Sora watched as the group approached, his attention immediately log onto the imposing figure leading them.

  Standing over two meters tall and nearly as wide, the man’s bald head shone uhe light. His tanned skin, rugged features, and name suggested a Mongolian in. Dressed in dark bat gear, he moved with fidence, a massive sword strapped to his back.

  Sora’s eyes flicked to the name floating above his head:

  [ARAM] [Ganbold] - Level 148.Sora’s eyes shifted to the others in the group.

  [ARAM] [Yo Haneul] - Level 145.A small figure, almost entirely cealed by dark clothing, moved o Ganbold. Her features were obscured by a mask, with only her long hair suggesting she was female. No ons were visible, but the way she moved made Sora suspect she was an assassin css pyer.

  [ARAM] [Min Haneul] - Level 143.o her stood anure, this one lean and tall, with long hair and a bow strapped to his back. From his sharp features and name, Suessed he was likely Korean. 'sidering his name, he should be reted to the girl beside him, but why does he seem angry?'

  [ARAM] [Oni Ob - Level 145.The fourth person was almost two meters tall, a broad smile on his face. A massive axe was attached to his back, and his short hair and dark skin trasted with the white armor that was showing part of his well-built physique. He seemed to be trying to lightemosphere with his loud voice.

  ‘The elites of the guild,’ Sora thought, impressed. ‘Thirty levels above the guild’s average…’

  Finally, Sora’s gaze settled o member of the group.

  [ARAM] [Rachel Cude] - Level 138.Sora’s heart skipped a beat. 'She was level 117 yesterday! What the hell!?' His gaze nded on her as she walked at the back of the group. Rachel hadn’t ged much—still around 1m70, with messy red hair falling just past her shoulders. She looked healthier now, almost glowing, with a smile on her lips.

  I’m fident I could beat a monster of that level in the wild, but Emily called Rachel a genius... and from the description of the two I killed in France, her talent is immense. By bringing Kara into this infiltration, I might be putting her in danger. I always bail myself out if things go south, but leaving Kara behind is out of the question. I wao py tricks on Rachel, but this is getting out of hand.

  Sora didn’t let his gaze linger on Rachel for long, f himself to redirect his focus to Ganbold. He maintained his calm fa?ade, ag as though nothing had fazed him, while thinking, 'Wow, they sure are brave, leaving their backs to that snake.'

  Emily broke the silence, speaking first. "Look at you all, walking around like you’re hot stuff when you know that without Kim, you'd be far from your levels. Have I not told you to to down? Especially you, Ganbold! We’ve got two new recruits joining us for the trip to Japan—so e here and greet Ralph and Kara."

  Kara and Sora exged polite greetings with the group, the atmosphere lightening slightly. Then Rachel spoke up.

  "Ralph Eden? Are you the one who kept sending me friend requests?" she asked, her sharp eyes log onto him with a curious glint.

  Sora, having anticipated the question, responded smoothly. "Yes, I was tasked by the Adventurer’s Guild in Paris to locate five of the stro pyers in France, and an information brave me your name."

  Rachel’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What? Me? There’s no way, right?"

  The group ughed, and Oni Obi chimed in with a grin, "Don’t sell yourself short, Rachel. With your strength, it’s no surprise you’re one of the top pyers iern Europe. You're already strohan us after all... Your talent is frightening!"

  Sora maintained his casual tone, adding, "I’m not sure about all the details, but it seems both you and Kara were on the list. They wanted me to see if you’d sider joining the war effort as a el eneral."

  Rachel raised an eyebrow. "A el? I’ve never participated in a war, so I’m not sure how high that rank is... but why not? I have some pns, but I probably fit that in."

  "The war hasn’t started yet," Sora replied, relieved that she seemed to be buying his lie, even l her guard. "The Dark Elves haven’t attacked Fra, so there’s no rush. But we’ll definitely be needed for the war in Europe."

  Emily, intrigued by their iion, gnced between them. "You know Rachel?" she asked.

  Sora shook his head. "Not really. We just knew she was a high-level French pyer aold we could find her here. Remember wheold you we were looking for someone? She’s that person."

  Emily nodded, recalling the earlier versation, and decided to drop the matter. "Alright, enough chit-chat. We’re leaving South Korea now."

  They set off toward Busan with high speed. Even if Earth had expao ten times its inal size sihe update, with their enhanced bodies, such distances were trivial for them. The sea between Korea and Japan, while home to sea monsters, posed little danger in this region. They could easily run across water or fly above it, making quick work of the jouro Japan.

  Nara, the site of the upi, piqued Sora’s curiosity. He couldn’t help but wat awe how much the city had transformed after the World Update. The ges were breathtaking. The Nara Sora had once learned about in articles and dotaries was barely reizable. On a capital of Japan, it had been renowned for its deer park, where visitors would buy special crackers and bow to the deer, who would bow iurn.

  Now, Nara was a seamless blend of a architecture and game-inspired meics that had emerged in the ret years.

  The crete streets had been repced with beautifully crafted stohways. Floating nterns lihe streets, casting a soft, magical glow. The t skyscrapers were gone, repced by structures desigo resemble a Japanese buildings, though enhanced with magical features. Cars and bikes were o be seen. Instead, people rode magical mounts, while others stood on glowing magic circles that transported them instantly to various parts of the city.

  Even the civilians seemed extraordinary. The average level in Nara hovered around 60, and most children appeared to have unlocked mana, their movements exuding a subtle energy that marked them as more than ordinary.

  Kara, clearly impressed, couldn’t help but ent, “This feels like airely different world… It’s amazing hoan has embraced mana and the new rules of the world to reshape their cities. Oher hand, Seoul has chosen to tinue pushing their teology to new limits.”

  Sora nodded, adding, “It’s probably not all of Japan. Cities like Tokyo or Osaka have taken different approaches acc to what I've seen online. I ’t imagiokyo being pletely rebuilt like this. What surprises me the most is that they allow children to leave the civiliay behind, and teach them mana early on... In trast with most pces we've visited, so far.”

  "We're not here for tourism, keep up with us." Emily ented, notig the duo slowing down signifitly.

  They tinued on, following Emily to Nara’s Adventurer’s Guild. Upoering, they were guided to the basement. Sora, familiar with the routihought, 'It’s probably the testing area again…' But this time, what he saw caught him off guard.

  The basement was massive, filled with thousands of people from all over the world. The energy in the room was electric, the variety of gear and power levels on dispy creating a lively se.

  Kim Dong turo Sora and Kara. “The qualifiers for Europe, excluding Turkey and Russia, are over there. Get your qualifications and e back to us. Emily, follow them aurhey’re done. We’ll be entering the petition in our ion. Rachel, since you don’t have a reendation from yion, you’ll be peting with us in South Korea. Are you ready?”

  Rachel nodded fidently. “Yes, Guildmaster Kim. I’m ready.”

  Sora couldn’t help but think, 'She ’t even pete in her ion? That's what you get for not tributing to your ion.'

  Without further questions, Sora and Kara nodded ahe group, heading toward the European qualifiers. As they made their way to the Europeaion of the qualifiers, they couldn't help but notice the different groups around them.

  One group immediately caught Sora’s attention. Judging by the fgs on their uniforms, they appeared to be from Oia. The group wasn’t uniform in appearane pyers looked like others in the area with standard equipment, while others carried more modern onry. They wore army uniforms that partially covered their armor, equipped with rifles, sniper ons, riot shields, and other military gear. Sora found it fasating, as he wasn’t aced to using such ons himself, though he knew some tries insisted on developing and utilizing them.

  When he focused on the gear, he noticed a faint glow surrounding the items—a clear sign that they were system-reized and possessed rarity levels, just like game items.

  As they passed by mroups, Sora noticed many pyers with a clear military experience. Emily, catg his curiosity, remarked, "Most of the top pyers in the world are either active military, ex-military, or special forces. Their training before the update gave them a natural edge—mentally and physically. Don’t uimate them just because you’ve got special abilities. If you have them, why wouldn’t they?"

  Sora nodded, recalling news reports from that time. "I remember hearing they monopolized the early monster kills during the first signs of ge, before the World Update. That early advantage carried over, didn’t it?"

  Emily nodded again. "It’s not that simple, but yes. Most military forces found ways to stay petitive after the update. And that’s not even ting the groups and major powers that experimented with just about everything. They’ve dohings you wouldn’t believe."

  mimou

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