A man was sprinting through the forest filled with trees of colossal size, and like a shadow, he vanished after every step appearing hundreds of meters into the distance, getting closer to the colossal mountain peaks in the distance.
'This place is crawling with fourth Rank creatures,' Alex thought, stretching his mana sense to its limits while using the phantom walk to cover hundreds of meters with every step.
Alex was traveling toward the Atlas Mountain Range, and his destination was the border city of the Vortarum.
The Vortarum city was at the base of the Atlas Mountain Range, the longest-spanning range in the Domain, stretching for thousands of kilometers spanning three major clan territories.
The Atlas Mountain Range had the largest reserve of precious material mines, making it nothing short of a treasure trove, especially for the dwarfs, but it also housed an uncountable number of creatures ranging from the first Rank to the sixth Rank in abundance.
The Dwarfs had a single clan, but it consisted of four dwarven families, with the hierarchy of the families depending on the number of High Ranking Blacksmiths alive in each family.
The Vortarum city was the capital of the fourth Ranked family named (Zurteg), and this place was chosen for Alex because it was in constant need of mercenaries to farm the material from the mines and defend the city from constant beast tides, making it easy to accomplish his remaining mission quickly.
After a few minutes of sprinting, Alex exited the forest and was greeted with the sight of a mountain range far in the distance that stretched in both directions as far as eyes could see.
'So this is what elder meant by a unique wonder of the world,' Alex thought, looking toward the mountain range far in the distance.
The mountain range had colossal mountains with peaks reaching tens of kilometers toward the mystic-looking sky, making it appear as a massive dark wall with no start or end.
The sky above the lush green forest was clear blue, filled with white and gray clouds, while the ground was healthy and green, but toward the mountain range, things were completely different.
The green and fertile ground slowly turned into a rocky terrain, and the rich grass that covered the ground became patchy before vanishing as one got closer to the mountain range.
The clear blue sky slowly turned to rusty brown with ashy gray and red clouds while the colossal mountain peaks vanished into the clouds.
The sudden shift in the scenery was mesmerizing as the sky and the ground blended like two oceans ocean.
'Let's conclude all three remaining missions and receive the juicy increase in intelligence,' Alex thought as he slowly started sprinting toward the mountain range.
After sprinting for a few minutes, Alex was greeted with the sight of a massive city at the base of the mountain range that spanned tens of kilometers, and it was a sight to behold.
'The Dwarfs are masters at anything they build,' Alex thought as he stopped to reel in the beauty of the mesmerizing city in the distance.
The city had hundreds of futuristic buildings, some made from stones and some from cold steel, each with a unique design and a marvel of magic and architecture.
The most eye-catching building in the city was the massive and magnificent palace carved out of a mountain and adorned with valuable material, making it stand out with its unique brilliance even among hundreds of artistic wonders.
The city walls were a hundred feet high, stretching for tens of kilometers, completely circling the whole outer side of the city.
The top of the walls had hundreds of magic cannons set in an organized manner pulsating with mana, with an armored dwarf standing next to each cannon.
There were tens of massive dark towers built like obelisks a bit further from the wall, which Alex instantly recognized as Mage towers capable of bombarding the enemy with recorded spells without a break.
After a few minutes of sprinting, Alex reached the city's massive walls and was greeted by the warmest welcome a human will receive from dwarfs.
"Hey Gray head, You need to touch the crystal floating next to the door with your identity card to open the door and make sure you are prepared to pay the entry fee of twenty gold coins, or you will need to do manual labor to stay in the city," The dwarf who stood on the wall said.
Alex walked toward the massive doors that looked to be made from a single seamless piece of dark metal that looked like a wall of darkness and had two imposing figures of life-like dwarfs carved on each side.
The dwarf on the right side of the door was in a position of hammering a piece of metal placed on an anvil while the one carved on the right side was decked in armor, holding a double-sided battle axe gripped with both hands standing like a guardian.
Alex walked toward the white crystal wedged on the side of the door, took out a plain black card, and touched it instantly, making the crystal turn green for a moment before returning to shimmering white.
Alex stepped back, and a small portion of the massive door opened, making entry into the city, and the moment he passed through it, it closed behind him.
Alex reached the clearing, and to his right was a small building where he went to pay the entry fee, and not surprisingly, the whole staff consisted of other races ranging from Elves, Beastmens, and the majority being humans with no dwarf in sight.
'Let's go to the Mercenary guild and register as one and start with my missions,' Alex thought as he left the building.
The mercenary guild was very similar to the Adventurer guild in its structure with Rank, hierarchy, and the freedom and benefits it provided to the guild members.
Alex left the area, and within a few minutes, he arrived at the massive building in the city's center, which was bustling with a wide variety of different races.
Alex entered the guild building and quickly navigated to the eleventh floor, and within a few minutes, he was done with his basic registration.
"Sir Aeon, This is your Mercenary Card, with your current mercenary Rank being F Rank, which you can increase by meeting the Rank promotion conditions or by taking a strength evaluation test," The demi Human receptionist said.
"I will take the strength evaluation test for the promotion to the C Rank Mercenary," Alex said as he accepted the black card, which had a carving of a silver knight on it.
"Sir Aeon, The requirement to take the strength evaluation test for the C Rank promotion is to be a fourth Rank warrior at the minimum, and you do not meet that condition," The receptionist said with a smile.
"I heard that every new member can take the test for any grade of Rank promotion ones without meeting the strength requirements," Alex said, already having been informed about the guild and their requirements.
"You are correct, but before we proceed with your decision, I want to inform you that this is your one-time opportunity, and the only way you can receive a second will be after you promote to the fourth Rank,"
"In the strength evaluation test, you will be facing a guild employ of middle stage fourth Rank who is also an active mercenary, so unless you are completely confident in your strength, please reconsider your decision," The receptionist said, keeping her smile.
"I will take the test," Alex replied, making the receptionist sigh disappointedly at his quick reply.
"Please go to the seventeenth floor and provide your mercenary card and this badge to the floor manager, and he will arrange everything," The receptionist said, handing him a silver shield badge.
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