Chapter 28

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Level Up!

The skills a Dryad can use vary depending on the characteristics of the forest. The Rustling Forest, originally created by rock elementals, now houses wind elementals, allowing all of them to use wind-based skills by default.

"Hunting!"

"Time for hunting!"

"Whirrrrrr-!"

Over fifty Dryads emerged through the created warp. With these level 7 powerhouses appearing en masse on the battlefield, the tide turned in an instant.

The Dark Goblin army's formation crumbled at the relentless charge of the wind-riding Dryads.

Roar!

Boom!

Not only that.

The debris of collapsed buildings merged to form a massive Nature Golem.

Every time the Nature Golem swung its fist, dozens of Dark Goblins turned into puddles of blood.

"This is a favor from a friend! Clear the path to the warp in one go!"

High Dryad.

【Lv.9】

But it's not just any level 9.

The High Dryad is the guardian of the forest, the master of the forest, and the ruler of the Dryads.

It is an Elite Raid Boss Monster.

A party of nine, all level 9, is required to hunt it.

It wasn't for nothing that they thought of fleeing at first sight.

Thanks to this, the path to the warp was smoother than ever.

Whoosh!

Star Slash.

A wall of stars formed, destroying the malfunctioning warp.

《One heated warp destroyed. 1/3》

《Time until ‘Black-skinned Hybrid’ summoning: 9 minutes 01 second》

《Hybrids are beginning to emerge through the warp.》

From the remaining two warps, ordinary Hybrids appeared.

A monstrous creature, resembling a giant purple octopus, floated in the air.

It was as large as a typical building.

【Lv.8】

Moreover, its level was no joke.

Even an ordinary Hybrid rivals a typical boss monster.

"Monsters from the abyss! Truly ominous creatures!"

"Can you handle them?"

"Leave it to me, friend!"

The High Dryad was brimming with confidence.

Perhaps because the forest had regained its vitality through the Spirit Egg, its fighting spirit was immense.

Soon, a massive spear and a bow appeared in one of the High Dryad's hands. It placed the vine-made spear on the bowstring and fired it at the Hybrid.

Boom!

The spear, which shook the earth as it shot forward, pierced the Hybrid's forehead.

"One down!"

The High Dryad shrugged, looking at the instantly killed Hybrid.

Indeed, an Elite Raid Boss Monster. A different class altogether.

Moreover, it seemed stronger than the typical High Dryad I knew.

‘The High Dryad is closely influenced by the state of the forest. The Spirit Egg obtained from the Spirit Tower is stronger than a typical spirit.’

It must have been due to that influence.

The spirits obtained directly from the Spirit Tower are several times stronger than typical spirits.

Such an egg was entrusted to the forest. The forest became much healthier, and the High Dryad became even stronger.

‘If the spirit hatches, it might reach level 10...’

Would it then be a Super Dryad rather than a High Dryad?

Fortunately, it's a friend, not an enemy.

With that thought, I ran to the next warp.

《One heated warp destroyed. 2/3》

《Time until ‘Black-skinned Hybrid’ summoning: 8 minutes 05 seconds》

《Hybrids are beginning to emerge through the warp.》

《Dark Warriors are beginning to emerge through the warp.》

Thus, I destroyed the two warps in an instant.

One remained.

"Hmm! Friend, we can't fight for long outside the forest."

The problem was the state of the Dryads.

Their relentless momentum had waned.

This was not a forest but a human city, a place where Dryads cannot survive.

It was like a fish that can only live in the sea being brought onto land.

As evidence, their once supple skin was gradually drying up and wrinkling.

"…You've done enough just by helping us this far. Thank you, friend."

I knew how difficult it was for them to come here, even though it seemed easy.

The warp created through the teleportation book can only be used once a day and is one-way.

If they crossed over, they couldn't return until the next day.

If the city fell to the dark space, they would be annihilated. They came here without hesitation, simply because they were ‘friends.’

How simple and… trustworthy.

Better than humans.

So, I respect their choice.

I paid my respects to their faith and their actions.

I turned my head.

‘Dark Warrior.’

The problem was the Dark Warrior.

It had the same level as the Hybrid but was much faster and more agile.

At least the Hybrid's movements were sluggish, so you could avoid it if you knew the strategy, but the Dark Warrior was a different story.

It would be difficult to defeat the Dark Warrior and destroy the warp.

But.

"Andrew Priest!"

I called out to Andrew Priest, who was far away.

The only priest of the Goddess in the knight's courtyard and the owner of the relief center could certainly help me.

"Pray solely for me! Worship only me!"

*

Andrew Priest frowned.

He had clearly heard it.

He could ignore it, but the content was enough to offend him.

‘Now… he wants me to recite the Prayer of Worship?’

Prayer of Worship. Or the Prayer Text for Worship.

A self-sacrificial spell that only the highest-ranking priests, who are in direct contact with the Goddess, can use.

Of course, praising the Goddess is not self-sacrifice, but worshiping someone other than the Goddess turns it into a self-sacrificial prayer.

Asking a high-ranking priest to recite a Prayer of Worship for someone other than the Goddess is like asking them to die.

Especially, worshiping an unworthy person increases the risk of death.

‘How did he know I can use the Prayer of Worship?’

Excluding the Holy Maiden, only a handful of priests in the Church of the Goddess can officially use the Prayer of Worship.

Andrew Priest was one of them.

But, except for one person, he had never told anyone.

Because all the priests who could use the Prayer of Worship had bad endings.

‘Worshiping someone other than the Goddess is a grave sin.’

It is the greatest ‘sin’ in itself.

It is enough to be treated as a heretic in the Church of the Goddess.

Therefore, he only wanted to quietly serve in the relief center and end his life.

‘Knight King Wilhelm… I only told him.’

So, an outsider couldn't possibly know.

But he clearly heard it. To pray and worship only him.

Did he guess? Was it just a coincidence?

"He is the successor to the Knight King, Andrew Priest."

Vice Duke Wiser approached and added.

"Serengeti recognized him, so it must be true."

"Ah…"

If Serengeti, who was the closest aide to the Knight King, recognized him, it must be true.

‘No wonder. Why did his eyes seem so familiar…’

The eyes of Knight King Wilhelm and this man's eyes were strangely similar.

Now I understand why.

Then, he must have learned about me from Knight King Wilhelm.

I owe Wilhelm.

Even though he gave me a pardon, it was still insufficient.

I would not hesitate to give my life for him.

But Wilhelm is dead.

Andrew Priest took a deep breath.

"O Goddess, full of grace, Holy Spirit, as in the beginning, now and forevermore…"

He clasped his hands and recited the Prayer of Worship.

But the object of his worship was not the Goddess but this man, the successor to the Knight King.

The sacred aura emanating from Andrew Priest's heart soon reached Randolph.

A human, not a god.

An unworthy person.

This is a grave sin that requires atonement with one's life.

But.

"Ah…!"

At the same time, he trembled.

"Th-the Goddess!"

"The Goddess has descended!"

"Ah!"

…Everyone saw it.

The Goddess descending upon Randolph's head.

The golden light rippling as the Goddess kissed his forehead.

*

《All heated warps have been destroyed.》

《Time taken: 3 minutes 56 seconds》

《Main Quest 4: Seal the Rift of the Dark Space has been completed.》

《Calculating rewards.》

《Due to the intervention of a ‘Singularity,’ normal calculation is impossible.》

《Total score: ??? points. Updated in the ‘Hall of Fame.’》

《Obtained a large fragment of the ‘Broken Golden Rule.’》

《The thrones of the People's Hall frown.》

…

…

《The ‘Dark Legion’ returns to the abyss.》

《The ‘God-skinned Hybrid’ gazes at you with its two eyes, promising to return.》

…

…

《Level Up!》

*

The city was saved.

All the malfunctioning warps were destroyed, and the dark legions returned through the rift.

But everyone witnessed an unbelievable scene.

‘What did I just see?’

The sudden appearance of the Dryads and the High Dryad made my heart race.

It was an overwhelming sight.

But what I saw with my own eyes was even more incomparable.

‘The Goddess… she definitely descended.’

The descended Goddess kissed Randolph's forehead, bestowing a blessing.

It was not just a simple Prayer of Worship but a blessing from the Goddess herself.

I had never seen or heard of such a case.

The Goddess does not appear just because a saint or a holy person recites a prayer in the Church of the Goddess.

Vice Duke Wiser rubbed his eyes.

The Goddess that had descended upon Randolph disappeared as if it were a lie.

But what he saw was clear.

For a moment, a fleeting moment, but… in the act of killing the Dark Warrior, Vice Duke Wiser saw not just a successor but the real ‘Knight King Wilhelm.’

The Knight King, also known as the Knight of the Goddess.

Thud.

At that moment.

Andrew Priest suddenly knelt.

To Randolph. To the Knight of the Goddess.

Thud, thud.

Soon, all the onlookers began to kneel one by one.

No one told them to.

It happened naturally.

They were overwhelmed by the sight, having welcomed a deity.

Who could stand tall before a deity?

At least no one here could.

Vice Duke Wiser was no exception.

"The sin of worshiping me instead of the Goddess is not light."

Randolph approached Andrew Priest.

Even as the successor to the Knight King, he was still human.

Using the Prayer of Worship on a human, if the Church of the Goddess found out, he would be excommunicated.

Having used all his divine power, Andrew Priest looked ten years older. To recover, he would need to pray continuously for years.

Of course, he would no longer have the opportunity to pray. But he had no regrets.

As he approached, he spoke.

"The Knight King said he would take your sin upon himself. He said he would use the pardon you gave him, to use it on you."

…In the past, Andrew Priest had given a pardon to Knight King Wilhelm.

A priest of the Church of the Goddess can issue three pardons in their lifetime, and Andrew Priest had issued pardons only to the Knight King.

A pardon does not need to be a physical document.

It is a one-time right to forgive a sin.

But pardons are not hereditary. The successor to the Knight King, not the Knight King himself, had no right to use the pardon.

-It was good to see you again, Andrew Priest.

The words he left when he left the relief center.

I couldn't understand why someone I had never met would say such a thing, but now I understand.

"Aah."

Even so… Andrew Priest could not say anything.

He could only shed endless tears.

No one could say anything in this situation.

Slowly.

He placed his hand on Andrew Priest's shoulder.

"I forgive your sin, Andrew."