Chapter 1487 – 1487. Paladin: The Journey Of Eradication
[Name: Eugene
Class: Paladin
Level: 70
Strength: 42 Agility: 20 Stamina: 20 Divine Power: 37
Available Points: 5
Skills: Holy Sight (Lv. Master), Holy Aura (Lv. 7), Holy Sword (Lv. 7), Sprint (Lv. 3), Holy Light (Lv. 3), Divine Enhancement (Lv. Master)]
Five available points.
I used all the points on Divine Power.
This time, I killed the undead and the corrupted in Salrot Castle and leveled up five times.
Level 70.
Compared to the game progression, it was an absurdly high level. Originally, in the Valentiere region, which could be considered the early part of the game, it was difficult to exceed level 50 even after completing all the sub-quests and defeating the Great Demon Suton.
‘I used the Holy Spear route to kill the Great Demon Suton relatively easily.’
Even if I hadn’t used it, I didn’t think I would lose. I still had trump cards like Complete Recovery and Heavenly Heart.
‘Five available points.’
My style is to use stat points as soon as I level up. Saving the points that can increase stats only makes me suffer.
‘It would be good to increase strength to maximize destructive power… but Divine Power is important for the next Great Demon.’
But I have the Divine Mind. With the effect of the Divine Mind, I don’t necessarily need to invest in Divine Power. However, relying solely on the Divine Mind feels ominous. The enemy I have to face is a Great Demon. I shouldn’t forget that.
‘…I’ll increase Divine Power. The stat efficiency is lower compared to strength… but there’s no harm in increasing Divine Power.’
Divine Power affects most skills. With sufficient Divine Power and skill levels, I can wipe out dozens of low-level demons or corrupted in one go.
‘I’ll use all of them on Divine Power.’
I increased Divine Power by 5.
‘What’s left is the Blessing Aura. It’s quite accumulated, as expected from purifying the soul of a Great Demon.’
First, I chose two skills. They were skills I had been eyeing for a while.
[Resurrection (Lv. Master) is bestowed upon you.]
[Descent (Lv. 1) is bestowed upon you.]
Resurrection was a skill that allowed me to resurrect once every three days. Combined with Complete Recovery, it was as if I had two extra lives.
‘Just like Complete Recovery, I resurrect in top condition.’
The blessing of resurrection.
I’m sure it’s the best value skill.
‘Other paladins or saintesses don’t even know about the existence of the blessing of resurrection.’
Unlike me, who can see the system interface, other paladins and saintesses cannot see things like the system. They cannot objectively know their own stats. The same goes for the Blessing Aura. Most other paladins either enhance their existing blessings or choose known blessings.
I checked the remaining Blessing Aura.
There was still a lot left.
I was torn between three skills. With the Blessing Aura I had now, I could only choose one of the three.
‘Perfect Body,’ ‘Wings of Dawn,’ ‘Sacrifice.’
Perfect Body, a skill that could maximize physical abilities.
Wings of Dawn, which maximizes mobility.
Sacrifice, which temporarily creates a miracle by sacrificing oneself.
Each had its pros and cons.
Sacrifice is a skill for high-level players in the game. It’s a skill that increases attack power at the cost of lowering maximum health.
‘It seems the skill itself has changed since this is reality. The penalty is stronger. But the power must be stronger as well….’
How much stronger could I become through Sacrifice?
I was curious.
‘I have Resurrection and Complete Recovery. Perhaps Sacrifice is the most efficient of the three.’
I chose Sacrifice.
[Name: Eugene
Class: Paladin
Level: 70
Strength: 42 Agility: 20 Stamina: 20 Divine Power: 37
Skills: Holy Sight (Lv. Master), Holy Aura (Lv. 7), Holy Sword (Lv. 7), Sprint (Lv. 3), Holy Light (Lv. 3), Divine Enhancement (Lv. Master), Resurrection (Lv. Master), Descent (Lv. 1), Sacrifice (Lv. 1)]
The settlement wasn’t over yet.
There was still one thing left.
I took out the Great Demon’s Heart from the inventory.
The Great Demon’s Heart can be used in many ways. If I make an elixir, my stats will increase by at least 10, and if I make an item, I can get what is commonly called an end-game item. But all of those are inefficient.
‘There’s only one most efficient use. Master skill enhancement.’
Splash.
The Great Demon’s Heart fell into the Holy Pond.
“Paladin?!”
Amelia was startled and approached the Holy Pond.
“It’s okay. Don’t be surprised. There’s no need for a purification ritual. The Great Demon’s Heart is different from the Great Demon’s soul.”
The Great Demon’s Heart that fell into the Holy Pond disappeared as if it were melting. A blue light rose from the Holy Pond. The blue light circled around me. At the same time, some skills in the skill window glowed.
Holy Sight, Divine Enhancement, Resurrection.
The skills with Master level were glowing, asking to be chosen. This time, I moved my hand without hesitation.
[Enhance Holy Sight (Lv. Master).]
[Holy Sight (Lv. Ultimate) is bestowed upon you.]
“Ugh!”
Pain surged into my eyes. I knelt down involuntarily from the unbearable pain. It was the pain of billions of tiny bugs eating away at my eyes.
“Paladin?!”
A startled Amelia approached me. I could feel her high purity of Divine Power. I spoke before she could use healing magic.
“…It’s okay. It was just a moment of trial. I’m fine.”
I stood up again.
On the surface, my Holy Sight hadn’t changed. The winged cross symbol, the symbol of the Order, was still engraved in my blue glowing eyes. But what I could see had changed.
‘Now I can find not only demons and the corrupted, but also those damned heretics.’
Those who cooperate with demons even though they are not corrupted.
Heretics. And those called demon worshippers.
‘I have come to see the sins of humanity.’
I smiled contentedly. With this, I would gain more experience.
“…The power of Holy Sight has become stronger. Did you offer the Great Demon’s Heart to the Goddess?”
The saintess asked, admiringly.
“You could say that.”
I looked at her. She was pure. I couldn’t feel even the slightest sin that any human should have. I wasn’t surprised because I already knew. She was a saintess who was ready to sacrifice everything.
“You are pure.”
Now that I could see sin, I could feel how outstanding her value was.
“Me…? No. I’m not as pure as you think, Paladin.”
“Really…?”
“Yes. Sometimes, without realizing it… I have bad thoughts.”
“That’s how humans are. Sin doesn’t accumulate just from thoughts. But the moment the heart surrenders, the story changes. I’m sure your heart won’t break.”
“Thank you for believing in me. Sometimes, it seems like you believe in me more than I believe in myself.”
“You are…”
Without realizing it, I reached out and grabbed the saintess’s cheek and chin under her veil. It was soft. It felt like it would break with just a little force.
“Paladin…?”
“Sorry. I was just spacing out for a moment.”
I immediately lowered my hand.
For a moment, I felt a desire to possess her. It was a shameful thing for a paladin.
“Is the influence of the Great Demon still lingering in you, Paladin?”
“Maybe so.”
Unlike saintesses, paladins were beings who could fall into corruption. Corruption must always be guarded against.
“Let’s do a purification ritual again.”
“No, it’s okay. You must be tired from conducting purification rituals for three days. As you know, there’s no sign of corruption in my body right now.”
“I want to do a simple purification ritual. Please, Paladin.”
“……Alright.”
I sighed and said. It was rare for her to ask so earnestly. A simple purification ritual wouldn’t take long.
I took off all my clothes and lay down in the Holy Pond. Showing her my naked body was as natural as daily life.
The purification ritual was boring.
Unlike Amelia, who was concentrating, I was just lying still in the holy water.
Usually, paladins pray to the Goddess Herianne at this time. But I had no desire to pray at all. Prayer didn’t suit my nature. Finding and killing demons and the corrupted was my prayer and faith to the Goddess.
Then, another thought suddenly came to mind. I raised my hand so as not to interfere with the purification ritual. I focused and stared at my own hand.
‘I can see sin.’
Unlike the pure saintess, it was dirty, as if thick filth was sticking to it. Of course, I wouldn’t regret what I’ve done so far just because of this.
‘The paladin’s sins are borne by the saintess.’
I don’t know how exactly the saintess bears the paladin’s sins. I don’t need to care either. The saintess is a scapegoat, but she must have already received the price of sacrifice from the Goddess.
“It’s over. Fortunately, there’s nothing strange about the Paladin’s body.”
I got out of the Holy Pond and asked while putting on my clothes.
“Is there any information about demons rampaging nearby?”
“No. With the news of the Great Demon’s death spreading, Valentiere is more peaceful than ever. Paladin, please rest more at the sanctuary.”
“Okay. Resting isn’t bad either.”
I had killed most of the demons and corrupted that were active in Valentiere. Now that the rumor of the Great Demon’s death had spread, all the mediocre demons and corrupted would have fled.
“I’m bored. Can you play with me?”
“Of course.”
The saintess’s voice was slightly excited.
The saintess and I sat facing each other at the table and played poker. She took off her veil and made facial expressions. Unlike the first time, she naturally maintained a poker face. The first time we played poker, she couldn’t maintain a poker face. She was overly excited about the first game. She didn’t even know the rules of poker properly.
But now she was quite good. It was impossible to tell what cards she was reading just by her expression. I checked my hand. It was pretty good from the start. I was aiming for two pairs.
“When will the reforging of Valentiere’s Holy Sword be finished?”
“Thanks to the materials you have been steadily providing, Paladin, it will be finished soon.”
The materials she was talking about were the byproducts of demons.
“What’s the reaction from the Papal State?”
“Not only the Papal State but everyone in the world is rejoicing. Everyone is praising you, Paladin.”
“Really? Two pairs.”
“Full house.”
“……”
I lost.
Of course, I didn’t despair just because I lost one round.
“Two pairs.”
“I also have two pairs.”
Her numbers were higher.
“…Three of a kind. I think I won this round.”
“Flush.”
“……”
2 wins and 8 losses.
With the wins and losses so clearly divided, I had no choice but to admit it. She had better poker luck than me.
