Refusing My God’s Advances

I woke up the next morning before the sun even rose, somehow beating Mary. Part of me really wanted to stay on the uncomfortable ground with the beautiful naked angel. Her soft body felt like I was really in heaven after only being able to imagine this, but I had put my printer off for too long.

I was going to have a busy day, but I only had one quest left. I had planned on sending the demons out to gather herbs, today while I figured out the island, but now things have changed with Aria and Mary. The best thing I could do was finish the quest and then get something started printing before the real demon woke up and forced me into training.

After slipping out from under Shelli, I covered her up, and quickly made my way to the opening of the cave. I got outside but had to put my hand up as the sun was just poking above the clouds in front of me.

"Not sure what it is like where you are from, but I never get tired of seeing this view."

I looked over to see Daryle sitting on a large rock eating a bread roll that didn't look very good. The man looked wide awake, so it was hard to tell if he had slept or not.

"We didn't have floating islands, but we had buildings that reached the clouds. Still, I understand what you mean from seeing it at what feels like ground level," I said and then started to walk, scanning the area around me.

"Why are you up so early? I had thought Mary would be the one dragging you out here, but you look just as fresh as me... Or is it that you don't need sleep?" 

I stopped looking around and turned back to the knight. I didn't think that I could get rid of him at this point, so it might be best to use him to my advantage.

"I need to sleep still, but I have something I want to finish before Mary gets up," I explained and then asked. "Do you know where I can find any herbs in this area?"

Daryle smiled and then nodded. "While I don't know exactly where they will be, I can definitely point out some! My sister used to make me collect lots of different types for her experiments, and she was none too kind if I brought back the wrong ones!" He laughed, and I couldn't help but smile.

"She sounds like a real handful," I chuckled, and Daryle gave me an exasperated look.

"That is accurate, but I don't mind helping you look for the herbs. It must have something to do with your special hero abilities, right?" Daryle asked before hopping off the rock, and I nodded.

"Something like that," I said, and pulled up the quest.

[Gather 20 enchanted herbs - 150 exp reward]

"Looks like they also have to be enchanted as well," I said and Daryle nodded.

"I had a good look at the map of this floating island before getting shot up here, and there is a forest on the south corner of this island. Since I know you can move fast like me, we should run there. Better to get our warm-up in now before Mary wakes up to whip you into shape," Daryle laughed, and I gave him a sideways look.

"Aren't you also taking part in the training?" I asked, and Daryle burst out laughing.

"You not only touched the princess from what I hear, but Aria also likes you! While I may joke around, Mary knows I have no chance with Aria. You, on the other hand, are a threat to Mary, but one she can't get rid of either. That means all she can do is make you worthy of her master," Daryle explained, and I scratched the back of my head.

"You make it sound so ominous," I said, and he shrugged.

"That's just how she is, but hey, we might as well get this over with. Plus, you seem like a cool dude," Daryle said with a smile and then took off running toward the south forest in a flash.

Once I reached the edge of the woods, Daryle was already holding a plant. It was in the shape of a star with a light green on the outside becoming a rich yellow in the center of each leaf. The thing that stuck out the most about it was the strange and faint shimmer it had to it, unlike all the other plants around us.

"This is ᒪunarocka leaf," Daryle said, and I couldn't help but agree.

"Yeah, they glow a bit weird," I commented as I reached next to him, and he handed me one. Wrinkling my nose I could smell its earthy scent but with a hint of sweetness that tickled my nose.

We spent about an hour running around the forest, dodging trees and bushes as we hunted for the herbs. With each herb found, we spoke more about the Reshan kingdom and its inhabitants, from the different restaurants to a masseuse that could put you to sleep just by rubbing your back.

[Found 14 enchanted herbs]

As I reached 14, I looked up to see Daryle had found a strange glowing flower that was much brighter than the others. A creature called a Floater Bee buzzed around it and stung him as he tried to pick it. He yelped before flicking it off and rubbing his arm.

"That hurt," he said with wide eyes as the bee flew off, "But this group of Melody flowers should make 20."

I took them from him, and a new message popped up.

[Quest Update: Gather 20 enchanted herbs - Complete]

[System Update: Starter Quest - Complete]

[Reward: System Menu Unlocked, Printer Menu Unlocked, Skill Menu Unlocked, Stat Menu Unlocked. Gain the following Skills: Identify, Restore, Paint, Alter.]

Yes! I finally did it! While this was only my second day, I felt like things had kept on distracting me from what my original goal was.