Chapter 1. Candidate and Candidate (12)

“…What is this?”

I frowned and said, looking at the pile of books Ria had stacked in front of me.

“What you’re going to learn.”

“What I’m going to learn?”

“You’re living in the convent for now, but you’re planning to secularize eventually, right? Then, wouldn’t it be better to learn some useful information before you leave?”

“So, what I need to learn is the Encyclopedia of Creatures Beyond the Gate?”

The title wasn’t exactly that, but the content was similar.

“There’s no harm in knowing. If you don’t know the market prices, you’re likely to get ripped off.”

No, well, that’s true.

Hunters don’t become hunters for no reason. The existence of associations, which are practically corporations, wasn’t formed without reason.

The bodies of monsters from beyond the gate, or those that invade from beyond the gate, often contain materials beneficial to humanity.

From rare ores that exist in reality but are difficult to mine, to magic stones of types that cannot exist in reality.

If not, the meat of monsters is incredibly delicious and distributed as a delicacy in very small quantities… or special parts that function as genuine aphrodisiacs, not just rumors.

The means by which hunters, hunter associations, and even ‘heroes’ make a living is by obtaining such high-value resources and selling them for profit.

And of course, there are many scams.

“Even if you don’t work as a hunter yourself, aren’t there many things used in daily life?”

“……”

I sighed deeply, lightly lifting and then putting down the front cover of the book.

“…People often lump together creatures from beyond the gate and call them ‘monsters,’ but the classification used by hunters is actually different.”

“Huh?”

“Even if they look monstrous, ‘normal’ creatures that have simply undergone a different evolutionary process from Earth’s flora and fauna cannot be defeated by divine power, but beings that hunters truly classify as ‘monsters,’ which move using magic power as their primary energy source, are very vulnerable to divine power.”

I continued speaking.

“Beyond the gate, there are also beings that can be considered intelligent. Although the number of those capable of forming nations is very small, there are also those with complex cultures and histories.”

“…You know a lot.”

Ria said, looking at me with a rather peculiar expression.

“Hoo hoo hoo.”

I felt my shoulders straighten slightly. Just a little while ago, Ria had refuted me when I said there was no God, but this time I was able to completely exceed her expectations.

“Even if I look like this, I was academically in the top tier. I studied diligently.”

To live after secularizing, I need to know the common sense of this world.

In fact, what I read in the novel was somewhat helpful. After all, the only results related to gates that I directly saw were severely injured people, but at least I knew the practical aspects of the knowledge.

Moreover-

One of the nuns I didn’t get along with studied very hard. The fact that she received higher grades than me and then smirked at me every time she saw me was something I couldn’t stand.

If I’m going to step on her properly, I need to have something to brag about.

I don’t need to tell Ria about that, though.

“Well, I don’t know much about market prices, but I have enough knowledge to survive outside, you know? I wonder if they see me as a caged bird.”

At my words, Ria frowned and looked intently at me.

As expected, that’s what she’s thinking.

People are a bit strange. Perhaps because of this world setting, people are surprised that I was a Saint Candidate, and surprised that I can wield such power.

And usually, the former was ‘ignored,’ while the latter was ‘admired.’ The gap between them was quite large, and people who saw the divine power I wielded completely changed their perspective on me.

Still, the priest, the Nun Superior, and a few nuns who have seen that divine power for a long time treat me not much differently than usual.

…Although I can’t say that, considering I tried to use my status as a nun as a shield.

“Hmm, really? Then there’s no need to memorize this.”

“Were you planning to make me memorize it?”

I replied incredulously, but Ria immediately changed the subject.

“Then, have you ever tried training?”

“Training?”

Is she trying to make me a hunter? Hmm, maybe she’s still thinking of taking me to the association.

“…I have tried.”

I answered honestly.

Isn’t this novel a hunter story? Of course, I also admired the protagonist. I admired the hunter life too. Why, when you go to another world in an isekai story, don’t you first look into swords, shields, and armor? This was also another world by my standards.

It’s a world where there are people who swing swords, people who use magic, and people like me who can wield divine power.

That’s also why I wanted to go outside the convent.

While my atheism played a part in my rebellion to escape the Saint’s position, it was also because I longed for the lives of adventurers.

With the status of a Saint, I cannot go very far. It’s also difficult to go beyond the gates and interact with species that live only there.

To roam the world more freely, form parties with people, pioneer new places, and interact with civilizations I’ve never encountered- this dream is not unique to me, who came from another world. Isn’t it an enviable profession? It’s like aspiring to be an astronaut when you’re young, but it’s a much more realistic and possible profession than that.

“However, unfortunately, I don’t seem to have that much talent.”

Personally, I think I’m about average, but unfortunately, I don’t have the skills to become a ‘hunter,’ a pioneer of the era. It’s more possible than being an ‘astronaut,’ but it’s still not a profession anyone can have.

Not all churches have knight orders stationed, but they periodically send knight order instructors to select talented individuals. They conduct light training for volunteers to see if they have talent and then mark those who do.

When I was young, it felt like attending a taekwondo dojo, and when I got older, it was a system where I could receive quite serious training, but unfortunately, I have never been selected.

It’s a system that also operates for personal physical improvement, so I could train consistently, but, well.

…It seems the instructors who visit our church don’t think very highly of me. Well, it’s not strange to keep a distance from someone who has openly opposed the Cardinal.

Since it’s an organization that operates directly under orders from above, it’s not strange to keep a distance.

And my skills weren’t enough to be worth recruiting despite the risk.

I did consider showing my divine power to the knight order instructor, but, well.

…Even though I try to maintain rational and logical thinking, unfortunately, I still have a strong aversion to the position of Saint.

I don’t want to join a party ‘as a Saint.’

“What kind of weapons have you handled?”

However, Ria surprisingly didn’t give up or scoff immediately after hearing my story.

“Well, since it’s a church, the first thing I handled was a sword.”

And I quickly realized that a sword with a proper edge wasn’t as simple as just swinging it. Above all, swinging that chunk of iron weighing just over 2 kilograms wasn’t as easy as I thought.

…And one of the nuns who used to look down on me was praised for her swordsmanship and then acted incredibly smug every time she stood in front of me. There are rumors that she will be scouted by the knight order this year without secularizing.

“After that, I handled a mace.”

Blunt weapons were somewhat simpler than ‘swords,’ so I could handle them- but unfortunately, that was about it.

The extent to which I swung them was something other nuns could also do, and therefore, I couldn’t stand out significantly among them.

My skills were about the level of someone learning close-quarters combat as a hobby.

There were also limits to increasing my physical strength. I tried running and strength training diligently, but there was a nun who was much more talented than me in those areas.

There are also rumors that she will be scouted by the knight order. For reference, my relationship with her is just indifferent.

During my various attempts-

“I also tried talking about guns.”

“Guns?”

That’s right.

Despite my appearance, I am an active-duty soldier of the Republic of Korea Army.

Moreover, I’m just a regular infantry soldier without any special skills. I possessed the ability to hit a target 200 meters away with the naked eye.

Unfortunately, I’ve never hit a 250-meter target.

“It seems that bringing firearms into the church is problematic in many ways. Still, guns can be used if you can move your fingers, right?”

I shrugged.

There are hunters who handle firearms. Among the heroines who follow the protagonist, there were also those who handled various firearms.

They said that even knight orders couldn’t handle firearms carelessly. Naturally, if organizations that are practically military units start arming themselves with guns and cannons, the government would be in a difficult position.

For various reasons, my words were simply ignored.

“Are you confident?”

“Well, I’m not completely unconfident. I have good concentration, despite how I look.”

Of course, I said that vaguely because I had never actually fired a gun.

I thought she might say something like, “Do you really think it’s that easy?” but Ria just nodded.

“Okay, I got it.”

Ria said, picking up the books I had stacked on my desk again. Even though there was more than one book, making it quite heavy, she lifted them all at once, proving she wasn’t just a hero candidate for nothing.

For some reason, Ria’s last words bothered me a little, but I just nodded.

No, and then.

I wish people wouldn’t bring me study materials now that I’ve just graduated high school and want to relax.

*

And a few days later.

“Here.”

Ria said, placing something in front of me.

“Shoot this.”

“What?”

I said that and looked at what Ria had placed down.

…It’s a gun.

“…It’s a handgun.”

“Yes.”

Ria nodded without much change in her expression.

“……”

Uh, I’ve never even touched a handgun.

That’s because I was infantry. If it were a rifle, maybe.

“Why? You said you were confident?”

No.

It’s just that the type is a bit…