Before Leonidas could even bask in this feeling, a sharp jolt of pain woke him up. He felt as though his cock would burst at the seams if it spent even a few more seconds in this state.

Luckily, at least for him, pain was more than enough of a trigger to calm him down. It seemed that his flesh was still far too fragile for him to even entertain such thoughts.

When Leonidas finished clearing his mind and looked up, finding that Yves had long since disappeared, he understood the significance of having ‘felt’ her touch so intimately.

He wasn’t sure if it was because he was part Half-Beast, or if it was because he truly had the talent to be a Mage, but Yves had definitely given him something extra.

At first, he wasn’t entirely sure what it was. But, when the Exchange panel appeared before him again, what it was became obvious.

When one accepted a Class, other than receiving the boost of strength Leonidas just had, one would also get to pick out one ‘free’ Class Blessing.

Not only was a Blessing a unit of exchange, but it also referred to the bestowals of strength a God could give to their Apostles. Depending on one’s Class, a host of differing Class Blessings or abilities would be available to you.

Leonidas had been expecting to just be able to choose one just like everyone else. However, he was actually given the freedom to choose two!

Looking at the list of Blessings before him, Leonidas was in shock and awe. Compared to the list Clergymen got, this list felt almost endless. And, that was despite the fact that this was purely a list of abilities, which didn’t include any of the potions, armor, or techniques.

It was only now that Leonidas truly understood what the spirit had meant. The Mage Class really had an endless number of branching options despite the fact it was rarely chosen to begin with.

Though Mage was just one of the three simplest Classes, one could begin planning out their future right from the very beginning.

For example, if one chose to be a Fighter with plans on becoming a Deacon in the future and evolving into a Thief, there was no way such a person would pick strength-based Blessings as a Fighter. Instead, they could focus on agility and sensory-based Fighter abilities while only someone planning to become a Warrior or Swordsman would choose in that fashion.

As a Mage, one’s choices were even more important at this stage because every Mage Type had a completely different philosophy on casting magic. A Wizard doesn’t cast magic like a Sorcerer. And, neither does a Sorcerer cast magic like an Elementalist.

On top of that, Mages have to worry about the cost of their Blessings scaling far quicker than the other two Classes as well.

All in all, these two choices would be incredibly important for Leonidas’ future. Luckily, he had come prepared.

Sorcerers used Innate Magic, usually passed down through their talent and bloodlines. Druids used Natural Magic, relying on Nature, plants and animals to produce strength. Elementalists used Elemental Magic, sensing the energies in the atmosphere and relying on their elemental affinities. Wizards were scholars and built the school of Magic Circle Arts…

The list could become quite extensive very quickly. Even this wasn’t the end of it. There were still Classes like the Illusionist, the Summoner, and what Leonidas currently cared the most about… The Warlocks.

Warlocks relied on Blood Magic. This concept was different from the Innate Magic of Sorcerers which could be derived from their bloodlines.

The main separation was that an Innate Magic could fall into any category, it could be a Natural Magic of the Druids or an Elemental Magic of the Elementalists. It was essentially a Class that allowed you to spend less on Blessings because you simply had to unlock abilities you already had.

Sorcerers, as a result, were more like a class of Mage family nobles who had played a prominent role in their Church for generations, thus birthing a Mage Bloodline to be passed down.

A Warlock, however, was different. Although they could derive strength from using Bloodline Talents, the function and process differed.

Much like Wizards, Warlocks were scholars. However, rather than researching the science of magic, they researched the science of blood and bloodlines.

Warlocks studied, built and modified their blood to allow them to exhibit strength and also used a specific kind of Mana known as Vital Mana.

Vital Mana could be described as the vitality of a person, their lifeblood. Warlocks were able to use this vitality to strengthen themselves. And, while most would irreparably harm themselves doing this, Warlocks had methods to replenish. As a result, Warlocks often had longer lifespans than most Apostles.

This said, to the current Leonidas, this wasn’t most important. He wouldn’t have access to the true abilities of Warlocks until he became a Deacon, something that seemed an infinite distance away from his current self.

As a result, what he needed wasn’t Blood Magic. With his poor bloodline, there likely wasn’t any he could use. And, the few that he could would be too much for him to handle, especially as a mere Level 1 Missionary.

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What he needed, then, were Blessings that could complement his future in Blood Magic. Or, at the very least, not hinder it. In that case, he would focus on Blessings that would help to boost his close combat.

First, Leonidas ignored strength buff Blessings. Compared to Berserk, none of these Level 1 Blessings could match. This was especially so since Berserk was more than just a strength buff, it was also a speed, reaction and agility buff as well.

The second thing Leonidas ignored was enemy debuff Blessings. Though he had only used War Cry once before and had been in too much pain to realize just how damaging it had been to his vocal cords, it was also far better than Level 1 debuff Blessings that would be here.

These two crossed out many options, especially the first.

Level 1 Blessings were normally incredibly simple in nature and as such were mostly based around these matters, to begin with. But, as a Half-Beast and Lower Ogre, Leonidas had some advantages the humans of this small town didn’t.

With this in mind, Leonidas made his first choice, picking out a Level 1 Blessing called ‘Mana Blade’.

Mana Blade was a neutral magic that could be cast by anyone with a Mana Pool. It doubled both as a buff and a long-ranged attack.

When applied to a weapon, Mana Blade would sharpen it and give it greater penetrating power, scaling with the strength of the weapon up to a certain level.

For Leonidas’ blade which was unranked, it would bring it beyond the realms of a Level 1 saber. This was thanks to the fact a well-cast Mana Blade could match a Level 2, even Level 3 weapon in sharpness depending on one’s proficiency with it.

In addition to being able to be applied to the edge of a blade, Mana Blade could be used as a long-ranged attack. This wasn’t surprising considering it was a spell used by Mages to begin with. Most Mages wouldn’t use Mana Blade on their weapons, usually this would only be a path Fighters who want to become Magic Swordsman would use.

Mana Blade was a more complex form of Mana Bullet and also cost more Mana to cast. It wouldn’t usually be the first choice of a new Mage. But, for Leonidas who didn’t plan to use it as a projectile with frequency, the Mana cost of the Blessing was worth it.

Not only would he be able to sharpen his blades, he would also gain a long-ranged attack, and when he used Mana Blade with some cleverness or flexibility, he could catch an enemy off guard by extending the length of his blade at a precious moment in battle.

Long before Leonidas had come here, he had already set his heart on Mana Blade, having caught a glimpse of it at the Knowledge Well. But, he had never expected to get a second Blessing, leaving him at a loss.

Should he get something to help his agility? Maybe he should choose a less costly long-ranged attack? Should he maybe choose a defensive Blessing this time?

Leonidas had no choice but to scroll down one by one, trying to decide.

A while later, his finger froze, his eyes narrowing.

‘Level 1 Blessing – Scholar’s Eye.’

The function of the Blessing was simple. It cleared and calmed the mind, allowed the user to read faster, and it allowed for the translation of lower-level languages as long as they were written.

Leonidas wasn’t sure what was meant by “lower-level” languages. What made one language above another? Was it an objective measurement of complexity? Or something else?

Regardless, Leonidas wanted this ability. Using Scholar’s Eye would help curb his irrationality upon entering Berserk. And, it would help him to read far faster. At the moment, he felt too limited in how much content he could consume.

The spirit had said that a Mage was reliant on their Intelligence which could be improved by learning more. But, the current Leonidas felt that the strength of a Mage was reliant on their Mana Pool, something that he began to believe the moment he sensed his own…

That said, Leonidas wasn’t a fool. He wouldn’t discard the teachings of a man clearly more experienced than he was. Since the spirit had spoken as such, there was definitely a reason. And, it was quite possible that one’s Mana Pool was nothing more than a distraction.

Leonidas made his decision, accepting ‘Scholar’s Eye’ as his second Blessing.

The moment he did, he found himself before the stone well once again, the recent matters feeling like a dream.

Suddenly, his head snapped in a certain direction.

Father Barat stood by the opening of a hidden doorway, staring at Leonidas with an unreadable expression.

Leonidas wasn’t sure how to react to this sudden surprise. He hadn’t seen Father Barat since the very first day he had come here to become a Clergyman. Since then, it had already been over three months.

In that time, he had come to the stone well frequently, whether it had been to prepare himself for the mission with Lady Eve, or the very first time he used the Exchange.

Seeing the Father here in this context made him somewhat apprehensive, almost as though he had been caught red-handed doing something he shouldn’t be. But, Leonidas was sure that he hadn’t done such a thing.

At that moment, the pressure that Barat gave off had lessened considerably. Leonidas felt that he could actually stand in the same room without collapsing. However, this didn’t make him feel much better.

“Welcome.” Barat bowed.

Leonidas blinked, being caught off guard. He had never had anyone lower their head to him in his entire life, much less someone he had practically seen as a God just until a moment ago. Wasn’t this a bit too much?

Barat raised his head, indifferent to Leonidas’ shock. In his hand, a uniform almost identical to Leonidas’ grey tunic was presented in addition to yet another wooden pendant. However, Leonidas could clearly sense a far more holy aura coming from this pendant in comparison to his last.

“These are your official garbs and should be worn during all formal occasions. Should you damage them or need a replacement, they can always be found at the Church.

“The rules Apostles must follow are simple.

“The first is no killing. The second is that a minimum of one mission of your Level must be completed once a year. The third is that the summons of a higher-Level Apostle cannot be rejected without valid reason. The fourth is that betrayal of Her Holiness Yves will be met with death.

“Tomorrow night, there will be a gathering to introduce you to the other Apostles of the Sub-Shrine. This is considered a summons by Deacon Bruthers and cannot be rejected.”

Barat bowed once again, handing Leonidas’ formal attire to him and leaving swiftly.

Leonidas stood in silence for a long while.

‘Deacon Bruthers…’

His eyes narrowed. Bruthers was Lady Eve’s last name if he recalled correctly. From his understanding of Shrines and how they worked, in a place like this, a Deacon was most likely the highest ranked individual there was. This meant that Lady Eve was now likely related to the person with the largest fist in this town.

To make matters worse, if this gathering was happening tomorrow night and he was not allowed to reject it, that meant there was a good chance Lady Eve would have already returned. Though Leonidas hoped that she was dead, his intuition seemed to scream that she wasn’t.

If Lady Eve was really in danger of losing her life, the spirit wouldn’t have made such a big deal about returning being a trial. If he could teleport Leonidas right to the horses, he could most definitely observe the outside situation.

Leonidas took a deep breath. It seemed that this night would be his first test.