Chapter Five: Unlocking This Month’s Exclusive Talent

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Upon reopening the "Monthly Ranking," Chen Ye noticed his position had surged to 9,986th place—instantly breaking into the top ten thousand. Considering Linjiang City’s population of about two million, reaching the top ten thousand was an achievement reserved for a rare few. And this was merely the effect of walking a few steps.

Chen Ye tried running, but found that steps taken while running were not counted in the list—only walking steps registered.

“According to the role-playing rules...”
“The wanderer’s survival environment is harsh; excessive movement accelerates stamina depletion.”
“Running clearly violates the principles of the role.”

Therefore, Chen Ye had to obediently keep to walking, and also maintain a disheveled and destitute appearance; walking upright and proud sometimes caused the effect to fail. After some practice, Chen Ye had mastered the demeanor of a wanderer, each step precisely within the step-counting standards. This efficiency was a marked improvement over his initial attempts.

At this moment, his blood-red phone flashed two notifications. Unnoticed, Chen Ye had walked three thousand meters, and his “strangeness value” had risen to thirty points! His ranking had jumped from over nine thousand to within the top three thousand five hundred—a rapid ascent akin to riding a small rocket.

After half a day of walking, Chen Ye reached ten thousand steps. His strangeness value finally hit one hundred points, and his ranking soared to within the top one thousand.

Just then, the blood-red phone suddenly popped up a message—

[Congratulations on completing the daily task: Walk 10,000 meters!]
[Reward: Wanderer’s Boots!]
[Wanderer’s Boots: Reduce stamina consumption when wandering; increase speed based on strangeness value.]

The next second, Chen Ye looked down and saw a pair of boots on his bare feet. Paired with the shorts covering a third of his thighs, his legs now appeared slender and long. After walking ten thousand meters, his legs had felt sore, but upon putting on the Wanderer’s Boots, the fatigue vanished instantly, and he felt like himself again.

Taking a few steps, Chen Ye noticed the scenery around him seemed to be retreating faster than usual. He was startled.
“I’m walking at my usual pace, but it feels like I’m moving faster?”
He wondered if it was an illusion. Fixating on a nearby utility pole, he walked closer, intending to use it as a reference point to compare.

To his surprise, when he took one step forward, the scenery behind him flew backward as if he had kicked a bicycle hard, instantly placing the pole three meters away. He had only taken a small step, yet when he looked back again, the pole was already behind him.

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With his short legs, Chen Ye knew he couldn’t have covered that distance in just a few steps. The interface showed his walking distance had increased by three meters, counted as effective steps.

“So that means...”
“The Wanderer’s Boots not only speed up my walking efficiency but also reduce my stamina consumption.”
“The boots’ power improves further as my strangeness value rises.”

Chen Ye’s eyes lit up, realizing the boots’ miraculous effect was likely tied to his strangeness value reaching one hundred points—a turning point. Under the influence of this value, the boots performed far better than he had imagined.

A sudden rumble came from his stomach. Although the boots conserved stamina, hunger was inevitable after walking all day. Food had become a pressing concern. Surely, he couldn’t walk hundreds of thousands of meters on an empty stomach.

“Time to draw the exclusive talent.”

Chen Ye opened his personal interface and focused on the “Pending Draw” talent. So far, the pedometer showed just over ten thousand steps. Though not a journey of ten thousand miles, covering this much ground in one day was decent. Luck hadn’t favored him yet, but the Wanderer’s Boots were unrelated to luck. Stage rewards were predefined, so luck had no bearing there.

Accumulating ten thousand steps might trigger something good. As the saying goes, extremes breed reversals...

Starting with a “Wanderer” hell-level profession, Chen Ye’s luck had initially been poor. If he had drawn a talent at the beginning, it would likely have been cursed by bad luck. Persisting stubbornly with paid draws during misfortune would only deepen his woes.

But by activating the Wanderer’s trait and walking for a while, perhaps a reversal of fortune awaited. Drawing this month’s exclusive talent now might bring an unexpected surprise.

With this in mind, Chen Ye decisively opened his personal interface.

[Do you wish to draw this month’s talent?]
“Yes!”

He made the choice firmly. The talent list’s “Pending Draw” transformed into a swirling stream of gibberish. About five minutes later, a brand-new talent appeared in the “Talent” section.

[Congratulations on drawing April’s talent—]
[Lucky Eye!]

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[Effects:]
[1. Activating Lucky Eye allows you to see the aura rings of specific items.]
[2. By observing the earth’s energy flow, you can see the directional fortune of the land or fortune symbols surrounding a fixed location.]
[Aura rings come in colors: Black, White, Blue, Yellow, Purple, Red, Glazed, Gold...]
[Black signifies malevolent energy!]
[White signifies mediocrity!]
[Blue signifies creativity!]
[Yellow signifies wealth!]
[Purple signifies success!]
[Red signifies bloodshed!]
[Glazed signifies extraordinariness!]
[Gold signifies destiny!]
[Note: Various aura rings may intertwine and change endlessly. The meanings of specific aura rings are for players to explore on their own...]

Opening his eyes again, the world reflected before Chen Ye had undergone a dramatic transformation. Countless lines of fortune wove through the air like faint mist, decorating the world like an oil painting.

Chen Ye looked up and noticed the aura ring circling above his head gradually changing from glazed to white.

“Could it be that drawing Lucky Eye today exhausted my fortune, turning the aura from glazed to white?”

Glazed represented extraordinariness. Having just drawn the Lucky Eye talent, it seemed rather impressive—allowing him to see shifts in fortune!

Combined with the Wanderer trait—where his luck improves the longer he walks—this ability no longer seemed abstract, but something he could witness concretely through Lucky Eye.

His gaze fell upon the crossroads where he stood, leading to three different streets, each displaying distinct aura rings.

To the west, a faint blood-red mist stretched down the street, with black fumes billowing at the end. From afar, the western outskirts were dominated by heavy industrial factories under a gloomy sky, an area seemingly devoid of sunlight year-round.

To the east, a white fog-like cloud trailed along Longhua Avenue—the path Chen Ye had walked from.

To the north, beneath an overpass toward the old city, a faint blue light led into an antiquated alley. The stone gate bore the inscription “Xining,” once a street famous for specialty foods.

Before the Blood-Red Countdown began in Linjiang City, this alley sold tourist souvenirs and gradually transformed into a trendy food street with many street performers—bustling and prosperous.

However, since the Blood-Red Countdown started, Xining Alley had declined, now deserted and cold.

Chen Ye pondered for a moment.

“Heading west means blood aura and leads to the black malevolent energy—likely dangerous; best not go there yet.”
“The east is Longhua Avenue, where I’ve been. Aside from one well-disciplined native, nothing special—hence the mediocre aura.”
“Currently, Xining Alley’s creative aura makes it the most promising destination.”

With this decision, Chen Ye quickly chose his path and walked down the overpass toward Xining Alley’s entrance.