All this was because Mithra had casually used a light source.
Escaping the riot had cost Mithra a lot of energy.
The sudden loss of vision was inconvenient, even with the compensation from her other senses. She was still getting used to it.
The density of monsters here was far greater than in the Gross tunnels. She constantly bumped into them, leading to intense emotional struggles in the darkness.
Monsters accounted for forty percent of her energy expenditure.
The other sixty percent was spent battling her maw.
It kept trying to sneak off and eat, only to be attacked by other monsters. It would then attack her, and while it helped fight, it would demand a share of the spoils when she collected her own flesh.
Then Mithra would retaliate by cutting off one of its tongues. She was ruthless and consistent.
In the end, it was Mithra who suffered the most.
But there was a payoff.
At least the maw no longer tried to openly steal food; it only did so secretly.
When the sounds faded, Mithra found another wall, and after confirming it was indeed a wall and not a giant creature, she slid down and sat on the ground.
[Event —— "Initial Experience of Eternal Night"]
[Anderet's Gift: The ability to observe without attracting attention in the darkness.]
[Price: Using this method will lead you to even more interesting things.]
[Accept?]
Mithra looked down, maintaining her usual cryptic style.
"Accept."
The text vanished.
Suddenly, Mithra sensed footsteps nearby.
She turned, expecting a monster, raising her hand to activate a miracle, only to feel an icy hand grip her wrist.
A beautiful, deep purple light suddenly illuminated the area, brightening the surroundings without causing any disturbances.
An exquisitely crafted, small black lantern was brought close to Mithra's face, playfully tapping her nose.
Then it moved away. Mithra saw what had grabbed her wrist.
A dark figure with six wings obscuring its face held Mithra's wrist, its touch icy cold.
"Anderet?" Mithra asked.
"It's me," the figure replied in a gentle female voice.
"Oh," Mithra responded impassively.
"Surprised?"
"I didn't expect you to appear directly. Phaselos only communicated telepathically. You've shown yourself," Mithra observed the figure.
Anderet said, "I still retain some power in this world. I've used your sense to create a form for this meeting."
Mithra nodded, looking at the lantern. "This is the gift?"
"I once plunged the world into darkness, but now I'm illuminating it for someone else. A fascinating development. This is the ever-changing nature of things. Even a god's destiny is unpredictable," Anderet said, her voice oddly somber.
"Hmm," Mithra said, unsure what to reply.
Anderet took Mithra's hand and placed the lantern gently in her palm.
"But after you made your choice, your destiny has drawn closer to mine, leading to your encounters with me."
Mithra frowned.
So that's how it was?
The initial three choices weren't just newbie gifts; they were also related to the storylines she might encounter?
"Your sense is very powerful. We hope to use it, to draw your destiny closer to ours."
"So, besides hunting Wandering Gods, you have some personal expectations of me?" Mithra stated her understanding.
"You could say that."
"What do you want me to do? If it's too difficult, I won't do it. But if I can, I'll try. But don't blame me if I die," Mithra said bluntly.
"It's not so much a request as a desire to see someone like you continue on this path, bearing our mark. Most of us are like that."
"No regrets?" Mithra asked.
"Ha ha. Although Eternal Night failed, I have no regrets. I lost, and that's that. I thought I would lose to Lebaance or LosHeath, or perhaps another powerful god. But it was Ringer, who hadn't even become a god yet, who gathered the power of ordinary beings and broke through. Such a ridiculous defeat. How could I regret it?" Anderet chuckled.
"Everyone makes mistakes," Mithra offered comfort.
"That's right. Everyone makes mistakes. Even the invincible Lebaance was defeated by humans. My failure is nothing,"
Pausing, Anderet asked Mithra, "Do you think you're important?"
"Not really. I'll do my best, but death is death. I wouldn't be too upset; I've already died once," Mithra replied without hesitation.
"Actually, you're very important."
"Oh?"
"The destruction of Eternal Night didn't cover everything. I can't explain our ultimate goal, but preparing for someone like you took us thousands, even tens of thousands of years. We don't know how much longer we have, so you're the first, and quite possibly the last,"
"...Even if that's true, I won't let your expectations weigh on me. I'm doing this because you gave me a new life. I'll try to fulfill your expectations, but that's all. Nothing more," Mithra said plainly.
"That's good. Ha ha. Continue as you are. Being restricted by pressure and expectations would be pointless," Anderet said, not at all displeased.
"So, do you have an important mission, or do you just want to watch me have fun?" Mithra asked, slightly exasperated.
"Both. We're making the most of our resources," Anderet replied, shrugging human-like.
"Okay," Mithra shrugged in response.
Suddenly, Anderet flickered, like a glitch in the image.
"Time is short. The gift is given; you'll have to experience the price yourself."
Only then did Anderet release Mithra's hand.
"Oh, Phaselos seems to have given you a task. I'll add another one: Try collecting sixteen Eternal Night Crystals. Then, this world will be yours."
With that, Anderet vanished completely.
The lantern in Mithra's hand trembled slightly. She couldn't discern the source of the light; it didn't seem to be a flame.
Her conversation with Anderet had been pleasant. All her patrons so far had been easy to communicate with.
Anderet had revealed quite a bit of information, which could prove useful in the future.
But it wouldn't sway Mithra's resolve.
A casual worker shouldn't develop feelings for her employers.