Porta Town

1

Porta Town is a port city located in the southernmost area of ​​the Edinburgh Empire in the central continent. The largest port city on the southern continent was the starting point for those traveling to various Edinburgh Empire regions.

Porta Town is surrounded by very high cliffs, which also function as city defense and to prevent attacks when enemy troops from other continents want to attack the Edinburgh Empire. There are four main roads as entry and exit points into the city. Namely, north, west, east, and south. In the southern part of the city is a port that borders directly on the open sea. Many ships stop by the port and leave daily except during winter because the seawater completely freezes over.

The buildings in Porta town are partly made of sea stone, and some are also combined with some very sturdy wood. The streets of the city are made by layering rocks with other rocks, then on top are covered with soil and flat rocks so that carts carrying goods can run on all the city streets. The buildings in the city look like those of the European style of the Middle Ages.

There are houses, shops, bars, and restaurants throughout the city. A striking building with the Edinburgh Empire Flag at the top is in the middle of the town. The building belongs to someone who manages everything in Porta Town. On the north side of the building, there is a place called the Climber Organization. The front of the building looks like a fairly large bar. At the back of the building is a large empty lot with several large trees around it.

The climber organization building is where people take exams to obtain a climber's license and enter the Mount Jeevan area.

When night falls, all the streets in Porta Town are illuminated by the light of fire magic placed in containers as roadside lighting. Some houses use fire magic, and some use manual fire lighting by burning oil in a small container.

During the day, Porta Town is very crowded. Many people are seen doing outdoor activities. The majority of the native population works as traders and fishermen. Near the harbor, there are many rows of tents selling various seafood. On the other side of the city, many merchants sell vegetables, fruits, and other items.

During winter, Porta town becomes quiet and not too busy because of limited outdoor activities. People choose to stay indoors or prefer to stay in warm areas during the winter.

2

"Hey, look at that! It's impossible how a monster like that could be defeated." Several people at the port were very surprised after seeing the head of the ice dragon brought by the group of merchants and ship crew.

A dead ice dragon's head was visible so clearly that it attracted the attention of people around. The atmosphere at the port is very calm and relaxed because it is winter, and the activities at the port are not as busy as usual. Several merchants were seen selling fish around the port area. A group of people was seen waiting for a group of merchants and ship crews who were rumored to be coming yesterday but had not been seen until today. They were worried that the group would experience problems. Moreover, the group brought the things they needed, such as vegetables, fruit, and other foodstuffs.

A group of people at the port felt relieved and happy when they saw the group of merchants and ship crews arriving at the port with their carts and luggage. But what was surprising was the carcass of the ice dragon's head that they brought and displayed in the harbor.

“How could you guys carry something as terrifying as that? Have you defeated the monster?" someone with an incredulous face asked one of the merchants.

“While traveling overland over the frozen sea, we were attacked by a group of bandits. They are trying to loot our goods," the merchant explained firmly, and the people around listened very seriously.

“When we were attacked by a group of bandits, there were several people who tried to help us and succeeded in driving the bandits away, but it turned out that the bandits called for help and attacked us again. Finally, some of the people who saved us had to fight unavoidably with the bandits. There were only four of them while the number of bandits was very large.” The merchant continued his story. More and more people heard because of curiosity.

“The four of them put up a great fight against the bandits. Until finally, the ice dragon interfered with their fight and caused chaos around them. I still can't believe that they managed to defeat the ice dragon with just the four of them. But they said that they were also helped by bandits. We couldn't see the real fight because it was very dangerous. After the fight, they gave us some of the materials from the ice dragon. After that, we separated, and they seemed to be in this city," the merchant finished his story, which made people curious.

“Hey, quickly report this to the mayor and the climber organization!" someone shouted. Until finally, people started spreading the news throughout the city. They were also curious about the group that had defeated the ice dragon. So they held a competition for those who found the group, who would win the gift of some of the ice dragon material. Hearing this, the city became quite lively this winter.

3

"We have arrived at Porta Town," Lucifer spoke.

“It seems like a lot has changed here." Grisyela looked around with a sense of nostalgia inside her.

“Interesting city, Hahaha.” Dwargo laughed.

“It feels like being in a Medieval city. "This is the first time I've seen a city this big since I've been in this world." Wolly looked around with curiosity. The excitement she felt now made her even more enthusiastic about this trip, like when she visited one area after another during her trip to climb Mount Everest in the previous world. This time, she also felt the same pleasure.

"Okay, we'll head to this place." Luvicer and the others looked at a city plan near the port. The plan looked quite large, drawn on a wooden board with white paint. Luvicer pointed to a place that said “climber guild.” This place was right behind the government building in the city's center, so the four of them started walking to that location.

The city atmosphere looks quite relaxed with many people interacting along the streets. The four of them walked along the main road, which was made of several special rock materials to withstand the pressure of horse-drawn carriages passing through the road. Many horse-drawn carriages pass along the main road throughout the day. Therefore, the road was strengthened to facilitate travel and transportation access. Moreover, Porta Town is one of the cities most visited by merchants who want to sell their merchandise or sell to other areas.

Snow fell, piling up on some parts of the road and also on the roof of the building. Some people were seen cleaning the snow from the road that was passed by the horse carriage. Horse carriages in winter use special wheels for slippery places due to snow-covered roads.

Wolly and the others looked around while walking through the main road. There weren't many horse-drawn carriages passing by this winter. Their journey to the Climber's Guild took at least thirty minutes on foot. They also brought quite a lot of goods. After successfully defeating the Ice Dragon and Sepen, they received a lot of supplies from the merchants. They trade Ice Dragon materials for supplies for Wolly and the others' journey.

"Okay, we'll go in." Luvicer entered the building, followed by Wolly, Grisyela, and Dwargo.

When they entered the building, the four of them looked surprised because when they saw it from the outside, it was very quiet, but when they entered, it was very busy. Inside, the building is quite spacious, with lots of tables and chairs in the right and left areas. The middle area is made for walking towards the front in front of the reception desk.

When they set foot inside the building, people around them immediately stared at them, but this didn't last long until they finally returned to their own business. Many people were seen wearing thick clothes and lots of luggage lying on the wooden floor with each carrying their weapons. Everyone in the building was of the human race. It is indeed very rare to see other races in a place where there are many humans.

“Welcome to the climbers’ guild. Can we help you?" A blonde woman with a sweet smile wore elegant clothes with long sleeves, dark blue trousers, and yellow accents on the clothes, which symbolized the Edinburgh Empire. She welcomed Wolly and the others warmly.

“My name is Julie. I will guide you," continued the woman with a smile.

“We want to register for a climber's license," Luvicer answered as the group's representative.

“OK, here you can get a license individually or as a group. So what do you want?" With a friendly smile, Julie tried to provide options to make the registration process easier.

“What do you all think?" Luvicer asked the others.

“It seems we should register as a group," Grisyela answered while Wolly and Dwargo nodded in agreement with the decision.

“We will register as a group," Luvicer answered Julie.

“OK, I'll help write down the required data. I need your names and the name of the group that will be used to register." Julie prepared her stationery and a piece of paper that looked like data entry paper for registering.

“Luvicer, Wolly, Grace, and Dwargo. Hmm... the name of the group is Wolly and Friends. Luvicer gave a name and occasionally looked in the other direction, and they agreed with the group name because they thought it wasn't that important. Grisyela had previously said that she would use the name Grace when registering. And Luvicer remembered that.

“Okay, I'll process it. You can wait at the available table," Julie invited Wolly and the others to wait at the available table first.

The four of them sat at a table that had four chairs. The atmosphere of the place was really lively, and every table was filled with various people and groups. It seemed like they were people who also wanted to register for a climber's license, Wolly thought.

Wolly and the others put their luggage under the floor and opened some of the food and drinks they had stored on the table. Suddenly, the people around looked at them, but they didn't care and continued eating and drinking while waiting for the climbers' license registration process.

4

Some time before at the Porta Town mayor's building.

“Report! Mayor Andrew! I got a report from people at the port. They carried the corpse of an ice dragon's head. A group of people has defeated the ice dragon. A guard in full uniform was seen hurriedly reporting to the mayor in his room.

“Are you sure!? What about that group?" Mayor Andrew, wearing an elegant government uniform, was surprised to hear the report. With brown hair and a large-looking body, he stood up instantly from his seat.

“Sorry, Mayor, I couldn't get any information about that group. But the information I got said that they were in this city." The guard bowed in apology.

“Immediately search for the group and convey this information to the Capital!" Mayor Andrew ordered the guard. Then the guard quickly carried out the order.

“It looks like the situation will become very serious." Mayor Andrew looked at the newspaper, which showed a strange appearance of several strong monsters in several imperial cities of Edinburgh. Conditions became increasingly worse, and monsters began to roam freely throughout the Edinburgh Empire.

5

"Okay, everyone, listen up!" A man in uniform, accompanied by Julie, shouted, causing the entire room to fall silent.

“My name is Gom. I will guide you in the exam to get a climber's license. Gom is a man who has a big and muscular body. He has black hair, and his face has a lot of beard, which makes him look more intimidating.

“You probably already know what climbers are; otherwise, you wouldn't have come to this place. So I will explain why getting a climber's license is very important," Gom continued the conversation as he held some papers in his right hand.

“Since the shooting star incident, as you know, it has become increasingly dangerous for anyone who wants to enter the Mount Jeevan area. "More and more high-level monsters are roaming Mount Jeevan, and as you know, some of these monsters are also roaming all over the world," Gom explained firmly.

“Because the level of danger is increasing, anyone who wants to enter the Mount Jeevan area must have a license as proof that they can face the dangers that exist in the Mount Jeevan area. In short, you will often face monsters on Mount Jeevan." Gom put the paper in his right hand into his left hand and read the next paper in his right hand.

“OK, the test for obtaining a climber's license is divided into three stages. First, one by one, your Mana energy level will be measured to determine the ranking you will get for the first time. The Climbers rank is divided into six sections. From the lowest, namely E, to the highest, namely A. However, there are higher ratings that are impossible to get at the start of the examination. Namely, S and SS rank. Those who have that rank currently are only those who have strength beyond ordinary humans. Groups also have ranks, but unlike individuals, the entire group will start from the lowest rank, namely E. There is only one group with rank S. They are all at the forefront of the human area on Mount Jeevan." Gom explained in detail.

“The second stage is a test of strength. You will use all your abilities to destroy several targets in the backyard. Some of these targets are made of very strong materials so that ordinary attacks will have no effect. The targets will be shaped like large cubes so that you can launch attacks from any angle," Gom continued.

“The third stage is to travel from this city to the capital. On the way, you will be the guard of several horse-drawn carriages that will deliver goods to the capital. This last test is very simple. However, you must face real dangers on the way, whether it is the danger of bandits, wild animals, or monsters. You are declared to have passed the test if you succeed in escorting the horse-drawn carriage to the capital." Gom explained until the finish, then handed all the sheets of paper to Julie. Julie gave a paper containing a list of individuals who would take the first stage of the test.

After that, the first stage of the test began. Several people and groups were called first to take the test. On average, they got a rank of B to D. But there was someone who got a Rank A. and that made the Guild even more noisy.

“Rank A. I can't believe this. It's very rare for someone to get rank A in the first stage of the exam. Xin, you are ranked A. We, as a guild, will be happy to help you." Gom praised someone named Xin.

“Hey, isn't that Xin? He's famous as a hero in the eastern continent. It's said that he killed a giant earthworm," someone from the crowd said. Meanwhile, the other people were seen trying to recruit Xin into their group. However, Xin had his own group of five people who each got a B Rank. Xin's clothes looked like a warrior from China. At least that's what Wolly had in mind.

“People from the east, huh?" Grisyela smiled, looking at Xin's group. Xin's group stared back at Wolly's group until they looked at each other, then Xin's group returned to their table.

After several people and groups have completed the first stage of the test, now it is the Wolly group's turn to carry out the test. The first stage. They stood in front of a crystal ball that would measure their Mana energy level.

“It's very rare for the Demon Race to be on another continent," Gom thought after seeing Luvicer, who seemed to have two horns on his head.

Luvicer put his hand on the crystal ball. Then the crystal ball emitted a bright light that made people around him feel dazzled. This also happened during Xin's examination.

“No way! He's also ranked A?!" Gom and the other guild members were shocked, so the other people were also shocked because this was a rare occurrence. There were two people at the same time in the test who had rank A. They were Xin and Luvicer. Luvicer got rank A because he was a mage who had a lot of mana energy. Because using dark magic requires a lot of mana.

“This is impossible...." Gom was shocked. Dwargo put his hand on the crystal ball and emitted a bright light like when Luvicer did it.

“Three A ranks at the same time. This is impossible. Moreover, there are two A ranks in one group. Who are they?” Gom stared at Wolly’s group. Dwargo got an A rank like Luvicer. It made the whole guild excited until the atmosphere became even noisier.

Then it was Wolly's turn to do the test.

“I wouldn't be surprised if she also got an A rank," Dwargo looked at Wolly.

Wolly held the crystal ball with both hands, but unlike Luvicer and Dwargo, when Wolly held the crystal ball, it did not emit any light at all.

“E rank?! I didn't expect I." Gom was surprised when Wolly got rank E.

“As I expected," Wolly smiled.

“Are you sure you still want to continue the test? Usually, those who get rank E won't be able to complete the next stage," Gom said to Wolly.

“You shouldn't judge someone's abilities just by the amount of mana energy they have." Grisyela tried to defend Wolly, and now it was his turn to do the test.

Grisyela began to place her hand on the crystal ball. Initially, the crystal ball emitted a very bright light, like the reaction from Luvicer and Dwargo before. However, when Grisyela held the crystal ball, cracks slowly appeared on it until the crystal ball shattered, and the fragments scattered around the room.

“Impossible!! This is impossible! However, this is impossible. Am I hallucinating? No...If that's what happened, this would be very big news." Gom was so shocked that he fell and sat on the floor. Meanwhile, the other guild officers, including Julie, were shocked and panicked.

“Who exactly are you guys?" Gom asked Wolly's group, then they seemed to be trying to hide something.

“OK, if you don't want to answer it. Julie! Report this news to the center. We can't ignore something like this. This crystal ball is only able to detect mana energy up to SS rank. "If this crystal ball is destroyed, it means this person has more capacity than an SS rank." Gom looked uneasy and tried to order Julie. Meanwhile, the whole building was in an uproar and very noisy.

“Ah, we shouldn't have let her take the exam," Luvicer felt sorry after what happened. Then Dwargo laughed, and Wolly smiled. Meanwhile, Grisyela also laughed.

“You guys go to the next exam place. If you go back to the main lobby, everything will be even more complicated." Gom accompanied them to carry out the next stage of the test first. Meanwhile, Julie and the other guild officers tried to calm the other people down.

“After seeing the ranking results, you should no longer need to take the second stage of the exam. But one of you has rank e. so I have to find out how much power he has." Gom and the others walked to the backyard to carry out the second test.

5

“I'm sorry, but it seems you have to leave this city immediately today after I confirm the strength of this E-rank person," Gom pointed at Wolly.

“Because this place will get more crowded and uncontrolled if you stay here. There are lots of strong people here who come from various worlds. I'm worried that they create chaos by challenging the strongest person in your group.p" Gom looked at Grisyela.

“But I feel like I'm familiar looking at you. Hmm... it says your name here is Grace. You'd better prepare yourself because people will target you to join their group," Gom tried to tell Grisyela while he looked at the notes on the paper.

Wolly and the others feel relieved that Grisyela's true identity is not revealed. Wolly prepares to perform a test of strength in the backyard of the Climbers Guild building. You can see a very large tree in the backyard. The tree protects part of the climber's guild building area from sunlight. With the size of the tree, it seemed like the tree had been there for a very long time.

“Alright, in the middle is the target of this strength test. You can use all your abilities, and I will assess how capable you are to continue to the next stage of the test. I will give you three chances to attack the object," Gom explained to Wolly.

“Huh? How small is she using such a big sword?" Gom was surprised to see Wolly starting to hold her Zweihander sword. Previously, the sword was carried by Dwargo, while Wolly carried her bag, which contained many items she got from the merchants.

"Don't use all your abilities, just twenty percent," Grisyela grabbed Wolly's shoulder and gave advice.

Wolly nodded in agreement to follow Grisyela's advice. Wolly slowly began to remove her sword from the scabbard and prepared to take a position to attack.

Wolly calmly prepared to attack the object. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a breath to stay relaxed so she could control the level of power she would release to launch the attack. The air around her was still cold, with a little extra wind blowing. Snow was starting to fall little by little. Wolly tried to concentrate fully and focus on herself.

Wolly moved quickly towards the object him holding her sword using both hands, then launched an attack and slashed the cube-shaped object coated with a material that was resistant to any attack. However, Wolly, with her twenty percent strength, managed to easily split the object into two parts. Then Wolly's attack also hit a large tree behind the object. The top of the tree split into two parts and caused a very strong wind due to Wolly's attack.

“Someone, please, wake me up from this dream. Today seems to be the most shocking day of my life." Gom could only be stunned without a word after seeing Wolly's strength.

“What happened?! Mr. Gom!" Julie shouted and approached them. She tried to wake Gom up because from inside she heard a very loud sound when Wolly launched an attack.

“Ah. Julie…” You won't believe this. She has split the test object easily and also cut the tree." Gom pointed towards the big tree whose top was split into two parts. Then the other guild officers also appeared, and the atmosphere became very noisy, so Gom tried to calm the situation and then think and act more calmly.

Wolly and the others continue to wait for the next decision. Meanwhile, Wolly himself apologizes for the chaos he caused and then puts his sword back into its sheath.

“Well, I believe that she is very capable as an E rank. If the assessment is not where the energy comes from, chances are he will be in rank A." Gom has calmed down and is talking to Wolly's group.

“So do we have to leave for the capital today?" Luvicer asked.

“I will immediately prepare one of the merchant's horse-drawn carriages that you will escort today to go to the capital," Gom explained, accompanied by Julie, who was taking notes on paper.

After that, they all left the backyard. You can also see the guild officers starting to repair the backy, which was messy because of Wolly's strength. Wolly's group was directed by Julie through the back door so as not to create a crowd at the front door. Wolly and his group waited for the merchant's horse-drawn carriage to arrive while resting. Meanwhile, Gom went to prepare the horse carriage and the merchants to be escorted.

6

"Mayor! Report! I got news from the climbers' guild. There is a group that is conducting a climber license exam where two members get an A rank, and one member gets a possible rank above SS. I got a report from the guards patrolling the climbers' guild building." The guard in the mayor's building reported to the mayor, standing in front of an open window with cool air entering the room.

“Immediately take me to the climbers' guild! We have to hurry. "There's a possibility that they're the same group that defeated the ice dragon," Mayor Andrew thought quickly when he received the report. Because he couldn't just ignore this, especially if the incident occurred in the city area he was responsible for.

While Mayor Andrew was preparing, a loud noise came from the Climbers Guild. Because the mayor's building and the climbers' guild were not too far away, when Wolly carried out an attack to test his strength and succeeded in splitting two large trees and causing the backyard to be affected by his attack, the mayor, who was in his building, could hear it quite clearly.

“What is that!?” Mayor Andrew was shocked.

“It seems like something happened at the climbers' guild." The guard said.

“We have to hurry!" Said Mayor Andrew. Then he and several guards came out of his room with very fast steps along the corridor of the mayor's building.

They went to the climber guild building on foot because the distance between the mayor's building and the climbers' guild was not far. Following the main road leading north, walking on the sidewalk that looked very friendly for pedestrians in the city. With a fairly cold wind, they finally arrived right in front of the climbers' guild building.

A very different view when Wolly and her group arrived in front of the climbers' guild building than when the mayor and the guard were in front of the building. Currently, in front of the climbers' guild building, it looks very crowded, so the mayor and the guard find it difficult to enter the building. Until finally, the guard shouted and tried to calm the situation. After the situation calmed down, the mayor and the guard were able to enter the building. It turned out that inside the building, it looked calmer and quieter than before. But it looks like the guild officers are very busy.

“Mayor! Why did you come here?” Julie was surprised to see the mayor and immediately approached him. Holding a stack of papers in both hands, she asked the mayor.

“Julie! Where are they?? Where is the group with one of their members who has a rank above SS rank?" Mayor Andrew looked in a hurry and asked Julie.

“Why is the mayor looking for them? They are currently on their way to the capital to take the third stage of the climbers' license test," said Julie, who looked confused.

“It seems I'm late... do you know who they are?" Mayor Andrew was seen sitting up suddenly with his hands holding his head because he felt late and asked Julie.

“I have no idea, but they are very strong. Even a girl who has an E rank in their group is very strong. What I can say is that her strength is on par with those who have an A rank," Julie answered.

“After hearing your answer, I am even more convinced. They are the group that defeated the Ice Dragon that was being widely discussed at the harbor this morning. Okay, thank you, Julie. I will be back later. Send my regards to Gom." After chatting for a while with Julie, Mayor Andrew decided to return to the mayor's office and get back to work.

“Have a nice day, Mayor!" Julie bowed her head as the mayor excused himself and returned to his building.

7

A few minutes ago, Wolly's group was waiting for the horse-drawn carriage that they would escort to the capital.

“How long will it take us to reach the capital?" Wolly asked. At the same time, she was tidying up some of the things in his bag.

“Hmmm... as far as I remember, it was about a week's journey." Grisyela tried to remember and answer.

“So it's that far, huh? Hahaha," Dwargo laughed as he ate the sweet snack he had.

“Since we just got a large stock of food from the merchants, it seems more than enough for our trip to the capital. After that, we'll replenish the supplies we must bring to Mount Jeevan." Luvicer was seen taking notes while standing. While Grisyela was seen sitting on the ground casually.

Wolly in her heart enjoyed the journey so far. She was accompanied by several friends who previously did not know each other until no, when they became a group together. This made her remember when in her previous life she planned to climb the mountain alone, but when she was at the base camp, she met people who became close to her until they climbed the mountain together to the top. In the cold air at Porta Town, Wolly remembered her past.

A moment later, the sound of a horse-drawn carriage could be heard from a distance. Slowly, the horse-drawn carriage came into view of Wolly and her group. The horse-drawn carriage looked quite large because it looked like it was carrying a lot of goods. Starting from vegetables and fruit, to several livestock such as chickens, ducks, and two goats.

The horse-drawn carriage was pulled by two large horses. The horse-drawn carriage has enough front seats for two people and a little space in the back, which is enough for two to four people. The horse-drawn carriage was seen using tires that were specifically used in winter, like this. With the addition of a sharp chain to prevent slipping when on slippery roads due to frozen roads from melting snow.

In the front seat was a merchant who owned the horse-drawn carriage. He often travels to the capital to sell his merchandise and also check on the condition of his business in the capital. Unlike a rich merchant in luxurious clothes, he only wore simple clothes. Thick clothes to ward off the winter cold. The merchant's name is Viyapari. His hair is a little gray, which shows that he is entering old age, but his physique and body posture look very fit.

“Alright, you will travel right now to the capital. Looks like I don't need to warn of any danger to all of." Gom gave his final greeting before the horse-drawn carriage that would be escorted by Wolly and her group left for the Capital.

The horse carriage moved quickly north from Porta Town. The closer you get to the north of Porta Town, the more you can see the huge cliffs surrounding Porta Town. On the cliff, you can also see several buildings standing right on the cliff with the help of supports such as very sturdy wood. A path built by humans leads to the top of the cliff. The road can only be traversed on foot because the road is made of wooden structures that are made like stairs, usually found in luxury homes. Some residents also live around the cliff. Because from a distance, it looks like there are very dense settlements on the side of the cliff.

Arriving at the northernmost point of Porta Town, you can see a large cliff that has split so that, in the middle, a large road forms a connection in and out of Porta Town. There is a fairly large gate that is open at all times, but is guarded by several guards who appear to have their weapons placed at their waists. Swords were the standard weapon used by city guards.

Before leaving Porta Town, each horse-drawn carriage is checked and recorded by the guard. However, because Viyapari's horse-drawn carriage often goes in and out of Porta Town, the process doesn't need to take long. The guards recognized Viyapari, so they had no suspicions. However, if foreigners pass by, they will be checked strictly.

After passing the inspection at the north gate of the port town, Wolly and her group, along with the horse-drawn carriage they were escorting, moved quickly towards the north over the large cliff. The way out of the cliff was slightly uphill, so the horse had to exert extra energy. However, to reduce the load, Wolly and the group decided to go down first until the horse-drawn carriage finally managed to get over the cliff and out of the port town.