“Does this even make sense?”
Only three Paladins were sacrificed.
From those three, I gained 14 Holy Powers.
On top of that, I acquired one Trait and two Skills.
‘It’s not just one stat per sacrifice.’
Above all else, I learned one fact for sure from this incident.
While I don’t know the exact criteria, it turns out that one sacrifice doesn’t necessarily yield only one stat.
There was another difference as well.
“Last time, the Adventurers combined only had 13 Holy Powers…”
The Holy Powers I gained from sacrificing Adventurers a while ago totaled 13.
This time, despite only sacrificing three Paladins, I gained a whopping 14 Holy Powers.
“Even with the same stats, the amount gained varies depending on the subject.”
At best, an Adventurer provided 1 Holy Power.
In contrast, two Paladins gave 5 and 9 Holy Powers respectively.
In the continent of El Dorado, people fundamentally believe in the Goddess.
That’s why the White Church holds such power.
“It wasn’t strange for Adventurers to provide Holy Powers.”
That’s because so many people believe in and follow the Goddess.
However, Paladins are officially affiliated with the Church.
Unlike Adventurers, they provided more Holy Power.
To summarize:
If you need Holy Power, find a Paladin.
Then, if you need Magic Power?
Just like with the Paladins, you should look for a Mage this time.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you always get what you want.
“I got the Mana Circuit and Fireball, but I didn’t get any Magic Power stats.”
There were Mages among the sacrificed Adventurers.
I acquired related skills, but not Magic Power stats.
Instead, I only gained Holy Power.
Ultimately, what you gain depends purely on luck.
I immediately checked the stats I had obtained.
[Acquired Stat List]
– Holy Power × 14
– Goddess’s Faith (D) × 1
– Judgment of Light (B) × 1
– Holy Shield (C) × 1
– Goddess’s Faith (D): Trait. This trait manifests when a follower’s loyalty and faith towards the Goddess become excessive.
First, the D-rank Trait, Goddess’s Faith.
This trait isn’t really significant.
It’s a simple ability that appears when faith becomes excessive.
It’s something usually possessed by members affiliated with the Church, but it was said that not having it wouldn’t cause any major issues.
Therefore, having thisTrait didn’t change anything.
“This one isn’t very useful.”
I immediately checked the next skills.
– Judgment of Light (B): Skill. Deliver a powerful judgment with holy light. It unleashes a potent light attack on enemies, eradicating evil.
There is bonus compensation based on the Holy Power possessed.
– Holy Shield (C): Skill. A shield created with the Goddess’s protection and holy energy. It blocks enemy attacks by swinging the shield.
There is bonus compensation based on the Holy Power possessed.
“Did I get something decent this time?”
Judgment of Light and Holy Shield.
These are skills used by the Church’s Paladins or Inquisitors.
I acquired an appropriate attack skill and a defense skill, and the descriptions clearly explained why the Church’s skills are formidable.
“In the end, high Holy Power is what matters.”
Even a C-rank skill could achieve efficiency above its rank depending on the Holy Power an individual possessed.
It was similar to the Goddess’s Heal skill I obtained last time.
Of course, there were differences because the Goddess’s Heal skill’s rank was directly tied to the Holy Power’s rank.
“If that’s the case, then reinforcing my Holy Power first is the right move.”
Last time, I reinforced Maru’s Holy Power 13 times.
Thanks to that, Maru’s current Holy Power is E-rank.
At the moment, I need Holy Power more, as I am only F-rank.
I immediately touched the screen.
– Do you want to reinforce the stat Holy Power to the Dungeon Master ‘Kanghyeon Lee’?
– Once reinforced, abilities cannot be reverted.
And I continued to repeat the process.
– Do you want to reinforce the stat Holy Power to the Dungeon Master ‘Kanghyeon Lee’?
– Once reinforced, abilities cannot be reverted.
After reinforcing all 14 Holy Powers, I confirmed that my Holy Power rank had risen to E-rank.
“Not bad.”
There’s still a long way to go, but I can gradually climb up.
Since I was reinforcing anyway, I also looked into acquiring additional skills.
“Hmm.”
Attack skills and defense skills.
Both were appealing skills.
At first, I considered giving both to Maru, but I shouldn’t neglect my own reinforcement too much.
Most importantly, the Holy Shield skill is suitable for me to use right now.
I immediately started reinforcing.
– Do you want to reinforce the skill Holy Shield (C) to the Dungeon Master ‘Kanghyeon Lee’?
– Once reinforced, abilities cannot be reverted.
When I touched reinforce, this time a different effect appeared.
A powerful light emanated around me and enveloped my body.
As if that light was absorbed into me, it disappeared shortly after.
“Fortunately, there was no pain.”
The pain I felt when acquiring the Mana Circuit last time was too intense, so I was a bit anxious.
But fortunately, there was no pain.
I immediately wanted to check the parts I had obtained.
“Status window.”
[Traits]
– True Dungeon Master (EX)
– Demonic Sword Master (S)
– Mana Sensitivity (A)
– Mana Circuit (B)
[Basic Information]
Health: C+
Attack Power: B
Defense: C
Magic Power: A+
Holy Power: E
[Skills]
– Knighted (S): Maru (Active)
– Holy Shield (C)
– Fireball (E)
– Goddess’s Heal (E)
My Holy Power rose to E-rank.
And as my Holy Power rank increased, the Goddess’s Heal skill also rose from F-rank to E-rank.
“Not bad.”
With this momentum, I considered learning Judgment of Light as well, but that wasn’t it.
“It’s not a skill I particularly need.”
Perhaps if I obtain another skill later, but for now, it wouldn’t be of great use to me.
It seemed like giving it to Maru wouldn’t be a bad idea.
– Do you want to reinforce the skill Judgment of Light (B) to Maru (★★★★)?
– Once reinforced, abilities cannot be reverted.
I immediately reinforced the skill to Maru.
Even though I didn’t need it immediately, it felt like a waste to just let it sit idle.
After all, Maru’s combat power is my combat power.
We are in the continent of El Dorado now, but if Maru returns, he will be a great help.
“Speaking of which, Goddess’s Faith…”
Among the abilities obtained from the Paladins, the only one remaining was Goddess’s Faith.
This trait served no purpose other than indicating faith towards the Goddess.
It wasn’t particularly special, and its rank was only D.
“What should I do with this?”
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with a practical use.
“Should I put this on hold for now?”
Honestly, even when I was part of the Church, I had heard that this Trait was optional, meaning it didn’t matter if you had it or not.
And for me to have it myself, the thought of “Why bother?” was unavoidable.
“Let’s just leave it.”
Just because it’s not useful now doesn’t mean it never will be.
Therefore, I decided to put this Trait on hold cleanly.
I touched Maru’s name and glanced at his abilities as well.
– Rank: ★★★★
– Race: Skeleton
[Traits]
– Flexible Movement (F+)
[Basic Information]
Health: B-
Attack Power: B+ ( +1 rank bonus due to Demonic Sword)
Defense: C
Magic Power: C
Holy Power: E
[Skills]
– Loyalty as a Knight (S): Kanghyeon Lee (Active)
– Judgment of Light (B)
Maru still lacked in stats.
However, at the same time, his growth potential was high, so I wasn’t worried.
Provided, of course, there were sacrifices.
This matter was outside my jurisdiction, so I decided to wait patiently.
As I was thinking about when Maru would return, I looked at the ramen made by Coco.
And the moment I took a bite.
“What? Why does this taste like this?”
I put down my chopsticks.
“Coco, come here.”
At my words, Coco approached.
“Why is this ramen so spicy?”
Coco went to the kitchen at my question and returned with something.
“Capsaicin?”
No wonder the taste was so spicy.
But Coco’s actions didn’t stop there.
Coco naturally started pouring more capsaicin into my ramen.
“?”
What is this bastard doing?
Confusion filled my mind.
* * *
Maru and Celia were still talking.
The topic had changed, but the goal of serving the great Master remained the same.
“If it’s for Master, then Maru-ssi should also learn to do things on your own.”
“Snap!”
Maru responded to Celia’s remark.
“For example, finding out what Master needs quickly.”
Maru listened to Celia’s words.
Indeed, such aspects were important.
“Currently, Master desires the Sail Kingdom the most.”
“Snap?”
This was the first I had heard of it.
However, Maru focused on Celia’s words.
Is this the kind of foresight that makes one a Chief Administrator?
“And as I mentioned earlier, the Kingdom is currently in great turmoil.”
The Kingdom was experiencing severe conflict.
The King and the nobles who followed him, the Royalists.
And a confrontation with the Aristocrats, nobles who asserted noble authority.
Even if not immediately apparent, the Kingdom was in an extremely unstable situation in the long run.
Moreover, the White Church had also sided with the Aristocrats.
In such a situation, the King had few cards to play.
“Therefore, we must step in.”
Celia smiled and took out a document.
“This is a contract with the Underworld Merchant Guild. We mainly use this to purchase what the dungeon needs. Conversely, we also sell spoils obtained from Adventurers.”
Maru looked at the contract.
It listed various items traded, including dungeon expansions and even food ingredients for Goblins.
There were also weapons, and most importantly, records of monster troop trading.
“Snap snap snap?”
Maru questioned upon seeing the contract.
Recently, the trading records for monsters showed the acquisition of several Skeleton Knights.
Why?
The dungeon Maru knew was rich in troops.
There was no need to bring in additional troops through the Merchant Guild.
Yet, they brought in Skeleton Knights, even consuming Magic Stones.
Was this truly necessary?
“As expected, you’re quick on the uptake.”
Celia smiled and replied to Maru’s observation.
“As we carry out Master’s will, we have restrictions on our activities here. That’s why we brought in monsters from the Merchant Guild, where there are no restrictions.”
“Snap!”
Maru nodded as if he understood.
“Although it leads to hefty expenses, there’s no problem. These will all change the tide of the Kingdom’s war.”
“Snap?”
“I gave Princess Irena a gift.”
* * *
“Haha, this is enough to understand the Church’s intentions.”
Count Beerton said with a sinister expression as he looked at the person in front of him.
Count Beerton.
He was a noble who knew that the White Church was the first to infiltrate the Sail Kingdom with Paladins.
At the same time, he was the leader of the Aristocrats, who were in disarray due to Count Derek’s absence after the sword fight incident.
In front of him was a Paladin who had infiltrated from the White Church.
It was Vice Captain Liana.
She had visited Count Beerton to convey the Church’s intentions.
‘If this matter is resolved well, the King will become useless.’
With the Church’s support, the tide had turned.
Moreover, this incident was not something that could be overlooked by the Church or the Kingdom.
After all, priests and Paladins of the Church had disappeared.
If they remained silent, the Church’s authority would be significantly undermined.
Ultimately, if they made this incident an issue, the King would lose his authority and fall.
If that happened, the nobles would become the true rulers of the Kingdom.
‘Princess Irena is someone who can be dealt with with a mere flick of the wrist.’
Now, there was no one standing in his way.
“I trust that you will handle this well, Count. The Church will never forget your favor.”
Vice Captain Liana said so and raised the contract she had given to the Count.
Subsequently, her hand emitted light, and the contract burst into flames.
Currently, the Sail Kingdom was in a state of confrontation between the Royalists and the Aristocrats.
And the White Church harbored ambitions of advancing into the Demonic Realm, using the Sail Kingdom as a base.
In this situation, the atmosphere of the Sail Kingdom was not unfavorable to the Church.
It was true that the White Church’s influence was limited due to the Sail Kingdom’s distance.
However, by supporting the Aristocrats, the Church had created a small opening.
This meant that the Church could now exert influence over the nobles of the Sail Kingdom.
Liana rose from her seat.
Count Beerton also rose to follow her.
“No, please rest here more comfortably. Haha.”
Count Beerton generously offered a seat, as his problems would be solved by these people.
Although it was a bit early, he intended to invite them until dinner.
“It’s alright. There are many things to do before the Church officially begins its operations.”
However, Liana shook her head and politely declined.
No, her expression showed a slight frown.
She seemed displeased, but Count Beerton didn’t notice.
“Ah… in that case, it cannot be helped. I will formally invite you next time, Vice Captain Liana.”
Liana rose from her seat and looked around.
There were several knights armed in armor around.
They were fully armed from head to toe, without any gaps.
As if noticing Liana’s gaze, the Count proudly opened his mouth.
“These are the knights who assist me. They are all loyal fellows who protect my family.”
Pride was evident in his voice.
Conversely, Liana felt displeased.
It wasn’t because the knights were kept on standby at this meeting.
It was because the aura emanating from the knights was unusual.
“…….”
Moreover, it was an unpleasant aura.
Although it was not clear due to the armor, something was felt.
Liana tried to approach them.
“Vice Captain.”
A subordinate approached from behind and whispered softly.
“There’s a problem.”
A problem?
“Three personnel have gone missing.”
Liana frowned.
While Liana was talking to the Count, her subordinates were gathering information.
However, three subordinates had disappeared.
“Let’s head out immediately.”
Liana headed outside, forgetting the unpleasant aura she had felt moments before.
At this point in time, any variables were unacceptable.
