[Emergency Quest: Eliminate 3 influential members of the Shadow God Cult hidden within the City of Light]
[Time Limit: 30 Days]
[Reward: Spear of Storm]
[Failure: Paralyzed for 30.000 days]
[Divine Decree: You have claimed the City of Light as part of your domain. Given your hatred toward the cult, their followers cannot be allowed to roam freely within it]
'When the hell did I ever claim the City of Light as my domain?!'
'And what kind of stupid punishment is that? Paralyzed for 30,000 days? You might as well just kill me!'
Rohan tried his best to compose himself, but the quest he received was too frustrating to him. Not only did he get two emergency quests in less than a day, but the difficulty had also increased.
Killing nearby cult members wasn't so difficult, just like when he completed his first emergency quest. But this one was completely different in scale.
'Three influential members of the Shadow God cult? Not only are they hidden, but they must also be strong!'
Rohan also realized that the cult had dared to infiltrate a city despite the strong influence of the orthodox churches.
'And I never expected the cult to have such influential members hidden inside such a big city.'
'But that is the least of my concerns right now.'
'I only have thirty days. Within that time frame, I have to find a way to track down the hidden members of the Shadow God cult.'
He kept wondering on how he could complete such quest, and how unfair the difficulty was. But after nearly half an hour of frustration, Rohan finally calmed himself. 'There's no point in complaining about the quest. If I keep wasting time on complaints and self-pity, I will never achieve anything.'
Rohan then began to control his breathing as he tried to relax his body and mind.
'Think, Rohan. Start thinking about the solution, not the problem.'
'First things first, I need information.'
'Secondly, within the span of thirty days, I need to upgrade my Soul Essence by completing the primary quest.'
'Third, I also need to build shrines. I cannot rely only on David to complete that quest.'
'Fourth, I need money. I can get that by selling some of the Rings of Storms to a Magical Trade House or merchants.'
But just when Rohan was about to make a mental note of the next thing he needed to do, he suddenly saw a notification.
[Lichael Jackson has followed you]
[Gonald Grump has followed you]
[Keysar Sloze has followed you]
[Slein Mohetti has followed you]
Rohan's eyes widened as more and more notifications kept appearing.
It did not stop at four, as they continued until Rohan had a total of twenty-five followers.
And before he could think about how he had gained so many followers in such a short time, he began to feel something change inside his chest.
He noticed a blue aura radiating from his heart before it slowly spread across his entire body.
At the same time, another notification appeared.
[Primary Quest Complete]
[Your Soul Essence has been upgraded]
[New Primary Quest: Convert 1000 followers]
[Time Limit: 30 days]
[Reward: Soul Essence Upgrade]
[Failure: Paralyzed for 30 days]
Rohan did not pay much attention to his new primary quest, as he was busy stretching his body.
"My body feels light, and all of my exhaustion is gone!"
Rohan knew what had happened, it was his Soul Essence, it had been upgraded! He never imagined he could upgrade his soul so easily. Before he obtained the System, he thought it would take at least five years for him to reach Blue Soul Essence.
As he felt exhilarated by his newfound strength, he then began to seriously wonder what had caused over twenty people to join his religion.
Rohan started to close his eyes and focused on two of his followers.
First, there was Rin Carmelia. The view was blurry before it gradually became clear. 'She's far from my current location. I think she wants to go back to the academy.' He thought as he saw her moving to the opposite direction of the City of Light.
After that, he shifted his focus to David. After a moment, he frowned when he saw what was happening around David.
He saw over twenty people writhing on the ground, seemingly beaten up by David. And then he heard David speak.
"From now on… this place belongs to the Storm."
His gaze swept across the twenty of them.
"And so do you."
"…And from now on, people can come to this place to ask for blessings or pray to the Storm God."
David looked down at them, his expression calm but cold.
"We will consider this place a shrine."
Before Rohan could understand what was going on, he saw another notification.
[You have built a shrine]
[Quest Progress: 1/10]
His eyelids twitched as he finally understood what was happening.
'He just beat up some thugs in a slum and then claimed it as the territory of the Storm God, turning it into a shrine…'
'Well, a shrine doesn't have to be a statue or a building, but still… a slum full of thugs and beggars?'
Not only did Rohan feel guilt and shame about the method David used to convert the followers, but he was also annoyed by how bizarre his first shrine was.
'If he keeps doing this, the Storm God will be known as an evil deity who forcefully turns people into his believers!'
'His methods are dangerous!'
If Rohan did nothing, he knew everything would spiral out of control. It wouldn't be long before his religion crossed paths with the orthodox churches.
And at that point, he could already guess what kind of emergency quest would appear next as he had started to notice a pattern.
'Sigh... I don't even have the luxury to enjoy my new power...'
Without further delay, Rohan changed his voice and sent a massage into David's mind.
"Power gained through fear alone will not endure. Refine your methods."
A moment later, David clicked his tongue after he heard the majestic voice.
He lifted his head and shot a look of disdain at the sky. "Fear gets results."
He fell silent for a moment, then let out a quiet scoff.
"But I get it… I'll make them loyal."
Outside the city walls, Rohan had prepared to smite David with lightning. With his newly upgraded soul, his essence had also been fully recovered. He was currently in peak condition without having to worry about the lack of essence needed to smite David.
If David continued with his methods, there would be no point in keeping him as a follower; disposing of him would be the better choice.
Fortunately, David didn't seem to be a mindless individual, as he listened to the Storm God's guidance.
But still, Rohan was skeptical about David. So he decided to continue to observe him.
A moment later, he saw David walk toward the group of thugs and gesture for them to sit upright before speaking.
"Take three people. Find a place. Mark it."
"If they accept the Storm… it's ours."
"But you don't force it."
"You make them want it."
He paused, with a faint grin formed on his face. "If you did well... you might get power too. Just like I did."
The thugs exchanged uneasy looks, whispering among themselves before reluctantly obeying David.
Rohan continued observing David until he was certain the new methods were both effective and safer.
Once he was satisfied with the new approach, he opened his eyes, shifting his attention away from David.
'If I had three more followers like David, I'd go crazy. I can guarantee that.'
'I'll have to be more selective about who gets the Ring of Storms. I can't just hand power to someone like David.'
Once he felt the issue with David had been resolved, he began walking along the city walls, searching for an entrance gate.
It would have been possible for him to jump over the wall, as it was only about the height of three adults stacked on top of each other.
As a Blue Essence mage, he was confident he could make the jump.
'But if someone saw me jumping over the wall, I'd look like a criminal.'
As he kept walking for nearly ten minutes, Rohan finally came across a wide road. On both sides of the road stood multiple tall poles, each with a bright light bulb at the top. Despite the nighttime, the road was brightly lit, with no shadows in sight.
And the road was also filled with carriages and wagons. Some were pulled by horses, while others were drawn by more unusual creatures such as basilisks, winged elephants, two-headed rhinos, and more. Such beasts were not uncommon within the kingdom.
He also saw several black-armored knights nearly twice his height. He had never seen them before, but he had heard of them.
'They must be Dark Mages specializing in close-quarters combat.'
After such thoughts, his mind began to wander about his future.
'I wonder what type of mage I will become in the future. A dark mage, a Knight Mage, an elemental mage, a psychological mage, or a beast mage?'
'Well, it doesn't matter which one I end up becoming. I will eventually find out once I upgrade my Soul Essence to Cyan.'
Once his mind was clear, Rohan moved to the side of the road and stood waiting.
His plan was simple. He intended to hail a merchant, ideally one who looked rich, since such individuals were often heavily guarded.
And it wasn't long before he spotted one. A gigantic basilisk, dwarfing even an elephant, pulled the wagon with riders armed with weapons escorted it on both sides.
Seated atop the basilisk was an elderly man, adorned with gold chains on each of his limbs.
Rohan immediately called out to the elderly man, but as expected, there was no response.
He clenched his fist and raised it above his head. When he opened it, a silver blue ring appeared in his palm.
Immediately after that, as if pulled by an irresistible force, the old man turned toward Rohan, he then suddenly leaped down, landing in front of Rohan moments later.
He cast Rohan a most inquisitive glance, head tilting ever so slightly as a faint smile crept in.
"Now just a moment, my young friend… pray tell, from where did you acquire that rather intriguing ring? That glow of yours is positively…. Go on, name your price. Should it prove agreeable, I may very well be persuaded to part with a handsome sum for such a curious treasure."
Rohan hesitated for a brief moment. He's self aware about the risk of selling the ring, but this is the only way he could get money.
After Rohan made up his mind, slowly, he opened his mouth to answer.