[: Daniel POV :]

[: You have accepted the Hidden Mission of Truth of the Blessings :]

[: Truth of the Blessings (Ex :]

– You have reached the stage of knowing the Truth of the Blessing far too early, hence there would be a restriction –

– Fulfill the restriction to unlock the truth and even receive rewards –

[: Restrictions :]

– Reach the Deity Rank (Unfulfilled) –

– Kill the 100 Demon Harbourers (0/100) –

– Fuse all Classes (Unfulfilled) –

– Complete the Human Continent Tower till the Transcendent Stage (Unfulfilled) –

It seems that the restrictions are quite harsh, but for me it’s nothing.

All I need is just time and it would be completed.

[: You have accepted the quest, and as a result, you have received the rewards :]

[: Congratulations, you have received 10 Forbidden Box, 100 Mythic Skills, 50 Upgrade Skill Runes and 1 World Item :]

Upon receiving the items, I was speechless by the rewards.

Especially the Forbidden Box and even the world item.

However, I chose to check it all later instead of now.

Moreover, with all of the gains and drops I had, I’ll need time to go through each and every one of them.

[: Time will resume :]

As time resumed its normal flow, the world regained its colours.

However, an odd occurrence accompanied this restoration.

The three Saintesses, who were on the verge of explaining Blessings to me, seemed to have forgotten their intended words.

Katie, furrowing her brows in confusion, started, “Wait, what were we talking about?”

She exchanged puzzled glances with Liviana and Seraphina, who wore expressions of bewilderment.

“It’s strange…I feel like there was something important we needed to tell Daniel,”

Liviana remarked, her brows frowning in an attempt to recall the lost information.

Seraphina, too, appeared perplexed. “Yeah, it was about…what was it about…? Why does it seem like we’ve forgotten something important?”

It seems that the higher beings had intervened somehow and manipulated their memories.

Concern etched on their faces and they exchanged uneasy glances.

At the same time, I had a feeling that if I reminded them, a worse situation would befall.

Hence, I rather not remind them.

“We were talking about returning to the Holy Templar,” I said, breaking the ponderous silence.

“We were going to return to the Holy Templar, right?” I pretended.

Recognition sparked in the eyes of the Saintesses as my words triggered a false of memories.

Liviana nodded.

“Yes, that’s it!”

“We were about to head back for you to report your achievements!”

Seraphina added with a relieved smile, “Ah, it’s all coming back to me”

Sometimes, I wonder if I have a short-term memory

Katie chuckled, “I guess we got sidetracked”

“Let’s head back”

As we gathered our hands,

In an instant, the surroundings blurred, and the familiar sensation of teleportation enveloped us.

Moments later, the Holy Templar materialized before our eyes.

Eirini, the Saintess, noticed our arrival and approached with a warm smile.

“Welcome back and I sense that you have completed the Quest”

“I never expected you to complete this quest this fast”

“But I shouldn’t expect less from you,” Eirini said with a gentle smile.

“Follow me,”

Eirini suggested and I followed.

She guided me through the halls of the Holy Templar.

Finally, we entered a room covered with symbols that represented her goddess, and in the centre, there was a box.

“For your accomplishments, Daniel, you shall be granted the Forbidden Fruit King.” She declared.

As I looked at the box of the chest, my excitement grew.

“But would you like to listen to a story?” She questioned.

I nodded, acknowledging that avoiding the story was inevitable.

“Go ahead, Saintess, I will listen”

Eirini’s voice echoed with the weight of ancient tales.

“In a time shrouded by Chaos, the 4 Demonian Kings wielded immense power”

“Among them, Grid, a Demonia King, was infamous for his insatiable greed.”

“Grid’s thieving grasp extended to all realms, claiming wealth, luck, and even fortune,” Eirini continued.

“Yet, his story took an unexpected turn when he encountered my goddess.”

“The Goddess of Poverty, Penia, known for her kindness to the poor,” Eirini narrated.

“Despite being despised by many divine entities, mortals held a deep affection for her kindness.”

“In a twist of fate, during a time when the Goddess Penia faced hatred and relentless pursuit, it was Grid who came to her rescue,” Eirini narrated.

“Her generosity to mortals, although cherished by many, had earned her disdain from some gods who disagreed with her actions.”

“Yet, Grid’s intervention not only saved her but sparked a connection between them,” Eirini continued.

“With Grid’s skilful thievery and Penia’s overwhelming kindness, they became a couple adored by many of the mortals.”

“But as with all tales, an unforeseen twist awaited”

“Grid, driven by unforeseen motives, chose to rebel,”

Eirini’s voice carried the weight of anticipation.

“As Grid’s decided to rebel, Goddess Penia had bore part of the consequences”

“She was locked and imprisoned” Eirini recounted.

“However, no matter how much she suffered, she held no resentment toward Grid”

“Even if she was imprisoned, she held no hatred for the man that she loved”

“Her love for him was as strong as her kindness for mortals”

“But the turning point arrived when she learned of Grid’s defeat”

“He was sealed within a fruit forever without knowing a way out,”

Eirini’s narrative took a poignant turn.

“Overwhelmed by sorrow, Goddess Penia chose seclusion”

“She knew that the sealing methods from the Gods were as good as dead”

“Hence, She withdrew from the realms, never again revealing her presence or sharing her kindness”

“In the end, the tales of her benevolence from the past now exist merely as children’s fairytales.”

She concluded with a hint of sadness in her voice.

“Goddess Penia, despite her withdrawal, harbours a desire for someone to bear Grid’s powers”

“Now, you who have completed the Quest, She wishes for you to inherit them,”

Eirini exclaimed, her eyes revealing a spark of curiosity.

“Then, don’t mind me,” I responded.

Despite knowing what would happen later on, the allure of the forbidden king fruit was too strong to resist.

As I consumed the fruit, its taste, unpleasant and repugnant, signalled a shift.

As I expected, my consciousness was teleported into another realm.

Unlike the realms where I met the Demonian Kings before, this space exuded an unexpected beauty.

It was a blend of elements of nature and a modern garden crafted with divine essences.

As I strolled through, captivated by the blooming flowers and vibrant landscapes, a peculiar voice resonated.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it, this place?”

The voice carried a surprising gentleness.

Without needing to turn, I knew it was the presence of Grid himself.

At the same time, his appearance defied my expectations.

He resembled someone who would have bullied the others.

In a voice tinged with melancholy, Grid shared, “This was a place where I first met Penia, and I couldn’t help but recreate this haven, a memory I long for, and I miss her greatly.”

His eyes carried a sense of sadness, reflecting the depth of his emotions.

After a few moments, his gaze shifted towards me.

“You came here to inherit my powers, right?”

He queried, seeking confirmation.

Without hesitation, I responded firmly, “That’s right.”

“I see… after all, that’s my purpose,” Grid acknowledged.

However, he continued with a more probing question, “Do you know what you’re heading towards?”

My silence lingered, inviting him to elaborate further.

“Do you know the consequences of eating all four Forbidden Fruit Kings?” He asked once more.

“No, I don’t,” I answered simply.

“I will tell you… and the consequences won’t be good for you once you have reached ‘that’ place,”

Grid revealed, leaving a sense of mystery.

“What place do you mean?” I questioned, seeking clarification.

“Soon you will know…” His response left me with more questions than answers.

However, his body began to disperse as his essence began to fuse with mine.

“But before I go…tell that too-stupid, kind goddess that I miss her… and I remember what she had done for me,”

Grid conveyed heartfelt words before the final moments of his energy fused with mine.

Simultaneously, the realm of consciousness began to tear apart, and once it had collapsed, I found myself back in the room.

Once I was back in the room, I was staring at the Saintess Eirini who now holds a different personality.

“Did…you meet…Grid?” It was as if, the person before wasn’t Eirini who was questioning me, but rather, the Goddess herself.

Embracing myself for what was about to happen, I answered, “That’s right, I met him”.

“Did he leave any words for me…?” Instead of referring to the Goddess, she referred to herself.

Meaning to say, Goddess Penia was now possessing Eirini’s body.

“He said that he had missed you and he won’t ever forget what you had done for me,” I said.

Immediately, Eirini or should I say, burst into tears.

I could understand what she might felt.

For seclusiing herself for how long, she must have had bottled up years’ worth of emotions.