Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Gravestone, Monastery, and Greatsword
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“Damn it! That fucking Mortal bitch!”
Frigo couldn’t contain his rage and bellowed at the top of his lungs. But all that remained by our side now was his scattered bundles and the shattered remnants of his sleep bombs.
I’d barely managed to rub the binding ropes against the edge of my longsword to cut them free. I rushed over to Frigo, hoping to console him, but…
“Damn it! Damn it! Daaaamn iiiit!”
Frigo seemed to have completely forgotten I was even there. No matter how much I patted his shoulder or shook him, he paid me no attention whatsoever.
“Frigo, calm down for now—”
“She dared to take my goods! My precious goooooods!”
“...Yeah, okay. I’ll head out first. It was a good deal.”
I figured I’d have to come back once he regained his senses.
For now, I needed to escape this mess and secure a safe spot.
There was no guarantee another ambush like that wouldn’t happen again, so my plan was to seek out the gravestone and the monastery first.
Before I accidentally got myself killed, I had to spend all the blessings I was holding on level-ups. Maybe I could do it at the save point ‘gravestone’ or the ‘monastery’ where Mortals gathered.
Thud, thud—
...Fortunately, it wasn’t long before a massive gravestone appeared before my eyes.
A crude black stone stele standing all alone in the field.
It towered at least twice my height. Its surface was perfectly smooth and even, densely inscribed with letters across every inch.
As I drew closer to examine the text, I quickly grasped how the gravestone worked.
Every carving on the black surface was a human name. If I added mine here, even if someone killed me, I’d respawn at this spot.
But before the relief of finding a save point could even settle in, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of names.
How many people had come before me? There wasn’t a single gap down to my knees. Easily hundreds.
“...”
A heavy weight settled in my chest. Were they all still alive out there?
Like that sneaky woman who ambushed Frigo, had they all been pulled from their own eras and thrust into endless battles here...?
Szzzzt—!
When I placed my hand on the gravestone, my name etched itself into the bottom section.
A mystical vibration emanated from the stele as it received my intent, wrapping my body in a subtle sense of reassurance.
“...”
But there was no level-up function here. Instead, two beams of light—one blue and one gold—shot out in opposite directions.
From the moment I encountered this gravestone, the two colors had been guiding me in contrary paths.
Yeah, I had to choose eventually.
Which one led to the monastery? Since ‘that woman’ who led the Mortals ran it, following the blue light that had guided me first made sense.
The gold one only started circling me after I executed Veronine.
“...”
For now, it’d be best to set aside thoughts of Veronine, the Ruby Ring, and the gold light.
I hurried along the blue light. I crossed the fields straight until a monastery-like building came into view.
Along the way, I spotted a few monsters. Gaunt and emaciated, their bones protruded through their skin, and their sunken eyes stared hollowly.
But they didn’t even hold a sword, and they didn’t charge at me on sight.
“...Groan.”
They stared at me blankly for a moment, then resumed their own paths as if I meant nothing to them.
I had no idea where they were headed. Two walked side by side—one missing a leg, the other an arm.
I watched them fade into the distance for a long while. I knew I needed to use my blessings first, but every encounter with these beings drew my gaze.
What was this Blessed Land really? What kind of lives did these creatures live?
Lost in such thoughts, I kept walking until...
A long bridge leading to the monastery stretched out before my feet.
I crossed the bridge, taking in the monastery’s exterior with both eyes.
As if reaffirming that I’d followed the blue light’s guidance, a blue barrier shimmered across the entire structure.
It probably blocked monsters like the Wraiths from approaching. I’d taken down four or five trash mobs on the way here, but none appeared near this place.
And the monastery was anything but ordinary. For starters, its location was bizarre. A deep chasm with no visible bottom, accessible only by bridge.
It felt deliberately isolated from the world. Endless flat plains suddenly gave way to treacherous gorges surrounding just the monastery.
“...”
The closer I got, the more awestruck I became. It wasn’t built for show, yet it stood tall with a dignified grace all its own.
Almost no decorations. And yet, admiration welled up inside me.
But this wasn’t a world where I could relax and admire the view.
Just ahead, a woman stood demurely, watching me intently. With her hands clasped at her navel in a polite posture, she didn’t seem poised to attack.
As I approached, she even tilted her head in a slight bow of greeting.
“Hello.”
But when I greeted her aloud, no reply came.
Eyes closed, lips sealed, she merely bowed first to show respect, then quietly stepped aside to let me enter the monastery.
Unlike her beautiful appearance, an intangible wall emanated from her, one I hesitated to approach.
The monastery felt the same.
From the outside, it seemed like a masterfully constructed building. But stepping inside...
A strange unease and sense of wrongness bubbled up within me.
I now passed through the monastery’s main gate, walking along the stone path.
The neatly grown grass patches and moonflower beds blooming innocently were quite striking.
“To see Her, you should normally take the stairs on the right. But...”
Startled by the sudden voice, I turned to see the abbess emerging from the shadows, her eyes closed just like the nun at the entrance.
Her aura was distinctly different from the ordinary nuns on the bridge. A faint, gentle smile played on her lips as she approached quietly and shared her information.
“Regrettably, She is not in the monastery right now. I’ve been waiting in Her stead for you Mortals.”
“Oh, uh, really?”
I was thrilled inwardly. In a dark-world game like this, there had to be a beautiful female character to warmly embrace you like a ray of light.
My heart raced. Elements I’d only seen and felt through a monitor were appearing one by one, and I couldn’t hide my excitement.
“Shall we go together?”
“Yes, let’s!”
Even this brief moment walking beside her felt intensely stimulating.
Each sway of the abbess’s hem as she ascended the stairs ahead carried scents of steady candle wax and bittersweet flowers.
“She left this message before departing: ‘Mortals, you are the sword and light to save this fading world. Fight for Me.’”
But even as that mystical atmosphere drew me in, one question nagged at me.
If this NPC managed the monastery and led the nuns as abbess, what position did ‘Her’—the one called that—hold?
Some kind of goddess?
Something felt off about it.
“Gather the blessings scattered beyond these walls, sharpen your blades, overcome death, and set the world’s order right.”
The abbess relayed ‘that woman’s’ words to the end, then led me to the grand sanctuary at the monastery’s heart, where a gravestone stood.
“Engrave your name here.”
This gravestone served as both save point and warp gate.
“In the future, to return to the monastery, place your hand on any gravestone, envision the grand sanctuary in your mind, and wish strongly for it.”
With the ritual complete, the abbess bowed once more and introduced herself.
“I look forward to working with you. I am Sarabella, the woman who serves Her most closely and the abbess of this place.”
And she shared the most important part.
“If you bring me the gathered blessings, I can awaken the latent power within you Mortals.”
“Oh! Thank you! Do it now, please.”
“Pardon?”
Abbess Sarabella covered her lips with the back of her hand and let out a soft chuckle.
“You Mortals are... quite unique.”
Even with her eyes closed, it felt like she was studying me intently.
“Most who come here for the first time are quite distraught.”
That made sense. They’d likely died several times to reach here, haunted by the sensation, arriving either terrified or fuming with anger and frustration.
“Very well. Will you entrust your body to me for a moment?”
I knelt before Sarabella and offered my hands. It wasn’t strictly necessary, but I’d always wanted to strike this pose once.
“...”
She covered her lips with the back of her hand again.
Probably smiling.
But as her other hand rested atop my head...
Flash!
I still had a massive stockpile of blessings from slaying Veronine. It was a huge relief that the woman with the sleep bomb hadn’t touched me.
If I used them wisely, I might even wield Veronine’s greatsword right away. I’m the type who has to try out any new weapon immediately, so if I had the spare time, I’d love to...
But priority one was boosting basic health and stamina. Raising Vitality and Stamina would give me a huge edge in combat.
If I could just withstand one more hit in a fight, the game’s difficulty would drop significantly. I’d pump them just enough for that, then dump the rest into Strength.
Flash!
“...”
With allocation complete, I returned to facing Sarabella.
She still wore that faint smile as she asked me gently.
“Are you satisfied?”
But as she started to lift her hand from my head...
“...Huh?”
Sarabella seemed startled, sensing something.
Her hand didn’t leave me. Instead, it slid down to my cheeks.
“Mortal.”
Sarabella had noticed my change.
“This is... no, not just this...”
She stepped back. Her breathing quickened, her cheeks flushing unexpectedly.
Her skin was so pale that even a slight rise in temperature turned them red. After putting distance between us, Sarabella stared at me as if demanding an explanation...
So for her, I drew Veronine’s greatsword.
Now that I met all the requirements, it was my first weapon I could swing freely.
“Rotten Knight.”
The epithet slipped from Sarabella’s lips too.
Maybe Veronine, the first one I’d executed, was truly an extraordinary man after all.