[Guardian's Aegis] (Silver Item)
Level Restriction: 20
Class Restriction: None
Attributes: +10 Strength, +15 Stamina
Bonus: Guardian's Heart – Generates a 1000 durability shield. Cooldown: 5 minutes
Kaito stared at the glowing silver necklace in his inventory. A 1000-durability shield was unbelievable at this stage of the game. With this, he could practically walk straight into a 10-man squad and hold his ground without taking a scratch. One against ten easily manageable with this item.
He quickly slipped it into his equipment slot, suppressing the satisfied grin tugging at his lips.
Kaito turned back to Elrick with a flattering smile. "Thank you, Lord Viscount," he said, his tone dripping with respect. Sacrificing a little pride for better relations with such an influential NPC was a small price to pay. If over-the-top praise earned him additional favors in the future, he would gladly give it.
But the rewards weren't over yet. Another flash of light signaled the arrival of a second item in his inventory.
[Temple Badge] (Bronze Item)
Level Restriction: 10
Class Restriction: None
Attributes: +10 Strength
Bonus: Forge Ahead – Grants immunity to all negative statuses for 5 seconds. If negative statuses are already active, two random effects will be cleared. Cooldown: 5 minutes
There are seven Temple Badges in total,
Glory, Courage, Judgment, Justice, Kindness, Loyalty, Philanthropy.
Each badge granted different attributes, special effects, and skills. However, if you obtained more than one, they could be fused together. Two fused badges would become a Level 20 Mysterious Iron Badge. Three would create a Level 30 Silver Badge. Four would turn into a Level 40 Gold Badge. Five could become a Level 50 Dark Gold Badge. Six would create a Level 60 Epic Badge. And seven… seven fused badges would form a Level 70 Legendary Badge.
Obtaining three or four badges wasn't especially difficult, but collecting all seven was considered nearly impossible. It was said to be as hard as defeating the King of the Solaris Kingdom in his palace.
Though the monetary reward for the quest was a mere fifty silver coins, Kaito didn't expect more. The true value lay in the badge itself.
"Warrior, you deserve this. No need to thank me," Viscount Elrick said, waving his hand lightly. His tone, however, carried both gratitude and gravity. "But I must admit, I am deeply concerned about the existence of Demon Cult spies within the kingdom. That such a thing could occur under our very noses is troubling."
His expression grew heavier, his eyes shadowed with worry. Then he straightened and added, "I have already contacted Duke Reynard Valerius of Astralis through the communication crystal. I have informed him of everything that happened here. He shares my concerns and has expressed his respect for your service. He also said that when you have gained sufficient power, you can seek him out in Astralis City. He will entrust you with an important task."
A system prompt immediately appeared before Kaito:
[System Prompt]
Viscount Elrick has issued you the quest [Meet the Duke]. Do you accept?
Without hesitation, Kaito selected: Accept!
Another notification followed:
[System Prompt]
Quest Accepted: [Meet the Duke]. Meet Duke Reynard Valerius, the governor of Astralis City, when you arrive there. He has an important mission for you.
Kaito stood in silence for a moment. This wasn't just a simple continuation of Elrick's quest. It was clearly a sequel that tied into a larger plot. South Glade Town might have been Elrick's territory, but the Astralis region was under the direct rule of Duke Reynard. That meant the scale of this questline was about to expand.
He couldn't help but feel a ripple of surprise. Something about the whole situation smelled of conspiracy.
Still, Kaito knew this was how Glory operated. The grand setting wasn't just window dressing. Even before the game's public beta, the world had already been running for thousands of years under the control of the Main God system. It had its own living history, with events that unfolded whether players were there or not.
Just like the Abyssal Invasion War and other great events, these things weren't randomly generated they followed the deeper logic of the world. Players, upon entering, simply became the drivers who advanced history.
The main storyline branched in countless directions. Every branch task completed by players slowly moved the main plot forward. And when the storyline advanced far enough, it would trigger what everyone called a version update.
Kaito accepted this with a steady mind. To him, this wasn't just another quest. It was an opportunity to see the flow of the main story from a unique angle.
After Kaito confirmed the quest, Viscount Elrick looked at him with a weary but firm expression. Though he didn't say anything more, his eyes clearly conveyed that Kaito could take his leave.
Kaito then bowed respectfully before turning to leave. He walked away from the Viscount's mansion and made his way through the quiet streets of South Glade, noticing that daylight had already settled over Glory.
As this was the last piece of unfinished business. With the reward collected and the new quest in hand, he was finally ready to depart for Astralis City.
His path then soon took him to the town hall.
Though South Glade was considered Elrick's territory, it still followed the broader governance structure of the Solaris Kingdom. Every town had a Town hall, regardless of who the local lord was. Elrick, for all his influence, only acted as the nominal mayor here. He rarely came to the Town hall, unless he had to welcome a higher-ranking noble or official.
As Kaito approached, the Town hall loomed ahead, its entrance guarded by soldiers in neat formation. The guards, however, didn't stop anyone from entering, and Kaito walked inside without issue.
The interior was quiet and mostly deserted. Few players ever came here, since the officers stationed inside rarely provided quests. Everyone knew that the real quest-giver was Viscount Elrick, who usually remained in his mansion. Because of that, the town hall was often overlooked by the players.
Inside, Kaito noted the sight of NPC officers scattered about. Some sat at desks with stacks of parchment, scribbling away. Others leaned back in chairs, chatting idly. A few even sipped cups of steaming coffee. The realism of Glory never ceased to amaze him. Watching them, it was almost impossible to believe they weren't real people.
Kaito didn't linger. Ignoring the scene, he walked deeper into the building. His destination was clear.
Soon, he arrived at a wide chamber that had no door, only a large plaque mounted above the entryway.
[Teleportation Array to Astralis City]
The sign was simple and direct.
South Glade Town had no other teleportation links. Because it was directly under Astralis City's jurisdiction, this array only connected there. If someone wanted to travel to another city, they would first have to go through Astralis city.
Kaito stepped forward, his eyes focused on the glowing array of runes etched into the stone floor. It pulsed faintly, waiting for activation.
This was it the gateway that would take him to Astralis City.
Inside the room stood another officer, his duty clear maintaining and operating the teleportation array. When he noticed Kaito approaching, he gave him a brief, assessing look.
A system prompt then sounded in Kaito's ears.
[Checking eligibility to transfer to Astralis City…]
Another prompt followed a moment later.
[Eligibility confirmed.]
The officer gave a nod, then walked toward the starting node of the array.
Kaito's eyes were drawn immediately to the array itself. It wasn't a simple platform, but a carefully constructed circle of runes, each one linked to the next in an intricate web. Threads of mana flowed steadily through the lines, glowing faintly as though alive. On the array, several mana stones were fixed in exact positions, pulsing with quiet power.
The officer moved to a pedestal beside the array. Carved with patterns of ancient glyphs, the pedestal held a shallow groove. From his pouch, the officer took out a glowing mana stone and carefully placed it into the groove.
The moment the stone settled into place, the change was instant. The runes that had been pulsing softly suddenly blazed to life.