Yuel was a novice priest of the White Church.
Technically, he hadn’t been officially ordained as a priest, but no one considered him a novice.
Yuel’s ability was ‘Eye of Omniscience.’
He could see through the minds of objects and living beings.
The White Church utilized his ability to interrogate heretics or root out infidels within the church.
In fact, he was treated as if he were a saint.
It was fortunate for the church if either a saintess or a saint appeared in an era, but in this case, both had appeared.
The church knew this and granted Yuel many privileges.
However, as he was not officially a saint, they required him to act as a novice priest until he was officially ordained. Of course, this was merely nominal.
In reality, a paladin was assigned to Yuel’s side.
It wasn’t just that.
He also had a holy relic that could deal damage to a 5-star monster, along with an inventory artifact.
What was a 5-star monster?
It was a being known to be capable of destroying a small to medium-sized city on its own.
He was provided with a holy relic that could inflict damage on such a being?
It was a testament to how much the church cared.
Simply by existing, he was on the verge of becoming an official priest.
Without the ‘Eye of Omniscience,’ Yuel, who came from a commoner background, would never have received such privileges.
However, Yuel was uncomfortable with these privileges.
He knew that there were people who harbored resentment because he was treated as if he were a saint.
Perhaps there were more people who thought that way. No, using his ability, he confirmed there were indeed many.
Therefore, Yuel had no intention of accepting the church’s offer.
If he became an official priest without doing anything, it would only lead to more complaints.
They would say he rose to power with a single trait, without any real ability.
In the worst-case scenario, even if he attained a high position, would people acknowledge it?
To eventually control the White Church, he needed an opportunity.
Any incident that demonstrated his worth would suffice.
If he resolved an incident himself, the rumors about him would subside.
With that thought, Yuel took the paladin assigned to him and traveled to various places.
He especially climbed the mountain ranges of the Sail Kingdom, where monsters frequently appeared.
Since there was no one to stop him, there would be no problem.
After climbing the mountain for some time, a good opportunity presented itself.
Letters appeared in Yuel’s vision.
[Evil God’s Nest]
It was clearly a forest on a normal mountain path.
Countless vines grew around the trees, obscuring everything at first glance.
As Yuel approached and cleared the vines with his hand, a cave revealed itself.
“I don’t feel the aura of a dungeon.”
He had confirmed it with his ‘Eye of Omniscience,’ so it was unlikely this cave was a dungeon.
Yet, the designation ‘Evil God’s Nest’ appeared.
‘It’s not a dungeon… Could it be a hideout for heretics?’
Yuel’s thought had some logic.
What was an Evil God?
It was a god worshipped by heretics who denied the Goddess worshipped by the White Church.
However, it was unlikely that the Evil God had directly descended upon the world. Even if it had, a prophecy would have been given in advance.
Furthermore, that cave was not a dungeon. No presence could be felt from the outside.
Considering these factors, it was likely a hideout for heretics who worshipped the Evil God.
The fact that they even disguised it with vines suggested they were thorough.
“Fortunately, I don’t feel any presence.”
Yuel and the paladin stepped inside the cave. Contrary to its appearance, the interior was surprisingly large.
The passage extending downwards was of an unmeasurable length.
This was especially true because of the darkness of the cave.
Not even a common torch was hung on the walls…
“Priest, something is strange.”
The paladin, leading the way, said, placing his hand on his sword. Yuel agreed with his statement.
No presence could be felt.
He wondered if it might be ruins, but there wasn’t even a trap.
While he felt relieved that nothing was happening, an uneasy feeling lingered.
Perhaps it was an abandoned place.
Still, just in case, Yuel continued forward, fiddling with the artifact. It was a holy relic provided by the church.
The paladin had already drawn his sword. As the two proceeded with caution, they heard a woman’s voice.
“Oh my, we have guests?”
They turned their heads in the direction of the voice.
“A, a maid…?”
“It has horns! Be careful, Priest!”
The owner of the voice that appeared in their eyes was a woman in a maid’s outfit. However, seeing the horns on her head, they easily surmised she was a monster.
Yuel discreetly activated his ability, but no information about the target appeared.
‘What trick is this?’
The ‘Eye of Omniscience’ was an ability that worked on monsters up to 5-star. He had never used it on anything stronger, but he assumed it would work. The reason he wasn’t certain was that Yuel himself had never seen a 6-star monster. And such a being could only be seen very rarely in the Demonic Realm, known as the land of death. Yuel thought the opponent was using some trick to evade the ‘Eye of Omniscience.’
“Who are you! I am Priest Yuel, a member of the White Church!”
Yuel shouted while presenting his church identification. Although he wasn’t a formal priest, suppressing the presence of the unknown opponent was the priority.
“Reveal yourself immediately!”
Yuel deliberately shouted, but contrary to his expectations, the opponent was composed. She even responded with a smile.
“I am Celia Ishar, a humble servant to the Great One. May I ask why you have come here?”
The being before him introduced herself as Celia Ishar. The most important part was her statement about serving a great one.
“The Great… One?”
It was obvious without even needing to ask. She was likely a heretic who worshipped the Evil God. He had to immediately punish these heretics in the name of the church.
“Paladin!”
At Yuel’s shout, the paladin swung his sword and moved forward.
-Clang
However, the paladin’s sword was blocked. The monster before them neither dodged nor blocked. She simply stood still as the sword was swung.
“No…!”
As the blocked paladin tried to pull back.
“To intrude upon the Great One’s dungeon and then to attack without provocation. Are humans this way by nature?”
Celia Ishar’s grip on the paladin’s neck intensified.
“Tch.”
He felt his strength slowly drain from his body. Enduring the fleeting moment, he could only groan, feeling the vivid pain transmitted to his neck. The holy sword, sharp and straight, which he had intended to use to cut down the monster before him, had already fallen from his grasp and rolled on the floor.
‘What is this?’
The pain that had been constricting his neck vanished. The only emotion he felt now was comfort.
‘Strange.’
A comforting sensation washed over him. Then, suddenly, someone spoke to him.
‘Dad!’
It was his daughter’s voice.
‘Ah, no.’
He couldn’t speak. His daughter was clearly in front of him.
‘Honey, you should eat quickly.’
And the voice from behind. His wife. His wife and daughter, who should have died from monsters, were present before him. Ah. How hard his life had been after his wife and daughter died. Driven by hatred for monsters, he dedicated himself to the church and wielded his sword. Tears streamed from his eyes.
‘Mom, Dad is crying!’
‘Honey, are you alright? Did you have a bad dream?’
Yes, perhaps he had been dreaming all this time. A terrible, dreadful dream that shouldn’t exist.
‘You are happy now, right?’
His wife spoke to him with a smile. He was happy. He wanted to say he was happy, but strangely, his voice wouldn’t come out. Then, what did it matter? He was so happy now. He wanted this moment to last forever.
‘You are truly happy right now, aren’t you?’
Yes, if this wasn’t happiness, what else could be?
………
……
…
“You are truly happy right now, aren’t you?”
Celia Ishar chuckled and released the paladin’s neck. The paladin, for some reason, was smiling and even shedding tears.
“What have you done?!”
To Yuel’s eyes, an extremely bizarre scene was unfolding. The paladin, who had been in pain with his neck held, was suddenly smiling.
“I merely showed him a dream.”
“A dream…?”
That’s right. Celia Ishar had used a skill. A skill she obtained upon becoming 6-star.
[Dream Manipulation]
It was a skill that manipulated the target’s dreams, showing them hope while draining their life force. The paladin’s dream was being manipulated, and his life force was being drained in real-time. Unaware of this fact, Yuel deduced that Celia Ishar was a succubus from the word ‘dream.’ He also recalled the church’s report that a succubus had escaped from a sealing stone.
“You…!”
He immediately took out a chalice-shaped object from his inventory. It was a high-grade artifact, a holy relic, provided by the church for emergencies. This was an emergency situation. A monster that escaped the church’s seal was a serious matter.
The holy relic in Yuel’s hand emitted light. It was a holy relic imbued with divine power strong enough to deal with 5-star monsters. In contrast, the opponent was merely a 3-star succubus. Yuel was confident that she would disappear without a trace upon facing the divine power of the holy relic. If he could just take care of her, his standing would improve even a little.
That anticipation lasted only briefly. As the light receded, Yuel’s face contorted in shock. He had clearly used the holy relic. Yet, the opponent, seemingly unaffected, stood there with a smile. She even uttered incomprehensible words.
“Ah. This outfit, did my Master see this far? As expected, you are a magnificent being!” Celia Ishar spoke, looking at Yuel.
“Divine power has no effect on me.”
– *Nod*
“All of this is the foresight of the Great One. Heh, isn’t it truly magnificent?”
Yuel’s body trembled. She wasn’t a 3-star.
‘I can’t win against this…!’
He had to flee immediately. He had to inform the church. The opponent was no mere 3-star succubus. He had never imagined the existence of such a being. She was truly a monster. If he could just escape this place, he would quit being a priest. He decided he would go to some remote village and live a quiet life. He didn’t want to die.
‘Please…’
In the desperate situation, Yuel’s thoughts mixed frantically. He didn’t even understand what he was thinking himself. Perhaps hearing Yuel’s wish, Celia Ishar maintained her smile and spoke gently.
“If you wish, you may go. Priest.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Yuel ran. He was anxious, afraid the succubus might change her mind. His deliberation was short. He just ran. He kept running with only the will to survive.
The paladin? Who cares? He had to survive first. Yes, this wasn’t a betrayal. If he survived and went out, wouldn’t it be possible for a rescue team to come later? So, it was definitely not a betrayal.
After running for some time, he saw light before his eyes. The hope of finally getting outside arose. With a sigh of relief, he ran into the light.
“Ah–”
At that moment, Yuel’s vision was cut off. Yuel’s body, consciousness severed. He hadn’t left the dungeon in the first place. A small altar formed as the dungeon expanded. Yuel’s body ended up placing itself on the altar. Celia Ishar, satisfied with the sight, smiled.
* * *
– Celia Ishar has stopped the intruder.
– Novice Priest ‘Yuel’ has been offered to Master.
– Absorbing Yuel’s abilities. (Remaining time: 6 hours)
Suddenly, an alarm popped up. Kanghyeon Lee looked at his phone.
“What is this?”
Celia Ishar was the dungeon’s subordinate officer. Of course, he had set her to manage the dungeon, but this was an unexpected alarm.
“Wasn’t the dungeon supposed to be cloaked? Where did she come from?”
The dungeon cloaking effect had two functions. One was the permanent concealment of the dungeon’s aura, and the other was hiding its location for seven days. With six days remaining, he hadn’t deployed any monsters or traps for dungeon defense. Yet, an intruder suddenly appearing was baffling.
Was it a simple bug? He decided to observe it for now and contact customer service if it happened again, then pressed the close button.
“But why am I so tired?”
Suddenly overcome with fatigue, Kanghyeon Lee put down his phone and fell into a deep sleep.
– Absorbing Yuel’s abilities. (Remaining time: 5 hours 50 minutes)
– Absorbing Yuel’s abilities. (Remaining time: 5 hours 40 minutes)
Leaving Kanghyeon Lee asleep, the smartphone alarms continued to ring. Time passed, and eventually, six hours went by.
– Yuel’s abilities have been absorbed.
However, since Kanghyeon Lee was still asleep, he couldn’t check the alarm. The alarm didn’t end there.
– ‘Eye of Omniscience’ has been applied to Kanghyeon Lee.
– Warning! Conflict detected!
– Kanghyeon Lee does not possess a status window, so he cannot acquire traits.
– A special diagnosis is being issued to resolve the current error.
– ‘Eye of Omniscience’ is being used to resolve the error cause.
– Kanghyeon Lee has acquired a ‘Status Window’ instead of ‘Eye of Omniscience.’
– The alarm will be automatically deleted in 5 minutes.
