Chapter 217: Tidying Up 2
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Mon-Fri
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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Irene's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden hero treatment, and Han Se-ah started blurting out nonsense in response to the chaos of her viewers.
At that moment, my attention was elsewhere.
"What is this place? ...A battlefield?"
As I entered the temple, receiving salutes from the burdened temple knights, my vision blurred.
It was similar to when I met the Goddess.
Instead of the bright temple, a dark plain appeared before me, where, despite the sun having set, no moon could be seen.
In the shadows beyond the vast dark plain, something wriggled.
A chilling malice pricked my skin, and a sinister air flowed through the darkness.
Enhancing my vision through the murky sight, I saw two armies facing each other in the dark.
No, more precisely, there were three.
To my left and right were human armies, but when I turned around, I could feel a host of monsters crouching in the dark.
Was this a story from before I possessed this world?
Soldiers, unaware of the monsters, faced each other with swords drawn, tension high as they prepared for a battle.The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.
Even without knowing the full situation, it was clear that many would die here.
-I fear not stepping into the unholy place, for the Goddess is with me, her mercy comforting me like a mother's love.
At the end of the dark plain, a small flame flickered in the distance.
The sudden change had soldiers stringing arrows on their bows, while the monsters hiding in the dark suppressed their yellow eyes in the bushes, holding their breath.
Even the dullest could sense the palpable, naked tension filling the plain, ready to erupt.
Yet, the small flame continued to cross the plain, unfazed.
"Is that Ambrosio? ...It must be from the past; he looks much younger."
A middle-aged man in a brown monk's robe rode a scrawny, shabby horse, armed with nothing but a torch.
As his parched lips moved, verses from the Goddess' bible flowed out.
An arrow, accidentally released by a nervous recruit, whistled through the air, grazing Ambrosio's cheek before disappearing into the darkness.
The sharp sound caused soldiers on both sides to tense, and the monsters hidden in the dark growled softly, entering an excited state at the first drop of blood on the plains.
The rippling malice was about to slash through the plain like a blade, when suddenly,
-Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of life forever.
A brief flash of white light shone under the torch.
While everyone was going mad with tension and bloodlust, Ambrosio, in the most dangerous place, calmly recited the words of the Goddess.
The wound on his cheek, dripping with blood, healed under divine energy as if nothing had happened, and he calmly continued his journey.
A single torch illuminates the dark plain.
-Don't know, never had a 5.
-Man, I wish I could just breeze through the game like this and live a comfortable life owning a gaming company
With the noisy chat in the background, I turned my attention to my companions.
We were outside the tower, not in the miniature temple of the 35th floor, but visiting a large temple in the city.
This allowed us to occupy the empty lot behind the Adventurer's Guild to test our new skills.
"Phew, infusing arrows with mana... so this is what it feels like?"
"...Roland, can you spar with me? The log isn't enough."
Believing their newly acquired skills to be a blessing from the Goddess, they fired arrows and swung swords at poorly constructed straw dummies.
A blunt practice arrowhead, not even an alchemized one, pierced through the log and scratched the stone wall behind.
Beautiful sword energy, almost sky-blue in color, danced and turned the log, left outside all winter, into a pile of firewood.
They were now true senior adventurers, 5 in the language of the Adventurer's Guild.
Of course, a mere log couldn't measure their true power.
"So, who wants to go first?"
"I want to test the power of my arrows, so I'll go first."
"That sounds good. I'll take longer anyway."
Thus, I found myself volunteering as a living target.
The arrow, capable of piercing a log and marking the guild wall, required my shield for her to freely shoot and get a feel for it.
Naturally, at the 5 level, even the thick bones of an orc could be split like tofu.
Of course, it would take time for both of them to get used to their new level, having reached this level without any special training or exploits.
Like Han Se-ah, who received the title of a hero just from filming, they leveled up without facing life-threatening battles or deep enlightenment.
But the mana imbued in the arrow was real.
Thwoong-
The arrow flew silently, splitting the air.
It struck my shield heavily, tickling my palm.
It was a mere practice arrow, yet I could feel it beyond the shield and gauntlet on my palm.
"Did you aim for the heart?"
"It would be easier for you to block that way. I can't aim for the eyes during practice."
Grace freely shot arrows at the shield in front of my chest, gauging the power.
She couldn't read her own passive as she couldn't see Han Se-ah's system window, but it seemed to naturally engrave itself into her body, much like how I peruse fragments of memory.
It seems she's sensing the difference in power between arrows aimed at the heart and those that are not.
After emptying a quiver of practice arrows, Grace flexes her hand, trying to get a feel for the sensation.
In her place, Katie, emitting streaks of pale blue light, takes position with an excited face like a child receiving a toy.
...Due to the reflective damage passive, the aura will quickly fade if blocked with a shield.
Seeing how happy she is, I should try to deflect as much as possible to prolong the spar.
