Vol. 1 - Chapter 29 - 'Malakai' makes his appearance

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With Mathias climbing down the platforms, getting past the ladder that caused him most of the troubles, he finally managed to find himself on the ground once again.

"Phew, I think I could make any assassin proud with my parkour skills in the game." said Mathias taking a deep breath as he calmed down his adrenaline.

Looking in the direction of the parishioners and Archbishop, he chose not to disturb them more than required and instead walked down toward Jeanne, who waved at him to get closer.

As he was walking in her direction, Mathias could hear her laughing, barely containing her amusement.

"What is so funny? Hey, cut it off. Stop laughing like you are some crazy woman."

"Hah, such a good scene. You should have seen the old man's expression when he saw you hanging on the Dome, priceless. Nonetheless, you finished the cleaning as you promised me."

"Jeanne, you better protect me. That old man, I feel he will beat me up."

*Giggling* "Unfortunately, I am still weaker than father Julius. My divine powers dwarfs in comparison to his own. I'll tell you a small secret, dad was supposed to be the Pope, but for some reasons unknown to me, he never made that final step, ascending to the throne."

"I see. That's really some interesting information about old Julius."

"I can tell you more, but you better follow me back to my office. Right, while we are at that, I will give you the reward I promised you for clearing the Dome."

Then, with Jeanne getting up from where she was standing, they took their leave, moving toward the secluded zone of the Cathedral and later turning for her office.

Along the way, they encountered some priests and players that joined the Church that followed behind the priests.

They completely ignored Mathias, like how he, too, reacted. He had his own path while they made their own.

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Minutes later, Jeanne unlocked her room in the Cathedral and welcomed Mathias inside before making her way inside.

"Make yourself comfortable. I have to search for those potions."

Nodding, Mathias noticed an additional couch inside her room that wasn't there when getting to meet her. Getting on the seat, he watched her back as she was searching around her office.

"Intermediate Potions, the Potions... Where have I placed them?? There should be a box down here. Maybe it is here."

Saying that, Jeanne lowered herself even more, in doing so, making Mathias feel awkward for the show in front of his eyes. He later heard the treasure huntress call out with excitement.

"Found them. While my body turned like this, it seems my memory and other girlish aspects morphed my mind. You know how they say it about women. They know to find anything from their house. Maybe they are smarter than men? Lucky me, I guess." said Jeanne, getting herself straight while placing a box containing 20 flasks holding a red liquid that symbolizes life.

"Ahem, I doubt it is related to that. Intelligence is something universal that can be inside of a woman or man, alike. Statistically, men are the ones having a bigger intellect." commented Mathias from where he was seating, making Jeanne gaze at him with a curious expression.

"You think so? But I feel that compared to when I was a man, my thinking process is faster. While influenced by some stupid feelings I can't explain, compared to the past, I feel there is progress in that regard."

"Maybe it is something related to the curse. Or it can depend on your surroundings and lifestyle. For example, constantly reading, training your mind, exercising, and so on might have an effect. I am not a professional, just stating some things from books I've read."

"Interesting thinking you have Mathias. Now, come here and pick up your reward. I told you I would give only 10 of those flasks, but I changed my mind. Women, right? Changing on the wimps of the moment."

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[Because of a high affinity with Jeanne, she changed the reward of the quest 'Cleaning the High Dome' giving you 20x 'Intermediate Health Potions']

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Mathias, who got on his feet, stared at Jeanne's face with surprise and asked her, uncertain.

"Are you sure, Jeanne? Don't they require a lot of money to buy?"

She smiled warmly at him, shaking her head, before brushing her long blonde hair behind her shoulders.

"Do you need me to force you? Just take them without worrying about my money. I make more money than you can imagine just being the Bishop of the Cathedral."

"Fine, fine. I will no longer complain. You are the boss here. Also is bad manners, refusing the goodwill of others when they are sincere."

"Indeed. Don't be shy around or think you will be indebted to me. *Giggling* I am not weird like Gabrils, having the interest of binding people to me, placing debts on people I heal or help."

With her cheeks going a bit pink, she also said. "Also, aren't we friends? It is only normal for friends to help each other."

Nodding his head, he noticed Jeanne turning a bit embarrassed, but he didn't put a lot of thought into it. Picking up the box with flasks, he brought it to his inventory bag, making Jeanne gaze at him with surprised eyes.

"Wow, isn't that Dimensional Magic? Can you teach me that?"

"I doubt I can teach you anything as I am speaking to you. Still, do you have magic talent?

As he asked Jeanne that, he took a look at the potions he gained and what they did.

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[Intermediate Potion]

This is a potion that has been formulated with five or more herbs.

Restores 1,500 health.

The cooldown time is 20 seconds.

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'Ohhh, this one is perfect. Having such things when fighting the thieves and bandits in the future will come in handy. Sigh, I feel I am just profiting over her kindhearted intentions. I will need to pay her back, regardless of what she thinks.

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Nevertheless, after hearing Mathias question about her magic talents, she extended her delicate white hand and created a small flame in her hand, showing Mathias some of her magic talent.

"Impressive. To think you are also talented with magic, you remind me of my friend."

"Ohh, a woman?" asked Jeanne, gazing intensely at Mathias, who felt that one straight to his heart.

'Wait, don't tell me, you are a possessive one? We only know for about one week…"

"Well, that is right. Anyway, that conversation in that regard is unnecessary. Can you show me what else you can do with your magic?"

Jeanne changed her gaze back to a tender one along with Mathias' request to see her perform the magic she knew.

"It is not much. When I was younger, I wanted to become a mage, but since that curse kicked in, I lost my focus on the magic path, and with Father's Julius guidance, I studied and learned the divine power. Is a system closely related to the magic system."

Saying that, she created some small ice shards in her hand, and after one minute, she created a gust of wind that blew gently at Mathias's neck.

"Hey, are you playing with magic just now?" asked Mathias, feeling that Jeanne was teasing him too much with the wind spell she knew.

"Oh my. Why do you ask that? I am not doing anything to you."

Ending that, she blew another gentle wind toward his ears and neck tickling him.

She messed around with him until Mathias got enough and, using his arcane magic, placed a primal barrier around his face, shining around his face with a white-purple barrier.

"Wow, what is that? White-purple magic form? I never saw it before, not even with the great mages I ask for spells when visiting dad. Also, sorry for teasing you."

Mathias looked with serious eyes at Jeanne, and ending his primal barrier that consumed about 20% of his MP, he told her.

"It is fine. I understand that you are mostly alone, and having someone around to spend time with might feel like a new experience. Not that I blame you or anything. In fact, I am impressed by your magic talent. I would have taught you my magic if I was a tiny bit more talented."

"I see. I am glad you are not angry with me. You still haven't responded to my question. What is that magic you used, the white-purple one."

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Gazing at Jeanne's curious face, which started getting closer and closer to him, he placed his finger on her soft lips before saying with a mysterious tone.

"It is a secret. When I truly master it, I might tell you."

Being stopped in place by Mathias' bold move, she took a shy step back and said to him while pouting. "Friends don't hold secrets."

"What you are doing is blackmailing. Are you sure a priestess is allowed to pull such schemes? What if I tell the goddess?"

"Hey, that is blackmailing. Argh, fine, I will not pester you with that question. What will you do for today? Do you have plans?" asked Jeanne, a bit shy, after stopping from annoying Mathias with questions about the arcane magic.

"Nothing much for today. I would probably go to a corner somewhere and start writing for a reader of my story and later start training my spear."

"You are also a spearman? Not only a magician?" asked Jeanne, surprised by this new information about Mathias.

"Can you stop? It is not like it is unheard of for a spearman to use magic. "

"I don't know. You are the first one I heard about. No, wait, there is Lord Kirinus, who also combines magic with his spearmanship. Lord Kirinus is told to be the strongest spearman reaching a higher level even compared to Duchess Dehakel Rachel. But I believe you will also reach their levels as long as you work hard. There's this saying of Father Julius, 'You can achieve anything as long you work hard for it.'."

"The old man isn't wrong at all." commented Mathias with a calm voice, pondering a bit on the two persons Jeanne mentioned, Kirinus and Duchess Rachel.

"Indeed, father Julius has quite the way with the words. But, let's not detour from what I wanted to ask you, please. If that part of your schedule isn't as important, will you join me not too long after to go somewhere in the city?" asked Jeanne with a serene expression on her white face.

"Where exactly?" inquired Mathias, feeling cornered by a predator.

"Secret. All I can tell you is that we will have fun."

'I doubt she is an easy woman. So it isn't that. Hmm, it piqued my curiosity for sure.'

"I see. Then, if you don't have any more work to do, we can go now, less, that old man comes after me, trying to squash his problems with me."

*Giggling* "You are worrying too much. Father is a good person. It is an underestimation calling just good. He is one of the holiest men of this era. As for when we can go? Right now. Come, follow me to my house."

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Getting out of the Cathedral, Mathias, who followed Jeanne close by, started asking himself questions about where she actually lived.

'Isn't this the wealthy district, where only people with status or money could buy a residence here?'

The houses on the alleys couldn't even be compared with the periphery residences. It was like comparing a wolf with a chihuahua. It was the same species but totally different worlds.

It was precisely what Mathias thought at that moment but told more pathetically.

"Mathias, is something wrong? Just a bit more, and we reach home."

"Ahh, no. I am fine. I just didn't expect you to live in this area of the city."

"Hehe, working as a priest really pays well. There's all sort of clients coming to my doors, from black knights to red knights, wealthy nobles, and so on."

Soon Mathias could see Jeanne walk slowly after getting closer to a two stories high building, and to his expectations, she opened the gate of the entrance and stepped inside the courtyard.

Keeping his silence, Mathias gazed calmly at his surroundings. He noticed that the courtyard was maintained, with grazed green field, while the house was simply a medieval-style mansion.

"Welcome to my home, Mathias." said Jeanne with a smile after she opened the door, welcoming the young man inside her house.

Getting inside after she entered, he checked his surroundings since entering the hallway of the house.

"This one is a gift I gained from Duke Rigal for curing his ill son, a cute child nonetheless. Unfortunately for him, his mother died in childbirth while his father is constantly busy with the administration of Gelder Duchy and also defending the frontier against the other races in the North."

"He will be fine. As long the boy is patient, and his father manages to build up a relationship with his son, they will be fine." commented Mathias as he stepped forward, following Jeanne that was leading him in her main room.

The main room was fully equipped with furniture of ornament and masterfully crafted. At the center was a round table where two expensive armchairs were placed.

"Make yourself comfortable. I will go change my clothes, and after that, we will go to the location secret to you."

Before she dashed toward the upper level of the mansion, she looked at Mathias that went to sit on one chair with an embarrassed expression as she told him.

"It will take a bit since I also have to clean myself. So don't get angry if I take a while."

"Sure, don't worry. I am good with waiting."

Then Jeanne, not wasting any further time, climbed the staircase toward the first level of the mansion, leaving Mathias to stare around the main room.

"This house makes me feel weird. It's like I am one of those millionaires, relaxing in a million-dollar house. However, the truth, I am staying in a single-room apartment. That's the saddest truth. Even the people of this world can live better lives than us, outlanders."

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[Ding! You received a friend request from player 'Malakai']

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"Who?? Don't tell me is that bum who managed to enter the game?" pondered on who this 'Malakai' could be, and without waiting much with the notification windows popping up, he pressed [Accept].

Then from nowhere, a ringtone started ringing in his ears that made him get on his feet, visible scared to heck out of him.

"Motherfucker. What's this? Hah, hah. I almost got heart failure."

Another window appeared in his face, similar to how a call went, with the system asking him for [Answer/Decline] with the specific green and red colours scheme.

"Sup, Matei. This game is awesome. I feel like I am tripping on LSD. Everything around me looks so real." said 'Malakai' or how Mathias knows him, Vlad, after Mathias accepted the call.

"Lower your tone, you bastard… My ears are hurting right now. So, what's with that name, 'Malakai'? Do you even know what it means?"

"Dah, obviously. It's from those old ass religious texts, the Bible. It means Messenger."

"Okay, congrats, you did your homework. So, what's the name theme, something you want to achieve in this new world, to tell the world?"

"Bro, I tell you, this name will scare the crap out of kids once I get big. I want to become an assassin, so when people mention my name, I will become synonymous with the Messenger of Death." replied Vlad with a serious voice that also had Mathias take him seriously.

"It seems you are dead serious. So, where did you spawn? Eternal or Gauss? Let me guess, Eternal?"

"Bastard, do you read minds or something? Indeed, I spawned in the Eternal Kingdom, straight to Reinhardt. Now I am looking for quests, but they are so damn rare. Whenever I ask those NPC's for quests, they just move away from me. Isn't this a bug or something?"

"Idiot. Haven't I told you that this game isn't like those shitty games of the past. Maybe in those games, you could get quests without much hassle, but here? You have to work for everything, even the smallest quest."

"Fuck. Then how do you get your quest, Matei?"

"Simple, I behave like a human being and treat those people of this world as equals. Try it, curse me all you want if it doesn't work. But I assure you, it will work. I have a theory in mind. This is the intended way to play this game, connecting with the NPC's finding their life stories. Is like reading a book when you listen to those NPC's talking, sharing their grief, troubles and happy moments."

"Ohh. You haven't told anyone this info, right?"

"Why should I? I am not some Saint to help those stupid kids who can't figure out the game. I mean, you can play the game however you like, playing for the levels and going for hunts or simply going with the flow."

"Man, listen. If this method works, let's keep it our secret. Wouldn't we be able to raise in levels as fast as those crazy gamers if we play for quests?"

"Vlad, I don't care, just go enjoy the game. A last reminder, train the body movements of the attacks until they flow like a reflex. Once we start the live version, we'll have the advantage over other players."

"Yes, brother, thanks for guiding this noob. Last question, in what stats do you think I should focus?"

Hearing Vlad's question, Mathias lowered himself down on the luxurious armchair and pondered.

'Should I troll him? No, since we might play together, let's help him out.'

"Vlad, think, what does an assassin need?"

"Attack power to DPS idiots, kill them in one blow or two if I really suck, and agility to escape if the situation gets nasty?"

"Indeed, so there you go, your answer. Spec into Strength and Agility, have them balanced out to a 1:1 ratio if you can. Nevertheless, don't forget to put some points in the Intelligence stat too. You will feel the pain of being a literal idiot in the game when you don't even have an MP to use your skills."

"Now, I will close the call. I got some business inside the game to do. Leave a message if you want help, don't call me. I almost had a heart attack because of that stupid ringtone going in my brain." mentioned Mathias, with an annoyed expression on his face, before moving to close the call.

"Thanks, bro. Worry not, I will call you after notifying you with a msg."

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[Call ended]

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"Such goofball. To think he would try the assassin route. Interesting."

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As he finished his talk with Vlad, only some minutes passed, and now fully knowing that Jeanne would take her time to prepare, he took out the canvas from his inventory and soon after started to fill the empty spots with color.

The small table next to the armchair became a workshop to him, and slowly but surely, the kittens began gaining life under his careful hands.

About an hour went by, and the body of the silver kitten took life, with only the remaining 10% of his body.

It was when he was about to shift on the orange-coloured kitten that he heard an embarrassed cough from behind him.

"Ahh, you finally finished your preparation? What took you so long?"

Slowly he turned his head to glance at Jeanne, and suddenly when he had his head fully turned, he said with a surprised voice.

"By Mother Teresa's name, who are you? Did you barge into my friend's house without permission?"

Surprise could be sensed in his tone, a bit overwhelmed by the sight his eyes took in. Placing his canvas from his hands down, he started inspecting this gorgeous woman in front of him.

She was wearing a pair of black trousers that fit perfectly with her long toned legs, along with some hunting heel boots. Those boots were similar in style to his own, just that they were probably crafted for women, while her upper body simply left him shocked.

A white buttoned shirt revealed some of her cleavage, while her lips held black lipstick, making them more luscious than ever. The eyes were left untouched, revealing her natural hazel eyes, but a slight touch of makeup was still there around her cheeks.

Her long, straight blonde hair was left cascading down her white shirt.

"Cut it off. Stop staring at me like that. Don't tell me, you are one of those perverts on the streets?"

"Well, well. I can't even be surprised nowadays?"

"That's too much. I look bad, right? I still try to wear manly clothes, but they don't match with my body. It is also a bit tight on my chest." said Jeanne, a bit shy, seeming to walk back to her room to change herself.

Then Mathias grabbed her hand, stopping her from dashing off, later calming her down.

"What are you doing? I might be a really patient guy, but one hour was enough, don't you think? Also, you are looking good in those clothes, you truly do."

"Really? Don't you find me distasteful?" asked Jeanne, with her voice trembling a bit.

"Not at all, you are really gorgeous. Hah, you will understand once we start walking on the streets, you will feel how envious those ladies can truly be of you." said Mathias with an evil smile as he released Jeanne from his grasp, knowing that she calmed down a bit.

"I don't know. What if they recognize me and start looking down when they see me at the cathedral."

"Haha, I barely recognized you, and you think some fools will do it? Let's go to this secret location you've been trying to go to, and you will understand."

Grabbing her hand, he moved her a bit around the main room, but as Jeanne made a step while she was wearing her heeled boots, she lost her balance and started panicking, grabbing on whatever she could before landing.

"Ahhhh, help me!" cried out Jeanne as she landed straight on Mathias's chest.

Seeing herself on his chest, she almost began crying from embarrassment as she apologized.

"Sorry, sorry. I can't believe I can't even walk properly using those shoes."

"Argh. It is fine. Calm down, before going somewhere, we'll practice walking wearing those shoes." said Mathias while patting her head from where she was holding onto his clothes.

Along the way, he also felt her body curves and gifted body but kept his cool, not giving to degeneracy and taking advantage of her.

"Mathias, I can't imagine being a woman was so hard." confessed Jeanne, as she calmed down, being helped a lot by Mathias's touch.

"Well, wait until you give birth to a child. It is said is 100 times worse than being kicked in the balls."

She looked with big eyes from where she was standing on his chest before trembling a bit in fear.

"It is still too much for me to comprehend. Can you please not mention the fact that I will have to do that in the future?"

"Is all good. Can you stand up, or do you need my help?"

"I will try, but to be safe, stay beside me." mentioned Jeanne, as she began pushing herself up using Mathias chest as support, slowly but surely getting on her feet.

"Well, this is the first step. Now, let's walk outside." said Mathias after getting on his feet and moving to walk toward the hallway.

Meanwhile, Jeanne, who tried to keep her balance, looked at Mathias and said with a pleading voice.

"Help me out, I am stuck here." she tried to fish for his arms, where later she hooked onto his arms tightly and slowly starting to make progress to outside.