Chapter 5: System (3)
Alain looked again at the interface that had appeared before him.
''Eloise?''
'' Yes?''
'She doesn't seem to be able to see the window'
''No, nothing'' He shook his head gently.
Eloise looked at him with a puzzled expression. ''Are you sure you're okay?''
''Yes, yes. I was just thinking about possibilities," he nodded.
She put her hand on his shoulder, "You know, if you want, I'm here.''
''Thanks''
The thought of her childhood friend warmed his heart.
...
Still hesitating about the choice, Alain went to the church to meet Emily. Having received holy blessings, she could use divine power in each and everyone attack.
Despite her young age, she was surely the most useful of all in large-scale battles. While her power was only slightly above the rank of a guard, her incantations allowed her to quickly heal any non-lethal wounds.
She was clearly a rare gem, an asset that few villages on the frontier had.
This is why she was a pillar of the village, just like Alain, Louis, or Eloise.
Unlike Alain or Louis, Emilie and Eloise were not born in the village. Eloise was the daughter of an impoverished traveler, now deceased, who had finally decided to settle in the village. Still a bit extraverted, Eloise has lived in the village since she was 12. Gradually becoming attached to the village, she took the lead of the defense brigade as her responsibility.
Emilie, on the other hand, had a more open relationship with the villagers. Around ten years younger than Alain, she had only arrived three years ago, one year after Alain had taken on the role of the village chief. She is in charge of teaching the orphans and caring for the inhabitants.
Although she was a priest, she was not very connected to the church as an organization. An organization that had mostly developed in the capital and the various big cities. If she wasn't devoted to the religion and the people of the empire, why would she come to the border? A priest, especially of her strength, could always found another place to live.
Reflecting, Alain had already arrived towards the church.
''Hi,'' Alain waved his hand towards Emily.
After a short discussion, she easily agreed to carry on the role of a healer for the expedition.
... Nirl - Alain's House.
[Ding! Quest complete]
After returning home, he had finally decided.
[The "1st Forest Expedition" scenario has started]
He was going to choose safety.
The point that tipped the scales was the recent massacre.
Who could bear the possibility of losing a loved one? Even if they tried, they wouldn't necessarily be able to recruit ten volunteers, let alone thirty.
As he made his choice, he heard the system echoing in his brain. Then he saw the window materialize before his eyes. This time, however, it was divided into two parts.
This is what the left part said.
[Scenario: 1st forestry expedition
In order to strengthen your power, you have planned your first forestry expedition. As it is the first one, the beasts of the forest will not suspect your presence, which will make your job easier. But don't forget your main objective: safety. You will get a reward according to your results.
Bonus: ''Concentration''; During this expedition, your concentration cannot drop below 50%.
Refuse / Accept the bonus]
Alain didn't know how to react.
It looks like an artifact. An immaterial artifact. '
Artifacts were objects that allowed a person to bend even the most basic laws of the universe. Few in number and very strong, they were all sought after and monopolized by the powerful.
In the empire, of the three most powerful organizations, the royalty had the most. Next came the army and then the church. But the ranking wasn't all. In truth, the Church has never lack efforts trying to own them.
It was probably because their uses were not exclusive to humans, and even when corrupted by a demon, any artifact could be used without consequence. And that's wasn't something that could be easily accepted by a part of the church. Namely the 'puristes'.
However, he has never heard of such a strange artifact. Since artifacts were overpowered, they weren't normally flexible, and just perform the same tasks.
Not getting into what he was getting into made him uncomfortable. Yet he couldn't resist the temptation.
'I'm not losing anything anyway'.
A mistake could cost him his life in battle, if he didn't accept the bonus, then he would be stupid. Without concentration, no one could exert 100% of their strength or even come close.
He clicked accept, unaware of the consequences of the bonus.
Then he read the right part.
[Congratulations! Completing your first quest allows you to open your profile]
To consult it, he just had to think about it.
'Profile'.
A smile appeared on his face.
'It's better than I expected.'
***
In the afternoon, about forty people, including all of Nirl's elite, had armed themselves and moved towards the forest.
In the year 644 of the new regime's calendar, the first forestry expedition set out for the first time.
...
Knowledge: The hatred of humans towards demons is not small, however, it is deserved. Indeed, the conflict began when a human saved a demon, who thanked him by betraying him.
Twin knowledge: If the hatred of the demons is legitimate, the angels, helping the humans to survive, are not appreciated as much as they should. The expenses of wars being massive, the villages, in addition to the forced recruitment by the royal power, must also pay with a good part of their wealth.
Weekly Power Status
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