Hero (3)
"Ugh..."
'From Frost Flower's voice... it seems like I met that guy. What ability did I gain?'
Regaining my senses to Frost Flower's voice, I slowly rose from my seat.
"An ability, huh..."
Contrary to what the Absolute said—that I'd naturally come to know it—I didn't feel any particular difference, so for the first time in ages, I checked my status window.
My level had jumped from 6 to 30, all my stats had risen a bit... and Black Magic Power had skyrocketed.
Seeing that my low-grade black magic had upgraded to mid-to-high grade, it seemed I'd finally reached a respectable level—not quite among the absolute powerhouses, but solid enough.
That's when something odd caught my eye.
'Wait, why is Charisma...'
I'd been dumping everything into Charisma, sure, but 1000 was impossible.
No matter how much of the Absolute's remnant I'd absorbed, this was too steep a rise.
My Supernatural Ability and traits hadn't changed, yet it had ballooned like this...
I hurriedly checked my ability.
[Domain of the Absolute]
Grade:Black
◈ Absorbs the presence of all targets within 20m and emits it amplified by your Charisma stat value.
◈ Absorb and redirect any attack twice per day. ◈ Charisma stat is now active.
◈ All actions are enhanced by the Charisma stat.
◈ Once per day for 10 minutes, allocate Charisma stat points to other stats (Charisma stat +888).
The range had doubled from 10m to 20m, and I could now reflect two attacks instead of one.
That meant I could block up to two potentially lethal strikes per day.
And most crucially, the new addition at the end of the enhanced ability.
It boasted absurd, game-breaking power by boosting my Charisma stat by a whopping 888.
Mulling over what a Charisma of 1000 truly signified, a smile crept across my lips unbidden.
'I feel genuinely strong now.'
If it were just a flat 1000 Charisma for presence emission, it'd only multiply my current output several times over.
But the key part of that final line was the ability—limited to 10 minutes a day—to add Charisma to other stats.
Now, I could leverage Charisma for overwhelming temporary boosts to my other stats, once daily for those 10 minutes.
Of course, activating the Domain required a baseline Charisma investment, so I couldn't dump it all elsewhere.
But considering how even 222 Charisma had made everyone tremble in fear, pouring 888 into Black Magic Power...
'This is a total game-changer.'
That kind of stat was something only level 70 powerhouses could dream of after a lifetime of funneling every point into one attribute.
The captains were all around level 90, but that didn't make level 70 weak by any stretch.
Quite the opposite. Level 70 was the true turning point.
'That's when they stop being called human...'
From level 70 on, even gaining a single level became excruciatingly difficult.
And since those powerhouses wouldn't have dumped everything into one stat, this equated to roughly level 80 Black Magic Power in a burst.
In other words, the "Endless Spear of Darkness" I'd bluffed against Azellia to buy time...
Now, I could manifest it for real, no bluff needed.
Just imagining it filled me with satisfaction.
'No, I can't get complacent over this. Remember what the Absolute said.'
If I got smug just from growing via his remnant, I'd be no different from a zoo lion fed scraps by the trainer.
I needed to go beyond eating only what's tossed to me—to hunt on my own, even if they stopped feeding me.
Beyond the tamer, to devour the entire zoo.
I swiftly coated my hand in black magic power and carefully sliced out the Soul Orchid, then said to Frost Flower,
"Let's head back to Frostheim, Frost Flower."
My voice carried a newfound certainty unlike before.
'Nothing can stop me now.'
All those opportunity-rich spots I'd avoided for being too weak...
No more holding back.
Not just with the Absolute's remnant, but with every scrap of knowledge and experience from my time as a game veteran, I'd conquer this world entirely.
No longer anyone's puppet or pet.
As a true predator.
I'd make everything in this world kneel at my feet.
"Wow!"
To Sera, who'd only ever known the church, the outside world was pure wonder.
The vast grasslands stretching under the blue sky, grass swaying in the wind, distant mountains—all of it was novel and beautiful.
Having left the church and crossed the Lunaria Empire's borders, the group now traveled a path through dense forest.
Sunlight filtering through the trees created a mystical atmosphere, alive with birdsong and whispering winds in nature's symphony.
Sera, marveling yet recalling tales of forest bandits, cautiously asked her guardian holy knight, Gabriel.
"Um... Gabriel?"
"Yes, Lady Sera. Speak."
Gabriel's voice was, as always, polite and pious.
"Y-you don't have to use honorifics."
Sera waved her hands flusteredly, but Gabriel shook his head.
"Nonsense, Lady Sera. You are His Holiness's chosen highest protected. How could I speak casually to the future hero?"
Sera still found it awkward hearing honorifics from the pope's holy knight captain—someone she once couldn't even approach—but she was trying to adjust.
"I've heard there are bandits in the mountains... but none have shown up?"
A gentle smile touched Gabriel's face.
'She's destined to be a hero, yet still so young.'
How could mere bandits dare obstruct the sacred church's journey?
The church resided within the Lunaria Empire but held its own independence.
Yet the Empire supported it wholeheartedly.
The reason was simple: the church's mere presence granted the Empire immense military and symbolic benefits.
Thus, blocking the church's procession was tantamount to defying the Empire.
What bandit would provoke a continental superpower like Lunaria?
Even without imperial backing, the church wielded force rivaling a kingdom.
The holy power in the holy knights' blades could purify any evil.
But Gabriel found her innocence endearing.
Lady Sera was Luminaris's chosen hero of this world.
Chances to see such pure, childlike joy from her wouldn't last forever.
Soon, she'd traverse countless battlefields, purging evils—and might lose this radiant smile.
The hero's path was ever lonely and arduous.
Hoping this moment became a fond memory for her, Gabriel replied with boundless warmth.
"Fear not, Lady Sera. As long as I, Gabriel, am here, no danger will touch you. And..."
He paused, surveying the serene forest.
"Bandits aren't fools. They wouldn't dare approach our group. The church emblem on a holy knight's armor alone would send them fleeing with tails between their legs."
Absolute conviction filled Gabriel's voice.
"We really are strong!"
As a church priestess, Sera brimmed with pride at the affirmation.
"Haha, yes. We are strong."
Gabriel, befitting his captaincy, overflowed with pride for the church and their goddess Luminaris.
They meshed perfectly.
"As expected of you, Gabriel!"
Sera clapped delightedly, and Gabriel smiled humbly.
"Hahaha, you'll be even greater someday, Lady Sera. As a priestess blessed by the goddess, you'll save countless souls."
Her cheeks flushed at his words.
"N-no! I'm still lacking in so many ways..."
"Your humility is another virtue, Lady Sera."
Gabriel smiled warmly.
After a week's trek, the group finally reached the outskirts of the Elterion Kingdom.
'Surely there's an even greater hero here than me?'
Amid Sera's excited anticipation, the first sight upon entering the kingdom was...
Boom!!!
A thunderous crash like a lightning strike, a building shattering to pieces.
Dust and debris flew as a hulking man burst from the ruins—shirtless, rippling with muscle.
His body was covered in wounds and blood, eyes blazing with fury.
"If you give me work, pay me! You think you can stiff me?!"