Subscriber of the Gods Chapter 360 - Secret Technique

The number of believers increased by 50,000.

The entire Lyubin once again became followers of Moonforce, greatly increasing Moonforce’s influence.

‘I was planning to activate the temple to grow my class.’

The situation turned out much better than expected.

“I should check it out.”

The survival probability that broke through the limit.

And a greatly grown class.

“I’ve never grown a class this much before.”

Ethan drew his Frost Sword.

Where he stood was now a barren plain where the desert sand had just receded.

“Hmm.”

Although the desert sands had disappeared, there were still quite a few massive hills formed by layers of accumulated sand.

“It seems the monsters chased out when the desert disappeared have gathered over there.”

Despite the considerable distance, Ethan could see the entire scene clearly.

Ethan clenched his fist.

“Normally, it would be out of reach.”

The distance was quite far, and Ethan usually doesn’t attack from this range.

“It’s perfect for testing.”

The current Ethan is clearly different from before.

“Haaah.”

Ethan exhaled a pure white breath.

Then he swung his Frost Sword.

Ethan Swordsmanship First Form

Frost Thunder

Shwaaaaaaak-!

With a thunderous roar, a shockwave shot out from Ethan’s sword at tremendous speed.

The speed was so fast that it looked as if it was stretching like rubber.

Kwagaang-!

“It hit.”

Not only the massive sand dune but also the mountain beyond it was split in half with a single strike.

Ethan grinned as he twirled his sword and sheathed it.

“The sensation is completely different from before.”

The strength of his entire body had changed so much that it would take time to adapt.

“Even at this level, it’s not the end of growth, is it?”

This is why growth-type classs are so fearsome.

‘At this level, I should be able to defeat the 3rd Apostle without much trouble.’

Of course, he’d have to fight the 1st and 2nd Apostles to know for sure. But at least he didn’t feel like he would lose.

‘I should be able to move freely in the Demon Empire as well.’

Ethan’s physical condition was that exceptional. The fact that he could have such confidence while bearing Extinction was practically telling in itself.

“Well then.”

Ethan prayed on the spot.

“What is the secret technique, Lady Moonforce?”

Judging by what the Evil God said, it seemed that a Moonforce’s Descendant would learn the secret technique upon reaching the pinnacle.

The Evil God, having fought Moonforce several times, seemed to know this well.

‘And he must have been sealed by that secret technique.’

Moonforce quickly answered Ethan’s prayer.

Ding-!

-Goddess Moonforce gives you a quest.

-You have received a quest.

<<True Successor>> Rank [SSS]

[The Moon Goddess Moonforce is greatly impressed by your capabilities. You have become the new leader of the Moonforce Order and are ready to made you a true descendant.]

[Reward: Moonforce’s Secret Technique]

“The place where the city of gods is?”

Ethan had a specific place in mind when he heard those words.

“The Celestial City. I think there was some legend about that there.”

However, the Celestial City was not a place he could go to right away.

That’s because the Celestial City was located in the Demon Empire.

“I can’t proceed with it right away. But there’s no rush.”

Thanks to the increase in believers and the significant growth of his class, he had escaped the uncertain situation caused by the battle with the 3rd Apostle.

Moreover, Ethan’s plan had just taken its first step. There are still a few more forgotten Moonforce temples remaining in the Holy Empire.

“After resolving all of that.”

It seemed he could move on to the Demon Empire after resolving the matters in the Holy Empire.

‘The secret technique, huh.’

Ethan was quite curious about this secret technique. The root of Ethan Swordsmanship, which now boasts explosive offensive and defensive power, was Moonforce’s power.

If it’s Moonforce’s secret technique, it must be an incredibly powerful ability.

“If I learn that secret technique, I might be able to complete Ethan Swordsmanship.”

After accepting the quest, Ethan headed towards the forgotten Moonforce temple.

Warriors were already dispatched to this place, now officially named as Moonforce’s temple.

“Ah! Count Ethan!”

“We are cleaning up this area as per Desert King’s orders!”

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Ah! Please, ask anything!”

“Please place Lady Moonforce on the first floor. She says she wants to watch over you all from the lowest place, not the highest.”

“…Yes!”

“Yes, understood!”

The desert warriors, no, now officially Lyubin warriors, had their eyes shining brightly.

Inside the temple.

Ethan, who had gone to the hidden Moonforce temple, lightly broke down the place he had blocked off.

“Apostle, thank you for your hard work until now.”

Ethan respectfully greeted Lesar, who had provided him with various information.

***

As soon as the Desert King awoke, the official succession ceremony was held.

“We had forgotten the god who protected us and lived on. But it will be different now. The god who always protected us has protected us once again, so now it’s our turn.”

“Waaaaaah-!”

“Long live Lady Moonforce!”

“Long live Her Majesty Rosir!”

“Blessings to Count Ethan!”

Rosir, who became the new Desert King, put forward several pledges.

“I intend to reclaim the traditions that Lyubin had lost. Now, Gaister is no longer a desert. As our Lyubin is no longer a desert city, we will develop anew to match that.”

Rosir spoke emphatically.

“The first thing we’ll do is erect a statue of Count Ethan Whiskers!”

‘…Well, this is.’

Ethan felt embarrassed but didn’t particularly refuse.

Before the succession ceremony.

Ethan had an in-depth discussion with Rosir about the future of Lyubin.

“Regarding this matter, I have three proposals to make. One is to build a massive temple in Lyubin. There are many believers who have come to believe in Lady Moonforce again, so they’ll need a place to pray.”

And the next was to pioneer the path to the forgotten temple.

“Most of the desert has disappeared, but there’s a tiny bit of desert left up there. The monsters have probably gathered there. This means the path to the forgotten temple is now safe.”

“It would be perfect to develop that area after refining and connecting that road. Certainly, Lyubin is small in scale right now.”

If development proceeds centered around the forgotten temple, or rather, the now widely known Moonforce temple, Lyubin will become a metropolis much larger than it is now.

Rosir’s eyes sparkled at Ethan’s words.

The look in Rosir’s eyes as she gazed at Ethan was not ordinary.

‘It can’t be helped.’

He had solved all of Rosir’s problems at once.

He saved the life of her father, who had gone into seclusion after being severely injured at the forgotten temple. He allowed her to instantly captivate the Lyubin chieftains who had been disregarding the royal family, and he even eliminated the Evil God, the root of all problems.

To Rosir, Ethan was a savior incarnate.

“And one more thing. This time, I’m thinking of erecting a statue of you, Sir Ethan. Of course, we’ll make a statue of Lady Moonforce too! I plan to talk about this during the succession ceremony. It’s the first thing I’ll do as the newly enthroned Desert King.”

Rosir waited for Ethan’s response.

“That’s a good idea.”

Right now, the worship of Ethan is greater than that of Moonforce. Whether they worship Ethan or Moonforce, it all amounts to the same thing – Ethan getting stronger.

Of course, Moonforce might feel a bit hurt.

‘Even if she feels hurt, there’s nothing to be done. I’m the leader now.’

Besides, Moonforce will understand, considering all the hardships.

“But please make it smaller than Lady Moonforce’s statue.”

“Ah… Alright.”

For some reason, Rosir looked quite disappointed.

But she seemed happy that Ethan had given permission.

“And the last thing is…”

Ethan, as the new leader of the Moonforce Order, gained a new authority.

He could now appoint apostles.

‘This is one of the most important things for me to keep getting stronger. The number of believers gathered will vary greatly depending on who I appoint as an apostle.’

Immediately, several suitable candidates came to Ethan’s mind.

‘The main criterion should be eloquence.’

Having a lot of mana or excellent swordsmanship are secondary priorities.

‘Well, magic skills are somewhat important.’

Appointing someone with excellent eloquence and magical skills as an apostle would be a great help in gathering believers.

‘Five names immediately come to mind.’

Of course, recruiting those five won’t be an easy task.

‘But well, persuasion…’

Ethan fingered the Frost Sword at his waist.

‘If I want to, it’s easy.’

Aside from those five, Ethan was thinking of making Rosir his first apostle.

Ethan knew various aspects of Rosir.

‘I even know what she was like when she was the Desert Empress.’

Her appearance when she was called the Desert Empress was quite impressive. While not as much as the Emperor of the Holy Empire, she had sufficient leadership as a ruler of this vast desert.

‘She’s younger now, but her abilities haven’t gone anywhere else.’

Ethan had given her one of the Desert King’s treasures. It was to unite Lyubin, but even with the Desert King’s treasure, uniting the chieftains wasn’t an easy task.

But Rosir did it right away. Seeing how she instantly won over the young chieftains, it seemed her eloquence was more than sufficient.

“The Moonforce Order doesn’t have that many people. There’s no one to spread Lady Moonforce’s will besides me.”

Rosir nodded at Ethan’s words. While the number of believers had increased greatly due to recent events, there didn’t seem to be anyone to lead those believers.

“So I’d like to offer you, Lady Rosir, the position of apostle in our Moonforce faith.”

“When you say the position of apostle…”

“It’s a position with many responsibilities and tasks. In contrast, there’s not much to gain.”

Rosir smiled at Ethan’s honest words.

“If you say it like that, I might refuse.”

“But you won’t refuse, will you?”

“Thank you for believing in me. I’ll do my best. I’m not the type to live only accumulating debts.”

Ethan extended his hand.

“I look forward to working with you, Apostle.”

“Yes, Leader!”

-You have appointed Moonforce’s first apostle!

***

Mercenary Captain Hanter, who had been waiting at the Gaister Oasis, was making preparations.

“He needs to come quickly.”

There was no more time to delay here. His comrade’s condition would be worsening by the minute.

“Leaving him with that dark mage… I’m worried.”

“He’ll be here soon.”

“If he doesn’t come, we’ll have no choice but to go look for him ourselves.”

“There’s no need for that, Mercenary Captain.”

“Ah, Count! No, no. I was just joking. You told us to wait, so we waited.”

When Ethan appeared, the mercenary group members straightened up and bowed. Seeing their uniform action, the Mercenary Captain felt a momentary bitterness.

“These bastards, they’ve never been this respectful to me.”

“How can you compare the Count to the Captain?”

“…Well, that’s true.”

The Mercenary Captain immediately prepared to leave.

“Let’s go. Before it’s too late.”

“Ah, yes! Understood!”

‘Dark Mage Entrosa.’

Ethan was thinking of recruiting him as an apostle.