Chapter: 281
Woosh!
The Unwavering Will has been the driving force for my growth until now.
If it weren’t for that skill, I wouldn’t have been able to endure the harsh training in the Allen Family.
Is that all? Without Unwavering Will, I would probably be curled up in a corner, utterly defeated by now.
The countless crises I’ve faced aren’t something an ordinary person living in peace could endure!
In the game, it only had an instant-death immunity feature, but if this skill evolves even further, how will it change?
Will I be able to rise no matter what trials lie ahead?
Or will I become so calm that nothing can shake me, no matter the situation?
Ding!
[Your heart, unyielding even in the face of death, is truly that of a hero!]
[The skill ‘Unwavering Will’ evolves into ‘Hero’s Spirit’!]
Hero’s Spirit?
This skill surely doesn’t exist in the game, right?
So, there’s a new skill added now?
[‘Hero’s Spirit’]
[The hero will not crumble in any situation, and shall create miracles amidst crises.]
Ah. So that ‘not crumbling’ part in the description basically inherits the previous ability, right? Maybe it’s even stronger than before.
And the phrase ‘shall create miracles amidst crises’ seems to imply that something activates when I face a crisis.
I’ll have to verify the details, but I can guess this skill is definitely a good one.
Just having Unwavering Will was a huge boon, so if it’s been even further enhanced…
I wish there was a clearer explanation, but good is good!
Ding!
[You put your life on the line to save others. A reward is bestowed upon that noble heart.]
[‘Path of the Saint’]
[When you willingly strive to do good, a blessing shall be given to you.]
This is also a skill that didn’t exist in the game.
The description being vague is reminiscent of earlier.
If I interpret it at a glance, it seems like a positive buff when taking right actions?
I get the feeling, but I have no idea how exactly the skill functions.
I can’t even grasp how to verify it.
Ughhh! Seriously. Lord Armadi.
I’m really grateful that you might be rewarding me beyond my struggles.
Thanks to you, I’ve overcome countless crises, so how could I harbor thoughts of ingratitude?
However, I have one request.
Please! Could you provide a proper explanation when you bestow skills that don’t exist in the game?
I’m not asking for stats! Just let me know exactly what functionality it has!
Even for the Weakness Identification skill I got before!
That skill, which can be used in various ways beyond battle, I didn’t even know about until I verified it!
There might be hidden functions even now!
And this skill is no different!
I need to figure out how this skill works, but how am I supposed to know if its usability ends there or if there’s more to discover!
This isn’t a game, you know!
I can’t even crack open the client or verify it through collective intelligence!
Even the status window is absent, making any self-verification rely on gut feeling—so why do you keep throwing vague descriptions at me?
I already have enough risks being your sloppy little apostle! Can’t you help me maximize the functionality of these skills?
Ding!
[Having perfectly executed the order given as an Apostle of God, a fitting reward must be bestowed.]
[The hidden function of ‘Ruel’s Mace’, ‘Soul of the Hero’, opens up!]
[‘Soul of the Hero’]
[The source from which a hero could be called a hero in the past. Though faded with time, that authority still remains.]
This text is impossible to guess at all now.
Wow. Imagining the verification from scratch sounds so exciting!
…
What does the hero’s power even mean!?
At least give me some clue, so I can verify or not!
I let out a sigh in frustration as I held in my anger.
What can I say? My sloppy and incompetent Lord seems to enjoy watching me struggle.
I have to roll around and verify things. For now, let me duel with the grandpa in practice mode to check various things.
Ding!
While waiting for the verification process, another notification went off.
Is there still a reward to give?
Seems like you think the scale of this incident was quite significant.
I mean, it’s rude to refuse a gift when offered, so I’ll gratefully accept—though I hope this time there’ll be a proper explanation!
Please!
I’m already feeling queasy. If I add one more thing to verify, how much more will I have to suffer?
Ding!
[The Evil God of Darkness, Tariki, has had his plans disrupted.]
[A feat so remarkable that various gods are taking notice!]
[Your divine status rises to a new height!]
This one is somewhat intuitive!
Thank you for fulfilling my request!
But wait, this is a reward that’s also in the game!
I know what happens when the status rises! Buffs get added to various abilities that use divine power!
…
Huh? That’s odd?
Why are my eyelids suddenly feeling heavy?
I’m not that tired… yet…
Ding!
[Your wish has been acknowledged.]
Woosh!
After entrusting the aftermath to the Apostle of the Arts Church and returning to the mansion, Johan first tidied up his disheveled appearance.
As a clergy, he believed one should always present themselves in a manner that wouldn’t embarrass them in front of God.
Once all the cleanup was done, as he headed to the reception room, he spotted Phoebe carefully carrying a tray with refreshments.
“Saintess?”
As Johan spoke, Phoebe flinched, causing the teapot on the tray to nearly topple over, but Johan managed to grab it just in time.
“Bishop! Are you okay?! That must be super hot!”
“I’m fine. I’m protected by divine power, you see.”
As Johan gently set the teapot back down, he opened his palm to show that there were no injuries.
“I’m sorry! I…”
“No, it’s my fault for startling the Saintess. Don’t worry about it.”
Johan said this as he took the tray from Phoebe.
She let out a small noise of disappointment but handed it over quietly.
“It would be easier if you let the maid of the Artea mansion handle it.”
“I… want to do it myself.”
Phoebe, who had hesitated, finally answered in a small voice, and Johan smiled.
Maybe she wanted to serve the young lady directly and hear that she did a good job.
What a childish thought.
The notion that someone with the title of Saintess should have other responsibilities crossed Johan’s mind, but he quickly realized that Phoebe was still just a child.
Someone who craved a friend to laugh and talk with, not having yet reached adulthood.
In the past, Johan couldn’t even entertain such thoughts. Phoebe had been someone he believed he should hate.
He had compromised with reality, so he kept watch over her, but ultimately a person he wanted to eliminate—this had been Johan’s view of Phoebe.
However, that perspective had changed now.
Having faced a certain incident.
In the center of Burrow Territory, she was preparing to perform miracles when suddenly, Phoebe’s face went pale.
Her teeth clattered.
Cold sweat poured down.
Her legs gave way, and she barely used her staff to hold herself up.
“M-my apologies!” she muttered repeatedly, a scene that Johan had witnessed in the past.
She had been completely devoured by the Evil God.
While working on the scene, Johan had seen many colleagues consumed by the Evil God’s voice.
No matter how strong someone’s spirit, they couldn’t escape on their own.
Even young Johan had nearly lost his mind in confronting the darkness.
Because of his past experience, Johan had tried to knock her out before she fell completely under the Evil God’s influence, but he couldn’t act on that decision.
The moment he moved his hand, Phoebe’s eyes shone brightly.
At that instant, Johan froze.
A human had shaken off the Evil God’s curse with sheer will.
Even after being devoured, she had emerged from that hell.
What he witnessed was truly worthy of being called a miracle. How could he remain calm?
As he watched Phoebe, staggering yet determined to fulfill her duty, Johan thought to himself.
Maybe he had been wrong all along.
Even if she were a false saint, the faith and will she carried within her could still be genuine.
With that steadfast heart, at least.
Johan still couldn’t reach a definitive conclusion.
However, there was one thing that had changed.
Johan decided to view Phoebe not as the corruption of the Church of Jushin but as a person.
“I will return this before going back to the reception room.”
“…Huh?”
“Then won’t the Saintess be able to serve the young lady?”
As Phoebe gazed quietly at Johan’s face, her cheeks tinted a light red, and she soon broke into a shy yet bright smile.
“Thank you very much, Bishop.”
“Not at all.”
Thus, when the two arrived at the reception room with a lighter atmosphere than before, the door swung open, revealing their figures.
One was Lina, the forest’s owner, and the other was Lucy.
It was common knowledge that Lina always followed Lucy, so it was no surprise to see them together.
Only if Lucy hadn’t collapsed into Lina’s arms, that is.
“…Young Lady?!”
“Lady!”
Lucy had fallen.
So unexpectedly.
Thud!
Ugh. My head feels like it’s going to burst.
It’s like I’m more hungover than the day after celebrating becoming an adult, where I didn’t know my limits and drank until I passed out with friends.
“Are you awake?”
As I clutched my aching head and opened my eyes, the face I saw was one I recognized from every night.
“Grandpa.”
“Grandpa.”
“Yeah. It’s me.”
Ah, this is practice mode. Why am I here? I was definitely checking the rewards from my sloppy God.
“Um…”
“Grandpa, did I collapse?”
“Sort of, but no need to worry. It’s a normal reaction when your divine status rises.”
When I tilted my head in confusion, Grandpa continued to explain.
“To put it simply, it’s changing to accept a divine power that a human body normally can’t.”
Ah, I get it. So it feels like a transformation-related thing?
Of course, considering how weak I am now, it’s not something that’s worth calling a transformation.
“When the time passes and the changes are done, you will naturally wake up. So don’t worry about it.”
Speaking of which, the last message I saw was about the rise of divine status.
…Wow. So I just collapsed while sitting in the reception room, huh?
That must have caused quite a stir.
But with Phoebe and Johan there, they’ll quickly figure out it’s not a big deal.
“So, um…”
“Does that mean I have to stay with the smelly grandpa until I wake up?”
“Can’t you just think that in your head? We can still communicate.”
“Sorry.”
Seeing Grandpa’s serious face, I quietly apologized.
I was only playing around with the Mesugaki skill, but he looked really stern.
It’s no wonder he’s not popular with the girls with such a narrow mind.
Anyway, that means I have to stay in practice mode until I come to my senses.
Works out well.
I meant to check the skill in practice mode anyway.
So, I’ll validate them together with Grandpa.
Ding!
Huh? What’s that?
Is there more notification left?
[The ‘Tutorial’ feature is added to the ‘Practice Mode’!]
…What’s this now?
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.