—Excuse me, young man. The father will hold an impromptu mass to ease the atmosphere, in case you want to attend —a blonde girl with a youthful face was inviting passersby.
—Alright —with a brief and dry response, Martin headed towards the chapel, which had a different symbol from the previous town.
"This is the Goddess of Generosity," he recalled the story he had heard earlier, which said that these were the predominant religions among the population.
—Come in, come in, my servants. The Goddess is always there for those in need —a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes was greeting and receiving the guests.
In a few minutes, the chapel, which had a capacity for 20 people, was packed. The colossal storm had many people on edge.
—The Goddess will protect and care for this land. Do not be afraid and welcome her benevolence with open arms.
—Today, I will tell you the story of S’karn the warrior.
—Young S’karn was a humble and simple farmer who raised alpacas. His family lived off what these animals produced. However, a great storm devastated his village, and they lost everything.
—Finding himself in poverty with no one to turn to, young S’karn prayed to the Goddess with all his heart.
—Day and night, he prayed, hoping the Goddess would listen. The other villagers, including his family, stopped hoping and left the village. S’karn, who had been born and raised on that land, was not willing to abandon it.
—Oh Goddess, hear this humble believer!
—Days continued to pass, and S’karn’s faith began to waver.
—Why do you not respond to your servant?
—S’karn’s faith was being tested.
—Where have I failed?
—Completely disheartened, young S’karn decided to take his few belongings and leave his hometown. In the middle of his journey, the Goddess responded.
“My dear S’karn, this Goddess has been watching you day and night, but you refuse to listen.”
“The storm was a message for you, S’karn. Your destiny lies outside this village. You have proven yourself worthy long ago, but you refuse to listen.”
“Your fellow villagers live in a more prosperous land than this. Your family has bigger and stronger alpacas. This Goddess has blessed your village, but you refuse to listen.”
“My dear S’karn, I know you are devout and a faithful believer. Go south and fulfill your duty. This Goddess will continue to watch over you, but this time you must listen.”
—Young S’karn finally understood that the storm was never a disaster but an opportunity. The Goddess was indicating that his time had come, but he was being stubborn by refusing to leave the past behind.
—Do you think this storm is terrible? —the father asked rhetorically to the audience, his voice reaching every corner of the building.
No one in the chapel answered the question; their eyes were fixed on the father.
—No… everything happens for a reason, and after the storm, better times always come.
—Who knows? You might be the next S’karn, the Apostle of Generosity and the first King of Sulfur —the father closed his book and began talking with the believers to calm their fears.
Among the audience, Martin reflected on the story told. It had many questionable points, but the message was clear. It reminded him of the teachings of the Catholic Church; he still remembered some stories of Jesus he had heard as a child.
After talking with some believers, the father continued to tell stories, prolonging the mass for about an hour. Martin had only attended one mass in this world and hadn’t understood anything, so this was the first one he truly paid attention to. He learned some relevant things, such as that the gods were divided into two groups: the Sacred and the Ethereal. Each had their own domain and valued different things. However, Martin still knew only three gods: the Goddess of Charity, the Goddess of Generosity, and Desty.
“Even so, it's strange... What does Desty represent? Why hasn't anyone mentioned his title?” These doubts had been on Martin’s mind since he arrived in this world, but he never asked for fear of revealing that everything was a farce and that he wasn’t a follower of this "God."
BRUUUM.
The sky lit up for an instant, and then a deafening roar descended upon the village.
BRUUUM.
The phenomenon repeated, and numerous dark clouds filled the sky as far as the eye could see. The storm was here.
Martin, who was at a food stall trying a skewer of desert fox, looked at the sky with some fear. He had never witnessed a storm of this magnitude; it seemed like something out of a movie.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
—Thank you —the young man left two green coins on the table and quickly headed towards the inn.
Dozens of people hurried and took shelter in their homes. The bustling and anxious crowd had completely disappeared, leaving only a few brave souls who ignored what was happening.
Chop chop chop.
The rain began to fall, and small puddles formed on the ground. It was going to be a difficult night.
2:00 AM, Silver Rock Village.
Illuminated by occasional thunder, the area was submerged in darkness. All the commercial stalls were closed, and puddles filled the paths.
The torrential rain that fell in sheets seemed relentless, as if it wanted to engulf the entire desert. Yet, the structures stood firm despite their lack of design. Martin watched the majestic landscape through a hole in the wall, lost in his thoughts. The rain brought back memories of a distant past with his family.
Knock knock.
—Who is it? —Martin asked in a slightly refined dialect.
—It’s me, Rast —responded the huge man with a fierce appearance in Spanish.
—What’s happening, Mr. Rast?
—We’re leaving —without giving him a chance to speak, the man threw a black raincoat at him.
—We leave in 10 minutes.
The man turned and left the room. Martin watched his back cautiously. When they knocked on the door, he had unconsciously activated his ability and, for the first time, saw more vivid colors. It seemed something good had happened in the last few hours.
Two hours later.
Chop chop chop.
A torrential rain was fiercely beating down on the desert, lashing the buildings surrounding the scattered mining posts in the desert. Thousands of puddles formed on the path, and the sand turned to mud, making it difficult to transport goods. Walking was the best option.
BRUUUUUUUUM.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, echoing around the completely deserted area. The momentary flash illuminated the figures of two people dressed in black who defied nature.
“Damn, I’m going to catch a cold,” the dark-haired young man was completely soaked. The raincoat covered his body but not his face or hands.
“Tchh, this damn fool decides to go out at this hour and in this weather…”
“He’s really starting to piss me off with that arrogant attitude, like he’s looking at an insect, always looking at me with slight contempt.”
“Hang in there, Martin, it’s just a little further to the fortress city Sulfur… breathe…” Martin tried to calm himself with a light breathing exercise while enduring the onslaught of the storm. Being drenched and feeling a bone-chilling cold had him in a foul mood and angry.
The walk had been quite tough, but thanks to his physique improved by the formation of his ethereal soul, he could endure it without great difficulty. His mental and physical qualities had reached a new level in these days. However, he still didn’t know how to cast spells, strengthen his body, or perform special techniques like those usually seen in isekais. He had tried a few things, but nothing worked. He only knew how to turn his ability on and off at will.
—Messenger Key, what is your senior’s name? —Martin gave a name he had taken from a video game, as it would be very rare for someone to have that name in this world. Comparing it to his world, it was like a Chinese person being named Martin.
—His name is Arthas —Martin replied.
—I see… Has the God Desty been more disciplined with his apostles?
—Yes, after the incident with the last one, he’s been more selective —Martin didn’t know the details, but he knew the last apostle of the God Desty had caused serious trouble in several places and had become an enemy of the other churches due to his rampage.
—I still remember him. That bastard lived freely and did whatever he wanted, killed too many people —Rast’s colors began to fluctuate and increase in intensity, showing he was feeling strong negative emotions.
—Dozens of villages fell under his gaze of pleasure, women, children, the elderly… it didn’t matter who crossed his path, but the God Desty did nothing about his representative. When the other churches reproached him for his actions, the bastard attacked them outright and made a slaughter in the name of his God… Ha… the bastard killed my wife and children —Rast’s colors were dull and glowed intensely, starting to emanate a murderous aura.
Martin’s eyes widened in shock at this revelation. The subject named Rast began to talk too much without warning, revealing details of the crimes of Desty’s apostle. With each word, his mood darkened more. He had his back turned, but Martin could imagine his face at that moment.
“Damn…” Terror filled his being, and his hair stood on end. He stared intently at the huge man’s back in front of him. His ability clearly indicated his intentions.
—Despite everything, I found peace and
tranquility in the embrace of the Goddess. She gave me the motivation to move forward. I am a faithful believer in the Goddess of Charity, though symbolically since we do the dirty work and are forbidden from making the oath.
Martin walked with a lost look, the torrential rain and lightning accentuating the terrifying atmosphere. All his efforts and dreams were being cut short here. He felt like a pig on its way to the slaughterhouse.
—Where did I go wrong? —Martin asked in a low voice, devoid of any emotion, his eyes looking empty as if his soul had left him.
—In nothing, but Father Cole wants to avoid future problems and therefore ordered to nip the matter in the bud. However, you were quite clever with the senior issue. You made me delay your execution and check with the father, but it didn’t take long to figure out where you came from, damn Earthling.
Shock flooded Martin’s mind again. The revelations he had just heard were very valuable. His mind was running at full speed, imagining thousands of scenarios and hypotheses, but one idea took center stage and dominated over the others.
“I must live,” he repeated constantly in his mind. His eyes, which had been empty, regained their brightness, and a strong will to live took over his body.
—You’re not the first. Those damn Earthlings have been invading worlds for hundreds of years under the wing of sinister entities. Father Cole immediately knew you were one, but who would have thought Desty would start resorting to those vermin. No wonder he’s no longer one of the 10 main Gods.
—Anyway, I’ve talked too much… your time has come —the huge man stopped and gazed at the majestic storm on the horizon. It was an ideal day to fulfill his task given by the gods.
Martin had formulated a simple plan. He started running with all his might towards a small light in the distance, planning to sneak into a mining post and lose Rast in the network of tunnels that extended beneath the desert. Little S’wei had told him about these matters, as most adults worked there.
—Interesting… —Rast watched with ecstasy as Martin quickly distanced himself. He hated prey that didn’t put up a fight; it was boring.
“Run faster, faster, faster,” Martin’s legs moved at full speed, stepping on the mud-covered path, making him lose balance at times and slip, but he kept running no matter what.
Suddenly, a crimson red light that shone like a star appeared in the perimeter. Martin didn’t need to see the lights with his eyes; he could sense them with his consciousness, like a mobile phone detecting Wi-Fi signals.
SLASH.
A wide horizontal slash cut through the air, the falling water accumulating on the steel surface that gleamed under the sporadic lightning.
—Not bad —a sinister smile formed on Rast’s face.