Chapter 43 - Moon Road

Author: Dawn

“Ah…”

“Goddess…”

“Goddess Moonforce.”

“We are truly sorry. We had forgotten the Goddess.”

“But the Goddess has not forgotten us.”

“We will never abandon our faith again. We will repay our faith.”

The Elder fairies were moved and bowed their heads.

-There are those who remember the ancient god, the Moon Goddess Moonforce. They have awakened their forgotten faith!

-The power of the Goddess has grown stronger!

-The power of Frost Slash has grown stronger.

-The power of Moonforce has grown stronger.

Ethan’s words shook their hearts.

‘Success.’

Whether Ethan’s words were true or not was not important. What mattered was that he said what they needed to hear at this moment.

“Descendant, I apologize for not fulfilling my duty as the queen of the fairies.”

“No, the fairies who have ascended to the queen’s position through generations have never forgotten that duty, as I have heard. And the Goddess has known about it.”

When Ethan spoke those words, a sense of pride shone in the queen’s eyes.

“I feel like I can help you, descendant.”

Ding-!

-Fairy Queen Merdi wants to make a contract with you.

-If you make a contract with Merdi, you can borrow the power of the Fairy Queen.

[Survive as Ethan Whiskers] 3rd quest:

You are presented with the choice to form a contract with a being that can help with your survival. If you choose to make a contract with the Fairy Queen, it will undoubtedly increase your chances of survival.

‘The Fairy Queen’s power wouldn’t be bad.’

However, Ethan didn’t nod his head so easily.

‘But I can’t be satisfied with just that.’

While the contract with the Fairy Queen would provide immediate assistance, Ethan had the idea of forming a contract with a being one step higher.

‘The rewards will vary depending on who I make the contract with.’

It would be better to maximize the rewards and clear the quest.

“Merdi, I really appreciate the offer, but the fairies need their queen.”

Merdi smiled at the polite refusal.

“You’re right. They still need me. But someday, I really want to be of help.”

“Thank you, Merdi.”

“Now, I will grant you what you desire. You came to find the temple, didn’t you? I will guide you to the temple.”

Ethan stepped outside with Merdi.

The fairies sparkled with light as they greeted Ethan.

“Thank you once again for saving my life and purifying the forest. It’s all thanks to you, Ethan.”

Merdi said, fluttering her wings. Suddenly, a warm breeze surrounded them.

“Would you reach out your hand?”

As Ethan extended his hand, the Fairy Queen approached and gently kissed the back of his hand.

“May blessings be with you on all your journeys.”

-You received the blessing of the Fairy Queen, Merdi.

-All stats permanently increase by 5.

-You have become the savior of the Fairy Forest. Fame increases by 30!

From the blessing of the Fairy Queen to the increase in fame, everything was neatly obtained, including the final reward.

“…….”

Watching from behind, Yerica felt a strange sensation.

“Allow me to guide you. Let’s head to the temple, Descendant.”

* * *

Before Ethan left for the temple, he stored the Fairy Forest for his Wind Riding.

-The Fairy Forest is registered in the Wind Riding.

-Using the Wind RIding, you can return to the Fairy Forest at any time.

Now, he could access this Fairy Forest at any time.

‘It would be good to create a portal like this.’

One of the advantages of Wind Riding was that it didn’t restrict the location.

Whether it was in a city or in the middle of a road, as long as he registered the location, he could move there anytime, anywhere.

‘But it’s not possible to register an infinite number of places.’

Basically, he could only continuously register cities or major locations, and he was only allowed to register a maximum of five places.

“This way.”

Ethan and Yerica followed behind the Fairy Queen. As the Fairy Queen became their guide, they no longer needed the forest keeper.

The forest keeper, unable to continue speaking due to the shock caused by Ethan, was sent back to the city.

The forest keeper must have wanted to return quickly.

“Ethan, were you really a descendant of the Moon Goddess? Does that mean the Count Whiskers’ family is the one carrying out the will of the goddess?”

“No, I’m the only descendant. I was fortunate enough to gain the power of the goddess after falling ill.”

With those words, Yerica finally understood why Ethan was so strong.

“Then are we going to the temple to pay tribute to the Moon Goddess?”

“Well, you can say that.”

The objective of the quest was to inform the Moon Goddess that he had become a new descendant of hers.

The simplest way to inform her was by offering to make an offering.

By making an offering at the temple, the Moon Goddess would likely come to know about the new descendant, Ethan.

‘Perhaps she already knows.’

It was possible for the quest to be completed simply by arriving at the temple without the need to offer a sacrifice.

‘If I receive the blessing of the Moon Goddess, it wouldn’t hurt to have a few more blessings or at least superpowers.’

Currently, Ethan possessed the Frost Sword – Lea.

This Frost Sword, a great sword just by its appearance, was the ultimate treasure for treasure hunters and collectors of powerful weapons. It would undoubtedly attract the attention of those with different motives.

‘Because there’s not one or two guys like the Beast King.’

For those who tried to take away what he had, the Frost Sword-Lea would be desirable prey.

‘Obtaining a treasure is not the end.’

A treasure held no meaning if there wasn’t the power to protect it.

A treasure truly became a treasure when there was the power to safeguard it.

‘If there is no power, it’s not a treasure, but a calamity.’

Following the guidance of the Fairy Queen, they walked for a while until all the light disappeared.

Beyond that, a blue glow appeared.

“It looks like moonlight.”

Yerica’s eyes and words were filled with enchantment, and the Fairy Queen nodded in agreement. The beautiful light seemed to illuminate the path.

“This is the pathway to the temple.”

It was an incredibly beautiful path.

“You’ve managed it well.”

“It’s my duty. From here on, only you, the descendant Ethan, can enter.”

“I’ll be back, Yerica.”

“Take care. I’ll be waiting here.”

Leaving the Queen and Yerica behind, Ethan walked through the pathway.

-Only those with qualifications can enter here.

-Verifying qualifications.

-Verified as a descendant of the Goddess Moonforce.

As he walked through the pathway, a temple appeared, neither too large nor too small.

The building, constructed in ancient style, had a certain elegance.

“Now I’m starting to recognize this place. It was partially destroyed back then.”

Now, although it showed some signs of aging, its form remained intact.

“Hmm?”

However, something seemed strange. A shimmering aura was coiled around the pillars of the temple like a snake.

As Ethan approached, a whispering sound came from inside the temple.

“To think someone has found their way to the temple, where a god that no one knows resides, is truly surprising. But alas, unfortunate one, there is no god here. This place is already…”

Emerging from within the temple was a massive snake.

“My territory.”

[lv 66]

‘Crazy.’

It had a snake-like lower body and a humanoid upper body, a monster resembling a human woman.

It was a high-level monster called Lamia. Why would a monster that should be in a maze be here?

“This temple is like a maze, perfect for me to make it my home. If you, human, have come to offer sacrifices to the gods, then it’s me who will devour them. Along with you.”

It wasn’t just an ordinary Lamia. It was enormous in size. It was astonishing how such a massive creature managed to be inside the temple.

“Huff.”

As expected, the quest wouldn’t be cleared easily. Ethan wielded the Frost Sword.

The Monsters’ Calamity trait revealed her weaknesses. Compared to when he was lucky enough to defeat the Beast King, the current Ethan had grown significantly.

‘I can take on anything.’

-The Monsters Calamity special effect is activated.

-You have an advantage against snake-like monsters. More weaknesses are revealed.

‘Huh?’

It was an unexpected special effect.

‘Was there a myth about Hercules slaying a snake?’

If there was such a myth and it triggered the special effect, then who knows, perhaps Hong Gildong’s Wind Riding might have a special effect as well.

‘The same goes for Heo Jun’s acupuncture.’

Sssk-

However, now was not the time to think about that. With a level of 66 and the massive size of the Lamia, Ethan had to focus on it.

“It would be perfect to offer you as a sacrifice to the Moon Goddess.”

“Indeed, prey is best when lively. It has to be fresh to be delicious.”

The Lamia approached Ethan at an incredible speed, her tongue hissing and flickering.

“Kyaaaak-!”

As it lunged toward him, it simultaneously spat something out.

“It’s too late to evade, human!”

The Lamia’s venom spread like a web, enveloping Ethan. Even if he tried to avoid it, it would be a fatal blow.

However, to the Lamia’s surprise, Ethan remained still, as if he had given up.

“Entertain me a little more.”

Prey was at its best when fresh.

But it didn’t matter if Ethan gave up. After all, if she devoured the human who came to offer an offering to the Moon Goddess, she might gain the power of the moon.

Charak-!

The Lamia’s venom engulfed Ethan completely.

“Huh?”

However, something was off.

He was supposed to be engulfed in the venom and burned to ashes.

“What’s this?”

A crackling sound could be heard.

But instead of being burned to ashes, the human stood there unharmed.

“What is this?”

Ssik.

Ethan swung his Frost Sword.

“That was  good for my body.”

“How dare you, you wretched human!”

The enraged Lamia thrashed her tail.

Ethan saw the Lamia’s weakness in his eyes.

With the additional effect of the Monsters’ Calamity, numerous weaknesses became apparent to him.

Among them, one stood out the most.

‘There.’

Ethan aimed for that spot.

“Huff.”

As he exhaled, a white breath was released.

“Frost Slash.”

Thanks to awakening the faith of the fairies, Frost Slash, which had grown even more powerful, directly struck the Lamia’s weakness.

The upper part of her tail, slightly different in scale color, was the decisive weakness.

Seo-seok!

As he struck, the Lamia’s tail froze solid.

“Kkeuuuuk!”

The Lamia, with her tail severed, grimaced in pain and hastily retreated backward.

“This is beyond human strength! H-how is this possible?”

The Lamia tried to escape into the depths of the temple.

However, Ethan had no intention of letting her go so easily.

“Your hide looks quite valuable.”

“G-Get lost! Get away from me!”

“Let me make you a leather armor.”

As Ethan breathed, he swung his sword.