The senior's appearance was now worlds apart from how she used to look.
The change was so radical that it was as if a quiet, bespectacled student with black hair had transformed into an enthusiastic, blonde-dyed gyaru.
Years had passed, but Melina’s excellent memory still kept the image of the senior from that grammar school afternoon—standing on the steps, turning her head, that inconspicuous literary girl whose dark hair had nonetheless caused a ripple in her heart. Thinking back on that day, she never could have imagined that the other girl was a transmigrator just like her, and that after so many years, she would display traits she had never possessed before.
"Senior."
Melina’s gaze lingered on the other's attire:
"Have you become an Explorer now?"
The senior put away her smile and raised her chin slightly:
"I am a Banshee, after all, and a Banshee is bound to become an Explorer."
*A Banshee is bound to become an Explorer.*
These words caused Melina’s face to go cold.
Because Banshees are naturally endowed with powerful Magic Factors, they possess an unmatched advantage in wielding Armaments; even Vampires and Elves cannot compare to them in this regard. Her literary-girl senior had been able to transition into an Explorer so quickly precisely because of her natural advantage in Magic Factors.
Magic Factors—a substance existing in every corner of the world, much like air. They are divided into refined and unrefined, controllable and uncontrollable.
Unrefined Magic Factors are mixed into the air, and the human body naturally secretes a special dopamine mixture to accommodate them. They are harmless and bring a sense of mental euphoria, after which they are refined by special organs within the bodies of this world's humans.
The refined Magic Factors are injected into the bloodstream, strengthening tendons, ligaments, and bones, turning people into superhumans.
Uncontrollable Magic Factors exist in the earth. Various plants undergo super-evolution and abnormal growth driven by the high nutrition of uncontrollable Magic Factors, growing into plants with nearly magical properties. Meanwhile, the effects of Magic Factors can also become controllable, and minerals possess stable, controllable Magic Factor structures.
Armed with Magic Factors, humans can perform many superhuman feats—such as telekinesis, jumping ten meters in a single bound, or even resisting weaker Dragon Breaths with bare hands.
This is precisely why humans can become Explorers: the sheer quantity of refined Magic Factors in their bodies is enough to reach a balance with Armaments tempered through the infusion of Magic Factors.
"If an Armament is an Explorer's organ, then the Magic Factor is an Explorer's heart."
There was only one reason why Melina could never become an Explorer:
No Armament could ever adapt to her heart.
She yearned to run through the ninety-nine percent unknown domains of this world just like anyone else.
She craved a brilliant, fiery life rather than lingering mediocrity in a town, only venturing into the wilderness—which hid countless secrets—under someone else's protection, picking up pebbles of wisdom from the beach like a child, and feeling immensely pleased with herself.
She also longed to become the pride of a place, just like countless praised Banshee Explorers!
You cannot say cruel things to someone running toward a dream.
Nor can you say "a Banshee is bound to become an Explorer" in front of a Banshee who can never become one.
The Magic Factors on the surface of Melina's body began to activate, and her silver-white hair started to take on the characteristics of metal melting in a flame.
"Senior." What did she mean by *Banshees are bound to become an Explorer*?
A dangerous smile appeared on Melina's face.
The other's behavior was as utterly asking for a beating as telling someone in a wheelchair, "People like us can definitely become long-distance runners."
"Senior Sonia, if you were trying to anger me, you've succeeded."
Super-extremely powerful Magic Factors are both a curse and, on another level, a blessing.
Melina didn't even need an Armament to rival a small Black Dragon Species or Yellow Dragon Species. And if that ability were turned against Explorers, even a veteran Explorer who had slain a small Red Dragon Species would be mere paper and toys before her.
Though it wouldn't go as far as murder, beating up this senior who had tricked her into this remote region only to make sarcastic remarks... surely that could be forgiven, right?
Eerie red lights began to flash within Melina's golden pupils.
"Wait, wait, wait! Nice home, hold on a second, don't rush!"
Senior Sonia made a gesture with her five fingers closed and palm facing forward. "Do you think I wouldn't know about your problem?"
"..." Right, she claimed to be a rebirth survivor.
"Come sit at my place first." Sonia said, then suddenly thought of something, a mischievous smile spreading across her face: "My place is pretty big..."
"..." Hold it in.
Melina half-closed her eyes.
"I can even treat you to black tea."
"..." Tch.
Sonia let out a hearty laugh. "What? You look so pretty when you smile."
The senior was boisterous, possessing a charm that effortlessly lowered one's psychological defenses.
By the time Melina snapped out of the spell of this charm, she was already standing side-by-side with her in front of a two-story villa built halfway up a cliffside. It covered a considerable area, with numerous rustic, primitive stone pillars forming the basic structure of the outer wall, complemented by an abundance of plants and a flowing water feature. Behind the wall lay a spacious grassy area with several greenhouse structures resembling small thatched huts. Directly facing them was the two-story villa itself, carrying a hint of rural style, its tall chimney giving off a Japanese-fantasy feel. It looked just like an illustration.
Sonia walked right into the illustration, turned around, and familiarly called out:
"What are you standing there for? Get in."
Melina walked over, her luggage floating along behind her.
"I know your problem," Sonia said while opening the door. "Excessively powerful Magic Factors have instead become a curse chaining you down. No matter what kind of Armament is in your hands, it won't last ten seconds before breaking. You're like a super-powerful power source—any device connected to you just gets directly 'overcharged'. Trust me, there's a reason I was reborn, home."
She paused.
Wearing a smile, she pushed open the door:
"Welcome to my dream home."
The world inside the door was practically a complete Explorer camp, featuring all sorts of enthusiast-grade facilities, including alchemy, weapon forging, armor crafting, equipment maintenance, and more. Right in the center of the cleared-out room was a small parlor space partitioned on all four sides by soundproof curtains.
Sonia said, "This is the common area. The bathroom is in the basement, the bedrooms are upstairs. Any other questions?"
Too many questions.
Melina twitched the corner of her mouth:
"Yes."
"Please go ahead." Sonia crossed her arms, turned, and flopped backward, landing steadily on the parlor sofa with her slender legs crossed.
"..." Melina took a deep breath. "I'm guessing I never actually expressed that I didn't have a place to stay."
"Dogs won't even bark when they come to Hamlet Town, the inn is as trashy as Innsmouth, and what's worse..."
Sonia lowered her voice as if telling a horror story:
"After doing your business, there's only a fur brush. The front half of the restroom is a public toilet and the back half is a bathhouse, whereas my place..."
Her face was written all over with a transmigrator's pride:
"...has a flush toilet, complete with warm-water washing. There's a separate shower room, an open-air hot spring in the courtyard, and alchemy potions to keep mosquitoes away."
Melina closed her eyes.
*You think this is enough to buy me off?* she had wanted to say.
But there was no helping it—this indeed was enough to buy her off.
Melina silently conceded to staying, waving a hand to set all her luggage aside.
Seeing this, Sonia smiled:
"Good. Now let's talk business."
"So soon?"
"Just like that."
Sonia pointed at herself: "I was born to save the world."
Her tone was incomparably confident—or rather, she believed it with absolute conviction. It was enough to leave even Melina awed by her presence.
"Sis, I don't know if you've ever had this feeling..." Sonia said. "...We were born here, and there must be some kind of chaotic logic supporting it all. It's like, look, not only did I transmigrate, but I was also reborn. Seeing so much and experiencing so much in that first playthrough, there *has* to be a reason I entered this second playthrough, to make up for things, to save everything."
Sonia declared:
"That's my motivation. I'll help you overcome the predicament of not being able to become an Explorer, and you help me once. How about it?"
"Once?" Melina was somewhat sensitive to quantifiers.
"There will be many crises. Have you ever played an MMO? Our world is pretty much the same, more or less. A major event is the destruction of the world, a medium event is the destruction of a country, and a minor event is the destruction of a city. But I can't exactly leverage a favor and demand you deal with every mess with me all the time, right? Once, just once—I need time to grow. Once I get through the first hurdle, I have a fair degree of certainty of landing a good ending." Sonia giggled.
Melina nodded.
Right now, what plagued her was precisely her inability to become an Explorer. If what the other girl said was true, then becoming an Explorer was the only way she would have enough power to dictate her own destiny.
"Great! Sis, your personality really is gentle enough!" Sonia clapped happily.
The senior was very familiar with her.
Melina held a contradictory attitude toward this sudden 'acquaintance': on one hand, the other girl was practically a [complete-package prophet]; on the other hand, while she herself felt completely transparent to the other, the other girl remained almost entirely opaque to her.
"You..." Melina couldn't help asking, "Just what kind of person... are you to me?" she said earnestly.
Sonia fell silent for a moment, then smiled:
"Shouldn't the question be what *you* are to *me*?"
She paused:
"Melina, you are going to be the one who kills me. You will be the Banshee who falls into the evil path. You will be among the top five Explorers in the world."