Chapter 95
Chapter 95
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Floor 38
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Floor 38
[Entering Tower Floor 38 (EXTREME).]
A familiar notification rang out, and the scenery shifted.
This floor's starting point was a temporary camp set up on a wide plain.
“Not looking too good.”
The air was thick with the smell of blood, and groans echoed without end.
It seemed a fierce battle had already swept through and passed.
I appeared right in the middle of it.
The soldiers' eyes turned to me all at once.
“It’s the Little Sage!”
“We’re saved now!”
Hope and relief spread across their faces in an instant.
At the same time, I felt a faint warmth flowing into my body.
The same sensation as on Floor 36.
The people's awe was turning into milky specks of light and being absorbed into me.
Of course, the amount was still small.
Just then, a familiar figure approached. It was Sharon.
Her hair was matted, her face smeared with sweat and mud, exhaustion etched deep, but she broke into a bright smile the moment she saw me.
“Sage! Last time, you vanished so suddenly—I was shocked….”
I nodded and looked around.
“What’s the situation this time? I thought we’d wiped out most of the undead last time.”
Sharon’s expression darkened at my question.
She let out a sigh and began to explain.
“It was quiet for a few days, then they came back. Far more than before.”
From what Sharon said, the previous undead horde had just been the beginning.
Now, the enemy’s true nature was coming into focus.
Lurking behind them was a being suspected to be a powerful black mage.
“There’s a powerful black mage behind them. He’s endlessly reviving the dead orcs.”
Sharon bit her lip, unable to continue.
Fear lingered in her eyes.
“It’s no ordinary black mage. Soldiers collapse under the curse just glimpsing his shadow from afar. We couldn’t do a thing….”
Terror was spreading across the entire kingdom.
An irresistible power of death.
The soldiers’ morale had already hit rock bottom.
‘A single mage strong enough to stand against the whole kingdom?’
I thought to myself.
After my encounter with that magic-devouring old man, some black mage didn’t feel threatening at all.
If anything, I was intrigued.
‘First time fighting a mage.’
Up until now, my opponents had mostly been monsters relying on brute strength and instinct.
I wondered what battling an intelligent mage would feel like.
‘Maybe I can steal another spell.’
No idea where it came from, but I had a hunch I’d be fighting before reaching Floor 40.
I looked around.
Inside the tents, soldiers groaned in agony.
“Is their pain from the magic?”
In that case, there was a way.
I pushed my Insight Eye to its limits.
There it was.
Magic clinging to the soldiers’ bodies like leeches, sucking away their life force.
The death curse Sharon had mentioned, no doubt.
“Think I can remove this?”
One method sprang to mind.
I focused power at my fingertip.
Golden grains of sand appeared.
I stepped into the nearest tent.
“Fi, finally time to die… Looks like an angel’s come for me….”
A soldier on the brink of death cracked his eyes open faintly upon seeing me.
I lightly sprinkled golden sand on his forehead.
Sizzle—!
The moment the sand touched, the black aura enveloping his body vanished like smoke.
“Works, as expected.”
It was effective.
The soldier’s ragged breathing steadied in an instant.
Bewildered, he stared down at his hands.
“My body feels light… Is this what it’s like to be a soul?”
“Cut the nonsense and get up.”
The soldier was babbling in his delirium.
I ignored him and headed to the next bed.
“My… god….”
Sharon, who had watched it all from the side, swallowed hard.
I sprinkled the holy sand on the other soldiers the same way.
Of course, I didn’t forget to recover every single grain.
Limited edition, after all.
The soldiers, freed from the curse, leaped to their feet as if a miracle had occurred.
They slammed their heads to the ground in unison.
“Thank you! Thank you, Sage!”
“It’s not the Sage! It’s a god!”
The soldiers’ gazes burned even hotter than before.
A much greater volume of faith flowed into me than earlier.
But it still felt insufficient.
‘So when do I raise my rank? When do I dye my body with sand?’
That was when a familiar voice echoed in my head.
[Sandworm advises that it’s because there’s no system right now.]
‘System?’
[What the master is gaining now is close to personal worship. It’s far from systematic faith.]
‘Isn’t it the same thing?’
[Sandworm advises that for true faith, their beliefs must be gathered in one place, and a focal point is needed to propagate that faith.]
Sandworm’s explanation was clear.
Right now, I was just an incredibly strong and grateful benefactor.
For this to evolve into faith, other elements were required.
[Sandworm advises creating an apostle.]
‘Apostle?’
[A disciple who proclaims the master’s greatness, spreads the teachings, and shows the path of faith.]
[Doctrines and holy sites will come later, but first, an apostle.]
I nodded at Sandworm’s words.
I got it.
I had no salespeople to spread my doctrine.
I looked around.
The perfect candidate was right there.
“Sharon. I need to talk to you.”
I led Sharon to a quiet corner of the camp.
Unsure what it was about, she followed with a tense expression.
I paused for a moment before getting to the point.
“Sharon, how about quitting as a ranger?”
“Huh?”
Her eyes went wide.
It was clearly the last thing she expected.
“Did I… do something wrong?”
“No, nothing like that. There’s just a better job for you.”
I put on my most serious face.
“How about becoming my apostle?”
“……A priest?”
She repeated the word as if she didn’t quite understand.
“Hm, priest doesn’t fit? Then how about a holy knight? The team’s vitality manager. Holy Knight. Sounds cool, right?”
“I… don’t follow.”
“Hm, well….”
I decided to explain as concisely as possible.
“I’m saying I’ll let you use the power I used to lift that curse earlier.”
Her eyes widened at my words.
She had seen the miracle I performed with her own eyes.
The overwhelming power that solved the kingdom’s inescapable death curse with a single finger.
And now, she could wield it too.
“But how could I ever wield power like yours…?”
“Of course, you won’t be as strong as me. You’ll just borrow a portion of my power. Think of it like being a proxy.”
I explained the role of an apostle as Sandworm had described.
Ultimately, an apostle functioned like another one of my banners.
Spreading my faith on my behalf, acting as an antenna to gather and relay it to me.
Sure, some of the faith power would go to Sharon as a fee.
That much was just commission.
“With this power, you’ll be able to heal soldiers, purify cursed lands, and even confront those wraiths directly. You’ll save far more people than as a ranger. What do you say?”
Sharon fell into thought at my explanation.
But her deliberation didn’t last long.
Her arrows passing harmlessly through the wraiths.
Her comrades dying helplessly.
And my power resolving it all in one go.
There was no reason to hesitate.
“I’ll do it.”
She answered firmly.
“You’ve never once demanded anything from us, Sage. You’ve always helped out of pure goodwill.”
“…”
“So I’ll gladly be your sword and shield. What must I do?”
I nodded.
Sharon didn’t disappoint.
“Good. Then let’s start with baptism.”
“Baptism…?”
“Yeah. It’s like a contract. Come here and kneel for a moment.”
Sharon followed without a word.
She reverently dropped to one knee before me and bowed her head.
I summoned golden holy sand at the tip of my left index finger.
How to deliver it?
“Do you desire this power?”
“Yes, I do.”
No, that didn’t feel right.
Soon, a familiar method came to mind.
I sprinkled a bit of sand into Sharon’s mouth.
“Take this and eat. This is my body, given for you.”
I recited a line that sounded familiar from somewhere.
It had history and tradition, so it should work. Probably.
The moment the holy sand touched Sharon’s tongue, a soft golden light enveloped her entire body.
Sharon’s body trembled faintly.
I felt a portion of the holy power within me flowing into her.
As the light faded, Sharon slowly raised her head.
Her eyes were subtly different now.
Somehow deeper.
“This is… your power….”
Sharon murmured in awe, gazing down at her hands.
A faint golden aura rose from her palm.
I lightly patted her shoulder.
“Alright, time to rise. We’ve still got work to do.”
“Yes, Sage.”
“Now we need to find that black mage. Where is he?”
At my question, Sharon pointed toward the wasteland ahead.
“All the undead came from that direction. His base is probably at the end.”
“Good. Let’s head out.”
We ordered the soldiers to tidy up the camp and wait for reinforcements, then set off alone into the wasteland.
We hadn’t gone far when we encountered new enemies.
[Grrr…]
Black shadows crawling along the ground.
They had no form, but reeked of clear malice.
Before, I would’ve handled them myself, but now there was no need.
“Sharon, give it a try.”
“Yes.”
Sharon nodded, her expression tense.
She drew the bow from her back.
With a deep breath, she focused her new power into the arrow.
The plain arrowhead began to glow with brilliant gold.
Ping—!
The arrow left the string, tracing a path of light.
It pierced the center of one shadow precisely.
[Kieak!]
The shadow shrieked and burned away.
The enemy vanished pathetically from a single arrow.
Sharon stared alternately at the dispersing ashes, swallowing hard.
“…It really works.”
“Of course. Who do you think gave it to you?”
I said with a smile.
Sharon nocked another arrow.
This time, there was no hesitation.
Golden arrows fired in succession, purifying the shadows one by one.
Each enemy felled sent a tiny but unmistakable trickle of faith points my way.
The amount per kill was minuscule, but every bit counted.
This was exactly the picture I’d wanted.
We crossed the wasteland like that.
Sharon adapted to her new power more quickly with each fight.
How far had we gone?
At the wasteland’s edge, a bizarre structure came into view.
“Is that… a temple?”
It looked like the ruins of an ancient temple.
But an ominous aura poured from the entire structure.
A curse several times stronger.
No doubt about it. Our next target was in there.
“Probably inside.”
“You’re going in right now?”
“I’d like to, but…”
I judged based on my experience climbing the tower so far.
This was likely the end of the floor.
Floor 39 would be next.
“Guess we’ll see it in a few days. Wait here until I return. Oh, and gather faith diligently! Evangelize those around you!”
The moment I finished speaking,
[Congratulations on clearing Floor 38 EXTREME difficulty.]
[First clear bonus applied!]
[Rank 1 bonus applied!]
The familiar clear message appeared, and I was ejected from the tower.