Six years have passed since I stepped into the church and became a member.
The first two years were the most difficult. Because [Basic Appraisal] only allowed me to read I had to learn how to write. This happened during the morning and afternoon I was forced to do exercises like running or swinging sticks. After they were satisfied with the results they stepped up a notch. Since then my days became monotone.
I started the day by going to the library where I had to read and learn the different cultural and geographical locations of this world. Turns out, this place is huge! There are many continents on this planet, each of the sizes of Eurasia. The one I was living in was one of the westes continents, which is divided into smaller kingdoms ruled by kings. The kingdom that I will be serving when I become a Saint is called Sercious, located in the middle of this continent.
After I finished my exasperating reading I went to training. Even if I live in a church I’m forced to learn how to fight or how to use magic. Since I became a candidate to be a Saint I was thought how to be a supporter, learning healing magic and how to pray to the gods.
Especially praying to gods. I’m now able to do a ritual for 15 different god, each with their own effect.
‘It’s hard to be an atheist when gods exist.’
Today was no exception. My tutor, the head priest himself, was very strict when it comes to fait. He kept on babbling about the greatness and love of the higher being, how to appease them when they are angry and how to do sacrifices. Yeah, that’s right sacrifices. Some gods are terribly eccentric, and when they switch is flipped only a killed goat or other animal can make them calm down. Personally I believed the whole process to be too messy.
‘What do they even like about goats anyway? Is that some kind of godly fetish?’
“Before we start today’s lesson, show me how do you pray to Kaldan.”
Kaldan was the equivalent of Hephaistos, the god of forge and fire. Praying to him makes you extremely good at crafting and what not.
I took a lightened candle from the altar before me, got on my knees and recited the prayer that I learned. It was long, full of difficult words and praises. Of I was the one that that prayer was coming to I would become deep red from embarrassment.
“, ... grant me your protection. Amen.”
“Amen. Very good you made some mistakes here and there but it was better than it was before. Tomorrow, you will recite it again so make sure to read it again.”
“Yes, father”
“Good. Follow me.”
We went to one of the gardens where we kept the practise dolls. Being a priest turns out, is a very dangerous job. They have to train themselves in magic as in weapon-wielding for there own protection. Some of the greatest fighters in this country are actually priests.
“First, use one of your offensive magic. It those not matter which one.”
Yup, I can use magic now. Jealous?
There is in total 7 type of magic. Fire, water, earth, wind, light, darkness and none-elemental. Each one has there strengths and weaknesses. By the way, all my skills we’re none-elemental type when I arrived here. It’s a type that can be used by everyone and makes everyday life easier. But contrary to the other types where if you learn one of them you can use how you with, none-elemental spells need to be learned separately. For example: when you learn to create a fireball you will automatically get the skill[Flame magic] that allows you to shape it into a spear or an arrow. In the case of none-elemental, you can’t do this. Of course, you can use a skill to another porous, like burning a stick with[Heat] but it has a large mana consumption that the common people can’t afford.
Right now the only one I can use is light magic. Not because it’s the most compatible one with me, it was the first one that they thought me.
“[Purging Light]!”
From my palm, a thin rayon of light shout out piercing the wall behind it.
“Again and this time aim better. The enemy won’t be standing there like this!”
“[Piercing Light]! “
“Mist, again!”
“ [Piercing Light]! “
“Again!”
...
(An hour later)
“Again! What are you waiting to do it again!”
“Huff! Huff! [Piercing... Ughaaaa”
I drank too many potions. Every time I run out of mana he gave me a file filled with a bluish liquid that was able to fill my MP to its limit. But over dosage course vestige and vomiting and those were the things I was experiencing.
“Hmmm, we need to work on your MP limits more. Clean yourself, the rest of the day is yours. Dismiss.”
He left me there while I was still shaking and spitting blue.
“Damn, this... has to be...child abuse... “
After I emptied my stomach I went back to my room. It was located inside one of the towers that are located on the east side of the building. When I first moved in there was only a bed and a table but during the years, I also managed to get a cabinet and a shelf that I filled with books.
Even now that I’m living here, I never stopped my research in the cores. In all the books here I could deduce that they use the two stones differently. The mana core is used as a portable battery that contains a set amount of mana. Craftsmen even use them to build equipment that even has cores implanted into them. But the memory stone is completely useless. Most people throw it away will others make a decoration of it.
‘This must be a mistake. I was able to extract memories from it! Then shouldn’t it have another use?’
For my experiences I still use spiders. These guys are like cockroaches they are literally everywhere. Go down the basement and you will see 4 running away from the light.
I killed a bunch of them and brought them here, will make sure that no one saw me. I would be difficult explaining the green slime that tainted the rag that I carried them.
“Ok let continue.”
I opened out the box that I was hidden under my bed. Inside was my newest test subject. This beauty is (you guessed it) was a spider but not any regular 8-legged nightmare. This one was my personal monster. I made it by stitching parts together from 4 different ones. It was a long work but I was content with the result. And now it’s time for the main event.
Half-heartedly drunk the blue potion that I needed out from the training.
[Mp refilled to maximum capacity]
“[Ultra- Surgery].”
I channelled my magic into the two cores that I put into the body. My threads connected to them without harming its body. As I expected the two gen quickly started to drink my mana and started to diapers it into every cell of the body. Slowly I increased the dosage to get up the cores. And then it moved. At first, I thought it was nothing but it became twitching.
‘Yes, it’s working!'
[Alert!]
[]
My ears started to bleed from the scream that resonated inside my head. And then...
Boom!
The spider blew up into bits leaving only green goo.
‘What the $&#%#! This supposed to work! I didn’t make any mistake! I resembled the spider perfectly and it was its original cores so it couldn’t be a rejection. Maybe I put too much mana into it and went on an overload?’
I decided to think about it while I was cleaning. Having one of the priests see my desk right now would be a faith worse than death. At least it became complete liquid so I didn’t have to pick up ‘the bits’.
‘I don’t get it. Anatomically, the spider was capable to live. The cores have reacted, there was no mana leak. Maybe it’s not even possible and I’m wasting my time and energy on this... Sight, I will think about it later.’
Today will be a big day. Guest from the castle will come to visit, to make sure the founds that we receive is not wasted.
I changed my cloth and my eye patch. Since living here, I always wore a piece of clothing to cover my right eye. The only one to see it was the head priest and even he said that I should hide it. He even bought me a decorated one that I must wear on special ceremonies.
‘“Having a disfigured eye can be bad for a Saint. Be sure to hide it when you are in public.”’
When I finished, I went down to the kitchen to eat something. Today’s menu was delicious as always, vegan stew with white bread. We don’t eat meat here; some animals are considered sacred and it’s a blasphemy to consume them. And because there are more gods than starts on the sky, it’s easier to cut off all meat-based products.
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“Hey kid, a carriage just arrived you should go there before they kick you're but!” (anonymous cook)
When I heard this I quickly finished eating and rushed to the entrance. Being a student of the head priest I was always tasked to show around visitors in the building.
I arrived at the nick of the time. A crowd of has formed to welcome our guests making the perfect chance to not be noticed. The crowd mainly consisted of the people who lived nearby and some adventures who kept things in check.
The carriage that arrived was richly decorated with the usual golden pattern that I see in the church.
From the inside, that person emerged. One of them was a young boy close to my age wearing fancy wearing cloth and next to him was an old man wearing a golden crown on his head. They had the same red hair so it was a safe he’s to think they are related.
‘The King? What the hell is he doing here?’
Usually, a tax counter or a local noble will come. For the king himself to come here, it can’t be good.
‘Did something happen?’
I followed them with the crowd. They lead us into the great hall where we hold our sermons and usually pray.
The head priest was standing in an elevated platform, with his arms in the air, smiling like an idiot.
“Welcome great King to our humble church. How can we help your Majesty?”
“I was informed that the Saint is being trained here. I wish to see and teat him.”
“Of course, your majesty. Shall we wait at my office will someone fetch him.”
“That sounds like a good idea. Show us the way.”
They exited the place by a side door. When it closed the place was full of murmurs.
“A Saint? Who it might be?”
“I hope she is pretty.”
“Knowing these guys she will be a little girl.”
‘Eh, I’m right here and I’m a boy.’
Yup, this is one disadvantage of being a Saint. The people’s automatically believe that I’m a cute girl with golden hair. Of course, my job isn’t exclusive only to young maidens, but there is a key factor: looks! My predecessors all had good looks will I… not so much. My short blond hair was messy all the time and started to take a brownish tone. My face could be called average and the eye patch gave me a quite wild look. And the other changes that started to appear on me? I don’t want to talk about it.
So yeah, sorry go break it to you guys, the young maiden will appear when I’m dead!
In the confusion I followed the king from behind, keeping a fair amount of distances between us.
‘What do they want from me?’
Since I was here I kept low, making sure to not draw attention to myself. I did the exercises and training on the level I believed that was average. My teacher never said that I had any talent for anything. Even I mathematics when they gave me the exercises I made sure to make mistakes.
If they discover that I’m a reincarnated person that they might interrogate me, do experiments on me or simply transform me into a hero and send me out to kill the demon king.
Yeah, there are heroes our there but it’s more of a title than a job. They receive it when they accomplish something great. When they receive it they have granted fame and riches with a very VERY short life. Basically, when a demon lord will appear, they will be the first to send to die. If they with some grace they survive they will be sent to the next one.
‘Having a good but a short life? No, no thank you!’
I might not remember my death but I do remember what happened next! That darkness that can make anyone insane… I don’t want to experience it again! This is why I continue doing my experiences so that one day I can conquer death I will never going back to that abyssal place!
It’s not hopeless there are many races that have crazy lifespans so if I can found out how they do it…
‘I will attain immortality and escape the prison which is death!’
*****
“So, you are the Saint that I heard about?”
Right now, I was in front of the king who was drinking some tea in a relaxed position.
“Yes.”
“It's ‘Yes, my king' to you!”
Wow, the prince didn’t like me at all, he was giving me death steers since I entered the room.
“Now, now my son. I don’t mind at all. He never met someone like us before so overlook his behaviour for now.”
“Hmph!” he turned away without saying a word.
‘Dude, how old are you?’
“Sight, anyway, I asked Theodor for bringing you here, because he said that you have the capacity of being the new Saint. We wish to see if you are able to prove that you are up to the task.”
‘What, do I have to heal someone? Or pray to someone?’
You will have a fight with my son, Radolf, -
‘Eh?’
“-who is skilled in swordplay-
‘Ehh?’
“-and has a great chance to be part of a hero party.”
‘Ehhh?’
“W-What, my king! I don’t believe that I have what it- “
“Too late p, you are coming with me!”
He grabbed my arm and dragged me into the courtyard where we use the dummies to train. The king and the head priest followed us while discussing something behind our back.
“Well then let’s see if the Saint of our area is as great as the president!”
“Oh wait a sec I’m not good at..."
“Too late! “
He dashed towards me with his sword in hands. With no more time to hesitate I used the only offensive spell I knew.
“[Piercing Light]”
He skillfully evaded my laser and quickly shortened the distance between us.
Zush
Falling backwards I was able to evade the sword that almost gave me a new haircut.
‘Is he want to kill me?!’
‘[Piercing Light]!]
He evaded again the attack and took a few steps back.
“Come one you can do better than that! Or do you can only follow orders like a dog!’
He launched forward again, his sword ready with a vide swing.
This time I was ready and surrounded my hands in thick magical energy, to block its second swing. The blade collided with the energy. I could feel the metal a few inches of my skin.
‘Wait, it vibrates?’
Faintly I could feel tiny vibrations coming from it slowly cutting through my layers.
With all my might I pushed it away and laid a punch in the prince's face. He flinched for a sec giving me a chance to aim a second hit in his abdomen.
He felt on his back, but got right up and fired a fireball at me.
I evaded it and fired another laser, with little success.
‘Shit, if this continues on, I will get killed!’
I evaded his attacks while he was bad mouthing me.
“What is that all you got?”
“Come one, give everything you have?!”
“You are weak!”
I felt my magic getting thinner some of its attacks landed, wounding me all over my body.
‘Screw it, I have to use it.’
I concentrated and used my original magic.
*****
Radolf POV:
‘Weak, he’s too weak!’
Since my father received a report about a potential Saint, he was looking forward to meeting it. I also was excited about it, but not for the same reasons. All the Saints have the same characteristics: They are beautiful.
In all fairy tales, they are described as girls with powerful mana and charms that are able to melt the heart of any beast.
When he finally decided to go to visit this church I also came with him on my own. I decided that if the legends are true then I will make her my bride.
Oh, you can’t excited I was when the door If the room we waited opened.
‘And then you came!’
My dreams shattered to pieces in an instant. In a place of a maiden, a guy with an eye patch came in, presenting himself as the future Saint.
‘I will make you pay for my dreams! I will hurt you so bad that they will start looking for your replacement! Go to-‘
Ba-dump!
‘What is this?’
Suddenly the aire around my opponent changed. It was heavy, thick, something you could only feel against seasoned opponents.
Ba-dump!
Every finer of my being yelled at me to run away, his in a hole, don’t look into the eyes of the... thing that was standing in front of me.
“Hehe, if this is how you are going to play... [Flame armour]”
My strongest magic, an aura of red flame that is able to protect me from almost anything!
“Come at me!”
He didn’t react the slightest he just kept steering at me.
Ba-
My breathing became heavy and I couldn’t even stay on my feet. I felt on my knees, completely in the mercy of the force before me before I lost consciousness.
*****
After the spare, I excused myself and run back into my room. Both of our spectators were surprised to see that the prince felt on the ground unconscious without me touching him.
I used one of my self-made magic, called [Intimidation]. This beauty just popped up on my status screen when I was in the middle of hunting spiders. It can create a frightening aura around me that can make my enemies scared. It seems with enough mana (I used more than half of it) it can knock them out. This skill is such a cheat!
When I arrived, I took out the spider bodies that I hid behind my closet and quickly reconstructed a spider. It wasn’t as good as the previous one some parts we’re out of scale and it was missing one of its legs, but it worked for now.
[Mp refiled to its maximum capacity]
‘Ugh, I hope it doesn’t have any side effects.'
“[Ultra-surgery].”
Yet again I sent my threads into the cores and pumped them with mana, but now I tried something else.
The prince sword was vibrating from, mana. If that’s correct then that means that once you use mana on something there is a burden on the said object. Similar to a battery, if you put too much electricity in it, it will explode.
The spider was the same. I over pumped it with energy, making it a liquid. Will remembering the sensation of the weapon, I was giving too the corps as little as mana as I could, while slowly increasing the dosage.
‘Come on, this is my last mana potion.’
[Alert!]
[]
“Here it comes!”
The screaming this time was louder when I first tried. I even started to bleed from my ears and from my right eye but I kept on going.
Suddenly from the spider, a dark hole appeared that absorbed everything in this room, leaving me in dark with the screams. Then small light like stars formed then silver lines started to next the dotes. Shortly words appeared before my eyes. I didn’t know the language but I understood them inductively. I started to read them the words literally crawled into my head.
“This... can’t be.”
When I finished reading it I reappeared in my room.
[Warning! MP has dropped to 6℅]
‘What? How can that be? I was full a second ago!’
Mirically, the spider didn’t turn into a pile of goo this time. I tried to stop the flow of mana but something didn’t allow it and kept sucking it out.
[Mp had dropped to 5℅]
[4℅]
[2℅]
And then the screaming stopped. Silence rolled the entire room only my breathing could be heard.
I slowly recalled my threads. I was completely exhausted.
Twitch. Twitch.
It stud up.
The corpse that I made have stud up with its 7 legs. It looked around the room then started to clumsily move forward. When it reached the edge of the table it stopped then looked at me with its black eyes.
“I... I did it. I can’t believe it. [Appraisal]!”
__________________________________________________________________________________
Name: none
Race: Teran House spider(dead)
Level: 4
HP: 0/7
MP: 0/5
Str: 3
Def: 2
Skills: [Thread Waving LV:1] [Climbing LV:1]
Passive Skills: [Danger detection LV:2] [Food Detection LV:3]
Titles: [Kin Eater] [Slave]
__________________________________________________________________________________
'It’s not alive?'
What? It’s moving, it’s breathing, its thinks... No, it doesn’t think. The magic inside its body became centred around its mana core. The memory core became short on mana and can barely function.
'But still, it’s and to move on its own. Did I accidentally create a zombie? No, if the books that I read were right, man-made zombies in this world can’t move until they receive a direct order and will combust when they are touched by sunlight. So this is maybe an upgraded version?’
I stopped thinking when I felt something going down on my right cheek. I touched it. It was wet and warm. It was blood. From my eye.
I took off the blindfold and searched a mirror.
My eye changed. It became completely black with little dots on it. When I looked at it closer I could see that some of them moved.
“Are those...stars?”
My right eye, that still worked perfectly with had stars in it.
‘What the hell happened to me?! Status?!
The status board popped up in front of me showing my states.
‘H-Hey, this isn’t funny. What the hell happened to me?!’