"Also, Henry Powell can be a bit eccentric. You might have to personally invite him," Victor added, surreptitiously gauging Ethan's reaction.
Ethan displayed no discontent; instead, he chuckled, "If Henry Powell can truly forge this device, then personally inviting him is the least I can do. Even holding a grand welcoming ceremony for him with all of our territory's residents would be a minor affair. The prerequisite, of course, is that he possesses the necessary skill and technology."
"There's absolutely no doubt about that," Victor assured with full confidence.
After asking a few more questions, Ethan took his leave from Victor.
Soon, he found himself back on the dungeon's lowest floor.
Glancing at the still-sleeping forms of Eluna, Sherry, and Mia, he tenderly kissed each of them on the forehead, taking care not to disturb their rest.
Unbeknownst to him, however, Eluna had stirred awake.
Ethan sat at his usual desk, turning his attention to the system messages that had piled up on his screen.
With a sigh, he began scrolling through them, picking up where he left off last time.
He skimmed through various updates on resource acquisitions as they weren't particularly groundbreaking.
His focus tightened when he got to the messages that came in after his return from the Red Jade Valley.
One in particular caught his eye, a glaring prompt.
[Ding! Congratulations, you have completed the special hidden quest 'Trial to Deity!'
Quest: Trial to Deity
Difficulty: SSS+ (Hell-level)
Description: Defeat an enemy that is two major ranks above you or make a significant contribution in the process of hunting down a deity! Note: This is a hidden quest; requirements may differ based on Bloodline.
Quest Completed!
In the battle against Devourer Oksd (Weakened), you inflicted severe damage on Oksd and successfully sealed Oksd's heart. Quest completion rate: 87.76%.]
"A 'Trial to Deity,' a hidden quest. This seems like a quest of extraordinary import," Ethan mused, his excitement palpable. "I wonder what the reward will be?"
His fingers eagerly scrolled further down the screen, but instead of revealing the reward, there were some updates about the quest system itself.
Ding! Congratulations on completing a Hell-level hidden quest; the quest system has been updated!
Update Description: In addition to the standard F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS difficulties, quests will now have four additional levels: Normal, Heroic, Nightmare, and Hell.
Completing quests at different levels will yield corresponding rewards.
A quest completion rate has been added.
The higher the completion rate, the better the rewards.
Only after that did the quest reward appear.
[Ding! Congratulations on completing the special hidden quest 'Trial to Deity.' This is an SSS+ Hell-level quest. You've been awarded a blueprint for a divine artifact—The Spear of Deity Desecration.]
"Blueprint for a divine artifact?" Ethan could hardly contain himself.
He had expected a generous reward, but a blueprint for a divine artifact was beyond his wildest imagination.
This was monumental!
Divine artifacts were exceedingly rare, even rarer than deities themselves.
And the 'Spear of Deity Desecration,' just the name alone suggested it was a weapon of staggering potential.
Though Ethan had his Dragon Slayer Spear, its efficacy was waning as his own power escalated.
There were moments when he had to resort to bare-handed combat.
This was partly due to his arsenal of abilities.
His thunder attacks were mostly long-range and didn't require weaponry.
But as a dragonkin, Ethan knew the invaluable weight of a powerful weapon, especially in magic-restricted zones.
Without hesitation, Ethan claimed the reward. A blueprint materialized in his hands.
[Divine Artifact Blueprint: The Spear of Deity Desecration
Required Materials: 3 Earth-Trembling Crystals, 3 Sky-Rending Shards, 3 Ocean-Annihilating Essences, 1 Godstone, 1 Drop of Divine Blood.
Forging Method: Must be alternately forged in searing flame and icy spring.
Description: An inconceivably potent weapon viewed as a blasphemous challenge to the deities. This spear can effortlessly pierce the form of a deity and, upon vanquishing formidable beings, seems to absorb some of their powers.]
After reading the description, Ethan fell silent.
Indeed, this was an unimaginably potent divine artifact, one that could inflict damage even upon beings at the deity level. n0velUSb.c0m
But therein lay the problem: he didn't have a single one of the crafting materials listed, had never even heard of most of them, and the forging method was an enigma in itself.
"It seems this isn't something that can be crafted at the moment," he finally conceded, setting the thought aside for now.
He scrolled through the subsequent messages, only to discover another quest awaiting him.
[Ding! Congratulations on completing the special hidden quest 'Trial to Deity.' This quest serves as a prerequisite for the unique quest 'The Road to Divinity,' which you have now unlocked.
Quest: The Road to Divinity (Ongoing)
Difficulty: SSS+ (Nightmare Level)
Description: Vanquish an ancient sovereign creature (0/1), elevate your bloodline purity to the epic tier, master five Languages of Nature (3/5), successfully construct three unique buildings in your domain (0/3), summon one thousand Rank S monsters (1/1000), acquire ten godstones (0/10)...]
And the list went on, filling the entire screen.
Rubbing his forehead, Ethan already sensed the enormity and complexity of this 'Road to Divinity' quest.
But when his eyes scrolled down to the rewards, his concerns felt utterly trivial.
[Quest Rewards: Upon completing 'The Road to Divinity,' depending on the level of completion, you will receive a highest-tier Adaptive Divinity, one opportunity to edit and optimize your bloodline, five ancient special bloodline elixirs, and a Nightmare Rank SSS chest.]
[Adaptive Divinity: Divinity is the source of a deity's power and varies in attributes. Adaptive Divinity will harmonize impeccably with your own bloodline and attributes.]
[Bloodline Editing and Optimization: You can select and restructure your bloodline to generate an entirely new one.]
[Ancient Special Bloodline Elixirs: Elixirs containing ancient bloodline genes, bestowing immense power upon consumption.]
[Nightmare Rank SSS Chest: Opening it grants mysterious rewards.]
Four kinds of rewards, each one an immensely powerful existence, had Ethan salivating as he gazed upon them.
However, for now, all he could do was look. The following details about the development within the territory held no interest for Ethan, but he still gave them a cursory glance.
At that moment, he sensed something unusual below him.
Eluna, who knows when she woke up, was now positioned between his legs.
She slowly pulled down Ethan's pants, a surprise that made him exclaim, "Eluna?"
Eluna's eyes held a seductive allure as she looked up at Ethan.
Her hand was already caressing his scorching iron rod, her urgency evident as she pleaded, "Ethan, my lord, I still want more."
Without waiting for Ethan to respond, Eluna took his iron rod into her mouth, and the sensation was so pleasurable that it left Ethan speechless, only able to bask in the experience.
Eluna's skill was exceptional; her lips and tongue danced over him, causing his colossal serpent to become incredibly massive and rigid, nearly stretching Eluna's mouth to its limits. Ethan couldn't help but cry out in ecstasy.
However, he looked back at Mia and Sherry, who were still asleep, then turned his attention to Eluna. "Eluna, let's go outside. If Sherry and Mia wake up, you won't be able to enjoy this by yourself."
Eluna released Ethan's iron rod, and though she didn't say a word, her intention was clear. Ethan lifted Eluna in his arms and left the dungeon.
Though it was the middle of the night, it was well past midnight, and the sun would rise in a few hours, chasing away the darkness and bringing daylight to the world.
Carrying Eluna, Ethan arrived at a secluded outdoor spot.
He expressed his passion for her, and Eluna's clothing was torn apart by Ethan's fervor.
Her exquisite form was laid bare before him, the cursed mark on her body adding an extra touch of allure.
Ethan transformed into a beast, his mouth hungrily seizing upon Eluna's tender cherry.
With each gasping moan, Eluna's hands found their way between her thighs, easing the unrestrained desire within her.
"Ethan, please, put it in!" Eluna's desperation was palpable as she pleaded.
Ignoring her plea, Ethan continued to savor Eluna's ample bosom until she was on the brink of climax.
Only then did he halt, purposely declaring, "Eluna, I want to hear you call me master."
Eluna's cheeks flushed, but she didn't hesitate.
"Master, please, take me now! Ravish me thoroughly, my master!"