Chapter 194
Gaia. The one and only god of this land, and a name more familiar to Otherworlders as the GM. One who has never manifested in the World herself, but whose existence is undeniable. And... the Administrator of the World, possessing divine power, a countermeasure against Demons. Though her name 'Gaia' might suggest only earth-related abilities, she was surprisingly a god who did many things. Wasn't it she, after all, who bestowed the miracle of 'quests' upon the Otherworlders?
As a god responsible for such a vast domain, her religion was deeply rooted in this World. Even I had offered prayers to her at some point. Of course, it wasn't by my own will; it was forced upon me due to the nature of the Orphanage. *...It was so boring.* If I had spent that time helping out the Bakery Owner instead of praying, I might have at least gotten a piece of bread. Back then, to me, that so-called god was nothing compared to the Bakery Owner who occasionally tossed me bread. The God of Baking, who baked amazing bread even in this unremarkable medieval era. *Oh, so praying brings peace and well-being? I can find peace myself with just one damn piece of bread.* It was a thought so blasphemous that if the Nuns at the Orphanage had heard it, they wouldn't have hesitated to smack me on the head.
Well... perhaps as punishment for not praying diligently back then, I became a Manifestor. After being relentlessly hunted by Knights and even exiled from civilization for a time, I suppose I received my just desserts. Anyway, to sum it up... to me, God was a being both close and distant. As a power that was super effective against Demons, it was also quite a burden for me, a Manifestor. Of course, I made good use of the holy water Priests produced... but I couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling.
It felt like as soon as I stepped into the Temple, someone would shout, *Where do you think you're going, you blasphemer!* and try to Purify me. Of course, I knew that wouldn't happen, especially since I'd received a direct invitation from a Priest last time... Still, I couldn't help but feel a rising sense of unease. Regardless, my footsteps steadily led me towards the Temple.
It seems the quests are different for each person. I listened to Hanbyeol Shin's explanation as we walked. This was what I liked about being with Otherworlders. I didn't even have to open my mouth; they'd just provide all sorts of information. “No, to be precise, the themes are the same. But the difficulty between them varies so wildly... people are even saying it's Discrimination among us. Of course, I'm happy my quest is easy...” She said that the quests Otherworlders received this time were divided into three categories. In order: Martial Prowess (Martial Prowess), Valor (Valor), and Devotion (Devotion). Otherworlders had to complete one quest for each theme, and after completing one, they had to go to the Temple to press the Complete Button. Just like a Class Change Quest.
What was surprising was that the difficulty of the quests varied wildly for each Otherworlder. “My first quest was to hunt 1,000 Goblins, you know? Seriously, what's my level, and they give me Goblins here... Finding them was harder than killing them.” “There are plenty of Goblins in this Forest, though?” “Those are an exception. The Goblins in that particular Forest are strangely annoying... Anyway, I got Goblins, but some people got quests to hunt 10,000 Ogres. The difficulty is seriously different.” At her words, I gasped. Ten thousand Ogres? *Even I'd struggle with that.* It wasn't that Ogres were hard to kill. It was undeniable that they were strong Monsters, but a Skilled Person could reasonably take them on. As the Otherworlders' Skill had improved, they could probably handle an Ogre alone. The problem was the number. Ogres weren't that common of a Monster, but they were being asked to hunt *ten thousand* of them? It was a number so vast that it was questionable if, Throughout the Continent, one could even find that many Ogres. Frankly, it felt like a quest designed to make you give up early rather than complete it.
“The difference... is pretty huge, huh?” “Right? It was a big deal online, so I looked it up, and it turns out the person who got that quest was one of the Lemegeton Remnants.” Although Lemegeton was practically half-destroyed now, there were still quite a few Minions who had escaped and were trying to Fend for Oneself. The Otherworlder who received that quest was probably one of them. Perhaps, clinging to a sliver of hope that receiving the “Hero Title” might allow them to escape their Criminal status, they accepted the quest. After all, one of the Hero benefits was the somewhat vague “Increased Favorability with Humans, including the Temple.” But what a surprise, when they received it, the quest was *that* messed up.
Besides that, when I gathered the histories of people who got difficult quests, it turned out they all had a screw loose somewhere. Either they had a Criminal Record, or they'd caused trouble for Gaians... It was strange. It was as if people were filtered even before the quests were given out, wasn't it? Curious (or perhaps dissatisfied), someone went to the Temple and asked, and this was the answer they received: *'Goddess Gaia merely selected qualifications according to cause and effect. The trials bestowed upon you are merely a verification process...'* It was a statement that was not easily understood. What exactly did the Priests mean by “cause and effect”? Still, one thing was certain. The people who would receive the “Hero Title” were roughly predetermined even before the quests were issued.
As we talked, a sudden question popped into my mind, and I asked. “By the way, only Otherworlders can get that Hero Title, right?” Given that it was offered in quest form. “Yeah, it seems so. Why, are you perhaps interested in the title too?” “No, not really.” I shook my head at her playful question. While the usual preferential treatment for Otherworlders was a bit annoying... the Hero benefits didn't seem that great anyway. And the title 'Hero' itself felt somewhat repellent to me. *Hero, really...? Doesn't it sound a bit cringey?* *It's not like I'm doing all this for Humanity, and I don't think I've lived a particularly virtuous life, conscience-wise.* Of course, my hatred for Demons was genuine, but that didn't mean I coveted a fancy-sounding Hero Title. It just felt like a ill-fitting garment.
“Here we are.” Anyway, as we talked and moved, we eventually arrived in front of the Temple. In the Center of the City, among several Ancient Buildings, one pure white Building particularly stood out. The well-maintained walls and neat appearance of the Building naturally inspired reverence. “Welcome. Have you come to worship?” As we stepped inside, a young Priest at the Reception Desk greeted us, just like an NPC. He even glanced my way for a moment. Of course, I had just dropped by out of boredom, so Hanbyeol stepped forward here. “I completed the first quest, and I'm here to proceed with the second one.” “Ah, you're an Otherworlder! Please wait a moment.” At her words, the Priest at the Reception Desk briefly clasped his hands and offered a prayer. *Ding!* Then, Hanbyeol Shin's System Window suddenly appeared.
[Quest Complete!]
[New Quest Delivered!]
+
[Hero's Path 2 - Prove Your Valor!]
You who have walked the Righteous Path.
Your Martial Prowess has been sufficiently proven, and now it is time to move on to the Next Stage.
A Hero, by nature, never retreats, no matter what Powerful Enemy they face.
A trial has been prepared for you, who will walk a difficult path.
Defeat one Ogre and survive.
Reward - Next Quest Unlocked.
Failure Penalty - Quest Revocation of Hero Quest.
+
“...Seriously, they call this a trial? It's not even that hard.” Hanbyeol Shin, who had received the quest, scoffed dismissively. I couldn't help but be surprised for a moment. Setting aside the surprisingly easy quest content, it was the Priest's action itself that had startled me. The moment she offered a prayer, a System Window appeared. This was a moment when 'NPCs,' as Otherworlders typically called them, directly interfered with the system. Of course, to Otherworlders, it was just like a game, so they probably didn't feel any particular sense of incongruity. But to me, an NPC... that is, a Gaian living in the same World, it was a truly shocking sight. Wasn't it as if they were directly interfering with the Otherworlders' system?
“Judging by your reaction, it seems the Goddess has bestowed a trial upon you. Thank you for using our services.” However, judging by her reaction, she didn't seem to see the “System Window” that Otherworlders used. She could directly summon the system, yet she couldn't see the system itself. What an Imbalance. *Does the Priest perhaps not have a skill like Player's Eye?* As I was thinking that, the Priest in front of me suddenly asked, her face slightly flushed. “Oh, Brother, is there something on my face...?” “Ah.”
It seemed I had been staring too intently at the Priest while I was thinking. The Priest, it seemed, couldn't bear the awkwardness any longer. Since things had come to this, I decided to ask her directly. “Did you just give her a quest directly?” “Yes? Ah, yes. I petitioned Goddess Gaia and informed her of the quest completion.” “No, what... How did you do that?” “How, you ask...?” The Priest replied that she had merely offered a prayer. And then she asked me, “And it's not just me; don't others sometimes give quests too? For example, I heard that Brother Yor also gave quests when he confronted the Knights.”
It seemed she knew me. Well, I had become quite famous in this City over time. I nodded at her words. *Indeed...* I had given quests to Otherworlders a few times. Although they weren't quests I had issued intentionally. I hadn't seen them recently, so I had forgotten about them. My thoughts naturally drifted in that direction. Come to think of it, these quests had appeared and helped me quite a few times. Especially during the fight with the Knight Order last time, I might have died without these quests. At this point, I couldn't help but bring up my curiosity again. The question I had always wondered about but could never find an answer to. *Why is the system friendly to me?* *And what exactly is this 'Player's Eye,' and why do only I have it?* *Should I ask about this too?* I had nothing left to hide anyway. I thought it might be a good idea to ask about various things while I was here.
But then. Suddenly, another Priest burst through the back door of the Reception Desk, looking urgent. This time, it was a slender Male Priest. The Male Priest, who had rushed to the Reception Desk, stammered as he looked at me. “B-Brother Yor...” “Yes?” Although his hesitant manner made him seem a little gay. I tried to clear my mind of other thoughts and listened to the Male Priest. The words that came out of his mouth next surprised even me. “The Goddess... wishes to see you for a moment.” “Huh?” A much bigger fish than I expected had just appeared.