Chapter 257: Labyrinth Saint (3)

Chapter 257: Labyrinth
Saint (3)

Paladin
Beer, who belonged to the Earth Mother Goddess Order’s Eden branch,
looked at the man before her.

“Follow
carefully. Don’t slip.”

Wearing
dark armor like dragon scales, he led the group from the very front.

The
swamps of the 19th floor, where legs would sink with just a few
steps, froze like ice the moment his feet touched them, creating a
path to walk on.

It
was a technique she had seen before when they met on the 18th floor,
but now its range was much wider than before.

“Damn.
Don’t you get tired?”

When
Jubeel, the cow person beside him, asked while extracting breast milk
into a milk bottle, the man answered calmly despite the grotesque
sight.

“As
my Finesse has improved, I can do more complex things with much less
magical power than before.”

“What
are you talking about? I only know how to swing a sword. I don’t get
any of that.”

“…I’m
the fool for explaining it to Jubeel.”

“Anyway,
take it easy. You worked the hardest after all.”

Her
words were right. After all, he had contributed the most in this
battle against the Elder Lich.

The
Elder Lich, who controlled countless undead created by necromancers
and wielded disgusting magi, was certainly a powerful monster.

It
would have been difficult enough to deal with its main body alone,
but the Elder Lich also commanded its subordinates to block his path.

Countless
undead gathered from nearby floors including the 19th floor.

While
the party and expedition members dealt with their share, which was
vast, the amount he handled alone was no small matter either.

As
the Elder Lich retreated from his relentless advance, it moved the
undead that were fighting other companions to kill him instead.

Thanks
to this, the party members gained some breathing room, but he who was
fighting the Elder Lich alone had to shoulder an even greater burden
but in the end, he succeeded.

He
beheaded the Elder Lich.

Ignoring
his wounds, he stubbornly swung his axe of light.

Even
as his armor was battered amid the onslaught of countless undead, he
rejoiced when enemies came within range of his axe and hacked them
apart.

Even
Beer, the sword and shield of the temple, was left dumbfounded
watching the barbaric and fierce warrior’s combat – that’s how brutal
the struggle was.

But,
it was strange.

The
warrior who had been brutally and fiercely staining his armor with
enemy blood used holy power to heal others.

It
wasn’t uncommon to occasionally see those who received holy power
sword ki or miracles in the form of blessings.

There
were cases where such people joined the order and became paladins or
priests following the Earth Mother Goddess. Beer was a prime example.

However,
the man before her didn’t just wrap holy power around his axe.

‘He
wielded holy power according to his will.’

His
holy power was both a blade that cut enemy necks and a healing touch
that soothed others’ wounds.

‘This
is impossible.’

Paladin
Beer cannot use healing miracles or blessings.

Priest
Hope cannot fight using holy power.

It’s
not for nothing that the roles of paladins and priests are separated
in the temple.

No
matter how hard ordinary people try, they cannot break down the
barriers between their domains of holy power.

Even
if one could use both holy power combat and miracles, those capable
of it could be counted on one hand in the entire temple.

Even
Idelbert Adeline, who was once the strongest paladin, couldn’t
perform healing miracles strong enough to save dying people.

If
there was one exception, it would be Serif Adeline, the Saint chosen
by the Earth Mother Goddess.

Only
she could bestow powerful healing miracles and blessings while also
striking down enemies with holy light.

But
here, another exception appeared.

One
who could behead the Elder Lich while also saving others’ lives with
healing miracles.

Then,
could he be…

“Could
he be a Saint chosen by the Earth Mother Goddess?”

Startled,
Beer jumped at the voice from behind.

“Priest
H-Hope! Such words—”

“But.
Aren’t you thinking something similar, Sir Beer?”

Hope’s
eyes sparkled as he glanced at Balkan.

“The
holy power he showed had warmth similar to the Saint’s. While being a
terrifyingly cold sword before enemies, conversely he showed a
surprisingly warm heart towards his own people.”

“…Even
so…”

“I
owe a debt to Sir Balkan. He supported me with donations when I was
crippled, and thanks to that I could get medicine and stand again.
I’m not the only one who received help.”

Following
Hope’s gesture, Beer looked at those following the ice path Balkan
had created.

“Not
just the expedition members, but Fusilini and Aldente. All of our
party members were saved by Sir Balkan at some point. We owe him
greatly. He could have exploited us and demanded more, but he was
satisfied with just a few herbs and tokens of friendship. Even for
saving me, he was satisfied with just asking me to use healing
miracles well. That’s why I desperately saved Denshi too.”

“…”

“If
someone who saves those in danger and helps those crying in pain
isn’t a Saint, then who is a Saint? Ah…”

Hope
gazed at Balkan with moved eyes.

Since
it seemed he would start praying if left alone, Beer stopped him.

“Priest
Hope. I understand what you’re thinking but you seem too excited.”

“Sir
Beer!”

“I
know what you want to say.”

She
had witnessed with her own eyes that the man possessed quite good
character and matching extraordinary abilities.

However,
it wasn’t enough to match being a Saint equal to the Saint.

But
it wasn’t at a level where he should remain just an explorer either.

“We
should inform the other high priests and paladins of his
achievements.”

With
that level of holy power control, even if not affiliated with the
temple, he must surely have sublime faith in the Earth Mother
Goddess.

While
the temple is open to all, those chosen within are very few.

Considering
his appearance today, he could easily be among those few chosen ones.

***

‘If
other high priests and priests target me too…would Serif dislike
that?’

Balkan
frowned while listening to Hope and Beer’s chatter from behind.

People’s
voices are coming again.

“To
clear the swamp area of the 18th floor this quickly, when it took
days on the way here…”

“The
Elder Lich and undead nearly wiped out not just the 19th floor but
the monsters here too. Of course it’s faster when we don’t have to
fight monsters.”

“It’s
not just that. This ice path makes moving incredibly convenient. Look
there. Balkan was it? The ground freezes everywhere his feet touch.
Thanks to that, the heat is reduced, and we’re less likely to get
infected by poison or disease from stepping in swamp sewage.”

“He
still has magic power left after fighting that Elder Lich alone? What
an incredible guy…Wait, if it’s Balkan, wasn’t he the Union
Leader’s disciple?”

“My
word. So there was a reason he’s strong. We’ll have lots to talk
about at the drinking party this time.”

“Ohoho!
It makes me happy seeing everyone praise Sir Balkan!”

“Waaah.
I used too much magic power this time and I’m tired. Balkan carry
me…”

The
chatter of expedition and party members reaches his ears directly.

While
it was natural to hear since they weren’t that far apart…

The
voice of each person, the intervals between breaths, the sound of
feet stepping on ice, the vibrations of the swamp swaying under the
ice, the sound of tropical tree leaves brushing against each other,
the noise of small insects and bugs flapping their wings.

The
sensation of blood pumped from the heart flowing through the whole
body and the movement of each muscle fiber, the presence of magical
and holy power fluctuating in the heart and lower abdomen.

All
of these things are felt much more clearly than before, incomparable
to previously.

He
knew where this strange sensation originated from.

[LV.47
Nam Soo-jin]

[Health:(17+18)
Strength:(17+11) Agility:(17+11) Wisdom:(8+9-3) Finesse:(21+11)]

[Free
Points: 0 points]

Technique,
which had only 5 basic stats, instantly hit the 30s after investing
16 free points.

This
was because he poured all his precious 16 free points due to the
pressure and anxiety of having to save Denshi.

He
doesn’t regret that decision.

‘If
I had lost Denshi trying to save points, I would have regretted that
choice for the rest of my life.’

So
the reason for saying this now isn’t about wanting to take back that
choice or anything.

Just
that the strange sensation I realized when Finesse exceeded 30 points
surprised me.

A
similar sensation to the strange sense of omnipotence I felt when
Wisdom hit close to 30 while fighting the chimera monster now resides
in me.

-Clang.

As
I took a step, the swamp within several meters radius froze, creating
an ice path.

Until
catching the Elder Lich, I couldn’t make such a wide ice path.

No,
I could do it but it required quite a bit of magic power.

I
couldn’t afford such waste and luxury considering magic power
exhaustion but now it just feels comfortable. Magic power gathered in
my feet naturally like breathing, freezing the unstable terrain.

Yet
the magic power consumed is significantly less. The naturally
recovering magic power is more than what’s being consumed.

I’ve
become able to handle magic power more efficiently.

And
it’s not just magic power.

Muscles
and blessings, body movements and holy power utilization.

As
I felt while treating Denshi and using the blessing of radiance,
everything I handle has become much more ‘efficient’.

Stamina,
Strength, Agility, Wisdom, Finesse, all stats are important.

Stamina,
Strength and Agility go without saying.

Being
able to fight such tough and unreasonable battles is all thanks to
having roots in a strong body.

However,
Wisdom and Finesse, while Wisdom is a stat specialized in increasing
magic power quality and handling stronger magic and magical power.

Finesse
was a stat that raised the overall level by improving control of
physical activity, magic power, and holy power.

‘It’s
probably because it exceeded 30 like Stamina, and the dramatic
difference is felt from raising 16 points at once but…’

This
sensation of feeling stronger felt good but I shouldn’t get
complacent.

The
Elder Lich was probably just one of the experimental monsters
controlled by the Sloth worshipper.

The
enemy is strong, though I’m catching up quickly, it’s not
satisfactory yet.

I
want to get stronger. I didn’t want to retreat because the Sloth
worshipper was chasing.

I
wanted to reach the end of the labyrinth quickly, cutting down all
the buzzing flies around while saying “come if you dare”.

Tightening
up the loosening atmosphere, the group headed towards Eden again.

***

The
place we arrived at after crossing the 15th floor portal was none
other than the grand fountain.

***

A
woman wearing sweats and reading manga while scratching her belly
caught my eye.

I
didn’t know then, but now I could tell who her appearance originated
from.

Seeing
Celsia’s artistic body, which had become plump and voluptuous due
to the lazy will of laziness and the fat from the potato chips, I had
a fleeting feeling that this wasn’t a bad thing.

“You
finally came!”

The
woman with Celsia’s appearance discovered me and approached slowly
with a bright smile.

For
a moment, a laugh escaped from me too.

‘Beer
and Hope were going on about Saints and such…but I’m actually
having secret meetings with a demon.’

“Coming
back like this…means you’ll grant my request, right?”

The
demon of sloth looking up at me raised the corners of her mouth.