The trio walked through the bustling streets, Colm falling into step behind Luke and Tessa. As they moved, Colm broke the silence. "How long have you two been adventurers?" he asked, glancing at Tessa.

She looked over her shoulder at him and, after a brief pause, replied, "About three years, give or take. We started out much like you—needed the gold, but we've also come to appreciate getting stronger and being able to help people." She shrugged as if it was all just part of the job.

Luke chuckled at that. "Oh, sure. The money's great, no denying it. And we both needed it at the time." Shifting the topic, he turned his gaze to Colm. "You mentioned you were new to Brimhope? What brought you here?"

Colm hesitated, considering how much he should share. Remembering Jerry's advice to keep his cards close to his chest, he chose his words carefully. "It's a bit of a long story," he began. "I'm not from around here, and whether it was luck or misfortune—depends on who you ask—I ended up in Brimhope a few days ago. I've been trying to get my bearings since. The guard at the gate mentioned the Adventurer's Guild and suggested I speak to Jerry for some guidance. Luckily, I found him, and he spent a couple of days teaching me some basics I was missing."

Tessa's step faltered slightly, and she exchanged a glance with her brother before speaking, her tone incredulous. "You got to talk to Jerry? Jerry Lorn? And not just talk—he taught you? Personally? What the hell did you say to him?"

Colm blinked, surprised by her reaction. "Yeah, Jerry Lorn. Honestly, I just told him the truth about how I ended up here. He seemed more than willing to help. Sure, he came off a bit gruff at first, but he wasn't bad once we got talking."

Luke let out a hearty laugh, wiping a tear from his eye as he added, "That's wild. You don't get it, do you? Jerry's a bit of a legend around here. One of the strongest people in Brimhope—maybe even this whole isle. The guy's a monster. Most of his time these days is spent writing those books of his, and let me tell you, those books are invaluable. He rarely talks to anyone, let alone tutors them personally. You must've really caught his interest."

Realizing how fortunate he was, Colm rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish grin tugging at his lips. "I guess I didn't fully realize how important he was. I knew he was strong, but it didn't really hit me."

The trio continued down the bustling streets, chatting and learning more about one another. Colm felt genuinely happy for the first time in what felt like ages. It's really nice to feel like I'm making friends, free from the burdens of my past, he thought, a small smile creeping onto his face.

As they talked, Colm learned Luke was a mage specializing in long-range fire attacks, while Tessa wielded dual short swords, her strikes blindingly fast. She casually mentioned using poisons to slow her enemies, which got Colm wondering about his Poison Resistance skill. Would it help me against her toxins? he mused.

Colm‌ shared a bit about his abilities. He described his Phantom Spearman and Phantom Warrior, though he kept the Phantom Archer to himself for now. As their discussion shifted to abilities and combat strategies, Colm's mind wandered to class tiers. I wonder if Luke and Tessa have lower-tier classes than mine? He thought, pondering how it might affect their performance in the Echo. Could I end up being too strong for this Echo?

Hoping to shift the topic and learn more, Colm asked, "Is it common for people here to talk about their class tiers?"

Luke answered with a nod. "Not really. Most folks keep that info to themselves. But anyone with Analyze at Tier 2 can see your class, and if there's a record of it, they can usually figure out the tier. That's why some people pay enchanters to craft talismans that obscure their Analyze results. It's all about privacy."

"That makes sense. Thanks for explaining," Colm replied, filing the information away for later.

The conversation quieted for a bit as they neared the city gates. Luke broke the silence, turning to Colm. "Alright, once we're outside the city, we'll pick up the pace and jog to the Echo entrance. It's not far. When we get there, expect to wait in line for a bit while other groups phase in. Once it's our turn, we'll rely on your phantoms to hold the front line."

Colm blinked, confused. "Wait—line? Phasing? What does that mean?"

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Luke sighed, his demeanor dropping slightly at Colm's cluelessness. "Okay, here's the deal. Echoes are in high demand. They're prime training grounds for adventurers and a great source of crafting materials. But they don't let everyone in at once. When a group phases into the Echo, they're essentially entering their own version of it—like a private instance.

"We wait a few minutes after the group ahead of us phases in to avoid overlap. If two groups enter the same instance, it gets messy. Loot gets shared, and no one likes that. Worse, if you're lost, injured, or killed in your phase, no one's coming to save you. It's just you and your group in there. If someone finds your body, it'll be because your phase got recycled after a while."

Colm nodded, keeping his composure despite the ominous explanation. "Got it. That does sound a bit scary, but thanks for the heads-up. I'm ready."

As the trio stepped through the gates, Colm glanced at the guards. He didn't see Joss, which left him feeling slightly disappointed—he'd wanted to thank her for her advice. Shaking off the thought, he followed Luke and Tessa as they started jogging toward the Echo entrance, his heart beating with a mix of anticipation and excitement.

Colm kept the pace effortlessly with Luke and Tessa. This is actually much slower than the pace I kept when escaping the forest, he thought, wondering if they were holding back for him. His mind wandered, imagining the comfort of a room in the city. A nap sounds amazing, he mused with a silent chuckle, even though his new body no longer required sleep.

As they traveled further north, the terrain gradually shifted into rocky outcroppings. Luke veered off the main path, leading them into a narrower trail, with Tessa close behind. After a few more minutes, Tessa spoke up, "We're almost there, just a bit further, and we'll be at the entrance."

Colm nodded, keeping pace, and before long, they began seeing other groups of adventurers heading in the same direction. "Looks like there's more people coming," Colm remarked.

"Yeah," Luke replied nonchalantly. "This is a good Echo to farm—those bugs are easy to deal with, and with its low tier, it's relatively safe. All the monsters are tier 1, so as long as no one gets careless, it's pretty manageable."

Tessa chimed in, "It also helps that the bugs' corpses have good utility for alchemy and other crafts. We usually harvest the most valuable parts and end up with a decent haul."

Colm nodded, taking it in. "Are all the creatures in here bugs?"

Tessa nodded, "Yeah, it's all bugs. The Echo's theme is a cave system crawling with the same kind. Most are about this high," she said, motioning her hand low to the ground.

Colm visualized the size, thinking, Okay, about the size of a medium dog back on Earth. Good to know. "How do you both harvest them?"

Luke chuckled, "Man, you're asking a lot of questions. Not that I mind, but it's stuff most people already know." He grinned before continuing, "It's a manual process for us. After we kill them, we go for the valuable parts—mandibles, glands, carapace segments, stuff like that. Some people bring back whole bodies in storage items, but those things are pricey. We've been saving up for one, but for now, it's all hands-on."

Colm gave a sheepish smile. "Yeah, things were a lot different back where I came from. I really appreciate you two helping me out so much already."

Luke shrugged, giving him an easy smile. "Don't mention it. We're all in the guild, so it's our job to help each other. And hey, maybe someday, you'll return the favor."

Colm thanked them for the information as they continued, and soon a line of adventurers came into view, stretching toward a shimmering portal in the distance. "I take it that's the entrance?" Colm asked.

"Yep," Luke said. "Not too many people today, so we shouldn't have to wait long."

The trio joined the end of the line, waiting as the groups ahead phased into the Echo one by one. Colm watched with growing anticipation, the shimmering portal drawing his focus as adventurers disappeared through it.

After some time, Tessa nudged him and said, "Alright, we're next. You'll need to show your adventurer's badge to the guard on duty. Then we'll head in."

Colm quickly retrieved his badge from his pocket, while Luke and Tessa did the same. As the group in front of them entered the Echo, the trio stepped up to the guard.

Luke greeted him casually. "Hey there. How's it been so far?"

"Not too bad," the guard replied. "Pretty slow day, which makes my job easier. Badges, please."

"Sure thing," Luke said, handing over his badge. The guard inspected it, squinting briefly before nodding. "You're good."

The guard repeated the process with Tessa, and finally with Colm. He handed his badge over, watching as the guard scrutinized it, and briefly narrowed his eyes at him before saying, "You're all set. Good luck in there, and be safe." He waved them through as the next group moved up in line.

Colm glanced at Luke and Tessa, uncertain about the guard's inspection. Tessa noticed his hesitation and explained, "He was checking your mana signature against your badge to confirm who you are. The guild's pretty thorough about that. These badges are convenient, though—it's like your adventurer's ID. Ready to go?"

Colm turned his gaze toward the Echo portal, only now realizing how similar it looked to the one he encountered at the Lucent Grove. It was smaller and less vivid but still mesmerizing. Swirls of energy folded in on themselves, the portal shimmering like liquid air suspended in time.

Tessa's question finally registered. "Yeah," he said with a nod.

The trio faced the portal together, taking a collective breath. Then, without hesitation, they stepped into the rift.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.