Meanwhile…
A tall woman stood calmly at the entrance of a remote city inside the Gresh Kingdom. The gentle wind ruffled her reddish auburn hair, and she tucked the few strands behind her ear.
"I am here."
Alex grew slightly nervous looking at the gigantic golden gates. The city was very impressive.
Even from the outside, the place was spectacular, with various showy artful buildings dotting the land.
Just like Yleka city and royal city, this place also should have become extremely popular.
In fact more popular because the city was rumored to house an exceptional number of virgins and beautiful women.
But nothing like that happened mainly for one reason, not everyone was allowed inside the city!
Only people who have done enough quests to gather a sufficient amount of divine fame points and temple contribution points were allowed inside.
People who received a direct invitation like the one Alex did were also allowed inside.
However, these were not the reasons that she was nervous. She was tensed because of the strange quest she had received.
Not only was the quest vague but the time she received it was also very unusual. She couldn't help but feel the anticipation build up within her.
She wanted more power, needed more power. Would this quest be the solution to her problems? There was only one way to find out.
She took a deep breath and stepped into the gates of the city. Unlike any other place within the Kingdom, this was a lot more serene and tranquil.
There were no vendors lining up the streets. There were no hawkers or groups of players crowding around everywhere.
Instead, there were big trees, beautiful sculpted buildings, gardens, and koi ponds. She did come across a few NPCs who flashed a kind and gentle smile as they walked past her.
Alex as well naturally smiled in return. In fact, she was feeling a lot calmer now and continued strolling down the street, inhaling the warm nourishing air.
The main temple was located up the hill a few miles ahead so she headed over there directly.
In spite of being anxious about the quest, she also wanted to attempt it and learn more about it as soon as possible. The exploration of the city had to wait until after she had dealt with the quest.
Alex quickened her pace and walked along the winding path up the hill that lead to the entrance of the temple.
The scenery on the way was breathtaking. There were all sorts of flowers, trees, wild plants, and herbs arranged neatly in various patterns.
They seem to be naturally littered around the path but at the same time, there was an underlying elegance that seemed to tie everything together.
A relaxing gentle fragrance wafted out of these plants calming the minds and rejuvenating everyone who took the path up.
The sound of the nearby gushing waterfalls also added to this ambiance.
Alex couldn't help but pause for a second and take in the whole atmosphere.
Perhaps because she had only just been in the nether realm, she could feel the stark contrast between the two places very distinctly.
One was like warm soothing milk while the other was like acid. For the first time, she realized just how much effect the affinity to an element could have.
She silently took a few more deep breaths and started walking up the hill again. This time she saw a couple of meditation pavilions scattered around amidst the flowery gardens.
A few women were seated on these pavilions, with their eyes closed and the light robes on their bodies fluttering to the whims of the wind.
"Ughhh…" Alex stared at them and then looked awkwardly at the attire she was wearing currently.
Unlike their clean thin silky robes that clung to their figures, the clothes she had on were gaudy, murky, and bloody.
No doubt hers would be more practical if a fight broke out, but when in Rome…
She quickly changed into a spare set of clothes she had, a clean shirt and a pair of linen pants. It was not what they were wearing but at least it was clean.
She let her hair hang loose and continued walking.
Since there were almost no players around, she did not have to cover herself from top to bottom and she used this rare chance to air out her insides.
Now she felt a lot more at ease and enjoyed the walk, soon reaching the entrance of the temple.
The huge marble structure with gold interlaced resembled the royal palace in several aspects. However, the two buildings were very structurally different.
While the palace sprawled out horizontally occupying a lot of lands, the divine temple was more like a pagoda extending vertically.
It was clear that the entire city was built around this particular hill, with the divine temple at the center.
"Greetings sister, may I help you?" One of the attendants wandering about on the premises of the temple came over to Alex and asked. She had a warm smile on her face.
"Yes, I am here to meet priestess Xuraksa." Alex casually tossed out the name of the person from the quest she had received.
But unexpectedly, the woman in front of her seemed visibly surprised. Her mouth even made a little o. "High priestess Xuraksa? Please, sister. Come this way."
Alex nodded and to her surprise, the temple attendant personally escorted her inside the huge temple and just like that, her nerves that had only now calmed down, again started to flare up.
The minute she took the first step into the temple, she felt a vague pressure on her body. It was a weird feeling as if something or someone was watching her from somewhere.
But when she looked around, there were only pristine white marble walls and white marble floors with the occasional dull grey pattern.
There was really nothing else around her. However, the feeling she had was unmistakable.
Just as she was mulling over this, she took another step forward, and suddenly the space in front of her twisted and she was no longer standing on the hallway of the temple's ground floor.
"Hey!" Alex staggered back in shock. She immediately took out her sword and her shield defensively, her heart pounding against her chest.
However, nothing happened and after she had a chance to calm down and take a breath of two, she noticed an elegant, goddess-like woman sitting atop a golden throne.
"Welcome to the divine temple, young paladin."
Alex blinked and nodded, unable to avert her eyes from the strange person. The woman also had a warm smile just like the temple attendant but both were definitely not the same.
There was mysterious pressure that exuded from this goddess that was absent from the other one.
Alex recovered and quickly put away her sword and the shield. She had a feeling that even if she had these it was completely useless.
She could tell that there was a chasm of difference between her strength and the strength of this goddess, who was most probably...
"Priestess Xuraksa?"
"Yes, my child. I am high-priestess Xuraksa." The woman continued smiling while her eyes were solidly fixed on Alex.
Feeling very exposed, Alex shuddered slightly and then scrambled for words, "I am… I am here to take the Vow of tenacity?"
"Of course, child." The priestess smiled. It looked like she was done with her scanning. "I am the one who sensed your spirit a while back and called you here."
"Ah… I mean… Thanks." Alex awkwardly gave a return smile. "So how should I-"
"Ha Ha. You don't have to do anything complicated. You can simply take the vow in your heart." The priestess chuckled lightly.
Alex still looked confused so she explained a bit, "You don't have to be so nervous. In a way, these vows are nothing special."
"They are nothing but promises we make to ourselves. In this case, you are making a promise to yourself to fight tenaciously and never give up even in the face of impending death."
"If that is something that you want to do, you can take the vow. Otherwise, you can also ignore it, child. There is nothing wrong with it. It is entirely up to you."
Alex nodded. She now had a better understanding of the whole quest, though she had a small nagging doubt at the back of her mind that things couldn't possibly be so simple.
"A promise to myself huh… never giving up…"
The moment she thought about it, the obvious disadvantage stared at her in the face. This meant that she would not be able to run away from any enemy?
As if reading her thoughts, the priestess smiled and said, "It is not about fighting or fleeing child, it is about fleeing once you decide to fight."
"Ah." Alex nodded. "Ummm… if I may ask, would this give me anything in return?"
"Of course, it will. If you make a commitment to yourself, it will strengthen your resolve, will power and determination at your weakest, when you need it the most."
Alex had wanted some sort of numbers but it looked like vague cryptic answers were the only ones she was going to get.
She thought about it for a second and then decided to accept it. She was a tank after all and more importantly, she was always the last to leave a fight, so it suited her well.
"Ok. I will do this." She did not know what would happen once she did but it was worth finding out.
She closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and thought to herself. 'I always promise to fight back and never give up."
Given how everything had gone so far, she did not expect anything and was about to open her eyes but unexpectedly, something strong gripped her.
Cough. Cough. Alex clutched her throat, gasping for breath. She felt suffocated like she was six feet underwater. She did not know what to do.
It was as if something was clutching or chaining her heart or her very soul. It made her feel imprisoned. She was getting buried alive.
Alex fell down on the marble ground and twitched uncontrollably, but she seemed to lack any and all control over whatever was happening.
There was only pitch-black darkness everywhere. She did not even know how long it persisted.
She bit her lips hard, drawing blood, in some sort of attempt to keep her sanity, but it was of no use. She really felt as if she was going to die.
At that moment, she just wanted to die even if it was to end the choking sensation that was gripping her.
However, suddenly something snapped.
Just as she was struggling, the same words that she had spoken just a second ago once again flashed in her brain.
'I always promise to fight back and never give up."
It was like a chant. It repeatedly echoed inside her like a repaired tape recorder. Soon she even forgot that she was not able to breathe and a warm feeling spread across her body.
This feeling gave her strength and a kind of unique power.
[Ding. You have gained a new skill]
[Ding. You have learned 'Vow of Tenacity']
[Vow of Tenacity - Passive skill; When your health drops below 2%, all your stats receive a 200% boost for 10 seconds]