some good stuff cheap, you know?"

Seeing Ian head straight toward the center, Ignysyl asked, sounding surprised. In fact, he also wanted to look around a bit.

"Let's first secure a spot, then talk. Atali Ruin is very far, and without a channel, there's no way we can reach there quickly. Besides, I don't have many mana crystals with me."

Ian shook his head. There were many things he wanted to purchase on the black market, but unfortunately, he was poor, and his first priority was always reaching the First Ring Wizard level.

The cocoon in his mind had been getting restless recently, as if it were a precursor to his promotion in the realm.

Although he had a strange feeling that he might be able to break through without the Ascension Potion, he still wanted to be cautious.

Of course, if Ignysyl hadn't consumed such a large amount of Spirit Crystal from the Arcane Grotto, he wouldn't have to worry now. But at that time, there was nothing he could do about it, so he didn't bring it up.

"That's a bummer. Didn't you say you're a potion master? Why are you so poor?"

Ignysyl said with disdain, causing Ian to roll his eyes speechlessly.

"What do you know? I only know a few basic potion recipes. How much do you think I can earn? Moreover, it's only been ten days! Do you think I have loads of treasures to sell? Aren't you complaining a little too much lately?"

Ian replied in his mind with a helpless look. When he was in Ignisia Tower's inheritance trial, he had grabbed every opportunity he could.

So, he did have a lot of inheritances with him that were worth quite a bit. But he forgot that they were all only suitable for apprentices and, at best, early First Ring Wizards.

After selling all of them, the number of mana crystals he had left was pitifully low—only around 200. Although, if converted to mana stones, it was still a massive amount of wealth, as one mana crystal could be exchanged for 100 stones.

That was already an insurmountable fortune for apprentices. But Ignysyl shamelessly called him poor.

"Haha... I was just talking to kill boredom. Don't mind me."

Ignysyl realized he had been rambling too much and wisely shut up.

"Just wait until we reach Atali Ruin, and you can hunt for treasures as much as you want. Okay, I think this is the place."

Ian said after arriving near the old wizard tower at the center of the Black Market.

After arriving near the tower, though, Ian didn't directly enter it but swiftly moved behind it.

There, he finally saw a straw hut—small and unassuming, nestled in the shadow of the towering structure. Its thatched roof was slightly tattered, with loose strands hanging over the edges, swaying gently in the air.

Although it looked unremarkable, Ian didn't care and directly entered through the wooden door, only to see an empty room with nothing but an old stele at the center. Around it, complex arrays were engraved.

"Man, why do these humans always like to play around with arrays like this?"

Seeing yet another array, Ignysyl couldn't help but complain in annoyance.

"Beats me. Maybe for security, who knows?"

Ian replied and directly took out the forbidden token from his mana ring, placing it atop the stele, causing it to suddenly shine brightly.

Then, just like that, at the entrance of the Black Market, he and Ignysyl disappeared from their position in a flash.