Divine Kingdom of Light.
Lazily seated upon her Divine Seat, Iluvia kept her golden eyes lowered, listening to Mikael's report transmitted through the channel of faith.
“Mother Goddess, the followers sent by Mosator have arrived.”
“And...” Mikael's crisp voice paused, carrying a trace of solemnity. “Behind them, I also sensed the faint aura of the divine power of plague and calamity. It doesn't originate from those kobolds and ogres, but rather seems to be... hidden in a darker place.”
Iluvia gave a slight nod. “I am already aware of this.”
In truth, after restoring her Lesser Divine Power, her perception of the surrounding area had expanded to several hundred kilometers. The kobold tribe was barely over a hundred kilometers away from her location, so the moment they set out, she had already known in advance.
Naturally, Iluvia was also aware of what Bruce and the others had encountered.
However...
“The aura of the divine power of plague and calamity, is it...”
Iluvia narrowed her golden eyes, her fingertips lightly tapping against the armrest of her Divine Seat.
“It seems the kobolds and ogres on the surface are merely bait to draw attention. The one truly responsible for the investigation is hidden in the shadows.”
She pondered for a moment, muttering softly to herself, “Is it a God-Favored, or...”
“Mother Goddess, they are heading in our direction. Do you need me to act?”
Mikael's crisp voice came through once more.
Hearing this, Iluvia gently shook her head.
“No need.”
“If the one hiding in the shadows truly is Mosator's God-Favored, the moment you strike, the enemy will immediately sense your aura. No matter how dull Mosator might be, he would still suspect something—your identity is simply too conspicuous.”
“Return for now. I can pinpoint their location at any time. As for this matter—I will arrange for the God-Chosen Ones to handle it.”
“By your command, Mother Goddess.”
Mikael answered crisply, then cut off the connection.
The matter of the God-Favored had to be handled with care, and Iluvia was not about to leave it in anyone else's hands. After all, Mikael's identity was far too sensitive.
As for those few kobolds and ogres...
“Leave them to the players. It's been a while since there was a proper main quest anyway.”
The corners of her lips curled up slightly.
...
Meanwhile.
Player Town.
In the center of Temple Square.
A flash of white light glinted, and Bruce's figure appeared.
The moment his feet touched the ground, the first thing he did was look down at his dingy starter gear. His composure instantly collapsed, and he couldn't help wailing out loud:
“Holy shit! That guy back there was definitely a hidden BOSS-level absolute monster!”
The next second, his pupils shrank, his face turning green as he slapped his thigh hard.
“My purple Epic Rank Warrior's Sword! My entire meticulously assembled set of transitional god-tier gear!!”
At the thought of the end-game gear he had painfully grinded for half a month and treasured like his own life—all lost deep within Starfall Forest—Bruce was driven to tears without a drop to shed.
Looking at his bare hands and primitive starter gear, he let out a long, aggrieved sigh:
“I'm so bloody unlucky! All I did was carry some newbies through mob grinding, and I managed to grind myself straight into bankruptcy!”
Standing on the spot, he clutched his chest, feeling such heartache it was as if half his life had been ripped away.
“...I hope it's all still sitting there on the ground.”
Just as he was sighing and preparing to rally a few people to head back and retrieve his equipment, a server-wide announcement notification chimed out loud:
[Ding—]
[Server-Wide Announcement: Player "Bruce" has triggered a Main Quest!]
[Main Quest—Act II: Mosator's Investigation Team]
[Quest Description: Your previous clearing operations against the kobolds completely enraged the Lord of Plague and Calamity, Mosator Gross. To uncover the exact situation in Starfall Forest, he has dispatched an investigation team composed of kobolds and ogres, who have already ventured deep into Starfall Forest! Remember, under no circumstances must you allow them to find this place!]
[Quest Objective: Successfully eliminate the investigation team]
[Time Limit: None]
[Quest Level: 10+]
[Quest Rewards: 5,000 EXP, 10,000 Merit Points, Bloodline Talent +1]
[Quest Hint: The enemy is formidable. Please head to the Goddess Statue immediately to pray and receive the Goddess's blessing!]
The announcement chimed three times in succession, and the entire Player Town instantly erupted.
The world chat spammed at light speed:
“Holy shit? A main quest is here?!”
“Bruce is that lucky?!”
“Ten thousand Merit Points? Bloodline Talent +1? These rewards are insane!”
“Wait, the quest hint says the enemy is super powerful. Don't tell me they're even stronger than that dragon last time?”
Meanwhile, Bruce, standing where he was, froze for a second.
And then—
“Holy shit?!”
Bruce's mouth opened into a huge “O,” his expression instantly flipping from agony to sheer ecstasy.
“Am I really this lucky?! I just went out for a casual stroll, died once, and triggered a main quest?!”
Then his gaze landed on the quest rewards section.
“Ten thousand Merit Points—?!” He counted the zeros behind the number to make sure he hadn't misread it. “Hiss—we're taking off! This is an absolute windfall! Who cares about dropped gear?! The main quest is where the real money is!”
Bruce rubbed his hands together in excitement, grinning ear to ear. “Taking off! We're definitely taking off this time! I gotta tell Brother Cheng to gather a team for the raid right now!”
But just as he turned to leave, he remembered the “Goddess's blessing” mentioned in the quest hint.
“Right, right, right! Get the buff first!”
Bruce rushed over in three quick steps to the towering Goddess Statue in the center of Temple Square. With a loud thud, he dropped to one knee, clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and recited rapidly:
“Praise Light! Praise Life! Praise the great Ruler of Angels, Lord of Humanity—Iluvia Devilitafil!”
The moment his words fell, a gentle golden-white light poured down from the statue, enveloping his entire body.
Warm.
Powerful.
Like a firm push from behind.
Immediately after, two system notifications rang out one after another:
[Ding—You have received the Goddess's Blessing BUFF: Unlimited Resurrection! During the main quest, dying will not consume Resurrection Coins!]
[Ding—You have received the Goddess's Blessing BUFF: Level Boost! During the main quest, your level is automatically increased by 10!]
Bruce hurriedly opened his status panel—
"Resurrection Coins: ∞".
He stared at the infinity symbol for three full seconds, a wide grin slowly spreading across his face until it settled into a cocky, “I am invincible in this world” smile.
“Unlimited resurrection?! Isn't this literally official cheat codes?!”
He glanced at his level panel again and saw that his level, originally Level 35 Bronze Rank high-stage, had become Level 45 Silver Rank early-stage.
“Hiss—a direct boost of 10 levels?! This buff is insanely good!”
Bruce took a deep breath, feeling his confidence inflating to astronomical proportions.
Just as he was floating on cloud nine, thinking he could take on ten enemies at once, the system notification chimed again, throwing a bucket of cold water straight over his head.
[Ding—Detected that the investigation team leaders are dangerous targets. Information synchronized.]
[Enemy Leader Information]
[Kobold Chief]
[Level: 72 (Gold Rank early-stage)]
[Ogre Leader]
[Level: 100 (Gold Rank peak)]
[Ding—]
[Enemy location marked in real time.]
Bruce: “???”
His eyes widened in shock, and he froze completely on the spot.
Level 72 Gold Rank early-stage! Level 100 Gold Rank peak!
Were these monsters even meant for players to fight?! Back when he was Level 35 Bronze Rank high-stage, getting one-shot by them really wasn't an exaggeration!
After staring blankly for three seconds, he quickly composed himself. Looking at his god-tier BUFF, his cockiness flared right back up:
“No problem, no problem! Yours truly has infinite resurrection plus a ten-level boost! With BUFFs in hand, the world is mine! So what if it's Gold Rank peak? We can grind you to death through sheer attrition!”
His mindset completely stabilized, Bruce immediately opened his guild friends list and started spastic messaging Nan Cheng.
[Bruce: @Nan Cheng Brother Cheng, Brother Cheng! Look at the server announcement! I triggered the main quest! A massive BOSS raid!]
[Nan Cheng: (Facepalm) I saw it. Don't get so worked up. I'm gathering all guild members to form a raid team right now.]
Bruce instantly grew even more excited, frantically typing away to show off:
[Bruce: Brother Cheng, you'll never guess how ridiculous the BUFF from the Goddess is! Unlimited resurrection! Directly jumping ten levels! Absolutely broken!]
[Nan Cheng: Unlimited resurrection, temporary level +10.]
[Bruce: ??? Brother Cheng! How do you know all that?! Did you peek at my status panel?]
[Nan Cheng: How could I? I've been at the Temple the whole time. I already prayed and got the BUFF just now. (Temple Selfie Screenshot)]
Bruce was completely stumped, staring at his screen in disbelief for two full seconds.
[Bruce: Instead of recruiting players for the raid, what are you squatting at the Temple for, Brother Cheng?]
[Nan Cheng: Well... that's a secret.]
Looking at the string of speechless emojis Bruce sent in the chat, Nan Cheng shrugged helplessly.
He couldn't exactly tell the guy that squatting at the Temple was his daily routine to farm favorability points with Lilith and compete for the title of number one NPC simp.
Silently pulling his thoughts back, he was just about to draft the guild assembly announcement when Lilith's gentle voice sounded beside him.
“Nan Cheng, did Her Grace the Goddess assign you a new task?”
Hearing this, Nan Cheng immediately straightened his expression, bowing his head respectfully in response:
“Yes, Miss Lilith. An investigation team sent by Mosator has arrived in Starfall Forest. They are said to be quite powerful, including two leaders at Gold Rank.”
“Gold Rank?!”
Lilith's delicate brows instantly knitted together, her eyes filling with solemn concern.
She lightly drew the symbol of Angel Wings across her chest, her tone laced with worry:
“This matter concerns the safety of Her Grace the Goddess. Please be utmost careful in dealing with it.”
She did not volunteer to offer help, having her own considerations. Although her angelic wings were concealed so ordinary kobold Shamans and low-level calamity believers couldn't perceive them, if she ran into Mosator's God-Favored, her angelic identity would be exposed in an instant.
Under the current uncertain situation, making a rash appearance would only disrupt the Goddess's master plan.
Nan Cheng nodded solemnly, his gaze resolute.
“Rest assured, Miss Lilith! We will fight together as a united front. With the Goddess's blessing empowering us, we will surely complete the quest with flying colors and protect the town!”
Lilith smiled softly.
Nan Cheng turned and walked out of the Temple. The sunlight outside bathed the stone floor, feeling warm and pleasant.
He took a deep breath and typed a line in the guild channel:
“Brothers, rally up.”
“We've got big work to do.”
Rate on N.U.
