Heavy Punch!!!

Not 100% loyal.

Special Talent Summoning Cards didn't count as system summons?

Colin's thoughts churned. While Shana was eating, he took out the quest item.

"Twisted Soul": A clump of blue gas that looked like a flame. Looking closely, you could make out twisted faces within it.

Time remaining on the item: 2 days, 23 hours, 54 minutes.

Note: If your Inspiration is below 2, you will be unable to hear effectively. If your Inspiration is above 5, you will definitely obtain a quest.

[Hint: You think your Inspiration is above 5.]

Bang—

Colin crushed the flame in his hand. A phantom flame rushed toward him, leaving him momentarily dazed.

"Frost Stone. Hadn't we already paid our share? Twenty tons."

"Why?"

"It's been changed! A hundred tons a year! The Pope's orders cannot be profaned."

"But, but that's impossible..."

"Shut up, you wretched beast! In the end, you just haven't worked hard enough."

"...Dad, help, help..."

"The well, quick, get into the well!"

"Throw them down. Bang—"

The disjointed words echoed in his ears. Colin felt stabbing pains in his head, and through the haze, he saw a scene of utter chaos.

A group of church knights in silver armor with pointed helmets slaughtered the villagers.

A man in the well led several children down into it to hide.

Then a church member dropped a stone down after them, and that was the end of it.

As soon as Colin came to, he opened the scroll. A new quest had appeared on it.

[Trigger Quest: Revenge.]

[Quest Requirement: Kill the "Aberration—Suffering Citizen—Suffering Knight" wandering along the beach at Silvermoon Bay.]

[Quest Time Limit: None (This quest can be claimed by someone else.)]

[Quest Description: The Empire's state religion, the Suffering Church, suddenly increased the villagers' required offerings. Unable to meet the quota, they were killed on the spot, dying with hatred in their hearts. Ease their resentment and avenge the villagers!]

[Quest Rewards: Black Bread*99, Recovery Card*3, Mist Points*100.]

"Black Bread. Black Bread again."

Colin sighed. "No title, either. At least the Mist Points and Recovery Cards are decent."

But Colin soon stopped thinking about that. Narrowing his eyes, he recalled the words he'd just heard.

After a brief moment of thought, his breathing suddenly quickened and his body trembled. "Frost Stone. Search inside the houses and see if you can find any whitish stones."

Before long, one of his men came out of a half-collapsed thatched hut with a palm-sized white stone.

Colin drew a deep breath when he saw it. Niter!

He suddenly understood why the hint had said there was something here he desired.

After all, how many people could resist the lure of fireworks and firecrackers?

But to the Suffering Citizens, this stuff was called Frost Stone and used to make ice.

Colin was sure that this substance hadn't become a weapon in this world's civilization. Otherwise, things would have looked very different.

At their level, they'd probably only figured out how to make fireworks, which were useless against a ruling class with extraordinary abilities.

As a result, there was even less chance of it being developed.

Colin then collected the bread and blood from his daily quest, put them away, and gazed into the distance.

"If nothing unexpected happens, the mine should be close."

From the hint, Colin had determined that the "thing you desire" was less than half an hour away.

As for the Trigger Quest, he had no plans to do it just yet. By his estimate, hardly anyone could complete a quest like that at this stage, so he wasn't worried about someone else claiming it.

Taking a deep breath, Colin quickly calmed down. He found this stuff much more interesting than the ordinary weapons the system offered.

"Lord, you seem a little excited. Did you find something good?" Shana asked curiously, handing him the stone bowl. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten and drunk so well.

"I found something very good. You'll see soon."

The corners of Colin's mouth lifted slightly.

Niter was incredibly important.

He'd seen sulfur and charcoal on the Trade Market. If he wanted some, there would probably be plenty available, but there was no niter.

Even when Colin deliberately listed a few pieces of meat, nobody offered to trade niter for them.

Besides, it wasn't just a few pieces he'd found. It was an entire mine!

As long as he found the raw materials, he could synthesize them directly at the Synthesis Table, skipping the entire process of drying, grinding, and other steps.

He'd be able to wield immense power right away.

Based on what Colin had learned so far, the vast majority of monsters couldn't withstand artillery and explosives. That included the Lord-level Aberration.

In other words, unless conventional weapons proved ineffective, he could blow up as many monsters as came his way.

This initial stockpile would give Colin enough resources to quickly build up his strength in the Gray Fog World and grow even stronger.

"How are the injuries coming along?" Colin asked, eager to see the stone mine.

Number Two hurriedly replied, "Thanks to the Holy Light Priest's help, they've all been treated."

"Keep moving."

"Yes!"

With his heart burning with anticipation, Colin picked up the pace. They encountered several more Aberration attacks along the way, but dealt with them all easily.

The vast majority of the monsters were killed by Shana.

Halfway along, Shana volunteered to take the lead and help everyone fend off the monsters.

Colin considered how Shana's personal attributes seemed just a little different from what you'd expect of a typical priest. He agreed and told the others to make sure to protect her.

But he soon realized that there was no need to worry.

Colin and the others watched as she cast "Blessing of Courage" and "Light Shield Technique" on herself, raising her strength to 4.1. Then her fists began to glow, and she started taking down one Aberration with every punch and one Elite Monster with every three.

Before long, Shana was at the very front by herself, while the others lowered their axes and followed behind her.

The sight reminded Colin of a meme.

A fake healer nervously cast healing spells amid the pained groans of her teammates, crying and shouting, "Don't die! Don't die!"

A real healer stopped danger before it could happen, protecting a group of teammates who could only squeak and whine behind her. Before a monster could hurt them, she punched it to death and eliminated the threat.

Skull-crushing, head-smashing, bone-breaking, sweeping legs out from under enemies, punching monsters seven or eight meters away—every strike landed with full force, a brutal beauty that perfectly embodied the phrase "saving lives and healing the wounded."

"Lord, I didn't disappoint you, did I?"

Shana, about 1.6 meters tall, turned around with the Bible tucked into her waist. Her hands glowed white, and vapor drifted off them as the Aberration blood evaporated.

Blood splatter from the Aberrations she'd beaten to pieces stained her delicate profile and her white clothes with their gold trim.

It gave her saintly appearance an indescribably sacrilegious beauty.

But when she turned around, everyone except Colin instinctively took half a step back.

How could I possibly be disappointed? Colin quipped to himself, but he smiled without letting it show. "Your strength is impressive."

To be more accurate, it was terrifying.