Clear and wise. The Dark Land held more treasures than mentioned in the novel, offering limitless potential for discovery.
Nevertheless, he was determined to claim the next treasure, one that would bring him closer to forming a Mana Heart. While the goal seemed far off, he hadn't lost sight of the challenges ahead.
Even with the advantage of his memories, he still felt awe and exhilaration at the wonders of this fantasy world.
Shrugging as he searched for another group of monsters, a chill ran through his skin.
The Dark Land, with its average humidity and temperature, made such chills uncommon without reason. As he walked, he sensed that danger loomed once more.
'Danger in the Dark Land… Could this be instinct guiding me to the next treasure? The one I've truly been seeking?'
"I know the Lost Scroll of the First Mage is hard to find. Its drop rate is practically nonexistent, and the character who obtained it in the novel was ridiculously lucky to become significant just by finding such a treasure."
Smiling as an opportunity presented itself, he saw a goblin standing before him with a ferocious expression. He remarked, "Well, I don't need luck. I'll work for it."
Swaying his hands through the air repeatedly, he summoned a blade of wind. Its sharp, razoring sound reverberated like a revving engine. As he refined its form, the sound softened, becoming thin and high-pitched.
With a long, zooming sound akin to a supercar accelerating, the blade shot forward, swift and precise, directly toward the goblin.
Blood splattered, but Vonn didn't flinch. He felt only a fleeting sense of relief, a sign that the goblin wasn't a significant threat.
"Just one down, and I wonder if I can find treasure after treasure in a single day," he mused, excitement rising. "I'm sure it's close by. If the other side was wrong, then it must be here."
While Vonn pursued his treasure, his self-proclaimed rival, Zarael—a blonde, determined young girl—focused on hunting monsters to secure her position in the rankings.
The rankings reflected a person's strength within the Biennial Dimension, a measure of future potential. To her, they were vital, a status that couldn't be overshadowed by a mere nobody. Even if Vonn became someone important, it didn't matter to her. Leading the rankings took priority.
'I must be on top,' she thought, replaying the words in her mind countless times during her journey. They had become her driving force, pushing her forward and creating artificial motivation from her own thoughts.
Back when she was younger, she understood the influence she held over her family. She was deemed a genius, the smartest of her age. Her talent was unmatched, and she couldn't let anyone take the spot she had worked so hard to secure.
Indeed, worked hard.
A talented girl like her needing to work hard? It seemed almost absurd. Yet, even with her natural gifts, she had a nasty habit of disregarding the weak.
To her, weak people were lazy people—those who refused to push themselves to their limits. Only those who worked hard deserved the privilege of judging and looking down on others.
Even now, with Vonn climbing the rankings on the leaderboard in the sky, she was seething with frustration. In her mind, his success was nothing but sheer luck. True effort, in her view, would be visible through support and recognition. The fact that he was still unknown proved, at least to her, that his achievements were unearned.
The notion that Vonn might be talented didn't even cross her mind. To Zarael, talent didn't exist. Strength was born from effort and perseverance. If anything, perseverance was the only "talent" that mattered.
After a long search, she finally found a herd of monsters near a monster village. Her points wouldn't be low from the kills she could rack up here. Since she was hunting alone and dealing all the damage herself, she didn't have to worry about splitting experience—or what they called The Blessing.
The Blessing was the key to making children stronger in the Biennial Dimension. Every kill granted them a portion of The Blessing, which raised their Mana Heart's potential, making it grow faster and stronger. Additionally, random attributes could be acquired, accelerating a child's development.
Though The Blessing was helpful, it wasn't a shortcut to power. Killing monsters wasn't as simple as reading a textbook. It was a challenge, especially for children with no training or battle experience.
Fortunately, even the untrained had a chance to earn small amounts of The Blessing. This was possible only because the Space was designed specifically for children's growth.
By "for children's growth," it meant that monsters weren't overly challenging for averagely trained kids. But Zarael wasn't average. She was far from it. For her, these monsters were nothing but fodder.
With such an advantage, she quickly accumulated points and a significant amount of The Blessing. After tirelessly killing wave after wave of monsters, she finally allowed herself to rest, finding a spot to sleep until morning.
As the sun rose, Zarael was already awake, her mind fixed on another day of hunting points and earning The Blessing. This was crucial. She couldn't let her guard down, knowing the ever-present threat of someone surpassing her.
If some nobody managed to take the position she deserved, even by sheer luck, she wouldn't forgive herself for being too comfortable. Everything was a competition. It had to be.
"This…" she paused, spotting a human settlement ahead. She wasn't surprised, but she found it unusual for something like this to appear in such a location. "...is this a stage for a huge Blessing?"
In the Biennial Dimension, gaining power and treasure wasn't limited to killing monsters or conquering lands. There were many paths to strength, and one of them involved interacting with the mysterious locals.
Forget the mystery of how these locals lived within the dimension. Since the beginning of the ever-changing space, most people hadn't cared to understand. The locals seemed to have already accepted that the foreigners were merely travelers from another land. To them, this wasn't some mysterious space or anything extraordinary.