Chapter 121: 121 If You’re a Hero, Take Quests
I spread out a cloth by the lake, where the view was good, and lay down. Lyra and I both caught our breath.
It had been a long time since we last met, so we talked about many things. Every time I spoke about an important part, she listened well, even while getting overly immersed.
I thought she might be the best audience. Then, I showed her what I had obtained from helping the noble. Lyra would surely know its use.
"Oh my!"
Lyra’s eyes sparkled, like a child who had found their desired gift.
"This is totally my taste!"
"Really?"
"How did you know I like these kinds of antiques?!"
"Haha, then do you want to have it? Actually, I heard something good would happen if I took it to the Head of the Merchant Guild."
"This doesn’t need a Head of the Merchant Guild or anything! And I am the Head of the Merchant Guild, so what are you worried about? I’ll take good care of it! Hehe♥"
Lyra was genuinely happy. It was to the point where I wondered if she could really be that happy. Her happiness made me happy too. That’s a relief.
I looked her in the eyes and spoke, as sweetly as possible.
"Since Lyra is happy, I’m happy too. Haha."
Lyra’s face turned red. After a moment of pupil tremors, she stretched and stood up. She scratched her head and then looked back at me.
"Hmm, hmm, then I should give you something too, right?"
"Ah, I wasn’t expecting that..."
"Still, take it. I’ve been carrying it around thinking you might need it. And it’s a high-grade artifact!"
What would she give me? Lyra’s precious leather bag. Lyra pulled something out of the bag. What she handed me was a small earring.
An earring? I checked its specs.
[Imitator]
Rarity: Masterpiece
*Unique Passive ’Imitation’: Imitates one ability of a contacted target. Stigmata or Brands are imitated with a rarer chance.
*Unique Passive ’Weapon Mastery’: Handles all weapons moderately well. Efficiency improves over time.
「Cool your heart. - Yeni Drifer」
It was quite a rare item. I didn’t know about anything else, but imitation? This is good.
"But is it really necessary?"
For me right now, it was an option that would be nice to have, but not strictly necessary. If something like this had appeared in the early stages, I probably would have used it as often as Dawn. Still, it would be useful when I ascended to Master rank.
"To ascend to Master, I need one Masterpiece-grade item and two Art Piece-grade items. I’m lucky."
I accepted it.
"Thank you, Lyra!"
"Haa-eung♥ Lucian likes this, doesn’t he? He accepts anything I give him so well!"
"Of course I do, if it’s from Lyra. Lyra, hee-eung."
"Aww, you’re cute. Your skin is soft and smooth for a man, your balls are big, and your dick is like an Imoogi."
"Hee-eung..."
Lyra, who had been sexually complimenting me, laughed as if something just occurred to her.
"By the way, I heard the news. All the way from the distant capital!"
"Heh, a lot has happened."
"Will you tell me everything?"
"Hehe, if that’s the case..."
And so, we settled down by the lakeside. We spent the night talking, losing track of time.
＊＊＊
The next morning, I said goodbye to Aunt.
I wanted to rest more here, but I also had things to do.
"Hiiing..."
Aunt made a tearful face, as if she was about to burst into tears. My heart breaks every time this happens.
"I know you’re leaving again, but I’m sad."
"But you can always come back, so don’t worry!"
"Hehe, alright. Next time, I hope you come when I’m giving birth. Hehe♥"
Aunt stroked her belly and smiled shyly. She was so adorable it was killing me. To the point my dick stood up without me even realizing it.
"Then, I’ll be going."
"Go safely, my son♥"
Swoooooshhhh!!!..
The visible background instantly changed to the Imperial Palace’s lodging room. I had returned in an instant. Although it only allowed round trips to designated locations, it was truly broken.
"Huh, this charm is really amazing, isn’t it?"
It was indeed thanks to continuous enhancement. I sat down on the bed.
[Main Quest ’Save the Empress’ Cleared!]
[All Stats increased by 5!]
The notification finally appeared. I felt a surge of power throughout my body, then it settled down.
"Right, I saved the Empress. And I even held her leash."
A grin spread across my face. I lightly dusted my hands and went outside.
"Let’s go to the Guild!"
Now, all that was left was to promote my Force Heart to Master.
As I left the Imperial Palace and wandered around, I often saw people of Master rank.
"All the big cities are where the ’hotshots’ gather, and the capital is the peak of them all. I might as well join those hotshots!"
I licked my lips and entered a nearby guild.
"Yesterday’s wyvern, you know..."
"Soloing a Manticore is super tough, isn’t it? It’s not just me, right? What the hell?!"
"Looking for party members. It’s a raid north of the Pale Mountains."
"Looking for a healer..."
As soon as I entered the guild, a familiar scene I often saw in games came into view. It was bustling like a tavern, yet everyone confidently sought quests or looked for companions.
I walked on the red carpet towards the desk. A staff member greeted me in a businesslike manner.
"Are you looking for any information?"
"I’m curious if there are any high-level quests nearby."
The staff member took out some documents and showed them to me. As I looked through them one by one, the staff member stared intently at my face.
"Oh, are you Lucian Vane?"
"Yes, that’s right."
I answered casually, about to look at another document, when the staff member gasped.
"Um, please go upstairs for a moment."
"...Huh?"
What was that supposed to mean? Was she asking for comfort, or saying there was something upstairs?
Unlike before, the staff member smiled brightly. It was a smile full of professionalism.
"This is where we greet regular customers, but for distinguished individuals like Lucian, who are famous or called legendary, there’s a separate area prepared!"
Honestly, I understood what she was talking about. It was like that.
"It’s like a bank where celebrities don’t even have to take a number to get served."
It felt a little unpleasant. Was it because I had always lived an underdog, commoner-like life? Even here, I wasn’t pleased with the preferential treatment for Heroes.
Of course, I knew. The guild was ultimately a corporation. Their top priority would be to recruit as many Heroes as possible who could bring them profit.
"You might find even rarer quests there than here!"
"Ah, yes. Then."
I went upstairs. I wanted to reach Master rank today.
As I went up, the scenery changed. A narrow corridor appeared, and a desk styled like a bar. The staff member there was twirling liquor bottles around like a bartender. I sat down in front of the man.
All I could see was the desk, a door on the opposite side, and stairs leading further up. If downstairs was noisy, it was surprisingly quiet here.
"I am Lucian Vane of Ravenscoft."
"Ah, the Cult Butcher. A distinguished guest has arrived, I see? Let’s see, these are the quests suitable for you."
Suddenly, the staff member caught the liquor bottles he had been twirling in the air. He seemed to be juggling three bottles, then with just a slight friction of his fingers, he neatly aligned all the bottles on the bar.
Was that a trick, or telekinesis? Immediately, the liquor bottles transformed into documents containing quests. I calmly looked at the documents. It must be a sleight of hand or a switch.
"Hmm?"
Just like last time, exclamation marks floated above the documents. Side quests had appeared again. They even appeared without any specific person involved.
"Even better."
First, I needed to obtain two Art Piece items. I chose two quests that matched that requirement.
"It will be difficult if you do it alone."
"It’s fine. I’ll take these two."
The staff member took out a contract, and I just signed it.
"If you die or are seriously injured, it’s not our responsibility. Of course, if you become affiliated with us..."
"Here."
"Haha, that doesn’t mean we’ll withhold support, of course."
"Yes, I know."
As soon as I completed the signature, two quest notifications appeared.
[Side Quest - The Tracker (★★)]
*Defeat the former Hero of Master rank who has taken refuge in the underground passage.
Reward - 10000 CP, 1 million Gold
!Failure - Half-body paralysis
[Side Quest - Everything in the World is Rare/Unique (★★☆)]
A somewhat expensive fool’s errand. Collect the venom sac of a mutated wyvern, the sinew of a Goblin Knight, the horn of a Dung of a Dung Beetle, and the lungs of a Mold Witch.
Reward - 5000 CP, 1.5 million Gold
**Failure - Race changes to ’Outer God Race’, mouth and anus swap positions
Putting everything else aside, the risks upon failure were truly fucking awful. Is that even right?
A minimap-like display appeared in the corner of my vision, and a red dot was marked. Oh, what is this?
"Hee-eung, Goddess is the best in the universe!"
The first quest was straightforward. I found the guy hiding in the underground passage. He was a Master (Initial Stage) rank, no less.
He was a guy who had killed his lover in a fit of rage and was on the run. As soon as he saw me, he grabbed me by the collar and threw me into a corner.
"I can’t go, I absolutely can’t! She was the one who was wrong, I did nothing wrong!"
"You’re talking shit for someone who claims to have done nothing wrong."
"Fuck, how long are you going to keep targeting me? Give up!"
"...I can do this all day."
This bastard is making me stubbornly defiant. First, I brainwashed him.
[You have defeated the enemy!]
[Obtained 35000 Collector Points (CP)!]
One quest cleared. I took his neck and put it into my ring. I would take this to the guild later.
The second one was a bit bizarre. It was about bringing special byproducts to an eccentric alchemist.
"These are all things found by searching the underground passage, aren’t they? Plus, the client’s last name is the same as Fiora? Flask!"
I licked my lips and searched for the monsters. Fortunately, when I asked Goddess about the monsters, she told me their locations.
This must also be the effect of me getting stronger, and her getting stronger with me. I cleared it quite easily. When I took it to the guild to prove it, the staff member was surprised.
"How did you manage all this...?"
"As a Hero, it’s only natural. That’s all."
Thanks to the quest rewards, I was rich now. Wow, restoring the temple might be surprisingly easy?
"Goddess, should we install something like a sky lounge in the temple?"
"Oh, it would be nice to have sex there too. It would feel like having sex in the sky."
<...Then perhaps it would be good, hmm hmm.>
Damn it, she’s so fucking cute. Adorable!
I received the promised artifact reward.
"Finally, I’ve gathered them all. One Masterpiece-grade artifact, two Art Piece-grade artifacts! With these, to Master!"
Shiiiiing!
I attempted the promotion behind the guild building. A more colorful light than last time spread in all directions. It immediately enveloped me, and energy began to surge throughout my body.
The light faded, and a notification appeared.
[Conditions met!]
[Force Heart increased! 6 → 7]
I looked down at my chest. Seven rings of light intertwined and shone brilliantly.
Upon becoming a Master (Initial Stage), all my Stats doubled. The feeling of overflowing power wasn’t just my imagination. In this state, I might even shatter a planet?!
I clenched my fists tightly.
"Power overflowing, with overwhelming powerrrrrrrrr!"
Now, even with just the aura I emitted, the surrounding ground trembled slightly. There was something I had to do while this momentum lasted.
"Should I visit the Flask family this time? Just a quick look. To see what kind of atmosphere it is, and how prominent the family is. It’s preparation for when I come with Fiora next time!"
As I headed towards where the Flask family mansion would be, a smile spread across my face.
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