Done viewing his updated stats and abilities tabs, Terran moved his attention to the two new quests that had popped up.
--
Quest Name: Theft 2.0
Description: Steal 5 blessings
Time Limit: Two Weeks
Rewards: 100 EXP | 500 AP
Quest Name: Historian
Description: Learn the true history of the fall of Gaia
Time Limit: One Month
Rewards: The Great Mother's Garden (a blessing from the Gaia series)
--
Terran practically skipped over the first quest as he gazed at the second quest's reward. His current blessing also had the name Gaia in it. From the little knowledge he had accumulated, it was a blessing that stood at the peak of all others. So why would he not get excited with a similar power within his grasp? Yet, after he read the description, he could not help but shake his head.
"System, why can't you just tell me? The fact that this quest is here in the first place means you know the answer!"
Terran rolled his eyes. "Did you know you're a real corny piece of trash? I don't think you even understand the meaning of that saying anyway." Despite his insult, the system did not speak again.
Terran's harsh opinions regarding the system were not unfounded. Despite the divine gifts it was granting him, deep down, he had an unnerving feeling that the system was somehow related to the reason he had been in the wasteland. There was no evidence for this, nor was he sure if the system's role had been beneficial or harmful. Nevertheless, he believed that they were related, which alone made him feel sour about it.
For good measure, before going to bed, Terran opened the last tab to see if anything had changed. To his surprise, something had; next to the box labeling the number of spins he had was a new line of text, or more accurate, a price tag, stating that each spin now cost 5 ability points.
Despite this new temptation, Terran chose not to tango with lady luck. If he spent even one AP, he would not be able to learn the blessing, Imp's claws. While he did not particularly want this blessing, it would not be good to close the door entirely. What if he ended up in another fight with a stronger blessed? He would not always be three stories in the air, and even if he was, he was sure many blessed individuals could survive such a fall.
After thoroughly going through his new system upgrades, he attempted to close the panel, but similar to the first time it appeared, it refused to go away. Instead, a new message popped up.
"Does the user wish to learn more about the Seed of Gaia Insignia?"
Utterly shocked that for once the system felt generous enough to share information, Terran recalled that a similar message had popped up upon completing his first quest. After a second of hesitation, he accepted.
Although he had not given it much attention, when he was first given the quest Theft, the quest had told him that he had been granted an insignia that would help him absorb blessings. At the time, he had been in a rush to see the city, but thinking about it now, the insignia must be extremely important.
Upon accepting, the first thing that became apparent was the sudden fiery light that bathed the bed he was lying on.
"Goddammit, why can't this fucking system warn me about these things before doing them," Terran spat as he ran into the hotel bathroom.
After closing the bathroom door, the first thing he noticed was the shiny runes covering his back that he could make out in the mirror. Once his attention was set, it only took another moment for him to see the sprouting seed.
"So, this is the insignia? Wait, don't tell me this thing appeared when I stole Mr. Jonnie's blessing!" At that moment he vowed to be more mindful of his situation the next time he tried stealing a blessing.
As Terran stared at his back in the mirror, the system began its' explanation.
"Ah, so what I'm hearing is your useless and this insignia is what does all the heavy lifting."
Ignoring Terran's comment, the system's mechanical female voice continued.
After giving its' short spiel, the system's voice went quiet, once again refusing to share any more details than it had already revealed.
"A unique treasure? That's all you're going to tell me?" The information handed out by the system left Terran more confused than he had been to begin with. However, one thought lingered, maybe if I continue to level up, the system will give me more information.
With the end of the system's speech, the ancient godly runes covering his back faded away, but a tattoo of two hands cupping a sprouting seed remained. "Have I always had this tattoo on my back?" However, Terran had no way to know, the only one that could currently possibly have the answer was the system, but of course, his questions were only met with the same monotone response
< Information denied, host's authority level is too low.>
Answerless, Terran had no choice but to head back to his bed. Questions and thoughts ran rampant in his mind, preventing him from falling asleep.
Before arriving at the city, he lived with an extremely one-track mind, only caring about his needs that he could never satisfy. Now though, he had to live with his thoughts and his actions. "I really killed a man today." This reality did not bother him. Instead, it was the fact that he felt no remorse. This was only one of the things circulating in his mind. He also imagined his new life, the imaginary enemies that had left him for dead in the wasteland, and his questions surrounding the system.
Tonight, a thought passed through Terran's mind that he would have never believed was his own. The thought that sleeping had been easier on the cold rocks and sand dunes, drained of energy and with an empty mind, opposed to having so many nagging thoughts.
"Crap! I forgot about those silly daily challenges! Well, it's not like I'm about to fall asleep anytime soon."
Climbing out of bed, Terran flew through his exercises. This was not because he had grown stronger, but because he was afraid Sophie would wake up, and he would have to explain why he had the sudden urge to do squats in the dark. Thankfully, such a situation never occurred because Sophie was too fast asleep after her stressful day.
With the exercise out of the way, Terran used his phone to find a book online.
[Daily Quests Complete! + 3 Stat Points | +25 EXP | +1 Lottery Spin]
----
Rolling over into the sunlight, Terran's eyes flickered open. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sophie kneeling in the corner. She was already awake, and her bed was already made. Her back was bent, and her hands were clasped together in front of her chest.
Terran could not help himself from wondering, "Great, did I get taken in by a colt worshiper? It would explain why she has been so nice, trying to rope me in. Or maybe she was fattening me up for a sacrifice. No, definitely not, that would not be economically viable considering how skinny I am."
After a few moments of thought, Terran came to a consensus. "I guess joining a cult would not be the worst thing to happen to me."
Yawning and getting out of bed, he walked over, deciding to hit this mystery head-on. "Miss Sophie, what are you doing?"
Turning around, Sophie gave him a look as if she had seen him for the first time. "Isn't it obvious? We both do it at least once a week?"
Terran felt very stupid at that moment as he racked his brain for explanations. Since when was he known for sitting in corners. "No, I don't find it obvious at all. This is not some psychological technique to get me to join your cult, is it?"
"Hehehe, no silly, I was praying."
Seeing as Terran's facial expression did not change in the slightest, Sophie elaborated.
"To Artemis, the goddess of hunting, the god that graciously bestowed me with my blessing."
At this moment, realization filled Terran's eyes as he realized what it truly meant to be blessed. Before, he had assumed blessed was just a synonym for saying someone was gifted or had superpowers. He had not realized it literally meant they had been blessed.
Seeing Terran's expression confused Sophie. "Don't you pray to a god? You are a D rank blessed, two ranks higher than me, so you must have prayed a lot to get such a good blessing. Who do you pray to?"
Terran racked his brain, but he had never prayed a day in his life. While he knew the concept of gods, he was not aware of their various names. After all, there were many mythologies, some of which had dozens or even hundreds of gods in them. The only name that came to mind was Gaia. "Is Gaia a god?"
Now Sophie stared at him like he was really retarded. Of course, it was due to the fact that he knew her name, but not the answer to his own question. "Yes, those that believe in Gaia know her as the mother of everything under the sky. She is the god of life itself. She is even the grandmother of the oldest Olympians, Zeus included."
"So, she's Important?" Was all Terran could respond with.
Sophie only shook her head in disappointment, flicking Terrans forehead. "Yes, you could say that."
Terran did not notice, though, as he thought about his quest. He was supposed to learn the history of Gaia's fall. Did that mean she was dead? How could she bless him if she was dead? Everything was very confusing, and he quickly got a headache. "Do I still have to pray if my god is dead?"
Sophie's expression got dark as she stared Terran dead in the eye. "In this day and age, you should never talk Ill about a god! Do you understand? Now sit here and pray with me. If you truly don't remember, just thank the heavens for your blessing and hope that you can remember quickly."
Sophie's sudden serious attitude shocked Terran so much that he was unsure how to react. While not weary of her warning, he decided to at least follow her suggestion and see where it got him.
Now kneeling next to Sophie, he was somewhat lost for what to do. "Oh, great earthmother, please accept my humble prayers. I am very thankful— for- umm-- I am very thankful for kiwis. You should really grow some more on your land. Maybe add some more trees, touch some grass."
As Terran's poor excuse for a prayer drooled on, he unconsciously clasped his rusty necklace in one of his hands. It was gradual, but a white light appeared in his mind. Without really realizing what he was doing, he began to follow it; the closer he got, the brighter it became until his vision turned completely white.