The Saint of the Dark Sky

"Open your eyes."

"Uuuugh."

"The stats are solid."

Total around 1,200. Extremely high for a C-class undead. Even the fully modded Armed Zombie Strengthened Soldiers only edged it out by a little when you added everything up.

"The flaws are clear as well," Isra said.

"Yeah, it's middling."

Not particularly strong. Not particularly agile. Not especially tough either. And it wasn't like the mana stat had any real use for it. Put kindly, a jack-of-all-trades. Put unkindly, a master of none. And the Revenant didn't even have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠skills that could make use of those half-baked numbers.

"A true master of none."

Even Skeleton Mages managed to be useful up to C-class somehow. This thing ranked higher and still only got E-class spells. Honestly. It left me speechless.

"Would it not be better to simply remake a Skeleton Mage?" Isra suggested.

"We'll try this once. If it fails, we can always do that later."

An undead and a priest. Just looking at it, the combination was wildly unbalanced. If Executive Director Sophia found out, she wouldn't think twice about smashing my skull in while screaming "This is blasphemy!" Just imagining it was horrifying.

"It's a gut feeling."

A corpse revived on a foundation of resentment. Without any standout features, its appearance was almost identical to a zombie's. The specs themselves were far superior, of course, and the crafting method was far more demanding. One Revenant cost about a hundred million won to make. That said it all.

"What materials could possibly be so expensive?"

"Probably Banshee's Lament."

Bingo. Banshee's Lament. A catalyst that could only be harvested from C-class ghost-type monsters called banshees through special methods. One drop went for eighty million won, and stock didn't hit the market often enough to buy it whenever you wanted. Even President Baek had called it a lucky find.

I set the stained cup on the Revenant's chest.

"Turtle, turtle. Old house for you, new house for me."

"Is that not a fraudulent contract?" Isra asked.

Treating our country's time-honored traditional game like a scam. Blue light flickered up from the cup on the Revenant's chest like a will-o'-the-wisp, seeping out slowly. Perfect. Attached to an undead, it was getting a bite. The moment the soul became visible to the naked eye, I snatched it and clenched my fist.

Alright. Time for proper introductions.

"It is already written on the status window," Isra pointed out.

"Come now. Hearing it directly from the person himself is what gives it meaning."

【…….】

A shy one, maybe? Even when he was dwelling in the cup, it seemed he hadn't been unable to speak—he'd simply chosen not to.

【This humble one. Under vow of silence.】

Ah. So the taciturn act was the concept. As his master I could order a full self-introduction if I wanted, but I let it go. I was the kind of kind-hearted person who respected my subordinates' free will.

"Indeed. Our Lord's mercy pierces the heavens and covers the earth," Zaug chimed in.

Ah. That was laying it on a bit thick.

"Did you not even spare the lives of those who erred in the gate, showing them clemency?" Isra added.

Was she talking about shaking down those Hwarang Guild rookies for "friendship fees"? Seriously. What era was she dredging up?

The new otherworldly soul seemed quite bashful. I checked the added ability on the status window.

Whoa.

I immediately understood why this guy was so quiet. An ability that got stronger the less you talked? An incredibly cumbersome restriction. If someone told me to use something like that, I'd just give up.

"Maximum growth potential of SSS-class. This is no ordinary divine spell," Isra observed.

"There are many ways to gain power through restrictions," Ingrid said. "This holy art seems to be one of them."

Strength through restriction. It reminded ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me of that one hero who said great power comes with great responsibility. A bit different from the berserk-type abilities, though. Those were high-risk, high-return—you took on danger to unleash big power. What this new otherworldly soul wielded wasn't like that.

Having a strong ability was great, but being unable to communicate would be a problem, wouldn't it?

【One minute. Five.】

So...

"You can speak five characters in one minute?"

Nod nod.

No restrictions on hand or foot gestures, apparently. With that much, everyday conversation should still be possible.

Hoo. Deep breath. This was going to hurt like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hell again, right?

"Have hope. It was fine with the thief," Isra said.

"That one was a lower grade."

【Great Lord! My ability was of help as well, you know!】

Zaug. It's not that I don't need your ability. It was a huge help when we took down those Chinese hunters. But the fact that the grade was lower is still a fact.

As I exhaled—

Ziiing—

A ringing filled my eardrums and my vision shook violently.

"What."

Beloved by the Dark God? This was no ordinary priest.

"Hah. To think my Lord would choose the path of a heretic cultist," Isra said.

"This girl respects her Master's faith," Ingrid added.

Hey, you little—

"Hahahaha. I jest," Isra continued.

"Even if you truly worship the Dark God, I will believe and follow," Ingrid said.

Ugh. Fine, whatever. More importantly, something else had piqued my curiosity.

"What kind of god is the Dark God?"

Gods—or absolute beings—had become accepted fact after the Great Cataclysm. The holy power wielded by priests like Sophia, or related classes, was already proof that absolute beings existed. But a Dark God was something I'd never heard of.

"The master of demons," Isra answered.

"Isn't that the Demon King?"

The Demon King. The root cause of the Great Cataclysm, and the great demon said to have been defeated in the Siberian Great War. The truth Director Jeong had told me was a little different, but either way—if he was the "king" of demons, that made him their master, right?

"It is a little different, Master," Ingrid said, slowly shaking her head.

"Are a god and a king not different?" Isra asked.

"They are."

"The Dark God and the Demon King are in a similar relationship."

"Then the Dark God is stronger."

"I know not which holds the superior position," Isra admitted.

"Even among mages who specialize in demonology, opinions are divided," Ingrid explained.

"Why? They should know which of the two is superior."

"Because the Dark God is sealed."

Ah. So our new otherworldly soul was a heretic who served a sealed god.

"Should we get rid of him?"

"There is no need to lay hands on him," Isra said.

Unexpected. The knight who had slaughtered every necromancer she came across was now saying we should spare a servant of the Dark God.

"What do you take me for?"

If I called her a chivalry otaku she'd scold me. My mouth was itching.

"Even if he is a cultist, he cannot stray from my Lord's will. Is that not enough?" Isra said.

"If he talks nonsense, I'll show him a harsh lesson myself," Ingrid added.

In the end, it was useful as a combat asset, so they wanted to put him to work.

"If that's everyone's opinion."

【Great Lord! Why did you not ask for my opinion?!】

"We already have a majority."

【You just said it was everyone's opinion a moment ago!】

What's good is good. Let's just move on smoothly.

Anyway. This talent called Saint of the Dark Sky. Having "dark mana" and "holy power" added to my mana properties... I honestly couldn't tell if it was a good thing yet. To handle holy power you needed related skills. And I didn't have any. Probably wouldn't work.

"You already have an excellent teacher," Ingrid said.

"Is there such a person?"

"Not a person—there's a deceased one right here."

Ah. Right.

"The increase in output is also a positive effect," Isra noted. She casually extended an arm.

Fwoooosh!

The shockwave traveled through the air. A sudden gale whipped my hair wildly.

"If you have a complaint, say it with words."

"This is what it means for mana output to have risen," Isra explained.

"Ah."

I tried packing mana into a punch of my own. The air trembled under the fierce blow.

"It's true."

With the Saint of the Dark Sky talent added, even the destructive power of Mana Release had increased. As expected, SSS-class skills really were on another level.

"Your name is Roan, right?"

【…….】

"You can at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠least nod, can't you?"

【…….】

The new subordinate slowly moved his head.

Wait. A good idea just hit me. If hand and foot gestures worked for communication, couldn't he write letters too?

"It won't work," Ingrid cut in like a blade.

"There is a high possibility that any act of expressing intent itself is under restriction."

Tch. I thought it was a brilliant idea, but it got shot down.

【…….】

Why are you nodding?

Anyway. The new otherworldly soul had been a "saint" who served the Dark God in life. Now he served me. But hierarchy still needed to be firmly established, didn't it?

"Who is your master?"

The soul dwelling in the Revenant's body pointed at me. That much was only natural. Sir Isra, who had been stuck as a bound spirit, had been kidnapped and forced to follow my orders. At first she had refused to call me Lord and stuck with "Sir." Even so, after uniting with the undead I crafted, she had gained basic loyalty as a subordinate. This one's case was a little different, so I needed to approach carefully.

"I heard you worship the Dark God."

Nod.

"Between the Dark God and me—who is your master?"

【My. Loyalty. You.】

A razor-sharp answer without a single gram of hesitation. Through the soul-link I could tell the words just now were sincere. But was it really okay for a former saint who served the Dark God to do that?

At my unspoken question, the new otherworldly soul hesitated briefly, then—

【I, Roan von Kreuz, serve Park Minho as my master, and swear to obey my master's orders even above the revelations of the Dark God.】

Huh? Why was he suddenly talking?

【This oath is mediated by the Dark God Himself. Should I break it, my soul shall be completely annihilated.】

A rapid-fire barrage of thoughts. Where had all that taciturn silence from a moment ago gone?

Excuse me, sir. Aren't you being a little too bold? I never expected him to casually stake his life—no, his soul. Now I had no choice but to trust him.

Hoo.

"Divine spells. Do I absolutely have to believe in the Dark God to use them?"

Headshake.

Good. Then I could enjoy the pleasure without the responsibility.

"Can I call you Roan?"

Five characters per minute. Introductions would waste time. No choice.

Nod nod.

Better a name than cultist, heretic, or fanatic. Now, to the main point.

"Teach me divine spells."