The next morning, Caelithia woke Elvis at 7:00 AM, informing him that they needed to leave early to join some Awakeners for a safer journey.
Elvis could only shake his head. Having done his own research, he knew the path between Vinegard City and Greenhouse Fortress was safe to travel.
Although Caelithia had shot down his argument by pointing out the monster they had seen the group with that ’Arcane Realm Zeus’ killing when they first arrived in Axaeris.
However, they first went to the Awakeners Guild to register for a new dungeon. Not just any regular dungeon, but the Vineyard Trenches Dungeon—one of the toughest eternal dungeons for Acolyte Awakeners, with monsters ranging from Level 15 to Level 20.
Monsters at those levels were literally close to or at the limit of the Acolyte rank—Level 20
The dungeon was twenty days away.
Well, he wouldn’t have chosen to sign up for it. He had planned on choosing a safer route—the Red Cavern, with monsters ranging from Level 12 to Level 15—but Caelithia thought otherwise.
She said it was meant to motivate him to level up like crazy instead of getting comfortable. Otherwise, he might miss out on the dungeon if his Level was too low. Moreover, the monetary rewards for the monster carcasses would be worth millions.
In addition, his Devourer System will keep growing too.
So he bit the bullet and took the challenge.
Anyone would label him insane for even dreaming of speed-leveling from Level 3 to at least Level 10 in a mere twenty days. He could see it in Beatrice’s gaze.
But he wasn’t like the others. He wasn’t a Level 3 Awakener. And he was about to abuse his advantage.
At the gate, they registered their departure after a long queue, with many people in armor and a few in regular attire. But the checks seemed a bit too rigorous for departure.
From the whispers around him, he gathered that the rigorous checks had begun three weeks ago.
Elvis even noticed that the guards weren’t ordinary security personnel, judging by the way they carried themselves.
There was something subtle but peculiar about their demeanor, setting them apart even from the strict guards patrolling the area outside the building housing the Frozen Forest Dungeon.
But it became the least of his problems once they crossed the gate.
Beside the gate, several carriages were parked, their coachmen calling out fares for trips to the Greenhouse Fortress. A few others sat quietly, waiting for passengers.
Elvis’s eyes roamed over the horses as he searched for the best one, relying on his limited knowledge.
They mostly had brown or dark-gray coats, stocky builds, and broad hooves.
Suddenly, a loud roar jolted him.
He turned around, spotting the back of a red-haired lady adjusting a saddle on an abnormally huge black jaguar with a slender build. Its figure seemed to flicker beneath the sunlight, as though its shape were wavering.
"A jaguar with a shadow-related class?" Caelithia murmured.
The lady mounted the black jaguar, and it zoomed off toward the distant forest at such incredible speed that, to Elvis, it looked as though the beast had teleported.
Elvis spoke with a captivated expression, his eyes never leaving the forest entrance where the beast had vanished. "Cool. Although I would’ve preferred a flying beast as my Spirit Beast, I could make do with something like that. But guess what I’m stuck with?"
Turning to his side, he spotted Caelithia glaring at him.
He smiled broadly, somewhat forced. "Mine is the best."
Then he walked toward a young, muscular coachman with a brown horse he had noticed earlier, before the black jaguar’s interruption.
"Good morning, Sir," he greeted.
Elvis nodded. "Greenhouse Fortress, how much?"
"One thousand Terris Credits," the coachman replied.
"Why not five hundred?" Elvis asked.
"That’s the standard price. The risks on the road are considerable, and I could end up losing my life on a trip like this," he pleaded.
Elvis was about to argue when Caelithia interrupted. "We will pay."
He could only bottle up his complaints while grumbling.
Both of them entered the carriage and sat down.
Elvis rubbed his palms together, eager to experience his first ride in a carriage.
With a crack of the whip and a loud neigh, the carriage slowly rolled into motion.
Elvis pulled back the window curtain to peek outside, feeling like an emperor deigning to grant his subjects a passing glimpse of his presence.
Surveying the crowd below, he silently mouthed, "Peasants." New chapters come out on g.com first.
Then the horse sped ahead at a surprising pace, sending the wind whipping against his face.
He held the window open, both as a safety precaution against sudden monster attacks and to map out the route.
It took them an hour to reach their destination. The carriage gradually came to a stop in a designated area where several other carriages were parked.
Elvis and Caelithia got down, and he transferred the payment using his Hunter Watch before heading toward the fortress.
Upon getting close, Elvis stopped and took in the sight.
The Greenhouse Fortress stood in the middle of the Great Wildwood like an oasis. All the trees in the surrounding area had been cut down.
Thick, earth-brown walls towered five meters overhead, with patrol guards stationed along the ramparts. Dressed in various types of armor and armed with an assortment of weapons, they kept watch over the fortress and forest.
Many Awakeners flocked in and out through the gates, both in groups and individually. Some rode their mounts, mostly pale-brown horses.
The atmosphere was bustling, with a touch of wildness unlike Vinegard City, which reeked of orderliness.
He jogged to catch up with Caelithia.
Both of them strode through the gates.
Suddenly, a short, young boy strode up to them with a foxlike smile.
"Good morning. Do you want a tour around? I don’t charge much," he asked.
Caelithia turned to Elvis.
Elvis pondered for a second before nodding. "How much is your service?"
"Not much. Just two thousand Terris Credits," he said.
Elvis nearly told the boy off, but he steeled himself and nodded aloofly, his hands clasped behind his back.
As a con man, he decided to adopt the persona of a rich young master, hoping it would give him an advantage.
Caelithia eyed him strangely from the corner of her eye, puzzled by his sudden change in behavior.
"Come with me."
Then the boy led them ahead.