Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Becoming a Holy Knight
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“Ooh, Messiah...”
“...”
Hae-jin was sitting on the sofa in the living room, guided there by Anna and her father.
At a complete loss for words.
He had no choice but to be.
Because Yohan, Anna's father, wouldn't stop calling him Messiah.
Whatever, fine.
After all, a positive reaction like that was better than anything negative.
But...
“...”
This was too much.
Hae-jin, who had been silent, finally opened his mouth.
“Um, you're Yohan, right?”
“Yes, Messiah.”
Yohan bowed his head deeply in respect.
Hae-jin waved a hand at him.
Please stop calling him Messiah to his face.
“Now that we're about to talk, could you stop with the 'Messiah' title?”
“How could I be forbidden from addressing the Messiah as Messiah?”
What was this, some cathedral version of Robin Hood?
Hae-jin explained to Yohan, who looked genuinely aggrieved.
“Uh, it's not that you can't call me that forever. It's just that we need to discuss world-saving matters for a bit, so hold off during that time. With you constantly saying 'Messiah' to me, I can't even talk to Anna, right?”
“Ah...”
Yohan realized, thanks to Hae-jin's kind explanation, what kind of interruption he'd been causing.
“I've hindered the Messiah's salvation. I apologize.”
Yohan rose from his chair, dropping to his knees and nearly slamming his forehead to the floor.
It was over the top, whatever it was.
Hae-jin hurriedly stopped him.
“No, no need to apologize that much... Just please stay quiet for a bit?”
“Ah, understood. Messiah.”
“...”
Hae-jin felt utterly drained by this unexpected ambush.
And somehow, he could picture Nam Joo-hyuk, who had left first, laughing from the heavens.
『I told you, didn't I? Brace yourself.』
He could almost hear Joo-hyuk's voice saying it.
Anyway, having finally quieted Yohan, Hae-jin called to Anna.
“Anna.”
“Yes, Messiah.”
“Hey, not you too?”
Anna had definitely called him by name when he first arrived.
But now this Messiah nonsense.
Seeing Hae-jin's pained expression, Anna giggled.
“Kidding, Hae-jin.”
Anna addressed him casually.
Seeing that, Hae-jin asked her.
“So, even you calling me Messiah is okay with Yohan?”
But it wasn't Anna who answered—it was Yohan.
“Of course. Our Anna, who stands with the Messiah, is one of the Messiah's own. How could I object?”
Yohan, saying since Anna had chosen to join Hae-jin, she too was Messiah material, and he had no say.
The man was a fanatic through and through.
Hae-jin said to him.
“...Got it. Mind if I talk with Anna for a bit?”
“Yes, Messiah.”
‘That damn Messiah...’
Hae-jin shook his head and looked at Anna.
“Anna.”
“Yes, Hae-jin.”
“Here, take this.”
Hae-jin pulled an item from his inventory window.
It was the Job Addition Ticket.
To others, it just looked like a scroll made of parchment.
Anna tilted her head at it.
“What's that?”
“You'll know when you take it.”
Players could immediately identify an item upon receiving it.
Trusting Hae-jin's words that she'd understand once she had it, Anna accepted the Job Addition Ticket.
Then she saw it.
[Item! You have acquired the 'Job Addition Ticket.']
“Job Addition Ticket...?”
Anna confirmed the identity of the item Hae-jin had given her.
She tilted her head.
She had no choice but to.
Hae-jin had come to her before this trial began and told her everything.
What trial she'd face, and what she needed to do to change classes into a specific job.
Following his guidance, Anna had successfully changed into a priest-class job on the path to becoming a Saintess.
Yet the Hae-jin who had recommended the perfect job for her and ensured her safe survival through the trial was now giving her a Job Addition Ticket.
The item's name made its purpose obvious.
Anyone could see it was for adding a job.
Anna asked Hae-jin about it.
“Are you telling me to add a job?”
“Yes.”
“What job?”
Anna wondered what on earth Hae-jin wanted her to add that he'd bring this.
“Probably the basic jobs will show up. Just pick something in the knight line.”
“Knight?”
“Yeah.”
“Uh...”
Anna pretended to be flustered.
She had no choice.
Until now, Hae-jin had recommended priest-class jobs for her.
So naturally, she'd assumed he saw her as a backline support party member aiding him.
But now knight?
What was a knight?
Someone who wielded sword and shield, staking their life on chivalry, right?
How could she not be flustered when Hae-jin, who had her change to priest, now told her to add a knight job?
Hae-jin tilted his head at her flustered reaction.
“Why?”
“You recommended priest for me.”
“Right.”
“But now you're saying add a knight job?”
“Yep.”
“Mind if I ask why?”
Anna asked why he had recommended priest for her and now wanted her to add knight on top.
Hae-jin just laid it out plainly.
The reason Anna needed to add the knight job.
“You need to handle both priest and knight at the same time. It'll raise our survival odds.”
“Survival odds...”
Anna murmured Hae-jin's words.
She had nothing to say against that.
For players enduring these trials, what was most important?
‘Survival.’
And he could boost those odds?
Hae-jin asked her.
“Is there any better reason than that?”
“So you're saying if I dual-class as knight, our chances of surviving go up?”
“Exactly.”
Anna made a somewhat convinced face.
As a player, what wouldn't she do if it meant higher survival odds?
But even so, one question lingered for Anna.
“Mind if I ask one thing?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Knights fight with sword and shield, right? I've never handled a sword before. Can I really do it properly? Wouldn't it be better to give this Job Addition Ticket to someone who already changed to knight class? Make a sturdier frontline that way.”
Anna had a point.
If they needed a solid frontline tank, why give it to her—a woman and priest—instead of a tank who was good with their body, to make an even tougher one?
Hae-jin had thought the same when Joo-hyuk first proposed the plan.
So he understood Anna's thinking.
But Joo-hyuk's explanation had convinced him.
Personnel numbers for the endgame were an issue, but more than that, Anna had...
‘Someone perfect to train her Holy Knight potential right nearby.’
A master to train her.
Joo-hyuk had said.
『There's this elder named Damian. A retired Holy Knight from the Papal Court. Among everyone I saw, he was outstanding with sword-and-shield. I found him by chance while looking for you. Thanks to him, I can use dual swords like sword-and-shield now.』
Damian, a retired Holy Knight from the Papal Court.
Even as a non-player, his physical prowess and sword-and-shield skills could handle average players with ease.
And Joo-hyuk had added.
『If I'm not around at the final chance, have Anna use the Job Addition Ticket for knight to dual as tank and healer, then definitely go to Damian for training. You learn too.』
Hae-jin had asked about it.
What to do to learn sword-and-shield from Elder Damian.
『If I'm there, I'll handle it. If not, just bring Anna.』
If he was around, Hae-jin would swing his greatsword as usual anyway, no need to learn from Damian. But if Joo-hyuk was gone, Hae-jin would need to fill that role, so learn from him.
Hae-jin had asked how to approach Damian when the time came, and Joo-hyuk said just bring Anna.
Recalling the reason, Hae-jin called to Anna.
“Anna.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you know Damian?”
“Damian?”
“Yeah. Retired Holy Knight elder, I heard.”
“Oh? Sounds like Grandpa Damian I know... Why bring him up suddenly? Wait, how do you know Grandpa Damian?”
“I'm the all-knowing Messiah. To see the end of this Survival Game, I'll pick only the optimal choices. One of them is you and I learning sword-and-shield from Damian. That's the highest survival odds.”
“So ultimately, we—you and me—need to frontline together to survive this Survival Game to the end?”
“Exactly. That answers your earlier question too, right?”
Anna had basically asked if she really had to dual priest and knight like a Holy Knight, and Hae-jin figured this covered it.
Anna nodded at his words.
“Hmm... Well, if you say so, it must be right.”
“Then shall we add the job to you first?”
“Yeah, got it.”
At the end of Hae-jin's explanation, Anna used the Job Addition Ticket he gave her.
[Item! Using the 'Job Addition Ticket.']
[Please select a job to add.]
A list of basic jobs appeared before her.
As she looked, Anna tilted her head.
“Huh?”
“What?”
“There's Holy Knight too, not just Knight?”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm?”
Hae-jin was puzzled.
As far as he knew, the Job Addition Ticket only offered basic jobs.
Holy Knight was a hybrid class combining priest and knight abilities—a special job line.
Why was it there?
Hae-jin pondered.
‘Anna's already on the Saintess path. Knight alone should suffice, right?’
Anna was someone who could reach the pinnacle of priest-class.
So adding just knight should make her Holy Knight-level tank.
That was why he and Joo-hyuk planned to give her the Job Addition Ticket for knight.
But Holy Knight was on the list.
Then obviously, go for Holy Knight.
It might seem obvious, but Hae-jin had reasons to hesitate.
‘Holy Knight is a better tank than plain Knight, but for Anna—who can reach the peak of holy power as Saintess—isn't it better to leverage knight skills to build her knight potential too? Or would Holy Knight synergize better?’
It was truly a dilemma.
Going Holy Knight meant forgoing some pure knight skills for holy ones.
But since Anna could master holy power, maybe pure knight was better.
Deep in thought, Hae-jin closed his eyes briefly.
Then opened them.
He'd decided.
Hae-jin called to Anna.
“Anna.”
“Yeah?”
Anna looked at him, wondering what to do.
He told her.
The job she'd add.
“Go with Holy Knight.”