Adrian stood there, kind of surprised and confused. The 13th Constellation, the leader of the Zodiac, looked right at him as if he knew the man hiding behind the hoodie.
'But why was he smiling?' Adrian wondered.
In the three years he had spent working for the Church, he had come across with a few Zodiacs. Though, none of them seemed interested in him, given how low-levelled he was.
But their short skirmishes were the extent of their 'relationship'. However, the fact that they pulled a stunt and even the mysterious 13th Constellation came forward to attend his 'funeral' contradicted Adrian's knowledge.
From a stranger's perspective, Adrian must have shared some close relationship with the Zodiacs for them to show up at his funeral. But why?
Unfortunately, no one seemed to know the answer to the question... not even Adrian.
Now, Adrian was left wondering. Why would the leader show up at his supposed funeral? And why the smile? It made him scratch his head, thinking if the 13th Constellation somehow knew he wasn't really dead.
'Fuck... they must have done it to destroy my image in the eyes of the public!'
The public didn't exactly hate zodiacs as, unlike the Ravens, they rarely appeared in public. But at the end of the day, they were a terrorist organisation and having Adrian's name associated with them would deal quite a blow to the shaken image the people now had for the heroes.
Adrian immediately thought maybe they weren't the real Zodiac, but someone hired to play the part. However, he quickly dismissed the theory. The skills the Zodiacs had shown there mere moments ago couldn't have been faked.
Even if the other heroes had sold themselves for the act, Adrian knew Sophia wouldn't. Moreover, considering her attack had proven ineffective against the Zodiacs, Adrian was convinced that the group was the real deal.
'Fuck... all this thinking is getting on my nerves. I should get out of here first...'
However, before leaving, Adrian scanned the place where the portal had been when he felt some residual mana emanating from the ground.
Though it was next to impossible, Adrian still wanted to give it a shot and try to triangulate the source of the residue in hopes of finding the place the Zodiacs teleported.
But right when he approached the spot, he felt something coming towards him and quickly ducked. A second later, a wave from someone's aura blade zoomed past his head. If Adrian had dodged even a moment later, his head would've been blown away.
Adjusting his hoodie, Adrian turned around to see Rowan holding his blade with both hands, panting heavily. The aftereffects of Libra had taken a heavy toll on the Hero, yet he was already on his feet while the rest were struggling to sit up.
"Get away... from that spot!" Rowan yelled.
"..."
Adrian, however, didn't respond. While his body had changed a lot, his voice was still the same. Therefore, if he uttered a single word, someone might recognise him, and Adrian didn't want that... not before he got his revenge on his killers.
Despite that, Adrian had no intention of getting into a fight with his fellow heroes and decided to obey Rowan's command. Adrian began walking out of the premises, raising his hands over his head, but Rowan attacked him again.
"I didn't allow you to leave... yet..." Rowan said, slowly walking towards Adrian. "I noticed the Zodiac leader's gaze lingered on you for a while, and I want to know why. You're not allowed to leave before you have answered my question."
Adrian cursed his luck yet again. He was hoping no one had noticed the 13th Constellation's eyes on him, but he was too naive to think that would be the case.
'Regardless of the circumstance, I have to leave this place,' Adrian thought. 'Fighting Rowan, a level 50 magic swordsman, is not an option.'
Meanwhile, upon seeing their prince willingly fight someone, the elves also struggled to get to their feet. With each passing moment, the situation was taking a turn for the worse.
Just when Adrian thought things couldn't get any worse, they did.
--
You have received a new quest!
Quest Title: Warrior's Might
Quest Level: Uncommon
Quest Commissioner: [The Harbinger of Strength Who Completed 12 Labours]
Objective: Defeat Hero Rowan
Quest Description:
Greetings, Adventurer! The time has come for you to face another challenge. It might be a difficult challenge, but the Harbinger hopes for your victory and offers you a handicap!
Your mission, should you choose to accept, is to confront and defeat the Hero Rowan, a disciple who has caused displeasure to the Harbinger through his actions.
Task: Fight and win against Hero Rowan in a sword fight.
Rewards:
- 20 STR points
1000 Experience Points
Bonus Rewards (for optional challenges):
- Unknown
Guaranteed Reward (Given to the User by simply accepting the quest):
[Nemean Blessing]
Penalty for Failure:
- You will suffer a temporary debuff, reducing your stats by 30% for 24 hours.
- The Harbinger's curse will haunt you, reducing your stamina by 10% for the next three days.
Time Limit: This quest must be completed within 1 hour(s).
Caution: The Hero appears to be stronger than the User. However, the Hero's previous encounter has left him weak.
Will the User accept the quest? [Yes/No]
--
Adrian was about to reject the quest without even bothering to go through the details when his eyes fell on the guaranteed reward. Even though it had been a short time since Adrian got the 'interest' of the entities, he knew Blessings were something most of them were stingy to hand over.
Therefore, seeing such a precious thing offered to him without any catch was too enticing to pass up. While Adrian had no idea what a [Nemean Blessing] was, he hoped it would be enough to justify the risk he was about to put himself in.
'Since the commissioner is being so generous, it's only right to reciprocate them,' Adrian mumbled, accepted the quest, and took out the Minotaur's broadsword for a real fight.
***
Author's notes:
2 Bonus Chapters for achieving the weekly goal will be published on Sunday and Monday. Thanks for all the love and support!