The smell of dust and rusted iron filled the air.
Ren Kairo stood at the bottom of a narrow staircase, staring into the darkness below. The city above was loud, alive, and full of cultivators chasing power and glory.
But down here…
Only silence remained.
"…so this is it," he muttered.
The address he'd been given was supposed to lead to opportunity. A place where even someone like him—someone with no talent, no backing, no future—could change their fate.
Instead, he found a broken door hanging off its hinges.
A black market?
It looked more like a grave.
Still, Ren stepped inside.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold—
[Binding Conditions Met]
A cold voice echoed in his mind.
Ren froze.
"…what?"
[Initializing Abyss Market System…]
[Host Identified: Ren Kairo]
[Status: Binding Complete]
Pain exploded behind his eyes.
He staggered forward, gripping his head as fragments of something ancient poured into his mind—images of shadowed halls, countless transactions, blood-stained contracts, and voices whispering deals that should never exist.
Then—
Silence.
Ren dropped to one knee, breathing hard.
"What… was that?"
[Welcome, Market Owner.]
The words appeared before his eyes, glowing faintly in the darkness.
Ren's heartbeat slowed.
"…Market Owner?"
He looked around again.
The broken tables.
The cracked floor.
The empty shelves.
"This?" he said quietly. "I own… this?"
[Current Market Rank: Black Iron]
[Market Status: Near Collapse]
[Active Members: 0]
"…you've got to be kidding me."
Ren let out a dry laugh.
No talent. No resources. No future.
And now… the owner of a dead market.
For a moment, he almost turned to leave.
Then the system spoke again.
[Beginner Quest Issued]
[Host must complete first transaction within 24 hours.]
[Failure Penalty: System Withdrawal]
Ren's eyes sharpened.
"First transaction…?"
His gaze slowly swept the room again—but this time, something had changed.
The darkness wasn't empty anymore.
It felt… watching.
[Generating Initial Inventory…]
A faint ripple spread through the air.
Then, on the broken table in front of him—
Something appeared.
A small, black box.
It wasn't there before.
Ren stepped closer, cautious.
The box pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat.
He hesitated… then opened it.
Inside lay a single item:
A ring.
Dark, smooth, and unnaturally cold.
The moment he touched it—
[Item Identified: Soul-Bound Devouring Ring]
[Grade: Forbidden]
[Effect: Absorbs residual spiritual energy from defeated targets]
[Side Effect: Gradual mental corruption]
Ren's breath caught.
"…this is real."
Something like this… something forbidden…
Even the lowest sect would kill for it.
And he was supposed to… sell it?
A low laugh escaped his lips.
"Sell something this dangerous…"
For the first time, his eyes changed.
The hesitation was gone.
Replaced by something sharper.
Colder.
"…no," Ren said softly. "I won't just sell it."
He closed the box.
"I'll use it to bring them in."
Because a market without people… wasn't a market.
It was a corpse.
And if he wanted to survive—
If he wanted power—
Then he needed customers.
Dangerous ones.
Ren turned, staring into the shadows of the ruined hall.
"System," he said calmly. "How do I invite buyers?"
There was a pause.
Then—
[Authority Recognized]
[Opening First Auction Channel…]
The air trembled.
Dark symbols spread across the walls like living ink.
The broken hall began to shift—
Expanding.
Deepening.
Becoming something… else.
A place that didn't belong in the normal world.
Ren stood at the center of it, unmoving.
Watching.
Learning.
Adapting.
A faint smile formed on his lips.
"Good," he whispered.
"Let's see who dares to enter my market."
In the darkness…
Something answered.
And far above, in the shining world of cultivators—
A few powerful figures suddenly paused.
Because, for just a moment—
They felt it.
A call.
A whisper.
An invitation.
To a place that should not exist.
And Ren Kairo—
Owner of the Abyss Market—
Waited.