The hallway was dim, lit only by a few flickering red lanterns. A soft, flowery scent filled the air, masking the faint metallic smell that Gray noticed beneath it.

When they stopped before a sliding wooden door, she turned slightly, her voice low and smooth.

"Please, wait inside, young master. Someone will come for you shortly."

Gray said nothing and stepped through.

The room was small, elegant, with silk curtains, a low table, and a faint smell of incense burning in the corner.

But the air felt… off. Too quiet.

Fwoop!

A sharp rush of wind cut through the air.

The oiran's body blurred.

She was suddenly behind him, her movement fast enough to leave a faint afterimage in the air.

Her expression was no longer soft or flirtatious; her eyes had turned cold and sharp like a blade.

But Gray was already moving.

He tilted his head slightly to the right, the dagger grazing past his cheek, leaving only a thin line of blood.

Before she could even pull back her arm, his hand shot up, gripping her wrist tightly.

"Slow," he muttered.

THUD!

He twisted her arm and slammed her down onto the floor with one swift motion.

The impact made the wooden planks shake, and the dagger clattered away, spinning across the room.

The oiran gasped, the air knocked out of her lungs, but she didn't cry out. Instead, her eyes burned with defiance even as Gray pinned her arm behind her back.

"Quite the warm welcome," Gray said flatly, pressing his knee lightly into her back. "That's how you greet all your guests?"

"Tch…" she hissed, trying to twist free, but Gray's grip didn't budge.

After a second, her body relaxed slightly.

"…So you're not an idiot."

"You tried to stab me. What did you expect?" Gray narrowed his eyes.

The woman smirked faintly, even from her position on the floor.

"To see if you were really one of them."

"One of whom?"

"The ones who know where to look."

She tilted her head just enough to glance at him from the corner of her eye, a dangerous smile playing on her lips.

"And you passed the test."

Gray stayed silent for a moment before letting go of her wrist.

She stood slowly, brushing off her robes as if nothing had happened, though her breathing was still uneven.

"Well," she said, turning back toward him with that same teasing smile, "now I know you're not just some fool chasing cheap pleasure."

Her tone suddenly changed, turning more serious now.

"Follow me, quietly. The black market doesn't open its doors for just anyone."

Gray wiped the small streak of blood from his cheek with his thumb and smiled coldly.

"I wasn't planning to ask twice."

"Good. You'll fit right in," she chuckled softly.

Then she moved toward a paper wall at the back of the room and pressed her hand against a hidden panel.

Click.

A faint shimmer of mana spread across the wall before a narrow staircase appeared, leading down into darkness.

"After you, young master," she said, bowing slightly with a mocking tone.

Gray didn't bother replying.

His steps were steady as he started down the narrow staircase, while behind him, the oiran pressed her palm against a small, hidden panel in the wall.

Click.

The entrance sealed shut instantly, a smooth slide of wood against wood.

Swish…

Torches along the walls lit up one by one, their orange flames flickering to life and casting long shadows across the steps.

The passage smelled faintly of dust and iron, and the deeper they went, the colder the air became.

Gray's expression darkened slightly.

'...This woman's strange.'

His eyes narrowed as he descended, his hand never straying too far from his rapier.

'There's no such thing as a "test" like she said. Someone probably told her to kill me… or she's hiding something.'

His mind wandered briefly, tracing back through recent encounters, but then, he suddenly remembered a silver-haired figure.

'...Alina.'

His big stepsister and also the most mysterious person Gray had met so far.

'I know she's dangerous, and from our interaction, she seemed to have some kind of hidden force for her own benefit, if not more...'

'Does she have her people on me? If so, I'll need to be a little more careful,' he frowned lightly.

From his interactions with Alina, he always felt something strange about her.

She didn't hate, nor did she love him.

To her... from his perspective, he was something... interesting to invest in. And her expression would change depending on whether he topped her expectations or not.

And thanks to those thoughts, Gray's expression had turned even colder.

'...Should I force her to say something about it?'

He glanced at the oiran walking behind him, her soft footsteps echoing faintly against the stone floor.

She moved gracefully, but her shoulders were too tense for someone who claimed to be calm.

"…We should be reaching the end soon, young master," she said, forcing a polite tone.

Gray didn't answer.

She frowned slightly, slowing down as she noticed how silent he had become.

Swish...!

A faint light appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

It wasn't torchlight, but instead, a white light that seemed too clean for this filthy passage.

She smiled faintly.

"We're here—"

THUD!

"—Kah!"

Before she could finish, Gray's knee drove hard into her stomach. The impact knocked the air from her lungs as her body folded forward.

Without pausing, Gray grabbed her by the back of the head and slammed her face against the wall.

CRACK!

Plaster and dust broke loose from the impact, and before she could even fall, he dragged her forward and threw her down the last few steps, her body tumbling against the curved end of the stairs.

Thud, thud...

She groaned weakly, clutching her stomach, her lips trembling from the pain.

"Ah… agh… w-what…"

Gray descended the remaining steps slowly, his shadow falling over her as she tried to look up.

He reached down, grabbed a handful of her silky hair, and yanked her head up.

"Who are you working for?"

The oiran trembled, her body shaking under his grip.

Her eyes weren't calm anymore; they were wild, desperate, filled with something close to madness.

Sweat rolled down her temple, and the faint red glow of fear danced across her pupils.

"P-please…" she stammered, her lips trembling.

"I… I can't…"

Gray tilted his head slightly, his tone flat.

"You can't, or you won't?"

He dragged her closer, his cold eyes reflecting the torchlight. Her breath quickened as she tried to pull away, but his hand didn't move.

"You'll speak," he said simply.

Crack!

His knee struck her ribs, the dull sound echoing sharply.

She screamed, clutching her side, but before she could breathe again, Gray pushed her against the wall, his hand still tangled in her hair.

"Try again."

Her eyes darted everywhere, searching for an escape that didn't exist. Her voice broke as she whimpered:

"I swear! I don't know who it is! Please!"

Gray's expression didn't change.

He lifted his rapier slightly, pressing the flat of the blade against her cheek. The cold steel made her flinch.

"Then who told you to attack me?" he asked quietly.

Tears spilled from her eyes as she tried to form words.

"I… I don't know! I don't know, I swear!"

"Not good enough."

He twisted the blade lightly, just enough to make her gasp in pain.

"I-It was a voice!" she screamed suddenly, panic exploding in her voice. "A voice inside my head! It said—if I didn't do it—it would kill me!"

Gray's eyes narrowed.

"A voice?"

She nodded rapidly, choking on her breath. "Yes! That's all I know! I swear on my life! Please… please don't kill me!"

The torchlight flickered, shadows crawling up the walls as silence filled the air.

Her breathing was rough, her body trembling so much she could barely stay upright.

Gray looked down at her for a long moment, his hand still gripping her hair tightly.

Fwip!

The sound was almost soft, but what it made was fucking disgusting.

SPLURT!

Her head slid off cleanly, blood splashing against the wall and pooling at Gray's feet.

He didn't even blink.

Gray shook the blood off his rapier, the red droplets splattering across the stone floor. Then, in one smooth motion, he sheathed the weapon at his side.

"…A voice inside her mind, huh?" he muttered coldly, stepping past the lifeless body without another glance.

There was no hesitation in his steps, no trace of guilt.

He looked ahead and spotted a door.

Click...

When he pushed it open, he was met with a wide street glowing faintly under dim lanterns, lined with dark, crooked stalls stretching into the distance.

The air was heavy with smoke and whispers.

People lay on the ground, begging for coins, their hollow voices mixing with the laughter of the rich.

Fat, jeweled men strutted about proudly, holding chains that were tied around the necks of beautiful, pale women who followed behind them with empty eyes.

Gray had finally reached it... the Goblin Market, otherwise known as the Black Market.

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