Chapter 6: The First Job Change (Part 2)
But what kind of illness could it be?
On the other hand, a small curiosity arose. A disease whose cause modern medicine hadn't yet discovered.
Yet a condition that could be resolved with a Cleric's Heal and Bless—simpler than expected.
A curse? An evil spirit?
Suddenly, concepts from his past life came to mind.
No, not a demon or evil spirit curse.
But he quickly shook his head.
If it had been a curse, he would have noticed.
To begin with, this Earth doesn't have curses or evil spirits.
Earth did have concepts like demons, evil spirits, and curses.
But they were purely occult superstitions.
Because this Earth is a world where the Mother has only just taken root.
Someone might ask why there were no demons or curses when Divine Power had descended.
In a place like Icadia, for mana or demons to appear, it would take at least a few hundred years.
He was so certain for a reason.
That was the natural order of supernatural powers.
Even in the supernatural, there is a hierarchy.
Divine Power came first, followed by mana and demonic energy.
This was the providence encompassing all dimensions.
Heal(C) used. Divine Power decreased by 10.
Bless(C) used. Divine Power consumed: 20.
Anyway, he focused on the healing.
Pouring Divine Power into Yu-mi's body and head with utmost sincerity.
"Aaaah!! All things follow providence!"
Heo Jae-su shed tears, letting out a cry of ecstasy.
Having become a devout believer, he could see not only the faint halo above Lee Seop's head but also the Divine Power in his hands.
At this point, it sounded less like a devout prayer and more like a fanatic's.
"....."
Behind the old man, Heo Yu-na stood with a fearful expression, her face unfamiliar with her grandfather's demeanor.
She's ready to call the cops if things go south.
Heo Yu-na clutched her phone tightly.
A quick read of her emotions revealed disbelief and confusion. There was some expectation, but it wasn't strong.
Will an hour be enough?
The show for the treatment seemed sufficient at that length.
My max Divine Power is 200 right now. Using 160 at once would be too taxing.
It was a show, but physical limits mattered too—this was rational staging.
Hngh!
And so the healing show continued for about an hour.
Drip, drip, drip.
Sweat beading from his forehead, a desperate expression, legs and arms trembling finely from exhaustion.
Perfect.
"Nngh..."
The effect was dramatically apparent.
Heo Yu-mi's eyes, which had been closed in sleep, slowly opened.
"Who... are you?"
Upon opening her eyes and seeing him, Yu-mi asked with curious eyes.
Even with a sweating man reaching out right in front of her, she wasn't startled.
A child's instinct.
She instinctively knew the Divine Power that healed her and its wielder.
"Waaah... it's glowing."
Moreover, Yu-mi could see his faint halo and Divine Power right from the start, as if she'd become a devout believer instantly.
"Aaaah! Yu-mi!"
"!!!!"
As Yu-mi awoke, Heo Jae-su and Heo Yu-na reacted from behind.
Heo Jae-su's emotions burst with joyful exclamations.
Heo Yu-na's were filled with shock and astonishment.
"....? Grandpa? Sis?"
"How's your body? How do you feel, Yu-mi?"
"It feels good. Grandpa! Really good! And I'm super hungry!"
Yu-mi's complexion was the best it had been in years.
She looked at peace and energetic.
Not the usual mix of fatigue and drowsiness even when awake.
"Mother of All Things, we thank you! Seop-nim! Thank you!"
"W-We’ll order anything! Even poison!"
Heo Jae-su expressed heartfelt gratitude to him and the divine.
Heo Yu-na fumbled with a delivery app, making a fuss.
"She's fully cured. You got lucky."
To the pair, he said with a weary but happy smile.
"Aaaah!"
"Hic, sob!"
His firm confirmation brought tears of joy from Heo Jae-su and Heo Yu-na.
"Truly... thank you so much. From now on, I'll do anything—anything—for the Providence Church, Seop-nim."
With the treatment and show over, it was time to settle accounts.
Job change conditions met.
Current believers: General 104, Devout 12, Fanatics 2.
Two? Two fanatics?
Something felt off.
There were two fanatics, not one.
What?
Puzzled, he scanned the surroundings.
No way?!
Then he sensed blazing, genuine emotions nearby.
Heo Yu-na's a fanatic?
A girl stared at him with blind, burning eyes.
Like Heo Yu-mi becoming devout instantly, Heo Yu-na had skipped straight to fanatic from mere general believer.
A teenage girl's sensibilities were vulnerable to religion like this.
****
After healing Heo Yu-mi, he returned home citing fatigue.
Heo Jae-su insisted on at least feeding him, and Heo Yu-na fidgeted with the delivery app, but he politely declined.
Reuniting with Yu-mi came first for the family.
His presence would just make things awkward.
Job change conditions met.
Job change to next class possible.
Priest(B), Chaplain(B), Monk(B), Partner(B).
Back in his worn, empty one-room, he pondered the job change, setting aside his weary body and mind.
If Korea were at war like Ukraine, I'd pick between Chaplain or Monk. But Korea's peaceful now, so pass on those.
Chaplain was a field priest, Monk a combat priest.
Great classes, but useless in the current environment.
Left with Priest and Partner then...
Priest was the upgraded Cleric.
Stronger blessings, stronger heals, and baptisms.
Partner was a production class for holy relics.
Priest is the safe choice, but Partner tempts me...
He agonized long between Priest and Partner.
Korea was capitalist, and money was immense power there. No class earned money like Partner.
But Priest can make holy water too. And more importantly, Priest can perform baptisms...
After endless deliberation, he chose Priest.
Partner's relic crafting was appealing, but long-term, Priest was better.
Changing job to Priest(B).
The deliberation was long, but the decision firm.
Fwaaah!
He felt his max Divine Power surge exponentially.
Even alone in the room, light burst from his body visibly.
Cleric (N/A)
Confession(B_Passive)
Last Rites(B_Passive)
Job Change(B_Divine Power 1,000)
Heal(B_Divine Power 25)
Mental Heal(B_Divine Power 20)
Bless(B_Divine Power 30)
Warm Conversation(B_Passive)
Luck(B_Passive)
Prayer Reading(B_Passive)
Baptism(B_Divine Power 1)
Stigmata Bestowal(B_Divine Power 300)
Oracle(A), Paladin(A), Dark Priest(A), Tech Priest(A)
Believers required: General 10,000+, Devout 1,000+, Fanatics 100+.
Current: General 104, Devout 12, Fanatics 2.
In his past life's church, the saying went: True priestly life starts after Cleric.
Indeed, upon changing to Priest, the Status Window transformed massively.
Job Change??
Among them, one common skill that guzzled the most Divine Power caught his eye.
Job Change(B): Consume 1,000 Divine Power to become a specific job for 24 hours. Can switch within same rank. 30-day cooldown on use.
Unlike his past life, where one change was permanent.
This is the past life perk?!
Become any B-rank job for a day.
The cooldown was long, but better than nothing.
Switch to Partner one day a month and mass-produce relics— that'll help church finances.
Providence Church was no ordinary cult.
"Cult" meant fakes pretending to be real in Hanja.
They gaslit believers to exploit their wealth and bodies.
We were the opposite.
We'd take money and labor from believers but provide fair value via Divine Power.
The issue: Getting on that track required massive upfront cash.
Of course, right now, Priest's Heal skill earns money far more efficiently than Partner relics.
Priest's Heal(B) treated severe injuries, diseases, even minor disabilities.
And mental healing? Perfect for modern ills like depression, schizophrenia, ADHD, PTSD.
Combine mental heal and Bless, trigger Luck crit? Autism or intellectual disabilities become treatable. Luck frequency boosts with relics.
Just second job change, yet it felt omnipotent.
Second change done. Time to grow the church properly?
His gaze shifted to other skills in the Status Window.
Baptism(B): Consume 1 Divine Power to grant Status Window to general believers.
Stigmata Bestowal(B): Consume 300 Divine Power to grant job to qualified devout believers. 1 Cleric(C) per 100 general believers. (Max grantable: Cleric 1)
The biggest reason he chose Priest: Baptism info.
The core ability for Providence Church expansion.
Even just baptism shocks Earthlings. Minimal faith needed to receive it and see the Status Window.
Providence Church had the world's most unique idol.
Believers would enjoy faith like an RPG.
Praise the Mother of All Things!
Alone, he made the sign of the cross, praising the grace and wisdom of Her he'd met in vision recently.
But the Status Window idol isn't omnipotent. Normals can't see it. Can't proselytize openly with Divine Power early on.
Divine Power was a double-edged sword. Especially weak like now, caution was key.
Modern society wouldn't witch-hunt, but that made it scarier.
Agencies like the CIA might kidnap for experiments.
Thus, overt Divine Power only after Providence gripped world powers' leashes.
Until then, covert, closed proselytizing.
We have the Status Window idol, but normals can't see... No idol makes preaching tedious... Divine Power preaching must be covert... Me as idol feels too culty...
How to make an idol appealing to normals?
Something unremarkable to outsiders, but real substance.
"Ah!"
In deep thought, a sudden idea made him jump up.
"Make it visible to normals too?"
His gaze went to his phone.
"An app! Make an app! One showing Providence doctrine and Status Window!"
Entry via app, then true baptism and Status Window upon sufficient faith.
Crack, crack.
He stretched his shoulders, neck, fingers, and sat at his desk.
Powered on the computer.
A rare chance to use his programming major.
Tap tap tap.
One with the flow, he coded furiously.
Awakening didn't just grant Divine Power—it boosted his body too.
Coding after ages, his skills had sharply improved.
With AI help, a plausible app emerged in under a day.
Wait? Can programs become holy relics too?
About 70% done, a thought popped up.
Try it?
******