Yesterday,
[New Quest available!]
"Huh?? Right now??"
[With a new member in your guild. You guild has expanded. But not everyone trusts you as a leader.]
"So…???"
[Make Alan trust you and rely on you.]
"…"
John blinks in confusion.
"But how?!"
Four hours ago,
"And after falling for the fifth time, you will summon yourself quietly. Now while everyone's attention is on me. You strike the target!"
Ethan listens patiently while kneeling in front of John.
"And this is how I will take my revenge on him."
(I can't believe this. I hate lying! But I don't want to tell anyone about the quest.)
"My lord…I don't want to disappoint you, but maybe my speed is not on par with Mr. Alan. So I do not know if I could hit him. I am sorry if I brought you disgrace."
*smirk*
"Oh Alan! Don't you worry about your speed. I have just the thing for you."
[You can use your potions on your guild members.]
[Agility potion: increases the users speed by 3 times!]
John falls on the ground.
(Now is the time!)
Ethan summons himself.
Alan gets off his horse and walks toward John.
"I'm ready my lord!"
Ethan signals John.
(Come close! Come close! Punch me or do whatever you want just come close!)
Alan removes his right glove.
He uses his power to remove mud from John's clothes.
(What? Why is he….)
"Lets get going then??"
John's heartbeat increases.
(Why??)
"Thank you, Mr. Alan."
(I don't want to but…)
John raises his hand as a signal to Ethan.
Ethan gets it and instantly rushes towards Alan.
[You used your Agility potion on Ethan.]
(I feel it! My lord I will do it for you!)
Ethan's confidence peaks out.
He draws his sword and reaches for Alan's hand.
*slash*
Alan's hand cuts off and falls on the muddy ground.
Ethan instantly hides in the air around John.
"My lord."
"Yeah, thank you!"
John heals Alan's hand.
"My lord."
"Wait a second Ethan! Let me handle the mess you made. Thank you, again!"
John's inner happiness was tingling.
"My lord!"
John tells Alan that he will be back in just a second.
He walks into the forest on the left side of the road.
John stops in the middle of the forest as the rain continues to pour heavily over him. Water drips from his hair and clothes, but he barely notices. Something feels off. He exhales slowly and mutters, "What is it? Why did you call me out here?"
A faint distortion appears in the air, and Ethan manifests in front of him, immediately kneeling with his head bowed. As always, his posture is respectful—but this time, there is hesitation in him.
"My lord…" Ethan begins, his voice quieter than usual.
John frowns. "What is it?"
Ethan doesn't respond immediately, and that brief silence is enough to make John uneasy. His heartbeat starts to rise. "Speak."
Ethan tightens his fists slightly, lowering his head further. "My lord… I must report something."
John's eyes narrow slightly, but he stays silent.
"I… was not the one who cut Mr. Alan's hand."
For a moment, the world seems to pause.
John doesn't react instantly, as if his mind refuses to process what he just heard.
"What?"
Ethan presses his forehead closer to the ground. "I failed to fulfill your command."
John takes a step forward, confusion and disbelief creeping into his expression. "That's not possible. You were right there. I saw it."
Ethan's voice carries guilt but not fear for himself—only fear of disappointing John. "My lord, I moved exactly as planned. I drew my sword and aimed for his hand… but before I could strike, it was already severed."
The sound of rain grows louder.
John's breathing becomes heavier. "What do you mean 'already'?"
Ethan answers slowly, each word careful and heavy. "Something else was faster than me."
That sentence hits harder than anything else.
John goes completely still. The forest suddenly feels different—larger, quieter, almost as if it is watching him.
"You're telling me," John says in a low voice, "that something was there… and neither of us noticed it?"
Ethan doesn't answer. He simply bows deeper. "That is my failure, my lord."
John runs a hand through his wet hair and begins pacing slightly. His thoughts start racing. Faster than Ethan… even after using the potion? And I didn't sense anything? His chest tightens.
"Who?"
"I do not know"
That answer makes everything worse.
John stops moving and looks into the dark forest ahead. For a brief moment, it feels like something is staring back at him.
Ethan remains kneeling.
"I accept any punishment, my lord."
John stays silent for a few seconds before speaking again.
"Get up."
Ethan hesitates.
"My lord?"
"I said get up."
Ethan slowly rises, still avoiding eye contact.
John looks away, his expression unreadable.
"…It doesn't matter. As long as the result worked."
But even he knows that isn't true.
Because now, there is something else out there—something faster than Ethan, something neither of them could detect, something silently watching.
And for the first time, John doesn't feel in control.
(Who could it be?? With that insane speed. It can either be a commander or God. But all gods are on our side. And the three gods that I need to meet are all faraway from here. I don't get it)
John scratches his head.
(Why would anyone attack him??)
[Quest completion rewards: Soul Clone.]
[Description: Soul Clone creates an exact copy of the person with the help of their soul. The person can decide what percent of soul should be transferred to the copy. The number of copies can be increased with each increasing level of the skill. You can also decide what part of soul should be transferred. For example, consciousness, feelings, behavior and more.]
(I got it!?!)
John jumps in enthusiasm. A light of happiness and hope could be seen in his eyes.
"My lord??"
John dashes towards Ethan and hugs him tightly.
"My lord!"
John lets go off Ethan and starts dancing.
"What happened??"
If there was a device for measuring a person's happiness, John's might be unmeasurable.
(I want to meet them! I want to thank them! Demi-god and Pillar…thank you so much!)
Both Demi-god and Pillar of Calamity smile in the same white room.
"Just a small gift for our little god."
Demi god sips tea from his cup.
"Hey Demi, you seem a little too happy. You are helping him a lot."
"Just a small repay for his gift he gave me."
"What gift?"
Demi God looks up on the white ceiling.
John lies on the ground.
He looks at the dark sky.
(I am glad I came to this world. It has EVERYTHING!)
"My lord, we should get going."
John hears it but he is so full of excitement that he ignores Ethan.
"My lord!"
John frowns.
"What….?"
"I am sorry for interrupting your joy, but they must be waiting for us…lets go back."
"…"
(I wanna test something.)
"Ethan, you go and meet them. I will join you all later."
"Yes, my lord."
Ethan leaves.
Now its just John and the sound of heavy rain.
*grins*
"Soul Clone! 50%"
John's body starts to react.
He feels like something is pulling him from both his left side and right side.
As he feels a pressure bisecting his soul, something hard strikes his temple.
He falls on the ground.
The process of division cancels.
The sudden pause causes his body to feel shattering pain.
No blood, no scratches, no bruises.
Just pain.
(What is happening!? What hit me?? And what is this pain?!)
These questions flooded his mind.
He tries to get up but slips because of the mud.
His breathing gets heavy.
John's vision is blurred because of the rain and mud.
He just grabs this chest, as that was the place he felt all the pain.
He rolls himself like an insect trying to protect itself.
Then,
A pull from above.
The pull made him sit on a large stone.
The stone where the God of goblins sat earlier.
A mysterious yet familiar voice comes out of the dark.
The faded voice was broken.
It came out in the purest form of guilt.
It felt like the voice was forcing itself to come out.
"You hate to lie, but you are pretty good at it."