Chapter 221

Chapter 221

"Here we are! Welcome to DryRock!"

Issac turns to the open area of desolate sandy flat land in front of the Red Mountain range. Immediately after he speaks these words, I feel the space around me begin to tingle and buzz.

The air before my eyes waves and shifts, giving off a rainbow hue. Almost like the rippling sensation of a heat wave, but there's definitely some kind of mana-powered illusion at play here.

I activate my All-Seeing Eye and everything becomes clear...

Literally.

A dome of transparent magic covers an entire city in the middle of the desert. It's nearly 1 kilometer wide, stretching all the way to the base of the mountains and completely hiding over 100 buildings in plain sight.

Smaller huts similar to the ones in the last village we just left line the streets, but there are many taller buildings made from the same color stone as the mountains in the background.

There are 3, 4, and even 5-story structures with modern windows and metal frames to them. There are flat stone streets that divide merchants from residential areas.

People line the roads, buying and selling goods, while the occasional city guard walks by to keep order. This looks like a much more civilized city than I expected to see.

Without my perception skill, this would have been invisible to the naked eye. I shut it off, then look at my teammates.

They're all still staring in awe at the twisting rainbow light in front of us.

It looks like a portal is opening, but I know that's not the case.

The smaller man that Issac talked to before we entered walks in front of us, toward the light as it begins to expand.

He taps the source of the illusion with a silver object and a small gap in the transparent seal opens.

The hole gets larger and larger until it stops to make a 5-meter wide gate in the illusion magic to show us the city with our unaided eyes.

As we walk through on our camels, the gate monitor speaks up, as the wobbling entrance of rainbow-tinted magic slowly fades shut.

"Enjoy your stay at DryRock, hope your business dealings go well."

The concealment magic completely closes, but we can still see the man standing outside behind it.

He stares forward with a blank expression for a moment, then smiles to himself and turns away walking back to his small tent like nothing happened.

I look at him curiously for a moment, then Issac turns to me.

"He can't see us now."

I raise an eyebrow, but Issac continues before I get a word in.

"If you were wondering, he can't see us anymore... This barrier is a one-way illusion. It's pretty heavily guarded, I've just known that guard since I was a young kind. He's one of the only exceptions to security."

I nod slowly as I hear the camel's feet below me transfer from the soft sand onto a hard road beneath us.

I reply while keeping my face hidden under the red clock, looking around the town.

"That... makes sense. I got it.... "

I activate my All-Seeing Eye again, but the only reading I pick up are the various collections of mana crystals in shops. The massive mana-imbued barrier around the city is the only high-density magic I can sense.

I mutter under my breath, squinting at the fire user.

"There's no breaks anywhere near here..."

I quickly lock eyes with Abby, but she gives me a shrug while Arie also extends a confused but relaxed expression.

The green-haired mage speaks up.

"Oh, we're definitely in there right place. He didn't lead us astray. There should be breaks here..."

I scratch my chin as I keep following Issac through the emptier streets of the outer area of the town.

"Then what happened to them...?"

Eventually, we hit a much busier street. The 5 of us begin leading our ride through one of the open market squares.Witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through Ñôv€l--B1n.

"Of course, we always have new quests available."

He turns to me.

"And who might you be."

He stretched out his right hand, looking me in the eye.

I stare tight back, using Inspect and Appraisal. I only glance at his level and skills before shaking his hand with a firm hold.

________________

[Lv. 297]

Active Skills:

Inspect [Special Grade]

Body Hardening [Special Grade]

________________

I clench my jaw and squeeze his hand a bit harder than I mean to when I see he has a [Special Grade] Inspect skill.

The guard winces, and I reply as we both step back from each other.

"I- sorry about that- I can't control my own excitement sometimes. Just- looking forward to some quests, that's all."

He lets out a nervous laugh, then stands up straight with a smile, flustered at my strength.

"No, no problem at all. Quite a firm handshake for a D-Class. You must have an extremely high natural strength aptitude. I'm impressed."

He turns back to Issac, giving him a firm nod, then opening the heavy brown wooden front door.

"Well, I see why you're heading off for some quests. I can't keep a man from his business for too long, please don't let me keep you waiting."

Issac smirks, walking past the guard.

"Yep, appreciate it. Good to see ya."

I follow quietly, speaking to the man in a suit in a low voice before ether door shits behind me.

"Nice to meet you."

He waves us through, not saying another word.

I gulp.

That was awkward...

*Click*

The door shuts and I step inside onto a smooth white floor. Immediately, the sound of abundant chatter fills my ears. There are hunters, businessmen, workers, and casual villagers going about their daily business.

I lift my gaze, shifting my eyes left and right.

There are quests on the walls, just like the mercenary guild. The ones here just seem to be a bit more ordered and much easier to read.

There are basic mana crystal quests, various magic crafting items, escort missions, hunting gear, and even food and water requests.

All of the prices are a bit more stable, not varying as much as the smaller town's erratic pricing.

I continue to scan the room, then my eyes land on a troubling sight.

There's one bulletin board near the entrance that makes my stomach drop. It's a wall with Large newspapers showing the faces of familiar-looking Association hunters.

Some look very old like they've been on the wall for years, but sticking out like a sore thumb, I see 4 brand-new papers.

It's [The Newest Vice Region Association Elite Squad] in bold letters with all four of our mug shots posted and bounties labeled underneath them.

It looks like our dealings in DryRock are not going to be as easy as I thought they'd be.