Chapter 62: A New Goal
After a simple but warm dinner at the small inn restaurant, Daniel and Eva quietly made their way upstairs. Their legs were heavy with exhaustion. Eva walked silently, occasionally yawning.
Their room was on the third floor — a large space with polished wooden walls, a window overlooking the street, and a private bathroom. Two large beds were placed on opposite sides of the room, and a soft light glowed from a crystal lamp on the ceiling.
Without saying a word, Eva threw herself onto one of the beds. She didn’t even bother changing out of her clothes. She just pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and mumbled under her breath:
"Night..."
And that was it.
Daniel took a deep breath, took off his shoes, sat cross-legged on his bed, and stared at the half-open window. A cool breeze gently moved the curtains.
"Two days... it’s only been two days since I entered the Celestial Domain..."
In this short time, a lot had already happened. He had clashed with one of the most powerful forces in the world and even crossed the Broken Valley.
But he still hadn’t reached the Central Plains — the place everyone talked about.
The main center of power, trade, and power in the Celestial Domain. Where the headquarters of the major guilds of his world were located. His main goal — and the goal of nearly every Awakened in his world — was to reach the Central Plains.
There were also upcoming events he wanted to join, if possible, to grow stronger.
Like the Hunt Tournament — a global tournament where participants hunt monsters and collect points. As far as he knew, the champion could win an A-rank reward.
There were also guild competitions, like the Crown Clash, where teams from different guilds fought to claim the "Ruler’s Crown." The guild that held onto the crown until the end would gain access to the Golden Palace.
He really wanted to grow stronger — to rise above everything. Suddenly, an image appeared in his mind — the image of that woman.
The mysterious woman they had seen in the valley. With cold eyes and a presence that silenced the world. Even though she was indescribably beautiful, Daniel could clearly feel it —
This woman was the most terrifying being he had ever seen.
"Can someone really be that strong...?" Daniel had never thought Awakened could reach that level of power.
She was probably someone who had reached the ninth or even tenth tier.
But it wasn’t fear he felt... it was excitement.
Daniel took a quick look at his stats.
"Is this enough? No..." He was already far stronger than most Awakened at his level — but it still wasn’t enough.
Not to reach her.
"I need to find a way to strengthen both my soul... and my body," he thought.
One of the ideas that came to mind was the Black Swamp. From what he had heard, the water there could temper the body and massively increase one’s power.
Though... many who entered came back insane. Apparently, the water could tear the mind apart.
"But to get there... I need to be part of a guild."
Was it time to join a guild? The question formed in his mind.
There wasn’t a clear answer. He didn’t want his freedom to be restricted, which is why he had avoided guilds so far — but at this rate, he might not have a choice.
Still, he had time. He wanted to look into more of his options first.
Then he laid his head on the pillow and fell asleep.
Early in the morning, sunlight slipped through the curtains. Daniel opened his eyes, stared at the ceiling in silence for a few seconds, then sat up.
Eva woke up a few minutes later — silent, messy-haired, and half-asleep.
They went downstairs together, back to the same small, warm restaurant from the night before. They had a light breakfast — sweet bread, cheese, and something like brown milk that had a magical taste.
Then they returned to the reception desk.
But the cat-girl from before was gone. In her place stood a young man around twenty, with messy hair and a sleepy face, standing behind the counter.
"The girl who was here last night, where is she?" Eva looked around with slight surprise and asked the guy at the counter.
"You mean Lily? She works the night shift. She’s probably asleep now," the boy yawned and replied.
"We’re trying to get to the Central Plains. We heard we need to use a Teleport Array. Can you tell us how?" Daniel stepped forward and nodded.
"Well... you can’t get to the Central Plains directly from here." The boy paused for a second, then said calmly:
"Why not?" Eva quickly asked.
"To go directly to the Central Plains, you need at least a tier five array. But this city only has a tier two. At best, it can send you to one of the major surrounding cities. From there, you can reach one of the main cities in the Central Plains." He shrugged.
"That’s fine. How do we use the Teleport Array?" Daniel asked.
"It’s under the control of the Adventurer’s Guild," the boy replied.
"Adventurer’s Guild?" Daniel frowned slightly.
"So you’re outsiders, huh? The Adventurer’s Guild — they’re branches of the main Adventurer’s Guild. They’re in almost every city in the world. What do they do? Well, they take in Climbers with no backing who aren’t part of any guild. But unlike regular guilds, they don’t tie you down. You can accept missions and get rewards."
"Thanks for explaining," Daniel gave a short nod with a small smile.
"If you want to go, head to the Teleport Array site. There’s always someone in charge there — just ask them," the boy said.
Daniel and Eva thanked him and left the inn. The streets weren’t crowded yet, but the sun was higher now, shining on the stone pavement.
A few minutes later, they reached the city’s Teleport Array — a simple but sturdy building with an open plaza in front of it.
At the center of the plaza was a large portal. A circle of glowing stones, with golden magical lines etched across its surface — but it was currently inactive.
Next to it stood an old man in a gray robe, eyes half-closed and calm.
"Hello, we wanted to go to the Central Plains," Daniel stepped forward and said politely.
"A direct trip isn’t possible... but I can send you to one of the major cities. From there, you can use another array to reach the Central Plains," the old man said without opening his eyes.
"Which city?" Daniel asked.
The old man smiled.
"I’ll send you to Nualdor — the economic capital of the Elthanor Empire."
Daniel looked at Eva.
"Sounds good. No problem," Eva shrugged and said.
They paid the teleportation fee. The old man calmly raised his hand. The stones around the portal began to glow. Magic surged in the air, and with a deep hum, the magical circle activated.
Blue-silver light filled the entire plaza.
Daniel took a deep breath, stepped forward, and entered the ring of light with Eva. Suddenly, the world around them went dark.