Chapter 7
Uuuung, uuuung, uuuung.
"It's not working well."
A faint aura of divine power overflowed from Callias's body.
His holy power was 4th class.
Not only the amount of divine power but even its purity had changed beyond recognition compared to before.
In this world, holy power is strength.
And the utility of divine power is boundless.
Concentrating holy power in the eyes?
'Vision increases.'
One can see quite far.
Imbuing holy power into the ears?
The level of hearing increases.
Then what happens if one makes holy power flow evenly throughout the entire body?
The answer is.
"Physical abilities temporarily increase."
[Callias von Zervan]
[Class] – Pilgrim
[Holy Power] – 4th Class
[Divine Power] – 2971/3251
[Talent] – [Bard's Blessing - Supreme (Zuishang)]
[Traits] - [Shi En (Corpse Grace)] [Noble's Duty] [Prodigal of the Count Family] [Shi Shi Zuo Fei (Past Wrongs at Death)] [Prodigal Son of the Order] [Glutton]
[Stats]
Strength – 19+(10)+10
Agility – 15+(10)+10
Dexterity – 7
Health – 15+(10)+10
Faith – 20
As can be seen, physical abilities originally rose by +10 each due to the purity of holy power reaching the 4th class, but when wrapping divine power around the entire body like this, an additional +10 is added.
To Strength, Agility, and Health.
A whopping 10 more is added, making it a level that cannot be ignored.
"Look at how the divine power is dropping."
However, it cannot be maintained for long.
Divine Power – 2442/3251.
Because the divine power was depleting at a rapid pace.
At this rate, most of the divine power would be consumed in about 15 minutes during combat.
"It'll be difficult to use in actual combat like this."
That was why he was training.
He was emitting divine power from his entire body while walking. He was circulating holy power inside his body and gathering it in one place.
Originally, divine power is the faith in the gods.
Something borrowed from the gods as the price of devotion.
Therefore, this is the power of the gods.
As such, divine power is an aura that is both one's own power and not one's own power.
It resides in my body, but it feels like it's not mine.
To explain it more easily, it's like this.
"It's around my skin, but it doesn't stick to my skin."
Because of that, drawing holy power into the body and circulating it is no easy task.
It is similar to a cardiopulmonary exercise of inhaling and exhaling air.
Once inhaled, divine power is exhaled again. The exhaled divine power loses its aura and cannot be used again.
It requires a certain amount of recovery time.
Therefore.
Callias was currently training to contain divine power within himself.
To prevent the divine power that entered his body from leaking back out. He was training to hold onto it.
A form of storage.
Wouldn't it be more efficient to harbor divine power in one's own body than to draw it from the atmosphere to activate cells?
Of course, it wasn't a baseless action either.
'A trait needs to unlock though.'
It had already been over three years since he started doing this.
Slowly, a speck-sized amount of holy power was taking root in his lower abdomen, little by little.
Just a little more now.
With just a little more, the holy power will completely settle and open up a trait.
To the pilgrims of this era, divine power was merely borrowed strength.
There were rarely any pilgrims who tried to do what Callias was doing.
"Even if there are, it's about up to Paladins."
Only those Paladins who had found their swords and were ordained by the Order.
It was a training method only possible with their level of experience and enlightenment.
In this place, the concept of discipleship was faint, and even if it existed, they wouldn't teach everything they knew. Wasn't that one of the characteristics of those bound by religion?
"Realizing it on one's own is what gives it meaning."
Because of that, there were almost no people who trained like Callias.
Furthermore, the training he was doing was.
'A Unique grade technique.'
[Wanhua Fengliu (Late Flower Peak Six)]
Grade – Unique
- Six buds blooming in the late season.
A technique that maximizes efficiency by creating buds inside the body with divine power.
Upon mastery, the six buds will bloom all at once, and petal-shaped sword qi will overflow from the sword tip of the one who learned it.
A Shengong (Divine Art) consisting of a total of Shi'er Fenghua (Twelve Peak Flowers)—creating six buds, making them bloom one by one into six flowers.
Wanhua Fengliu.
Originally, a technique created by Saint Stella, an unparalleled genius and highest-ranking Paladin who disappeared hundreds of years ago.
Her hidden divine art, 3 years ago.
Callias inherited it.
The first thing he found upon receiving his new life here was Stella's Wanhua Fengliu.
As the saying goes, the darkest place is under the lamp; hidden near the flowerbed of the Valterus Order was Stella's Wanhua Fengliu.
Of course, since he was the one who created such settings, Callias could truly realize that this place was a world inside a game only after finding Wanhua Fengliu.
"Still, it's not going well."
It can clump together, but making it into a bud is difficult.
Perhaps the technique was still premature for him, it just wouldn't work.
Both creating the technique and hiding it came from his own head, but he couldn't actually learn it himself, which made him furious.
Already three years.
He hadn't even achieved the first bud of Wanhua Fengliu.
But Callias did not give up hope.
Previously, it was because he fell short of the required level, but now it was a bit different.
Physical abilities tempered through quests.
A constitution changed by the Glutton trait.
And the improved quality of holy power.
That was bringing a ray of hope to Callias, who had miserably poor talent.
'Not much left now.'
The threads of divine power gathered in his dantian came together one by one and coiled roundly.
The holy power in his dantian, which had only clumped together like a speck of dust, had now grown to the size of a bean.
Beads of sweat trickled down Callias's forehead.
The sweat flowing down his cheeks gathered at the tip of his chin and dropped to the floor with a pat.
And right at that moment.
"Ah."
Callias's footsteps stopped.
The silver light radiating from his body faded, and he breathed heavily.
"That's it for today."
[Divine Power – 353/3251]
It was because he had consumed most of his divine power.
There was still a long way to go, and it was a perilous forest path where anything could happen.
He had consumed most of his holy power due to his immersion, but he couldn't go any further here.
Since it was the era it was, all sorts of variables existed here.
For example.
"Bandits, or monsters."
Or pilgrims.
Because such dangers existed, he couldn't consume all his divine power and focus solely on training.
Besides.
'They said Oliorlo was occupied by the rebel army.'
The flow of the story was faster than expected.
At this rate, Luteon's apostasy and the pressure of the heretics would become even more severe.
He could no longer afford to relax.
He had to move quickly.
"For now, I should head to Trista."
Trista, known as the largest entertainment city even in the Kingdom of Carpe.
He planned to head to the famous Trish Auction House there to gather the other ingredients for the holy water.
The path of the Pilgrim would see wars raging more and more frequently, and the emergence of heretics becoming more common.
Because of that, internal strife would break out in the Order, and the kingdom would become a mess.
The north would be busy with monster invasions, and taking advantage of that, the Empire would try to swallow up Carpe.
Wherever he went, his life would be in danger.
Inside or out, there was no safe place.
Shouldn't he at least make holy water to create a means to protect himself?
"It'll be a long time before I can snatch that damn old man's Naoqingjian."
Callias muttered to himself and moved his steps again.
The destination was Trista.
Carpe's largest entertainment city.
* * *
Inside the Valterus Order.
The leader of the moderate faction, Bishop Albato, called aside a pilgrim.
"Pilgrim Esther Sol Silliad greets Bishop Albato."
"Oh, Esther. Come on in."
Pilgrim, Esther Sol Silliad.
She was a pilgrim with brilliant, water-colored hair as radiant as the sun.
Esther's blue eyes sparkled like crystal, making it look at a glance as if she was always crying. Because of this, she earned the moniker 'Weeping Esther'.
It was a nickname born from her sparkling eyes, but she hated that moniker.
So, those who called her 'Weeping Esther' mostly lost their teeth or broke their noses to her fists.
Bishop Albato, briefly reminiscing about old memories, smiled with satisfaction.
"Right, the reason I called you is because a task has come up for you to do."
"What is it?"
Answering with an expressionless face, Esther seemed almost inhuman.
Albato smiled bitterly at her appearance, which was like a single sculpture.
"You must go to Trista."
"Trista..."
"As you know, apostates are emerging one after another, and the kingdom's situation is not good either."
In the midst of all that.
"There is a pilgrim suspected of possessing a holy relic. He's a guy you know well too."
Albato handed her a document.
The name written there was none other than.
"Callias von Zervan..."
Her brow, which had maintained an expressionless look, narrowed for a moment.
"The leader of the hardliners, Bishop Millimen, sent an Inquisitor. But that Inquisitor is Raiven, the Iron Inquisitor. He is Bishop Millimen's man."
If.
Callias really possessed the holy relic, and it fell into Raiven's hands.
"We must not let Bishop Millimen possess the holy relic."
The leader of the hardliners, Bishop Millimen.
He seemed prudent befitting his position as leader, but he was quite a reckless person when it came to heretics.
That was probably due to the seed of revenge planted in his past, but in the current situation, Bishop Millimen's goal would put both the kingdom and the Order in danger.
"Provoking the Empire does us no good. It's still the time to curl up and stockpile our strength."
That was why he called Esther.
Esther Sol Silliad, the greatest swordsmanship genius showing the highest growth within the Order currently.
Her genius and devotion were such that she was even mentioned as the next Saint.
She was more than qualified for this task.
"I understand."
"I've made the preparations. You just need to depart. Since it's Trista, it's not a place you have no ties to, so you shouldn't have any difficulties. Who knows. This time, what you're looking for might appear at the Trish Auction House."
Bishop Albato, nodding his head, interlaced his fingers and stretched his back.
"Bishop Albato."
"Yes, do you have any questions?"
"Yes. What if Pilgrim Callias doesn't have a holy relic?"
What if he doesn't have a holy relic?
Hmm.
"If there is no direct or indirect evidence of connection with heretics either, it means he is innocent of any crime."
If he has no holy relic and no connection to heretics, he has no crime.
Even if I just come back...
"It would be fine to challenge him to a duel of swords, right?"
"Hm? Uh... That doesn't matter, but."
"I understand. I'll depart immediately."
Click.
Esther's footsteps as she closed the door and left somehow looked light.
A duel of swords.
"Did she have bad feelings toward Callias? I didn't know that."
To think Esther, who rarely showed her emotions, would come out like that.
Bishop Albato smiled bitterly.
If he had a holy relic, he would die as a sinner, and even if he didn't, it seemed he would die by Esther's hands.
Dying would be all the same.