The array flared brilliantly, runes igniting one after another in a dazzling chain of light. Mana surged like flowing rivers, weaving between the stones. A pillar of white radiance rose from the circle, rippling with energy, filling the chamber with a humming vibration that made the very air tremble.
Kaito's breath caught. He was truly amazed.
In his previous life, when it had been time to teleport to Astralis City, he hadn't experienced this sight. By then, hundreds of players had already been arriving at once, with each teleportation carrying groups of hundred at a time. The crowding had obscured everything. He hadn't even been able to glimpse the beauty of the array's full activation.
But now it was different. Now, he stood alone before the glowing array, witnessing its brilliance directly. The sight filled him with a spark of excitement.
He would be the first.
The first to step into the city stage.
In his last life, the players who entered the cities first had been rewarded generously by the system. He had missed that chance then. But this time, with nobody else yet having triggered a global announcement, he was certain he was ahead of everyone.
The officer gestured for him to step onto the array.
Kaito nodded firmly and walked forward with steady steps. Reaching the center of the glowing runes, he stood tall.
The officer pressed the mana stone deeper into the pedestal groove. It sank slightly with a sharp click.
At once, the array flared again. The mana that had been surging now burst upward, and the entire circle shone with a radiant white light. The brilliance rose around him like a tide, engulfing his entire figure.
In an instant, Kaito's body was completely covered by the light.
When the glow faded, the array was empty. Kaito had vanished.
The officer, unfazed by the spectacle, simply turned back to his seat and resumed his quiet work.
….
Kaito came back to his senses and realized he was already standing in the middle of a wide and empty square. The large transportation array beneath his feet glowed faintly, and its size alone was enough to stun him. Compared to the simple array in the novice village, this one was more than a hundred times larger. Even when compared to the array in South Glade Town, it was at least ten times bigger.
This was Astralis City.
As Kaito looked around, a familiar feeling washed over him. Memories from his previous life played in his mind, and for a while he stood silently in place, his eyes moving slowly across the vast cityscape. His face carried a look full of memories, as if every street and building reminded him of the past.
The scale of the city was overwhelming. Even when Kaito strained his eyes, he could not see the end of it. The sheer size of Astralis City made it seem endless. It was a city built on a scale so grand that even someone like him, who had lived through countless battles, could only marvel.
Astralis City was designed with four great gates that connected it to the outside world. Each gate was positioned according to the four directions North Gate, South Gate, East Gate, and West Gate. These gates served as the entry and exit points for the countless residents and travelers who moved through the city every day.
But the size of the city meant that the gates were not just far apart they were unimaginably distant from each other. To travel from one gate to another on foot was no small task. For example, if someone wanted to walk from the North Gate to the West Gate, it would take them two full days of continuous travel. That was how wide the city stretched. Because of this, each gate had its own transportation array nearby, allowing people to quickly travel from one side of the city to another. This was the same for every gate. And when comparing distances, the stretch between the North Gate and the South Gate was even greater double the length of the North-West distance.
Naturally, Astralis City was divided into districts around these gates. Altogether, there were five major districts, the Northern District, Southern District, Eastern District, Western District, and the Central District. The four outer districts were named after the directions just like the gates, while the Central District was at the very heart of the city. Each district had its own role and identity, but all were connected through the vast web of streets, markets, and transportation arrays that bound Astralis City into a single whole.
As Kaito stood there, taking in the city's layout, another sensation swept over him. He could feel the mana in the air pressing down on him, thicker and denser than anything he had felt in South Glade Town. The difference was immense. The density of mana here was at least several times greater, and it washed over him like a heavy tide.
The reason for this was clear to him. At the very center of Astralis City stood the great mage tower nine floors tall dominating the skyline. His eyes shifted toward it, and a haze of memory passed through him as he recalled its significance.
This was the mage tower of Duke Reynard, the ruler of Astralis City. Duke Reynard was not only the city lord but also one of the tier six powerhouses of the Solaris Kingdom. More importantly, he was a tier six mage the only mage of such rank in the entire kingdom. This fact alone made him a figure of unparalleled importance.
In the Solaris Kingdom, there were four known tier six powerhouses. Two of them belonged to the royal family. Among the nobles, there were two dukes who stood at the peak of power Duke Reynard, the tier six mage, and another duke who was a tier six knight. Outside of these four, there was also the head of the Mage Guild, another tier six powerhouse. But because the Mage Guild was a neutral organization and not bound to any single kingdom, its leader was not counted among the official powerhouses of the Solaris Kingdom.
So in the eyes of the world, Solaris Kingdom held exactly four tier six powerhouses, with countless tier five powerhouses beneath them. This was the standard for being considered a kingdom-level power on the Glory Plane. For a nation to qualify as a kingdom, it had to have at least two tier six powerhouses and ten tier five powerhouses.
Above kingdoms were empire-level powers. To qualify as an empire, a nation needed to have a minimum of two tier seven powerhouses and ten tier six powerhouses. Below the kingdom level were principalities. To be considered a principality, one had to have one tier six powerhouse and five tier five powerhouses. Most principalities did not remain independent for long, as they usually became vassals of nearby kingdoms.
These three, principalities, kingdoms, and empires were the main structures of power across the Glory Plane. Together, they made up nearly seventy percent of all organized powers. The rest were neutral organizations like the Mage Guild or influential chambers of commerce that did not fit neatly into the political framework but still held great influence.
The Solaris Kingdom itself was considered a middle-level kingdom among the kingdom powers. With its four tier six powerhouses, it stood strong but not unmatched. Among its dukes, Duke Reynard held particular reverence, because as a tier six mage, he commanded the only nine-floor mage tower in the entire kingdom.
Kaito's eyes lingered on the mage tower. It was not just a building but a symbol. By convention, the size of a mage tower reflected the level of its owner. Duke Reynard's nine-floor mage tower marked him as a tier six mage. The tower itself was not only filled with every facility a mage could dream of but also served as the greatest hub of magical study in the Solaris Kingdom.
For this reason, Astralis City was seen as a holy land for mages in the Solaris kingdom. And countless mage geniuses from across the kingdom dreamed of joining Duke Reynard's mage tower. Of course, entry was not open to all. Only those chosen by Duke Reynard himself could officially join the tower. Those without invitations could only remain outside, hoping for an opportunity.