Ch. 4 Priest Supreme
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 4 – Priest Supreme
The party hunt lasted until sunset. We hunted deer, checked the drops, and repeated the process for hours.
It wasn’t boring. Watching the gold and items pile up, along with rising loot, naturally brought a smile to my face.
“Good work, everyone!”
The party leader, Isolin, spoke.
She thanked the party members as they returned to the village and began distributing the items we had gathered.
Her distribution method was fair. The deer skin and gold were divided equally among the four of us.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t get any venison. None of us had learned the butchery skill. What we could obtain was limited to the items the deer dropped.
It was a problem born from the mix of game mechanics and realism.
“Thank you! Call me again next time!”
“Good work, Isolin and Supreme!”
The two warriors took their shares and left. One headed to the Inn, the other toward the outskirts of the village.
Now it was my turn to leave.
I waved goodbye to Isolin, the only person in the village who matched my height.
“See you later.”
“Yeah.”
Isolin turned and walked away.
My share was 150 gold. In the past week, I had earned 120 gold by running around nonstop. Now, I had earned more than that in a single hunt.
Today, I decided to indulge a little. A soft bed instead of the hard floor of the abandoned church. Warm stew instead of dry, tasteless bread.
Just the thought of it made me smile.
Without hesitation, I skipped toward the inn.
The line between realism and game mechanics for players was incredibly blurry.
Running at full speed all day didn’t leave me out of breath. Hunting nonstop didn’t tire me out.
Just like an RPG character who could hunt for hours without fatigue, this was one of the game-like allowances granted to players.
However, hunger followed some degree of realism. Just like people who lacked energy after not eating for a long time, player stats would drop if they didn’t eat to fill their satiety.
Overeating was also a problem. Like someone who struggles to move after eating too much, consuming excessive food here would lower stats and make movement difficult.
Like when I drank too many potions and my stomach bulged.
Suddenly, a small curiosity arose.
What would happen if I stuffed more food into my tiny stomach than it could handle? (tl: u will explode :3)
My stomach wouldn’t burst. The food players consumed didn’t actually go into their stomachs—it just disappeared.
Over the past week, players had died in many different ways. But I hadn’t heard of anyone dying from overeating.
So, I decided to indulge my desires.
“One whole roasted piglet!”
I sat down in the inn and shouted my order.
The food arrived instantly. Another game-like allowance. The roasted piglet, cooked with the innkeeper’s cooking skill, was served on a plate as big as my torso.
“Gasp…”
~Gulp—
I swallowed my saliva as I looked at the golden-brown surface. I poked it with a fork, and the crispy skin cracked, revealing the pink meat inside.
The line between realism and game mechanics.
I didn’t need to overthink it. I decided to simply enjoy this life.
“Ah…!”
As the torn piece of pork entered my mouth, I wiggled my short legs and shrugged my shoulders.
The taste of meat after a week was indescribably satisfying.
[Overeating Penalty]
You have consumed more food than your limit.
[All stats reduced by 20%]
[Duration: 2 hours]
After finishing the roast, I had to roll my bloated body to the bedroom.
______________________________________________
The day after the party hunt. Morning arrived.
[Best Sleep]
You are in peak condition.
[All stats increased by 5%]
[Duration: 1 hour]
There was no lingering stiffness. I even had a buff I’d never seen before. The refreshing morning brought by a soft bed instead of a hard floor…
My morning routine was simple. After waking up, I did some light exercises to loosen my stiff body.
I stretched my arms and legs, shaking my body in all directions.
Who knows? Maybe exercising diligently would make me taller.
A small, delicate body was aesthetically pleasing. But for survival, longer limbs and some muscles were necessary.
“Yah!”
With that small hope, I stretched my arms as far as I could. Long, long—toward the inn’s ceiling.
After exercising, there was something I had to do. Run to the quest board and pick up an errand quest.
After finishing my exercises, I ran to the board as usual. But as I ran past the central square, I realized I didn’t need to take quests anymore.
I wasn’t a beginner now. If I went hunting, I could easily earn more gold than quest reward
I crossed my arms and nodded. There was no need for a precious priestess to run around the village for a measly 10 gold.
I glanced around and saw beginners busy here and there. They were scrubbing graffiti off walls, wearing tattered shirts.
Today’s errand quest must have been to clean the graffiti. If I hadn’t become a priest, I would have been among them, scrubbing walls.
For some reason, my shoulders straightened. My steps lightened, and a smile appeared on my face.
“Ahem!”
I coughed lightly and walked past the players.
I left the village. I wanted to gather a party and go hunting, but I couldn’t find anyone who suited me.
“Phew…”
At the village entrance, I stood before a deer grazing on grass, gripping my mace and swallowing dryly.
Looking into the deer’s innocent eyes, memories of my beginner days surfaced. Just a few days ago, I had been kicked around by its strong legs.
But now was different. That wouldn’t happen again.
I was an apprentice priest now. I had learned skills and equipped new gear. I could handle a deer on my own.
Plus, yesterday’s party hunt had leveled me up to 4.
I crept closer to the deer and raised my mace high.
The deer didn’t react to my movements. But if I struck it with this mace, it would retaliate immediately.
[Holy Armor]
~Flash—!
Before attacking, I used a buff to protect myself. A white light enveloped my body.
Thud—
As my small hand gripped the trembling mace, I swung it at the deer with all my might.
Whoosh—!
Thwack—!
The sound of the impact was unbelievable for a small, delicate girl. The mace’s attack was boosted by my spirit stat.
Gurgle—!
The deer reacted instantly. It spat out the grass it was chewing, reared up on its hind legs, and charged at me.
“Gasp…!”
As its front legs swung wildly, memories of the past resurfaced. Broken ribs, crawling on the ground…
I froze, my vision narrowing. I swung my mace frantically, breathing heavily.
Whoosh—! Whoosh—!
Thud-thud-thud—! Thud-thud—!
While I flailed my mace in the air, the deer’s front legs pummeled my body. My higher level and stats slowed the health drain, but the pain was still there.
“Hee, heek…!”
Blunt pain struck my head, eyes, shoulders, and chest. Unable to withstand the deer’s assault, I rolled on the ground and started running away.
Gurgle—!
“I-I’m sorry!”
Solo play was too much. Priests were meant to stay behind party members and be protected. I ran toward the village entrance, terrified by the sound of the deer’s hooves behind me.
I rolled, fell, and was gored by the deer’s antlers. My health dropped, I used a heal, and I kept running. If I slowed down, the deer’s legs kicked my butt.
“Hyeeek!”
I ran into the village, tears streaming down my face.
As I passed the entrance, two guards stationed there rushed out.
“Stop! You beast!”
Gurgle—!
The deer chasing me was beaten to death by the guards. In such cases, players had no claim to the monster.
I sat on the ground, watching gloomily. The deer’s body flickered and disappeared after a short while.
I got up, rubbing my sore butt, and headed to the inn. The spot where the deer had kicked me hurt terribly.
(Tl: rookie mistake)
Vrslop_translator
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