"It reduces all poison and negative effects by 80%", he explained.

"Wow, thanks. I feel so much better now!", she rejoiced. "But... are you sure you want to give this to me?", she asked, wondering if it was fine to recieve such a valuable item.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Besides, I have plot armour.", he replied, brushing it off.

"Thanks a lot! In fact, I think I could eat 20 more!", she said with a bright smile.

"Please don't...", Kyros said, letting out a small sigh.

Eira approached the duo, smiling confidently.

"What's with that smug look on your face?", Kyros asked, as if it annoyed him.

"Smug? I, the princess of the Great Elven kingdom and next in line to become queen, come to bring you good news and you insult-"

"Blah... blah... blah. Can you stop with the long speeches and just get to the point? Besides we saved your so-called 'Great Elven Kingdom'. A 'thank you' would be nice.", Kyros said, now more annoyed.

"... Thank you...", Eira said shyly and softly while bowing her head.

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you.", he replied with a smug look.

"Thank you... for saving... my kingdom.", she said, a little louder than before.

"One more time.", he replied with a devilish grin.

"Thank you for saving my kingdom! Is that what you wanted to hear?", she shouted, clearly embarrassed.

"That's more like it. And you're welcome. So, what was the news you wanted to tell us?"

She cleared her throat. "Well, the king and queen have decided to reward you with a gift only shared with a few humans... magic.", she smiled.

"Oh! Sounds cool! When do we start?", Kyros asked eagerly.

"Tomorrow at dawn.", she replied, preparing to leave.

"Magic seems like a cool thing to learn.", Seraphina said, licking the bones dry of meat. Maybe I'll learn magic that allows me to duplicate food.", she drooled just thinking about it.

"Rest well, you'll need it for tomorrow." Eira said.

Kyros and Seraphina were sent to their separate rooms to rest for the night. Seraphina snored loudly while dreaming peacefully of eating more delicious food. Kyros on the other hand dreamt about shooting fire from his hands and adding lightning to his sword.

Morning came and everyone woke up to prepare for the day. The palace bustling servants cleaning and cooking, and the town with the elven people doing their daily tasks. Kyros heard a gentle knock on his door.

"Come in.", he welcomed.

Seraphina entered the room.

"Good morning!", she greeted cheerfully. She saw him staring blankly at the air. Sitting on the large red bed, with nature themed sheets and blankets. The curtains were a lime green colour and windows large, surrounded by oak.

"Good morning.", he greeted back, looking at his system window.

"Why are you zoned out?", she asked while approaching him.

[System: Rewards Claimed: Random Novel + Random Item]
[Random Novel: Flameless Ember]
[Random Item: Mana Potion: When consumed: Restores the user's mana.]

The items materials in his hands. Seraphina jumped backward in shock, her skin becoming paler than her hair.

"H-h-how did you do that!?", she asked, so shocked and her voice shaky.

"It's uhh a skill.", he said, not having a better reason to cover it up.

"L-like magic?", she asked, calming down.

"Not exactly... just think of it as... a special ability I have. It's kind of like a gift that lets me summon certain items. It's not traditional magic, but it's something unique to me.", he explained.

"Oh... that... makes more sense now. It's like a soulmark", she said. 

"What's a soulmark?", he asked, intrigued by this new word.

"A soulmark is kind of like a birthmark, except it's a unique ability given to one at birth.", she explained.

"Oh, well yeah I guess you could call it that. What's your soulmark?", he asked, now curious.

"I don't know.", she said with a smile that left Kyros dumbfounded.

(Sometimes I wonder what her intelligence level is.)

[Notice: Her intelligence is 52]

(That's even higher than mine!)

"So, ready to learn magic?", she asked, eyes glowing with excitement.

"Yeah. It's the only thing I've been excited about since I got here.", he said, still remaining calm.

"You don't seem excited about it.", she said, staring at him blankly.

The wooden door slammed open, Eira bursting in with excitement. "Good morning!", she greeted in a cheerful tone. "Let's hurry and eat so we can start today's magic lesson!"

When they arrived at the dining room. They saw a large silver table in the middle of a giant hall that had precious metals for walls and large stained rose windows. The food was set on the table in large amounts that seemed endless.

Seraphina's eyes glinted with stars the moment she saw all the food. They sat down at the large table, giving thanks for their meals and enjoying the feast. When they were full, Eira took them to an open field. 

"Before you can learn magic, you must first complete three trials to prove your worth.", Eira instructed.

"Why the heck do we even need these useless side quests? Can't we just skip to magic training already?", Kyros asked, now annoyed.

"Well these 'side quests' are supposed to help you create an ingredient needed for you to unlock your inner energy. There are a total of four quests. This map will lead you to where you need.", she explained.

"Aren't you coming with us?", Seraphina asked, munching on a large bag of potato chips given to her by one of the chefs.

"Well, I already completed my trials single handedly, no need to do it again.", Eira with a smug look.

"Well. Guess we're gonna have to speed run this.", Kyros said, opening his system window and going to the skill tree tab.

"What are these movements he's doing? Is he crazy?", Eira asked confused.

"It's a skill he has. Only he can see it.", Seraphina explained.

"That's interesting... I've never seen anything like it.", she said, observantly.

Kyros searched through the skill tree until he found what he was looking for.

[System: Do you wish to unlock this skill? Accept/Cancel.]

(Accept.)

[System: Active Skill Unlocked: Speed Running. This skill will allow you to speed run missions and side quests.]

"Let's do this.", he said, determined.

Trial 1: Retrieve the Elixir of Luminescence from the Forest of Echoes

Kyros and Seraphina ventured into the dense Forest of Echoes, where the trees stretched into the sky. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop... and Seraphina snacking on potato chips.

“Stay close,” Kyros instructed, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

As they walked deeper, they encountered the Echo Sprites—tiny, mischievous creatures that mimicked their every move and voice. One particularly bold sprite snatched Seraphina’s snack, leading her on a wild chase through the forest.

“Give that back!” she yelled, laughing and stumbling over roots as the sprite darted away.

Kyros watched, shaking his head. “Well, that’s one way to start an adventure.”

Eventually, they reached a clearing with a shimmering pool holding the Elixir of Luminescence. Kyros knelt to fill a vial, only for an Echo Sprite to splash him with water.

“Seriously?” Kyros grumbled, dripping wet.

“At least it’s not life-threatening.”, Seraphina mumbled, still sad that her potato chips were stolen.

"Don't worry. You won't die of hunger. I'll get you new potato chips later."

"Okay...", she sniffled.

[Quest Complete: Retrieve the Elixir of Luminescence.]

Trial 2: Solve the Puzzle of the Enchanted Stones

The map led the duo to a cave filled with enchanted stones glowing with mysterious symbols. "We need to arrange these stones in the correct order to unlock the door to the next floor" he explained.

They examined the symbols, debating their meanings. After several frustrating attempts and a few playful arguments, they finally figured out the pattern.

“Kyros, maybe if we stop overthinking and just try what it looks like it will work?” Seraphina suggested.

"And what does it look like?", he asked, ready to rearrange them.

"A drum stick. Like on a chicken.", she said.

"You're joking.", he chuckled.

"No, I mean it.", she looked at him seriously.

Kyros sighed, tried  arrangement them to form a drumstick shape as a joke, and—surprisingly—it worked. The cave lit up with a magical glow, revealing the next door.

(Well that was unexpected.)

[Quest Complete: Solve the Puzzle of the Enchanted Stones.]

Trial 3: Tame the Spirit of the Azure Flame

They entered a room filled with many different coloured flames.

"To complete this trial, we have to tame the azure flame" Kyros instructed, reading from the manual.

The other coloured flames chased them around while the azure flame ran away. They tried taming the blue flame but the other flames disturbed them. Kyros got annoyed and pulled out his sword. extingusihing the flames in a fit of rage while Seraphina distracted the blue flame.

The flame danced around them, testing their patience and resolve. Sattempted to connect with it, focusing his energy, but the flame had its own ideas.

“Stay still, you little...!” Kyros muttered, trying to grab the flame, only for it to zip around like an elusive firefly.

Seraphina, on the other hand, continued the gentler approach. “Hey there, little flame. We’re not here to harm you,” she cooed, using her charm.

The flame approached her calmly. While it was off guard, Kyros put it in a bad and tied it shut. "Gotcha!", he shouted.

[Final Trial: Navigate the Labyrinth of Shadows and Retrieve the Guardian’s Tear.]

They entered the labyrinth, its dark corridors twisting and turning. It wasn’t long before they felt the ground tremble. A menacing growl echoed through the walls.

“What was that?” Seraphina whispered, eyes wide.

Before they could react, a massive creature appeared—a Guardian, with a shape of a giant 4 legged lizard, blue armour-like scales and large horns. It roared, charging towards them.

“Run!” Kyros shouted, grabbing Seraphina’s hand.

They sprinted through the labyrinth, the Guardian right behind them. They twisted and turned through the narrow corridors, trying to lose the beast. 

Seraphina laughed despite the danger. “This is insane!”

“Tell me about it!” Kyros panted, narrowly avoiding a trapdoor.

Unfortunately, they reached a dead end. The Guardian approached them slowly, ready to attack. Seraphina noticed a piece of paper on its lip. It was the same that was holding her potato chips. In a silent rage, she pounced, furnishing her battle axe. The last thing the Guardian saw was a shadow with orange, burning eyes and a giant axe, smashing its head.

The Guardian wailed as it cried buckets and ran away. Kyros scooped the tears into a bottle.

"Hey! Come back here! Bring back my potato chips", Seraphina shouted angrily.

"Atleast we're done.", Kyros said, finally relieved.

[Quest Complete: Navigate the Labyrinth of Shadows and Retrieve the Guardian’s Tear.]

The duo went to the entrance where Eira was waiting. They fell immedeiately as if they travelled the world without rest, panting heavily.

(I guess speed running still makes the user tired after use.)

[Notice: You didn't activate the skill.]

(What? It's an active skill? I thought it was passive.)

[Notice: Didn't u read the conditions?]

(Ah. Well...  Atleast we're done.)

End Of Chapter 7.