Free Web NovelChapter 2: The World of Blessings
Adam watched the young woman for a few seconds before realizing he didn’t even know her name.
"My name is Adam."
The knight hesitated briefly before replying.
"Elena de Valoria."
Adam immediately noticed that the name sounded noble.
"Pleased to meet you, Elena."
She inclined her head slightly.
"I owe you my life, Adam."
Just as he was about to reply, a rumble rang out.
Grrrrrrrr...
They both looked down.
Adam’s face flushed slightly.
"My stomach."
For a moment, Elena stared at him, uncomprehending.
Then a faint smile appeared on her face.
"I see."
Adam coughed.
"I haven’t eaten anything in... a very long time."
He then retrieved the grilled fish from near the fire.
A few minutes later, they were both eating around the flames.
Although weakened, Elena was gradually regaining her strength.
While they ate, Adam began asking various questions.
"What exactly happened to you?"
Elena’s expression darkened.
"I was on a mission in the forest at the top of the cliff."
"Alone?"
"With a few guards.We were searching for an extremely rare medicinal plant called Dawnflower."
"And then?"
"We were attacked."
Her hands tightened.
"Assassins."
The fire crackled softly as she continued.
"They were trained and perfectly prepared. They knew our route."
"An ambush?"
"Yes."
Her gaze turned cold.
"Someone sold our information." Adam frowned.
"And you managed to escape?"
"Barely. I was separated from my guards during the fight. I received this injury and then fell off the cliff. After that... I don’t remember anything." She looked up at him.
"Until I woke up here." Adam nodded. The situation seemed much more complicated than a simple bandit attack.
After a few seconds of silence, another question came to her mind.
"You seem to be someone important." Elena sighed.
"I’m the only daughter of the Duchess of Valoria." Adam nearly choked on his fish.
"The daughter of a duchess?!"
"Yes."
"So I saved a high-ranking noblewoman on my very first day in this world..."
"First day?" "Adam immediately realized his mistake.
"Uh... figuratively speaking." Fortunately, Elena didn’t seem to press the issue.
After finishing his meal, Adam decided to ask the questions that interested him most.
"Can you tell me about this world?" Elena looked at him curiously.
"You ask strange questions for someone who claims to be from the kingdom."
"Let’s just say my memory is... hazy." After a few seconds of hesitation, she began to explain.
"The continent is divided among several kingdoms, empires, and independent nations." Adam listened attentively.
"Conflicts still exist, but no major war has broken out for several years."
"What are the main threats?"
"Monsters."
Her answer was immediate.
"Monsters appear in the wilderness as well as inside dungeons."
"Dungeons?"
"Mysterious places filled with monsters, treasure, and sometimes ancient artifacts. Some appear naturally, while others have existed for centuries."
Adam immediately felt his interest grow.
A true fantasy world.
Elena continued.
"Humans aren’t the only race on the continent."
"Are there many?"
"Yes." She roughly drew a map on the ground with a stick.
"To the east lies the Great Forest of Eldoria." She outlined a vast area.
"Two clans of elves live there: the White Elves and the Dark Elves." "Do they get along well?"
"Not always. But together they protect the World Tree located in the center of the forest." Adam immediately memorized this information.
"To the north?"
"The Iron Mountains." She drew a long mountain range.
"The dwarves have lived there for millennia. Their blacksmiths are renowned throughout the continent."
Then she pointed south.
"The endless ocean."
"Are there nations there?"
"Hundreds of islands."
Adam’s eyes widened.
"There are the Oni, several dragon clans, as well as the sea peoples."
"Mermaids?"
"Yes."
"The Atlanteans?"
"They do too. Their cities lie directly beneath the oceans." Adam felt as if he were discovering the setting of a vast fantasy novel.
Finally, Elena pointed west. His expression immediately turned colder.
"The Holy Roman Empire."
"A human empire?"
"Yes."
Her voice hardened.
"It’s ruled by a fanatical pope."
"Fanatic?"
"He preaches human supremacy."
Adam frowned.
"Other races are persecuted?"
"Much worse."
Elena’s expression darkened.
"Slavery is legal there for all non-believers and for most non-human races."
"Seriously?"
"Yes." Silence fell for a few moments.
Then Elena added,
"Fortunately, our kingdom is different."
"How so?"
"Humans, elves, dwarves, beastmen, and several other races live here in peace."
"Without discrimination?"
"There are still some tensions, but the law protects all citizens."
Adam was genuinely surprised.
"And your relations with neighboring countries?"
"Generally good. Especially with the non-human nations."
Adam watched the fire crackle.
Adam continued talking with Elena as they finished their meal. Since he knew absolutely nothing about this world, he took every opportunity to learn new things.
"Earlier, you were talking about monsters and dungeons. But what about magic?" Elena seemed surprised by the question.
"Everyone knows about blessings." Seeing his blank stare, she understood immediately.
"Your memory must be in terrible shape." Adam gave an embarrassed smile.
"You could say that." Elena picked up a branch and started drawing on the ground again.
"In this world, everyone is born with a blessing."
"A blessing?"
"Yes. It’s a power bestowed at birth." Adam immediately straightened his back.
"What kind of power?"
"All kinds. Some people are born with magical abilities, others with talents related to swordsmanship, blacksmithing, alchemy, farming, or crafting." "So everyone has a natural talent?"
"Exactly." Adam thought for a few seconds.
"And what if someone wants to learn something that doesn’t correspond to their blessing?"
"It’s possible."
She nodded.
"But it’s usually ineffective."
"Why?"
"Because the blessing greatly improves the results. A blacksmith with a blessing of blacksmithing will produce better weapons than an ordinary blacksmith with the same training." Adam quickly grasped the principle.
"So people generally choose their profession based on their blessing."
"That’s the most logical solution." Then Elena added,
"However, there is another way to acquire powers."
Adam’s interest was immediately piqued.
"Which one?"
"Blessing Stones."
"Blessing Stones?"
"Extremely rare treasures sometimes found in dungeons or ancient ruins." "And they allow you to obtain a second blessing?"
"Yes." Adam’s eyes widened.
"Seriously?"
"But they are very rare. Some nations even wage war to obtain them." This information seemed particularly important to him.
"Blessings are divided into several categories." Elena raised three fingers.
"Magic." One finger curled.
"Close Combat and Weapon Mastery." A second finger curled.
"Production and Crafting." The last finger curled.
"Of course, there are also rarer blessings that don’t fit into any category." Adam carefully memorized every detail.
"And you? What is your blessing?" A slight smile appeared on Elena’s face.
"I was born with the blessing of Sword Mastery."
"That explains why you wear knight’s armor."
"Indeed." She slowly raised her hand.
A faint green glow appeared around her fingers. Adam’s eyes widened.
"Magic?" "Not exactly."
The wind began to swirl around his palm.
"This is my second blessing."
"You have two blessings?"
"This one comes from a dungeon."
Adam watched the wind dance around his hand.
"Blessing of Wind Enchantment."
"What does it do?"
"It allows me to enchant my sword with the wind element."
The small swirl disappeared.
"My attacks become faster, sharper, and can sometimes launch blades of wind from a distance."
Adam was impressed.
"So you’re strong."
Elena shook her head.
"Not as strong as you think."
"Yet you have two blessings."
"That doesn’t guarantee anything."
Adam looked at her curiously.
Elena continued seriously.
"There’s no such thing as a bad blessing."
"Really?"
"Yes." "Her gaze was steady.
"People often think that certain blessings are useless."
"But?"
"The truth is that a blessing only reveals its true value after years of training." She looked at the flames.
"Some of the most powerful people in history possessed blessings considered mediocre when they were young." This sentence stuck in Adam’s mind.
After all, he himself still didn’t know if he possessed a blessing.
After a few moments of silence, he asked another question.
"Where exactly are we?" Elena drew another rough map on the ground.
"Here."
She pointed to the area where they were.
"The edge of the Black Forest."
"The one that separates your kingdom from the Holy Empire?"
"Yes."
"So we’re near the border."
"Exactly."
She then moved her finger eastward.
"Further on lies my family’s domain."
"The Duchy of Valoria?"
"Yes."
Her expression turned serious.
"Our family is responsible for the first line of defense against the Holy Empire." Adam immediately understood the strategic importance of this territory.
"How long will it take to get there?"
"Two days’ walk."
"In your condition?"
"Three days if I travel alone."
She looked up at him.
"Two if you come with me." Adam thought for a few seconds before answering.
"Then we’ll leave tomorrow morning." Elena seemed relieved.
"Thank you." The sun had now completely disappeared. Night had fallen over the meadow.
The fire crackled softly as the stars illuminated the sky.
After adding a few branches to the flames, Adam stood up.
"You should sleep."
"What about the guard?"
"We’ll take shifts."
Elena hesitated.
Then she finally agreed.
"Thank you. Wake me up in a few hours."
"Okay." Just as she spoke, a sound rang out.
Ding!
And a translucent window appeared before Adam.
System Notification
Satisfaction Validated
Target: Elena of Valoria
Satisfaction Level: 51%
Service Rating:
Meal: Good Protection: Good
Reward Earned:
+56 Satisfaction Points
Current Satisfaction Points: 142
Adam blinked.
"Even this will earn points?" Before he could think any further, a new window appeared.
Total Satisfaction Points: 142
Functions unlocked:
Status
Inventory
System Shop
Lottery
A few minutes later, the young knight fell asleep by the fire.
Adam sat in silence.
The night wind rustled gently through the tall grass.
Everything seemed calm.
Yet, somewhere in the darkness of the prairie, several eyes were fixed on their camp.
And this time, they were slowly getting closer.
Unbeknownst to them, Adam and Elena were about to receive visitors.
