Elemental Cats

After accepting how bright their next couple of days would be, the group, well, not Mindle since she had already noticed it, but the other three paid attention to how full of mana each breath they took was. It was addictively comfortable for them to absorb so much mana without even actively drawing it to themselves. Although, the pleasant feeling disappeared as they quickly got used to the mana-rich atmosphere in a fifth level plane. Going back to a low level plane would probably be the opposite, discomforting for a few minutes at first, and then one gets used to the difference in mana density.

With the considerable leap in quality and density of the mana in the air surrounding them, Toz's confidence that they would all reach the medium level before they got to the Treblor Forest soared.

Toz's confidence boost wasn't unfounded since only a few minutes after the group got used to the atmosphere in Sleepless Brights, Nil started showing signs of reaching the next level.

With the talent of everyone in the group increasing and Nil already being on the verge of reaching the third level, it didn't come as a surprise that he would break through soon. Since he was about to break through, Nil entered the familiar space. Both to not disturb their surroundings and to not get interrupted during the process.

Although there weren't a lot of people around that could distract Nil to the point he failed his advancement, it was better to go through it safely in the familiar space.

Also, since the light constantly shining down from the sea of lightning above them made it difficult to tell the time, it wouldn't be possible to predict if it was early morning and everyone would rush to their jobs or the market or whatever they had planned for the day. Or if it was late night and everyone was doing their best to sleep. If Nil took a little longer than expected to break through to the third level and people begin to flood the streets, it might be enough of a disturbance to disrupt his concentration and make him fail.

After Nil entered the familiar space, the other three started looking around for a clock, and almost as they had expected, it showed that it was early morning, and that was the reason the streets were so empty. Since shops would start opening soon, the trio decided to walk around town and find places where they could buy stuff they might need for their journey through Roaring Skies. Things like maps and sunglasses. Although, it might be more accurate to consider them eye gear to protect their eyes from lightning instead of the sun.

They also found a branch office of the Explorers' Guild when they were looking around the city. Toz wondered if he should upgrade his Explorer Rank, but he rejected that idea. He was still third level, and he would only need it after they reached Dormant Thunder and Treblor Forest. Even if he could get the fourth level badge as he was now, he would need a fifth level at the minimum to obtain official permission to enter the forest.

Although he could enter the forest without permission as well, the guild wouldn't know if he died and wouldn't be able to tell his parents. He also wouldn't be able to sell any of the items and materials he recovered from the forest directly to the guild. Although, he might be able to sell a completely unknown item that has never before been seen or discovered in the forest to the guild. The most ways explorers make a living is to explore dangerous areas and find things to bring back and sell.

In an ancient place like the Treblor Forest, most materials that are useful and can fetch a good price are already known to the guild, so the guild will know if Toz entered the forest without permission as soon as he tries to sell what he finds there. The guild won't really care, but they won't buy the items and resources from him.

The system of acquiring an appropriate badge before entering a dangerous area is to protect the explorers, to begin with. Make sure they aren't delusional, have the wrong information, or are just simply overestimating themselves. Since a lot of explorers understand that, there are few who ignore the process. Especially since the higher level badge one has, the more prestigious one is. A fourth level mage with a sixth level Explorers Badge is usually considered better than a fourth level mage with a fourth level badge.

And if you have a higher level badge and a good relationship with the Explorers' Guild, the guild might even act as a backer if one ends up in trouble or getting suppressed by other organizations.

Since the process is usually pretty quick and only makes sure the explorer has the ability to survive in the level of danger zone they are headed into, and with the numerous advantages the badge brings, most just get it and keep it actual without hesitating.

But Toz felt a little hesitant about hanging on the guild's doors first thing in the morning, so if he was going to upgrade his badge, it would be later during the day after they were finished with their other errands.

As Toz, Lucy, and Mindle kept looking around the town, searching for shops that would have some fun or useful things the group might want, the rest of the city started waking up and filtering out into the streets. From appearances alone, it was pretty easy to tell who was new or only visiting to the city and who was used to the brightness of the lightning. The visitors or newer residents all flinched as they stepped out of their houses or had covered their eyes with incredibly dark-tinted glass, while the experienced residents merely squinted their eyes before moving around like usual.

In tandem with the awakening residents, the sun began to rise, giving the whitishly bright light a softer hue, making it look more like daylight than innumerable bolts of lightning trapped in a sky-encompassing bottle.

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