The Mystic Tower had a total of 8 floors that categorized tasks from least to most difficult.
Hidden Death Valley was a place for geniuses, but not all geniuses had the same starting point or classifications. For instance, there were even kids in Hidden Death Valley who hadn't reached 16 yet.
The lowest floor's tasks were doable even by 2nd class beings. These were usually patrol tasks or cleanup tasks in the portion of Death Emperor Star that'd already been claimed by the academy.
The difficulty of tasks jumped with every floor one climbed in the Mystic Tower. By the 5th floor, tasks began appearing that even the strongest 3rd class beings couldn't face.
Damien didn't stop at the 5th floor, though. These tasks were around the level an early 4th class being could handle, but that didn't apply to him. The tasks he wanted could only be on the 6th floor.
The 7th floor was for late-stage or even peak 4th-class experts. As for the 8th floor, only extreme peak 4th-class masters and Demigods had the right to enter.
Damien wasn't curious about these floors. He was well aware that he could only flee if he encountered a late-stage 4th-class master. As for those above that level, he didn't even have to mention it. It'd be instant death.
The 6th floor alone was more than enough for his strength level. The tasks he saw weren't small, after all.
Slaying powerful demonic beasts, exploring mystical environments, capturing heavenly materials that'd been sighted, the tasks were numerous and varied, giving Damien almost too many options to choose from.
But he didn't take nearly as long as he expected to make a choice. When his eyes landed on a single task, he couldn't peel them away anymore.
Explore the Emperor Bone Sea
The Emperor Bone Sea has remained unexplored even with Hidden Death Valley's continued existence. Explore and map the sea to your best abilities. Contribution point rewards will vary depending on the detail and precision of the plotted map along with any other provided insights.
Base Reward: 100 contribution points per 1000 kilometers of explored area.
Of the present tasks, this one was perhaps the vaguest. After all, there was no clear agenda in this exploration. The only requirement was to map the area as one explored.
The fact that nobody took the mission despite the presumable ease of its contents made Damien wonder about the Emperor Bone Sea's existence. If it was truly a place where mid-level 4th-class beings couldn't survive, it wouldn't be on the 6th floor of the Mystic Tower.
But at the same time, if the environment was survivable, this task wouldn't be available for Damien to choose from.
'Still, I've always wanted to explore the seas. Even before the World Awakening, we didn't know much about the seas on earth. Comparatively, the seas of Death Emperor Star have probably existed for thousands of times longer. The mysteries hidden in their depths…'
While the arrangement of planets changed as Earth integrated with the rest of the Human Domain, it was still true that earthlings knew more about space than their own oceans. The information they'd gained on celestial bodies, save for the more mystical elements like World Cores, was mostly true.
Yet, the oceans still remained a mystery.
Especially with the intrusion of mana, large bodies of water like oceans and seas weren't even explored by the strongest humans. With the brutality of the ocean's atmosphere, it was unknown if even a Demigod could survive its deepest depths.
Even Damien's bound World Cores refused to allow him to explore the ocean with his awareness using them as mediums.
But this was exactly what made Damien anticipate exploring it so much.
New civilizations completely untouched by non-aquatic life, new environments and ecosystems that functioned in a completely different manner than those on land, the thought of discovering these things made Damien's spirit of adventure light up with fervor.
After getting Zara's opinion and confirming that she didn't mind this task, he immediately accepted it.
Accepting tasks from the Mystic Tower was too easy. Damien merely had to bring the mission paper up to his identity token, thereafter having it scanned and recorded in his student log. For the next month, this mission was reserved for him. If he was unable to complete it and/or return in that time, the mission would be returned to the board.
Damien left the Mystic Tower feeling refreshed. The Mystic Tower and mission board reminded him of the half a year he spent as an adventurer on Apeiron. It was a nostalgic feeling that made him feel giddy and young.
For the rest of the day, Damien took Zara around Star City to explore its various sights and enjoyed its delicacies. They even visited a sort of virtual reality game cafe where they entered a simulation and messed around to their hearts' content.
Day turned to night, the artificial sunlight bathing Hidden Death Valley vanishing over the pseudo-horizon. When darkness overcame the area, Star City became ablaze with light.
"Wow…" Zara muttered as she watched the city glow. She'd never seen anything like it before.
Damien couldn't help but whistle as well. While he'd seen plenty of futuristic technologies in the unnamed world, that world's denizens lacked aesthetic sense. They built every building with practicality and functionality as their only thoughts.
A scene like this one, the beauty of technology, only Chongqing on Earth could compare to even a fraction of this city's magnificence.
"This isn't a moment to be wasted. Come, let's go see what the city has in store for us!" Damien exclaimed with excitement.
"Mm!" Zara hummed in agreement. She grabbed his hand and ran into the skyline, happily laughing as she enjoyed the ambiance they'd created.
The two were like children at their first amusement park. They let go of all worries, all cares about face, all responsibilities, and took just a single night to enjoy themselves to the fullest. They drank, they danced, they turned the city into their playground.
And by the time they arrived in front of Damien's dorm room, they could barely be considered sober.
"Damiennn~" Zara slurred, "I feel funny~"
She felt tingly and giddy all over. Her head was spinning, but that just made the world more fun. Whenever she had a thought, she'd find it exiting her mouth in the next second. She found it funny how little control she had over her inhibitions at the moment.
Her first time getting tipsy was an experience she wouldn't forget…at least, as long as she didn't drink until she dropped.
Damien held onto her with his arm wrapped around her shoulder, supporting her movements. Watching Zara clumsily maneuver herself, he burst out into a fit of laughter.
"Whaaat~? What's so funny? Show me, show me~!" Zara said, shaking him as she did so.
"Nothing, nothing," Damien responded while trying to hide his laughter. "You seem to be having fun tonight."
"Of couurse~!" Zara responded, "human drinks are…very fun…!"'
Damien shook his head smilingly. He had to make a mental note to keep Zara away from alcohol. But, that could wait for a different day.
Tonight, they would do anything they wanted and celebrate the start of a new journey.
As the two moved to enter Damien's dorm room, however, a voice suddenly rang out from behind them.
"You…are you Damien Void?"
