"Oh, so this is it, Babel!"
On the fifth day after parting with the silver-haired old man, Adam finally arrived at Orario.
His heart stirred with emotion at the sight of the towering white spire reaching into the clouds.
This was his first glimpse of the legendary building — famous and truly at the center of the world. It was impossible not to feel excited about the adventure ahead.
"Yes, that's the Babel Tower." said the middle-aged carriage driver, pointing ahead, "And surrounding it is Orario, the Labyrinth City — known as the center of the world!"
Massive walls enclosed the city, stretching endlessly along the horizon.
The uncle explaining this to Adam was around forty years old, his weathered face marked by scraggly stubble.
Though just an ordinary person, not an adventurer, his tone carried unmistakable envy and longing.
Adam had met him two days ago while asking for directions. Learning they shared the same destination, the man had enthusiastically offered to take the youth along.
They hadn't encountered any bandits or monsters during their journey. The righteous young Adam felt somewhat uncomfortable, unable to repay this kindness.
Wait, this isn't right! This isn't how the story should go!
Shouldn't it be that the friendly uncle casually offers a ride to a lost youth, they encounter deadly peril on the way, only to discover the youth is actually a hidden expert!
That's how the trope should work.
"Young man, you're going to Orario to become an adventurer, aren't you?" The uncle glanced at his white cloak.
Though Adam's face wasn't clearly visible, the simple black longsword at his waist served as a clear warning to others.
That explained the uncle's assumption.
"Yes, that's right." Adam replied honestly, "I want to become an adventurer."
"Is that so." The uncle nodded, then paused, "But young man, aren't you a bit old for that? Isn't it too late to become an adventurer?"
Indeed, joining a Familia to become an adventurer was best done at a young age.
Take Ais from the Loki Familia for example — she began at age 7, and by 16 she had already reached Level 6, becoming a First Class Adventurer.
In this world, even Bell at 14 was considered an adult, making Adam's entry at 20 quite late.
"Mm, you're right uncle, but I'm very confident in my abilities. I'm sure some Familia will take me in."
Though his words seemed like empty boasting to the uncle, the older man didn't discourage the youth's enthusiasm.
Instead, he said glumly, "When I was young, I was the strongest man in my village, but none of the Familias in Orario would accept me."
The uncle's meaning was clear: everyone thinks they're special when they're young. But uncle, my strength might far exceed what you can imagine.
After that, neither spoke — the uncle lost in the past while Adam looked to the future.
The carriage gradually came to a stop at Orario's gates. Thanks to the man's acquaintance with the guards, they paid only a small entry fee and entered the dungeon city without thorough inspection.
A bustling main street cut through the plaza, its white paving wide enough for four carriages to drive side by side. Merchants lined the street, selling all sorts of goods.
The enthusiastic calls of vendors made Adam look around curiously. Most of the merchandise here was unlike anything from his previous world.
"Young man, do you have any money?" The uncle took out some coins, "If not, I can lend you some. You can't survive in Orario without money, you know."
"Eh? Why would you help me like this? Aren't you afraid I might be a bad person?"
"How could someone who wants to be an adventurer be bad?"
The uncle spoke as if Gods were all sacred and dignified beings, not knowing there were unreliable Gods like Aqua in this world.
His devoted faith and one-sided attitude were so endearing that one couldn't bear to hurt his pure and kind heart.
"Actually, it's because someone helped me when I was young, so I want to pass on that kindness."
"I'll remember this kindness! Though I don't have money, I do have things I can exchange for money. Thank you, uncle."
"Well, if that's what you say..."
"Then this is where we part!" Declining his help, Adam waved goodbye, "Thank you for these past few days, uncle!"
"Ah, I've received your thanks!" The uncle waved back. Then, ignoring puzzled looks from passersby, he shouted, "Make sure you become a strong adventurer!"
He offered his blessing, as if entrusting Adam with fulfilling his own dream.
Walking ahead, Adam raised his right fist high without looking back, "You can always trust in Adam Carter, I mean it!"
"Make sure you do it for me." Watching him disappear into the crowd, the uncle offered one final blessing.
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What to do next?
Having entered Orario, Adam began considering his next move.
"I should probably visit the Dungeon first, to test my theory."
Ever since learning he had crossed over to this world, he'd had a hypothesis to verify: whether he could Level Up here.
In the Parallel world, there were two ways to Level Up.
The first was the traditional method — defeating monsters and gaining experience points from their soul fragments, leveling up automatically when experience was full.
The second involved taking shortcuts by consuming rare ingredients to gain experience points, similarly leveling up when full.
Adam planned to try both methods.
"I need to visit the Adventurers' Guild first to exchange my money." Adam decided.
Though confident in his abilities, he knew venturing into the Dungeon required proper preparation. At minimum, he needed some essential supplies — and for that, he needed local currency.
In Orario, adventurers made up nearly ninety percent of the population. A constant stream of people flowed through the streets, their destinations clear: either the Dungeon or the Adventurers' Guild.
With the towering Babel marking the Dungeon's location, Adam simply followed the crowd heading in the opposite direction.
His strategy proved effective — he soon arrived at the Adventurers' Guild. Under its prominent sign, a steady parade of adventurers entered and left, their expressions alternating between elation and despair.
Stepping inside, he noticed the reception area was split into two sections: one for visitors from other cities, another for Orario's own adventurers.
Too bad — he'd hoped to see that popular half-elf young woman.
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