Messing With Fate - III

[Name: Aventine Tidea]

[Level: 1]

[Health: 20/20]

[Mana: 10/10 » 20/20]

[Gift: Absolute Awareness (???-Rank)]

[Physique: 2]

[Mind: 3]

[Spirit: 1 » 2]

The night had grown deep, making the gleaming blue light of the screen all the more glaring.

"My spirit went up... probably because I keep draining it and refilling it," I muttered, still feeling the headache caused by overexertion.

This time, it was a headache that was much, much worse than when I pushed myself back on Earth. Those times would've been like sprinting once a year and feeling the exhaustion afterward.

This time, it felt like I had been sprinting and stopping, sprinting and stopping, for hours on end.

While Melia was unconscious, I had nothing else to do other than guard her. So, I did some research. The main subject of my research was how people cultivated strength.

There were a lot of ways to do so. So much so that my memory failed to keep up with the influx of information whenever I activated [Absolute Awareness]. I couldn't remember all the information it would supply me with, wasting all that mana in the process.

Frustrated by my weak human brain, I decided to go small. I looked for the core, encompassing ideas.

This world did not have a system like the Gaea System. Moreover, it naturally had an abundant amount of mana. These two factors were what influenced the people the most. Mana, or at least, the accumulation of it, dictated one's abilities.

I had confirmed this with my gift, but it seemed like the people on Earth would be able to grow stronger by hunting monsters. The exact mechanic required too much mana to uncover, but at least I knew the general gist.

"Now, I seem to have access to both."

With this world's abundant mana and Earth's Gaea system, my growth would be interesting and irregular.

I had to plan this out properly.

<Leveling and Cultivation>

On the other hand,

"Aside from the more grueling, step-by-step growth..."

There were other ways to gain strength. And it could be done instantly. It was in the manner of Traits. In other words, (un)natural characteristics.

It took me a few hours to narrow down what Traits were and how I could use them for my benefit.

In short, Traits were the abilities that certain races or certain families would be born with. One human royal family had a natural aura of domination that they developed over generations. The fact that dragons were common around their country played a big role, as well as the fact that the profession of beast tamer was also widely practiced.

Moreover, it seemed that fantasy races also existed here, like dwarves and elves. Their Traits would be quite obvious to many Earthlings out there, however the humans here didn't seem to know of it much.

It was intriguing.

"I think it was only in the most recent hundred-year war that humans thoroughly studied the Traits of other races..."

I couldn't help but squint as I recalled that tiny bit of information among the haystacks of facts that [Absolute Awareness] bombed at me.

My headache was growing. I better get back to my previous train of thought.

Yes...

The aforementioned were Traits that I would call, <Characteristics >.

The Traits I wanted could be called <Skills > instead, taking a page out of Earth's video games.

These Traits could be gained through meeting certain conditions or absorbing them from certain treasures and locations. For example, the golem from earlier was protecting the Trait called <Nature's Ear>, which would allow someone to use plants as an extension of one's senses.

I didn't need something like that and I severely doubted my capabilities in breaking the golem's defenses, so I decided not to go back for it.

Not yet, at least.

Going back to the topic, if I could amass these <Skills >, then I could set a good foundation for my growth. I just needed to find all the useful ones I could find.

The nearest ones would be in Leisha's capital. There were three <Skills > there that still haven't been found yet or absorbed. Hopefully, I could get there before anyone else did.

Moreover, Melia was headed in the same direction. It didn't hurt to have someone to talk to on my way there.

***

Morning came, as Melia and Aventine woke up to the roars of beasts.

"Ugh," Aventine groaned. He had fallen asleep while planning out his future, unaware of the fatigue that had built up in his body.

He never checked, thus he never realized how tired he was. The excitement of being in a new world could topple all forms of suffering.

Meanwhile, Melia felt sluggish due to her injuries. Her muscles were sore, and her joints were bruised. A few cuts here and there had been bandaged, but any forceful movement would surely reopen them.

"...Melia?" Aventine frowned as he watched Melia struggle. "Are you uninformed of the hero of Leisha's abilities?"

"Uhm, I've heard that the hero of Leisha has light mana. Why are you asking?" Melia tilted her head.

Suddenly, a ray of light shone on Melia's face, illuminating her features. Her hair, which had been brown, suddenly took on a blonde hue, and her blue irises sparkled.

Aventine observed her features to be quite delicate, definitely worthy of being a model. She looked European to him, especially now that the light was shining on her face.

However, he was more intrigued by the phenomenon that was happening due to the light.

"...I'm asking because of that. Your body seems to be attuned to sunlight. Look, your wounds are healing!"

Aventine did not need to activate [Absolute Awareness] to understand what was happening. This was a result of Melia's light-attributed mana.

"Oh!" Melia gasped, feeling her body lighten up. "This... This feels amazing! I feel like I can sprint up a mountain and back!"

"I'm surprised you didn't know." Aventine chuckled upon seeing her reaction.

"I awakened only recently. Since I turned 16!"

"And that was..?"

"A few days ago. During the examination for the Academy of Laquer."

"I see." Aventine nodded. "Then, shall we head off? I'm headed for the capital, so we can travel together."

Melia seemed fine with this idea. Especially since the food that Aventine fed her tasted amazing. She wanted more.

No... She needed more.

If she could have more of those crunchy chicken bites...

Melia gulped.

The decision came easy.

"Sure! Let's do that. I can be your guide!"

***

In a dark, burning landscape, where only fire, blood, and corpses littered the fields, someone was frowning.

"Is there still no news regarding the hero's heir?"

A smaller figure, standing beside the speaker was quivering.

"N-no, Master Vron. The fated heir has yet to claim ownership of the Sword of Light. We haven't sensed any of the relevant mana fluctuations."

"So, you can't pinpoint the hero of Leisha's location... Is that it?" Vron's frown deepened. He could feel the wounds on his body throbbing. The internal injuries that had wrecked him were slowly getting worse.

"The fated moment has long passed, and yet there is still no news from home. Have the demons done something behind our backs?"

His worries were growing with each passing moment.