Special Odd Jobs at the Sun God's Temple

Vulcan wanted nothing more than to rush straight to the hidden quest location, but to progress that quest, he first needed to pick up the starter quest. And by some stroke of coincidence, that starter quest was available at the temple of the sun god Radin.

First things first, the main scenario quest.

The church of the sun god Radin was one of the largest denominations on the continent, making it the perfect capstone for the main scenario quest.

"They won't throw a fit just because we didn't come to them first, right?"

- Hmm. The followers of that bastard Radin are more than capable of something like that.

But there was one thing that worried him. The sun god sounded benevolent enough, but for some reason, the priests who served Radin tended to have incredibly narrow-minded views. They were convinced their god was the greatest, and that they themselves were the finest priests as a result—strong enough convictions that they often clashed with other denominations.

So, as in his conversation with Tud, it was entirely possible they'd take offense at not being sought out first. It fit their usual behavior to a tee.

It's about the Demon King, though. They won't refuse to cooperate over something so petty.

Still, he had the titles of Legendary Incarnation and Blessed One on his side. With the massive storyline of the main scenario quest in his grasp, it would be their loss if they opted out. Radin's church was powerful in strength and influence, sure, but there were plenty of other major denominations that could serve as alternatives. Rasenu territory alone had temples to the water god and other heavy hitters, and since the quest had no time limit, he could always pick the final denomination after arriving in Smell.

I'm choosing them now precisely to avoid them nitpicking later.

The other temples wouldn't mind being passed over; they'd jump at the chance to get involved against the Demon King and demonic energy anyway. He'd wondered from the start why he only had to deliver letters to three temples.

"How is this place bigger than the temples in major cities?"

Perhaps it was because of the quest format. Either way, Vulcan arrived at Radin's temple, gazing up at the massive structure and whistling in admiration. Rasenu might only be a fourth-tier city, but as one of the continent's most famous breadbaskets, it was swimming in money. The lord poured generous support into the temple of the sun god, the most vital deity for agriculture. As a result, Radin's temple was built on a scale rivaling the Lord's Castle itself, able to accommodate vast numbers of followers unlike any ordinary temple.

"Hmph. Don't forget to revere Lord Radin with that attitude."

As he stood there taking it in, a passing priest bumped him with an arrogant sneer. It was a perfect glimpse into their mindset.

"Ah, yes... Excuse me, but I'd like to see the bishop. Could you guide me?"

"The bishop? Hmph, you do give off an unusual aura, but the bishop isn't someone just anyone can meet."

"It's a very important matter. No one but the bishop serving Lord Radin can handle it. Please."

"Hrmm. Well, in that case... Fine. I'll ask."

Maybe that's why. Unlike other temples, the priest was a bit surly even with Vulcan, but a touch of flattery and a flash of the Roona temple's official seal—stamped only on key documents—got the reluctant priest to bridge the gap to the bishop. Other places only had high priests, but Rasenu generated so much revenue that they'd dispatched a bishop to show off.

"Hmph, so you're the one who sought me out?"

Soon after, Vulcan came face-to-face with the bishop. The man wore the same arrogant expression, but he'd at least granted an audience. Back in the day, even getting a high priest to utter a proper sentence required a slew of prerequisite quests.

"Yes. Here—this first."

They loved flattery, so sweet-talking him was an option, but Vulcan handed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠over the final letter from Roona's temple right away. Completing the main scenario quest was one thing, but building favor first would make the rest smoother.

"Why bring this only now?!"

"...Pardon?"

"If something like this happened, you should have come running to report it to Lord Radin at once! Why deliver it so late? Are you daring to mock Lord Radin's authority?!"

But instead of praise, he got an earful. The bishop, having read the letter, was furious that Radin's temple was last on the list—exactly as Vulcan had feared. Their pointless obsession with being number one.

"Of course not! The most noble always appears last, so I presumed—perhaps overstepping—that Lord Radin, with his boundless mercy and grace, would play the pivotal role. Surely he'd hear out a lowly one like me."

"Hrmm. True enough, but..."

Vulcan clicked his tongue inwardly at the reaction but didn't let his experience falter. He immediately laid on the honeyed words, sophistry bordering on nonsense, but the bishop seemed mollified by the praise for Radin.

"Very well. Since you trusted in Lord Radin and blazed this difficult path, we shall embrace even the followers of lesser gods and lead the charge to resolve this."

Security maintenance for now, huh?

Thanks to that, the main scenario quest wrapped up smoothly. Vulcan was the first to learn that the key figures from his chosen four temples would meet and form an alliance, triggering special quests branching from the main storyline afterward.

He'd half-expected more temples to join, but it seemed they were keeping it tight for secrecy—just the four for now.

Not a bad outcome.

In that light, Vulcan's choices carried more weight than he'd thought. Picking minor temples willy-nilly would have weakened the alliance. Plus, those special quests would go only to users closely tied to the temples, limiting progress and scope otherwise.

Viewed that way, the temples of Roona, Kabura, Jatan, and Radin were all mid-to-upper-tier powers at minimum. The forces of darkness wielding demonic energy might have infiltrated deep into the continent and built their own strength—who knew?—but at least raw power wouldn't leave the alliance fizzling out without a fight.

"Is there anything we can assist with?"

"Assist? You? Do you even know where you are?"

"..."

But that was that, and now it was time for Vulcan to claim his due. With the main scenario done, shouldn't he get the corresponding rewards or the next quest? He'd solved dilemmas at the other temples and even received direct blessings from their gods, so he spoke up—only to get chewed out.

"I... I just thought, with such exalted figures handling great matters, even touching them might be too much for humble hands like mine."

But Vulcan was inured to their attitudes by now. Instead of backing down, he grinned slyly, and the bishop—apparently not hating the response—rolled his eyes and continued.

"Hmph. You've got the right posture, at least. Fine. I don't know how capable you are, but I'll hand it off."

Special Odd Jobs. The name said it all about how they saw Vulcan. A far cry from the other temples' receptions, and not the main scenario extension he'd hoped for—but he wasn't disappointed.

Main scenario quests didn't always chain immediately; sometimes they paused for NPC interactions before reigniting.

At least the other temples won't abandon me.

When the time came, even if not Radin's temple, the others would seek him out. For now, he'd use the breather to build strength for the next main scenario perfectly.

These breaks usually mean a difficulty spike, so prep is key. This hidden quest should cover it.

In that sense, Shairun's temple quest held real value. As a direct commission from the bishop, it outranked the standard ones Vulcan had planned for here. Naturally, better rewards—and even extras for overachievement.

Maybe Shairun underestimated him, but whatever the reason, standout results meant bigger payouts. Vulcan smirked faintly.

"Still, you've come a long way, so a reward is in order."

Wooong!

With all business done, Shairun pompously placed a hand on Vulcan's head as if bestowing great honor, channeling divine power to bless him.

"Thank you."

This was the standard reward. Kabura and Jatan's gods had blessed him directly, overriding the main scenario rewards, but usually, it was a time-limited buff like this. The gods' blessings stood apart, and priests wouldn't dare layer their own on someone favored directly by a deity.

Vulcan felt a twinge of regret at not getting Radin's personal blessing but shrugged it off. Like priest, like god—Radin was infamous as a petty sort. He favored his own but was fiercely exclusionary toward outsiders.

"Still, I didn't want this damn quest."

Satisfied, Vulcan left the temple and reviewed the quest again. Protecting the rye fields. He already knew what the 'grain raiders' were. In grain-rich areas like this, plenty targeted crops, but only one group earned that label.

"If Shairun's stepping in personally, their numbers must be insane. The field's size alone means no solo job. Damn, why'd I draw the short straw out of the two routes...?"

Flocks of monstrous birds. Not raptors, just giant sparrows around level 120—not high for the area, but their sheer numbers and aerial approach made them no pushovers.

Vulcan, with his overwhelming attack and defense, would welcome a fight, but that made it trickier. Their target was the grain, not him.

"Tch. Cowards—if my level was higher, it'd be easy."

Hence, the goal was defense, not extermination. While tangling with some, the rest could swoop in and devastate the fields—and 24 hours of that would push physical and mental limits.

"Maybe use an item with fear or taunt? Stamina's no issue for me..."

Small mercy: the birds were skittish. Loud noises ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠or big moves sent them fleeing, hence lower-tier quests like 'Chase off the Monstrous Birds' focused on repels over kills.

So, the fear effect on his Dark Hunting Dog Helmet ('inflicts fear on lower-level foes at a chance') might work wonders—but his level was too low, and at 5% proc, it wasn't reliable. No time to level up either; had to start within 24 hours.

Plan B: repel with fear items, then finish with a wide taunt for chaos. But not ideal—combat would trample the fields anyway.

"Wait, do I have to fight them myself?"

- What scheme now?

No scheme—just efficiency.

Fear alone wouldn't cut it long-term; they built tolerance. Initial yells worked, but repetition made them bold, toying with you. Even parties struggled back then.

Vulcan frowned at the memory, but then another thought struck. Things had changed since then—not just the quest, but his capabilities. And he knew the intel now. Different approach possible?

"This is it."

As the idea crystallized, Dragon Eye activated, displaying fitting crafting recipes. Vulcan spotted the perfect one, tweak it with his twist, and it'd be gold.

"24 hours—plenty of time."

Only question: could he craft it all? No doubts. He checked materials, hit the auction house—risky if guarded, but necessary. Secured them, grabbed his hammer, and started forging massive somethings.