Subscriber of the Gods - C.121: Lightning Guardian (1)

As you progress through MePan, you’ll have many opportunities to realize how important classes are.

With a regular class, you can easily clear quests that were impossible before. Even high-difficulty quests become significantly easier just by having the right class.

There are even quests that only specific classes can accept.

Decisively, the way people look at you also changes.

That’s why Ethan has obtained various classes.

If Ethan were asked to choose the best class among all the ones he’s obtained so far?

He would unhesitatingly choose the Lightning Guardian.

Without a doubt, the Lightning Guardian was the most excellent class Ethan had ever obtained.

‘The problem was that obtaining this class was insanely difficult.’

But despite the high difficulty, Ethan had managed to obtain the Lightning Guardian. Unlike the heir of the Moon Goddess that he couldn’t obtain when playing MePan.

‘I have it all in my head.’

“What is that? What are we chasing right now!?”

Yerica asked urgently, gasping for breath.

“You see that light? That’s a spirit. There’s a mage hiding in this Titi Valley. We’re going to find that mage.”

Yerica focused her eyes and saw the light.

Sensing the fluctuation of mana, which she normally wouldn’t be able to see, Yerica quickly understood what Ethan meant.

“Really!”

“Finding that mage is our top priority for now, Yerica.”

The light suddenly shot upwards before stopping. Ethan and Yerica moved a bit to the side, waiting for the light to move again.

“It fell into the valley below!”

“Yerica!”

As Ethan unhesitatingly went forward, Yerica immediately understood his intention.

“Fly.”

She then cast the fly spell on Ethan as he leaped, and cast it on herself as well, jumping down into the valley below.

‘As expected.’

Yerica’s fly spell had a high degree of completion. It’s not for nothing that she’s Hecate’s granddaughter.

Thanks to the fly spell that allowed for free movement, Ethan was able to quickly chase after the light.

More skilled with the fly spell, Yerica flew alongside Ethan while keeping some distance, in case of any surprise attacks.

And sure enough, something soon came flying at them.

Intense flames, and sharp spears made of wind.

The spells were coming at Ethan and Yerica as if to tear them apart.

“Perfect Protect.”

As Yerica clasped her hands together as if in prayer, a barrier formed around her, precisely enveloping Ethan as well.

Bababang!

The fast and sharp spells collided against Yerica’s Perfect Protect and simply vanished.

The barrage of spells continued until they descended into the valley below.

But Yerica, who had risen to the occasion, did not allow a single spell to penetrate her barrier throughout the barrage.

Tap.

Having safely reached the bottom of the valley, Ethan ran again.

“How much further do we have to go?”

“We’re already there.”

As Ethan said, the light had stopped in front of a certain cave, before abruptly vanishing without a trace.

“It seems there’s something inside that cave.”

“Yerica, be careful.”

Ethan said so as he drew out Frost Sword – Lea’s.

Shaaaa…

An intense chill spread outwards.

Simultaneously, monsters began emerging from the surrounding forest.

“So that’s what it was. Go into the cave, Ethan. I’ll take care of things out here.”

Yerica raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

Mana began undulating like waves.

“Don’t worry.”

Yerica said so, gesturing toward the cave.

Her words and gesture felt extremely reassuring to Ethan. As the saying goes, one well-raised guardian is worth ten, and Yerica truly lived up to that.

“Clean things up, then come in after me.”

“Yes.”

Ethan left the outside to her and entered the cave.

Drip. Drip.

Inside the cave was extremely damp.

Ethan used the Eye of Horus to quickly dash through the cave. He already knew the way.

Left, left, right, left.

He had come here countless times when he played MePan, so he was familiar with the path. He arrived at a prison barred by iron grates.

Inside was a person.

“The spirits told me. That someone was coming. Since humans rarely visit this desolated land, I thought they must have seen something else. But it really was a human.”

Inside the iron grates was an extremely emaciated man, like a mummy. White wispy hair and a skeletal body with only bones remaining.

His ankles were bound by shackles.

“What business do you have in this desolate land?”

This was the turning point.

Either speak to him, or run away.

If you speak to him, you can receive a quest.

“I heard there is a treasure here.”

“A treasure? Aha, a treasure hunter, I see. There is certainly a treasure here. But that treasure cannot be obtained. The one who turned this valley into this state has it. I’m imprisoned here because of that person too. Do you see my condition? I’m dying. No, perhaps I’m already dead and just pretending to be alive.”

“It seems you know about the treasure.”

“Curious? But I cannot simply tell you.”

– Quest Received –

– <<The Mummy of the Desolate Valley>> Rank [A]

[Having come to find the valley’s treasure, you heard the story of the valley from the man imprisoned within the iron grates. The man seems to know something about the treasure. Listen to his story.]

[Reward: Information about the treasure]

“As you can see, I’m in this state. My body has already become as weak as it can be. Do you see this too?”

The man slightly moved the shackles bound to his ankles. The chains rattled, showcasing the weight of the shackles.

“All I can do is check the situation of this valley through the spirits. But even that is ending now. My energy is draining away.”

He let out a deep sigh.

Even someone who knew nothing could sense that there must be some story behind this, instinctively feeling curious.

It was only natural to want to know what circumstances led to this.

“I’d like to tell you more, but I don’t have the energy. If you could revive me, then there would be no reason I couldn’t tell you more.”

– Revive the man’s condition!

– If you revive the man’s condition, you can hear the story from him.

Outside this cave were countless monsters. But throughout the rustling forest beside those monsters, there were abundant medicinal herbs.

‘The original quest was to make potions using the monster materials and the herbs in the forest, and feed them to him.’

When he was still playing MePan, when Ethan received and cleared this quest, it was really difficult.

The man’s condition was no ordinary matter. His physical state was so poor that it was surprising he was even alive, requiring numerous elixirs and potions to be offered to improve his condition.

Moreover, the monsters here were quite powerful. There were even some rather troublesome monsters to deal with.

‘At first, I thought feeding him just one would be enough.’

But he had to be fed more than a dozen elixirs before he could move on to the next quest.

‘Moreover.’

The time limit was 72 hours. 3 days.

He had to recover this man’s health within 3 days.

At a glance, it seemed simple, but in reality, it was an extremely difficult quest.

Once the quest started, the 3 days given didn’t feel like a long time at all.

“Cough cough!”

As the man coughed, black phlegm spattered out.

“…Hueeek.”

He made a pained sound and gestured for Ethan to hurry back. Seeing this, Ethan smiled.

Back then, he had thought 3 days would be plenty of time.

But as time passed, he grew increasingly anxious, and only at the very end was he barely able to meet the quest completion condition to improve the man’s condition.

‘But I’m not the same as I was back then.’

Who is Ethan? He is someone who has long since surpassed the limits of frailty.

3 days? When he had just become Ethan, a single cough was a near-death experience.

Ethan focused his power into the Frost Sword he was holding.

Shaaak…

He then swung it toward the iron grates.

Chaeng! Chaeng!

Frost descended upon the sturdy iron grates. Once, twice, three times.

The stacked frost completely shattered the iron grates.

Screech!

Having cut through the grates, Ethan entered inside.

“You’re stronger than I thought, friend!”

The man looked at Ethan in admiration.

“Do you already have medicine? But it won’t work. I didn’t just sit idly either. I tried various methods by borrowing the power of spirits. But ordinary medicines don’t work on me.”

The man clicked his tongue regretfully.

“Instead of wasting time like this, you’d be better off quickly leaving this cave and bringing something that can revive me.”

Instead of responding, Ethan took out medicinal herbs from his interspatial pocket.

The man’s expression changed to one of surprise.

“This scent…”

As a spirit and a mage, the man could tell. The herbs Ethan had taken out were all precious.

And it wasn’t just one or two.

“Just how much…”

Precious herbs kept emerging, more than could be seen at a glance. Ethan put the herbs into a flask and began making a decoction.

Holding the magic book: Donguibogam in one hand, he swiftly made the decoction with the other.

Having taught students, Ethan was able to focus even more on Heo’s Decoction technique.

This Heo’s Decoction technique was an incredible skill that surpassed the efficiency of the brüle technique Ethan had previously used.

‘In fact, brüle has clear limits. The average is a B+ grade, with a maximum of A grade, but it can’t go beyond that.’

On the other hand, Heo’s Decoction had no limits. Especially with the skill providing definite assistance, it helped Ethan pour all his effort into decoction brewing.

‘If I can properly focus, if I can properly use it.’

Add in good ingredients, and he could even make an S-grade decoction.

‘Now is the time to focus.’

Ethan first loosened his hands.

“Impossible…”

Right before his eyes, a potion was being made in an instant. It was a situation incomprehensible not just with his knowledge, but with common sense as well.

“Are you not a knight? Then how can you so perfectly brew potions? And that speed, it’s abnormal. Handling such precious ingredients at that speed would ruin them all!”

Seeing the astonished man, Ethan directly fed him the completed decoction, shoving it into his mouth.

Gulp… Gulp…

The man gulped down the decoction, then was even more surprised than before.

“Th-the effect…”

Despite being a potion made at such a rapid pace, the reaction came immediately after drinking it. His upper body, which could only twitch before, now gradually felt life returning to it.

In the meantime, Ethan had newly made another decoction. And once again, he fed it to the man.

‘This is like refueling or something.’

Ethan continued to make decoctions and repeatedly fed them to him.

The man, who had only been drinking the decoctions like a baby bird, suddenly shuddered violently.

‘It’s done.’

Heo Jun had said he wanted to save as many people as possible with this acupuncture and decoction technique.

Without thinking of anything else, only focusing on the patient in front of him.

Setting aside whether it was possible or impossible, believing he could treat them without fearing failure.

‘There’s no need to think of anything else.’

Forget about good ingredients or good grades. The only important thing is that this decoction being made right now can cure the patient in front of him.

‘A doctor is not a god.’

But in the face of the ailing, one must become infinitely close to a god.

The S-grade decoction shone brightly in Ethan’s hands.

Author's Thoughts

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