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Suddenly, two powerful divinities appeared before my eyes, their brilliance so intense they nearly blinded me.
These were unmistakably the two patron deities I had chosen upon ranking up into the Saintess Class.
Why had my Spirit summoned them out of nowhere? I had no idea, but it seemed they wanted to congratulate me—or something of the sort. Still, the sight was terrifying.
I never imagined they could simply pull my soul from my body like this.
My spirit floated in an endless sky. One divinity resembled a giant, radiant sun, bathing everything in vibrant red and golden light. The other was a vast, ethereal forest—an endless mass of ancient trees woven together into a single, semi-transparent expanse of pure spiritual nature.
They bore no humanoid forms as I had once pictured. Instead, they were living concepts given shape, radiating overwhelming power.
But I wasn't entirely unused to dealing with gods. Before my reincarnation, I had met the Reincarnation God, and he too had been blindingly bright.
"W-Where am I?" I muttered, forcing the words out with all my strength.
"Welcome, child," a gentle, motherly voice echoed from the left. "We have invited you into this Spiritual Space for a brief conversation."
"We have seen your actions and heard of your prophetic dream," added a youthful, masculine voice from the right.
"Are you… Tierra and Solaris?"
"Indeed."
Both answered at once, sending a sharp pang through my head.
I stared at them, struggling to find the right words.
"Why did you call me?"
The two presences stirred briefly before speaking again.
"Primarily to forge a stronger bond with you. This is known as Divine Baptism. Through it, your divine abilities will improve dramatically."
"As a young Demigoddess still growing, this will help you develop much faster," the other continued. "We also wish to grant you a Divine Quest."
"A Divine Quest?!" I gasped. "W-What is it?"
"A Divine Quest is a special mission bestowed by the gods. If you complete it within the allotted time, we will reward you handsomely and offer greater support to your faction."
"So, what do you say?"
"Um… is there a penalty if I refuse or fail?"
"Perhaps. If we find someone more worthy, we may simply direct our attention elsewhere."
"Great risk, high reward. What is your answer, young Saintess?"
I felt pressured, but I nodded. Refusing now would only anger them, and that was the last thing I wanted.
"Okay."
"Very well."
"Good choice."
As both deities approved, a brilliant surge of divine energy struck me from either side. It flooded my spirit until I overflowed with the combined power of the Sun and Nature.
Then, everything vanished.
I woke up in my comfortable bed, gasping for air and staring around in disbelief.
Ding!
[You have received your first Divine Quest.]
[Give Offerings to the Two Gods: 81/1000]
[Gather Faithful Followers: 78/300]
[Build "Altar of the Sun": 0/1]
[Build "Altar of Nature": 0/1]
Your Guardian Deities, Tierra and Solaris, have granted you your first Divine Quest. Completing it will secure their continued support, stronger blessings for everyone, and numerous additional benefits.
[Time Limit: 3 Years]
[Failure Penalty: Decreased Divine Support]
[Rewards: Divine Weapon, Divine Armor, Divine-Grade Summon, etc.]
Huh. So this was different from the glitched quests the System usually gave me. Still, it basically asked me to convert people to their faith.
I knew the gods were real, so it wasn't the worst thing in the world, but there were plenty of other deities out there. I supposed this was simply how gods operated—constantly competing for faith. Maybe they couldn't survive without it. Given how purely ethereal they appeared, they probably lacked physical bodies altogether.
That might be my advantage.
Still… was I really going to do this? Was I prepared to go out of my way to convince people to follow this religion? It felt wrong. I had no desire to force anyone. If I failed, then I failed. I still had three years of their support regardless—that should be enough to strengthen our faction.
Once we grew powerful enough, I wouldn't care if they withdrew their favor over such ridiculous demands.
I had never planned to become close friends with them, let alone worship them. After all, the Clan already had a god-like Ancestor that most revered: Sylph. She wasn't as responsive as these two, but she was something.
"Are you two listening right now?" I asked, channeling my divine power. "Don't you think this quest is ridiculous? You want me to force people to worship you? That's wrong. Why are you so desperate?"
[The Divinity: {Goddess of Nature and Spirits, Tierra}, says this was never her intention. As long as you commune with and respect nature, she is content.]
[The Divinity: {God of the Sun and Pride, Solaris}, says that while he understands, you still require a certain number of faithful worshippers to unlock greater divine bonuses. It cannot be helped.]
"Hm, so you're saying you're not manipulative evil gods?"
[The Divinity: {Goddess of Nature and Spirits, Tierra}, is shocked you would think such a thing. She insists she is merely a guardian and mother of nature.]
[The Divinity: {God of the Sun and Pride, Solaris}, says he dislikes many other gods and would prefer to see them weakened… but he is not evil or tyrannical.]
"Hmm, okay. I'll believe you for now."
I had expected them to be more confrontational, but they seemed surprisingly reasonable. Solaris was honest about his nature yet claimed he wouldn't go too far, while Tierra simply wanted to help while gaining a little in return.
Still, they were probably treating me this well because I was special. I possessed a Divine Physique, after all—one that could eventually evolve into a true god's physique. Maybe they were investing in me.
They likely didn't care much about my people. There were countless humans in this world. Why would two powerful gods pay so much attention unless it was because of one very special individual?
I shook off the negative thoughts and focused on what they had given me instead.
[Rare Trait Scroll (B Grade)] x1
[Spirit Food (B Grade)] x5
[Mother Nature's Necklace (B+ Grade)] x1
[Spirit Beast Tattoo Ink – Sun Phoenix (A Grade)] x1
[+1 Weapon Upgrade Stone (B Grade)] x3
[Sunflare Cloak (B+ Grade)] x1
"Okay, this is pretty good!"
I immediately equipped the Sunflare Cloak. It was a magnificent crimson cape made of exquisite fabric. When I infused it with mana, it flared with controllable Sunflare Flames.
This item had never appeared in the game before. Just by wearing it, I felt noticeably more agile, and the cloak seemed to possess a will of its own. I would have to test it properly tomorrow when we set out, but I suspected it could fight alongside me.
[Sunflare Cloak]
[Item Type]: Cloak, Clothing
[Item Grade]: B+ Grade
[Item Requirements]: Solaris' Blessing
[Item Parameters]: Physical Defense: 3,000 | Magic Defense: 8,000 | Durability: 5,000
[Item Bonuses]: +30% Agility, Dexterity, Movement Speed, Fire Absorption
[Item Skills]: {Sunflare Protection} {Sunflare Aura}
[Item Description]: A cloak crafted by Solaris using his flames for his Saintess.
Not bad at all. I wondered if I could learn those skills by using the cloak long enough.
"Nice necklace."
The moment I put on Mother Nature's Necklace, my mana recovery doubled. My overall mana pool and spirit energy also increased significantly.
[Mother Nature's Necklace]
[Item Type]: Necklace, Magic Accessory
[Item Grade]: B+ Grade
[Item Requirements]: Tierra's Blessing
[Item Parameters]: Magic Defense: 3,000 | Durability: 3,000
[Item Bonuses]: +30% Mana, Spirit, Resistance, +100% Mana Recovery Speed
[Item Skills]: {Mother's Nature Protection} {Life Share}
[Item Description]: A necklace crafted by Tierra's wood and leaves for her Saintess.
"Huh. Life Share? Protection?"
These skills were less obvious. The Protection seemed passive, while Life Share apparently let me share my own lifeforce to heal others. Strange, but useful.
"Good enough, as for the other items..."
The Spirit Food intrigued me most. According to its description, it was special nourishment that could help spirits grow stronger, gain new traits, or even evolve.
I currently had three spirits: the two silent War Spirits and Freyja, the War Goddess System herself. I hadn't spoken to her all day.
"Um, Freyja, you there?"
She often slept to conserve energy or perform internal repairs. Being a System, she was always working.
"Yes, Master?" She yawned, appearing beside me in her cute fairy form. "Huh? What's that bag?"
"It's Spirit Food!" I opened one of the bags. "They look like chips. Want to try some?"
"Huh?! D-Do you think I'm some kind of pet, Master? Excuse me! I am your assistant and your—Huh?"
She suddenly noticed the chips, began drooling, and took a bite without hesitation. Her eyes sparkled. In seconds, she devoured the entire bag.
"T-This is exquisite! I've never eaten anything so delicious before, and I feel so revitalized!" She snatched the bag from my hands and finished every last piece.
"Hey, at least let me try one…"
"T-They're mine!!!" she hissed, guarding the empty bag.
In the end, she lay on the desk with a bloated belly, looking utterly satisfied.
"Eugh… I ate them all…"
"Yeah, I can tell," I laughed. "They must be really good for spirits. Noted."
I turned to the other two. "I've never summoned you like this before, but why not? Come here, you two."
The two War Spirits manifested as large, powerful silhouettes of pure divine energy. The Spirit of Strength appeared as a fiery red figure resembling me, while the Spirit of Speed was formed of swirling emerald winds. They remained silent and unresponsive until given an order.
"Here, eat these," I said, opening the bags.
"..."
"..."
They stared at the chips. I repeated the command. "Eat. That's an order."
Finally, they obeyed. They each took a bag and began eating—hesitantly at first, then with clear enjoyment.
"...!"
"...?!"
They really liked them.
The two War Spirits devoured every chip until the bags were empty.
"Wow, you guys really enjoyed that," I laughed. "You look stronger now—more solid. Wait, you still don't have names, do you? Since you're actually here in front of me… I should name you."
"Maybe naming them will help them communicate more," Freyja suggested.
"Right. So… the War Spirit of Strength will be Ares! And the War Spirit of Speed will be Hermes!"
FLAAASH!
Both spirits suddenly glowed with intense white light. Their bodies solidified, becoming nearly as defined as my own.
Ares gained a tall, muscular yet feminine frame, glowing white eyes, long fiery red hair, and armor resembling fur and leather. She even held a lance made of pure spirit energy.
Hermes was slenderer, with shorter hair and a long rapier. Emerald wind wings sprouted from her back.
Both looked beautiful—like goddesses.
"Wow… did you girls just evolve or something?" I wondered.
No notification appeared, so it might have simply been a bonus from receiving names. Still, they seemed more intelligent now.
"Can you talk?"
"..."
"..."
"Not yet, huh? At least try to say hi."
"...Hi."
Ares spoke first, her voice similar to mine.
"Hi…"
Hermes followed, her voice gentler.
"What else can you say?"
"..."
"..."
"Okay, they still mostly do what they're told. Not much autonomy yet," I murmured.
"At least they're starting to change, Master," Freyja said. "It's progress."
"Yup…"
I lay back on the bed and looked at the remaining items: the Rare Trait Scroll, the Spirit Beast Tattoo Ink, and the Weapon Upgrade Stones.
"I guess I'll use this one first."
I opened the Rare Trait Scroll and absorbed its power, gaining a new Trait.
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