Chapter 387: Chapter 387: New Codename: Red Star

It was a magnificent building that covered a vast area, its main structure forged from some kind of Alchemy Alloy.

The entire structure was incredibly tall, appearing to be five or six stories high.

The sight that greeted Lance upon entering the grand hall was stunning; dozens of Crystal Screens were mounted throughout the space.

The screens were made of the same material as a Panoramic Imprint Crystal, but they were a thousand times larger.

’Isn’t this extravagant?’ On the screens, various commission numbers and completed-mission reports flickered ceaselessly.

[Special Commission No. 196: Subjugate the Vortex Serpent People nest in the Black Reef Sea Trench (Status: Success! Bounty has been paid!)]

[Urgent Commission No. 45: Clear out the Mutated Sawtooth Crab Swarm in Shallow Bay (Status: Accepted!)]

Lance noticed that the Demons near Ostrara all shared features of the Sea Race.

The subjugation quests scrolled by rapidly, as though Adventurers were constantly accepting and completing them at all hours.

In addition to these regular quests, a wall on the eastern side displayed various competition leaderboards for things like solo speedruns and no-damage clears.

Many Adventurers were clustered below the leaderboards, taking notes with pen and paper. Others gathered in groups, discussing how they should place their bets for the upcoming matches.

As Lance walked past, he overheard a few people talking about a recent competition that had a major upset. A Thief Professional had apparently bet his entire fortune on a solo player. When that person ended up winning the championship, the Thief became rich overnight. He wasn’t an Adventurer anymore; rumor had it he’d moved into the Three Rings.

’Just as I’d expect from the City of Trade,’ he thought. ’It’s just like my past life—the more developed the economy, the more tales there are of people striking it rich overnight.’

Despite the huge number of Adventurers in the hall, the process for getting business done was surprisingly fast.

Lance needed to get a new Adventurer identification.

While each Province was nominally under the jurisdiction of the central association, the local branches held a high degree of autonomy and maintained information barriers to protect their own interests.

Cross-province certifications were mutually recognized, but his old one from White River Province had too much of a history attached to it and couldn’t be used.

Without hesitation, Lance took the registration form from the staff member, picked up the quill, and filled it out quickly. Then, in the space for an alias, he wrote down his second one:

Red Star.

"Hello, Mr. Red Star. As you’ve applied to register as a Professional Level Adventurer, regulations require us to test your Ether Energy Level to verify your strength."

The receptionist was quite polite. He retrieved a transparent, pyramid-shaped crystal from under the counter and pushed it in front of Lance.

The registration process for the Professional Level was much more convenient.

Lance placed his hand on the crystal, controlling the Energy within his Ethereal Melting Furnace. The crystal instantly ignited, casting a pure, deep blue light that bathed the entire counter in its glow.

His energy level met the requirement, and the reading was remarkably stable.

The staff member glanced at the reading on the crystal with a flicker of surprise, his expression growing even more respectful.

"Congratulations, Mr. Red Star. Welcome to the Ostran Adventurer’s Association. This is your new identification badge. Please keep it safe."

He then respectfully presented a golden badge engraved with a crossed sword and shield.

The entire process took less than half an hour.

With this pass, he would have unrestricted access to all the Underground Cities under Ostrara’s jurisdiction.

He didn’t linger in the hall. Instead, he followed the magical signposts to the Association’s internal Magical Elevator, descending 50 meters to the Underground City transit hub below.

This was Ostrara’s most astonishing feature: its formidable Alchemy Technology had given rise to an incredibly convenient subterranean transit network.

Of course, building such a complex underground network required immense financial backing. Only a city like Ostrara could afford infrastructure of this scale.

Alchemy Rail Cars, powered by Magic Energy, ran on dedicated tracks underground, rapidly transporting Adventurers from Ostrara to the entrances of specific Underground Cities.

Lance’s destination was Underground City No. 37.

This Underground City had a danger rating of Level 5.

Underground Cities from Level 1-5 all fell within the same major category: the Ordinary Level.

The one in Gray Rock Town, for instance, was Level 1. In a place like that, besides the final boss posing a slight challenge, the rest of it was filled with trash-mob Demons.

A Level 5 Underground City, however, was the most dangerous area a Professional could face before ascending to the Excellence Tier.

Lance had chosen it because it was a "hunting-style" Underground City.

Its interior consisted of a series of self-contained spaces, each one occupied by an Elite Demon that had been enhanced by the Underground City.

This one-on-one, high-intensity hunting environment was a perfect match for his [Ether Material Analysis] ability.

He could barely contain his curiosity. He was eager to see what kind of Talents he could extract from these rare Demons using Alchemy.

With a screech of metal, the rail car came to a stop at the platform.

Lance had just stepped out of the car when he saw the entrance to the Underground City up ahead, built from massive blocks of Obsidian. He paused, taken aback.

The sheer sense of pressure was far more intense than that of the mine entrance in Gray Rock Town.

Lance tore his gaze away and walked over to a temporary registration desk next to the Obsidian Gate, preparing to sign in before entering the Underground City.

"Hello, Mr. Red Star. Your Adventurer badge has been verified. You may enter Underground City No. 37 whenever you’re ready."

The staff member respectfully handed the badge back to Lance.

He then took the opportunity to make a sales pitch. "By the way, Mr. Red Star, we noticed you’re here alone. Right now in Underground City No. 37, there’s a solo no-damage clear competition being held, privately sponsored by His Highness Pala Lissas. The entry fee is very cheap—only 10 Silver Coins."

The staff member leaned in closer. "If you manage to take first place, not only is the prize a hefty 1,000 Iris Gold Coins, but you’ll also receive a custom-made set of Enchanted Equipment, personally sponsored by His Highness."

"Lissas?"

Lance raised an eyebrow. ’Isn’t that the family name of the Blue Dragon Duke, the supreme ruler of the East Coast Province?’

"Alright, sign me up."

Lance readily placed 10 Silver Coins on the counter. ’The entry fee is cheap enough, anyway,’ he figured.

After quickly finishing the registration, Lance entered the Underground City.

The interior of Underground City No. 37 was a gigantic Maze, a network of intersecting corridors built entirely from Obsidian.

The corridor walls were embedded with faintly glowing blue Lighting Crystals.

Perhaps because the Underground City was so close to the coast, the air carried a briny scent, and every breath felt like damp air scraping his lungs.

Along the way, he saw heavy stone doors set into the walls, each leading to a different location. These were the self-contained rooms that housed the Demons.

As he passed some of the stone doors, Lance could even hear the sounds of impacts and roars from within, clear signs that an Adventurer Team was engaged in a battle.

The stone doors of any room echoing with sound were covered in a layer of red light, indicating that the room was sealed.

It was precisely because of this "fight to the death" mechanic that the margin for error in a hunting-style Underground City was extremely low.

Once an Adventurer pushed open a door and triggered a battle, that door could not be opened from the inside unless either the Demon was killed or every Adventurer had fallen.

Therefore, to be safe, an Adventurer Team typically needed to assemble four Professionals into a well-balanced, peak-condition Level 5 party before they would dare challenge one of these rooms.

Furthermore, these doors couldn’t just be pushed open. Some had various mechanisms that required solving a puzzle to enter—a product of the Underground City’s twisted sense of humor.

Lance continued down the main corridor until he reached a corner, where he chose a smaller passage that resembled an alleyway.

Beside the stone door at the end of the alley, he felt a small groove. He then quickly located the mechanism on the nearby wall: a small, stone-carved sliding block puzzle.

For Lance, who had been tormented by puzzle games in his past life, cracking such a small mechanism was child’s play. He solved it in under two minutes, and a cyan, cross-shaped piece dropped out.

Lance picked it up and fitted it into the groove on the stone door’s edge.

With a loud RUMBLE, the stone door slid open, revealing a spacious room beyond.

Lance walked straight inside.

The moment he stepped into the room, the stone door slammed shut behind him.

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