Chapter 648 - The third city

We pass by the second city without stopping. Unlike the first, this one is built inside one of the holes that dot the ground. The difference is that this one is enormous. It is two to three miles deep and about a mile wide. The hole is circular, with perfectly smooth edges covered in balconies, holes, and windows that lead to hallways and rooms. Each lets out a gentle light, even as the hole continues much deeper into darkness.

As weird and creepy as it might be, it is also one of the most fascinating and beautiful cities I have ever seen, and I promise myself that I will visit it sometime in the future.

We head deeper into the second floor, and the area around us does not change. The plains filled with yellow grass and a myriad of flowers continue even here. The only difference is that more monsters appear, stronger ones too, and the black stormwall feels closer. This time, I can even hear the constant barrage of lightning.

Most of the monsters attacking us are some sort of animal, whether ones I recognize from Earth or some I have never seen before.

There are Gleamspike Lopers, translucent jelly-like creatures with an orange flame pulsing along their spine. They move in strange leaps and scorch anything they touch.

Or Skraiths, which often move in swarms. Each is the size of a football, made of flesh and chitin, and floats like a jellyfish with tendrils that crackle with lightning.

Once in a while, we encounter Behemoths, too. There are several elemental types, often closer to level 400 than 350. These are bull-like creatures with six legs, covered in brown fur, and with wide black horns on their heads. Each one is as big as a building and extremely aggressive.

While Weslin fights most of them, I watch and study their weaknesses. Sometimes I take down a few myself, mostly with piercing projectiles to avoid loud explosions. According to Weslin, the noise only attracts trouble he currently does not want to deal with.

As for this member of the Primordial Knights, he is very efficient. His body is extremely powerful, his attacks pierce through enemies' defenses, which he disrupts, and the way he renders nearly every mana-based attack useless is fun to watch. I spend a lot of time watching, and I learn a great deal about the Primordial Void.

I do not think my [Eclipse] will be able to disrupt primordial energies anytime soon, but I plan to work on it. It makes me wonder about the relationship between system-given skills and using them to disrupt primordial energies that existed before the system. It is likely possible, since in some ways the system itself includes primordial energies and works with them. But this is just one of the countless questions I keep asking myself.

Moving this way, we reach the third city. It is just as fascinating as the previous one. Where the second city was built along the walls of an enormous hole, the last safe zone of this floor is a gigantic tower. Even though it is very wide, it also rises so high into the air that I am sure if it had been built with Earth’s materials, it would have been impossible to construct. And that’s without even mentioning its sheer scale.

“Some say the tower is the remains of an attack by one of the Rulers,” Weslin says as he stops by my side, also staring at this mile tall colossus made of white material. “They say it killed an Absolute grade monster long ago when the Rulers were exploring the First Dungeon. Over millennia, the locals carved a city into it, aided by an early group that was the predecessor of the Handlers. Only Champions and Absolutes are capable of carving into the material that makes up the tower.”

We start running toward it again, and the closer we get, the more impressive its scale becomes, as well as the myriad of terraces and balconies carved inside it or built with other materials that jut outward.

From many balconies, long strips of colorful cloth, about as wide as a car and nearly as long as a building, hang and gently sway in the wind. They are often decorated with paintings or texts that I cannot make out from this distance.

Interestingly, the bottom fifth of this tall white pillar has no construction or holes for the windows. It is entirely smooth, likely showing how it looked originally. It might not even be made of stone but bone, or maybe it is some kind of wood I have yet to see, or perhaps a material I do not recognize at all.

The smoothness is broken only by a single black door as tall as a two-story building and just as wide. Its entire surface is covered in glowing blue inscriptions.

As we stand in front of it, Weslin pulls a mana stone from his pocket and sends a single pulse toward the door. I try to decipher it in case I want to mimic it in the future, but I realize right away there is no chance.

If my ability to read mana signatures is like being able to decipher a five to eight letter password, this feels like trying to break one with several dozen letters. It is far too confusing and too early for me to attempt.

After a bit of waiting, I hear creaking. The door does not open for us completely, and instead, a small entrance forms at the bottom part of the door. It is probably tall enough for even a velnar to pass through, but so tiny compared to the size of the door and laughable compared to the city itself.

As we pass through the entrance, we cross some kind of barrier that places a mark on us.

“Don’t remove it,” Weslin warns me. “This city is the King’s domain, and everyone who enters receives his mark.”

I do as I am told, though it does not stop me from observing the mark curiously. I even probe and poke at parts I am sure are not meant for tracking, but I cannot figure out their purpose.

I keep doing this as we pass through a huge circular space that is wide open, with some locals and attendants moving about.

The floor is made of the same material as the outside of the tower, as are the inner walls.

There are multiple elevators in the exact center of the room. Some are big enough to fit several buses at once, while others are meant for only a few people and move much faster.

Around the edges of the space is a huge stairway that coils upward. It is wide enough for about ten people to walk comfortably side by side.

The entire area is illuminated by dozens of crystals embedded throughout. They are placed under the stairs, on the floor, or simply positioned around like lamps.

"Sir Weslin!" one of the locals rushes up to us. A woman wearing clothes similar in style to what Weslin is wearing, white mixed with pale blue.

"Narisa, how the hell are you still working for the Primordial Knights? I told you, you can do better," Weslin snorts the moment he sees her.

That only seems to amuse her. From her expression, she does not look surprised or scared at all. She seems used to this man’s behaviour.

"I have become the local director of this city’s branch of the Primordial Knights, Sir Weslin. I would not say I am doing badly."

"Did they raise your pay?"

"They tripled it, and I negotiated high performance bonuses on top of that. The contract is for three years only, so I will renegotiate later for even more."

"I guess that is not so bad."

"Right? I do not know many locals making as much as I do. I made sure to use offers from competitors to push my deal higher. I might have used your name once or twice during the talks."

"I would not be surprised if that hurt you more than helped."

"Always so ready to put yourself down, Sir Weslin. But we are being rude. Will you introduce me to your companion?" She turns to me with a look of curious calculation.

Instead of answering, I let Weslin speak. He says, "Yeah, that is Nathaniel Gwyn."

To my surprise, that seems to tell her enough. "Oh, that person. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mister Gwyn. I am glad you decided to accept the invitation to join the Primordial Knights. I am sure you will not regret it."

"I was kidnapped."

That makes Narisa freeze for a moment. Her smile fades slightly as she looks at Weslin.

"Yup," he confirms.

Her eyes move between me and him. "I am sure it is not as bad as it sounds, and there must have been a good reason..."

"He threatened me, kidnapped me, and said he would hand me over to someone called the Doc if I refused to join. He also beat me so badly I had to lie on the ground for thirty minutes because I could not walk from the pain."

Weslin looks like he wants to argue, but when he realises that, even if a bit out of context, it is all true, he stays silent.

That silence tells Narisa enough. "May we talk, Sir Weslin?"

"Sure," he says and waves at me. "Newbie, go explore the city for a while. I will catch up once I get the transfer ticket from the guild. The portal can be used only once a day, so you have a few hours."

"I will. Nice meeting you, Miss Narisa," I say, hoping to confuse the poor local a bit more and probably give Weslin more trouble, before turning around and heading into the city.

Since Weslin did not specify where I should go, I start walking upstairs, curious how high I can climb before I reach a restricted area or before Weslin comes looking for me. I am also curious how he will find me. Maybe by using the mark placed on me. That thing is very interesting, and from what I can see of its structure, it is very versatile as well.

There is a node built for something like telepathic communication. I recognise it because it is somewhat similar to what Dennis and Aaron can do. There is also a structure for teleportation. Maybe it could be used to forcefully teleport me somewhere else, or to a prison. There is also a function for stunning, restraining, causing pain, and other, more sophisticated effects.

To be honest, it is quite scary, and the ease with which it was placed on me reminds me of the Harvester. I start thinking of a way to defend against such placement.

At the same time, I realise the mark is removable. I think I could get rid of it right now if I wanted. It would not be easy, but it is possible. So I think, rather than being a clear gesture of aggression, it is more like a warning placed on attendees to behave while in the city of this king, who is likely a powerful Champion.

As I walk through the tower, I explore some of the smaller shops. A few guides try to offer advice, of course, asking for shards in return. I notice more guild branches, and even places to stay, either rented to attendees or permanent homes for the locals.

There are no guards. None at all. Yet the city is very peaceful. After a while, I even learn to follow the frequency the mark on me gives off, and I realise that everyone here, even the locals, have one.

What an interesting way to keep order.

As I start reaching the higher floors, I see more professional smithies, bigger shops, auction houses, paid entry parks, and even restricted areas. The architecture keeps changing, and an interesting thought comes to mind. According to Weslin, this place was carved over millennia, so of course it makes sense that things changed as new parts were added hundreds of years after the oldest ones.

While exploring one of these floors, the mark on me activates, and an excited voice sounds in my mind.

(Hello!)

***

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