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Let’s go down, Aiden said.

Okay, the bird said, gently descending to the stables.

Aiden unbelted himself. Thanks, girl.

"Good work," Alitalia said. "How was it?"

"It was amazing," Aiden said.

"I’m sure the Oracle’s glad to hear that." Alitalia turned, and he followed her sardonic gaze. There was an ominous structure on a distant hilltop, looming like a noose hanging above the gallows. It was the Cursed Aviary—a prison for birds locked in steel chains. One look at the gate told him why chaining them up was necessary.

Aiden grimaced and petted the feathers on the golden scrill that he was just flying. "I’m not gonna take it."

"Wise choice."

Aiden patted the bird twice, and it flew away. They were on contract, so there was no reason for a staple other than to load it up.

"I just wish I knew what the point was," he said after a pause. "If this was just some sick war game, I’d just ignore it, but if it’s legitimate…" He sighed and turned to her. "You know?"

Alitalia responded with a wry smile.

"What’s that look for?" he asked.

"We know," she said.

"Wait… you do?"

"Yeah. Someone put in an info request yesterday."

"And?"

"Turns out, there’s a girl in there. Freshly integrated—probably from your planet."

Aiden couldn’t believe his ears. "Then why the hell’s she in there?"

"’Cause that’s what she asked for: to be in a forest far away from bloodthirsty neophytes. Well, she got ’er wish. Kinda fucked up interpretation of her request, if you ask me."

"Wait… You can’t be serious. We gotta save her!" Aiden was an antisocial loser—he wasn’t a hero. That said… he couldn’t believe the injustice. He was struggling just to adapt to a new world—and he was living out his dream. The thought of someone landing in the middle of a death trap left a deep pit in his stomach.

Alitalia chuckled and sent him a strange smirk. "But that’s the thing—according to request, she’s not looking to be saved."

2.

I weaved in and out of consciousness for the next twelve hours. I didn’t know that until I read the clock and saw that it was 6:36. "Kline…"

Kline meowed weakly.

"Oh…." I pushed myself up, and my skin stuck to the hardwood floor. That was a bad sign. "I’ll get you some… syrup." There was still a dose for him.

I got up and forced myself to the bottle, then dumped it into a bowl. Then I put it next to Kline’s face and collapsed on the ground again, groaning.

My entire body ached.

Still, I wasn’t sure how long 48 hours was—and I wanted to get the other legacies. So I forced myself up, stripped, and started a warm bath, trying to ignore the slime on my clothes and floor. Strangely enough, it didn’t smell bad like it did after the cleansing. That made it easier.

Kline lapped up the maralune syrup and meowed triumphantly—albeit quietly—before forcing himself up.

"You wanna bath, little buddy?" I asked.

He didn’t protest. He just meowed and let me pick him up, getting into the bath. As soon as the warmth reached my body, I felt like I was just dipped into the cherry syrup that people dipped ice cream cones in. That was a strange description, but I swear, it was like the water felt warm and then snuggly hugged me, creating a shell around me. Then, it started cracking around my skin.

I didn’t question what was happening. I didn’t want to know what happened.

"This is the good stuff…" I moaned.

Kline meowed, turning his head and licking the water.

"Don’t lick that," I snapped. "I’ll make you some." Without thinking, I summoned a tiny water sphere above his head, and he drank from it until it was gone. Then, I created another. There was no chant. It just happened.

How surreal… I thought, closing my eyes. I’d question it later.

Twenty minutes later, when I could think, Lithco finally decided it was time to give the notification.

—---

Neophyte Mira Hill has completed the Legacy Quest: "Aspire to be a Goddess."

Quest Summary: Goddesses aren’t satisfied with petty gains—they seek purity. To have eternal youth, health, and beauty. To radiate under the light. These are skills that a goddess can truly obtain as an alchemist who pursues creations that alchemists covet and monopolize. Since you’ve showcased an innate talent for alchemy, prove that you’re willing to risk it all to obtain a mana core capable of shaking the first domain.

Value: Obtain an elixir to help build a strong mana core.

Requirement(s):

Obtain the ingredients to make the Lumidran Awakening Elixir.

Create the elixir before the end of the trial.

Take the elixir.

Accept or refuse this quest now.

Pursue this quest until you complete it or the time limit runs out.

Rewards:

Legacy Reward.

Epic-grade Alchemy Equipment.

—---

Wait… I thought. It was only then that I truly comprehended that I would be getting high-tier alchemy equipment as part of the quest. I don’t even need to accept the legacy… score!

I was going to be depressed if I got offered the soul manipulation legacy, liked it, and then had to give up what I earned—but that wasn’t the case. Like the last legacy quest, I got a hard reward.

So satisfying, I thought, leaning back in the tub as I closed the notification. I planned to relax, but I instantly got another pop-up.

—---

Neophyte Mira Hill has been offered a new Legacy Quest.

Legacy Quest: Kill the River Guardian

Summary: Poison is the multiverse’s most flexible weapon. You can shoot it into people—or feed it to them silently. Put it in their air, spike the water they drink. Offensive, defensive—trapping. There’s nothing better suited for surviving in the Areswood Forest than having a weapon that grows everywhere you look. You’ve proven capable of killing off hundreds of small beasts with poison—now prove that you can kill a third evolution creature. The prime candidate is the River Guardian, which is barring your access to the Diktyo River. Use poisons to kill it and regain access to an alchemic resource that’s more valuable than any other. If you succeed, you will be offered the legacy of a god that makes poisons potent enough to kill gods.

Duration: Trial of Worth’s End

Requirement(s):

Kill the guardian of the Diktyo River using poisons.

Survive.

Rewards:

Legacy Reward

Epic Book on Poisons

—---

My heart released a warbeat, making me sweat in the hot water surrounding me. My stomach was fluttering as if I had fallen in love. I wanted it—

—until the next notification cranked that enthusiasm in the opposite direction.

"You got to be kidding me…" I whispered as I looked at another legacy quest.

—---

Neophyte Mira Hill has been offered a new Legacy Quest.

Legacy Quest: Provide Recompense to the River Guardian

Summary: Whether you want to begin a journey into the world of soul manipulation or simply wish to start a life in the Areswood Forest, you must gain access to the Diktyo River—and gain the inhabitants’ approval. Provide proper recompense for stealing the sacred water sack plant and prostrate yourself to the River Guardian and ask her forgiveness. Only then can you truly be accepted by this forest. Complete this legacy quest, and you will be offered the legacy of a soulmancer that specializes in plant-based soulmancy.

Duration: None

Requirement(s):

Provide recompense to the River Guardian.

Prostrate yourself before her.

You may not hurt, threaten, or kill the River Guardian.

Rewards:

Legacy Reward.

Blessed Subclass of Your Choice (If Offered).

Access to a Sacred Location.

Warning: The River Guardian may not accept you, regardless of the recompense you provide.

—---

So much for that book… I thought. Getting the epic alchemy equipment made me greedy, and I was eying that epic book on poisons like it was already mine. Yet the soul manipulation legacy quest—the one that I was drawn to—was not only mutually exclusive with the poison quest, but it was also exponentially more dangerous. The more I thought about it, the more I found it disagreeable.

I let my body slump into the tub. This one is just ridiculous. Bow to that creature? Are you serious?

I was fairly certain that it was talking about the double-decker bus-sized creature that chased me after cutting the water sack, knocking down trees like they were bowling pins.

And what’s this shit about a third-evolution beast? I thought. Know what? Fuck it.

"Lithco!" I yelled aloud. "What’s this bullshit about there being a third evolution beast in the forest? Your barrier clearly states that it blocks third evolution beasts from getting in! Use your text form!"

I was in the bath, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to let anyone but Kline see me—even if they were an omniscient, asexual AI.

A pop-up materialized and answered my question.

"The barrier is preventing them from getting into your location. But what’s a barrier supposed to do about the ones already inside?"

"That’s a crock of shit," I said. "What does ’Your Location’ even mean?"

"A hundred square miles around the temporary shelter."

"So… a day’s hike in any direction?" I asked. A hundred square miles sounded vast, but it was really just five miles in any given direction from the temporary shelter. Once you consider that, it was quite small.

"That’s about right," Lithco confirmed. "But before you ask, you would’ve gotten a notification if you were about to leave the barrier."

"Oh…" I calmed down a bit after that. Then I hugged Kline like a seatbelt. "... Fuck," I groaned. "What’s a subclass again?"

"It’s similar to a legacy," Lithco said. "Since that’s what you’ve been offered, let’s start with that. Legacies automatically unlock new skills, spells, recipes, and other resources simply by demonstrating proficiency in the area of expertise. Unless your god issues you a quest, all your quests will be suggestions, but can be bypassed by demonstrating proficiency in equal ways. Sometimes, you’ll unlock multiple skills at once if they’re all related. And none of this will cost you a request."

"Wow… that’s amazing," I whispered. "Then what’s a subclass?"

"A subclass is like a legacy, but you only unlock things through completing quests. You will always get a new quest after each proceeding class. So it’s similar, but it’s very rigid and does not include specialized skills and resources."

"But the blessed subclasses do?"

"Correct. They’re just like normal subclasses, but the patron god can also issue quests, unlock their unique spells, recipes, and resources, and provide you with specialized rewards. It’s like going to college, but having a professor that’s personally teaching and guiding you."

I just realized how suspicious this all was, and it made me hug Kline until he squirmed out of my grasp and hopped out of the tub. Then I folded my arms.

"So what do they get out of this?" I asked.

"It’s shocking that you’ve been risking life and limb for these legacies and didn’t know anything about them," he wrote. "But it’s better now than never."

"Just fucking answer me," I said, rattling off the syllables like a machine gun.

"They get tribute," Lithco said. "It’s a form of taxation where they can request certain things from you and you must comply in order to retain the legacy or subclass. They cannot rescind what they’ve given you, but they can freeze or revoke their blessing or legacy if you don’t pay. That said, if you do pay, they cannot rescind their legacy or subclass."

"I see…" I said, lost in thought.

"The same is true of me. I am your government, so I will also charge a portion of the wealth you generate to provide you with the Guide."

"You can’t be serious."

"Oh, I am."

"In this forest."

"Yes."

"Wait-wait-wait… You’re going to tax me, for surviving in this forest?"

"It seems you can read correctly."

"You son of a bitch!" I yelled. Kline flew into the fray, jumping onto the edge of the tub, searching for Lithco so he could bite him. He failed—but I wish he hadn’t. "I can’t believe I’m going to get… property tax to live here!"

"Calm down. I only tax individuals I can reasonably obtain taxation from. Since you can’t currently sell your alchemic creations, and you cannot reasonably accept taxation quests, there’s nothing I can currently do to get my greedy palms on your bleak resources. That said, if you accept an alchemy legacy or subclass, I can guarantee that your patron god will summon an army to set up a pipeline. Then we’ll both bleed you dry."

"Great… so now I’ll be running a business in this forest… what happened to growing plants…?" I groaned.

"*Eye roll* No one’s making you take a class or legacy. Now is there anything else you want to complain about?"

The "*Eye roll*" irked me something savage. "Oh, I assure you," I said. "I’ll never run out."

"Oh, joy."

I huffed and looked away. "So? Which one would you recommend?" Lithco’s answer surprised me.

"I cannot be biased in decisions of this nature."

"Regarding gods."

"Yes."

"Okay… thanks. You can leave." The pop-up left, and I got out of the tub, only to realize that I hadn’t actually washed myself. "Son of a…. Wait…."

I closed my eyes and cast Purify, and all the grime on my body slipped off into the bath.

"That was disgusting…" I said. I stepped onto the wood and found more slime on the ground. "Purify!" I yelled, and it disappeared, too. Too heated to consider that I could likely Purify the entire room with one spell, I ran around purifying every last thing at point-blank range. Once everything was clean, I glanced to the corner and found Kline stealthily slinking away.

"Kline…." I said.

Kline rushed under the bed.

"Kline!" I yelled, dropping to the floor. I dove at him with cat lady reflexes, but right before I grabbed his leg, he warp-stepped behind me. "You little shit!" I cried, turning around. This continued for another five minutes until I gave up and refused to look at him.

Ten minutes passed, and then he started walking up, trying to say sorry.

I didn’t react.

So he got closer and closer until he tried to brush against my legs. That’s when I snapped my hands onto him. "Purify!"

Kline howled and yowled and clawed like I was killing him, but once I dropped him, he shook his fur, looking at his clean paws in confusion.

"You’re welcome," I said, smirking as I got my stuff together. Then, I grabbed the meat from the albino elk that I put on the fire before my trip. It was dry but tasted like victory.

"Come on," I said, throwing him a piece. "Let’s get that legacy."

Kline looked at me with wide eyes and then nodded, rushing to the door. It was time to see what this soul manipulation quest required. I’d make my decision after that.