A dungeon core appeared

As the five friends stood at the ship's bow, Tepo smiled lightly.

"And? Anyone interested in Tondka's offer?"

"Hmpf. In his dreams!", snorted Yerive.

Parton also nodded:

"Too dangerous."

"I wouldn't reject joining a first strike team, but not Tondka's. Who knows what that slimy man is planning.", stated Ganaph.

"Hmm?", wondered Nocia. "Why have I never realized you were this good at reading people?"

"I'm not! I just follow my father's advice: Don't trust any pretty boys."

Laughing happily the friends arrived at the bow. Tepo couldn't help himself as he marveled at the paradisical sight. It would take a long time before he was tired of the World of Carrying Winds.

"By the way, what's up with you Tepo?", sounded Ganaph's amused voice.

"Right, how could you trip earlier. We already confirmed that Mr. Isend is driving."

"You have to be more careful. If you are nervous, your chances of awakening might be impacted. Maybe you should meditate a bit."

Listening to his friends' concern, even the coldhearted Tepo felt touched. He felt reminded of his comrades back in the army, where they all had each other's back. He hoped that he could protect this precious feeling in his second life.

Even if the friends lost sight of each other, the veteran would make sure to check on them once in a while.

"Thanks guy, but don't worry. I'm fine."

The other's nodded slightly. They couldn't force Tepo after all. If he said he was fine, he should know what he was doing.

Only Nocia mustered Tepmodus' face. She had this nagging feeling that something was strange about her friend today. But she couldn't put a finger on it.

Being stared at by a beautiful young woman was normally something Tepmodus enjoyed, but right now he had to do his best not to raise any suspicions. Recalling his memories he didn't feel like he behaved much different from the 'old' Tepo. In the first place their characters were almost identical bar some maturity.

But could it be that Nocia actually detected something? What a sharp perception!

Suddenly shouts of surprise rang out. A small commotion ensued and caught everyone's attention. Tepo thanked his luck as Nocia turned away.

The five friends followed Ganaph's finger as she excitedly pointed at something in the distance.

Tepo frowned slightly, his eyes focusing on a baffling scene. There, in the sky a small, black hole had opened up. Nothing could be seen beyond it, but suddenly a mysterious, shining ball fell through.

As soon as the small object appeared, the traffic grew chaotic. Multiple smaller ships left the channel, trying their luck outside the artificial paths. Most of them were immediately captured by the permanent storms, losing all control.

Only a few seemingly high-quality ships braced the environment. With great difficulties they advanced, racing towards the falling ball.

This time, Tepo didn't have to deliberately search his memories as the excited crowd delivered a lot of information.

"Look up there!"

"Is this the void?"

"Yes! An opening appeared by itself. This can only mean one thing!"

"A dungeon core appeared!"

"Wow. When was the last time one appeared so close to the city?"

"At least a year, right?"

"Yes. I remember that the mayor got his hands on it the last time. It will probably be the same again."

"It must be nice having one's own territory. If your luck is good enough, money will just fall from the sky."

The crowd laughed about the last remark, but it was true. A dungeon core could form a dungeon. Even if you didn't plan on exploring it yourself, you could still sell it.

Because dungeons were random, cores were usually auctioned. Their prices could easily reach millions of force crystals. A lucky commoner would be rich overnight. Or rather dead if they were too high-profile.

Tepo took a deep breath. This sight burned into his mind. This was how dungeon cores appeared? The same dungeon cores which could form portals? Because of such an inconspicuous little ball, the whole World of Endless Depth had been doomed?

Noticing their friend shaking lightly the others thought Tepo was also full of excitement. This was a future dungeon after all!

A place full of mystery, danger, and treasure. The reason why humans formed so many organizations. The source of so many heroes' tales. It was only natural that all the youths' eyes were glued on the small ball.

The object arousing everyone's desire didn't seem to be affected by anything. If just floated in the air mysteriously, dancing in circles. It didn't follow the storms but kept its own pace.

Suddenly a small ship appeared on the horizon. With its streamlined form and shining exterior, it was obviously of a way higher quality than any other here. It soon overtook everyone, rapidly approaching the flying dungeon core. Although the competitors felt indignant, they couldn't do anything about it.

A few seconds later the ship stabilized itself amidst the storms. It waited patiently. It waited for the dungeon core to fly past it. And it wasn't left disappointed.

With perfect timing the driver jumped out of his ship. Tepo was too far aways to recognize any details but from his perspective it almost looked as if the dungeon core voluntary landed in the driver's hand.

The young man was impressed by this reaction time and strength. The ball wasn't flying slowly after all. This was the first time that Tepmodus got a feeling for the power of warriors.

The other youths on the ship were also chatting in excitement. Many of them imagined themselves in the driver's position. How cool would they look as they leisurely caught a dungeon core. This was what it meant to be a warrior!

After the driver jumped back into his ship the commotion soon died down. A few others tried to chase after him, but they quickly had to give up. Their ships were nowhere near fast enough.

Mr. Isend was also indignant. If he was driving his personal ship and not this lame rock, he surely would have gotten the core! With a belly full of anger, the driver tugged on his control stick.

Shocked exclamations sounded through the ship. Many youths hurriedly found something to hold on. A few staggered but none fell.

Some youngsters unconsciously looked at Tepo. A few eyes were poisonous, hoping to see the young man trip again. But how could the experienced soldier give them such satisfaction? Would he really fall for the same trick twice? Of course not!

With a casual step Tepo easily balanced his body. His face had a nonchalant expression as if nothing had happened. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the thumbs up Yerive was giving him.

Afterwards the journey didn't take long anymore. The youths' main topic turned towards the scene which had just happened. Many hoped that after the ceremony they would also have the capital to collect dungeon cores one day.

Tepo and his friends were also chatting about their futures. Although Parton wasn't interested in an exciting life, he, like all the others, was also looking forward to becoming a warrior. The status alone was just too important if one wanted to life in this competitive world.

About half an hour later the ship finally neared its destination. They had entered a wind channel which was rather empty most of the time, but today it was packed with ships. The few massive ships stood out more, but the number of small ships here shouldn't be underestimated.

Only the well off would come here in smaller ships. Those were youngsters trained by their respective organizations or families. They had no need for any preparatory schools.

 Normally, Tondka could also be part of them, but his father had sent him to school to from contacts early on. At the same time the young man also had to attend private gatherings to get to know the children of his appropriate social circle. It could be seen that his father had everything planned out for his son.

Tepo took a quick glance at the ships before his eyes focused on the awe-inspiring building before him. Or buildings? It was hard to tell with the way the city hall was constructed. Although it was unnecessarily flashy, the young man had to admit that he was impressed.

And how could he not be? He had never seen a building like this.

The city hall had one smaller main building which served as the entrance. Behind it a slow-moving whirlwind carried many smaller buildings which at most contained one or two rooms. Only in the whirlwind's eye were a few unmoving, bigger rooms. Those offered the spaces which could be used to auction dungeon cores or hold the awakening ceremony.

As the big ship finally arrived at the city hall, the group of youths gradually quieted down. Tension spread among them. The awakening ceremony was now within reach.