Chapter 15: The Tragic Dead (1/2)

Eleena’s Spear of Victory completely vaporized what courage the goblins themselves had left. Having less than half of their initial numbers remaining, they were no longer as vicious as they had been, and were in fact throwing away their armor as they fled.

Marni Wilf breathed a sigh in relief from the salvation of his merchant convoy, while also feeling curious which church the five youth were affiliated with.

They were dressed like children from some remote village—and in that case, it was impossible for them to learn divine spells given that the most inferior of such skills requires extended training in sanctified grounds (i.e. various churches, shrines or temples) hosting various deities.

Moreover, the ‘level-up’ thingamajig which they mentioned was a complete mystery as well. Even in the Brilliant White Church, was there not just a handful of bishops who could instantly restore all wounds and energy?

He was even more shocked that while those youths appeared naïve and ignorant of the various aspects of life, they were actually watertight and never exposed a single hint of useful information. They concealed the ‘leveling-up’ divine spell considerably that, despite his eyes which had been trained as he traveled through and witnessed the various facets of the empire, he could not determine which of them actually cast that spell.

“Mister Wilf.”

One of the mercenary escorts he hired approached while he was fussing over the mystery that was Eleena’s party. “There’s something wrong.”

“What is it?” Marni was immediately on his toes. “Did those brats do something?”

Could they actually be kin of some evil god, intending to wipe them out believing that they would compromise them?

“No. They are still huddled together, discussing some nonsense like ‘rich rewards’ or ‘skill tree’,” the escort replied, shaking his head. “What I wanted to tell you is that the corpses of goblins they killed had all disappeared when our men started the cleanup on the battlefield.”

“What?”

Marni turned towards Eleena and the others to find that there were assuredly no goblin corpses around them, although scraps such as those creatures’ teeth, claws, or loincloths were strewn over the ground messily.

Marni frowned. While goblin corpses were not worth a dime and they had no intention of carrying it with them, it was too bizarre to have them all vanish. Couple that with those youths’ unusual behavior, he decided he had smelled something fishy about it all.

Nonetheless, while Marni the merchant was left utterly confused, Eleena and the others had received a new quest.

Ding!

Side quest started: Preach to the merchants

The God of Game has prepared the Starter Village—a utopia for his believers in the mortal realm. However, the start of all things is the most difficult part, as the village would have trouble developing without the help of merchants directing external logistics. Heed god’s will: spread his word to the merchant convoy you have rescued and at least convert one merchant as a fellow believer of the God of Games.

Quest rewards: Shop blueprint (quest item), EXP (amount dependent on task completion rate), Ring of Gospel (Elite)

Note: Quest completion unlocks mission chain ‘The Lord’s Light Illuminates the Land’

“Excuse me, sir?” Marni then found Edward eagerly approaching himself with the look of someone finding gold. “Do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior, the God of Games?”

Marni was speechless.

***