Heading To Mt. Kriff
"Finally, I'm in the safe haven!" he exclaimed, raising his arms in sarcastic celebration of his trouble-free arrival in the city.
After cleaning himself up and donning new clothes, he entered the city without any difficulty, successfully verifying his identification.
Although he may have entered the city, it was the outer wall where only a few buildings were visible, occupied by soldiers.
Mulen is divided into two parts: first, the outer city, which was the jungle he had been traveling through, and next, the main city divided into two parts—the outer wall and the inner wall.
The outer wall, as expected, encircles the city, serving as a 50-meter tall and thick defense against external threats such as monsters and dungeons, guarded by the military.
It had four entrances that also served as exits, positioned in four directions: North, West, East, and South.
Inside the outer wall, the military resided in what resembled a forested area with only a couple of buildings scattered far apart.
"More security here too, huh? How many checkpoints do you guys need?" He clicked his tongue, observing another checkpoint in the inner wall. Disappointed, he felt exhausted after the last checkpoint took half an hour.
The inner wall is two kilometers inside the outer wall, similar in specifications except for its wall being almost five meters shorter.
Beyond the outer wall lies the real city where regular citizens, from beggars to old, bedridden men, reside. However, before witnessing that, he had to undergo another checkpoint for entry.
"Hah! Got through this one quickly. Security's pretty lax compared to outside, where they checked every organ of your body," he sighed.
Upon entering the city, he observed the bustling nightlife and could now clearly see the sparkling skyscrapers, their tall and thin peaks visible from outside the wall.
In contrast to his grim border town, everything was different—weather, people, lifestyle, culture—making him feel like he was in a completely different country.
"OOOOWUGH, how much longer do I have to walk? I just want to sleep. Lead me to a hotel," he yawned, almost half asleep.
After a 15-minute walk, he finally reached a good hotel. He checked in, immediately collapsing onto the bed upon entering his room, without bothering to remove his shoes, jacket, or check any messages.
"Good night, Rie," he said before falling asleep, feeling the touch and warmth of the mattress and pillow, realizing he had never missed it this much before.
-----
The dawn embraced the city, coinciding with the time he habitually woke due to Alaya's training routine. Despite having less than 4 hours of sleep, he felt as fresh as new, the exhaustion now gone.
"Good morning, world!" he exclaimed, stretching his body in the morning light.
After finishing his routine, he prepared himself, completing everyday tasks before moving on to the next, which involved heading to Mt. Kriff.
"Let's leave to shop now; I gotta buy and prepare many things before heading to Mt. Kriff."
Once he had finished everything and checked out of the hotel he stayed in for the night, it was already seven o'clock in the morning. Despite the quietness, he had to reach Mt. Kriff by the afternoon.
Aware of the time, he headed straight to the market to buy the items needed before heading out to Mt. Kriff.
The city offered numerous attractions, from towering skyscrapers surpassing those in New York to huge statues, iconic parks, the gladiator competition, and the bustling lifestyle confined behind the city walls.
However, he had no time to explore such wonders. His focus was on training to become stronger than the protagonist, leaving no room for leisure when faced with a target taller than Everest.
"Can you provide me with a 300-foot-long mountain climbing rope and the necessary equipment for a first-timer?"
This request reflected his lack of familiarity with mountain climbing gear, having never touched specialized ropes or engaged in anything remotely similar to such activities.
"Thanks, old man. Now I don't need to watch online tutorials on how to put on mountain climbing gear as a newbie."
With his shopping completed, the store manager, an old man, had taught him how to use the equipment. To his surprise, the gear here was much safer compared to Earth.
Now equipped and informed, he left the store and headed east towards Mt. Kriff, located almost fifty kilometers away from the outer wall.
"Time to leave now."
Moving through the city, he noticed a large magic crystal in the heart of the city, measuring four meters tall and 2 meters wide. Known as the heart of the city, it served to protect everyone inside from magical attacks by demons. This crystal played a crucial role in placing a barrier within the outer walls to combat external threats stronger than him.
Without dwelling too much on it, he continued on his path, exiting the outer wall from the east gate.
"Nurture Core, I'm coming," he confidently grinned.
Fully prepared, he set off towards Mt. Kriff to obtain the Nurture Core, knowing he still had a fifty-kilometer walk ahead after just passing through the outer wall.
-----
"It is 9 in the morning now, but I still haven't received a reply from him."
On the other side, Lise eagerly waited for his response, her face growing a little gloomy as no reply had come through. She was in the capital, at the guild headquarters with her father. Mason had grounded her for a month due to her reckless decision to travel alone without his permission.
"Maybe he hasn't received a notification yet. I'll send another message," she thought as she began to type another message.
Unbeknownst to her, he hadn't seen the notification because he hadn't checked his phone since yesterday's exhausting events.
[Hi sadpuppyface.gif]
[Busy]
Finally, she received a reply to her message sent yesterday, followed by another message.
[Hey]
Seeing these messages arrive instantly after she had sent another message, her face filled with a smile as she fluttered her legs like a how a dog wag its tail when its excited.
*****
Fuck you grammarly! Its 2:05am and my eyes hurts
How's pacing now, the ancient onell?