A pallor crept across Marina's face. Her fingertips trembled slightly, but before she could gather herself, Sister Merlina's voice continued—unyielding and grim.
"Prince Daniel's labyrinth clearance was recorded by a student using a memory crystal," she said, her tone serious. "I watched the footage myself."
"His movements were rushed—very rushed. As if… he was worried about time running out. Or worse—his life running out."
"Perhaps that's the only reason he managed to achieve such a ridiculous one-second clear time."
"Think about it carefully, Your Grace… isn't it only Forbidden Power that could produce that kind of result?"
Marina lowered her head. Her heart ached, her eyes heavy with sorrow and loss.
"So what you're saying, Sister Merlina… is that Prince Daniel is burning his own life force?"
"If that's true… then he won't live for long."
Sister Merlina didn't answer immediately. She shook her head slowly, her expression darkening with something deeper—worry… and fear.
"I'm afraid… it may be even worse than you think."
"A power like that doesn't just take HP," she said gravely. "To unleash a Forbidden Power that potent, the price might include more—a part of one's soul, or even limbs, or memories."
"All in all, Daniel may appear dazzling now, like a comet streaking across the sky…"
"But comets burn brightest just before they vanish."
The words struck Marina like a hammer to the chest.
She remained silent, her fingers curling over the hem of her robe. Deep down, she knew Merlina spoke the truth. It was the only logical explanation.
Otherwise, how could Daniel have cleared a top-tier labyrinth in just one second?
And yet… something inside her refused to accept it. She clenched her jaw and pushed back.
"But if that's true… then why are so many powerful factions fighting to recruit him?"
"They're not fools. Would they really invest in someone who's dying?"
Merlina smiled faintly—an expression that held more sadness than warmth.
"That's exactly why. It's not an investment. It's just branding."
"They want his name. His fame."
"For major factions, reputation is a powerful tool. And picking up Daniel's name for cheap? That's a bargain."
"They don't even have to give him much. Whether he lives or dies tomorrow makes no difference to them. One more recruit barely drains their resources."
Zalot Mountains – Somewhere deep within the Primordial Land
Daniel casually uncorked a mana potion and tipped it into his mouth.
Sweet and tangy—almost like fruit juice.
In front of him, the towering figure of the Earth Giant collapsed to the ground with a thunderous thud.
Though he hadn't been able to kill it in a single cast, it hadn't mattered. Daniel simply hurled a few more spells—job done.
Once the boss fell, he stepped forward and stood over the massive corpse.
Unlike normal labyrinths, the Primordial Land functioned more like an alternate dimension. It was entirely possible to encounter other adventurers here. And that meant killing monsters could directly result in loot drops—no need to wait for the dungeon to clear.
In standard labyrinths, rewards were calculated and distributed after the boss was defeated. But here?
Everything dropped immediately.
In fact, it was more accurate to say the Zalot Mountains weren't a labyrinth at all—they were a separate space where players could die for real.
Outside areas like the Whitewild Expanse had even worse dangers. If someone died out there without a resurrection scroll, it was permanent.
Daniel glanced at the notifications and quickly gathered his rewards from the Earth Giant kill.
But… something felt off.
His recent loot had been lackluster—was his earlier luck running dry?
All told, this drop was worth maybe 500,000 gold coins. A decent amount—but for Daniel, it barely scratched the surface of his current expectations.
He let out a small sigh.
"Forget it. Let's see what the gold chest has to offer."
With a flick of his boot, he kicked aside the Earth Giant's corpse and strode over to the gleaming chest behind it.
"Open!"
[Congratulations! You have obtained:
– Skill (Grade B): Convergence
– Earth Giant's Eye x4
– Gold Coins x10,000
– God Step Grass x10]
"???"
Daniel's eyes widened the moment he saw the words God Step Grass.
Wasn't that one of the rare materials required to synthesize the God Rank Skill [Divine Step]?
The other ingredients were Thunder Spirit Grass x10 and Featherlite Stone x10.
Initially, Daniel hadn't prioritized crafting Divine Step. The skill itself didn't provide any direct attack power, and the ingredients were so rare that it didn't seem worth it at the time.
But now?
Now he had ten units of God Step Grass in hand. Just like that.
Not only was it a God Rank material, but it was also valuable on its own.
When used directly, God Step Grass permanently increased one's Agility by 20 and granted floating ability for an hour.
Daniel had seen this material before in the Multiracial Commerce League's marketplace.
It wasn't cheap. Each piece cost a whopping 500,000 gold coins.
"Not that I could afford it anyway," Daniel muttered.
Whether it was expensive or not didn't matter—he didn't have the gold.
But now, he realized something.
This gold chest, just from the materials alone, was worth 5 million gold coins.
"Holy crap… that's insane!"
He really had struck it rich this time!
So it was true—being the first to enter a labyrinth did bring massive benefits.
A random gold chest… and he netted five million in value.
That kind of payout was unimaginable under normal circumstances!
After steadying his excitement, Daniel turned his gaze to the B-rank skill: Convergence.
The skill effect was simple. No damage. No utility in combat.
Purely support-type.
[Skill – Convergence (B)]
Effect: Consumes 1 MP per minute to gain the "Convergence" effect. Automatically gathers all your own items within a 50-unit radius.
"Huh? It's an auto-loot spell?"
Daniel's eyes lit up.
He learned the skill on the spot—and instantly maxed it out.
[Skill Upgraded – Forceful Convergence (S Rank)]
Effect: No MP cost. Activates "Forceful Convergence" effect.
– Automatically gathers all your items within a 1000-unit radius.
– Increases backpack capacity by +1000.
"Nice!"
A bigger backpack and no more wasting time on loot pickup?
That was a huge upgrade.
Why?
Because Daniel often killed so many monsters that he could only afford to pick up the most valuable items. The rest—the bulk of materials—were left behind.
But now, with Forceful Convergence, everything would go straight into his inventory.
No more waste. No more losses.
He was dirt poor right now—he couldn't afford to leave even a single scrap behind.
Every little item counted. Even if it was just one coin or a piece of fur.
Daniel activated the skill on the spot, eager to test it out.
With a thought, Forceful Convergence kicked in.
A flood of notifications filled his view.
[You have obtained: Fur x1]
[You have obtained: Giant Bone x1]
[You have obtained: Ore x1]
[You have obtained: Copper Coin x1]
In just a few seconds, his backpack was completely full.
He'd gathered a mountain of low-grade junk… and a grand total of 5 gold coins.
Wait…
Was he celebrating too early?