"These worthless materials… I'd better disable auto-pickup for them,"
Daniel muttered to himself, adjusting the settings on his skill accordingly.
While his backpack had considerable storage space—much more than most adventurers—there was still no reason to waste it on junk.
Pointless clutter.
Better to leave the useless scraps behind and save room for what truly mattered. Gold coins, on the other hand? He'd never have too many of those. No matter what, they were always worth picking up.
Just as Daniel was preparing to search the surrounding area for higher-tier treasure chests, the ground suddenly trembled beneath his feet.
RUMMMMBLE——
The earth quaked violently.
And then, from the distance, a shape loomed into view—a figure like a mountain rising from the horizon.
It moved with deliberate slowness, every step shaking the very ground.
It looked like a land turtle, but its size… was comparable to a small mountain.
"Wait—don't tell me… That's the one!"
Daniel's eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of excitement flashing through his gaze.
Right at that moment, a notification popped up in front of him:
[World Rank Boss: Stoneback Colossus]
Due to the sheer distance, Daniel could only make out the boss's silhouette. The finer details remained out of view.
Despite having a visual, getting close would still take quite a while. After all, the Primordial Land wasn't some ordinary dungeon—it was a standalone space, vast and boundless.
Daniel suspected that its full expanse could rival an entire provincial territory.
Of course, that was just speculation. But based on how long it had taken him to explore a fraction of it, he had a gut feeling:
The Primordial Land was far larger than he had initially imagined.
In hindsight, renting the Shadow Leopard had been a brilliant decision.
Not only did it help him move swiftly through the Whitewild Expanse, but now it was the key to closing in on the World Rank Boss.
In a terrain this massive, even if a boss was within visual range, just reaching it on foot could burn through hours of travel time.
And that's where the Shadow Leopard's insane speed made all the difference.
Quick estimate: 200 kilometers away.
No time to waste.
Without further hesitation, Daniel leapt onto the Shadow Leopard's back and raced off toward the Stoneback Colossus, kicking up dust trails as he accelerated.
Meanwhile…
Back in the bustling towns of adventurers—
"I'm telling you, someone's already made it into the Primordial Land!"
"And he's riding a Shadow Leopard! I bet my life he's from one of the noble houses!"
"Oh, please. You're just easily impressed. A real noble would ride a flying dragon, not a leopard."
"Wait—doesn't the Primordial Land require a tier-3 adventurer? How could anyone have entered already?"
"Exactly. It should be impossible!"
"Well, I did hear that the Royal Academy of the Tin-Silver Empire recently produced a genius… Could it be him?"
"You're talking about the Uncrowned Prince, right? Prince Daniel? Yeah, I heard something too. They say he's already tier-3!"
"No way. That's impossible! Didn't he just have his Awakening Ceremony this morning? How could he already be tier-3?"
"Don't be so sure. Word is, someone already claimed the Multiracial Commerce League's elite reward. And guess what? People think it was Daniel!"
"Damn… if that's true, he's incredibly lucky. The Primordial Land is practically an untouched treasure vault! If he's in there, he must be raking it in!"
"Ugh, so jealous… I wish I had that kind of opportunity. It's wasted on him!"
"You don't understand! When the Primordial Land first appeared, people said it was crawling with treasure chests—just lying everywhere. If Daniel got in early, he's probably opening chests until his hands cramp!"
"Why wasn't it me?!"
News of Daniel's entry into the Whitewild Expanse and the Primordial Land spread like wildfire.
All across the continent, adventurers buzzed with envy. Many resented their own fate and fantasized about trading places with him.
At the House Aikes labyrinth entrance, within the Tin-Silver Empire—
Alan stood silently, eyebrows tightly furrowed as he received the servant's report.
Alan was the pride of House Aikes, a prodigy raised with high expectations.
But deep in his heart… he had never accepted Daniel.
Back at the Royal Academy, Daniel had always ranked just above him, and that gnawed at Alan relentlessly.
"Damn it… Daniel's already inside the Primordial Land? How is he moving so fast?"
But then, Alan took a deep breath and chuckled coldly to himself.
"No, it makes sense. If I were in his shoes, I'd rush too. With no royal backing left, he's isolated. The only way forward is to seize every second to grow stronger."
"Well then… I suppose I'll need to push harder too."
Elsewhere in the Tin-Silver Empire, countless young elites had received the same intelligence reports.
While many doubted Daniel's ability to pull off such feats, none of them could deny—if anyone could access the Primordial Land right now, it was almost certainly Daniel.
"Damn it! Why is it always Daniel?!"
"Wasn't his talent rated F-rank? A Furniture Craftsman?! How is he still so outstanding?!"
Many had believed that after his Awakening Ceremony, Daniel would finally fade into obscurity.
No one expected him to rise even higher.
At House Aikes, Alan's frown deepened.
Unlike most noble families, House Aikes stood on another level entirely.
Why?
Because House Aikes was backed by a true demigod.
Even in the Tin-Silver Empire, such families were incredibly rare.
And Alan… was the demigod's direct grandson.
Not only that, but he had inherited the bloodline—awakening the SS-rank talent: Forbidden Warlock.
He was being groomed to become the next demigod.
"Steward, I need to accelerate my advancement," Alan said with determination.
The elderly steward hesitated. "But young master, you've already reached your current limit. Any further increase may place severe strain on your body."
Alan shook his head. "Don't worry about that. I can't afford to fall behind. I refuse to keep trailing after Daniel."
The steward sighed again, then hesitantly spoke.
"Young master, I truly believe… you don't need to push yourself like this."
"Daniel may look impressive right now, but his talent is still just F-rank. Even if he somehow mutated, there's no way he could have gained this much power—unless he used Forbidden Power."
"And you, young master… you know better than anyone what the cost of forbidden power truly is."
"You are the pride of House Aikes. The heir to a demigod. What you need is steady, secure growth."
"Do not waste your potential chasing a… a crippled rival."
But Alan's eyes remained fixed, conflicted.
"…Still, I can't shake the feeling… that things aren't that simple."
"Daniel… is not the kind of person to throw his life away."