Rock Apple Town. It was midday. The plants were glowing, emitting a bright grey light.
Five figures were walking along the path leading toward the town.
Drayen murmured, "So large."
The town was big. Its walls were unlike those of Houndswell—heavily equipped and towering. Compared to Houndswell, it was enormous. The walls formed a tight fortress around Rock Apple Town, and there were far more guards stationed atop them.
There were many guards. Although they weren't checking every individual, there was some kind of detection mechanism at the entrance. These were the results of Tellus and Nightmare Realm innovations. Kael flinched as the gate drew closer. In a muffled voice, he asked, "Instructor, are the rings truly safe?"
As someone who knew the power of the Nightmare Realm, it was normal for him to ask. Kira nodded confidently and said, "The guys from Spider Den are crafty, but they know their job."
Kael let out a sigh of relief.
As they entered the gate, they noticed how gigantic the entrance was. Many carts were constantly moving in and out, so the gate was naturally massive. The closing mechanism was raised. Once it was pulled down, reopening it would be a hassle—but once closed, nothing could infiltrate easily.
They entered the city without anyone stopping them. Drayen and the others sighed in relief. As they looked at the roads, the buildings, and the inner town of Rock Apple Town, amusement appeared on their faces. It was completely different from Houndswell. The buildings here were massive, built from grey stone. People wore many different kinds of clothing, and some were even using mobile phones.
Although only a few people used mobile phones, it was still interesting. In Houndswell, they had seen phones before, but they were mostly used by people related to the village lord. Barely anyone else owned one, because mobile phones were costly. Although people could theoretically travel through gates and buy them in Tellus, it wasn't that simple.
First, Tellus-made mobiles didn't work properly here due to network differences—they needed to be optimized for the Nightmare Realm's network. Second, and more importantly, the Tellus gates were monopolized by powerful people. Common folk couldn't traverse to Tellus.
"It looks like phones are more common here," Drayen muttered.
Kira responded, "Yes, because Rock Apple is a town. It's bigger than Houndswell Village. It's also a small trading hub between several villages, including Houndswell."
Kira stopped near an open field.
The space was vast—easily the size of three football fields combined. Dozens of people occupied the area, most of them youths no older than twenty, all wearing hunter outfits of varying quality. Some trained in pairs, while others watched nervously from the sidelines.
There was no signboard or formal entrance.
Instead, a fat man in a rock-grey hunter outfit waddled over, his face split into a coaxing grin.
"Come, come," he said warmly. "Here for training? You look new around here." He laughed.
"We've got a variety of beasts for practice. Want to take a look?"
Kira nodded and spoke with him for a while, her tone calm and professional.
Then she turned back to the group.
"Drayen. Kael," she said. "Arrange rooms for our stay. I'll train Zuko and Jim here."
Jim stiffened slightly.
He had finally awakened an ability that allowed him to discard his guns, but it demanded close-combat proficiency. Without proper training, it was more dangerous than useful.
Kira continued, "This way, you'll also have a better understanding of how the Nightmare Realm works." Her eyes sharpened briefly. "And try not to get scammed too badly."
Drayen and Kael nodded solemnly.
They turned and walked away, disappearing into the streets as the sounds of the training field echoed behind them.
Just as Drayen and Kael stepped away, Kira called out again.
"Titan Traders," she said firmly. "Apply for memberships. Don't skip it."
Drayen heard this and replied, "Okay," before moving on.
The town was very large. Unlike Houndswell, carriages were far more common here. Carriages moved constantly through the streets. Interestingly, they were pulled by rock-skin boars, but their paws lacked the strong hooves seen in the wild. They didn't leave hard marks on the stone roads.
They chose to walk instead. They hadn't seen much of the town yet, and there was nowhere they urgently needed to go.
Some roads were wide. There were three major markets here, unlike in Houndswell. This was mostly because of the three guilds that ruled Rock Apple Town.
They were already in Titan Guild's area. As they explored the town, they noticed many inns, but they didn't rent any for now. They wanted to understand the place better. Not only were goods from Rock Apple Mountain sold here, but there were also many other specialties—including Houndswell leather goods. Tellus products were everywhere. Looking at the goods, one could hardly recognize this place as part of the Nightmare Realm. It felt like home.
It truly was a small trading hub.
Their footsteps stopped as they unknowingly wandered into a central area of Rock Apple Town—a neutral zone. Both of them had the same thought as they looked ahead.
A huge temple stood before them.
This was the same place where they had once been denied entry. It represented the history of the Nightmare Realm and its true culture. The temple was grand, standing like an elephant among boars. It was magnificent. Although carved from grey stone, every pillar and every design was exquisite.
Guards stood nearby, along with mechanisms designed to detect Tellus visitors.
Drayen looked into Kael's eyes. "I'm going."
"So am I," Kael replied instantly. Although he had some status in Tellus, it wasn't enough to grant him entry before. This was his first time.
They took a deep breath as they stepped inside.
Nothing happened.
Drayen had already confirmed things with Kira beforehand, so he was confident they wouldn't be caught. He was a cautious man. Pillars lined the interior, covered in countless carved figures.
Blue fire burned steadily, making the temple feel even more grand and sacred.
They arrived before a small statue at the center of the temple. Everyone gazed upon the idol reverently. It emitted a slight pressure, giving off a sacred presence. Made of grey stone entwined with wooden vines, the idol was beautiful and stirred something deep in the heart.
A small child stood beside them, curious about everything, asking his parents countless questions.
They couldn't hear all of it.
The middle-aged man laughed softly as he looked at his child. "This is the Temple of Lady Ilana—one of the eight Rank Eight beings from the Age of Quiet Night."
"Daddy, was she powerful?" the boy asked, swinging his arms excitedly. "Swoosh!"
The man laughed. "How would I know, my boy? I'm just a mere Rank Two."
Drayen felt the urge to ask more but held it in. He muttered, "Age of Quiet Night."
Kael answered quietly, "It was an era when there were no tainted."
He sighed. "Rank Five—that's the limit, they say. After that, the higher ranks are just legends."
"Well, I'm sure you're aiming for Rank Six then," Drayen teased.
Kael lightly hit him back and shrugged. "Rank Six, huh… The saying is true—ignorance really is bliss."
They returned to the area of the Titan Guilds. Asking around, they soon reached a four-storeyed building. It was large, with many people going in and out.
Everyone wore different attire. Some were heavily armored in rock-skin plate. Others wore dark leather or simple brown combat outfits. One person was even dressed in casual Tellus clothing, standing out among the hunters.
A huge board hung above the entrance.
Titan Guilds.
The words were written so gigantically that they were impossible to miss as one stepped into the crowded building.
The inner hall was massive. People filled every corner—some sitting, some standing around counters, others conversing in low voices. Each counter was equipped with a tablet or laptop displaying account balances and records tied to the Nightmare Realm.
Suddenly, a harsh voice cut through the noise.
A red-haired man with a thin physique and average features was shouting at the top of his lungs.
"You b*tch! Know your place! You dare talk back?!"
His fist came down hard.
Again.
And again.
Heavy swings landed on the woman's face as she collapsed to the floor. No one intervened. The hall fell into an eerie silence, dozens of eyes fixed on the scene as if watching an unpleasant but familiar spectacle.
An old man standing nearby let out a quiet sigh.
"Newcomers, are you?" he asked calmly.
Drayen nodded.
Kael glanced at him and replied bluntly, "Who are you, old guy?"
The old man chuckled. "Just a normal hunter."
Drayen kept his eyes on the beating figure. "Is this an everyday event?"
The old man leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"No. Titan Guild is usually strict." His tone grew cautious toward the end. "But his status is too high… and your luck is bad, seeing that ugly face on your first day."
He sighed again.
"Just wait. Someone will come to calm things down."
Neither Drayen nor Kael made any move to interfere. Drayen glanced sideways at Kael. Kael, in turn, was lost in thought—remembering their first meeting and how arrogant and foolish he himself had been back then.
The old man's gaze flicked briefly over them. Sensing that they were Rank One newbies, he spoke.
"You boys awakened just recently, huh?" he asked casually. "Plenty of institutes around here. Cheap ones, too—good for newcomers. They'll make you super strong, nightborns. Wanna try?"
"It's my friend's institute," he added quickly. "I can talk and get you a discount."
He tried to coax them further.
Drayen refused clearly.
The old man didn't stop immediately. For a while, he kept going on about how good the institute was, repeating himself again and again.
The Nightmare Realm was a civilized society, so of course it had a structured education system. However, it wasn't particularly good in places like this—a town that functioned mainly as a trading hub. Houndswell, on the contrary, had fairly decent institutes.
After a moment, seeing that his persuasion wasn't working, the old man spoke again, already losing interest in the scene.
"Name's Dale. If you need help in town, come find me here. I charge fairly." He grinned. "Heheh."
Drayen just nodded. It was very common for people like Dale to exist in places like this. They approached newcomers, offered help, and if you weren't careful, scammed you. Even in Tellus, if you visited tourist spots, you could find people just like him.
Not long after, just as Dale had said, someone arrived to ease the situation. The crowd slowly returned to its usual buzz.
Drayen leaned closer to Kael and whispered, "It's over. Go ask about membership."
Kael clicked his tongue and walked to the counter. "I want a membership," he said in his usual rude voice.
The woman smiled politely. "Good morning, sir. Are you new here?"
Kael was about to say, "What for?" when Drayen reached from behind and covered his mouth.
"Yes, pretty lady. Ignore the ignorant idiot by my side," Drayen said with a smile. He emphasized the word idiot in a low tone.
Kael remembered their talk at the temple and cursed internally. Petty bastard. But he remained silent.
Drayen kept smiling at her. She gave a light blush. "Hehe. In that case, I'll need to register some details and also charge a fee for the card."
"Yeah, sure," Drayen said.
Drayen gave all his details first. It was a fake story woven by Kira.
The lady at the counter asked, "May I know your bloodline and its grade?"
"Moon Butterfly bloodline, First Grade," Drayen answered.
After that, Drayen's card was prepared, and she handed it to him.
Drayen then filled in Kael's details as well. Seeing Kael's lack of eloquence, he felt it would only cause trouble otherwise. As he explained, he glanced at Kael and thought—Did this brute really scam a kid, or did the kid scam him into writing this in official documents? He sighed internally.
"And your bloodline and grade?" she asked.
"Werewolf," Drayen said.
He looked at Kael.
"Super," Kael answered.
Drayen was internally shocked by the answer, but he didn't show it. He had always thought Kael was, at most, First Grade—but he was Super Grade.
After a moment, she handed both cards. They were gray cards with their names engraved.
"Sir, your registration is complete. For verification, please kill five rock-skin boars and sell their cores to us."