I saw it slumbering beneath three crooked trees near a bunch of tall rocks. Lion, goat, and snake head on the ground, the snake head in particular hidden under large thick ferns, and in front of them were chunks of meat as well as bones from their leftover prey. A large bear judging by its skull and size.
No matter. The point was that it was currently asleep and on this bright day exactly as I have observed for the past two days. Three pairs of eyes and a strong sense of smell, yet not so much in the hearing department, for I’ve successfully creeped up and hid behind a tree just two meters away from it.
“Okay, Dmitri. You’ve got this,” I proceeded to check my stats and allocated the saved up points.
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Name : Dmitri Sergeyevich Petrov
Age : 17
Race : Human
Class : [Priest]
Titles : [Hero] [World Traveler]
HP : 60
MP : 85
STR : 3 + 16
DEF : 3 + 3
AGI : 3 + 14
INT : 12
WIS : 17 + 25
CHA : 5
LCK : 7 + 2
Skills : [Appraisal C] [Translator EX] [Divinity D] [Sealing Technique C] [Spearmanship D] [Swordsmanship E] [Cooking E]
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Should be enough, I thought to myself, taking another glance at the chimera as stated by its title, then at my outfit. A robe full of cuts and dirt, parts I tore to become bandages wrapped around the wounds on my arms and legs, as well around my hands, one of which gripped tightly upon my staff or rather what was once my staff. It had broken up into two during the chase, but rather than throwing it away, I repurposed it.
After escaping from the chimera, I found a stream where a couple of unicorns were drinking. Those illustrious single-horned horses were as majestic as they appeared, with a shining glow enveloping their pristine white bodies. It was literally as if they were the children of the stars … That was until I saw them feasting on the two dead unicorns lying next to them. Not only were they carnivores, they were also cannibals. My dream of riding a unicorn was dead from that moment on.
Right after they left, I went toward the leftover carcasses and took the horns of the dead unicorns. I washed them, wrapped them one end with cloth, attached them to the two halves of my staff, and turned them into a pair of makeshift sickles. For a few days I hunted and hunted and hunted, gaining experience, skills, and knowledge to survive. A dual sickle-wielding priest was not at all what I imagined myself to be, but this was the reality of it. And today, my sleeping prey was within my sight.
“Meteria the Huntress, this hunt shall become a grand banquet for which thou shall feast in. Please, grant me your heavenly protection. [Carapace].”
Light in the form of leaves descended from above, gathering and enshrouding my body in translucent armor which soothed my mind, increasing my base stats in accordance to my [Divinity] rank.
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DEF : 6 + 3
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“Ilhair the Skyfarer, the riches of the earth are for thy to witness. May I stand in this grand stage as a dancer and grant thou a pleasant performance. [Fleetfoot].”
Wind brushed past me and in an instant, I felt my limbs strengthened and my joints somewhat loosened. The translucent armor from Meteria’s blessing became a shell which surrounded me like a barrier, and within was gusts of air which cooled the temperature and gave the sense of nimbleness in my foot.
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DEF : 3 + 3
AGI : 17 + 3
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While my agility was raised, the increased stat on my defense from [Carapace] was lost—traded for the barrier which now enveloped me. This was something I discovered while hunting in the wilderness. Divine blessings were able to interact with one another. Some clashed, some worked independently, while others integrated. [Carapace] and [Fleetfoot] was a case of the latter, evolving into [Wind Barrier]. Either the priests of Pylfur had yet to teach me this, or this was an entirely new discovery which I myself have made. That being said, I could yet grasp on the principles behind this phenomenon, but what mattered most right now was my goal today.
“Kalmia the Warmother, against this enemy of mine, victory is certain. That is my promise, my vow, my oath. May I be the one to hold your blade, undaunting in this battle of many. [Braveheart].”
Fear and hesitation was removed and in its place was fury and strength to vanquish the enemy before me.
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STR : 6 + 16
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“Your warm light, so heavenly, shall be the blade I wield to earn my place in your embrace,” I marched slowly toward the sleeping chimera, sickles on-hand, stepping into its territory up until a certain range when the monster opened its eyes to my presence. I cried, “[CHAIN SEAL]!”
Seven chains of luminescent light shot out to the chimera. It leapt up to dodge, but the chains continued to pursue it. Meanwhile, I followed its pace, summoning chains after chains in order to catch it. The chimera then tried targeting me, yet it failed to catch me in its claws, as I slid down his belly and delivered a sharp cut.
Don’t let your guard down! I told myself, as I continued this dance with the chimera, summoning chains and dodging claws and fangs without missing a beat. Trees severed and toppled, rocks shattered into pieces. My footing was steady, yet nimble; my limbs bended in ways I never thought imagined, all so that I could deliver swift cuts no matter how shallow it may be, for each attack was bound to deplete that invisible health bar of this boss battle. Everything I’ve learned surviving in this forest was for this moment.
I charged straight ahead. The chimera lowered its three heads, likely anticipating myself sliding down to deliver another blow down below, but no. I instead leapt as high as I could and grabbed on the bundle of chains, thrusted it straight down and delivered a crushing blow from above. Within the dust clouds, the chimera had been imprisoned, its limbs stretched to all four directions as were their heads, but the monster was not to be underestimated, for the chains were about to break by pure strength alone.
But before it could, my sickles reached both the snake head and the goat head, decapitating them both clean. Only the lion was left, yet it broke free soon after. I expected it to perform an attack, but the chimera, rather, appeared to be in a daze.
Is not having six eyes too much for you? I wanted to head straight for the kill, however, I found myself on the cusp of exhaustion, struggling to get a single breath out. Was my strength still not enough for this battle, or was I still not used to battle? No matter, I’ve got other arsenals. “[Holy Lance]!”
Three lances formed themselves out of light, shooting through the air toward the marked target, when the chimera suddenly belted out a roar so great, it deflected the lances from their trajectory. Moments later, two other full-grown chimeras appeared from the shadows of the forest. It appeared chimeras were not at all the lone predator I expected them to be. Still, gaining allies did not change a single thing.
“Come on! You think I’m afraid of you? Give me your worst!” I taunted, for [Braveheart] was still in effect, and I couldn’t find a hint of fear within my very bones. If anything, this battle was by far the most exhilarating thing I’ve ever experienced. Who cared if it was one, two, or three chimeras. They were all prey in my eyes. Prey that I shall feast in, in the name of the Warmother. Goddess Kalmia, my patron, please grant me even more power!
“That’s enough,” a familiar voice spoke out. It was the princess’, but from where? A large shadow then was cast from above by a giant balloon which made its way to the area, as well as three tiny shadows which appeared to be falling directly toward my way. No sooner did I realize that they were three ironclad men descending from the heavens and landing directly on each of the chimeras, followed by sanctified light which burst upwards from the ground like a blazing pillar.
Once the dust settled, the floating stars behind them glowed a bright yellow hue, revealing the three Lessings that have their blades plunged on the scorched ground. How powerful they were. The chimeras which their blades have stabbed through have been utterly obliterated and were no more than ashes scattered in the air.
“I’m currently speaking to you using a magical tool which sends sound directly to the target’s ear,” told the princess. “Unfortunately it doesn’t work both ways, so you’ll have to come meet me to tell me your experience.”
“Or my complaints,” I muttered.
“As well as your complaints if you have any,” she really read my mind, as I was then escorted by the three Lessings out of the forest.
These high-ranking priests were truly something. Their spine-chilling presence was enough to render the animals and beasts around feeble to the point where they would pave out a path for them straight outside. Any who ignored their instincts were met by crushing defeat, executed by rays of light the size of chopsticks burrowed into their heads, which were shot out of the Lessings’ ten-pointed star staff without them so much as giving a glance toward their attack
I wondered at what level of strength they were both as priests and humans, for they didn’t seem at all like humans. Never once have they uttered a word of small talk apart from when they were teaching me or when it came to imperial businesses with the princess. It was as if they existed simply to fulfill their duties and nothing more. Regardless, it didn’t take away the fact that they were likely the strongest arsenal the Pylful Kingdom had. At least to my own knowledge.
It … made me wonder whether the kingdom even needed a hero in the first place.