Chapter 33: Chapter 32: Innate Advantage

“The Brood Queen.”

Arlette’s words left Zephyr dumbfounded. First a goddess and now the current overlord of the world. They sure ended up in a town that connected two of the strongest entities in this world.

‘So much for being a backwater town.’

Zephyr flicked the pixie’s wings. “Was she here? The Brood Queen, I mean.”

A cute frown took over her face. “She can’t be here. The Council of the Divine and Olgath have come to an agreement. She won’t interfere with the war, and gods won’t descend to help mankind.”

“We have this kind of agreement. Hmmm, doesn’t this put humans at a disadvantageous position?”

“No, we’re buying time for our chosen hero to grow and evolve in battles. Olgath isn’t that weak either. She can take on three gods at the same time. She is the strongest woman on this planet right now!”

Even the god of war Sverre bowed out against the divine powers Olgath borrowed from Blood Moon. The World Spirit and the Council of the God were forced to put their trust in Olgath’s old friend, Annalise.

“The gods of this world are cheap dirt compared to us,” Riven added. “You’ll surpass them in a year. We, Ascendant Gods, refer to them as Local Gods. They are tied to their world’s veins until they reach a certain level.”

Riven asserted that he was a superior god. By his words, no one in the Hydralae Continent came close to competing against the half goddess Sherine. 

“We got distracted, my little fairy. Back to our real topic, can’t someone else use the same magic as the Brood Queen?”

“You think Evil Goddess Blood Moon will let anyone use her divine magic?!”

“How would you explain this mess then?” Zephyr asked with an amused smile, leaving Arlette silent for seconds. “You can’t. Let’s not bash our heads against the walls and just move on.”

Standing here would accomplish nothing. He took Sherine’s hand and left the fool’s lair. A couple of seconds away, they came across the boundary dividing the yellow and red zone. The boundary between heaven and hell for commoners.

He rechecked his status to make sure he could take on the dangers that lay beyond the river.

[STATUS] Zephyr Cyrus: Level 13 (580/900 Experience to next level) Race: Human Soul Rank: Mortal (5960/5000 Soul Essence to next rank) [Attributes] Strength: 42 Agility: 48 Health: 45 Defense: 44 Magic: 62 [Hidden attribute] Awareness: 15 [Emblem] …

“Riven, how good are my stats?”

He was curious about his current position in this world. The points gained from the Dragon Touch skill upped his growth by a great deal. The level displayed on his status may as well be a fluke at this point.

“Listen carefully. The gods of this world give out Emblems to people once they reach Level 9. By this progression, you have the strength of a Level 21 Warrior, agility of a Level 24 Ranger, defense of a Level 22 Tank, health of a Level 21 Cleric, and magic of a Level 30 Sorcerer.”

The comparisons surpassed his expectations. Then again, Riven only listed the attributes for an average human. The talented one, the so-called genius, had innately higher attributes or gained it through training.

‘I need to learn some spells or a skill that scales with magic stat.’

“With your sharp intuition, beating a Level 29 hunter won’t be tough. Level 30, on the other hand, is a different breed as they qualify to upgrade their skills to Gold-rank, and in extremely rare cases, Prime-rank.”

Zephyr took in all the information with a serious look. Xander was a warrior of Level 30 or higher, otherwise, he wouldn’t be leading a guild in Altissia City.

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“And another thing to add, my dear Son-in-Law. You gain 2 points for every attribute for leveling up because of divinity. People usually get 2 attributes for their specialized Emblem like a Tank gaining 2 defense points and Sorcerer gaining 2 magic points.”

The Soulmancy Emblem, the inferior version of Lesser Authority, granted him a subtle advantage over others. The more he leveled up, the wider this gap will grow in the future.

Sherine, who was quietly eavesdropping on their conversation, shrank like a rabbit. “F-Father, did you call Zephyr Son-in-Law?”

“Yes, I did. I’d be mad if you two don’t go all the way… I might do something irrational if you break my daughter’s heart.”

“No need to threaten me,” Zephyr said with a shrug. “I’d be a fool if I let a sweet woman like her slip by my hands.”

Sherine fidgeted and blushed like no tomorrow. “Don’t say embarrassing things in the middle of the day…”

Zephyr chuckled at the difference between the current Sherine and the one that came after her climax. It was a difference between night and day.

Athena couldn’t make heads of the conversation through his words alone. Shaking her head, she peered into the distance with her sharp eyes. Dangerous magic beasts lurked in the forest. Even with her recent evolution, she stood no chance against them.

‘What nonsense. I must engage in battles of higher stakes to evolve and regain my majestic form. The Queen will return to shake the realm!’

The celestial hawk was determined to reach the top. A daring objective for a magic beast who recently achieved the C-Rank.

After having his fill of teasing Sherine, Zephyr stretched his arms with a grin. “Let’s do some dangerous things.”

Sherine shook her head at his enthusiasm. “I’ll step in if you’re in any danger.”

“Yes, My Lady Sherine.”

Zephyr walked along the river until he came across a boulder bigger than their inn. Arlette had the thoughtfulness to mark it on their map. As indicated on the map, the boulder pitched him on the other side of a red mark—enemy territory.

“Athena, scout the area.”

His winged companion uttered a chirp and flew over the river. Athena maneuvered through the trees and disappeared from their sight.

Zephyr sat with his back against the boulder, its shadow protecting him from the blistering sun. The forest fell silent except for occasional chirps and roars in the distance.

“I feel hungry all of a sudden.”

Sherine settled beside him and slightly leaned her shoulder on him. “I packed our meal after we… showered.”

Zephyr stroked her hair. Her soft hair was pleasant to touch, and her pleased reaction made it all the better. Patting heads was actually a fun way to express affection.

“Frankly, that was the best shower of my life.”

The sneak attack left Sherine with flushed cheeks. She folded her arms and pouted her cheeks like an angry brat. The gesture was simply cute on her.

“Jeez, you’re gonna kill me with your cuteness.”

After Zephyr stopped his headpats, she withdrew several items from her spatial pouch in succession. Spreading a stylized picnic blanket on the ground, she unpacked lunch right before his eyes.

“How are you so good at cooking?”

“It’s a long story…”

“We can talk.”

It was a rare opportunity to learn more about his adorable fiancée.

“We used to have a chef before. A golem designed by Hestia Palace. I was so bored in my room back then. Watching the golem cook became one of my hobbies… Father retired the golem after I learned most of its recipes.” Sherine covered her mouth with a plate. “I’m really glad I put effort into cooking. It is something of my own, not inherited by parents.”

“Thanks to your efforts, we don’t have to live on fruits and mushrooms in the wild.”

She could roast any meat into a delicacy, such was the talent of his half dragoness lover. She saved them from living like stone men.

Athena returned to find the couple indulging in food. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sizzling meat dishes present on the blanket.

Zephyr set aside some meat dishes for Athena. “Eat up. We’ll talk afterwards.”

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