As Jibril left with a face full of frustration, Riku, who was now several kilometers away, finally let out a heavy sigh. He leaned against a tree, wiping the cold sweat from his brow. His muscles ached, and his breathing was ragged—this was his first full-powered battle since he gained his abilities, and it had been brutal.
"That... was way too close," Riku muttered, glancing around cautiously. The battle with Jibril had tested every ounce of his strength. He wasn't some experienced fighter, but somehow, he'd survived. Hell, he'd even managed to outmaneuver her a few times.
In a strange way, he felt proud.
Still, his lack of combat experience was painfully obvious. He'd been winging it half the time. Yet, things had gone according to plan, and the fact that nothing catastrophic happened made him feel lucky. If his calculations had been even slightly off, he would've paid the price for it. Now, though, the exhaustion hit him like a tidal wave.
"I'm completely wiped out," Riku said, his legs threatening to give way. Using so many ultimate moves in succession drained him. He wasn't used to controlling this much power, and his body was reminding him of that fact with every step.
At least the Chaos Energy Seed was working, slowly restoring his strength without triggering any hostile magical responses from nearby elves. If it weren't for that, recovering would've been next to impossible.
"Alright, time to find some treasure chests," Riku muttered to himself, pulling up the map. His purple eyes scanned the glowing icons. He had the Dwarf's telescope, and with Shambhala, there was no need to rush back. It was better to search for treasure chests and grow stronger.
"I just need to stay far enough from that crazy Flügel," he thought, imagining Jibril's unhinged grin. The last thing he needed was another confrontation. Her mastery of space meant she could sense him whenever he used spatial abilities. He'd only managed to escape last time by triggering an explosion to mask his presence.
After taking a series of detours to stay out of Jibril's detection range, Riku found himself hundreds of kilometers away. He'd been flying all day, but it was better to be cautious than dead. On the way, he'd crossed paths with several demons but avoided conflict, still not recovered enough to take risks after his last fight.
Eventually, he stood atop a mountain, the cold wind biting into his skin. Before him, nestled in the snow, was a silver treasure chest.
"Finally," Riku breathed out, relieved. He'd been scouring for treasure all day, opening a few bronze chests along the way, but his luck so far had been... questionable.
The first chest contained a pack of panties.
Riku stared at the item for a solid minute, torn between disbelief and laughter. Was this system messing with him? What was he supposed to do with this? March up to Couronne and hand it over with a smile? She'd probably kill him on the spot for being a creep.
The second chest wasn't much better: a box of instant Noodles. At least it was food. Food was valuable, especially in this chaotic world, but what he needed right now was something to boost his strength, not instant noodles.
Finally, the third chest offered something decent—Swordsmanship Proficiency. Now that was useful. Riku had been flailing his sword around like a beginner, something Jibril had mockingly pointed out. This skill upgrade would help him hold his own in a fight.
"I swear, if this silver chest doesn't give me something useful, I'm going to lose it," Riku muttered as he placed his hand on the cold metal.
The silver chest clicked open, and light spilled out, forming into a small glowing orb.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for opening the silver treasure chest! You have obtained: Divine Escape Talisman.]
A system notification echoed in his mind, and Riku's eyes widened as he absorbed the information. The Divine Escape Talisman would let him bypass any barriers, escape across vast distances, and become invisible for an hour, completely erasing his presence.
"Now this is what I'm talking about!" Riku grinned. "With this, I could get out of almost any situation."
Then he paused, frowning. "Wait, why am I so excited about running away? That's not the kind of guy I'm supposed to be."
He slapped a hand to his forehead, realizing how much his battle with Jibril had warped his thinking. Ever since that fight, all his thoughts had revolved around survival and escape. But he had bigger things to accomplish than just running for his life.
"I'm not here to run," Riku muttered, clenching his fist. "I'm here to win."
His eyes drifted back to the map, now eyeing a specific target—the platinum treasure chest located deep within the Elves' capital. It was a risky move. Even with the Divine Escape Talisman, the capital was heavily guarded by some of the strongest magic users in the world. Sure, he could get through the barrier, but that didn't mean it would be easy.
And besides, if things went as they did in the original history, Jibril would level the Elf Kingdom within the year, leaving him plenty of time to snag that platinum chest later.
"Maybe I should go after the Dwarves next," Riku thought, a wicked grin spreading across his face. Their warships were incredibly valuable, loaded with cutting-edge tech. If he could get his hands on them, he'd be swimming in exchange points.
[Ding! Warning: Items currently in the possession of others cannot be recycled.]
"Of course not," Riku muttered in disappointment. "This broken system has rules for everything, doesn't it?"
The Dwarves were a high-tech race, their advanced sensors might detect him before he could even get close. Too risky, for now at least.
His gaze drifted across the map once more, settling on a familiar territory. There was one race he hadn't considered yet...
"Looks like I've found my next target," Riku whispered, his eyes gleaming with determination.
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