Chapter 6: The Main Quest Finally Remembered

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“Compared to Sur, I’m just a nobody...”

When Lian awoke once more from the heroic soul’s dream, he noticed the pillow beside him was damp again.

He shook his head, washed his face, and prepared to start his “working hours.”

[Synchronization rate: 14.5%, satisfaction: 9.5%.]

After spending the whole day doing good deeds yesterday, the increase in synchronization rate was negligible, and the satisfaction level had actually dropped a bit.

He pulled out his notebook and reviewed yesterday’s tasks.

At least he confirmed that repeating the “good deeds” he had done before was hardly effective, and some “good deeds” weren’t even worth doing!

“Helping a quarreling couple decide who’s right or wrong... The man was a gambler and a domestic abuser, the woman committed adultery and tried to poison her husband with slow-acting poison. Good, both husband and wife are now behind bars. Let them love and hate each other in prison.”

Was this a “good deed”? The heroic soul’s satisfaction gauge indicated rejection... but Lian felt sending that unfortunate child to an orphanage was at least a kindness.

Though the child lost a family, both parents were still alive and could be visited in prison someday.

“Domestic disputes and marital conflicts? Not even the dogs care!” Lian sighed, deciding to keep an eye on the case, hoping to give that poor child at least a decent future.

This wasn’t even the strangest case in this bizarre city.

A streetwalker was reported for stealing from customers. When Lian went to check, he found she was caring for several orphans. She was emaciated, but at least the children survived. The accuser turned out to be a gang leader trying to control her and her wards.

Forget about being a saint; Lian paid off her debts and then beat the gang leader up.

He dragged the thug through the streets, warning that anyone who pulled such stunts again would lose their head—top and bottom.

Such behavior, protecting thieves and unconventional criminals, and even serving as a shield, was clearly illegal.

Lian was prepared for a drop in satisfaction... but this was the deed that increased satisfaction and synchronization the most yesterday.

“It seems that although Sur is a believer in law and order, the heroic soul is not so concerned with the law... He cares about his own sense of justice.”

There were many similar cases. After a day’s work, reviewing the records was almost pointless... This probably pleased the heroic soul; the city was full of villains and beyond salvation, but it left Lian feeling helpless.

“This city isn’t too bad, at least much better than those in the dream...”

In the past two days’ dreams, Lian experienced Sur’s life again—those dazzling moments of multiple past lives.

“Protector of Lady Justice, Grand Inquisitor Sur...”

After a hellish beginning, orphaned Sur was taken in by an orphanage and began as a knight apprentice, gradually becoming a paladin, an oathbound knight, and eventually a judgment knight directly under the highest court of the church.

He was the Grand Inquisitor of the Special Tribunal, mainly tasked with judging and executing.

Executing villains, heretics, witches, black mages, ancient beasts, monsters, and evil gods... In the dream, facing all kinds of “evil,” most solutions involved holy flames and purifying strikes, judgment fields, and enchanted swords.

“It seems ordinary criminals don’t satisfy Lord Sur...”

Reflecting on the past days, the most satisfying event for Lord Sur was probably the execution of that tailhunter villain—that might be the foundation of Lian’s current synchronization and satisfaction rates.

“Small-time skirmishes won’t do; they might even cause negative growth...”

In the case of the couple that lost the most satisfaction, Lian felt Sur’s heroic soul wasn’t displeased with his handling but with the matter itself.

Handling more such dilemmas would definitely yield negative returns; true “cunning villains” had to be sacrificed.

“...No rush, take it slow. First, recall the dream life and try to solidify Sur’s combat skills.”

Early in the morning, Lian, wielding the hero’s sword, went into the courtyard and began to meticulously replicate Sur’s movements from the dream.

First was the stance: a bowed step, front foot pointing at an imaginary target, back foot angled at 45 degrees, ready to exert force.

Then, the grip: one hand palm up, the other pushing, facilitating thrusts, blocks, and spiraling strikes.

“Five hundred repetitions for each basic move, eight directional slashes—vertical, reverse, diagonal...”

The knight’s early training from the dream replayed, but Lian couldn’t even complete a tenth of this reduced regimen before becoming immobile.

His basic physical condition was far from sufficient—even compared to a beginner knight apprentice, he was lacking.

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However, a small footnote in an ancient book made Lian feel the effort was not wasted.

[Skill acquired: Beginner Two-Handed Swordsmanship (Classical Paladin Basic Style).]

“Doesn’t normal sword training take at least three months to reach beginner level...? How did I get this after just a few days?”

Upon reflection, it was an inevitable result of his current peculiar state of heroic soul possession.

The heart is the soul, the source of everything.

The body is the vessel, carrying strength, wisdom, and skill—like a cup holding water.

Technique is the water in the cup—the software running on the hardware—the professional experience of an extraordinary being.

Lian now possessed a “heart” and “technique” that were not originally his, marked in the book as [Second-tier Classical Oathbound Knight, First-tier Paladin, First-tier Warrior (disappears in 14 days and 2 hours)], representing professional rank or skill level of a transcendent profession.

All these classes were purely melee units, and close combat swordsmanship was their common foundation and the skill most needing refinement with time...

“So I’ve actually mastered it completely?”

Lian clearly felt more natural and effortless when wielding the sword. This newly acquired beginner sword skill had no temporary mark and should be permanent.

This world was far from peaceful, and Lian needed strength.

Even if he couldn’t absorb Sur’s soul abilities, gaining more combat or professional skills was a good thing.

He already knew becoming a professional required two to three years of foundational training; learning some now could greatly shorten that time.

According to Sur’s fragmented memories, becoming a paladin apprentice took two and a half years, mastering swordsmanship, horsemanship, holy power summoning, law, religious studies, and other basics, with swordsmanship alone requiring at least three months to reach beginner level.

Given the current circumstances, his absurdly rapid progress seemed only natural.

“Each movement is corrected by the heroic soul, more effective than one-on-one tutoring...”

Passing the water flow marks on his body, he tried to imprint more muscle memory while the energy was still present.

“...Looks like I need more muscle memory.”

After a short rest, he resumed grueling practice.

Having built a foundation in swordsmanship, he naturally turned his attention to the next professional combat skill.

“Momentum Slash or Purifying Strike... Purifying Strike it is; Momentum Slash demands too much strength.”

These two professional skills were central to mid-to-low-level warriors and paladins but followed completely different paths.

The two-handed sword’s Momentum Slash was a standard crowd-control, sweeping attack—a skilled wielder’s blade would arc like a crescent moon, impossible to dodge.

It relied on sheer force and momentum, killing multiple foes with one strike.

The ordinary Purifying Strike was a single-target skill—paladins’ radiant, holy-powered downward slashes.

Its principle was simple: channel “holy power” then strike... but it could reach near-mythical levels, considered the paladin’s staple skill with numerous variants.

Channeling “Judgment Punishment Power” yielded the Sin-Breaking Strike; channeling the fallen paladin’s dark power created the Holy-Breaking Strike; targeting specific races gave rise to Dragon/Beast/Elf-Breaking Strikes... Some even developed a “Faithlessness-Breaking Strike” due to grudges—proof that the world is full of wonders.

Many variants existed, the most common being the Great Purifying Strike, which combined Momentum Slash’s wide sweep with Purifying Strike’s power—an incredibly effective judgment weapon favored by grand knights.

What Lian longed for most was the Great Purifying Strike. Usually, it required high mastery in both warrior and paladin classes, with at least a decade of training.

But Lian’s situation was unique—not only did he possess First-tier Paladin and Warrior skills, but also the rank of Classical Oathbound Knight, which theoretically required a paladin rank of four or five. He had two ranks to spare! He had the confidence to learn advanced combat techniques.

In fact, his current profession list included the Great Momentum Slash and Great Purifying Strike, though he couldn’t use them yet... But the Purifying Strike he could use, enhanced by the heroic soul, cleaved through crowds—clearly a disguised Great Purifying Strike.

With more practice, and once his raw strength and physique improved, he should easily master the Momentum Slash and Great Momentum Slash.

“No rush; first, master the Purifying Strike thoroughly.”

This felt less like training and more like rediscovery, yielding excellent results.

He practiced intermittently until utterly exhausted.

To his surprise, after an honest morning of training, synchronization and satisfaction both rose by 1%, more than spending an entire day working yesterday!

“Is this due to increased physical limits and compatibility raising synchronization? Or is it that the knightly training pleases the heroic soul?”

Theoretically, it made sense—the closer his body was to the heroic soul’s ideal vessel, the more “water” it could hold, and the higher the synchronization.

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Fulfilling the heroic soul’s past actions naturally pleased it as well.

Satisfaction meant the heroic soul was content and willing to grant strength, while synchronization indicated how much the “cup” could hold.

This seemed a plausible explanation. After some thought, Lian devised a test.

He took out a stack of books he’d bought yesterday—history, geography, and law.

By the way, books here were ridiculously expensive; a third-hand old book could cost as much as a week’s lodging.

He prioritized local and national legal codes, laying them all out to study carefully.

These were not familiar statutes but a blend of rules and precedents, written in unfamiliar language filled with strange metaphors.

Yet Lian found them surprisingly easy to learn!

Many misunderstood the ancient oathbound paladins, thinking them fanatical inquisitors who burned witches and heretics on sight.

This wasn’t entirely wrong, but those who operated independently were legal experts.

Often, they served as one-man tribunals in rural areas, needing to pass judgment swiftly on many local cases. Legal studies were part of their training.

As a paladin’s “law specialization” advancement, their abilities took effect only under the authority of law enforcement.

The supernatural “Judgment Punishment Determination” ability Lian used most required a profound understanding of the law... At the moment the red glow of judgment flashed, the silver light of Purifying Strike or Sin-Breaking Strike followed.

Sur was the blind executor of Lady Justice, an emissary of the goddess of law, the church’s Grand Inquisitor, and a renowned legal scholar of his time.

[Synchronization rate: 15.6%, satisfaction: 10.6%.]

Though reading the books only increased these values slightly, it was enough to prove a point... Lian even felt a strange joy while reading, likely shared from the heroic soul.

During this process, cross-referencing Sur’s fragmented memories, Lian also gained a deeper understanding of the city, country, and world.

The Aetherlin Kingdom—a once-failed empire of decay, yet famous in history and the world.

“The kingdom almost destroyed by dragons.”

Its most notorious landmark was the “Valley of Pain,” the former capital split in two by a searing dragon’s breath sixteen years ago, with the core area still burning as the Flame Gorge.

This event reportedly caused the deaths of the renowned former hero-king and the decline of national power.

Meanwhile, Radiance City, once an insignificant border town, had become one of the kingdom’s most prosperous cities.

Why? Besides the natural commercial advantage of a seaport, it sat atop a dangerously rich resource point.

“Beneath the city lies vast underground ruins, even multi-layered labyrinths?”

Below the city was another “urban cluster” teeming with monsters and hazards, spawning related industries.

Both orc species advancement and professional training required vast amounts of supernatural life materials.

In a sense, it was truly a resource city.

But reading about the underground made Lian suddenly recall a looming threat.

“Underground?! The earlier hint...”

He flipped through the ancient book, the main quest glowing ominously, sending chills down his spine.

[Main Quest: Seal or slay the evil god Ersena.]

Unless something unexpected happened, this city’s natural “resource” would become a ticking bomb within two years.

[Quest Brief: The evil god’s seal beneath Radiance City is faltering. It is about to break free. Eliminate it... or be eliminated (failure countdown: 759 days, 4 hours).]

[Quest Failure Penalty: If failed, the city will vanish from history; no further penalty.]

Well, this kingdom was truly plagued by misfortune—the new heart of the kingdom sat atop a volcanic crater, one that was about to erupt.