This chapter provides such a cool contrast between the two worlds! The image of an Ogre helping build a cabin is a great touch.
Here is the grammar correction for this part. I've focused on keeping your narrative voice while fixing the tense shifts and refining the punctuation for a smoother read.
Grammar Correction
"What do you think is up with all of this?" Walking along a path in the middle of the forest, Zeke looked at Solomon in confusion, wondering what they were doing.
After they encountered the mysterious man, they had suddenly found themselves traveling with him. Although he looked messy, it was obvious that it was on purpose—the style he chose. His hair was as brown as the soil below them, just like the long brown coat he was wearing. At his side was a massive staff, a quarter taller than he was, held by his right hand. It was clear that he was well taken care of, simply by looking at his clothing and demeanor. He didn't seem like a guy who lived in the wild.
As of now, James and the other Trailblazers were talking to the man as they walked ahead of everyone.
"I don't know… more so, with the presence of that thing, I can't help but feel anxious," Solomon said as he flicked his head to the side, pointing at something behind him with his lips.
Caw!
"That phoenix…" he whispered.
A few minutes ago, the moment they had entered through the gate, one of the scouts had started to shout in panic, pointing directly upwards to call everyone's attention. Hearing the urgency in his voice, everyone had looked up only to see a massive bird engulfed in flames hovering over them. Not wasting any time, almost half of those who could attack at that range did.
However, every single attack—even from Julius—was reflected by what seemed to be a barrier.
"Wait!" the mysterious man had screamed as a light blue glow hovered at the tip of his wand. Judging from that simple exchange, everyone knew that he had singlehandedly managed to block multiple attacks from top manifesters combined.
"That's my friend!" In an instant, he had glided upwards with his wand still in his arms, but now it projected a white, translucent wing-like structure attached to his back.
"What the fu… can we really do this?" Zeke whispered under his breath. His eyes were shaking as he stared directly at the mysterious man.
"Do what?" Solomon asked, finding Zeke's reply weird.
"He's a friend, the stranger says. Surely he's telling us the truth," Solomon said sarcastically.
"I'm sorry, everyone. He didn't mean to scare you." The mysterious man patted the burning head of the massive bird. He wore an awkward smile as he turned his head towards everyone else. Although everyone deemed it strange, they paused their attack thanks to the mysterious man's demeanor.
"This is a pet I raised since I was young. He's the protector of Gaia, together with me and my friends," the mysterious man said with a caring smile.
"Gaia?" someone in the party asked.
"Yes! That'll be our kingdom!" the mysterious man proudly announced.
I knew it…. Solomon thought.
The others who were with them only grew more curious as questions started to flow through their heads. Another civilization?
As their curiosity started to overflow, questions began to flood in.
"Are you from Earth?" "What's your name?" "What's that bird?" "Did you tame a monster?"
Finding the sudden surge of questions overwhelming, the mysterious man decided to bring order first.
"Uh, I'll answer everyone's questions! But first, why don't you guys follow me to our city?" he proposed, his face more honest than anyone Solomon had seen before.
Many thought deeply about whether to accept his proposal or not. They weren't sure if they could trust a man who had a creature of Mythical strength or above as a pet. After deeper consideration, everyone decided to go check it out, led by the Trailblazers, of course.
….
Solomon and Zeke, in particular, remained silent, still highly suspicious of everything. They were both focused inside their own heads as they walked through what seemed to be an endless forest.
"Hey, Undying." A casual voice called out to him from the back.
Although it had been a long time since he was able to hear that name, he still narrowed down the owner to three different people. Without wasting any time figuring out who it was, a man with hair as crimson as his eyes and wings growing off his back looked at him with a friendly smile.
Julius Azazel, the Demon King. A Trailblazer.
"Yo, DK! I thought you forgot about me since you've been snubbing me since earlier," Solomon replied with his usual cheeky attitude.
"How can I forget my savior just like that? My body would've been stuck on the 25th floor if not for you." Julius smiled. He knew that Solomon had always been like that, so he knew to take his words lightly.
Solomon slowed down his pace and matched Julius's speed. He then placed his left arm on Julius's shoulder before he took a peek at the jet-black, draconic-looking wings behind his back.
"Do you not get tired of partial shifting all the time?"
"I'm used to it. I can keep it up forever without losing stamina now. Besides, what if someone suddenly attacks? It's not like I can regenerate like you."
"But you're really impressive, you know," Julius said, looking at the hard soil they were walking on.
With that statement, Solomon stared at Julius, wondering what he meant.
"You managed to reach so high with only a Common manifestation. You're one in eight billion—or whatever's left of humanity at this point." Julius laughed a little, trying to make light of the situation. This was always how Solomon operated, so he tried to match his energy.
However, it seemed Solomon could barely hear the joke. His mind dwelled on that first sentence.
I only made it this far because of the piles of bodies those closest to me offered up to be my stepping stones, he thought, as a bitter smile formed on his lips.
"Yeah…"
…
An awkward silence formed between them. If Solomon had an Epic manifestation, he could've reached the strongest twenty, and maybe he could've saved more of his loved ones. Despite his friendly demeanor, Solomon took losing those closest to him harder than anyone else. Although he was ruthless to his enemies, he had a very deep sense of loyalty and friendship.
…
"I'm quite talented, aren't I?"
Unexpectedly, as if his bitter smile was just an act, Solomon smacked Julius's nape as his usual smug smile formed on his face.
…
"We're here!" The mysterious man who called himself Merlin looked back from his conversation with the other Trailblazers—particularly James, Ron, and Kath. "Welcome to the capital city of humans!" he said with a big smile on his face.
In front of them was a massive overhead arch with a sign on top that read the words: "Welcome to Deon, the Capital City of Gaia!"
With the city now fully in their sight, everyone stared directly in front of them.
"Deon? Is that what they call their city?" "But would you look at this place, man…" one of the members in their party uttered in disbelief.
The buildings weren't much different from what they had back in their world. The common buildings had a very fantasy vibe, just like cabins built with wood and stone bricks. The extravagant areas were carved in marble with different designs. They had a very old taste—a medieval or almost Victorian taste in their architecture. The only major difference was that castles and cabins seemed to be more of the trend here, while back in their Terra, modern Earth designs showed up here and there in extravagant places. Though there was still a wide range of cultures scattered around; some architecture clearly had Asian influences despite the main Western style of the city.
However, what made them open their mouths in awe was not the difference in structures or the number of humans that walked around the city; it was the creatures that were with them. Beasts of different sizes roamed the surrounding area. Rapid Bunnies from Floor 2, Corrupted Slimes from Floor 6—even an Ogre from the 9th Floor was helping with constructing a cabin along the road.
It was truly a wonder seeing humans somehow coexist with the same creatures that they've been killing for the past twenty years. It was unbelievable; it was as if the world, for all they knew, was backwards.
Seeing everyone's expression, Merlin turned to the side with a proud smile, puffing his chest.
"Electric Jumping Spider for sale! Litterbox trained!" "Quality leashes for sale!" "Buy 10 now! For every 10 bags of monster food bought, you get one free!"
Walking through the pavement, everyone in the party couldn't help but be amazed by the sights. Creatures they'd seen before and creatures they hadn't—it didn't matter. They were all sitting, walking, and playing around with humans as if monsters were just pets.
"Woah, what the hell… look!" A man at the front then shouted in awe, pointing directly in front of them, grabbing the attention of everyone who had been looking to the side watching the people of Gaia.
As everyone looked ahead, they all soon realized why that man was shouting like that.
In the middle of what seemed to be the town center, its massive silhouette hidden by the thick frame of the surrounding buildings, a massive floating mass of dirt and rocks hovered above everything else. Chains connected it to the ground, where it floated only a few meters high—just a little over most of the surrounding buildings—explaining why they couldn't see it from afar.
"A floating island?! Seriously? This thing is probably half a kilometer in diameter."
But as manifesters who could float and fly decided to take a closer look, they couldn't help but feel even more shocked as an entire castle stood mighty in the middle of the island, with creatures that oozed auras that matched those of Legendary monsters.
"Welcome to my castle!" With a lighthearted greeting, Merlin pointed both his arms toward the floating island.
"Though I'd love to invite everyone here, Guinevere isn't really too keen on the idea. So, forgive me this once, for I can only take three with me! That's one each for me, Guinevere, and Arthur to guard," Merlin explained.
Although there were some complaints at first, everyone quieted down since they understood the reason. Inviting unknown individuals inside their homes did sound crazy. But they were still annoyed that they couldn't see that freakish structure up close.
With further deliberation, Kath, James, and Ron were all voted as their representatives.
Just a little later, Merlin waved his wooden wand in a circular motion before tapping the center of the circle. Then the same wings he had on earlier appeared behind James and the rest, giving them the ability to soar through the skies.
"Now what do we do?" Zeke asked with a hint of disappointment on his face.
"Well, we got an entirely new world in front of us. Let's explore."