Chapter 431: Completing the S-Rank Quest, 2 Weeks of Preparation
That thing was too powerful, and if it was sealed here, it meant that the [God of Magic] could possibly retrieve it in the future, a terrifying prospect.
He needed to destroy it, no matter what, but that would have to wait.
’Well, I didn’t expect to meet something like this in my excursion, but that’s good to know for the future.’
Leon turned around, but that seemed to anger the entity.
[YOU INSOLENT FOOL,] the tower roared, [I HAVE ALREADY INFORMED THE GOD OF MAGIC ABOUT YOU, JUST YOU WAIT.]
"The fact he knows you’re sealed here and doesn’t come already shows how much he cares," Leon smiled, "Anyway, goodbye."
Just like that, he turned around from Exiled Tower, ignoring the roars and screams it let out.
’Damn, that thing is angry.’
Leon spent the last few hours killing monsters to absorb their essences and sell the items, making the most of his remaining time.
And eventually, as the hours ticked by, the notification he had been waiting for appeared.
Ding!
["Domain Travel" is available.]
Leon selected [Higher Domain #1], and after a few seconds his body disappeared as he was transported away, leaving the exiled lands behind.
’I was mistaken,’ Leon thought as he landed on the ground, his expression dark, ’I was truly... mistaken about the scope of what I’m facing, the threats are everywhere.’
He had only visited [Higher Domain #1] and [Higher Domain #3], yet he had discovered so many servants of the gods.
So how about [Higher Domain #2], [Higher Domain #23], or even [Higher Domain #100], as well as all the others?
’They’re... everywhere,’ he thought with a grim expression, ’Still, I need to take care of what I can.’
If not for the [Celestial] title forcing Leon to keep moving forward no matter what obstacles stood in his path, he would have loved to stay in the [Higher Domains] for months, going through each one methodically to defeat any servants of the gods he found lurking in the shadows, eliminating their influence one by one.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t so easy to simply stay and hunt down every threat.
And either way, if he could kill the gods and their servants in the [Eternal Domain], pretty much every threat across all domains would be gone anyway, making the grind in the higher domains less critical.
’Though it still feels bad to leave them standing,’ he thought with a groan, frustration bubbling beneath the surface, ’I’ll have to see what I can do about them when I have more time.’
Perhaps sending some people he trusted to handle the remnants, but the only ones he really did was Violet, Emilia and Celeste, and wasting so much of their time while they could focus on growing stronger didn’t sit right with him, especially with the challenges ahead.
Either way, he appeared in his hotel room since that was where he had used [Domain Travel], the familiar surroundings greeting him as he materialized.
And the moment his feet touched the ground, a notification appeared before him, confirming his completion.
Ding!
[You have acquired all stronghold crystals.]
[Please bring them to the "Requiem Guild" to complete the quest and not face the penalty for failure.]
They had likely been informed of this as well through their own monitoring systems, meaning that Leon wouldn’t get as many days of "grinding" as he thought to build up his strength before the final confrontation.
’I didn’t even find any [Skill Stones] in the [Exiled Lands], so my best bet is to explore around the stronghold or find some dungeons nearby,’ he thought, already planning his next moves.
Of course, it only took a few minutes for the announcement to erupt across the stronghold, confirming that they knew he had returned.
Ding!
[Celestial, please come meet with Lord Cavin, I am extremely excited.]
’The fact it says "I" means that he refers to himself as Lord Cavin," Leon couldn’t help but notice, "Heh, his ego is showing."
Emilia, Celeste and Violet weren’t present in the room, meaning that they must be outside grinding, likely for the former two to finally reach level 100 and close the gap with Violet.
Fwoosh!
Either way, Leon used the [World Map] to teleport to the Central Building, appearing in the meeting room, and this time around, only Cavin was present, the others noticeably absent.
"Do not mind it, everyone else is training for the Level 6 Monster Tide," the oni said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
"Sure," Leon replied flatly.
Leon threw the [Stronghold Crystal] to Cavin, who grabbed it out of the air with practiced ease, a deep sigh of satisfaction escaping his lips.
"Very good, Celestial," Cavin nodded as he got up from his seat.
Ding!
[You have completed the S-Rank quest.]
"And your reward is that you get to live, isn’t that incredible," Cavin laughed, "Though of course... we need more from you."
"I wonder what?" Leon asked, already knowing the answer.
Cavin turned to look at the stronghold he had created, a glint of aura flaring from his eyes as he gazed out over the city.
"Due to the fact we didn’t anticipate to complete this so fast, we will have to announce it to all our stronghold members, as well as prepare for the Monster Tide," Cavin began, "That means that though we have all the crystals, we won’t be starting it now."
Hearing that, Leon was actually satisfied, that meant he still had time to prepare and grow stronger before the final confrontation.
"In two weeks," Cavin continued, "At that point, all of our preparations will be there, so you have two weeks as well to prepare for it, since you WILL be participating."
Ding!
[You have received an SS-Rank Quest: "Level 6 Monster Tide"]
[Objective: Participate in the Level 6 Monster Tide and help the Requiem Stronghold be promoted to Level 6.]
[Reward: You get to live.]
[Penalty for failure: Death.]
[Do you wish to accept?]
"Wow," Leon mumbled, "So that’s what you’re gonna do to keep me around?"
"Quests are a fascinating thing, aren’t they?" Cavin smiled, "I can make anyone do my bidding simply by threatening them like this, though this will be the last one human, after that, you are free to do as you please."
"Hm..." Leon hummed.
He could see in Cavin’s eyes that he didn’t have a choice anyway, the oni’s patience clearly wearing thin now that he was so close to his goal.
Cavin seemed much less patient than before now that he had the crystals, so Leon didn’t even bother arguing or trying to negotiate.
"Alright," he accepted the quest with a neutral expression, his voice steady, "Lets get this stronghold to Level 6 and then..."
Leon didn’t finish his sentence, but Cavin simply assumed that Leon and his companions would leave once their obligations were fulfilled, not sensing the underlying tension.
Unfortunately for Cavin, he had no idea the extent at which Leon was willing to go for revenge, the fire that burned within him.
Not only against the gods and their servants, but against anyone who wronged him and his companions as well, a debt that would be paid in full when the time was right.