"Ohhh, a spirit crystal?!"
By the body of the sand worm, Mira spotted a familiar loot.
The conditions for loot drops weren't exactly strict, but they followed a set of rules.
For example, killing a human wouldn't grant loot—unless that human had a special bloodline or physique.
Why was it different?
Perhaps only those who had studied the phenomenon in depth could understand.
Neither Mira nor Michael were among those people.
One was too busy crafting and acquiring more bombs, while the other was focused on expanding his undead family.
However, both loved the sight of loot.
That said, Mira had collected far more loot than Michael, despite not suffering as much as he had.
Her initial location in the Land of Origin had been a desolate desert—arguably worse than Michael's. At least he had threats capable of killing him, forcing a change of scenery.
But if Mira wanted to leave her barren starting point, her only option was to commit suicide—something even she, with her strong will, couldn't bring herself to do.
With no choice, she picked a random direction and began her journey.
For days, it was the same endless landscape. She had almost grown numb to it.
What was meant to be a realm of adventure had turned into a world of nothingness.
More than once, she found herself wondering if she should just end it. The thought was terrifying, but many Awakeners at a certain level started to entertain it.
Yet, it was the penalty of death that made Mira hold on.
Fortunately, change finally came.
She started encountering monsters.
They were only one type.
At first, they were weak enough that she could fight them with her bare hands. That, in turn, earned her a fist-related skill, making her even more enthusiastic about brawling and arming herself.
As the monsters grew stronger, so did she.
Her experience points skyrocketed and she found herself loving the desert a bit.
Because it made her stronger.
What she hadn't expected, however, was to see a stretch of green on a distant desert hill a few hours ago.
The sight filled her with excitement.
Fighting monsters was great, but just like Michael hungered for civilization, so did she.
Besides, the monsters were getting weaker, no—she had simply gotten stronger. And that made them less desirable.
Mira placed the spirit crystal in her storage space and made her way to the green expanse with hope this was going to be her first step to civilization.
"I hope they have things that can explode...."
On the flying ship, Grand Mage Lian and Michael met once again.
They had been flying for a while now, and according to the Grand Mage, they were close to their destination.
It didn't take long for Michael to spot it—a vast mountain range stretching endlessly into the horizon.
Seeing the barren peaks, his lips twitched.
Wasn't the treasure they were after a fruit?
Could anything even grow here? The mountains looked practically bald.
Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration—there were patches of green here and there. But for something as miraculous as the Soul Pool Fruit, if Mage Lian was telling the truth, Michael felt it shouldn't be growing in such a place.
Unless it was as stubborn and resilient as potatoes, he mused.
Still, he didn't doubt Mage Lian too much. He was still a novice in the supernatural world, and applying common sense to it wasn't exactly wise.
If even stone monsters had intelligence, then what wasn't possible?
As the flying ship slowed, hovering just outside the mountain range, Michael's gaze remained locked onto the barren peaks.
Mage Lian, noticing his scrutiny, let out a chuckle. "I know what you're thinking, Sir Mic. It doesn't look like much, does it?"
Michael turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Not exactly the most lush place for a fruit to grow."
The Grand Mage smiled. "Nature's gift, if they weren't weird they wouldn't be called miraculous."
Michael didn't respond immediately.
In the end, the only thing that mattered was whether they would actually find it.
"Then how do we get there?" he asked.
Mage Lian turned his gaze to the mountain range. "We land here and proceed on foot."
Michael narrowed his eyes. "Why not fly straight in?"
Mage Lian's smile turned sarcastic. "Oh, there's no place to land, of course. The mountains are far too treacherous."
Michael felt a twinge of embarrassment, realizing he had spoken his thought aloud without thinking. He should have known better.
With that, the flying ship began its descent, hovering above a small clearing near the base of the mountain range.
Michael followed Mage Lian and the others as they disembarked, his eyes scanning the barren landscape.
Michael took a deep breath.
According to Mage Lian, the reason he hadn't taken the Soul Pool Fruits himself was simple—if he could, he would have.
The real issue was the monsters guarding them, creatures stronger than him.
Still, they shouldn't be too powerful; otherwise, attempting to retrieve the fruits would be outright suicide. This could be seen from Mage Lian managing to return at all if there were two of them.
Whatever the case, Michael mentally prepared himself.
He turned toward Mage Lian, who was speaking with the knight Master Yuan had introduced him to, and then later with Yuan himself.
One thing Michael had noticed was that, aside from Mage Lian, he seemed to be the only one truly aware of their real mission.
Not that he found it strange.
After all, there was nothing unusual about a man keeping his treasure a secret.
Michael waited for Mage Lian to finish his conversation.
It didn't take long for Mage Lian to be down.
With that, the group set off towards the mountains, their footsteps echoing off the barren peaks.
The two walked in silence for a while, the only sound being the crunch of gravel beneath their feet.
Their speed was fast as they blurred but to the two they walked at a measured pace.
After waking for a while, Michael was about to ask Mage Lian when they'll reach the treasure location when Mage Lian suddenly stopped and gestured for him to be silent.