In the dream world of the Land of Fragrant Flowers.
Layers of bubbles floated in this dream world. Unlike other dream worlds, this one also carried a faint floral fragrance.
The floral fragrance was incompatible with the dream world.
A gigantic flower, reaching to the sky, bloomed here.
Its roots reached deep beneath the dream world, reaching a bottomless depth.
The enormous flower, open to the sky, emitted a faint glow. In this dream world, something so otherworldly seemed so vibrant.
Around this flower, numerous dreamlike mist-like creatures swirled around it, but only these mist-like creatures could remain within its vicinity.
Both the light and shadow creatures stayed far away.
Within this enormous, blooming flower, a graceful and beautiful girl lay, like a sleeping baby.
Some unknown noise disturbed her.
Eyelashes, emitting a faint glow, fluttered softly along her eyelids.
In her pale pink eyes, the pattern of flowers could be seen within her pupils.
Those eyes were captivating.
She rose slightly, her jade-like arms supporting her bed of flower stamens, revealing her graceful and alluring body.
She stared at an unknown direction.
A flash of thought flashed through her eyes, a feeling, a certainty.
A floating golden and silver petal flew out from her palm, then shrank smaller and smaller, landing in a dream bubble not far away.
After completing all this, she lay back down and fell into a deep sleep once again.
…
"Is it the system?" Alka faintly sensed a hint of something else within her.
Instinctively, she thought of the treasure hunting system.
The main reason was that the object's form was so remarkably like a treasure that it was hard not to think that way.
Furthermore, he already knew his origins and the entire process of his arrival in this world.
He suspected that this treasure-hunting system was either some kind of treasure, or some kind of divine essence, a special treasure transformed by his own will.
Dispelling these thoughts, Alka began to carefully sense the changes in his dream state after reaching the fifth stage of strength.
First, he could clearly sense the connection between himself and reality.
The rift still existed, but his divine identity stubbornly connected the two.
As long as Alka continued to increase his dream state strength, the connection would remain.
But this was already the limit; Alka could no longer perform any operations that would separate him from reality.
The fifth stage of strength also slowed the natural rate of his dream state strength increase.
Just come in every day, or every few days, and spread your strength.
As his strength reached the fifth stage,
Alka also roughly understood the [Holy Grail]-level treasure.
By simulating Mirmi through the mirror to connect the world, Alka became half a natural spirit.
Then he was able to understand.
The essence of a [Holy Grail]-level treasure is divine essence.
This was revealed through Alka's conversations and inquiries with the instructors in the Tower of Trials.
In ancient times, 30,000 years ago, when gods walked the earth,
Ordinary mortals—this term encompasses all beings without divine essence.
All mortals are almost always subordinates of those who possess divine essence, or vassals of higher-level beings.
Most of this manifests itself in the form of faith.
To gain power, one must believe in others or powerful beings.
Even if these creatures are mad, chaotic, and even have completely different ideologies from your own.
Similar to what's happening now.
To become a Toucher, you must touch the treasure to gain enlightenment.
Although the world is shattered, it's actually a good thing for ordinary mortals.
Because the naturally extraordinary divine creatures that weighed on them have either died or fled.
Only the four gods who truly lingered in their world remain.
And their attitude is open to belief, not coercion.
The so-called divine essence is a fragment of a former world.
Because all divine creatures are the earliest life forms born in the world, or their bloodline descendants.
Essentially, they are not much different from natural spirits. But they are the earliest, the firstborn. Separated from nature, they naturally possess certain abilities that belong to this world.
This is the form in which the divine essence, or treasure, manifests.
Representing the laws of the natural world.
Although understanding this might seem useless at this stage, it's better than nothing.
However, understanding its essence, and advancing from the fourth stage of mastery, will allow one to gain the ability to transform treasures.
For example, previously, Alka had complete control over the mirror.
He could simply transform the object he was imitating onto himself by altering the mask itself.
This prevented him from becoming too drastically different, like growing a deer head.
Instead, the mask wouldn't change much, making it easier to absorb the simulated power.
And now, Alka has dispensed with the mask altogether.
The mirror simulation only alters his appearance slightly, a necessary process.
For example, his characteristic arched feet and deer hooves vanished altogether.
Leaving only his current antlers and the subtle markings on his face.
This is one of the necessary characteristics.
It would depend on whether this trait could be eliminated as his strength improved.
Although the trait had been reduced, the simulated strength had actually become more profound.
Maintaining his current form, Alka flew out of his dream bubble.
As he emerged, he glanced down and saw that the crystal pillar that had once soared into the center of the world was once again insufficiently tall.
His bubble expanded again.
When he emerged from the bubble and arrived at the Mirror Palace outside, Alka's first impression was that the Mirror Palace was too small; he could still expand it even more.
As Alka emerged, Shadow Robe, Huan, and the more powerful mist-like creatures in the Dream Palace all sensed Alka's increased strength.
"I've advanced. Are you ready?" Alka asked.
Huan nodded his deer head.
Shadow Robe also said, "You can begin the expansion now. Leave the details to us."
Hearing this, Alka nodded, then opened his arms and raised them high.
The reflective surface around the entire edge of the Mirror Palace began to expand.
The dream world outside also experienced a strong disturbance.
It was as if space were warping.
Although in this already chaotic dream space, this bizarre phenomenon did not seem strange at all.
The expansion of the mirror power was remarkably smooth.
It easily expanded the existing palace area by a full five times.
The entire palace became even more spacious.
No, it could no longer be called a palace.
The area was now more than sufficient for the construction of a royal court.
But it was only sufficient.
The royal court's details needed to be constructed with the help of dream creatures. It couldn't be done haphazardly by Alka alone, as with the temporary palace.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Hearing Alka's words,
All the dream creatures around him began to move.
"It's nice to have subordinates."
Feeling relaxed and free, Alka couldn't help but think.
He returned to his dream bubble, waking from reality.
It was still pitch black outside.
But Alka had slept long enough.
Sitting on the bed, he opened his hand, and the dream crystal ball appeared in his palm.
He was examining the impact of the increased power of his dream spirit world on his reality.
Pink mist poured out of the crystal ball, drifting around under its control.
"It's easier to affect the mind, and normal mental defenses are unlikely to be effective.
Ordinary attacks targeting the mind and soul will be directly blocked, and won't work on me.
Even powerful attacks will be weakened."
Alka said, sensing the simplest change.
After all, the dream energy he was now using to influence his mind was essentially emanating from his own dream body.
They were inherently one and the same, making their use effortless, almost reaching the limits of what could be achieved in reality.
How could a normal person possibly achieve such conditions?
Besides this,
Alka could also feel the circuits within his body naturally rotating, increasing their strength even more than before.
Even the suction generated by the spiral, unnoticed, was pulling magic power from the dream into Alka's body.
This meant that the improvement brought about by meditation was even faster.
While others use one channel, Alka may have two channels, absorbing from different levels.
This gives him an extra channel, a medium that allows him to draw magic from dreams for meditation.
This is the Dreamcatcher that he has completely controlled, even capable of changing.
Unless his strength matches his dream strength, these changes will continue.
But when the royal court is built...
The strength in dreams will inevitably be a level higher than that in reality.
Unless his real strength suddenly surges, like the dramatic change he experienced in his dreams, there's essentially no hope of catching up.
Dreams are one step ahead of reality.
This will make life much easier for Alka in reality.
He checked his own strength and adjusted some of his abilities.
It wasn't until dawn.
Alka saw Sofia in the restaurant.
Sofia walked in and flipped his palm, placing the sealed map in his hand.
Then he sat down at the table next to him.
A slender snake tail stretched out, a green dropper wrapped around the tip, and gently dripped a drop into Sofia's milk cup.
"Thank you," Sofia said with a smile to Matlisa, who was a seat away.
She picked up the milk cup in front of her and poured the milk into her mouth. The green liquid eased her slight mental fatigue and made her feel a little more relaxed.
Alka ate breakfast nearby and began to examine the brand new map in her hands.
There were no islands depicted on the map.
Almost 80% of the map was a single green hue, with only a few areas featuring a style that represented a forest.
There was nothing he could do.
This was the case with Zehai.
He blinked. Two white and one orange appeared before Alka.
He reached out and gently tapped the orange light.
[Hochalmera's Star]
[Difficulty: Extinction Abomination (Level 4-5)]
[Popularity: 1]
[Treasure Information: Ancient Flower Village, the remains of Hochalmera of the Morning Star.]
Hmm...
"Crack."
Alka chewed the biscuit.
He looked at the treasure information.
So who was Hochalmera? Why did he receive such expanded information?
He had thought he wouldn't know the name of this treasure, nor would he receive any information about it.
He hadn't expected this to happen.
Alka had never heard of the word Hochalmera.
So, obviously, this information was expanded from the name of the Flower Village.
The term "Flower Land" originated from a term Alka had previously encountered in a travelogue of the Marsh Sea explorations written by the Church of the Holy Mother.
It's said that the land of all spirits was originally called the Flower Land.
The local beliefs and culture clearly show a strong overlap between the two.
So, is the information about this treasure related to the Flower Land?
Skipping over this unimportant expansion, Alka focused on the difficulty of obtaining the treasure.
Stages 4-5...
Honestly, this was the first time he'd seen a rough range of difficulty requirements.
And there were two stages.
That range was a bit broad.
This also indicated some condition that determined the fluctuations in difficulty.
Looking at this information, Alka memorized the words "Flower Land" and "Hochalmela."
These two words would be the key to their breakthrough in obtaining information. After finishing his meal, he downed the drink in his cup.
He clapped his hands, picked up the map, and headed for the captain's cabin.
"After we finish, let's go to that room. We'll have a meeting."
With that, he headed to a specially partitioned bedroom.
Alka had cast a spell there to protect its secrecy and prevent prying eyes.
Not long after, everyone started to arrive.
After everyone arrived, Alka laid the map out on the table.
He tapped twice at the orange dot through a piece of paper.
"This is the key area we're searching for treasure this time. There's a [Scepter] there."
Hearing this, everyone fell silent.
They looked up at him.
There was a hint of surprise in their eyes, even though they had expected this.
Everyone's eyes showed not only surprise but also a hint of questioning.
"It's certain. Of course, this place is very dangerous. With our current strength, we're clearly not going to be able to obtain it."
Alka's current plan was to grow their strength while gathering intelligence.
After all, his current strength was not far from the fourth stage, and if a fight really came to a head, he could use special means to reach the fifth stage.
So they still had the ability to peek at this treasure.
Alka was also prepared to slowly grind with this treasure.
For a scepter-level treasure, it was worth spending some time, even if that time was measured in years.
"So you're planning to embark on a long-term search, targeting this treasure?" Sofia asked from the side.
This was a normal occurrence for a treasure-hunting group.
It was just that theirs was slightly different.
Ever since joining Alka's treasure hunt, I've rarely spent a significant amount of time on a single treasure.
This is definitely rare in other treasure hunts.
"Indeed, our strength has reached a rather awkward stage.
To achieve further improvement, we must reach the fourth stage, but reaching the fourth stage requires time spent meditating. There's no shortcut."
Let's go."
Hearing this, everyone nodded in unison.
This statement was completely flawless.
Whether it was the Trial Tower Trial, or Vastva, where one had already been confirmed to receive an orange treasure, there was a minimum requirement.
Achieving Stage 4 strength was essential.
At Stage 4, everyone could proceed to the Trial Tower to undergo the Trial, and upon completing it, receive a new treasure suited to their needs.
Furthermore, this treasure could be accommodated within any desired item.
This was essential; they would only undertake the challenge if they were 100% certain of obtaining it.
As for Vastva's orange treasure, it also required treasures representing the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and they only had Winter.
Although Alka already had a clue about Autumn.
After listening to Alka's words, Jason thought for a moment and asked, "What information do you have about this treasure?" "
"This treasure is related to the Flower Country and a person named Hochalmera."
"This means that our future actions will focus on understanding these two terms, correct?"
Alka nodded.
Indeed, that was the case.
"Flower Country was the former name of this area, right? Now it's called the Land of All Spirits,"
Julia said.
She had taken note of the information Alka had shared with her.
After confirming this,
Jason began to analyze.
"The name of Flower Country suggests it must be related to the Flower Fairy, the deity that is currently reviving in this area.
The Flower Fairy died here. Although not completely annihilated, the people of this area claim to have worshipped Flower Fairies since ancient times." "
This wasn't Jason's random speculation; it was something Simon had previously discovered from the library of the Holy Machine Church.
This was information previously discovered by an exploration team organized by the church.
"So, can we infer that the Flower Country was once the domain of the Flower Fairies before the War of Gods?"
"This is a very reasonable idea, but it just needs proof," Simon said.
"So we have to deal with the church here, right?" Sofia said.
Jason nodded.
"Looks like I'll be busy later."
Jason was the team's intelligence officer, and as a follower of the Holy Mother, he could wield the power of Holy Light.
He was currently the best person to communicate and obtain intelligence from the church.
Of course, the others had to get moving as well.
"Then we have to go take a look at this place. After all, we already know where the treasure is hidden." "Matthias said from the side.
Arka nodded. "Although it's dangerous, it's worth exploring."
He at least needed to know the specific circumstances surrounding the treasure.