Omen

[Stats]

[Level] 71(+6)

[HP] 1

[Mana] 10

[Faith] 4

[Endurance] 5

[Proficiency] 1

[Strength] 25

[Magic Power] 10

[Divine Power] 10

[Durability] 7

‘It seems to have increased quite a bit more than I thought?’

I hadn’t paid attention to my level for a while, but checking the stat window now, my level had gone up by as much as 6.

Considering that after level 60, even if you defeat a late-game field monster or boss, your level doesn’t usually go up from just one, this was a surprisingly high increase.

‘……I’m not sure if it’s right for it to go up this much.’

For some reason, it feels like my level has gone up too high compared to the number of field monsters or bosses I’ve defeated.

Even I don’t memorize the experience points for every monster kill. That’s not useful game information; it’s just useless to memorize.

It might be different if I were doing a speedrun, but even then, it’s limited to the sections you need to clear for the speedrun. I’ve already come too far to try and reverse-calculate the experience points from that.

The main story lost its meaning a long time ago, and I wasn’t progressing by clearing areas step-by-step; instead, I was teleporting directly to necessary locations to acquire equipment and runes.

‘Well, I guess more is better.’

I decided not to worry about it. My level hadn’t gone up less; it had gone up more, which was a good thing for me. So there was no need to fret and ponder the reason.

‘Instead of worrying about that, it’s much more constructive to worry about what stats to allocate.’

It was a concern I always had when allocating stats, but now there was an even greater reason to be cautious. It was because of what had happened in the Holy Nation.

The fact that the Holy Nation’s god had truly lent me power.

Whether the voice that answered my question belonged to the sun or the moon wasn’t important. The core was the fact that the Holy Nation’s god had been watching me and had bestowed power or something similar.

‘……I’m wondering if I should switch to a cleric build even now.’

If I could similarly draw upon the power I used in the Abandoned Creature boss fight or the Behemoth boss fight in other situations, my future journey would become incredibly easy.

Because divine-type attacks prove their worth in almost all situations.

After one last moment of deliberation, I firmed my resolve and finished allocating my stats.

[Stats]

[Level] 71

[HP] 1

[Mana] 10

[Faith] 10(+6)

[Endurance] 5

[Proficiency] 1

[Strength] 25

[Magic Power] 10

[Divine Power] 10

[Durability] 7

‘……If I put more points into Faith and my devotion increases, won’t they help me more?’

Along with such impure thoughts.

After finalizing my stats, I took my hand off the ability-checking orb and exited the castle. The Knights of the Pitch-Black Holy Night were busily carrying materials to the location where the warehouse would be built.

Watching the bunny girls and reverse bunny girls move, each carrying two logs much thicker than my thigh and three or four times my height, made me feel a little strange.

‘Why do they insist on working in those outfits?’

Couldn’t they wear more comfortable clothes? It’s not like tracksuits don’t exist in this world.

“Ah, Captain-nim.”

The members, who had been carrying materials while twitching their bunny ears and wiggling their bunny tails and butts, gave me a light bow when they saw me. Their bunny ears also bent 90 degrees in sync with their bows.

It was a mystery how those bunny ears could move when they were clearly headbands. When I asked, the only answer I got was, ‘Because a bunny girl should naturally be able to do that.’

“Is the construction going well?”

“Yes. Vice Captain-nim Laxia is diligently overseeing it. It seems the expansion will be completed within this week.”

The Laxia mentioned here was also in a reverse bunny outfit. They said she had been directing the expansion since I went to find Fetch.

‘I wonder what Fetch is doing now. I guess he’s finding his way around well enough?’

When ordered to find the Golden Key, Fetch initially protested, asking how he was supposed to find something he didn’t even know. But when I stared at him intently, he soon tucked his tail between his legs.

He probably knew very well that refusing my words there wouldn’t end well for him.

The Golden Key I spoke of was a key that could unlock any type of lock, regardless of its kind, just once. Whether it was made by humans, an ancient ruin, or a magical beast, it could unlock them all.

It actually had that function in the game too.

Any puzzle or locking mechanism could be skipped by consuming the Golden Key if you possessed it. Of course, as its ‘single-use’ description implied, it would break after unlocking.

‘It’s not an item that causes problems if you don’t have it, but conversely, it’s definitely good to have.’

I gave him plenty of time. Since it wasn’t an item absolutely necessary for progression, like the Wingless Nightmare, there was no need to pressure him tightly.

“Oh, and Vice Captain-nim Laxia asked me to relay this to Captain-nim: the letter has been properly sent.”

“Oh? Then a response should come soon.”

The ‘letter’ mentioned here referred to two things in total.

One was sending the ring, which I had obtained a long time ago from the Arachnainera boss fight and had neglected until now, to the Pratroid family. The other was sending the scroll I had obtained from the ancient ruins to Minerva.

‘She’ll probably just look at it for a bit and then stop, right? She’s probably too busy researching the crystal scroll right now.’

I was a little worried about Minerva’s reaction, but at least she wouldn’t show the same crazed look as when she received the crystal scroll.

And it’s clearly an item of a lower grade compared to ancient scrolls like the crystal scroll.

“Then, we’ll continue on our way.”

The bunny girls wiggled their butts and left. Left alone, I pondered what to do next, then a good idea came to mind.

‘Since things are this way, I might as well complete the runes.’

There’s still one more rune left until the final build. And I also need to get the ‘Ignore Combat Fatigue Debuff’ rune, which I’ve been meaning to get for a long time but have neglected.

‘First, though…….’

I should probably get the Rune Dispel magic first.

Recalling Minerva’s ring that I had put in the drawer, I re-entered the castle. It seemed I would finally get to use it for the first time.

Imperial Palace Corridor.

After having an audience with Kaikilia and finishing a brief report, Rije was returning to the Silver Dawn Knights’ dormitory. With each step, her silver armor clanked.

Outwardly, her steps were dignified, but her inner thoughts were completely different.

‘Next time, I should go with Iris. No, maybe it’d be better to go with Erica?’

She was pondering whether to take Iris or Erica first when she visited Delta next. Her purpose was obvious.

Immediately after Iris confessed that she seemed to have fallen for Delta, Rije was quite flustered, but it wasn’t long before she understood and even ended up comforting the bewildered Iris.

Because Rije had a very tolerant personality when it came to her man’s relationships with other women.

In fact, if he were trying to switch to another woman or something, Rije would have vehemently opposed it, but at least the Delta Rije knew wasn’t that kind of man.

Besides, it was a world where polygamy was entirely possible as long as there was a justification. Although creating that justification was incredibly difficult, she had no doubt that Delta was capable of it.

And Rije had never intended to monopolize Delta in the first place.

‘……I wonder if Delta would like doing it with everyone. It was a bit much to handle alone.’

Suddenly, a fantasy popped into Rije’s head: herself and the four Captains of the Silver Dawn Knights all sharing a bed with Delta at once.

She didn’t know what the other Captains would think, but for Rije, it wasn’t a bad idea at all.

They were all now more than just friends; they were practically family. So, sharing the same man would greatly help strengthen their bonds even further.

‘I’ll try suggesting it to Iris, Erica will come around on her own, and Claudia… hmm…’

Rije, who had nonchalantly finished a fantasy that would have made Erica and Claudia gasp or let out hollow laughs if they’d heard it, concluded that it seemed quite good.

Honestly, it was a bit much to handle Delta alone, but she thought she might be able to manage if all four of them did it at once.

‘First, should I try to sweet-talk Erica?’

Though she would never want to admit it herself, Rije and Erica were quite similar in many aspects, as if to say, ‘Who would deny they’re sisters?’

In reality, the only differences were their appearance and personality. It was just that those two aspects showed too great a disparity.

And the sisters’ similarities were no exception when it came to their taste in men.

In other words, if Rije, the older sister, was deeply infatuated with Delta, then Erica, the younger sister, had a very, very high chance of falling for the same man with just a small catalyst.

Normally, this would lead to a disastrous relationship. But for Rije, who was willing to share the same man, it was actually an even better outcome. And Delta wouldn’t refuse it either.

‘Doing it with sisters simultaneously, how good would that be?’

Rije diligently walked on, thinking about how she would sweet-talk her younger sister.

“……What is it, you?”

Then, she encountered a golden figure walking towards her from the other end of the corridor.

“Why are you here at this hour?”

It was the Captain-nim of the Golden Twilight Knights.

As soon as she saw that golden armor, her excited mood plummeted. That person’s reputation, according to the rumors lately, was getting worse and worse.

Though they were just rumors, it was even said that now, if anything bothered him even slightly, he would indiscriminately beat his subordinates to vent his anger.

Looking back, he didn’t used to do such things. It seemed the fact that the Silver Dawn Knights had found their place while his own knight order had been torn apart by half was making his personality even worse.

Because the emptiness and sense of loss felt when something is taken away after being possessed are usually greater than never having had it in the first place.

“You, you said you met that guy.”

The golden armor, which had approached right in front of Rije, spoke. Its voice echoed inside the helmet, seeping out eerily through the gaps.

“That guy? Hey, watch your mouth. Who are you to call Delta that? Did you not get beaten enough in that spar back then?”

Rije burst out in irritation, but the golden armor didn’t even acknowledge her words. Instead, it merely glared at Rije through the narrow slit beyond its helmet.

She unconsciously fiddled with the dagger at her waist. Such an action alone was already rude enough. Enough to provide sufficient justification for a formal protest.

Of course, she only reached for it. This was the Imperial Palace, not a place where one could act recklessly swayed by emotions. So, placing her hand on the dagger was merely a warning.

“…….”

Despite this reaction, the golden armor ignored her, silently staring at Rije. Then, it roughly bumped her shoulder and walked past. Armor clanged against armor, producing a sharp metallic sound.

Rije turned around with a bewildered expression. The golden armor continued walking down the corridor, making clanking sounds as if nothing had happened.

“Has that bastard finally gone crazy?”

Rije watched the golden figure calmly disappear around the corner of the corridor, then grumbled and turned around. It was exactly as they said: when a sane person deals with a crazy one, only the sane person loses out.

I’ll have to go back to the dormitory and formally protest to the Golden Twilight Knights.

-Thwack!

“What now?”

Hearing a sudden cracking sound from her own armor, Rije irritably lowered her head. The left shoulder part, where it had just collided with the golden armor, was cracked like a spiderweb.

Rije’s face gradually hardened as she carefully stroked the damaged spot.