Evelyn's POV
When the fight with the Goblin King ended, something changed within my original body—I broke through to Stage Four.
At that time, I was training the villagers' children alongside Marcus and Lina. I suddenly had to stop everything I was doing and stand still as my core began forming inside my soul. The process lasted only ten breaths, yet it felt like a lifetime to me.
At the same time, my copy—Arthur—underwent the same change, his own core forming as well. But because it happened so quickly, no one noticed. Officially, Arthur was still considered only half as strong as me, roughly equal to a Stage Three cultivator. Yet in truth, his mana reserves were immense—five times greater than the average Stage Four. While my overall mana volume hadn't truly increased, the quality and density of my reserves had improved significantly compared to when I was at Stage Two. For simplicity, this method of comparison is how most people measure and explain the amount of mana one possesses.
Just as my original body celebrated this achievement, Arthur was meeting with the Adventurers' Guild leader. He was a man at the peak of Stage Five cultivation—brown-eyed, black-haired, six feet ten inches tall, and built like a walking fortress. His name was William. After congratulating me for defeating the Goblin King, he handed me a silver adventurer's card.
William infused it with his mana before passing it over. "This recognizes you as a Stage Four adventurer, in line with your cultivation. Insert your personal details—name, age—and bring it to the nearest guild branch to make it official. From then on, the card will serve as your identification, your record of quests, and even your account for receiving payments. Adventurers can withdraw their earnings as gold coins whenever needed."
Curious, I asked, "Why didn't the knights handle this instead of sending adventurers?"
William chuckled, his voice deep and rough. "Because politics moves slower than war. To deploy a knight order, the king and his council of nobles would have to convene and approve it. That takes time. Adventurers, on the other hand, can mobilize immediately. We are the first response—stalling or settling an issue before it spirals. Only if we fail are the knights allowed to act."
He leaned back, arms crossed. "Most adventurers are Stage Two or Three cultivators. The elite ones reach Stage Four, like you. As for me, a guild leader, I've managed to push to Stage Five. Compare that to the knights—an ordinary knight is Stage Four, while their commanders are Stage Six. Sending them against goblins would have been overkill. The Goblin King, after all, was only a little stronger than Stage Three."
After leaving William's tent, which doubled as his office, I was greeted by Alice, Adam, Jenny, and Alex. They smiled and congratulated me warmly.
Still, not everyone around us shared in that joy. The rewards for this campaign were generous, enough to make many adventurers wealthy. Yet for some, no amount of gold could replace the friends and family they had lost in battle. Their grief was quiet, but it weighed heavily in the air. Such was the life of an adventurer—death always lurked close, and each of us learned to carry its shadow.
With the mission settled, I chose to join Alice's team. Together, we would travel to the nearest town to rest, resupply, and collect our payment at the Adventurers' Guild. It was also the perfect chance to submit my new card for official registration.
As I walked alongside them, I reflected silently. Stage Four wasn't new to me—I had reached this level once before in my past life as a Hero. But now, I stood on the threshold of uncharted territory. Every step beyond this point would lead me into power I had never touched before.
And this time, I intended to surpass it.