Apocalypse: Transmigrated with an Overlord System
Chapter 49: Black Market (02)

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Black Market (02)

Liora started going deeper into the underground market, unnoticed by anyone. Her eyes widened with fascinate everytime, she spotted something unique.

Various stalls were lined on both sides of the bustling pathway, selling everything from weapons and food rations to medicine and protective gear. But Liora could guess that these items’ prices would be skyrocketing. She could see that the amount here was abundant, yet people outside were still struggling and fighting for even a little bit of supplies.

And it was not like they would be unaware of this market. If Liora could find it in a few days, so could they. So it only concluded one thing—the prices were out of reach for most people.

The entire black market was buzzing like a beehive as people busily sold items while customers negotiated prices.

Her gaze swept over the many figures moving through the market—traders with hardened expressions, mercenaries assessing weapons, and survivors bartering whatever valuables they had.

Liora soon realized that it was not just a marketplace—it was the lifeblood of this new world, a place where people gathered to buy, sell, and survive.

A realization struck her as she observed a transaction at a nearby stall. A man handed over several dull, cloudy crystal cores to the vendor, who, after inspecting them, exchanged them for a handful of dried rations. Crystal cores were being used as currency.

Liora frowned slightly. ’So, these cores aren’t just for personal use... They’ve become the new money.’

It made sense. Money was useless in a world where survival was the only priority. But cores? They had value. Not only could they strengthen people, but they were also the key to buying necessities.

Excitement surged in her chest as she moved from stall to stall, taking in as much information as possible. Some vendors only accepted high-grade cores, while others took lower-quality ones in bulk. The black market was more organized than she had expected, functioning under an unspoken set of rules.

Everyone followed these rules, and she could see many people stationed at various points in the black market. They were definitely the guards assigned to protect the market and enforce its protocols.

As she wandered deeper into the more secluded parts of the market, her initial goal of tracking Xu Kai’s group faded from her mind, and she did not even realize it. The market was simply too massive, and the more she explored, the more she wanted to learn.

After some time, she paused in a less crowded corner, taking a deep breath to steady herself. The last thing she needed was to attract unwanted attention. She had to blend in if she wanted to gather more information.

With swift movements, she retrieved a set of darker clothes from her inventory—simple but effective for moving unnoticed. Slipping into an empty nook, she quickly changed into the black outfit, securing a hood over her head.

Then, she pulled out a mask she had snatched from an abandoned store earlier and fastened it over her face. It covered her lower features well enough to keep her identity hidden.

The final step was removing the small gadget on her wrist. It granted her stealth, but if she wanted to interact with people, she couldn’t risk them noticing anything suspicious. With a deep breath, she tucked it away safely.

Now, she was ready.

Stepping back into the crowd, Liora adjusted her posture, moving with more confidence. If she wanted information, she had to act like she belonged here.

She wandered through various shops and interacted with many sellers, yet her shock still did not subside after realizing just how much everything here was worth.

"Are they fucking kidding me?" Even though she was new here, she could tell just how expensive all these items were.

No wonder only the rich were here—and not just those who were rich before the apocalypse, but the ones who became rich after the apocalypse by awakening superpowers.

Because everything here was priced in terms of crystal cores. And only powerful awakened individuals were capable of having so many crystal cores.

Fifty low crystal cores for only 500 grams of rice. Forty low crystals for an energy bar. One hundred low crystals for a cup of noodles. And one hundred fifty low crystals for one liter of fresh water.

In Liora’s mind, this was pure robbery in broad daylight. Crystal cores were rare, and after killing hundreds of zombies, she only had ten crystal cores. How did they expect her to buy these items?

And just like her, not every individual had so many crystals to trade for just a little bit of food.

Snacks, instant foods, and water were the worst cases—their prices were even higher than staple foods because people preferred to buy them instead of rice or grains.

After finding out why, she realized that it was because cooking was too time-consuming and wastes water and energy. So they preferred instant foods more.

There was no way she was going to survive like this. Snacks and instant noodles had their place, but they could never replace her main food.

Liora was super excited after finding out that almost everything she needed for cooking food was here—but it was just too expensive. For a single full-table meal, it would cost her several hundreds crystal cores.

"Fucking hundereds? Can you imagine that?" Liora wanted to cry tears of blood, but she decided it was better to do more missions and hope that the system rewarded her with good food.

Soon, Liora stumbled into another shop. It was relatively quiet, with no customers. Liora walked inside and found no one was there. She silently knocked on the door to get attention with curious expression.

The entire shop was filled with many strange and unfamiliar items for Liora. They must have been things people used before the apocalypse. There were many machines stored throughout the shop, and not just machines—there were also antiques.

It looked like the store contained very strange and unrelated things, a mix of unique items.

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