While thinking about the peculiarity of this secret realm Xar has already entered the Hobgoblin settlement.
Looking at the headless corpses and chunks of flesh scattered about he couldn't help but smile in appreciation. Any alien race that dared to murder humans should be treated like this! He believes in human supremacy.
Ryonen was seen putting the two coins back in the coin case. The upgraded item returned to its original quality. The coins prepared by the Saint are very useful in utility. Simply upgrading equipment is just one of the uses.
Xar took out the metal badge again and squeezed it a little. A ray of light shot out and with him directing the entire scene was being recorded in it. This is how Adventurers Guild confirms the completion of the quest. Surely, people can't be asked to bring body parts, right?
The only thing that puzzled him now is that Wuryan was actually fiddling with the corpse of a Hobgoblin who's a size bigger than others. In his astonished eyes, he suddenly tore open the loincloth, exposing the disgusting thing and stored it into the storage bag.
Xar was wide eyed! Good guy, what is this operation!?
Not only him but Ryonen who just finished admiring the art of carnage he made looked at Wuryan's action with strange eyes after hearing the sound of cloth tearing… I heard before that some people had kinks such as collecting women's underwear or something and today I finally witnessed a dude who's even more perverted!!
Both Xar and Ryonen looked away as if in agreement.
Both of them were too lazy to ask why he was collecting it as they preferred minding their own business. Xar walked around the settlement to search for the thing related to Dazzling White road as he kept recording the scenes while Ryonen just went back to the entrance to wait for them to finish up.
Irilea also entered the settlement and following the guidance of the gold tree she went to a hut where animal skulls and strange totems were placed in a ritualistic manner. Compared to the surrounding huts this one was obviously a bit special in status.
She didn't bother investigating the culture or social norms of Hobgoblins. Who has time to read that nonsense? Isn't it more efficient to increase your strength instead of wasting your time reading alien sociology? Speaking of it, Irilea was kind of frustrated at how this secret realm had a bunch of restrictions that made their team passive.
After entering the secret realm, they could only reach the Initial Stage of Level 1 through the practice method. If they wanted to go further then they could only obediently follow the rules of this world where hunting monsters, exploring labyrinths and completing quests would allow them to level up.
In the empire, humans practiced the Human Evolution Codex made by the Saints through their personal experience and exploration as they reached the pinnacle of the Cosmic Sea. Starting from the first generation Saints this Human Evolution Codex has been continuously updated and optimized to the present level where it has become the race-guarding technique of the human race.
That being said, only the clansmen of Five Founding Families practice the authentic Human Evolution Codex. The subordinate nobles under the five families are only allowed to practice the incomplete version which could reach the Initial Stage of Grandmaster Realm. This is the reward of immortality granted to them for their loyalty.
Of course, whether you have the talent to reach that realm is up to you.
As for higher stages, even if they had some adventures and could finally reach it the only outcome is to be punished by the five families for insubordination. So, even if others can actually reach the Intermediate Stage of Grandmaster Realm they dare not do so.
The punishment for insubordination is obviously the extermination of the whole clan!
In Azure Planet, one can reach the Initial Stage of Level 1 of their evolution path by simply practicing the Human Evolution Codex. This stage conforms to Level 30, the standard of D-rank adventurers in this secret realm.
According to the codex, to begin one's evolution journey perceiving Cosmium is the first step. After doing so, absorbing this ubiquitous energy through the breathing method detailed in the codex is the second step.
As the veins and arteries are constantly nourished by Cosmium one should be able to superficially control this energy as they get familiar with it. One can improve their physical strength, speed, perception and other physique related factors through circulation methods.
Being able to coat the entire body in a protective layer of Cosmium is considered reaching the Initial Stage of Level 1.
Irilea and the other four have all reached this stage shortly after settling down in this secret realm. The trademark of Level 30 adventurers is that they're able to protect their bodies in the form of Mana Barrier, thus locals misunderstanding that all five of them are D-rank adventurers. Of course, the mana and Cosmium are the same thing but different names.
If not for the fact that there was such a restriction then all of them would have preferred to go into seclusion before reaching the strength limit in this secret realm. Isn't it more convenient to walk around when you're at your strongest?
As she entered the special hut the guidance from the gold tree became more obvious and soon she stood before a wooden chest hidden behind the altar. Using her bow she stepped aside a bit and opened the chest with some caution. It would be a joke if she got hurt by some trap mechanism in this small place.
Click!
The chest was opened and surprisingly there were no hidden tricks in it.
Inside it was a small animal skull carved from purple-colored crystal. It resembled the skull of a goat but there were veins of blood throbbing all over it.
Irilea frowned slightly at the grotesque item.
The induction from the gold tree seemed to tell her that she got the thing. Though she didn't know what good this disgusting looking skull would do, that didn't prevent her from collecting it.
She put the thing in the storage bag, which is currently the most secure place for keeping her belongings. Just as she was about to go out of the hut she sensed movement outside.
Curious, she looked at Wuryan who was climbing up the roof of the hut. He suddenly paused after sensing her gaze but after a moment of contemplation he shook his head and continued,
"Oooohhhh!!"
With a roar Wuryan looked at the distance with some pride in his eyes, as if it was him who killed all the Hobgoblins earlier. Irilea just watched this performance with a blank expression. She gave him a subtle look of contempt before going away to find Esmeria.
There is an interesting story to tell. Maybe she could get acquainted with the only other girl in this team.
A while later, Xar returned to the entrance of the settlement after having finished recording the scenes. Unfortunately, he didn't find anything interesting. This made him think if he missed it somewhere.
He saw Esmeria and Irilea laughing and chatting in the distance.
"Well, we are done with this quest. Let's head back. By the way, Ryonen, did you level up after killing those monsters? How does it feel?"
Xar asked curiously. The restrictions in this secret realm were very particular about this. Ryonen replied nonchalantly: "I did level up! If it was considered Level 30 initially now it should be Level 38 by this realm's standard. There's no better way to detect it except an intuitive feeling. After a monster is killed there will be Cosmium feedback and it will be directly absorbed and refined by the body. There seems to be a core rule in this world that helps humans strengthen as long as those aliens are killed."
"It should be the experiencing points gained after monster slaying. After the game merged with reality this is how it was interpreted by the World's Will."
Wuryan analyzed from the side. As an experienced gamer in his past life he could understand this better. Of course, there are also countless games developed in the empire's long history so it isn't that the other four are clueless about it.
Xar then summarized, "Level 1 to 10 is F-rank, Level 11 to 29 is E-rank. Only at Level 30, which is considered the threshold of D-rank, has an indicator where it matches with the evolution development described in the codex. Going by this logic, it will take quite some time and a lot of running back and forth before we reach the Intermediate Stage of Level 1. Didn't that Orion spend more than two years to reach the Final Stage? Surely none of us are willing to follow this slow route, right?"
All of them nodded. There's no way they are willing to spend so much time just to regain their strength back. Esmeria suggested, "How about asking that commoner if he found faster ways to level up? After all, he is now a S-rank adventurer, one of the top people in the City-states Coalition. Maybe he got something new after the elevation in status?"
Xar pondered for a moment before agreeing. Initially he planned to travel around without having too much contact with those commoners. It already feels insulting that he, a noble, needed to use the identity of a closed-door disciple of that commoner to prevent suspicion from the locals.
Since no one is willing to spend too much time on leveling up then going back to inquire is the best choice.
"Oh, that's right. What about those functions of Skill Cards? Did you choose any after leveling up eight times in a row?"
Wuryan suddenly remembered and asked with some expectation. Ryonen shook his head, "I postponed the selection choice for the time being. I was in the middle of a fight, after all. After leveling up one can choose to connect with a virtual space immediately to select a Skill Card of their path or they could decline and instead choose from their faction's storage directly. This part of information collected by those people is indeed accurate."
"Anyways, those Skill Cards might help reach the Intermediate Stage quickly so it's better not to rush it. Let's be on our way."
With Xar's urging, the party headed back to Yvolit City to spend the night.
The Winding Ridge where the Hobgoblins tribe settled is some distance from the city. Under the cover of the night, strong wind blew. It seems that it might rain later. Clouds covered the moonlight and it became darker.
As they headed back Xar suddenly raised his hand to halt. His sudden gesture puzzled the other four but they were also young prodigies. It didn't take long before they also sensed that something was wrong up ahead.
In their perception there were some figures who were heading towards them sneakily. Maybe because of their long pause those figures who were trying to be as silent and inconspicuous as possible no longer bothered hiding. With loud footsteps they walked out of the surrounding woods and surrounded the five in all directions.
"To think you discovered us so early despite being only a D-rank party, should I say as expected of Orion's disciples? Hehehe."
A tall figure shrouded in dark clothes said with a hint of surprise and ridicule. His voice was deliberately muffled. All those who walked out of the woods were similarly dressed. Seeing their outfit and weapons on hand it doesn't take much to understand their purpose.
"We just graduated from the academy today. I don't remember offending anyone nor any of my party members did anything similar. Is this because of Master Orion?"
Wuryan questioned in a puzzled tone. He really didn't expect that there would be people ambushing them on their way back. Hey, it's only the first quest and there's already a dozen people squatting on us!?
"In the next life, be mindful of people you associate with!"
With that sentence the dozen dark clothed figures attacked in a coordinated manner. There was no hesitation in attacking them and their murderous intent was obvious. Arrows, spells came one after another from behind the woods and there were follow-up attacks as those who came in the open charged forward.
Xar looked at them coldly.