Free Web NovelChapter 9: Ch 9: The Crimson Goddess
From there, after walking for another hour, Raidan finally saw a rocky cavern.
The inside was dark, and the ceiling was about ten meters high at the opening.
So, there was a possibility that a mountain bear or lion was sleeping inside.
Cautiously, he stepped inside.
And the moment he took his first step, a system notification flashed again.
[ Quest Completed: Lost Among the Mountains ]
[ Rewards Received: +200 EXP, Mana +5 ]
[ You have leveled up. Level 3 → Level 4 ]
[ Received 5 Unassigned Attribute Points ]
The quest completion meant the inside must be safe.
And that was exactly the case. The cave was completely empty, with just the smell of dampness and moss filling his nose.
Sitting in a dry corner, he quickly distributed the five attribute points according to his needs:
+3 to DEF, +2 to AGI.
He instantly felt his muscle density and springiness increase, along with his bones becoming a little sturdier.
His updated status was:
Player Name: Apollo
Level: 4 | Exp: 05 / 750
Species: Human
Titles: None
Class: None
Origins: [Sun God’s Shrine]
Physical Attributes:
ATK (Attack): 19
DEF (Defense): 17
AGI (Agility): 16
Mana: 6
Skills: Fear Immunity (F-2)
His Mana had increased by 5 points, making his body feel slightly more energetic. Every cell felt an increase in vitality.
He also noticed that his Passive Skill: Fear Immunity had upgraded by one minor level. As for how many levels it required to reach the next tier, he didn’t know.
Nevertheless, the progress made him a little more confident.
His next goal was to secure food before nightfall.
[ Quest Title: Raidan Is Hungry ]
[ Objective: Find a safe source of food. ]
[ Time Limit: 02 hours ]
[ Difficulty Level: Normal ]
[ Punishment: Hunger Increased 200% for 2 hours ]
[ Rewards: 250 EXP, plus a Bride ]
Seeing the last reward, he rubbed his eyes several times.
"System, is... is this a mistake?"
[ "Once again, the System does not make mistakes." ]
"What nonsense! How can I get a bride as a reward? Are you going to make one out of thin air? Maybe there is a spelling error?" he uttered angrily.
[ "Once again..." ]
Raidan cut it off from repeating. "Yeah, yeah, I know what you are going to say. But how is this possible? This isn’t logical at all. I think you’re trying to scam me."
[ "The System has no such intentions," ] the System replied robotically.
Raidan sighed, thinking this would get him nowhere. Instead, he began focusing on finding food and water ASAP.
The sun would soon set.
But first, he put his cloth bag to one side, freeing himself of the extra weight.
Then, taking his wooden sword, he stepped out of the cave.
As he started walking, he felt his physical improvements clearly. He was much faster, lighter, and stronger.
The real question was whether he would be able to go back to Earth or not.
If he somehow could, would all of his powers return with him?
He didn’t know.
But if somehow people could return, he would have to be ready. There were plenty of humans who would want to do all kinds of bad deeds with these powers.
The worst possible outcome would be an apocalypse of the society as a whole.
Leaving that aside, after walking for a while, Raidan found a small stream of water running down the rocky terrain, connecting with the saltwater from the ocean.
A natural barrier between the two kinds of water formed at one point.
He had to move toward the upper slope to get cleaner and more drinkable water.
The further he moved, the darker the environment became as the massive mountains completely blocked the setting sun.
He had to hurry before darkness fell and unknown predators attacked him.
He crouched down, holding onto a rock, and scooped up several handfuls of water, drinking to his heart’s content.
The water was sweet and refreshing.
The problem, however, was how he should carry this water with him.
He began to search among the small pebbles and big rocks for anything that had the shape of a bowl.
Just then, his eyes fell on a peculiarly glowing object.
Curious and cautious, he stepped forward to take a closer look.
The moment his eyes landed on it, he was mesmerized.
It looked like a clay mask of an extremely beautiful woman.
A straight nose, high cheekbones, and eyes that could draw the attention of the gods.
The System didn’t provide any information as to what exactly it was, but he picked it up anyway.
However, as he picked it up, something sharp on the edges cut him, causing a drop of blood to fall onto the mask.
And the moment it did, the mask began to glow and vibrate violently.
"What the hell is this?" Raidan muttered in shock, instinctively throwing the clay mask onto the rocks.
Soon, the mask began to transform take shape of a extremely beautiful woman.
She had long wavey crimson hair, a well sculpted face like a supermodel.
She was wearing a long dress, seemingly made from gold and silver.
Her eyes were like twin emerald rubies. When she opened them, it felt as though the universe was looking through him.
And she had a commanding aura that was palpable in the air. freёwebnoѵel.com
Even standing in front of her was extremely strainous for his heart and lungs.
"So... you are the fragile creature he chose," she finally spoke.
Her voice tone was like strange harmonic resonance, striking him with the absolute authority of a goddess.
"Who are you?" he asked, desperately trying to steady his racing heart and breath.
She exhaled a heavy sigh, closing her eyes for a brief moment as if the weight of a collapsing world rested upon her shoulders alone.
"By the cruel whims of fate, I am now your wife. A tragic misfortune for us both, it seems." freewebnovel.cσ๓
Her words struck a nerve in his mind.
"Wife? But I don’t even know you."
"Then ignorance is a luxury you no longer possess, mortal. Because from this breath onward, our souls are tethered for eternity," she answered coldly.
"But do not mistake this arrangement for affection. I have absolutely no desire to be intimate to a lesser, fleeting being like yourself. But that meddling old fool has forced my hand. Like it or not, mortal, our destinies are now forged into one unbreakable chain."
"Now, tell me, what is your name?"
