6
The eerie atmosphere was shattered by the sound of glass breaking. I instinctively looked up and saw the stained glass window of the cathedral shattering, followed by a cascade of light and a group of Dark Church followers falling through, along with a gray-haired man in a black uniform leaping down after them. His long braid stood upright due to the descent, resembling a scorpion’s tail, and the twisted smile on his face was disturbingly excited.
That was…
Seeing the shards of glass about to rain down on us, the Light Saint still stood there dumbfounded, not reacting. In desperation, I bent down to pick up the two-handed greatsword that was bound to me, grabbed him with one hand, and shoved him toward Hilier. With the other hand, I raised the greatsword above my head to block the incoming storm of glass shards.
—Even though I couldn’t equip it due to the level restriction, I could still use it temporarily as a makeshift… ahem, shield.
Thankfully, it was only glass shards falling our way and not people. I watched as a Dark Church follower crashed to the ground not far away, his health bar instantly dropping to a quarter. Before he could get up, a spear pierced through his chest with the momentum of a powerful strike—zeroing him out.
The owner of the spear rolled on the ground as he landed, pulling the spear out and, in one swift motion, skewering another fleeing Dark Church follower, depleting their health as well. After scanning the surroundings and seeing that the remaining Dark Church followers had already been subdued by the arriving Holy Knights, he clicked his tongue regretfully, then looked up at me—
His smile froze, and he shuddered before quickly hiding his spear behind his back, standing tall as he loudly declared, “I didn’t kill them! They fell to their deaths on their own!”
“…” I couldn’t help but remind him, “…I’m not blind.”
This was [SR Judge Cooper], one of the three Judges of the Light Church’s tribunal, and the youngest of them. His character had serious issues. If it weren’t for Light Pope Hilier vouching for him multiple times, he probably would’ve been executed long ago due to his bloodthirsty tendencies.
I didn’t know him, but he knew me. Makes sense, though—the Captain of the Holy Knights and the Judges were of equal rank, so he definitely should recognize me. I just didn’t understand why he seemed so afraid of me…
Cooper’s mismatched eyes darted around nervously, then suddenly landed on Hilier. He blinked, twirled his spear back into position, and arrogantly glanced at me—his expression so exaggerated it was almost laughable—as he provocatively asked in a raised voice, “Pope Hilier, would you like me to escort this ‘sinner’ to the tribunal for you?”
The Light Saint next to me immediately turned pale. He stepped forward to shield me and practically screeched, his young voice nearly breaking, “Alvin is not a sinner!”
Cooper bared his sharp canines in a grin. “If he’s not a sinner, then why would he be rejected by the Grace of the Light?”
The Light Saint fell silent, stammering, “That, that’s…”
Across from us, Yasha, who had been silently watching the drama unfold, let out a few chuckles, interrupting the argument. He twirled the ring on his finger with his thumb, his gaze lazily drifting between Cooper and the Light Saint before finally landing on the restrained Dark Church followers. He sighed, “So, you failed, huh…”
One of the Dark Church followers struggled to lift his head and replied, “The cathedral’s security tripled. We—ugh!”
“Shut up and behave!” The Holy Knight guarding him deliberately glanced at Cooper and shouted loudly, “Thanks to the Captain seeing through your plan in advance, you couldn’t steal the relic!”
“Oh?” Yasha glanced at me with a smile that wasn’t a smile. “That’s not surprising. After all, it was our brilliant and honorable Captain who taught me these methods in the first place…”
Me: “…”
Huh?
This cryptic statement successfully shifted everyone’s attention back to me. I had no idea if this sudden burden was something the devs had planned, nor did I know how to respond, so I kept silent.
But Yasha wasn’t done with me yet. His snake-like, blood-red eyes locked onto me, his lips curling into a smirk. “Captain, how’s that stolen oracle working out for you?”
“…”
What oracle? The Gods of Light and Darkness haven’t issued any oracles in years. The last one was the prophecy about the ‘Savior’ in the opening animation, wasn’t it? And wasn’t that the same for both sides? What’s there to steal?
…Wait.
The same for both sides… the same for both sides?!
A chill ran down my spine.
Considering Yasha’s words and the strange [Curse] buff above my head, I felt like I was piecing together part of the plot. If that’s the case, then does that mean—
Hilier finally spoke up, “Cooper, kill him.”
A huge grin spread across Cooper’s face as he answered and, without hesitation, lunged forward with his spear—
Thud.
The Light Saint, whom I had pushed aside, turned around in shock, his pale lashes trembling, his golden eyes staring at me in a daze, his mouth slightly open, unable to speak.
I, too, looked down at the spear that had pierced through my model and then at Cooper, who had collided with me, still sporting a very friendly green name. For a moment, I didn’t know how to react.
Of all people, it turned out to be him.
“…You didn’t dodge?” Cooper looked just as stunned as the Light Saint. His pupils quivered, and the confusion on his face suddenly shifted to delight. He twisted the spear in his hand and grinned, “Then send my regards to Hell, dear Captain~”
“…”
I closed my eyes.
7
Three seconds later.
I opened my eyes again.
Wait a minute, I’m not dead. This isn’t a plot death.
…Then why did he stab me?!
I reached out and grabbed the scorpion-tail braid that had been swinging behind Cooper’s head, giving it a sharp tug. His head jerked sideways, and he was forced to look up at me.
Expressionless, I confirmed with him, “I think the person Hilier wanted you to kill wasn’t me. What do you think?”
Cooper shrank back and spat out a string of words, “…I know I was wrong, I’ll never do it again, Cap—” He abruptly stopped and then awkwardly corrected himself, “—Captain.”
I let go of him, and he let go of his spear, stumbling back several steps in a panic, as if he were the one who had been stabbed. His eyes remained fixed on the spear still lodged in my abdomen.
Cooper’s expression kept changing as he suddenly looked at me. “How can you be injured—”
“…Just go carry out Hilier’s order.” I interrupted him.
“Yes.” Cooper reflexively responded.
After calming himself, he quickly snatched the spear from a Holy Knight guard who was still frozen in shock, flashed me an ingratiating smile, and then charged toward Yasha with a powerful attack. The fragile archer backflipped out of the way, and chaos erupted once again on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the Light Saint rushed back over, channeling divine light through his hands as if it cost nothing, frantically casting healing magic on the spot where I’d been stabbed. My vision was filled with a cascade of four-digit healing numbers, rapidly depleting his mana bar. The numbers were so dense that I couldn’t see anything, so I grabbed his wrist and reminded him, “It’s useless.”
—After all, I still had that cursed buff. Plus, my health is locked at 1, so even if he could heal me, it wouldn’t help!
The Light Saint panicked and called out, “Teacher, what should we do?!”
Hilier’s gaze was no longer on the dragons above but frozen on my wound. His hands trembled, and the divine light maintaining the barrier flickered unstably, causing cracks to appear in the shield.
The sight of a spear sticking through me certainly looked shocking, but it wasn’t a big deal—I could still move. To prevent Hilier from being distracted, I grabbed the spear and pulled it out with a steady breath, then smiled at him. “I…”
The Light Saint screamed, “Ahhhhhhh—!”
Me: “…am fine.”
Tears welled up in the Light Saint’s eyes as he pressed his hands against the damaged armor. Blood immediately soaked his hands, turning them bright red, but no matter how hard he pressed, the blood continued to flow through his fingers. His voice was choked with sobs, “The bleeding won’t stop… You’ll die at this rate!”
I comforted him, “It’s okay. I should’ve died a long time ago.”
—Seriously, it’s been so many scenes already, and I still haven’t had my plot death. The devs must be really struggling.
Light Saint: “…”
He started sobbing uncontrollably and began tugging at my broken armor.
Me: “…”
I quickly grabbed his hands, trying to figure out how to stop him from dismantling my model when suddenly, a voice came from beside us, “Do you need help?”
I turned my head and saw a young boy dressed in bizarre armor standing there. He wore an ugly helmet that looked like a pot, with a stubborn tuft of hair sticking out from the top, and his outfit was a mismatched combination of leather armor, waistguards, and leg wraps. On his feet, he wore a pair of fuzzy boots.
Isn’t this the player… no, the Savior?!
He said blankly, “I have healing abilities. I can heal him.”
The Light Saint hesitated for a moment before stepping aside. The Savior, whom I’d encountered once before, crouched down and used a basic healing spell on me.
A flash of white light appeared, healing for… 5 HP.
The bleeding stopped instantly.
Me: “…”
Light Saint: “…”
The Savior saw nothing wrong with this and asked, “He’s healed. Is there anything else you need help with?”
The Light Saint was still in shock. “You are…?”
The Savior tilted his head, causing the tuft of hair sticking out from his helmet to wobble. He pointed at Cooper, who was currently laughing maniacally as he continued to chase down Yasha, despite being surrounded by the Death Knights. In all seriousness, the Savior explained, “You asked me to protect the cathedral and stop the Dark Saint from stealing the relic, but he didn’t come. The ones who did come were all killed by the Judge, so I came down here.” After saying that, he looked at me, sounding slightly aggrieved, “You didn’t tell me you were the Captain of the Holy Knights.”
Me: “…”
I couldn’t explain. After all, I had only known about this identity for half a day longer than he did…
Suddenly, the Light Saint gripped my arm tightly and, without looking at anyone in particular, muttered, “Teacher hasn’t officially pronounced judgment yet, so Alvin is still the Captain of the Holy Knights!… Right?”
Worried that he might get too excited and accidentally tear off my flimsy arm armor, I nodded along with his words, “…Yes.”
The Light Saint broke into a smile through his tears.
He eagerly said, “As long as we can prove that Alvin’s rejection by the Light is due to some other reason and not because he betrayed his faith…” He trailed off, glancing at my wound, then at the Savior. “You’re also of the Light attribute, so why…”
“Yes, I am Light attribute.” the Savior nodded, confidently stating, “So I should be part of the Light Church, right?”
With the bleeding stopped, Hilier had regained his composure. He glanced at the Savior, seeming to realize something, and cautiously asked, “What’s your name?”
The Savior shook his head. “I don’t remember. You can call me Luke. I really like that name.”
Luke was a very common name, meaning ‘light.’ About three out of every ten followers of the Light God were named Luke. What most ordinary people didn’t know, though, was that Luke had another meaning—it was also…
The true name of the God of Light.
The second chapter of the plot mainly revolves around this attack, with the final task being the player’s official induction into the Light Church, opening up the faction reputation system. At this point, all game features are unlocked. As the game’s original beginner guide, this was the extent of my knowledge, though the only parts I actually got to use were the naming and battle panel activation… As for the third chapter and beyond, I had no idea what would happen.
But based on the information I had… it seemed like the devs had cooked up a really intense main storyline!
After a moment of silence, the Savior—no, Luke—asked, “Why are you all looking at me? Do I have something on my face?”
Hilier remained lost in thought and didn’t answer.
So Luke summoned a Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit wore silver-white light armor that was more decorative than protective, with an ornate crimson cape draped over his shoulders and a massive two-handed greatsword strapped to his back. He had golden hair, blue eyes, a handsome face full of righteousness, and even standing there silently, he seemed to radiate divine light.
It was none other than the 168-buck skin I’d been given.
Luke asked him, “Is there something on my face?”
This was my first time seeing my Holy Spirit up close. Though we shared memories, I couldn’t control his actions. After hearing Luke’s question, he apologized politely, placed a hand on Luke’s chin, and carefully scanned every inch of his face before shaking his head, “There isn’t.”
I watched as the faces of several Holy Knights who had been watching turned bright red.
The Holy Spirit, oblivious, smiled at Luke before letting go of his chin.
Me: “…”
Wait, so this is the kind of character I’m supposed to be?!
I was so stunned that I couldn’t recover.
Luke caught my gaze, looking completely clueless and unaware that the atmosphere had just shifted. Maybe it was my imagination, but I could’ve sworn I saw the tuft of hair on his head twitch as he suddenly looked past me toward the Dark Saint’s direction, reminding us, “The Judge needs help.”
I followed his gaze and saw that Cooper, who had been happily chasing Yasha around, was now down to low health. His overly aggressive fighting style had isolated him from the rest of the Holy Knight Order, leaving him separated and surrounded by the Death Knights and other enemies. Even so, he showed no signs of retreating, hellbent on forcing Yasha into close-quarters combat, preventing him from drawing his bow.
The Light Saint said nothing, staring down at his bloodstained hands, a brief flash of expression crossing his face that didn’t quite align with the Church’s teachings.
Me: “…”
To keep him from breaking character, I nodded at Luke and stood up, preparing to retrieve Cooper myself—after all, among us, the strongest fighter, Hilier, was occupied maintaining the barrier, the Light Saint had no offensive capabilities, and Luke and his Holy Spirits were barely level ten. It had to be me, the unkillable bug, who stepped up…
“Do you need help?” Luke asked.
His Holy Spirit chimed in with idle dialogue, “Rest easy, leave the rest to me.”
Me: “…”
8
I couldn’t give Luke any tasks, so I politely declined his offer.
But before I could take more than a step, a massive explosion suddenly shook the ground from the east. Hilier let out a groan, and the golden barrier shattered instantly. He staggered, his staff slipping from his grasp. I immediately changed direction to catch him, and he opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, blood sprayed from his lips onto my shoulder, and a string of debuffs suddenly appeared over his head, making my heart race.
The Great Cathedral of Light was located in the center of the Holy City, at the highest point. Without needing him to explain, I could see the east side of the city in ruins, with both the Light and Dark factions blown apart indiscriminately. A tall centaur strode leisurely through the city gates, a three-meter-long lance dragging along the ground, sparking as she walked. Following behind her were various non-human races—elves, dwarves, beastfolk… The one thing they all had in common was the green leaf emblem on their chests, symbolizing freedom.
—It was the Free Alliance.
How could this be? The Free Alliance wasn’t supposed to appear in the second chapter of the plot!
With no barrier to stop them, the dragons overhead let out a long roar and dove down toward us, their fiery breath cascading like a flood of flames. With quick reflexes, I kicked both the Light Saint and Luke behind a holy stone pillar, but it was too late for me to dodge. All I could do was pull Hilier into my arms and plant the greatsword in front of me to shield against the heat. Without thinking, I acted on instinct. As soon as the flames receded, I swung the sword horizontally, and with a clang, I clashed against the sharp fangs of a dragon as it lunged down.
But because I couldn’t equip the greatsword, I was only using it as a shield, and it was knocked away in the clash. The dragon’s claws followed closely behind, and I instinctively flung Hilier backward while raising my hands to block the gleaming talons—
Then the dragon got stuck on my unmovable, unknockable bug.
Its enormous eyes were filled with shock.
Me: “…”
While I stood there stunned, I heard the sound of rushing wind. The noise grew louder, sharper than an arrow, and within seconds, I saw a flaming lance shoot across nearly a hundred meters, piercing through the dragon’s head, exiting through the other side, and embedding itself into a towering holy stone pillar, shattering it completely.
The dragon’s massive health bar instantly dropped to zero. Its colossal body slowly tilted and crashed to the ground, igniting everything in a blaze of blood and fire.
In the ensuing silence, I stood dumbfounded as the centaur who had shattered the barrier climbed the steps and retrieved her lance from the rubble of the holy stone pillar. She turned around and shot me a sultry smile. Touching her fingers to her temple, she gave a playful salute and said in a raspy voice, “Yo, long time no see, my little Al.”
“Have you missed your teacher?”
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