The Soulmancer’s Ascension

Zephyr never thought he’d hear the term business deal from Arlette’s mouth.

“Speak.”

Arlette placed a hand on her chest and assumed a solemn expression. “It’s more like a personal request, but I’ll compensate you with a precious item from a previous hero.”

Zephyr was about to reject it, but the promise of a precious item hooked him.

Sherine’s eyes glittered at Arlette’s promise. “Zephyr, let’s hear her out.”

“I want you to help Achmea Flora,” Arlette revealed her request. “Please, bring her out of the shadow of her past. She doesn’t rest or come to the forest to renew her blessing. She can’t go on like this…”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

Zephyr was always on the receiving end of a therapist’s help. He couldn't possibly help a human with their grief, much less a goddess deeply in love with her dead husband.

“You can do it.” Arlette brought her hands together with a pleading gaze. “She wouldn’t give her husband’s memento to just anyone. You mean something to her. Use that something to… seduce her.”

Arlette threw surprises after surprises at him. She wanted him to seduce a widow!

“No, I’m not accepting this quest.” Zephyr pointed at Sherine. “I already have a lover. I don’t want to seduce another woman.”

The thought of harem was tempting but he didn't have the time to look after them. He already had a beautiful girlfriend-slash-fiancée like Sherine.

Sherine fidgeted at his sudden confession. “Thank you.”

Arlette pouted her cheeks. “You can do it without seducing her. Become a close friend or something. You can do it… Achmea isn’t a goddess after I took over her position. She can fight by your side and support you. Just think about it!”

Gods were forbidden from talking to mortals. Zephyr being a person of another world bypassed the rule by default. She could only rely on him and Sherine for saving her predecessor.

And her words did stir Zephyr’s heart. Having a former goddess as a party member would be a big help.

Arlette continued her salesman pitch, “Did you receive my buff? Achmea can do it better than me and she can give you potions too. The hero will die for companions like her!”

The pixie stirred Sherine’s heart with her desperate look. However, she didn’t force Zephyr to do anything against her will.

Zephyr shook his head, still unconvinced. “My communication skills aren’t enough to persuade Achmea. But I’ll try.” He looked at Sherine. “I’m not doing it to get her as my lover. Just wanted to make that clear.”

He’d fail. His intuition skill wasn’t lying this time either.

“I know you love me… I felt everything in the kitchen.”

Zephyr pinched her cheeks. “On a side note, Arlette. What was your precious reward for helping you?”

Arlette flipped her palm and a golden feather emerged. “This feather belonged to the second hero, the Fire Empress. She killed two Wicked Champions of the Brood Queen and injured the Brood Queen… then she died.”

Annalise wasn’t the first god’s chosen hero. Many came before her but none of them came closer to the goal than the Fire Empress.

“The Brood Queen is a menace.” Zephyr eyed the feather. “What can it do?”

Arlette closed her fist and the feather vanished. “It should give you some of her powers, if you are compatible with it.”

“So it’s like an emblem?”

“Yeah.” Arlette wasn’t surprised he knew about the emblems. “It's ranked higher than other god’s emblems. A King-Rank Emblem.”

“I don’t need it but,” Zephyr paused and glanced at Sherine. “Athena might have some use for it.”

No matter how strong this Fire Empress was, her emblem couldn’t compare to Riven. His emblem could grow with his Soul Rank.

“Who is Athena?” Arlette couldn’t help but be curious about the domineering name. “A god from your world?”

“My pet celestial hawk.”

“Ohhhh, she should be compatible with the feather.”

Zephyr looked toward Sherine. “I’ll need your help for this. Let’s focus on Achmea after we’re done with the Chronos Chamber.”

“Is there a new Chronos Chamber here?”

“You’re the goddess of forests. How have you not noticed it?”

Arlette rubbed the back of her head. “I can’t stay in touch with the forests every second. It’s taxing on my mind.”

She wasn’t on the level of Riven who could stalk them every time in his world but decided not to. His daughter wanted freedom.

“Well, there is one recently discovered in the red zone. On that topic, give me the map of the red zone with monster locations.”

Going to the Red Zone after reaching level 15 was a good choice. He could harvest more Soul Essence and get more experience for each kill. He forgot about his promise with Achmea.

Arlette happily obliged to his request since he was no longer a jerk to her.

“I’ll be back.”

She returned to her base and put on her crown. Everything happening in the forest flooded her senses. Despite her resonance with the crown, she couldn’t see this Chronos Chamber anywhere.

‘I’m still not as good as Senior.’

She blamed it on her incompetence as the goddess of forests and mapped out the red zone for her new ally.

***

Achmea noted down Xander’s order on a paper. “It’ll be prepared by tomorrow.”

“Quick as ever. Are you that quick in bed too?”

Achmea’s eyes turned colder, warning him not to flirt with her. She had to put up with Xander because of his connections in Altissia City. That didn’t mean she’d let him walk all over her. She could sell her potion to any guild in Altissia City and earn the same money. Trading with Xander was just convenient because of his lust for her.

“Then who will you flirt with?” Xander asked, resentful. “That feminine-looking rookie? Come to think of it, your husband was very beautiful. People called him Elven Sorcerer or some shit—”

Xander suddenly shivered as thick vines slithered up his feet like snakes. He ripped the vines with his bare hands but more kept coming. He didn’t get the time to pull out his ax as the vines overwhelmed him. As a last resort, he pushed his mana to his hands. Blazing fire erupted from his palms.

His family’s sorcery ‘Blazing Hands’ burned down all the vines around his legs.

Achmea remained unamused. “They will keep coming until you apologize.”

“I was joking. I’m sorry for insulting Eldon.”

Achmea called back her cheap trick. “Have some dignity, Guildmaster Xander. You’ll be no better than the broods if you shame the dead.”

Xander nodded his head like a pecking chicken while fuming on the inside. “You never said you were so good at nature spells.”

Achmea just shook her head, unwilling to humor him further. Xander left the store with a scowl on his face.

‘Pretty boy, wait for your end in the dungeon.’

Accidents were, after all, very common in unknown places such as dungeons.

Lost in the thoughts of killing Zephyr, Xander bumped into a person. He raised his hand to smack the person, only to bring back his hand and stretch his lips in a somewhat polite smile.

“Lady Laura, I’m sorry.”

“You shouldn’t walk distracted.”

The receptionist gave him advice as she walked past him and entered Achmea’s shop.