The market was packed. Not just busy—suffocating.
Stalls spilled into the street in chaotic rows. Vendors shouted over one another. The air was thick with heat, sweat, fried food, and the faint metallic tang of processed monster parts.
It was only a few days before the next Game. Of course, people were going to crowd the market.
Adam stepped into the crowd and was immediately swallowed by it.
Fortunately, his smaller frame worked in his favor. He slipped between shoulders and under elbows, weaving through bodies that jostled and cursed and bargained.
He continued to walk, only looking at the weird stuff displayed everywhere.
Glass cases displayed crystallized claws. Tables held leather goods stitched from scaled hides. Some vendors simply laid their wares out on tarps across the pavement.
And soon, he saw something that made him stop—a cowboy hat, out of nowhere.
Adam approached the stall. "Is this… also made from monsters?"
"Ah!" The vendor's face lit up. "Sharp eye!"
