"The monster races regenerate at an abnormal rate, allowing them to heal even the most egregious wounds. Knowing humans would be left defenseless, Judex Divinum bestowed upon the humans gifts to aid us. He also set up a governing power to maintain order. We refer to this government as The Temple. Guided by Judex Divinum, The Temple runs the world through his power and wisdom. The one who runs The Temple is the Knight of God. Which is the equivalent to a human monster king."

Asura rolled his eyes, whispering to himself,

"That is because he is the king. King of the humans? Human King? King Human? Like the other races king?"

"He is the person with the highest blessing from Judex Divinum, or so those who follow The Temple believe."

Asura furrowed his brow, confused by the subtle tone change in the old man's voice. His voice was filled with disdain as he said the last part. However, the old man continued before Asura could ask,

"This leads us to how the human race acquired holy mana. Holy mana is not something humans can produce, it is something we are gifted. Judex Divinum gave the seven Arch Angel's holy mana to give to the humans. The Arch Angels presented humans with the choice to dedicate themselves to God through the Arch Angel, which then lets us acquire said gift or live without it if we choose not to."

"Let's start from the lowest rank. A Priest within The Temple is the lowest rank in strength and mana. Priests must rely on incantations and enchanted weapons in order to fight monsters. Often, these people's responsibilities are to maintain enchantments and wards. The next is the High Priest. The High Priests are given holy weapons and can wield more holy mana."

"What's the difference between holy weapons and enchanted weapons? Sounds like the same thing..."

"Holy weapons are weapons crafted by Hephestine, the Arch Angel. From what we know, they are unbreakable, unlike enchanted weapons. Holy weapons also can endure more holy mana being channeled within them, unlike enchanted weapons, which will explode if pushed too far. Any weapon can be enchanted with holy mana, but they are often man-made, unlike holy weapons."

"After High Priests are the Paladins. Unlike the High Priests and Priests, Paladins do not rely on incantations as much. Their blessings give them substantial amounts of mana and power compared to the lower two ranks. They also acquire unique abilities like superpowers from their Arch Angel. An example would be Mel's ability to shift the form of her gun."

"However, there are a limited number of Paladins compared to the lower ranks. Paladins have seven ranks within the rank of Paladin. Each is labeled the first to the seventh rank. First rank Paladin, Second Rank Paladin, etc. In the seventh rank, there are as little as a hundred people. Seventh-rank paladins are also called Knight Candidates. More on this later."

"The next rank after Paladins are the twelve Arch Knights. Their mana and utilization of their power far exceed those of the Paladins. There are twelve of them to try and rival the power of each Apocalypse from each kingdom. Like generals of an army, they also lead the army of Judex Divinum into war. After the Arch Knights is, of course, the Knight of God. His blessings are believed to be given directly by Judex Divinum. His strength is compared to that of a monster king. However, this cannot be proven because he has never been seen in combat..."

Asura watched as the old man shifted as if aggravated. Rubbing his brows while looking down at the book, he seemed dissatisfied as he continued to read. Asura couldn't help but feel the old man was upset with the current Knight of God.

"His pure holy mana alone proves he is unrivaled even amongst the twelve Arch Knights, solidifying his position as the highest authority. Paladins usually run smaller Cathedrals like this one with a few teams of priests. In larger towns, a few Paladins will be responsible for the city with multiple teams of priests under each Paladin."

"Arch Knights usually run bigger Cathedrals within major cities or fortresses running multiple cities from their headquarters. They usually operate with several Paladins underneath them in order to manage them all. The Knight of God remains at Eden, not the garden, the largest fortified city in the realm and the headquarters for The Temple."

Asura raised his hand, perplexed by the recent information given.

"Wait, if Paladins run Cathedrals, why is Mel here? If there's a limited amount, shouldn't she be somewhere... you know important? Is she that bad at her job?"

Mel scoffed while looking outside the window next to her. Tapping her arm aggressively, she tried to distract herself. Visibly upset and annoyed by the question, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Watching her reactions, Asura knew he struck a nerve. The old man replied,

"Mel is here due to her bad attitude and to teach her a lesson. She's currently working under me and will remain under me for a while."

Mel grumpily mumbled under her breath,

"Whatever..."

The old man immediately tried to reroute the conversation.

"Back to the lesson."

Asura groaned,

"There's more?"

Ignoring Asura's comment, the old man proceeded with the lesson,

"The Angels rankings are different."

All the boredom built up over the entire session disappeared at the mention of the Angels. The legendary existences were skillfully created by God's hand! They were ethereal protectors of heaven and earth! In Asura's head, they were like a task force from a show he once saw, ready to be sent forth to destroy evil if Judex Divinum willed it. Asura sat up, completely focused on the old man, ready for more.

"There are angels, which have the lowest rank. However, an angel's strength is hard to measure due to rarely ever seeing them. We haven't witnessed their capabilities, however whenever one appears even the Arch Knights must show respect. They can give blessings to humans. However, most people with an Archangel's blessings are high priests at best, as I stated before. The only other ranking we know of after the Angels are Archangels."

"Their strength is unrivaled in both heaven and the monster realms. Their holy mana has no end, and they can easily kill the Apocalypses. Even the monster kings prefer not to mess with the Archangels. The upside is that they must obey Judex Divinum's command to guard his favored Gardens, which means they cannot intervene with the human world. If they did, we most certainly would face mass genocide if they got involved."

"Aren't they the ones providing your mana? Why would it end up badly?"

Asura noticed a shift in the old man's demeanor. His body tensed, and his eyes seemed to darken.

"They would be disappointed by the current affairs within the human realm... They provide us with powerful blessings that Judex Divinum bestowed on them to give us. They also provide our holy weapons. The Archangel of forgery, Hephestine, forms the weapons in a forge blessed by God. Without these blessings and mana, we would have no chance to fight or kill monsters that invade our realm."

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"What did you mean by saying you needed holy mana to kill a monster earlier? I don't have Quotidian mana. Can't you just use a weapon, that's all I ever had to use?"

Surprised by this, the old man raised his eyebrows while asking,

"Wait, you don't have demonic mana?"

"Nope, also fu-.... screw you."

Asura expected the old man to snap at him again, but he seemed more interested in the conversation.

"It's not demonic just because it's not holy mana. It's more ordinary if you think about it if all other races have it. Maybe humans are the weird ones, ever think about that?"

Mel leaned forward, heavily interested in the conversation due to this revelation.

"You actually don't have demonic mana? I thought all demons, had it?"

"Nope, never needed it and can't use it. Well... that's a lie. I used weapons given by the Cyclops for a while. Usually, I just punch things. Like you, if you keep calling me a demon. One more time, I dare you. Say it one more time."

Asura watched as the old man stroked his beard while pondering the conversation.

"Interesting... That explains why you could enter the cathedral then. I assume your weapons were made with some material infused with mana or were enchanted. Which would allow you to kill it, but I have never met a monster before without mana."

"So, can I get holy mana from an Angel then?"

Out of nowhere, Ash burst out laughing at the question. Unamused, Asura clenched his upper two fists as a burning sensation spread across his body. With his lower two arms, Asura struggled to control the urge to beat Ash senselessly. He tried to grab onto the desk, digging his fingers into the wood, which caused it to split and crumple slowly. After managing to pull himself together, Ash responded with a belittling tone,

"Monsters can't use holy mana. It'll burn you from the inside out. Only humans are favored by God, moron, not worthless garbage like you. What demon doesn't know that?"

Noticing a book on the desk next to him, Asura couldn't contain his rage any longer. He grabbed the book and threw it with such fury that it smashed into Ash's head. The force sent Ash's face forward, slamming into the desk before him. With a loud bang, he couldn't help but lie, stunned for a moment due to the unexpected attack from behind. Asura laughed as he watched Ash rub his head while getting ready to pull his sword out.

Before he could retaliate, however, the old man shook the room with a stomp, completely stopping Ash in his tracks. Gritting his teeth Ash was seething with anger, for now, he would have to back down but next time he wouldn't hold back. While Ash sat back down, the old man continued the lecture,

"Back to the subject. Monsters are summoned by cultists through ritual summons or gates. Gates will occasionally open because of a monster king's or Apocalypse's actions. A rift opens a passageway into our world like a large door. They can allow hordes of monsters to pass through. More commonly, cultists can use human sacrifices to open small portals to summon a specific monster or group."

"The more blood from the sacrifices, the bigger the door they can make. It isn't permanent, however, unlike Gates. Compared to a ritual summon that will immediately close the portal upon success, these are difficult to close. Our job is to prevent these cultists from summoning monsters and killing those already summoned."

The old man closed the book, causing Asura to jump for joy. That could only mean one thing. The end of this monotonous torture. "How long has it been? Months? Years? How long have I been imprisoned in this horrid room?" Asura thought as he exaggerated his loss of time.

"That should cover the basics for now. Class is dismissed. You should expect a fight soon. Due to recent events, it would be good to get you accustomed to fighting with the team."

After hearing the word fight, Asura's facial expressions reminded the old man of a puppy who had a treat dangled in front of him. His eyes were huge, filled with excitement, and drool formed at the corners of his mouth. His grubby little hands opened and closed on the desk before him, antsy and filled with the passionate desire to find more opponents.

"What do you mean fight ahead?"

The old man couldn't help but smile, knowing he had the monster hooked. Meeting such a unique ogre, especially one without mana, was exciting. "How would he manage to fight those without mana or weapons in the human realm?" He couldn't use holy weapons without mana, and demonic weapons were scarce.

Almost every weapon is purged the moment it appears to maintain public safety. However, Asura was adept at fighting. This intrigued the old man. "How did such a monster learn how to easily fight humans without encountering any?" The old man thought.

"Recently, there have been a ton of cultists active in our area. We need to take care of them before they do something dangerous. We have to be proactive to ensure they don't continue killing civilians. They have been trying to summon a specific monster, but we have no clue what rank it belongs to or its name. I assume this is why you were summoned too, Asura."

"They most likely failed to summon the one they wanted, so they have stored multiple sacrifices to keep trying. Using children or the elderly, whoever they can get their hands on, they don't care. They show no signs of stopping. Before you start, you'll have a day or two to adapt to this world. Afterward, the four of you will be on a team and will discover what they are doing."

Asura looked around, counting everyone's heads. "Four?" There were three in the room except the old man.

"Four of us? Are you join-"

The door flew open as a man with dark brown skin, about the same height as Ash, with locks fell through it onto the floor. Panting and breathless, he barely stood up with his hands on his knees. Asura's eyebrows knitted at the sight. "Did he run a marathon before entering? Why was he covered in sweat?" Asura studied the man.

The strong scent of sweat and herbs filled the room the moment he entered. Asura's nose wrinkled at the strong odor. He smelled like wet dirt. On the man's back was a dirty bag covered in soil. "Well... that explains the dirt smell," Asura thought. Other than the backpack, his outfit was similar to Ash's and Mel's. A black jacket with military pants accompanying it. On the jacket's right breast and pant leg was Judex Divinum's symbol embroidered, signifying he was a part of The Temple. Finally managing to push himself off his knees, he held up a hand as he panted,

"Sorry, I'm late captain. I... got lost... again."

The man observed the room and noticed someone, or rather something he had never seen before. He asked,

"Woah, a monster, who's that?"

Asura burst from his chair, throwing his arms up in celebration. He quickly pointed two arms at the man while the other arms were gesturing towards Mel.

"Look at this guy, ain't even met me yet, and he ain't racist. He understands it. What the hell is wrong with you all?"

Realizing his mistake, Asura dropped back into his seat, covering his mouth after apologizing.

"Sorry."

The old man glared at Asura. He thought the old man would let it slide like in the past, but this time, the seriousness in his eyes told otherwise.

"I will hold you down the next time and feed you a bar of soap."

Mel rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair. She played with her long red hair as she cleaned her guns with a green cloth.

"Asura, meet Wain. The fourth member of your team. You'll get along well, I assume. Mel will lead the team, and you and the other three will help."

Curiosity swelled up within Asura. He became extremely interested in the newcomers' fighting capabilities. A new source of entertainment, he hoped. Wanting Wain to be as strong as Mel, Asura asked,

"What rank is Wain?"

Wain rubbed the back of his head, a little embarrassed. He replied,

"A priest."

Staring blankly at Wain, Asura sat motionless, stunned by how weak Wain was.

"Like the weakling of the temple? Not a high priest or nothin?"

Wain's face became grim. He had heard this all before. Many of his colleagues from The Temple made fun of him time and time again. He thought he had escaped that oppressive atmosphere by coming to this location, but his shoulders sank, realizing he was wrong. The old man stood up from his desk and patted Wain's shoulder as he walked out of the room. Ash couldn't help but laugh, taking every opportunity he could to beat Wain's self-confidence down,

"Even the monster thinks you're weak and useless. Maybe you should quit and collect those plants you love. I doubt anyone would buy them, though."

With an apologetic look on her face, Mel reassured Wain as she left the room.

"Don't listen, Wain, you'll get there. Just takes time. Keep working at it."

Wain let out a depressing sigh. Noticing the interaction between Ash and Wain, Asura asked,

"You wanna beat that idiot?"

Wain looked up and studied the monster before him. At first, his appearance was intimidating. The black skin and horns reminded him of how the devil was portrayed. However, his short stature made Wain giggle as he approached. He was rather short compared to Ash and the captain.

However, Wain could tell he was strong with just a glance. Like an aura, his strength radiated from his body. He wondered for a second whether demonic mana made him appear strong but concluded that it was simply hard work and dedication. A body refined by willpower and determination, sacrifice and endurance.

"Uh, sure? But you are the one who started it, you know?"

Ignoring his comment, Asura rubbed all four of his hands together like an evil villain with a devilish grin on his face. Who would not want revenge on their bully?

"I'll help you so we can put that asshole in his place."

Wain knew getting help from this mischievous-looking monster plotting something sinister was a bad idea. However, curiosity got the better of him. How would a monster like this one help him in this scenario?