Nathan walked over to the quest board and started reading all the quests. There were over 50 quests on the board, and looking through all of them overwhelmed Nathan. He switched to focusing only on quests that ranked E or D, since those are the only ones he can do. He quickly picked one out, ranked E, titled 'Goblin subjugation', and took the quest to the receptionist.
"The goblin subjugation quest, huh, the one you will be subjugating is a little north of the city in the Forest of Myrkvior. You will be taking five goblin heads. Extra commission points if you bring back a goblin warrior head. They will have earrings and be more skilled with their weapons. It is not recommended for new adventurers to take them on. If the quest isn't turned in within a week, we will assume you are dead or have given up. We will void your Adventures ID if that is the case. Arduin also told me to give you these." She then handed Nathan a pouch that seemed to jingle with coins and a dagger with a sheath.
'At least I won't have to tell people why the things I killed have slash marks even though I don't have any weapons.' Nathan was really grateful to Arduin. He still had to hide the fact that he has mythical daggers hiding away in his soul sea. The receptionist continued speaking.
"Any extra monsters you encounter can be brought back and turned in for extra coin. Good luck and be safe!"
The receptionist also explained that by acquiring enough contribution points, one could rank up. The higher the quest ranking, the more contribution points one will earn. Another way to promote one's rank is to complete a feat that warrants being moved up in rank. Before rushing to complete the quest, Nathan decided to explore the city more and get familiar with his surroundings. The city looked like it was pulled straight from an anime. It had blacksmithing shops and alchemical shops that sold potions and rare herbs. He found multiple taverns and even the city's red-light district, which Nathan promised himself he would never explore because that's what ruined him in his last life.
There was also a building that Nathan was unfamiliar with. One building looked like a church; after asking people around, it was definitely a church. The people who went there worshipped a deity of darkness and were frowned upon by the majority of the town. Since it has been there since the start of the city, though, people can destroy it and get rid of the unpopular religion. There was also a building that looked like an observatory, but on the inside looked more like an airport. After asking around, he figured out this place was a warp point. A place to go to travel around the continent quickly. It would teleport people miles in an instant and was the preferred travel method, but it was quite costly.
'I'll just travel by foot, with shadow movement and dash, I can travel almost double the speed of a horse-drawn carriage.'
Nathan left the warp point and found an inn. He booked a room with the receptionist and found his room. Nathan walked inside, locking the door behind him, and summoned Nott out of his soul space.
"I can't believe this town really developed into a city this large. When I first visited, it was all huts and campfires! Can you believe it! I'm glad I could finally leave the cave and see what the work is like. Also, don't you think that the statue in the church kinda looked like me?" The statue did really resemble Nott fairly closely, only a few details being off. Maybe her visit led the people to believe she was a god, especially after seeing her magical feats.
"Nott that it isn't important right now. Did you see what happened during the test?" Nathan's mind was still racing about the talent orb. He never knew what his talent was, but now, knowing it isn't even within one through one hundred, but outside that range, excited Nathan, but also made him eerily uncomfortable. 'If anyone were to find out, they would hunt me down to get rid of me or kidnap me to run all kinds of tests on me. I have to get stronger if I want to survive.' Nathan looked back at Nott, still waiting for an answer.
"What test? I was asleep." Nott grinned innocently. Nathan proceeded to explain the situation he also told her how he can't even see his own talent. As he went on, the expression on her face grew dimmer.
"Nathan, when we first met in the cave, I checked your status screen, but it only gave me your core stats. Your talent or your traits didn't pop up; I assumed you didn't have any, but now it all makes sense. You're a paradigm, also meaning half-aesir. You have godly blood in your veins. You probably can't see your own talent because you haven't awakened your bloodline yet."
Nathan stood there, stunned. The realization that he was half god completely overwhelmed him. How could he be half god when we didn't even reincarnate into this world? I thought I just transmigrated. Nathan could feel the target on his back getting bigger, practically saying, "I'm a walking treasure trove, come and get me!"
"Nott I need you to teach more about the darkness. I need to get stronger to protect myself. I will not be a pawn used by others. I will rule the board of my own accord." And that all started with him getting stronger. He and Nott agreed they would start training tomorrow, as well as the quest Nathan picked up from the guild hall.
Nathan laid down his bed and stared up at the ceiling. 'Tomorrow is the beginning. I will get stronger and defeat whatever this world throws at me. I will not waste this life like last time!'