A month went by.
Waking up to a new morning, I stretched my aching back and yawned.
I got up and began preparing for the day.
[Absolute Awareness] spread out to check the Guild’s Quest Hall and take a look around.
If there were any quests that I could easily complete, I could head over to submit my report at the same time I accepted the quest.
It was what made me famous, after all.
The title <Info-Hunter> had joined the recent group of rising stars when I rose from being an F-Rank to D-Rank in just a few short weeks.
Now, a lot of people came to me when they wanted a place explored or if any lost souls and items needed finding.
People who got robbed by thieves were also included in the private requests I had been bombarded with recently.
’What am I... a private investigator?’
Well, technically I was.
Shaking my head upon seeing nothing interesting in the Quest Hall, I activated <Power of the Sea> and began writing reports for the requests I received yesterday.
While I did that, I brushed my teeth and made breakfast.
Once the ink dried, I sorted the pages with a few winds from <Power of the Sky> and went about my next source of intrigue:
Earth.
Indeed, the Gaea System’s upgrades had long been completed, and its new features were a treat.
<System Quests>
This was what the Gaea System had unlocked for the sake of humanity after I contributed 5 Divine Branches.
It was intriguing because these <System Quests> were heavily related to one’s Class. They were, in essence, training manuals to help Hunters learn new Martial Arts, Psychic Techniques, or new Magic Spells.
Their essence was to make the Hunters more skillful, unlike how levels just increased one’s strength directly.
Of course, I also had my own <System Quest>. In fact, it was a <Daily Quest> I did every day.
—Ding!
[Today’s Quest has arrived!]
[Practice the Magic Spell, <Manakinesis>, for 30 minutes.]
[Reward: <Manakinesis> Experience +3%]
[Manakinesis | Lv. 1 » Lv. 2 | EXP: 62%]
Looking at these shimmering screens, I was rather amused.
It seemed like the Gaea System was unaware of what my intentions were—the only <System Quests> I received were based around speeding up my development.
It never directed me to learn new things.
I did not need [Absolute Awareness] to conclude that the Gaea System recognized the existence of my Gift.
It was aware... heh... that I knew about the different methods to advance my Class.
So, it matched my expectations and helped me accelerate my growth.
It was nice to see.
’Well, it gets better.’
A week or so ago, I was busy reviewing my notes on Chained Demon physiques, and the idea just popped up randomly.
I used [Absolute Awareness] and observed the Hunters of Earth desperately completing their <System Quests> like madmen.
And from them, I obtained many different methods to advance different Classes.
Upon comparing those methods with this world, I realized something terrifyingly interesting.
[The Gaea System’s advancement methods were eras ahead of the methods of this world.]
Why was that?
I tried looking into it further...
But no matter how much mana I mustered, I couldn’t even pry a single thread of information from the two worlds.
What a mystery, right?
Anyways.
After completing today’s <Daily Quest>, I descended from the topmost floor of my Mage Tower and went outside to get breakfast.
Looking at the myriad races walking around me, I peeked into the lives of those who crossed my path. The lives of an Empire built on chaotic diversity had widened my horizons.
Coming from someone who’d travelled around Earth and seen many human cultures, seeing the races of Walvaskaz still made me feel like a frog in a well.
A Winged Bearman nearby smelled strongly of minerals and chemicals. Even the bread he just bought—freshly baked—couldn’t overpower the smell of ink on his fur.
I remembered him.
He was a calligraphist, working on his brush techniques day and night, writing poetry for the nobles.
I could still see a bunch of bald spots on his wings from having plucked his own feathers to use in calligraphy.
It was clear that he did not heed the advice of his sister, who visited every week.
"I wish you luck, sir."
Looking away from the Winged Bearman, I heard the playful roar of an adolescent Dragon.
I spotted her, perched on one of the nearby buildings.
Her 320th birthday was approaching, and she was busy planning a banquet for her and her close friends. She was particularly excited about the flavored clouds that would be served by a Cloud Elemental chef hired by her father.
Especially since those clouds would have alcoholic properties that would affect everyone aside from her because of her physique.
"...A prankster, huh?"
Amused, something suddenly crossed my senses, and I hurriedly stopped walking.
—Clack, clack, clack!
A centaur walked past me; the sounds of steam and gears rang in my eardrums. Looking closely, I realized that this centaur’s limbs had been replaced by steampunk prosthetics—to be precise, both of his arms, part of his chest, and even his legs were no longer of flesh and blood.
A large proportion of his body was bionic.
It was amazing. How did I not notice this guy on my first scan of the surroundings?
I tried not to stare as I did a quick analysis of his limbs.
The gearwork was pristine and absurdly intricate, which was very much reminiscent of Earth’s mechanical watches.
I marveled at the engineering for a few more moments, using only [Absolute Awareness] to scan it while keeping my eyes on the road.
It was then.
—BANG!
An explosion shook a nearby building, causing a few to glance its way.
After ascertaining that it wasn’t a hazard, the crowd continued on with their morning. I, on the other hand, was appalled.
"...Taylor, what the hell?"
Although I never met the guy directly, I checked in on what this person—wrapped so densely in threads of <Fate>—was up to now and then.
—KABOOOOM!
"..."
Looking at the second explosion, I felt my lips twitch involuntarily.
I sent my senses over to have a look.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter