A day has passed since the Instance Dungeon event, and now I’m soaring through the sky on Cloud’s back, heading toward the nearest unidentified Ancient Pillar.

  After we cleared the Instance Dungeon, the W-2 marking on the map changed to W-3, indicating that the world had leveled up again.

  As a result, we can now summon creatures to help explore further locations.

  Additionally, the map has expanded to reveal the regional area where Maceria is located.

  Though the details are sparse, it clearly highlights the Ancient Pillar locations and dungeons.

  Yesterday, Earl and I spent the entire day figuring out the new features unlocked by the world’s level-up.

  Meanwhile, Guild Master Gray encouraged our friends to take a break.

  Dia spent half the day sleeping and the other half training Rain in combat.

  Ash sought my advice on improving his swordsmanship, so I gave him some tips and a simplified version of my daily training routine.

  Claire and Neil decided to use the time to study and master their newly acquired skills.

  As I got lost in thought, Earl suddenly spoke up.

  "Big Brother, do you think we should gather the Endless members?" he asked.

  "I was thinking the same," I replied.

  "If we want to take down regional and eventually world bosses, we’ll need a strong team", I added.

  "Wait, Big Brother, check your map," Earl said abruptly.

  "The Ancient Pillar that was gray earlier is now a pale green", he continued.

  I glanced at my map and confirmed what he was talking about, several Ancient Pillar locations had shifted to a faint green hue.

  "Doesn’t green usually indicate an active location?" I muttered.

  "Normally, yes, but doesn’t it also mean something else?" Earl pointed out.

  "Red marks enemies, blue indicates allies, and green represents guild members," I recalled.

  That was the standard color scheme during guild wars and group events.

  "Exactly! That means there’s a good chance we have guild members at those locations," Earl said excitedly.

  To confirm our theory, we checked with our friends to see how those areas appeared on their maps.

  As expected, they all saw them as gray.

  Earl grinned, his excitement growing. If our guess was correct, some of our missing guild members might be at those locations.

  Especially after I mentioned meeting Deirka, the possibility seemed even more real.

  After all, Earl had acted as Proxy Guild Master for two years after I left for America.

  Endless didn’t start as a massive guild, it began with just ten members, including Earl and me, six short of a full raid team.

  Those eight others eventually became our guild officers when our numbers grew after winning several guild wars.

  For both of us, Endless was more than just a guild, it was our second home, a place where we spent countless hours fighting, strategizing, and bonding with our comrades.

  "Having even a few of our guild officers with us would be a huge advantage when tackling dungeons and labyrinths," Earl said.

  "Yeah, in our current situation, knowledge is just as important as skills and techniques," I agreed.

  "While most people are still trying to figure out how things work, the veterans are already doing their best to overcome the challenges."

  "Should we check each location?" Earl asked.

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  "I think we should. There's still a lot we need to figure out, and exploring is the best way to get answers," I said.

  "But I don't think we should bring the others yet since we have no idea what we'll find there", I suggested.

  "That's true, Big Brother," Earl nodded.

  "But didn’t you just leave them behind a few days ago to go into an instance dungeon alone? I doubt they’ll accept the same reasoning again”, he added.

  Earl was always good at understanding people.

  "How about we tell them I’m accompanying you to get your Advanced Class?" I suggested.

  "That might work," Earl considered.

  "Since none of them are high enough level to get an Advanced Class yet, and the monsters in those areas are far too strong for them", he explained.

  "But that won't work on Dia," he commented.

  "Which is why we’ll tell her the truth and ask her to guard Maceria while we're gone," I said.

  "I hope she agrees. I’d feel bad leaving both Maceria and Castor Town undefended," Earl admitted.

  After Dia finished training Rain, we went to her place to explain everything.

  It took quite a bit of convincing, but in the end, she agreed to stay behind.

  I also informed Old Man Gray about our trip to the unknown Ancient Pillar location.

  He was initially worried about me going alone, but once he found out Earl was coming too, his expression brightened.

  He assured me that he and the other adventurers would handle things in Maceria and Castor Town.

  And with that, Earl and I set off, riding Cloud toward the Ancient Pillar marked in pale green on both our maps.

  Earl remained cautious, scanning our surroundings as we flew.

  Flying wasn’t exactly safe back in Arcadia Online.

  The skies were filled with monsters even stronger than the ones on land, mostly wyverns and giant birds, with the occasional dragon.

  Cloud wasn't built for combat, but in terms of speed, the white wyvern was one of the fastest.

  As planned, we made our first stop at the Black Mountains Ranges to complete Earl’s Archmage advancement quest.

  Since he could handle the area solo, it only took a few hours for him to finish.

  I stayed on support, using my Enchanter buffs and keeping watch to ensure his safety while he fought off Black Knights and Emeth.

  "Big Brother, I’m an Archmage now!" Earl announced happily, launching several Lightning Lances at a group of newly spawned Black Knights.

  The bolts of lightning tore through their armor as if it were paper.

  Unlike Mages, who rely on slower spells that require creativity and precision to land on opponents.

  Archmages wield spells that are faster, more accurate, and significantly more powerful.

  Some of their spells don’t even require precise aiming due to their massive Area of Effect.

  Many Archmage spells have instant incantations, meaning they activate the moment their name is called like the Elemental Lances.

  However, the true strength of an Archmage lies in their ability to cast long-incantation, natural disaster-level spells such as Firestorm, Blizzard, Earthquake, Hurricane, and Torrential Rain.

  The only downside is that these devastating spells affect everything in their range, including allies.

  The only safe zone is the small three-meter radius around the caster, making these spells risky in chaotic battles where teammates are scattered.

  "I still need a few more levels before I can learn those spells," Earl said.

  "I'm sure you'll reach the required level soon," I reassured him.

  "Should we head to the unknown Ancient Pillar location now?" Earl asked.

  "Let’s eat lunch first," I said, handing him the food I had bought earlier at the Bellflower Diner.

  We took a break, enjoying our meal for about half an hour before setting off again on Cloud.

  "Big Brother, if our hunch is right, which guild member do you think we’ll run into?" Earl asked.

  "It could be Deirka since I already met him in the Instance Dungeon," I said.

  "How about you? Who do you hope to see?"

  "I’d be happy to meet any of our members, but if I could choose… I’d want to see Big Sister Kuro," he admitted.

  "Kuro, huh?" I said thoughtfully.

  "If we meet her, we’ll definitely have a powerhouse on our side," I added.

  Kuro, known as The Black Witch, was another spellcasting specialist, but unlike Earl, she specialized in curses.

  Like him, she was one of the guild’s first ten members, and from what Earl had told me, she became the proxy Vice Guild Master after I left.

  In terms of sheer strength, she was probably even more powerful than Earl when she’s serious.

  After all, she was one of the few players capable of wiping out an entire guild single-handedly, earning her the alias Gorgon during the first Alliance War.

  We had been on good terms, and she was the one who created most of my clothing equipment in Arcadia Online.

  But if I remember correctly… she wasn’t exactly thrilled when I left to the US.

  I glanced at my current gear status and reconsidered.

  Maybe I wasn’t quite ready to meet her yet.

  Or at the very least, if I did run into her, I’d quickly switch to my Enchanter class before she saw me.