Cole arrived at the other side of the portal, and he immediately checked his surroundings.

Seeing many houses around, Cole thought he was in an open settlement. There were many stairs leading to higher or lower platforms. After looking up, he saw a gigantic dome with many attached lamps. Then, he realized this place was an enclosed space.

Cole was about to explore the place when the portal behind him flashed, and someone got out of it. They wore a silver cloak that covered their whole body. Not only that, they wrapped a scarf around their face, hiding their feature.

Cole was the first one to arrive, so the burden of hospitality was on his shoulders. He approached them and nodded. “Hello.”

The person nodded back, but they said nothing. Cole thought they were wary of him, and it was an understandable reaction because everything could happen in this world, such as a man killing another man. So, he didn’t take their attitude to his mind.

Maintaining a respectful attitude, Cole said, “I want to explore this place. If you are willing, let’s do it together.”

The person nodded to him, but they didn’t move from their spot. So, Cole turned his back and walked first. He could hear their footsteps following him.

Cole wasn’t afraid the person would ambush him because he kept his guard up. If the person did it, he would kill them without hesitation.

Cole suddenly imagined many scenes where he killed the person with many methods, and he licked his lips. However, he suddenly regretted it. Ugh, I have to control this berserker nature; he thought.

As he explored this place, he realized this enclosed space was spacious but empty. No one lived here, even though there were hundreds of houses. Not only that, an abandoned place usually would be dirty, but this whole place was clean.

Normal people would feel scared of this place, but Cole was excited, thinking this place was a trap. He couldn’t wait to see the challenge that this place offered.

As he thought of that, the person behind him tapped his shoulder. Cole looked back and saw the person pointing toward the side of the bridge they were on.

Cole followed their direction and saw a house on a plateau. In front of the house, a man sat on a chair while cutting a cake on the round table.

Cole and the person immediately crossed the bridge, walked across the fenced cliff, and went to the bridge that was connected to the plateau.

When they arrived at the plateau, the mysterious man smiled at them and gestured for them to sit. “Welcome, you can sit.”

Cole and the cloaked person looked at each other and agreed in silence. They sat on their perspective chair.

“Tea. Please enjoy,” said the mysterious man as he poured tea into the cups on the table.

The fragrant aroma of the tea entered his nose, but Cole didn’t drink it, fearing it was a trap. Instead, he asked a question, “I am sorry, but can you please tell us where are we?”

The man sliced a cake into a mouthful piece and forked it into his mouth. After gulping it, he said, “You are in Holus Fortress. This is a safe place. Monsters can’t enter this place, so you can rest assured.”

“What about void monsters?” the cloaked person said, their voice was surprisingly feminine and pleasant in the ears.

The man smiled. “They have to break through the defensive barrier before they can enter this place.”

“Are you an explorer too?” Cole asked.

The man stirred his tea and stared deeply into it as if reminiscing about his past. “I was an explorer in another world before the Immortals appointed me as the fortress lord. Do you know the angel-like beings on the tutorial island? My job is basically the same as them, except I am not a heartless creature like them.”

“Why are Immortals appointing humans as a guardian?” the cloaked person asked.

The man shrugged. “Beat me. From now on, people like me will guard every place. My name is Holus by the way.”

Cole nodded and introduced himself. “My name is Cole Xander.”

“I know about you and your past,” Holus interrupted. Then he looked at the cloaked person. “You too. I immediately know about the information of people who have arrived at my fortress. But, yeah. I guess you have to introduce yourself too. I will give you rewards as the earliest ten people who have arrived at my place.”

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“Can I choose to not introduce myself?” the cloaked person asked.

“Sure, but there is no reward for you.”

The cloaked person clicked their tongue before they took off the hood and the scarf, revealing their identity. Her silver hair fell majestically onto her back. In contrast to her glowing hair, she had dark brown skin, enhancing her attractiveness several times. Not only that, she had a pair of rabbit ears above her head, creating a unique charm that Cole hadn’t experienced from looking at other women before.

The woman in the white cloak introducer herself, “My name is Elune Whitebun.”

Holus nodded approvingly. “You are the second person to awaken a unique race and the fourth person to acquire a class. I am honored to meet you, Ms. Whitebun. I didn’t expect there are so many promising gems from nearby tutorial islands.”

Cole looked at her, and the status window appeared above her. He suddenly realized the cloak was a magical item to hide one’s identity. After she took it off, he could see her information, and he read it out of curiosity.

Name: Elune Whitebun

Class: No information

Race: No information

Level: 10

Cole thought she was too under-level. Even without exploring this area, he knew this place was several times more dangerous than the previous area. He suddenly understood why she was wary of him. If he was a bad person, he could have taken advantage of her.

She should have been better on the tutorial island, Cole thought. However, He was aware each person had their own situation, so he respected her choice.

“So, where are the rewards?” Elune asked impatiently as if she was in a rush to go somewhere.

“Why is the rush? You are safe here,” Holus said, but he still listened to her plead. With a clap, the beverages on the table vanished, and two piles of cards appeared.

“I will give both of you two things. The first reward is a week's worth of allowance, more precisely 4500 points. The second reward is a general map of this giant island.” Holus applauded. “I only give these rewards for the first ten people who reach this place. Congratulations to both of you!”

Elune said nothing. She immediately took her share of reward cards. After that, she was about to go, but Holus stopped her.

“You don’t need information from me?” Holus asked, his words holding her in her chair. “Good girl.”

Cole didn’t expect rewards, so he took his share without complaining. He even felt grateful to Holus.

“By your words, does that mean we can ask anything from you?” Cole asked.

“No, not asking questions. I will only give you information about what you need to know. Please keep in mind that I only reveal this information to the first ten people who arrive here, so please listen carefully.”

Holus prepared a mental note and cleared his throat. “Firstly, you can get an explorer badge by signing yourself to my office behind me. Or, I can give it to you now if you want. Having an explorer badge means you can take quests from any explorer office and get rewards when you complete them.

“Secondly, the price of anything is more expensive than in tutorial islands, so you need to be smart in managing your points. Thirdly, do you want to sign yourself now? This offer is free for the first ten people. After that, I will charge people.”

“Can I survive if I don’t sign myself?” Elune asked.

Holus raised his eyebrow. “Probably. However, you need to know monsters in this place are stronger than monsters on tutorial islands, even if they are at the same level. You people aren’t the only ones who can gain a class. The quests in explorer offices are well-calculated according to the explorer’s ranks, so living as official explorers are more comfortable. How about it? Want to sign yourself?”

“I do. Can we begin the process now?” Cole asked. He had calculated that he wouldn’t suffer by signing himself. There was no requirement, and it was free of charge.

Holus nodded. “I like decisive people.” He summoned an item card out of thin air and gave it to Cole. “This is the badge card. Pour a drop of your blood onto the badge, and it will recognize you as its owner. After that, you can take quests on the quest board behind me.” His thumb pointed at a floating blue screen in front of his house.

“Then I will immediately do it. Thanks for your support, Mr. Holus.” Cole stood up and walked toward the quest board.

Holus didn’t stop him, so he thought the man had nothing to tell him anymore.

While Elune was still thinking of her choice, Cole summoned the badge and signed himself as an official explorer. After that, the badge carved an ‘F’ letter on its body, informing about Cole’s current explorer rank. At the same time, information flowed into his head.

Cole immediately learned that official explorers were divided into seven ranks. He was only ranked F. To reach the next rank, he had to reach level 30 and get the second class.

It was a faraway problem, so he put it aside for the moment. Cole focused himself on seeing the blue screen in front of him. There were only rank F and E quests on the board. He guessed higher-ranked quests were locked before he reached the next rank.

From the badge’s information, Cole knew F-rank explorers can only get one quest, so he memorized all quests carefully before he picked one.

After a while, Elune joined beside him. She focused on the board without bothering Cole.

They both spent a long time memorizing the quests. However, Cole got what he wanted first, and he immediately picked it. Suddenly, a system pop-up appeared in front of him.

Quest: Serpencide’s Heart

Rank: E

Reward: 400 points

Description: obtains 0/1 Serpencide’s heart from a Serpencide monster. You can find this monster in the Valley of Trolls.

Do you want to accept this quest? [Yes/no]

Cole had memorized many F and E rank quests, and he judged this quest was the most suitable for him, so he clicked yes. Monsters from an E rank quest might be powerful, and they might live in a dangerous area. However, he didn’t feel rushed to complete a quest. He could perform it while training himself in the wilderness.

This town was still empty, with only him, Holus, and Ms. Whitebun. Cole would feel bored if he stayed here.

Having accepted a quest, Cole wanted to venture outside immediately. Before that, he approached Elune and invited her to go with him out of goodwill. Normally, he liked to do things solo, but he was worried about her. With her low level, she would have a hard time surviving in this environment.

“Ms. Whitebun, I am quite strong. Do you want to explore the outside with me? I can help you raise your level.”

Cole couldn’t see her reaction because she was covering herself again, so he waited for her response patiently.

Elune looked up and stared at his face. After seeing the sincerity in his eyes, she replied to him.

……