Soon, the afternoon arrived. It was time to leave.
Raymond stood calmly inside the guild hall beside Dianna, his hands resting inside his pockets as he observed the adventurers gathering before the entrance.
There were around seventy of them in total.
Men and women donned in armor of various designs stood in organized groups. Some carried swords strapped to their waists, while others wielded spears, bows, staffs, and heavy shields.
The faint aura of mana radiated from many of them, giving the gathering a sense of strength and experience. These weren't rookies.
They were adventurers who had survived countless battles against monsters and bandits. The atmosphere inside the hall felt serious.
Excitement was present, but so was tension. After all, the Grand Duchy of Celendria was no ordinary destination.
Raymond quietly observed the crowd.
Then he felt a sharp gaze.
Turning his head slightly, he found Austin staring directly at him from the middle of the formation. The dirt-blond adventurer looked as though he wanted to punch Raymond's face in.
Seeing this, Raymond smiled faintly. Then he casually raised his hand and waved.
Austin froze. A vein immediately bulged on his forehead. His face darkened so much that even Jack and Jill took a small step away from him.
Raymond almost laughed. Fortunately, he possessed enough self-control not to do so. Soon enough, a loud voice echoed through the hall.
"Move out!"
The adventurers immediately began forming lines. The chatter gradually died down as everyone headed toward the guild's teleportation facility.
Raymond followed alongside the group.
Dianna walked near the front while several senior adventurers maintained order among the ranks.
Among them was Alariv. The Guildmaster himself.
His tall figure stood out easily amongst the crowd. The veteran adventurer carried himself with calm confidence, his mere presence enough to reassure many of the younger members.
Nobody dared create trouble while he was around. The group eventually arrived before a massive circular structure built from white stone.
Ancient runes were engraved across its surface.
A teleportation gate.
The runes glowed with a pale blue light as mana flowed through them like rivers beneath the stone. Raymond's eyes lingered on the structure.
Even after five days in this world, seeing magic like this still felt surreal. The gate hummed softly.
Energy gathered as the runes brightened.
Then a vast curtain of blue light erupted from the center of the structure. Several adventurers whistled in appreciation.
Others simply watched silently.
The portal swirled in front of him as it activated.
Alariv stepped forward and looked over the gathered adventurers. His gaze swept across all seventy of them.
"Everyone ready?"
A chorus of affirmations answered him. The Guildmaster nodded.
"Good."
Then he pointed toward the shimmering
portal.
"Move out."
One by one, the adventurers began stepping through the gate. Raymond watched the swirling blue light for a moment.
Beyond it waited the Grand Duchy of
Celendria.
A place he knew from the game. A place that should not have mattered for another two years. Yet somehow, fate had already brought him there. Taking a slow breath, Raymond stepped forward and entered the portal.
He stepped into the portal, and instantly a wave of dizziness washed over him. The sensation was strange.
It felt as though his body was being stretched and compressed at the same time while the world around him twisted into a blur of colors and light.
For a brief moment, Raymond felt his balance waver. Fortunately, the original Raymond had used teleportation gates several times before. Thanks to those memories, he knew what to expect and managed to steady himself quickly.
A few seconds later, the dizziness faded.
His feet touched solid ground once more.
Raymond opened his eyes.
They had arrived.
A low murmur spread through the group as the adventurers looked around. This was the Adventurers Guild Hall of the Grand Duchy of Celendria.
And it was enormous.
The hall dwarfed the guild building they had come from.
Massive white pillars stretched toward a ceiling so high that it almost resembled the interior of a palace. Golden mana lamps hung overhead, bathing the hall in a warm glow while intricate carvings decorated the walls.
Large banners bearing the crest of the Grand Duchy hung between the pillars, swaying gently despite the absence of wind.
Guild employees hurried across the polished marble floors, while adventurers from all over the duchy filled the hall with conversation and movement.
Compared to the guild Raymond was familiar with, this place looked several levels above it.
A glance was enough to tell.This was the center of power. The heart of one of the strongest duchies on the continent.
Even the adventurers gathered here
seemed different.
Many carried equipment of noticeably higher quality. Their armor was cleaner, their weapons sharper, and the mana radiating from them was considerably stronger.
Raymond adjusted his hood slightly as his gaze swept across the hall. The Mystic Glasses resting beneath his hood immediately picked up countless mana signatures.
Strong…Very strong.
Almost every individual here possessed enough power to crush him effortlessly. The realization didn't discourage him.
If anything, it made him more interested.
As Raymond continued observing the surroundings, a massive crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling caught his attention. It shimmered with thousands of tiny lights, illuminating the hall like a sky filled with stars.
"Dang, they sure invested in looks." he muttered quietly. Beside him, Dianna chuckled.
"Surprised?"
"A little."
"Don't worry," she replied with a faint smile. "You've only seen the guild. Wait until you see the city... if we get a chance, that is."
"Okay." Raymond nodded. Then something occurred to him.
"By the way, Dianna, you still haven't told me what our mission is here." Dianna's expression became a little more serious.
She glanced around briefly before answering.
"I suppose it's fine to tell you now."
Raymond waited.
"We're here because of Dark Beings." For a moment, Raymond's thoughts stopped.
His eyes widened beneath the shadow of his hood.
Dark Beings.
The term was far too familiar. His heartbeat quickened slightly. Unlike many of the things that had happened since his transmigration, this was something he actually knew about.
******
[A/N]=Helloo you all, hope you are doing good.
Most of can easily tell that i used ai in this chapter and slightly in the previous one which is true obviously.
Normally, i never use AI...even for the grammar. However for these couple of chapters, i was a bit forced because yeah, I just couldn't find the words to write for the bullies you know. I mean their bullshit and all.
I am a beginner, so please try to understand it. However i promise you, even if it's hard I will restrict the use of ai as much as possible. Heck, if I used it again in the future I will inform you.
Because as a reader I know what ai does to the story. How easily it could make the novel feel dry and monotonous. So spare me just for this chapter you all.
Goodbye...hope your day goes nice.