“You can return them after I finish your weapon. Or use them up. They are failures, anyway.”
[90 seconds remaining]
“Uh… Thank you!”
“Hey, now go.”
Jin-woo bowed quickly and followed the swordsman.
The place they went to was not far from the smithy.
“Purr-! It’s been a long time since I saw a human.”
A lion.
An octopus, a mouse, and now a lion.
This seems to be an animal kingdom.
[Long time.]
“Huh? Ugh! You… you are-!”
The lion looked shocked upon seeing the swordsman, and the hairs on his mane rose.
“What on earth are you doing here?!”
[Nothing. Just playing around.]
You obviously don’t know what playing means, Jin-woo thought.
[Tsu! Stop wasting time and buy your stuff.]
“Ah! Do you sell return balls and tickets?”
“Purr-! Of course!”
“Oh, yes! I’ll live!”
“Hang on, I’ll search for them.”
The lion entered the store.
Jin-woo was nervous, but he waited quietly.
He looked around the shop as he waited.
“Is that a potion?”
There was a golden liquid in a pretty bottle.
He reached out and took the bottle to check the item information.
[Highest level recovery potion]
[Rank: Legendary]
[Efficacy: Restores 100% health and mana at once.]
[Cooldown: 8 hours]
Legendary potion?
100% recovery?!
I’ve certainly never seen a potion like this.
Jin-woo also examined the other items on display.
There were mostly consumables, but all of them are great.
Soon, the lion came out.
“Here.”
The lion held out a return ball and an admission ticket, which Jin-woo took.
Then, Jin-woo pointed at the potion on the stand.
“Is that for sale?”
“Radish… Of course! First, pay me for those items on your hand!”
“Ah, do you accept money transfer?”
“What are you talking about? You have to pay me in points?”
Jin-woo has never heard about points before.
“Points?”
[Hey, lion cub.]
At that time, the swordsman intervened.
With a low voice, he spoke to the lion.
[Put it on my tab.]
“What? Credit? That’s…”
[It would be better if you don’t refuse me.]
It seems like it’s not the first time the swordsman did something like this.
The lion hesitated.
“Hmm! Okay! I’ll allow you 1,000 points!”
“1,000 points?”
[That’s enough for the potion you are holding, the admission ticket, and the return ball.]
Jin-woo nodded, then placed the potion and the admission ticket in his inventory.
Then, a little marble beside the potion caught his eye.
[Orb of Holy Power]
[Rank: Legendary]
[Effect: Temporarily generates a Holy Power stat.]
[Duration: 3 hours]
Something flashed in Jin-woo’s head.
“How much is this?”
“500 points.”
“I’ll take this and the recovery potion!”
[Disciple, time is up]
Jin-woo hastily placed the marble inside his inventory and gripped his return ball tight.
“Mister Lion! Thank you!”
“Hey! Ah… Don’t come again!”
Jin-woo laughed awkwardly and broke the return ball.
* * *
Back in his hotel room in England.
Jin-woo checked the date on his smartphone.
They were gone a little longer than a day.
“Whooo!”
He caught his breath. It was another nerve-wracking experience.
“I thought I planned it so well, but the Octopus’ store is closed.”
He turned to the swordsman.
“How did it happen?”
[I guess he took a day off. Did you think they go to work every day?]
With that, the swordsman grabbed the smartphone from him and started browsing the internet again.
Jin-woo shook his head.
“I have to consider that when I plan for the next time.”
He was sadder that he didn’t see Mr. Octopus rather than the fact that he couldn’t buy from him.
“Well, Master. What’s a point?”
[Think of it as a currency that can be used there. You’ll know when you qualify.]
“Again, with that. Are you talking about the quest?”
[Well, that’s what it is.]
Jin-woo considered.
The name of the quest they have was Proof of Qualification.
“If I finish this quest, I’ll learn more about that place, right?”
[Yes. You’ll know all the things you don’t know.]
Jin-woo nodded. In order to qualify, he had to deal with the Demon Kings.
He started to check the items that were in his inventory.
There were various types of swords, maces, helmets, and shields.
“They are at least hero level…”
There were also legendary items mixed in.
Among those items, Jin-woo picked up a sword.
It looked impressive. Its blade is white, and its handle is quite colorful.
It looks more like a decorative sword rather than one for practical use.
However, when he checked the stats…
[Durandal]
[Rank: Legendary]
[Sword from Angel]
[Physical Attack: 580]
[Divine Attack: 400]
[Strength: 440]
[Agility: 450]
[Health: 500]
[Mana: 530]
[Special Skills: Angel’s Song]
[Special Skill 2: Holy Shield
[Special Skill 3: Holy Blade]
The weapon is a great option.
Its attack power was lower than that of the Dragon Blade, but it had a Divine Attack Power stat.
There were also three special skills attached to it.
“All skills have something to do with divine power… Did he know?”
It was the same with Dragon Blade.
Mr. Rat handed him the sword as if he knew that Jin-woo was going to deal with a dragon.
This time, he has to deal with demons.
Of course, divine power was bound to be their weakness.
However, the divine power stat does not exist in other weapons on Earth.
Jin-woo began checking the other weapons.
Among them were weapons for magic-users.
He went through all the items and finally checked the marble he hastily took from the Lion’s shelf.
Marble of Divine Power.
He took it at the last moment because he realized something at that point.
Divine power will hit demons hard.
If this marble forms some sort of synergy with Durandal and the other weapons…
Jiing-!
A text message arrived from Han Yu-ra.
-Meeting with Oliver tomorrow.
D-Day is approaching.
* * *
Next day.
Dozens of vehicles filled with Noblesse Guild members pulled out of England’s city center
Jin-woo and Han Yu-ra were in one of the vehicles, along with Oliver and a woman.
“I didn’t expect you would lead the team yourself,” Han Yu-ra told Oliver.
“Haha! I don’t like sitting and waiting for results,” Oliver said with a cheerful smile.
“By the way,” Oliver turned to the woman sitting next to him.
The woman is in a priest’s uniform and is wearing eyeglasses.
She bowed her head quickly, as if she is embarrassed. The gesture looked pretty cute.
“This is Priestess Emily from the Church of England,” Oliver introduced her.
“Ah, hello. A priestess?” Han Yu-ra looked puzzled.
Oliver nodded. “It’s not a well-known fact, but those who are engaged in religion have unique stats.”
“A unique stat?”
“Yes. Divine Power.”
Even before the monsters came out, some religious people already claimed to have special powers.
Some of them were scammers, but others may have been telling the truth.
Jin-woo thought that divine power didn’t exist on Earth, but now, someone in front of him has it.
“She will be of great help because our enemies our demons.”
“I agree,” Jin-woo said.
Kiik-!
The car stopped.
“We’re here.”
As they got out of the car, Jin-woo saw the familiar place.
It was where Dragon’s Nest was.
Now, there was a five-story tower in its place.
Oliver took the lead.
“We’ll walk from here on.”
Jin-woo nodded and pulled out the relic as he followed him.
He wanted to see if the relic is going to show some reaction as it approached the tower.
Suddenly, Priestess Emily approached him with her eyes glowing.
“Is that a relic?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Wow… I think I can feel divine power just by looking at it.”
“Haha…”
Jin-woo thought it was rather absurd. He didn’t believe in God.
Above all, there was no word about divine power in the relic’s item description.
The party continued their march, guarding the surroundings, and soon they were able to reach the tower.
Surprisingly, the entrance on the first floor was wide open. There was no security or monsters guarding the way.
[Makes you confident, doesn’t it?]
Right. As if they want to make you feel you can come at anytime.
When they went inside, all they found was a circular space.
There was no staircase going up.
“How do we go up?”
Oliver and the other team members looked around.
Jin-woo raised his head toward the ceiling.
After a few moments, he swung his sword towards it.
Bang-!
Dust and small stones showered them. When the dust settled, a huge hole was on the ceiling.
“There. We can go up through that,” Jin-woo said.
Oliver smiled awkwardly.
“Jin-woo, you’re a radical one.”
“Huh?”
Jin-woo didn’t think about it as a radical move. He thought it was common sense.
He jumped through the hole and installed equipment so the team members could climb up.
One by one, they climbed up through the rope.
When everyone was ready, they heard a booming voice.
“You guys don’t even know the rules of the game! In a tower like this, you have to clear the first floor before going up! Why did you break the ceiling?!”
The creature appeared.
It was a man the size of a house.
He had purple skin and horns.
The man from the video.
“Check him out,” Oliver said to one of his team members.
“Search!”
The team member activated his skill, but suddenly –
“Ahhhhh!”
He screamed and fell to the floor. Then, he convulsed violently.
His colleagues rushed to check his condition, but he was dead in seconds.
“Dead…”
“His eyes…”
The eyes of the team member were burned black.
“Humans dare to fathom the power of this body, huh?”
The demon laughed.
[Hmm, he’s not that much.]
Yes.
Jin-woo felt it as well. He felt much stronger energy when he faced Maryong.
He was only fortunate that he had a weapon with a Dragon Slayer skill when he faced Maryong.
Compared to the Maryong, the demon in front of him now is not that much.
Above all, he had Durandal, a sword with divine power.
It was then.
Priestess Emily stepped forward.
“Huh?”
“Oh, a priest who worshipped God,” the demon looked amused.
“You are the devil.”
“Haha! That’s what I am, yes.”
“I will punish you in the name of God!”
Ah… Jin-woo thought. It’s cringy.
The swordsman also felt the same way.
[Somewhere inside this body, I feel shudders.]
Master, we need to watch her.
[What?]
How she uses divine power.
Jin-woo was genuinely curious about how priests use divine power.
One of the Four Kings of the Demon Kingdom.
It was a grand title, but Jin-woo knew the demon was no match for him, so he could afford to watch leisurely.
Then, Priestess Emily moved.
She put her hands on her chest and prayed.
“Emily Bronte, servant of the great God, is desperate. Please give me the power to punish that demon!”
A divine light fell on her.
Boru was watching it leisurely.
He seems so relaxed?
Jin-woo looked at the demon.
The demon could have attacked the priestess several times already.
Still, it just watched.
As if it was daring her to give everything that she can.
“Holy Cross!”
Emily shouted and spread her arms.
A divine light in the form of a cross shone from her body towards the demon.
“Oh, so that’s it?”
The demon raised its right hand.
A purple energy emanated from his hand and swallowed the sacred light.
Poof-!
The divine light is gone in an instant.
“What… nonsense…”
Emily’s face was filled with shock as if she couldn’t believe what happened.
Jin-woo shrugged.
In a way, it was expected.
Divine power was not common in this world.
Only a few were blessed to have this stat.
As such, it hasn’t developed enough.
On the other hand, the enemy is a demon king.
His evil magic was at its ultimate form.
Beginner divine power was no match for it.
“You did well,” Jin-woo approached the priestess. “Please step back.”
Jin-woo continued to walk past her.
“Oh… Jin-woo! What are you trying to do?!”
Oliver cried urgently.
In response to Oliver’s question, he opened his inventory and took out a sword.
“That’s…?”
Emily’s eyes sparkled.
It is the same reaction as when seeing the relic
She certainly seemed to be sensitive to divine power.
Jin-woo turned to look at Oliver and smiled.
“I think I can handle that guy alone.”