"Knight Natsuki Subaru has defeated the Witch Cult's strongest Sin Archbishop of Greed!" At that moment, everyone present believed this with
"Knight Natsuki Subaru has defeated the Witch Cult's strongest Sin Archbishop of Greed!"
At that moment, everyone present believed this without a doubt. In their eyes, Natsuki Subaru must have performed some kind of forbidden soul art that required sacrificing his own life force to make the invincible Sin Archbishop of Greed flee in such a state.
What a spectacular sacrifice!
What a magnificent feat!
First, he had slain the calamitous White Whale that had plagued the world for centuries, and now he had driven off the most powerful Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult. This young, black-haired boy had created one impossible miracle after another.
"Our hero!"
"The hero of the Kingdom of Lugnica!"
"Long live Sir Knight Natsuki Subaru!"
These cheers were filled with a multitude of emotions: the relief of surviving a disaster, the ecstasy of seeing a powerful enemy retreat, but most of all, a sincere admiration and gratitude for the black-haired boy standing in the center of the battlefield.
Meanwhile, in the center of the battlefield.
"Looks like my gamble paid off. That guy Regulus was scared out of his wits. The Bloodlust skill lasts for a full minute, after all."
Natsuki Subaru gazed in the direction Regulus had disappeared, a nearly imperceptible smirk gracing his lips. The once-unbeatable Sin Archbishop of Greed was now long gone, with only the distant cloud of dust attesting to his frantic and pathetic escape.
The effect of the Bloodlust skill had far exceeded his expectations. The so-called most perfect being in the world, the Sin Archbishop of Greed, had been dominated by the most primal fear, fleeing in terror without even having time to utter a single threat. Recalling Regulus's previous arrogant posture of invincibility and self-proclaimed perfection, and then seeing him now, unable to even care about his most cherished image and dignity, he was like a rabbit being chased by a hunter.
"Speaking of which, Regulus's escape speed was much faster than when he was attacking me," Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but quip. The leisurely, in-control demeanor Regulus had when attacking stood in stark contrast to his current panicked flight.
"The speed that guy burst out with while running for his life... he probably didn't even realize he could run that fast, did he?" Natsuki Subaru thought to himself. It was rather ironic. Regulus was clearly the strongest among the Sin Archbishops of the Witch Cult in terms of power, yet his mental fortitude was so pathetic. He was the very definition of a paper tiger.
"I didn't expect the Bloodlust skill to be effective against an Authority wielder, too." Natsuki Subaru privately assessed this unexpected gain, a sharp glint in his eyes. To be able to break through Regulus's invincible defense and directly affect his mind... this was enough to prove that the rank of this skill was likely much higher than he had imagined.
"It seems the skills the System gives me are truly something special," Natsuki Subaru mused, slowly flexing his still-numb fingers and glancing over at his companions, who were still in shock.
Now that Regulus had been scared off... something was strange. Why hadn't the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony appeared? He remembered that in the original story, the two of them appeared together. This question merely flickered through Natsuki Subaru's mind before being washed away by another discovery.
In the distance, a familiar crimson figure was approaching at an astonishing speed.
"That guy Reinhard... he's finally here."
And in the distance, in the shadow of a giant boulder, a short boy, only about 1.4 meters tall, was crouched. His long, coffee-colored hair cascaded down to his knees, swaying gently in the wind.
"Amazing... even that arrogant fool, Greed, was driven off..." the short boy with coffee-colored hair muttered to himself, biting his fingernails. "That black-haired kid... just who is he?"
He licked his dry, cracked lips, a hungry glint in his eyes.
"I originally just heard the White Whale was killed and wanted to come enjoy a feast. After all, an existence that could kill the White Whale must taste very special..."
"Hunger... it's been so long since I've been satisfied... but..." The boy hugged his thin frame, a hint of vigilance in his eyes. "It's probably wiser to retreat for now..."
With one last look towards the battlefield, the boy's figure silently melted into the shadows, as if he had never been there at all.
On a bright and sunny morning, in the courtyard of the Crusch-sama's mansion, Natsuki Subaru had just finished his morning run of several dozen laps. Although it would seem like strenuous exercise to an ordinary person, for Natsuki Subaru, his breathing was as steady as ever, without a single bead of sweat.
Just then, the familiar system notification sound echoed in his mind:
[Notification: Daily Quest has been completed.][View Rewards? Yes/No]
"Another day, another routine chore done."
Natsuki Subaru casually straightened up and clicked on the semi-transparent system interface floating before him.
[1. Status Recovery][2. +2 Stat Points][3. Random Box]
For his current physical condition, which was dozens of times better than an ordinary person's, this daily training was nothing more than going through the motions. Natsuki Subaru navigated the interface, first saving the Status Recovery reward, then allocating the 2 stat points he received to Strength. Although 2 points of Strength was a negligible numerical increase for him now, every little bit counted.
"Strength stat successfully broke 202. Speaking of which, this level of training doesn't even count as a warm-up anymore," Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but sigh.
200 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, 200 squats, and a 10-kilometer run—it was no exaggeration to say that he could now complete this daily quest with his eyes closed. His superhuman constitution had made these ordinary training regimens feel utterly mundane.
It was worth mentioning that three days had passed since the White Whale Subjugation. He had been staying at Crusch's mansion this whole time to "recuperate." After all, in everyone's eyes, Natsuki Subaru had used a forbidden soul art at the cost of his own life force to repel the Sin Archbishop of Greed, Regulus.
Thinking of this, Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but shake his head. "I don't have any 'soul attack.' It was just a psychological bluff." But he couldn't expose this lie just yet. On one hand, he had to guard against Regulus making a comeback; on the other, he needed to maintain the prestige of Emilia's camp. After weighing the pros and cons, Natsuki Subaru decided to maintain the status quo for the time being.
"Alright, enough thinking about that. Next, let's see what goodies the Random Box has this time."
Natsuki Subaru unenthusiastically chose to open the Random Box. With a faint flash of white light, a perfectly ordinary ballpoint pen materialized in his hand.
"Tch, another useless thing." Natsuki Subaru played with the ballpoint pen expressionlessly, twirling it a few times. "I wonder when I'll get another hidden quest."
After all, he had received two Blessed Random Boxes before. Those special rewards could produce dungeon keys, and clearing a dungeon could allow him to level up a dozen times in a short period. As a transmigrator with a system, Natsuki Subaru knew exactly where his advantage lay. Rather than training arduously, it was better to level up quickly through the system. This just required a massive amount of experience points, and dungeons were undoubtedly the fastest way.
Whether it's Regulus, Roswaal, Puck, or even Reinhard, the Witch of Envy...
Thinking of this, Natsuki Subaru looked up at the sun in the sky, a resolute light in his eyes.
Those terrifying Sin Archbishops were, in the end, just people who wielded special Authorities. No matter how strong an Authority was, there was always a way to overcome it. And he happened to know the secrets of all the Sin Archbishops' Authorities—Greed's invincible defense, Gluttony's memory-eating, Wrath's emotion manipulation, Sloth's Unseen Hand... These Authorities, which seemed unbeatable to ordinary people, were merely puzzles that required a specific solution to him.
"What's more, my system's skills can even break the limits of this world's Authorities." Recalling the battle with Regulus three days ago, a sharp glint flashed in Natsuki Subaru's eyes. The Bloodlust skill he had unleashed at that time was able to directly affect the Sin Archbishop of Greed, who boasted an invincible defense.
"This proves that the abilities granted by the system are, on some level, superior to the Authorities of this world."
Natsuki Subaru felt the surging power within his body, a body that was growing stronger every day. The stat growth from the daily quests was small, but the cumulative effect over time was terrifying. He might not be able to face those monsters head-on right now, but as long as he continued to grow, coupled with the occasional hidden quest and dungeon challenge, he would become stronger and stronger.
"Regulus, the next time we meet will be the day you die." At this thought, Natsuki Subaru clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking audibly.
"Subaru-kun?" A gentle call interrupted Natsuki Subaru's thoughts.
"Hm? Ah, Rem."
Natsuki Subaru turned his head to see Rem, dressed in her maid uniform, standing not far away. Stockings enveloped her slender legs, and her entire figure was bathed in a soft halo of light, like a meticulously painted scroll.
Rem is as cute as ever today... Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but stare a little longer. Rem in her white-stockinged maid outfit was a truly pleasant sight.
"Subaru-kun's body hasn't fully recovered yet, why have you started your daily training again?" Rem walked closer slowly, her slender fingers gently twisting the edge of her apron, her voice carrying a hint of gentle reprimand.
"Uh, Rem, I've been fine for a while now." Natsuki Subaru showed a relaxed smile, deliberately flexing his arms to show his recovery. After all, he hadn't been injured in the first place. The so-called forbidden soul art was just a bluff to deceive that coward, Regulus.
But then again, seeing Rem so worried about me... it's really touching, Natsuki Subaru thought to himself.
"Subaru-kun..." Rem came to his side, her hands gracefully crossed in front of her skirt, her azure eyes shimmering with a complex light. "The entire Royal Capital is singing your praises now, you know."
"Is that so? What are they saying about me?" Natsuki Subaru raised an eyebrow and deliberately leaned in closer, wanting to see what kind of cute reaction Rem would have.
"Everyone is saying that you are the greatest hero Lugnica has seen in a century," Rem's cheeks indeed flushed slightly, but she still answered seriously. "Not only did you single-handedly slay the White Whale that had rampaged for four hundred years, but you also repelled the Witch Cult's strongest Sin Archbishop of Greed all by yourself..."
At this point, Rem paused, stealing a glance at Natsuki Subaru's reaction, her sapphire-blue eyes filled with pure admiration. "The bards in the taverns have already started singing heroic epics about you."
"Haha..." Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but laugh out loud, sounding a bit surprised. "Is it really that exaggerated?"
Honestly, he had underestimated how the people of this other world saw him. Slaying the demon beast, the White Whale, and repelling the Sin Archbishop of Greed—either one of these was a feat worthy of being recorded in the annals of history. In the eyes of the public, Natsuki Subaru was now a bona fide hero. More importantly, it had also significantly improved people's attitude towards Emilia, the half-elf Royal Candidate.
"Not only that..." Rem's eyes sparkled with excitement, her hands unconsciously gesturing. "The merchants in the Royal Capital have already started selling portraits and commemorative badges of you. I heard that even children, when they play games, are all fighting to be the hero who slays the White Whale. When I went to the market yesterday, I even saw a vendor selling wooden dolls of 'Hero Subaru'."
"Wow, I've been cooped up in Crusch-sama's mansion recovering these past few days, I had no idea it was this lively outside." Natsuki Subaru rubbed his chin and sighed deliberately. "Looks like I've missed out on a lot of interesting things."
This was like the treatment celebrities got in his previous world. He wouldn't have dared to even dream of it back then. Thinking about it, it made sense. The forms of entertainment in this world were relatively scarce. While news didn't travel fast, a feat like his was certainly enough to cause a sensation. Slaying a 400-year-old demon beast and repelling a Sin Archbishop—either one was enough to top this world's trending charts.
"But... Subaru-kun..." Rem took a step forward, her hands unconsciously grabbing onto Natsuki Subaru's arm.
"Rem is scared... Everyone is saying how amazing Subaru-kun is, what if the Witch Cult..."
"...What if the Witch Cult or the Sin Archbishop of Greed comes back for revenge," Natsuki Subaru finished Rem's sentence, seeing her worried expression and understanding her thoughts. "Rem, are you worried about that?"
The blue-haired maid nodded gently, ripples of anxiety clouding her azure eyes.
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