Rettucia was right about one crucial thing: If the Anchor wasn't strong enough to hold the mana concentration of the two magical units—his Soul Cores—it could cause a backlash.
This was why he had told her to make it as strong as possible and also inquired if he could return to strengthen the Artifact again knowing that leveling up would increase the mana concentration in his Cores.
It seemed like something that could be draining in the long run, but he had to do it. Now though, with the Anchor business handled, it was time to focus on leveling up.
Wolsend wasn't just a city of weapons and armory, it was one of the cities with the most Gate World appearances in the entire realm.
This is what built them into a prosperous city.
They took advantage of the monopoly, earning a great deal of coin from the Gate Worlds and bolstered their city into a haven of warfare and Awakeners' academics.
Arriving, Percival entered inside the Gate World Hall.
As he remembered, the building was like a cathedral, a vast space of black marble and gold steel.
The ambient mana here was strong; a result of the numerous Gate Worlds causing a constant, low-frequency vibration of the magical element in the air.
Percival's eyes swept over the familiar hall, noting the numbers of Awakeners in their high and low grade armor and robes spread across the polished floor.
Parties shouted for Awakeners willing to join, others traded weapons and Artifacts, while Guild recruiters scanned the crowds like sharks in a reef.
His gaze moved to the only reason he was here. The Gates.
They were all lined up along the immense, curving walls, organized by rank, and ascending in danger and prestige as the floors spiraled upward.
On the ground floor were the Delta and Gamma Gates, swirling with dull greys and sickly greens. Parties with Awakeners from Lvl. 5 to Lvl. 30 were gathered around these Gates.
Above them, on the mezzanine, the Beta Gates burned with a vibrant, hazardous orange. There were fewer Awakeners there, but they were all at the similar levels of 35 to Lvl. 80.
Higher still were the Alpha Gates, radiating a crimson so deep it looked like fresh blood. Those Gates required Awakeners from Lvl. 81 to 149 to clear.
And at the very pinnacle, located on the highest, restricted balcony, were the only two Omega Gates. They were voids of abyssal black and violet, silent and terrifying, guarded by the city's elites.
Only the Awakeners who had reached the Level cap of 150 could clear these Gates. The dangers within them were unfathomable for any level of Awakener beneath that.
Percival's gaze lingered on the Omega Gates for a fraction of a second.
He knew he could clear them. His Attributes were high enough, and his skill mastery as a Swordsman was unparalleled. But he also knew the reality of an Omega Gate.
The sort of beasts living in the Gate Worlds beyond Omega Gates could level down provinces in a day. Even with his high Attributes, he would need a team and he would need better equipment.
In his past life, alongside his party, he had cleared many Omega Gates while in Mythic-grade armor and equipment fortifying his body and soul.
Now, he was wearing store-bought leather and holding a sword he borrowed from his own Skeleton Soldier.
To challenge an Omega or even an Alpha Gate solo without proper equipment would be suicide, regardless of his skill.
For now, the Beta Gates were his limit. The highest risk he could mitigate with skill alone.
"Hey there! You look a little lost."
Percival stopped. A girl had stepped into his path, blocking his view of the stairs.
She was blonde, with her hair tied in braids on both sides of head, and the orange star-themed armor she wore highlighted her figure with a little too much intention.
He noted the Crest hovering above her shoulder—a crescent moon—and the [Lvl. 16] beneath it. She was an Arcanist.
"I'm Stenya," she said with a sweet voice that would have ensnared a lesser man. "The Hall can be overwhelming for newbies. If you need a guide of the lower levels, or maybe some tips on which Delta Gates are safest, I wouldn't mind showing you around."
Then she smiled innocently. "For a friendly price of one thousand mana coins, of course."
Percival looked at her. He was familiar with this play.
The value of mana coins were not lost on Awakeners. Not only could they earn real coin from it, but they could also use them to buy equipment, Skills and even Aspects from other Awakeners.
Hoarding as many as possible was a good way to get stronger so Awakeners used many tactics to earn them.
Stenya here was fishing for newbies; anyone who looked naive enough to pay a thousand mana coins for information they could get for free.
"I know my way around," Percival said plainly. Then he sidestepped her without breaking stride and continued toward the stairs.
Stenya stood frozen. The smile on her face vanished as she tried to cope with the rejection. She turned, glaring at his back.
'The nerve of that low level Awakener,' she thought, her eyes narrowing as she spotted his crest. 'He's just a Lvl. 15 and he thinks he can talk to me like that? And what in the world is a Necromancer?'
Percival ascended the stairs, dismissing the encounter from his mind almost instantly.
He vaguely recognized her face from the memories of his past life. She was a low-ranking member of the Golden Spire Guild.
Even with such a powerful Guild backing her, Awakeners like her couldn't help but prey on the feeble.
Guildless Awakeners relied on their own coin to enter these Gates, but the Guilds held massive, yearly contracts with the Gate World Halls. They paid a fortune upfront so their members could grind endlessly without entry fees.
It was a monopoly that kept the strong stronger.
Percival never paid attention to these things in his past life. Now that he was Guildless as well, the unfairness was hard to miss.
Reaching the second floor, he approached a booth manned by a bored-looking collector behind a reinforced glass pane.
"What's the price for Beta Gates?," Percival asked.
The collector didn't look up from his book. "One gold per person and per entry."
It was steep. Most commoners didn't see one gold coin in a year.
Percival reached into his pouch and dropped four gold on the counter.
"Four entries," Percival said. "One person."
The collector stared at the gold, then up at Percival, then back at the gold. "You're Lvl. 15 and you want to solo clear a Beta Gate four times?"
"Two Beta Gates," Percival corrected. "Twice each."
The collector stared at him, then decided it wasn't his job to stop a suicide. He swept the coins into a golden bowl.
"Contract has been made. You can go ahead."
Percival turned toward the row of swirling orange portals while the collector poked out his head to watch.
He scanned the floating text above them until he found the one he wanted.
It was one of the first Gate Worlds he had cleared in his old life, back when he first started getting strong.
⸢Gate World: Depths of the Drowned⸥
⸢Rank: Beta Gate⸥
⸢Description: For drowned realms whisper through scaled revenge⸥
Meanwhile, down the hall, Stenya had regrouped with a few other Golden Spire members. She spotted him on the upper floor.
"That's him," she whispered, pointing a finger. "The rude low-level Awakener. He's heading for… wait, is he going to a Beta Gate?"
Her party members looked up, confused. "A Lvl. 15 soloing a Beta? He's dead meat for sure."
Percival, oblivious to their gossip, stepped into the Gate. He needed to get to Lvl. 20, and the journey started here.