Chapter 23. Sanctuary Purification.
“Sanctuary purification, huh?” Isaac knew about it. In the game Nameless Chaos, taking over certain key ‘strongholds’ let the occupying faith have more power in that area.
Those strongholds were the sanctuaries. Purifying a sanctuary meant erasing the old faith and establishing a new one. After devouring the fallen god in the sanctuary, Isaac expected a different message, not a demand for sanctuary purification.
“Shouldn’t it go back to the codex of light?”
Another message appeared.
[This sanctuary is tainted by the ‘Rat Mother.]
[It can be dedicated to any faith.]
[Erasing the old god’s remnants in the sanctuary brings new blessings.]
[The faith’s blessings get stronger within the sanctuary.]
It wasn’t exactly spelled out, but it kinda felt like the Nameless Chaos had its sights set on taking over Zihilrat’s remains, you know?
Isaac mulled it over.
Those tentacles were a bit of a nuisance, but also kinda like a secret weapon for Isaac. Dealing with Zihilrat would’ve been way tougher without the Nameless Chaos. Isaac might’ve lost it without that divine protection, or who knows if he’d still be kickin’ after all this time.
Making the sanctuary official would amp up those blessings from the Nameless Chaos.
‘It’s definitely a win for me, but…’
Is this really the right move for the world?
Isaac pictured those tentacles sprouting from his body, going on a wild spree of destruction. He didn’t want the whole world going through that mess, not even himself.
“What if I skip purifying the sanctuary?”
[If the sanctuary stays unpurified, that old god could pop back up any minute.]
Isaac, who was thinking of just brushing it off, made a face. He was holding things together for now, but if Zihilrat came back when he wasn’t around, those monks could be in some serious trouble.
Sure, dedicating the sanctuary didn’t mean a swarm of tentacle monsters would suddenly show up and wreck the place. Isaac knew the drill of this whole game system.
In this world, gods didn’t just go around doing their own thing.
They worked through their followers and priests, dishing out miracles and orders. Even if the Nameless Chaos had some shady plans, with Isaac as the lone go-between, pulling off anything crazy would be a tough sell.
‘That’s why evil gods mess with minds or twist things up…’
At least, the Nameless Chaos hadn’t messed with Isaac’s head or made him do anything too out there. It nudged him into quests, sometimes begged or threw fits, but never put him in real danger or made him lose everything.
Isaac finally made up his mind.
“I’m dedicating this sanctuary… to the Nameless Chaos.”
He had to purify the place. Wiping out Zihilrat’s leftovers and filling it up with the Nameless Chaos was the way to go. And for his own good, having a sanctuary was a major plus.
***
Rumble.
The moment Isaac spoke up, the sanctuary rumbled with a weird vibration, bringing along a sweet smell. The tentacles stretched out, diving into the heart of the altar.
They spread out as they dug into the core, wrapping around everything. The stone altar cracked and crumbled under their power. The walls and floor twisted in a freaky way.
Then, bursting through the altar, a huge heart appeared.
Thump.
With every heartbeat, Isaac felt a surge of power. The thumping went on, echoing through the underground. Each pulse filled him up with strength.
But that wasn’t all. Isaac felt like the whole monastery, now a ‘sanctuary,’ was his own skin. He could sense those plague beasts Zihilrat left out in the hills, the contamination in the grass and trees, and where all the folks in the monastery were. He could tune into everything.
So, Isaac basically had this all-knowing vibe within the walls of the sanctuary.
Feeling overwhelmed by this rush of info, Isaac stumbled back. As soon as he stepped away from the altar, the flood of sensations faded.
‘Does this all-knowing thing only work near the altar within the sanctuary?’
It was like Isaac had become the Nameless Chaos itself. He’d played his fair share of paladins and priests, but this sanctuary business was a whole new level. Maybe this was some special trick of the Nameless Chaos.
Isaac checked out the tentacles spreading out from the altar, reaching in all directions like they owned the place. Muscles and nerves were squirming in the cracks of the ancient stone walls, and blood vessels were throbbing like tree roots, casting a weird mix of red and purple light all around. The underground space of the monastery looked less holy and more like the belly of a beast nobody wanted to meet.
‘The monks would pass out if they saw this,’ Isaac thought to himself. But as long as he wasn’t planning to take over the monastery, he figured the monks could keep chanting their prayers without a clue about the monster mash below their feet.
Once Isaac did his altar makeover, the tentacles shuffled back to his left hand, buzzing with a stronger life force than ever. This power boost could’ve easily knocked Zihilrat off his feet in their last tussle.
A message popped up from the mysterious Nameless Chaos, watching from the sidelines. Isaac wasn’t entirely sure about his actions, but it was too late for second guessing. He felt a bit more secure that he wouldn’t meet a sudden demise in or around the monastery, at least for now.
Another message popped up, offering three rewards for his ‘Sanctuary Purification’ efforts. He had to choose between enhancing his tentacles to get nastier, gaining the ability to peer into people’s heads, or summoning some chaotic monstrosities for backup.
Isaac mulled over the options. ‘Devouring Harvester’ would ramp up his tentacles’ attack power, eye-poppingly so. ‘Creeping Chaos’ promised him some beefy monsters to do his bidding, a tempting offer for a solo player like himself. But in the end, Isaac went with ‘Eye of Chaos.’
The reason? The Inquisitor. Understanding people’s inner workings was just what Isaac needed to navigate the human world as a Nephilim trying to score some brownie points. This eye-popping ability could up his charm game, useful for dealing with folks like the Inquisitor snooping around the monastery.
‘Now that Zihilrat’s out of the picture, things should calm down here. The Inquisitor will bounce back soon. I better figure out why she’s here and what she’s up to,’ Isaac strategized.
He wasn’t aiming to be a world-conquering monster king. He just wanted to fit in and thrive without stepping on too many toes. The mind-reading perk would be handy to dodge trouble like with the Inquisitor, a sneak peek into others’ intentions.
As soon as Isaac picked the Eye of Chaos, a sharp sting hit his right eye. It felt like something gooey was slithering over his eyeball. Spooked, he whipped out his mirror for a quick check. Red tentacle threads were now coating his eye’s surface.
“…?!”
As the tentacles settled on the cornea, his once deep grey eye seemed to have a red iris now. But hey, apart from the cool eye color change, there wasn’t anything too out of the ordinary.
‘Now for the last bit,’ Isaac said, turning his gaze to what was left of Zihilrat.
Even though the tentacles had been munching on Zihilrat’s body for a while, most of the meat was still untouched. Isaac had been hoping to chow down on the leftovers to absorb some powers, but the tentacles weren’t cooperating.
‘Is there a specific part I shouldn’t snack on?’ Isaac wondered, eyeing the remnants of Zihilrat.
He then came up with a plan to make use of the remaining body.
