Chapter 356: On Their Way (Notice: Chapter Issue is Fixed)

A few days passed, and the time when he would have to leave Goldencrest was nearing. With some convincing from the others, he finally agreed to come with them to the Endless Forest. The idea of delving into different rifts and fighting strong monsters was just too alluring. Something that Aubrey and Edgar loved to point out to him when they were trying to convince him to come along.

He also didn’t have another plan or place to go to during the break. It wasn’t like he had a family to go home to. They would likely cut his throat before they welcomed him with open arms. The idea of just adventuring by himself seemed appealing, but he didn’t really have a good idea where he should go.

At least this way, he would have a plethora of rifts to delve into and have his friends nearby as well.

He did tell them about his own set of conditions, though. He made sure they knew that he wanted some time to himself, whether that was him going off and delving on his own for an unspecified amount of time or something else.

Julius found himself walking with the others away from the gate of Goldencrest. Looking at the gates that glimmered from the golden sunrise made him feel a bit sad. He had spent a lot of time here and had created many unforgettable memories, but he was also somewhat glad that it had finally come to an end.

Admittedly, toward the end, it had become a little boring and even with the occasional surprise, it wasn’t what he was looking to do when he had arrived in this world. He wanted adventure and explored the magical world, not going to the same classes everyday.

He also felt like he had finally gained enough strength that he wouldn’t be killed the moment he stepped out in the woods. Tier 4 would have made him feel safer, but his actual strength was higher than his tier might indicate and would help him handle most dangers. At least that was his hope.

He did have one last talk with all of the friends he had made during his time here. He went over to the guardhouse and had a nice, long discussion with Declan, Orus, and Rae. Julius was still very grateful for all of their help when he first arrived.

Without them, he didn’t think he would have had it as easy as he did. He might have been roaming around the streets until he finally managed to figure out a way to get into Goldencrest. Declan’s recommendation had helped a lot on that end.

They didn’t feel that comfortable when they learned he was going to be adventuring in the Endless Forest, but they understood that it was a part of the life he had chosen. If he wanted to become strong, he needed to improve his skills and advance to Tier 4. Something the Endless Forest would provide.

He also said his goodbyes to his other first-year friends. They all already had plans to create a team to adventure with during their break. It wouldn’t be in a dangerous place like the Endless Forest, but Joshua and Tia’s families were going to procure specific rifts for them to train in.

They knew that they couldn’t ask Julius to join. He was Tier 3 already when they were still making their way through Tier 2. It just wouldn’t make sense. No matter how much Polux wanted him to join them, they all knew it was impossible.

Speaking of Polux, the wolfkin boy was simultaneously thrilled with Julius and very upset. He was happy because his bet that Julius would earn a top sixteen spot earned him a lot of money. But he was also upset because he had put an extra bet that Julius would win the whole thing.

Since Julius never showed up, Polux lost a good amount of money. With that being said, Polux still came out way ahead, so he couldn’t be that mad.

When Julius spoke with Reinera, he offered her to come along with them to the Endless Forest, but she declined firmly. There were things she needed to do for her family this break and it had something to do with what she had already been doing for them.

As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t explain to him what it was. That led Julius to believe that whatever it was, it was a family secret. Perhaps, it was some kind of Royal Family tradition that would only happen when someone reached Tier 3. Or it could be something totally different. He really had no idea.

She was sad when she explained to him that she couldn’t come along. But promised that she would see him before the Inter-School Tournament. She had managed to convince her family to let her go and watch when the time came. Which apparently wasn’t that hard since the Royal Family was the one hosting the tournament in the capital.

He also had some time to talk to Gabriel, who gave him some important advice coming from someone who had spent time in the Endless Forest. He had told Julius that it was important to watch out for people as much as he did for monsters.

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There were other people who were trying to make money by hunting monsters and other organizations who used the Endless Forest to train their young. This meant that fights between people were quite commonplace.

There were also few regulatory organizations that held many people accountable. The main authority that people recognized was the Adventurers Guild. It was where most of the people went to exchange their materials, cores, and other various things. It was also where missions were posted about particularly dangerous rifts or groups of monsters roaming around.

However, the Adventurer’s Guild was very hands-off. They only stepped in during rare cases or when it was a dispute concerning guild business. If it was personal, they usually let the people figure it out for themselves.

It didn’t take that long for Julius and the others to arrive at Lord Holten’s property. There were a pair of guards standing in front of the gates, each of them looking very disciplined.