─Oh ho… So if you work hard, you can have an outstanding strength like Lady Lily, huh?
“Hmm? No, of course, talent is also necessary.”
─?
If this world were one where only effort mattered, the Celestial and Demon Races wouldn’t be causing such chaos.
The innate talent and basic prowess you’re born with cannot be underestimated.
Would you believe a sword master who has dedicated a hundred years to the sword could lose to a three-year-old from the Celestial tribe with a ‘sword’?
Unfortunately, it was a very common occurrence.
On the flip side, no matter how skilled a great mage is, they can’t defeat a three-year-old from the Demon race with magic.
“Talent is important. It’s sad, but without talent, there are limits.”
[HAHAHAHAHAHAHA]
[Oh haha, talent, huh?]
[Reality is cold…]
[What about effort then?]
[A genius like Lily putting in the effort ㄷㄷ]
[Talent brats;;]
[So the conclusion is that Lily is a genius who works hard and has talent?]
[Wow]
[Great Lily]
[Lily had such a past?]
The stadium stirred at my response.
It might sound a bit cold, but giving a completely unrealistic answer isn’t great either.
Of course, that doesn’t mean effort is worthless.
‘Especially for users.’
Finding those who can become strong with no limits and even face no risk is quite rare.
“In conclusion, I believe both talent and effort are important. One cannot exist without the other.”
─I see! Thank you for the good answer.
“Thank you as well.”
─Now! Let’s quickly see what other major events took place that year! Ah~ This is multi-dimensional…
The camera that had been focused on me switched back to the anchor.
As their images were displayed on another electronic board in the stadium, the attention that had been on me vanished.
As I enjoyed the showcase while having a small chat in the comments, someone tapped my shoulder.
“Lady Lily.”
“Yes?”
The one who tapped was, of course, Yena.
With a rather serious expression, Yena asked me.
“That thing you said earlier. That both talent and effort are important.”
“Right.”
“You said that no matter how hard you try, if you lack talent, it won’t work. So, what if someone is overflowing with talent but doesn’t put in any effort?”
“Hmmm…”
“Is that not allowed either?”
Overflowing with talent but not putting in any effort…
Of course, I’d love to say that’s impossible, but I’ve seen too many exceptions like ‘Celestial’ and ‘Demon Race’ to argue.
Among the Celestial Race, there are those who just lounge around in their rooms, breathing, yet still exist at a level beyond Upper!
I don’t know why, but apparently, that’s just how they’re born.
It sounds utterly ridiculous, but the same goes for the ordinary natural world as well.
No matter how much a regular human trains, they can’t outfight an elephant without a special weapon.
[What are you doing]
[Look at you chatting instead of focusing on the show, LOL]
[A talentless loser can’t win, for sure]
[A genius who doesn’t study?]
[Isn’t it the same if you don’t use it?]
[A mediocre person can’t beat a genius no matter how hard they try]
[For real, LOL]
[A talentless loser doesn’t usually try]
[LOL]
I turned my body to look at Yena.
“Miss Yena.”
“Meow?”
“Have you ever heard the saying? ‘Effort is also a talent.’”
“Uh… I think I’ve heard that before.”
“Effort ultimately requires perseverance and patience. As you know, Miss Yena, not everyone can truly put in the effort.”
Yena, who tried to beat Myeosin despite being hit dozens of times a day.
The Heavenly Horse, who yearned for an unseen path, trained for several hours a day for years.
This kind of effort isn’t something just anyone can muster.
Even if you tell most people there’s a clear path and reward, the majority would only stick around for a day or two before running away.
Yena tilted her head.
“So, a genius who doesn’t put in effort lacks the talent for ‘effort’?”
“That could be true. Or it could not. Unlike talent, effort can be cultivated over time.”
Even the Celestial, who lounged around all day, moved just before death pushed them to.
Furthermore, those Celestials and Demons who relied solely on their talent ended up dead or crippled in wars.
So, concentrating too much on one thing isn’t a good idea, really.
“A genius simply can’t beat a hardworking genius. This world makes it tough to survive on effort alone or talent alone.”
“And you can’t beat a genius who enjoys it either, meow!”
Meow!! Yena jumped up from her seat.
In that moment, all the attention in the VIP seats shifted towards us, but the Stadium was so loud anyway.
Plus, since most VIPs were rankers, they knew Yena’s quirks well and mostly shrugged it off, returning to focus on the screen.
[LOL]
ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Crazy Woman]
[Ugh]
[I’m so embarrassed, Yena…]
[Yena’s like a wildcat, I can’t handle her, lol]
[Great Yena]
[Those who enjoy can’t be beaten, haha]
[Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha]
[Ugh ugh]
[Yena, Yena…]
I hurriedly sat down the excited Yena again.
“Don’t you think so, Lily?”
“I agree. So sit down.”
“Got it!”
─…So! That’s it for the 2023 year-end settlement! Just wrap it up!
─I think it was a really full year. And! It’s the moment the heroes have been waiting for, right?
Once again, fireworks burst into the sky.
The dazzling fireworks split into two around the huge letters in the center, and they were energies I was very familiar with.
One was utterly disgusting Holy Power, and the other…
2024! Special Update: Era of Chaos
Whoosh!!
It was Magic.
As the two forces stared each other down like a wrestling match, everyone in the Stadium gaped at the colossal change in the sky.
[Ooh]
[Wow]
[That’s insane]
[Wow]
[Era of Chaos?]
[This time it’s not the Great Cataclysm]
[Wow, seriously]
[Wow]
[Are we fighting that now?]
─2024! The absence of special updates is the Era of Chaos.
─Many of you may already know, but there have been multiple announcements, right? The next World Boss will be an Angel and a Demon. The beings of both factions are coming to the world.
─Wow… it’s overwhelming enough with one, but now two factions. The heroes are going to need considerable strength.
─So, shall we take a closer look at the detailed updates one by one?
The detailed updates were divided into three major parts.
The first was the experience point burning event like last year, allowing latecomers to catch up by reducing some experience points.
It will run for three months, allowing rapid growth up to level 139.
Of course, reaching level 140, let alone 130, requires an astronomical amount of experience points in the billions, so it’s not something that can be done immediately.
Even after three months, probably not many will reach level 140?
─The second is related to the next World Boss. By the way, does everyone have a black or white badge?
When the caster asked that, a “Yes~” echoed through the stadium.
[Yes, yes, yes, yes]
[Yes]
[Is there anyone who doesn’t have a badge?]
[Jeoyeon]
[It’s impossible not to have one now, lol]
[A week ago, they were just throwing them in the middle of the city.]
[For real, lol]
With my help and the Challenger Alliance, almost everyone has at least one badge now.
I gathered as many crystals as I could and made a ton of badges, giving them all away for free.
At this point, not having a badge means one of two things.
One, you’re a lonely user wandering around deserted places without any contact with other users.
Or, “You simply don’t want the badge for some reason.”
If it’s not one of those two cases, everyone, even the ordinary users who didn’t participate in battles, got one.
─Looks like everyone has one. I do too.
─Challenger Alliance warriors, and especially Warrior Lily, have worked hard, right?
─That’s right. I’d like to express my thanks to the warriors who helped! This badge is used not only for hunting World Bosses but also in special ways.
“Special ways?”
“What is it, meow?”
Here we go~
─It’s the Contribution Degree! Every time you perform actions or missions that oppose the properties of your badge, your contribution goes up and you can earn various rewards.
─For example, since I have a White Badge, I could earn contributions by opposing the demons, right?
─If you have a Black one, you’d have to oppose the angels.
─Exactly! According to rumors, you can obtain incredibly rare treasures or weapons, and even ‘class advancements’!
─Wow… the class advancements for angels and demons, which are just rumors? I really want to fill my contribution points and try it out.
Oh~
The stadium buzzes.
Not just any old thing, but angels and demons are the core of Deoen, the “Devil of Angels.”
Among the users, there are very few owners of those classes, and those who do are extraordinarily strong, so everyone must be tempted.
However…
“Meow…”
“Class advancement?”
I felt something ominous.
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