Bathed in the golden light filtering through the giant tree's leaves, Kane, having restored his physical strength, began heading back to the tree hollow where he rested yesterday.
Arriving at the tree hollow, he tidied up the leftover items, packed up the trash, and took it with him.
Kane took a deep breath and muttered, "Return."
Suddenly, in the air, a large amount of white mist emerged, enveloping Kane. As the white mist dispersed, Kane had already disappeared from the spot.
——————
When Kane opened his eyes again, he found himself back at the place where he had fallen into the dungeon. However, the surroundings were no longer the same as yesterday.
The stone walls around were smoothed out, and the irregularly arched cave had been transformed into a square-shaped hall.
The flames in the wall lamps around the ceiling burned white, emitting a soft and bright glow.
Even the place where Kane stood had turned into a circular heavy stone disk, engraved with an open door surrounded by mist, with an eye open in the doorway.
Did he traverse again? This was the reflexive thought that came to Kane's mind upon seeing the surroundings.
The commotion from the cave entrance brought him back to his senses.
Three people were walking straight toward Kane from the cave entrance, or rather, the hall entrance.
In the center was an old man dressed in a white robe, white hair, and white eyebrows, most notable was his beard, a long white beard that hung down to his chest, braided into three equal long braids. A giant vine-entwined wooden staff floated by his hand, topped with a large blue gemstone.
On the left was a tall and thin handsome man, his long golden hair meticulously groomed. Clad in a luxurious hunting outfit, he carried a massive green longbow on his back and a sword at his waist, exuding elegance and nobility.
On the right was a burly man with an open beast skin coat bearing his chest, spiky red hair. A pair of massive double-headed axes with huge blades hung on either side of his waist, exuding a wild aura.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Gordon Wellesley, president of the Explorer's Guild of the Border City State. These are my unruly apprentices," the old man introduced himself first, gesturing to the two people beside him.
The tall, thin handsome man stepped forward, politely placing a hand over his chest and said, "Muhan Pozo, leader of the Exploration Team 'Forest Sentinels'. Congratulations on passing through safely, if interested, you might consider joining my team, you possess extraordinary talent."
The burly man immediately stepped forward upon hearing this and hurriedly said, "I am Radec Seiji, leader of the Exploration Team 'Hell Walkers'. My team of men is much better than the sissy team beside us. If interested, consider us."
Just as he finished speaking, Muhan elbowed him, and Radec caught it, seizing the chance to counter with a hand blade slashing toward Muhan.
And just like that, the two started fighting each other without a care for anyone watching.
Kane stood there bewildered, questioning in his heart, "Are they really normal acting this way?"
Though the three people in front of him appeared quite courteous, when he activated Eagle Eye, what appeared before him were two golden magic power groups and one multicolored magic power group.
"What kind of powerful group action is this? Could you not act so blatantly in disregard of others? I'm really panicking here!" Kane shouted inwardly.
The old man named Gordon turned around, finally unable to maintain his calm and stern appearance. He yelled, "You two idiots, get out!" With that said, the towering scepter floating beside him seemed to receive the command. It eagerly rushed over, striking the two who had rolled into a ball on the ground.
The two, hit and sent flying toward the hall exit, retained no semblance of elegance or wildness.
The serious Gordon turned back around, his face returning to its previous unmoved expression. It was puzzling that such a stern person would have two students with such 'distinctive' personalities.
"Ahem, quite impressive eyes, make good use of them," Gordon commended Kane.
"However, let me introduce myself first, newcomer Mist Warrior."
Upon hearing this, Kane hurriedly said, "President Gordon, hello, I'm Kane Lafray, a hunter from Kara Town. Just call me Kane."
"Lafray, is it," hearing Kane's name, Gordon murmured to himself.
"You've just been through an adventure, it seems you really need some rest. If there are any questions, wait till you've restored your spirit tomorrow to ask them. Right now, isn't it time for rest?"
After speaking, Gordon called out toward the hall exit, "Nando, take this warrior to the resting place."
Subsequently, an ordinary middle-aged man walked in, his ordinary build exuded a sense of steadiness. He politely said to Kane, "Please follow me, Mr. Kane, I'll take you to the resting place," and then walked ahead to lead the way.
Kane nodded towards Nando, politely saying thank you, while Gordon nodded, watching Kane follow him.
After Kane left, Gordon stood on the stone platform and disappeared amidst a mist.
Exiting the hall, the transformed environment came into view. The cave was originally set on a small hill, now the slope leading to the cave had turned into steps.
Below, the trees around the flat ground were cleared away, dozens of tents formed a semicircle, in the center, a pile of crates were being disassembled.
The crates were stacked, and a large transparent gemstone floated in midair beside them. A few ribbons of light blue particles emitted a faint glow, slowly flowing from the air into the large gemstone.
Suddenly, the gemstone burst forth with a beam of light, and two people in uniforms appeared beneath the gemstone along with some cargo.
Seeing Kane staring at the teleportation device in a daze, Nando in front introduced, "This is the teleportation array researched and manufactured by the Council 200 years ago. The basic principle is to allow a space to exchange with each other, achieving fast travel."
"The Council is indeed amazing, such marvelous creation," hearing Nando's introduction, Kane gained a new understanding of this power, expressing admiration.
Following Nando, they walked toward the camp below, and soon stopped in front of a long tent. The tent was marked with a fork, indicating it was the dining area.
"This is the temporary dining area of the camp, follow me, Mr. Kane," with that said, he lifted the curtain, gesturing to Kane.
Entering inside, long spaces were filled with sets of tables and chairs, it felt like returning to a former student cafeteria, or rather an employee cafeteria, as there were already sparse Council staff dining inside.
Leading Kane to a spot to sit, Nando left briefly before returning with a tray of food.
Looking at the food on the tray, it was much better than Kane expected, a small plate of white bread, a bowl of thick soup, and a stew with a mix of meat and vegetables. Just the appearance was appetizing, and from the aroma, it seemed quite seasoned with spices.
Noticing Kane's puzzlement, Nando sat across from him and said,
"No need to be puzzled, such food is not uncommon outside. It's just that the border is somewhat behind compared to the more central regions. I believe Mr. Kane will soon venture beyond the border, after all, you are a Warrior of the Mist."
Hearing this, Kane asked in confusion, "Are Mist Warriors very rare?"
"Every Mist Warrior will achieve great things in the future," Nando affirmed.
With such an answer, Kane didn't speak further, silently eating his meal.
After eating, Nando again guided Kane through the camp. Bringing him to an area surrounded by a row of small tents, he pointed to one and said to Kane,
"Mr. Kane can rest here for the night, we've just built a sentinel station at this site, so it's still rather basic. I hope you don't mind, sir."
Then thinking of something else, he added,
"If you need any assistance, you can come to the temporary office point in the camp center to find me. Always at your service, may the mist bless you."
After bidding farewell to Nando, Kane crawled into the tent.
Looking at the tent with only a bed, he didn't mind, heavily laying down on the bed, placing his weapon by his hand.
Closing his eyes to rest, soon a light snore was heard.
The days in the dungeon kept Kane's spirit taut, these few days had been indeed exhausting.