How Did the Talent Prompt Wake-Up Come About?

Splash, splash...

John carried Parr by the back of his collar as he ran through the dark woods. Suddenly, Parr saw a glow ahead. As they drew closer, the glow grew brighter. When they crossed through a thick clump of grass, the view before them opened up. A wide stretch of short grass lay before them, and through its center flowed a small river glowing with fluorescence.

"Wow!"

Parr was stunned. When had he ever seen such a beautiful sight? In the quiet night, the glowing river cast its light over the riverside grass, making it seem vibrant and dreamlike. The sound of flowing water filled his ears, an endless starry sky stretched above his head, and the gentle breeze made it all utterly intoxicating.

John, on the other hand, looked as if he had expected this all along. After slowing for only a moment, he rushed toward the glowing river.

Thud! Reaching the riverbank, John tossed Parr straight onto the ground, then plunged his head into the water.

Gulp, gulp...

"Ahh... I'm alive!"

After drinking his fill and finally quenching his thirst, John turned to look at Parr, who was still standing there in a daze.

"Kid, what are you standing around for? Aren't you thirsty?"

"This..."

Parr pursed his lips as he looked at the glowing river. He did not dare drink it! At first, he had been stunned by the beautiful sight, but once he came to his senses, another thought occurred to him. Why was this entire river glowing? Could there be radioactive material in the water? Thinking of nuclear radiation from his previous life, Parr hurriedly backed away a few steps. He would not die of thirst anytime soon, but if he drank irradiated water, the consequences...

"No, that's not right!"

But Parr immediately reconsidered. Something was off. John was an experienced old adventurer—could he not know whether the river water was dangerous? "Uncle John, can this water really be drunk?"

"Of course it can! You ignorant little fool, this is a tributary of the Fluorescent River. The water's sweet as can be!"

As he spoke, John took his own small bundle from Parr's arms, pulled out an empty waterskin, and began filling it without another thought.

"..."

Seeing that John did not seem to be lying, Parr walked back to the riverbank and cautiously scooped up some water, taking a small sip.

"Huh?"

Parr's eyes widened. This was freaking delicious! The river water was sweet, carrying a faint, indescribable fragrance, almost like flowers. It was the best water he had ever tasted in either of his lives.

Parr figured it out then. If John said it was fine, it was fine. This was another world already—where would nuclear radiation come from? There had to be some other reason why the river glowed.

So Parr plunged his head into the river as well.

Gulp, gulp...

That night, the two camped beside the river. After lighting a fire, Parr gnawed on dry rations and asked curiously:

"Uncle John, why does this Fluorescent River glow?"

"..."

John thought for a moment, swallowed the dry bread in his mouth, and said:

"Kid, this little river is only a small tributary of the Fluorescent River. The Fluorescent River originates in the Absolute Cold Mountain Range of the Northern Territory and flows from north to south. The entire river runs through the whole Western Territory of our Wind Wolf Kingdom. As for why it glows, there are many different claims, but the one most widely accepted is a legend."

"A legend?"

Parr finished the food in his hands and listened intently. Seeing this, John wolfed down the rest of his food in a few bites, clapped his hands, and began telling the story.

"It is said that during the late stages of the Great Calamity more than a thousand years ago, nearly every water source on the continent was polluted. Plants withered, and living creatures died out. To save the continent, the Purifying Spirit Whale Holy Knight of the Seven Savior Holy Knights sacrificed herself to purify all the water on the continent. She also suppressed and sealed the source of the pollution within the Absolute Cold Mountain Range of the Northern Territory. Her weapon fell into the northern mountains as well, forming the Fluorescent River that runs through the Western Territory of the Wind Wolf Kingdom."

"The Purifying Spirit Whale Holy Knight?"

Parr closed his eyes and searched through his memories, but he could not find any information about this Holy Knight.

One look at Parr's expression told John that he had never heard of her, though that was normal. Of the Seven Savior Holy Knights passed down in legend today, only five were widely celebrated by the world—the five who survived the Great Calamity. Only a small number of adventurers knew the titles of the other two Holy Knights who had sacrificed themselves.

John explained this to Parr, but that only led Parr to another question.

"Uncle John, how do you know all this?"

"..."

John fell silent for a long while at the question. At last, with a nostalgic look on his face, he said, "My guide on the Path of the Knight told me. He was a very experienced adventurer. Though he was only Bronze-level, he spent his entire life traveling across the continent, and he knew a great many things."

"His entire life?"

Parr realized something. What John had left unsaid was that his guide on the Path of the Knight had already passed away.

After that, John and Parr said nothing more. They had traveled all day and were both somewhat exhausted, so after adding a few pieces of hardwood to the fire, they wrapped themselves in blankets and went to sleep.

"I've already gained two Talents through the Black Short Sword. Does that mean my first Talent might not have originally been mine either...?"

Wrapped in his blanket and lying on the grass, Parr gazed at the night sky, so similar to yet different from the one in his previous life. His eyes slowly closed. Before falling asleep, a question arose in his mind: had this body originally possessed his first Talent, Prompt Wake-Up, or had he acquired it by killing another creature with the Black Short Sword? At that thought, a memory surfaced before his eyes. It was from when Parr had first learned of the Black Short Sword's ability. He had slaughtered all the chickens at home, then set his sights on the chickens in the village. At first, things went smoothly, until he encountered the chicken considered the strongest in the village. After a fierce fight, Parr had managed to kill it, but the commotion had been so great that someone caught him.

"No way! Did I get the Talent Prompt Wake-Up from killing a chicken? Wait! That actually makes sense! Don't chickens crow at dawn every day?"

Parr felt that he had guessed the truth. Still, none of that mattered. The Talent was already his. It was enough to think about where it came from.

"Mm?"

Before dawn, Parr was once again trapped in a nightmare, his brows tightly furrowed and his head drenched in sweat. He felt something licking his face—wet and cold—and was jolted awake at once.

"Whew..."

Parr sat bolt upright from his nightmare. At first, he was still confused, immersed in the lingering terror of the dream. Only when he felt his face being licked again did he come to his senses. He focused his eyes, then was instantly startled. The fear from the nightmare was immediately thrown out of his mind as his body scraped backward across the grass.

Moo?

A small deer with pure white fur tilted its head as it watched the wary Parr. It had been the one licking his face.

"A White Deer?"

Parr came to his senses. What was he afraid of? It was only a fawn. Though it was quite pretty, it posed no threat to him now. What was the proof? His newly acquired Talent, Danger Prediction, had not been triggered yesterday. I really am getting jumpy from all these dreams.

Rubbing his somewhat groggy head, Parr turned to look toward the horizon. It was just dawn. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. When he opened them again, his exhaustion had vanished, and his Stamina and Mental Power had fully recovered. The Talent Prompt Wake-Up had taken effect.

Moo!

Just then, the white fawn came closer again, sticking out its tongue to lick Parr's face. Parr pushed it away.

"Go on, go play somewhere else!"

If any other animal had dared act so presumptuously, Parr would have made it understand the terror of humans. But this was a White Deer. Do not forget where this was—the White Deer Baron Territory!

There was a rumor in the territory that encountering a White Deer upon entering the Deep Forest was a sign of good luck. Old Man Jack had told Parr that before!

Whether the rumor was true or not, Parr did not want to make a move. Anything could happen in this fantasy world! What if it was true?

Moo!

However, the little White Deer had set its sights on Parr's little face. It stubbornly came over again.

"You're really pushing your luck!"

Parr was a little angry. He grabbed the little White Deer by the head and flipped it onto its back, legs in the air.

"Hmph! Serves you right!"

With a smug snort, Parr clapped his hands. Feeling parched, he walked toward the nearby river, intending to wash his face and drink some water at the same time.

Gulp, gulp...

"This water really is delicious!"

Just as Parr sighed in appreciation, the Talent Danger Prediction suddenly activated. Immediately afterward, he heard the little White Deer cry out behind him.

Moo!

Parr shifted his body to the side. The little White Deer, which had silently sneaked over in an attempt to knock him into the water, could not stop in time and charged into the river itself, becoming a soaking-wet deer.

"Hahaha, serves you right! You tried to ambush me? Hahaha..."

Parr laughed triumphantly, becoming more and more satisfied with the Talent Danger Prediction. However, people were most likely to lower their guard when they were feeling pleased with themselves—and then get dragged into the water.

Parr was no exception. Because he was laughing, he reacted a little too slowly when Danger Prediction struck again. The fawn in the water bit down on his clothes and yanked him straight into the river.

Gulp, gulp...

After swallowing several mouthfuls of water, Parr struggled to his feet. The river was not deep; the water near the bank did not even reach his calves. But because Parr had fallen into it, his clothes were completely soaked, leaving him like a drowned rat.

Moo!

The little White Deer let out a smug cry. Could Parr tolerate that? He could not. Spitting out the water in his mouth, he pounced at it.

"You stupid deer! A tiger that doesn't show its might gets mistaken for a sick cat! Today, I'm going to teach you a lesson!"

Moo!

Naturally, John noticed the commotion as well. But he only glanced over before turning back to stare at the White Deer Herd drinking water and grazing on the opposite bank. Across the river, he faced the tall, antlered White Deer leading the herd. Both sides sensed the other's strength, so neither acted rashly.

Moo...

Suddenly, the tall White Deer let out a long cry. Cold Air rose from the little White Deer that was fighting Parr, and the river water around them instantly froze into a thin layer of ice, temporarily trapping Parr inside.

Moo!

The little White Deer forcefully knocked Parr onto his back, then gave him a disdainful look. With its head held high like a victor, it turned, crossed the river, rejoined the White Deer Herd, and entered the Deep Forest.

Clack, clack, clack...

Shivering from the cold, Parr hurriedly crawled out of the water. After recovering a little, he began hopping in place and cursing loudly.

"If you've got the guts, don't run!"