The Muscle Saintess (1)
Soul World featured a wide array of jobs, and players could switch to entirely different ones midway through. As mentioned before, a knight could advance to holy knight, or pivot to a completely unrelated class. The most entertaining option was the fusion of mage and science—satisfy certain events, and you could become something straight out of the movies, like Iron Man. Magic manifested through language, and upon class-changing to Iron Man, spells would activate automatically based on probability. The AI was decent enough to make it surprisingly viable, though its ceiling was disappointingly low. It was the type with a high floor but a low peak.
Like that, Soul World offered countless jobs, and whatever you chose was up to the player. The upcoming class-change event was deeply tied to the "cleric" path.
Sometimes, random events pop up too.
The class-change branching point involving clerics—and one appearing this early—was nothing special. It was akin to heading to a temple just to snag a Choco Pie during tutorial training. From the player's perspective, at least. This world, however, granted religions immense authority, in a realm where even demons existed for real. It was a structure that naturally elevated their status. The moment you insulted a god, it was "You, heretic!" or "You, demon!"—and judgment followed. It happened more often than you'd think. Fortunately, as the saying went, even kings got cursed in empty rooms; blaspheming a god in total isolation was fine. The gods knew all too well how harsh and unfair this world could be, so they turned a blind eye.
Chaos is the exception, though.
The instant you even thought a curse, your Faith stat scraped the bottom. You couldn't even swear inwardly. In any case, the cleric event triggered once per semester. Cleric-related jobs were available anytime. To current students, it felt like an annual ritual they'd shrug off, but freshmen were different.
"If we do well, we can become clerics, right?"
"Probably? But clerics aren't that easy to become."
"Once you do, the treatment's on another level. No harm in hoping."
Clerics—more precisely, Faith-based jobs—were inherently rare. Clerics had always been precious. Gulaak users wielding the taboo ability Lightning went without saying, and the classic supporter Gaia was even more so. Chaos... let's skip that for now. Most believers were powerhouses, but they were all eccentrics, making them a headache to deal with. Thus, clerics were an extremely rare asset, afforded special treatment from the start. Even a basic priest was immediate combat-ready. High officials in every nation knew the power of clerics and desperately tried to recruit them. But clerics pledged themselves to religion over nations. They weren't easily swayed by money or fame.
Unless they're patriots, most end up under Byzantine anyway.
No matter the perks, nothing compared to Byzantine. Temples existed only under Byzantine, after all. Above all, becoming a cleric required exceptional Faith. Even by raw stats, you needed at least 70. Knights, with their balanced builds, started with Faith in the low 20s. You get the idea how brutal it was. Chaos was the outlier, picking followers purely for amusement. Just look at Kara—her Faith had to be sky-high.
"Luna, where do you plan to start?"
The beauty with sharp eyes, Grace, asked Luna in her elegant tone. At some point, she'd slid in beside Luna. And astonishingly, Lee Yeonju sat right next to Grace.
"Hmm. Probably the Gaia denomination first... but I'm not sure yet. What about you, Grace?"
"I plan to visit them all. Opportunities like this don't come often. You think so too, right, Yeonju?"
"Y-yes!"
Lee Yeonju stammered in response to Grace's question, visibly uncomfortable. And for good reason—sitting next to Grace drew no small amount of stares. For someone like her, who needed to avoid attention at all costs, it must have been suffocating.
"What about you, Sivar? Following Luna?"
Next up was me. With Grace, Luna, and me seated in a row, I had to crane my neck out. I just shrugged at her curiosity-sparkled eyes.
As long as I find that magic circle, it doesn't matter.
Opportunities were rare, but now they came every semester. I just had to time it right. I'd take some flak for it, and Lord might clutch his neck in shock. I mentally apologized in advance while plotting my plan.
"Grace, Sivar received Chaos's blessing, so anywhere's fine for him."
Luna answered for me. The fact that I, of all people, had been chosen by Chaos. Grace's eyes widened as she stared at me.
"Chaos... himself? Sivar received Chaos's blessing?"
"Yes. Not certain, but he said so. That he'd received the Blessing of Chaos."
"Hmm..."
Grace eyed me with wonder. That was the normal reaction. Clerics were already rare; Chaos followers were rarer still. You didn't choose—you were chosen. Plus, each one dominated a niche with overflowing personality. The so-called eccentrics.
"It... makes sense. Aren't Chaos's followers all those... eccentrics?"
"From what I hear. But since freshmen get history lessons from various faiths, I'll take him along to broaden his horizons."
"I see. As a Chaos follower, the Saintess might take interest in you."
I flinched at Grace uttering "Saintess." Currently, my most awkward opponent. Players called her the Muscle Saintess Lize, a character with unparalleled flair in the lore. Chaos showered her with love, making her stronger than even Lord. Proof? Her youth. Same age as Lord, yet she'd undergone partial rejuvenation—putting her a step ahead.
Please, not her of all people.
Like clerics visiting each semester, she appeared randomly with some probability. Post-Academy collapse, her odds spiked—but that was understandable. Her debut in the first class-change event? Near zero percent. Still, no room for complacency. Near zero, sure, but as a Chaos follower, it wasn't absolute zero for me. With Chaos's overflowing love, she could pop up anywhere, anytime.
"Grace, do you know anything about the Muscle Saint...ess?"
"Only rumors. She has unique ideals, that's all."
Typical saintesses stuck to rear support, gentle and serene. But Muscle Saintess Lize? She charged in like a bald-headed brawler from somewhere, claiming true support meant preemptively crushing threats. And she had the power to back it up, impossible to ignore. Powerfully bold like a muscle saint, magnanimous like a saintess. Pure Chaos follower vibes.
"Kara-unnie, you know about the Saintess too?"
"Heard of her, yeah. No direct ties, so I don't know her face. Some say she's stunning, others terrifying—what's she even look like? Muscle saint and saintess combo's weird enough."
As Kara said, how does "muscle saint" and "saintess" mesh? Muscle evoked hulking beefcakes; saintess, delicate beauties. But Lize transcended imagination. You wouldn't believe without seeing it. She freely shifted between ripped powerhouse and ordinary woman.
"Not that weird? You're super strong yourself, unnie. Lize might be the same."
"I fight with lightning, not fists. Rumors say she causes earthquakes with punches—her strength's gotta match Sivar's at least."
No. Hers was uniquely top-tier in the lore. I wanted to say that. If my physicals were near endgame, hers exceeded it. Raw Strength in the high 150s, potentially 160. That form was... a sight. Spectacle? No, spectacle in the worst way.
"But she's coming this time? The Muscle Saintess or whatever? I'm Gulaak's, so whatever, but curious."
"She's busy—probably won't. What do you think, Grace?"
"Same. She's Byzantine's rep, but ignores these things."
For now, yes. Pre-Academy collapse. Absent demon orders or Chaos's whim, she shunned worldly affairs. A saintess couldn't be apolitical, yet Lize was. In a world where might made right, she moved freely like Lord.
That's the problem.
Her freedom meant unpredictable antics. Especially as a Chaos follower. Why I worried? Simple. Suppose a player got Chaos's blessing. The moment Lize spotted them? Kidnapped. For real.
Forced level-ups follow.
Chaos's pro: low Faith okay. Con: low Faith okay. Lize force-fed growth regardless. Players missed events, endured every torment. Bad outcomes? Dodge it. But results weren't bad—explosive short-term gains tempted players.
Not me.
My stats were near endgame; no need for her training. Stats mattered less than skills for me. Events too—this class-change meant hunting the demon's magic circle. Busy times.
"Everyone, listen up. As you know, archbishops from Byzantine will visit soon. Choose any faith freely; no interest, skip it."
Soon, Marlboro briefed the schedule. The cleric event lasted a full week, weekends included—for those short on weekday time. To class-change cleric-style, visit one faith for three days straight. Follow Luna around, done. Gulaak? Ask Kara.
"Attendees get snacks. And..."
Knock knock.
As Marlboro continued, someone rapped the classroom door. He and the students turned. Polite knocking meant no class relation. Marlboro approached, puzzled.
The door slid open.
"...Huh?"
No question who—just opened it. Marlboro's instant bafflement. Classroom layout hid the visitor, but his reaction screamed big deal.
"Class in session? I'll come back."
A woman's melodic voice tickled from beyond, enchanting by sound alone.
"N-no... not that, but... why... I heard rumors, but..."
First time seeing Marlboro so flustered. Not even with my debut. He glanced between students and the door, then politely stepped aside. The visitor thanked him softly and entered.
"Whoa..."
"Beautiful..."
"Who... is she...?"
Students gasped; the air shifted. Even Kara gawked. The woman transcended "beautiful." All worldly beauty captured? Like that. Lustrous silver hair. Cat-like eyes sharper than Grace's. Sapphire irises. Her figure? Ellie-level potion-pouch heft, straining a perfectly fitted nun's habit—adding ironic allure.
"Hello, students. Shall I introduce myself? I'm Lize Martina, a humble servant of Chaos."
The Muscle Saintess, Lize, appeared out of nowhere. Truly no warning—I was floored. Other students matched my shock. Even rumor-savvy Grace gaped. Too sudden.
"Why's the Saintess...?"
"Wait, she was coming?"
"No clue..."
Chaos inevitable. Lize smiled gently, as if expecting it. As the buzz faded, she scanned the room. Men and women alike blushed or averted eyes from her beauty.
"No. No muscles, boobs that huge, and she's the Muscle Saintess? Doesn't add up."
Only Kara voiced doubt aloud. Fair—didn't scream muscle saint. But this was her saintess form. Switch to muscle? Those pouches turned pecs. Girth identical.
"I'll show my face often, but today, just a word then gone. Anyone here received Chaos's blessing?"
Lize smiled expectantly after surveying. I turned away, ignored. Kept my head down during her scan. Eye contact meant doom—kidnapped, events ruined.
"Me..."
"Ah, a Chaos follower?"
"No, not me..."
But the world didn't bend to my will.
"Sivar got Chaos's blessing..."
"?!"
Luna outed me. Not her fault—she knew nothing of Lize. Harmless fact. She figured it fine to share.
"Sivar? Who's that?"
Lize, obsessed with Chaos and demon-slaying, blank on me. I feigned ignorance, nudging Luna under the desk: Shut it. But our Luna lacked tact. She shot me a "what?" look. Lize, sharp as ever, caught it—predator spotting prey.
"There you are."
She took two steps. Seemed like two. Blinked—she was right in front of me.
"...Shrinking steps?"
Lee Yeonju's mutter reached me. Near-teleport. Whatever—Lize loomed. I tensed, looked up past her massive holy pouches. Her face brimmed with intrigue.
"Red eyes... yet purely innocent. Innocence and ferocity combined... fascinating."
"..."
"Your name's Sivar, right? Sivar."
Her next words?
"Care to come with me?"
Ignited long-forgotten fear. Not cold, yet I shuddered like a leaf. No intimidation from her—my body reacted alone. Wild Instinct screamed: Flee her. Entangle, suffer everything. Channeling Kara's lesson, I yelled:
"N-no!"
Clear rejection.