Carl and Donut leave the bugbears and razor fox behind and enter Hungry Eyes Vendor Village through a portal. As Carl walks, he studies messages about the mysterious arena on the eleventh floor. He pieces together that certain kills on this floor can be decided by audience vote, and that a vote can send either the creature itself or a "stand-in" from outside the dungeon ecosystem to the arena, which makes Carl wonder how he might use that system against powerful enemies.

A rude group of camel racers pushes past Carl at the portal, reinforcing that many competing teams are using the same route. Once inside, Carl takes in the town’s unexpected appearance: instead of a medieval fantasy settlement, Hungry Eyes Vendor Village looks like a neon-soaked cyberpunk city full of temples, shops, food stalls, and mostly gremlin NPCs. Donut dislikes the overdone aesthetic, but she still gets distracted by a hat vendor and buys a trucker hat.

While looking around, Carl notices several important landmarks. He sees a Club Vanquisher entrance marked with a game notification, reminding him that he is permanently banned from that chain. He also spots an unmarked storefront that identifies itself as a C&W&U location for illegal modifications, suggesting that black-market upgrades may soon be available in town.

Carl and Donut head toward the row of bars, where the bright neon sign for the Hairpin dominates the street and advertises a Desperado Club entrance in the back. Because Imani warned that people were avoiding the Hairpin, they instead approach the neighboring bar, the Lollipop, whose karaoke sign immediately excites Donut. Before they go inside, they hear an argument at a nearby food stall and find Jurgen and Prepotente outside.

Jurgen is buying unidentified "meat on a stick" despite the town’s warning that food can poison visitors, because he hopes it will trigger a speed boost for their mount before the next race. Prepotente objects, worried that Jurgen is sabotaging them, and explains that their mount, Sweety, is a large perriso chosen over a mechanical option. Jurgen insists that his instincts are sound, but almost immediately after boasting about them, he starts violently vomiting on the sidewalk, proving Prepotente’s fears justified.