Becoming an adventurer by copying monster abilities

Although it is underground, it does not appear excessively dark at first glance.

Due to years of disrepair, the dome not only has many drainage outlets but also numerous cracks.

The afternoon sunlight streamed down through these gaps, forming beams of light.

Windproof oil lamps and torches are also fixed on the walls on both sides.

Light and shadow intertwine here, making the entire space somewhat bright.

Within this underground market, a diverse array of people strolled about.

Since it's a black market, it naturally gathers a lot of shady things, and many people choose to exchange stolen goods and information here.

Most people, like Tina usually dressed, wrapped themselves in large black robes.

Some even wore masks, clearly not wanting others to recognize their true identities.

"This is the foundation upon which our Gray Rat Gang stands."

The rat lowered its voice and introduced itself with some pride.

"Don't be fooled by the terrible environment here. Many high-ranking adventurers with respectable status in Ryan City, or even some noble stewards, come here to secretly trade things that are prohibited from being openly traded."

Although our Gray Rat Gang isn't a big gang, we're very tight-lipped and will never leak any customer information. We only earn entrance fees and booth fees, so business has always been quite good.

The black market is a melting pot of all sorts of people: wanted criminals, gangsters, tomb raiders, and down-on-their-luck adventurers who come here hoping to save money and try their luck...

It must be said that this leader of the Gray Rat Gang, known as "Rat," is quite capable of managing this chaotic underground market so well.

"But in the last two days, those big rats in the sewers have suddenly started to riot wildly, I don't know what medicine they took."

At this point, the rat's face darkened:

"We used to keep to ourselves and these beasts, but these past few days, every night around midnight, swarms of giant rats have been rampaging through the sewers, attacking our brothers who are on night watch. If this continues, we're afraid our black market business will soon be impossible to continue."

Giant rats are large, wild animals that live in dark, damp environments.

They are much larger than ordinary mice, with a body length of about 1.2 to 1.5 meters and a weight of over 30 kilograms.

Due to its enormous size and its long teeth and claws that carry germs, the challenge level is rated 1/8.

This means they possess the same level of danger as the most common goblins roaming the wilderness.

When these guys gather into a rat swarm and move in the dark, they can indeed cause a lot of trouble for the Gray Rat Gang, a low-level gang with relatively weak combat power.

After passing through the black market and reaching the end of the pipe, the rat pulled open the rusty iron gate and led Luke into a pipe further away.

Within these pipes, numerous sandbags and wooden fences were placed as obstacles.

There are still many marks left on it from being gnawed by the giant rat's sharp teeth.

"It's strange, isn't it?" the rat said, pointing to the bite marks left by the giant rats.

Giant rats are timid by nature and generally will not venture out of their territory to attack humans.

Even if someone walks past these giant rats, as long as they remain quiet and do not provoke them, they can usually pass by unharmed.

After all, living humans are not on the menu of these creatures.

"To be honest, my men are good at beating a few lone rats with iron bars. But when faced with a swarm of rats, they're just easy prey."

I suspect there's some far more terrifying mutation lurking deep within, which has driven these rats into a frenzy. If we anger it, our entire Gray Rat Gang might be wiped out of Ryan City tomorrow.

As a rat that has lived in the sewers for many years, it naturally knows the habits of these giant rats very well.

He also shared his suspicions with Luke, urging him to take appropriate precautions.

Among the familiar faces who frequent the black market, there are quite a few powerful professionals.

The rat initially wanted to ask them for help, but then it realized that these people had come to the black market and didn't want to reveal their identities.

Rushing in to establish a relationship might just make the other person dislike you.

In a fit of rage, they might even eliminate their own insignificant underlings.

Therefore, being cautious by nature, he chose to spend a lot of money to post a request with the Adventurers' Guild, asking officially registered adventurers to come and help with the matter.

Luke walked along the pipe for a while, and apart from the stronger stench, he didn't see any trace of the giant rats.

The sewer system in Ryan City is complex and intricate.

After countless years of development and construction, even the city's planning officials probably don't know where these sewers ultimately lead.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the surface of the city is a bustling, glamorous, and safe place.

But in this deep underground world, unexpected high-level monsters may be lurking everywhere.

Given Luke's current strength level, it would be extremely dangerous for him to venture too far into the area.

Therefore, Luke chose the safest and easiest strategy.

That means retreating to where we were and waiting for these giant rats to come to us.

According to the description of the giant rat, these riotous rats only appear in groups at midnight, tearing and destroying everything they see along the way.

You take someone's money and do their bidding.

Now that he had accepted the commission, Luke should do his best.

There was still some time before dark, so he had no choice but to stay nearby and wait.

Since he had nothing better to do, he curiously wandered around the black market.

The things sold here are indeed bizarre and varied.

Aside from some armor and weapons still stained with blood, and various combat technique scrolls that looked rather dubious.

Luke even saw someone selling a baroness's bodice...

The sunlight streaming through the cracks in the sewer dome gradually turned into a gentle, dim yellow, and then eventually only the stingy moonlight remained.

The bustling crowd in the black market had dispersed, leaving only a few members of the Gray Rat Gang cleaning up the mess left on the ground.

The Gray Rat Gang doesn't offer nighttime service, and besides, the sewers aren't safe at night these days.

"Mr. Luke, this is the dinner I just prepared. Please make do with it if you don't mind."

The rat came over carrying a tray with a bowl piled high with stew and a few slices of fluffy bread.

Luke stretched his body and declined the other person's offer.

He had eaten a few pieces of dried meat when he was bored earlier, so he didn't feel hungry now.

After confirming that the time was almost up, Luke held his half-sword in his hand and opened the iron gate.

The rat, standing to the side, said solemnly:

"Please be careful, my brothers and I will stay here."

"it is good."

Under the watchful eyes of the Gray Rat Gang, Luke went alone into the pipes deeper behind the door.