After completing his first-time wilderness registration, Kyle didn’t leave the Imperial Exchange right away.
Gavin had already rushed off to meet his team at the academy, leaving Kyle alone in the crowded hall once more.
He returned to the trading terminal he had used earlier and placed his palm against the transparent crystal.
The second identity check was completed almost immediately.
His information appeared on the screen.
[Name: Kyle Gray] [Class Holder Level: 7] [Trading Authority: Tier 1] [Imperial Contribution: 0] Kyle’s gaze lingered on the last two entries.
The Imperial Exchange wasn’t a place just anyone could use.
Even if an ordinary citizen had enough gold, they still couldn’t come here and freely purchase equipment or special items meant for class holders.
Only those who had completed their class awakening and officially registered as class holders of the Aetherlan Empire were granted basic access to the Exchange.
But gaining access was only the beginning.
Not every class holder had access to the same resources.
The higher their trading authority, the more special items they could view and purchase.
And the most straightforward way to raise that authority was by earning Imperial Contribution.
Completing imperial missions, taking part in large-scale operations, or turning in materials of exceptional value could all earn contribution points.
For Kyle, though, that was still a long way off.
It had only been two days since his awakening.
Compared to trading authority, increasing his level was far more important right now.
Kyle stopped looking into the contribution system and reopened the trading interface.
When he first entered the Novice Trial Grounds yesterday, he hadn’t really understood just how expensive life as a class holder could become.
After visiting the Exchange today, he had a much clearer idea.
Equipment cost money.
Potions cost money.
Special consumables cost money.
And anything related to skills was even worse.
Kyle had already looked through several pieces of equipment meant for low-level class holders, but there was almost nothing worth buying at the moment.
The cheaper items had attributes that weren’t even as good as the basic equipment temporarily issued by the academy.
Anything that could noticeably improve his strength was far beyond what he could currently afford.
So Kyle quickly gave up on replacing his equipment for now.
His skeleton warriors were still his main fighting force anyway.
As long as he didn’t let monsters get close to him, continuing to use the academy’s basic staff wouldn’t make much difference for the time being.
Compared to equipment, Kyle was more interested in how much money he could earn from monsters in the wilderness.
He opened the materials page again and limited the search to the southern region of Westport.
A long list of low-level monster materials appeared across the crystal.
Intact pelts and fangs from wolf-type monsters could be sold.
The bones of certain beasts were purchased by blacksmiths and alchemists.
Some plant-type monsters produced special branches and fluids that potion makers were always looking to buy.
The prices varied greatly.
The condition of the material also affected its final value.
Kyle slowly scrolled through the list, memorizing several common materials that were both valuable and easy to collect.
Once he started hunting, his skeleton warriors would be doing most of the killing.
There was no way he could drag every monster corpse back to the city.
That meant he needed to focus on the parts that were worth money and easy to carry.
Otherwise, he could spend an entire day killing monsters only to leave the most valuable materials lying in the wilderness simply because he didn’t recognize them.
That would be a complete waste.
Kyle continued scrolling.
Many of the materials were marked with [Long-Term Purchase].
It wasn’t hard to understand why.
Life classes such as potion makers, alchemists, and blacksmiths didn’t gain experience by hunting monsters the way combat classes did, but they still needed to constantly use their class abilities.
Brewing potions.
Forging weapons.
Processing materials.
Those activities helped them accumulate class experience and proficiency.
And practicing their skills required a steady supply of raw materials.
At lower levels especially, failure rates were often high.
The amount of basic materials consumed every day could be enormous.
Life-class holders couldn’t possibly head into the wilderness and gather everything themselves.
Combat-class holders naturally became their most reliable source of materials.
One side ventured outside the city, hunted monsters, and sold whatever materials they didn’t need.
The other side bought those materials and turned them into equipment, potions, or other items needed by class holders.
Those finished products would eventually return to the market.
Kyle had studied this system at the academy.
But standing here in the Exchange and watching purchase orders constantly change before his eyes made everything he’d learned from textbooks feel much more real.
After awakening, combat classes weren’t the only ones with a future.
A truly skilled potion maker, alchemist, or blacksmith could hold a higher status than an ordinary combat-class holder.
After all, people might not need one particular warrior.
But class holders would always need equipment and potions.
Kyle kept scrolling.
Before long, one listing stood out from the ordinary material requests.
[Mission: Obtain a Goblin King Mana Crystal] [Location: Blackstone Mine] [Dungeon Level: 14] [Requirement: The mana crystal must come from a dungeon boss on Nightmare difficulty or higher.] [Mission Reward: 100,000 Gold] Kyle’s finger stopped.
One hundred thousand gold.
He read the number again to make sure he hadn’t imagined an extra zero.
He hadn’t.
One hundred thousand.
For Kyle right now, that was an enormous amount of money.
While browsing the Exchange earlier, he had happened to see beginner skill scrolls meant for class holders below Level 20.
Their prices were in roughly the same range.
In other words, completing this one mission would give him enough money to buy a beginner skill scroll.
Kyle didn’t accept the mission just because of the reward.
Instead, he continued reading.
A reward of one hundred thousand gold obviously wouldn’t be attached to an easy task.
Blackstone Mine was located more than fifty kilometers south of Westport and was one of the better-known low-level official dungeons in the region.
Dungeon Level 14.
Minimum entry level: 10.
That alone was enough to keep the current Level 7 Kyle out.
And the mission wasn’t asking for a mana crystal from Normal difficulty.
Official dungeons were nothing like the Novice Trial Grounds.
Normal difficulty was only the starting point.
Above it were Nightmare and Hell.
With every increase in difficulty, monster attributes, numbers, and boss strength rose significantly.
Bosses on Nightmare difficulty and above were especially dangerous.
They weren’t something ordinary class holders could deal with easily.
Under normal circumstances, clearing such a dungeon required a well-balanced party with enough real combat experience.
As for Hell difficulty— Kyle still remembered one sentence his academy instructor had repeated again and again.
Just because you can clear a dungeon on Normal doesn’t mean you’re qualified to challenge Hell.
They weren’t the same thing.
Kyle looked at the Blackstone Mine mission for a moment, then stopped reading.
He couldn’t even meet the minimum entry requirement yet.
There was no point thinking about it now.
“Maybe after Level 10.” Kyle quietly memorized the name Blackstone Mine before closing the mission page.
One hundred thousand gold was tempting.
But only if he lived long enough to collect it.
Yesterday’s fight against the Level 8 Thorn Guard had already taught him something important.
Even monsters of the same level could differ greatly in strength.
Official dungeons would only make that difference more obvious.
Charging into something beyond his ability just because the reward looked good wasn’t bravery.
It was just a good way to get himself killed.
Kyle logged out of the terminal and gave the hall one last glance.
There was nothing else he needed to deal with for now.
Equipment could wait.
Blackstone Mine could wait until Level 10.
What he needed to do now was see for himself how strong the monsters outside Westport really were.
Kyle turned and left the Exchange.
The moment he stepped through the entrance, the noise of the southern district surrounded him again.
The area near the southern gate was one of the busiest gathering points for class holders in the city.
Almost every shop along the road sold something related to combat, and people constantly came and went through the city gate.
Some class holders returned with mud covering their equipment and dried blood still staining their weapons.
Others carried large sacks stuffed with monster materials and headed straight for the Exchange.
Several parties that had just finished restocking stood by the roadside, making their final checks before leaving the city.
Kyle followed the main road.
As he drew closer to the gate, the enormous city wall gradually filled his entire field of vision.
Westport’s walls looked far more imposing up close than they ever had from inside the city.
Layer upon layer of pale gray stone formed the massive structure, while faint magical patterns covered its surface.
Every so often, a trace of light ran through those patterns before fading back into the stone.
The gate itself was wide enough for several large wagons to pass through side by side.
Imperial soldiers stood guard on both sides.
Kyle joined the line of people leaving the city.
Before long, it was his turn.
“Identification.” The guard held out a hand.
Kyle handed over his class holder identification along with the wilderness registration certificate he had just received.
The guard placed the certificate against a detection device beside him.
A pale blue light swept over it.
Kyle’s basic information appeared.
“Kyle Gray.” “Level 7.” The guard had been going through the motions at first, but when he saw the level, he looked up.
“First time outside the city?” “Yes.” “Alone?” “Yeah.” The guard frowned slightly.
Instead of immediately letting Kyle through, he checked the registration information again.
“You only completed your first Novice Trial yesterday?” “Yes.” This time, another guard nearby turned to look at him as well.
A Level 7 class holder leaving the city alone wasn’t particularly unusual.
Someone heading into the wilderness alone almost immediately after awakening was.
There were no beginner zones outside Westport specifically set aside for new class holders.
Once someone crossed the city wall, no one could guarantee what they would encounter.
Even in the areas closest to the city, most common monsters were around Level 8 or higher.
Farther out, monsters around Level 10 were everywhere.
And level was only one part of the danger.
The real problem was that the wilderness didn’t arrange enemies according to the strength of whoever happened to be passing through.
Being Level 7 didn’t mean Kyle would only encounter Level 7 or Level 8 monsters.
With bad enough luck, running into something above Level 10 was entirely possible.
The guard checked the certificate one more time.
Academy certification.
First-time wilderness registration from the Exchange.
Identity records.
Everything was valid.
There were no restrictions preventing him from leaving.
“Your paperwork is fine.” The guard handed everything back.
Kyle took it.
“Thanks.” He was about to leave when the guard stopped him.
“Wait.” Kyle turned around.
The man pointed outside the gate.
“Since this is your first time out there, remember a few things.” “The monsters in the Novice Trial Grounds have fixed activity ranges.
The ones outside don’t.
The areas marked on your map only show which monsters are commonly found there.
They don’t mean nothing else can appear.” Kyle listened carefully.
The guard continued.
“And don’t focus only on level.
Wild monsters can vary a lot even at the same level.
A lone Level 10 Grayrock Wolf and an entire pack of Level 10 Grayrock Wolves are two completely different problems.” “If you’re not sure about something, observe first.” “If it feels wrong, come back.” The other guard chuckled.
“There’s nothing embarrassing about running.” “The people who get themselves killed aren’t always the weakest ones.
Half the time, they’re the ones who were absolutely sure they could win.” Kyle nodded.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” “One more thing.” The first guard glanced at the sky.
“Don’t stay out too late on your first trip.” “The monsters active at night aren’t exactly the same as the ones you’ll see during the day.
Some creatures are nocturnal.
You might never even see them while the sun’s up.” Kyle committed the warning to memory.
The academy had taught him all of this before.
But hearing it from someone who had spent years guarding the city gate felt different from reading the same thing in a textbook.
“Understood.” Only then did the guard step aside.
“Go on.” Kyle put away his documents and walked through the gate.
The thick city wall formed a broad, shadowed passage overhead.
His footsteps echoed faintly against the stone.
The light ahead grew brighter with every step.
A few dozen paces later, Kyle finally emerged from the wall’s shadow.
Wind swept toward him.
It felt cooler than the air inside the city.
More direct.
Kyle narrowed his eyes for a moment.
Then he stopped.
The world in front of him looked nothing like Westport.
There were no orderly rows of buildings.
No shops.
No carefully paved stone streets.
Beyond the gate, the man-made road continued for only a short distance before gradually disappearing into the open wilderness.
Grasslands stretched far into the distance.
Beyond them were forests and rolling hills, while a darker mountain range could just barely be seen at the edge of the horizon.
The wind blew in from deep within the wilderness.
It carried the smell of soil, grass, and trees.
And beneath it all was the faintest trace of blood.
Not strong.
But unmistakably real.
Kyle remained where he was for a moment.
People continued to leave the city behind him, while others returned from the wilderness covered in dust and dirt.
Almost none of them paid any attention to him.
For class holders who had long since grown accustomed to the wilderness, passing through this gate was nothing special.
For Kyle, it was his first time.
He turned around.
Westport’s enormous wall stretched across the land behind him.
From inside the city, he had always thought it was simply tall.
Standing outside and looking back at it, he finally understood just how massive it truly was.
Faint magical patterns lay hidden between the pale gray stones, occasionally flashing with a barely visible glow.
That wall, together with the protective forces covering the entire city, kept most monsters away from the places where ordinary people lived.
On the other side, shops were opening for the day.
Children were heading to school.
Ordinary people were going to work.
Someone was probably still standing in front of a breakfast stall, trying to decide what to eat.
But only a few dozen meters away, beyond the wall, that ordinary sense of safety disappeared.
There was no protection from the Novice Trial Grounds here.
No one was controlling the levels of the monsters he encountered.
No academy instructor would be watching from nearby in case something went wrong.
Monsters wouldn’t limit themselves to Level 7 just because he was Level 7.
Danger wouldn’t give him a warning before it arrived.
Inside the walls was the order humanity had spent generations building.
Outside was still the wilderness.
Only one wall separated them.
Yet they felt like two completely different worlds.
A long beastly howl suddenly sounded in the distance.
The wind carried it from somewhere deep in the wilderness.
Kyle turned his gaze forward again.
He wasn’t nervous.
Nor did he show any excessive excitement at finally entering the real wilderness for the first time.
He simply opened his map and checked the direction he intended to take.
The Southern Wilds.
Grayrock Wolf territory.
It wasn’t particularly far from Westport.
A suitable place to find out just how different real wild monsters were from the ones in the Novice Trial Grounds.
Once he confirmed the route, Kyle closed the map.
He didn’t summon every skeleton warrior he had.
Instead, he called out only a few to remain close to him.
Dark gray vortices silently opened.
One pale skeleton after another stepped through.
Their blue soul flames were much less noticeable beneath the daylight.
The same battered blades remained in their hands.
At first glance, they still didn’t look particularly reliable.
Kyle already knew better.
“Let’s go.” The skeleton warriors moved first.
Kyle followed behind them, walking along the road that gradually carried him farther from the city gate.
Westport slowly receded behind him.
And from this moment on, Kyle’s first true hunt in the wilderness— had officially begun.