Everything about this place felt structured, almost like a system built to guide players step by step, while still leaving room for risk and reward.
"So..." Emilia suddenly spoke again, her tone lightening as she turned toward Leon and Celeste with a smile, "what do you guys want to do first?"
"We can explore a bit, check out the [Market], look at so [Quests], or just head straight into the [Realms] if you want to start leveling imdiately."
Hearing that, Leon actually paused for a mont. He brought his hand to his chin, thinking carefully.
On one hand, jumping straight into the [Realms] would allow them to grow stronger imdiately, which was always his priority.
But on the other hand, this place was completely new, and understanding it properly could give them a massive advantage later on.
"Well," Leon finally said as a small smile appeared on his face, "since we’re going to be in this [Higher Domain] for a while, we might as well take so ti to understand everything first."
He glanced around the massive interior of the [Awakener Association], his eyes sharp and focused.
"No point rushing in blind."
Emilia’s smile widened slightly as she heard that.
"Good choice," she said.
And just like that, the three of them began moving deeper into the [Awakener Association], more precisely towards the [Quest] section.
While they were walking toward the [Quests] section of the [Awakener Association], Emilia suddenly turned her head slightly and looked at both Leon and Celeste.
"Did you both check your [Awakener Panels]?" she asked, her tone casual, "It could help a lot, since it’s going to matter quite a bit in this place."
Leon didn’t answer imdiately, though the thought crossed his mind right away.
He already knew that he wouldn’t be able to leave [Higher Domain #3] until the cooldown of [Domain Travel] reset.
Which ant that for at least the next day, or possibly longer depending on his decisions, he would have to operate within this domain and adapt to its systems.
And so, without wasting any ti, Leon opened the panel Emilia had ntioned.
---
[ID: Celestial]
[District: Newbie]
[Awakener Rank: F-Rank]
---
Leon stared at the simple panel for a mont, his eyes narrowing slightly as he processed the information displayed before him.
Beside him, Celeste also opened hers and looked at it with curiosity.
"So this is how they classify players here..." Leon murmured, his tone thoughtful.
"So people believe that only an SS-Rank awakener can actually et the [Awakener Lord]," Emilia continued as they walked down a long hallway filled with players moving in both directions, "Right now, I’m C-Rank, which isn’t bad at all, though I’m guessing that progressing further will require moving to the next district eventually."
"I wonder who the hell this [Awakener Lord] even is," Leon said as he glanced around the place, "This entire domain feels like it revolves around them."
And that wasn’t an exaggeration.
From the mont they arrived, everything, from the system ssages to the structure of the kingdom, seed to revolve around this single figure.
As if reaching them was the ultimate goal of everyone trapped within this domain.
While Leon was thinking about that, Celeste, who had been quietly observing everything, suddenly spoke up.
"But what’s the point of these ranks besides eting that [Awakener Lord]?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
Her confusion made sense. It felt strange for an entire system to exist just for this one purpose.
Emilia couldn’t help but smile slightly at that question before answering.
"Your life here depends entirely on your rank," Emilia explained patiently, "For example, people with higher ranks get access to better housing, better facilities, and even the [Market] has sections that are restricted based on rank."
Leon’s eyes sharpened slightly as he heard that. So that’s how it worked.
This wasn’t just a ranking system, it was a full hierarchy.
It was almost like a system of nobility, where those with higher ranks were treated better, had access to more resources, and lived more comfortably, while those stuck at the bottom struggled.
’No wonder so many players decided to stay here.’
For so, this place probably felt more stable than constantly risking their lives in another [Higher Domain].
Emilia, being C-Rank, wasn’t at the top, but within the [Newbie District], that was already considered quite high.
She was easily among the stronger and more respected players here.
Eventually, after walking through several crowded corridors filled with noise and movent, the three of them finally arrived at the [Quest] hall.
The mont they stepped inside, the sheer scale of the place beca obvious.
Players filled every corner of the hall, so standing in groups discussing strategies, others rushing toward different boards, and many simply staring at the available quests with focused expressions.
And then...
Ding!
[Welco to the "Quest" section of the "Awakener Association"]
[Please take up a quest to hopefully improve your rank and acquire more rewards!]
"This is the only way to improve your rank," Emilia said with a small smile as she looked around, clearly familiar with the place by now, "So taking quests is basically mandatory if you want to progress here."
All around them, large digital boards floated in the air, displaying countless quests for players to choose from.
Leon walked up to one of them, his gaze scanning the options quickly before stopping on a few entries.
---
[D-Rank Quest: Kill the "Snow Tiger" in the "Snowy Mountain" realm.]
[Reward: D-Rank Promotion and 5 Skill Stones.]
---
[E-Rank Quest: Collect so herbs in the "Enchanted Forest" realm.]
[Rewards: E-Rank Promotion.]
---
The quests varied widely in difficulty and reward, but one thing was clear.
Every single one of them offered so kind of rank promotion.
"I completed a C-Rank quest to get where I am now," Emilia said casually.
"Are there any B-Rank quests?" Leon asked imdiately, his tone calm but direct, "If we can skip ahead, it would save ti."
Emilia paused for a mont, clearly thinking.
"I think there is one..." she said slowly, "But no one really attempts it because it’s way too difficult."
Leon’s lips curled into a faint grin.
"Nothing’s too difficult for our group," he said simply, as if stating a fact, "Let’s check it out."
To find it, Leon approached a nearby player and asked about the B-Rank quest, but the reaction he received was far from encouraging.
"Are you insane?" the player snapped, looking at him like he had just said sothing ridiculous, "Nobody does that quest, it’s a complete waste of ti."
Leon didn’t stop there. He asked a few more people, but the responses were all the sa.
So ignored him completely, others told him to go away, and a few just laughed at the idea.
After a while, Leon let out a small sigh.
"Nobody’s nice in this place," he muttered.
Emilia simply shrugged with a small smile.
"Doesn’t make it that different from the [Lower Domain]," she said, "That’s why I didn’t bother asking anyone either."
Instead of relying on others, the three of them decided to search for it themselves.
They walked deeper into the [Quest] hall, passing dozens of boards, until eventually, they reached the far end of the section.
And there... They saw it. A single board stood slightly apart from the others.
Unlike the rest, which glowed with a calm blue light, this one was crimson, its edges jagged and rough, almost as if it was warning anyone who approached it.
Above it, a large letter was displayed: "B."
It was clear from the lack of people around it that no one wanted anything to do with it.
Leon stepped forward without hesitation and began reading it out loud.
...
A/N
I spent a few Chapters making sure everything about [Higher Domain #3] was understood as it’s important for the future, I hope you guys didn’t mind it :)!
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