Chapter 160: Class Change, Solaris Cleric (1)

Whoosh!

The holy power resting in Kai's hands slowly transferred into Albert's body.

“Sunlight’s Warmth.”

Kai’s voice was calm and soft, and carried a sense of warmth.

High Priest Albert’s eyes widened as the holy power flooded into him.

T-this is... very pure holy power...?

It was holy power so pure it could even be compared to his own, as the high priest. Moreover, he could feel the mercy of Helik as the holy power moved through his body. But the most astonishing thing was...

The pain... it's disappearing.

Moments earlier, it had felt as if his soul was being torn apart. However, as the holy power passed through him, the pain vanished and was replaced by a comforting sensation. It was as if a powerful vaccine was hunting down the virus that had spread through his body.

As Morak watched Kai heal Albert, he couldn’t help but laugh. “

Bahaha

. Idiot. If you were capable of purification, Albert would have done it himself long ago. The Essence of Darkness is the very power of the god that the thousand-year-old Church of Muldine boasts of...”

However, as Albert’s expression grew more peaceful, Morak’s eyes darted around in confusion.

... Something’s wrong. Why isn’t he screaming like before? There’s no way he could look that calm.

The veins that had once bulged prominently on Albert's skin had vanished long ago, becoming as smooth as a baby’s. His skin even seemed to have regained a slight, healthy glow.

“... That’s impossible. There’s no way he could be purifying it.” Sensing a growing unease, Morak shouted in a panicked voice, “There’s no need to give them a chance! He’s defenseless now! Attack!”

At his command, dozens of dark paladins drew their swords and charged toward Kai.

However, Blizzard and Mimic were not ones to simply stand by and watch.

“

Krrr!

”

“

Kroo

!”

Mimic threw its massive body down, creating a protective wall around Kai and Albert, while Blizzard stretched out his twin scimitars and stood guard at the front.

“Black lizardman... Right, I remember you.”

Morak glared at Blizzard with contempt, recalling the creature from a past experiment.

“A worthless piece of trash that once was used as experiments... Now you dare to stand in the way of the church’s paladins?”

Morak, enraged, spat out his words in a sharp tone, “Kill it! And secure Albert immediately!”

Blizzard’s current level was 230. While that wasn’t low compared to other players, it was far from enough to handle dozens of paladins. However, Blizzard had the qualities of a future leader of the lizardman tribe.

Even surrounded by Church of Muldine’s paladins, Blizzard stood tall.

“

Krrr.

”

Blizzard’s fiery eyes seemed to shout that they should come at him if they dared.

Of course, the dark paladins facing that arrogant gaze did not feel pleased at all.

“That arrogant little...!”

“How dare you, a mere test subject, stand in our way!”

“You insignificant beast that can’t even speak!”

Five dark paladins shot forward like rays of light, and swung their swords. Each strike was powerful enough to cut through Blizzard's body both horizontally and vertically.

However, the twin scimitars in Blizzard’s hands deflected their attacks effortlessly, like sliding down a smooth surface. And that only indicated one thing.

It knows it can’t take us on head-to-head.

A lizardman, a natural-born warrior...

Is avoiding a direct confrontation and taking a defensive approach?

Blizzard had once been the war chief of the lizardman tribe, one whose pride was second to none. However, now he had set aside his pride and focused entirely on protecting Kai.

Realizing this, the dark paladins exchanged smirks with one another.

It's surprising that the black lizardman is fighting this way...

But it gives us more options if it's being defensive.

It won’t last long like this.

Clang! Clang!

The five dark paladins surrounded Blizzard in a pentagon formation, attacking from all sides.

Blizzard could only rely on his two scimitars, and whatever he couldn’t block, he had to endure with his body.

“

Krrrk

...!”

Blizzard had realized something during the battle with Aosa. He learned that in future battles where his master would stand, he wouldn’t be able to wield overwhelming power. So, Blizzard began to think.

Clang!

He deflected enemy strikes with the curved edges of his blades, and used his agile movements to dodge their attacks.

Whoosh!

“

Krrr

.”

Crunch!

“

Aaargh!

”

If the opponent showed even the smallest opening, he would relentlessly exploit it. He believed that was the only way he could truly be of help to his master.

Crunch! Snap!

“

K-kugh

...!”

Blizzard's twin scimitars dug perfectly into the neck of one of the dark paladins, the two blades meeting inside like a pair of scissors.

Blizzard had abandoned his aggressive combat style and embraced the concept of defense, and the fighting technique he had mastered was none other than the counterattack.

***

High Priest Albert's complexion looked better than ever. It was the kind of expression one might have after receiving a massage from a top-tier massager, followed by a dip in a hot spring.

"... Thank you. Thank you so much."

Albert’s wrinkled hands gently covered Kai’s right hand.

“No need to thank me. I only did what I had to... Please, don’t cry.”

Kai, bewildered by Albert’s tears, found himself unsure of how to react.

“...

Ahem

. Right, I’ve shown too much emotion in front of a young man.”

Albert wiped away the last of his tears with his eyes tightly shut, and then looked at Kai with a resolute gaze.

“I am Albert, the old man holding the undeserved title of the thirty-second high priest of the Solarian Church. If it’s not too much to ask, may I know the name of my hero?”

“My name is Kai.”

“I see. Kai, I am truly grateful, but we’ll have to talk later. Right now, it’s more urgent that we drive out the remnants of the Church of Muldine.”

“If that’s the case, do not worry. I’ll handle them quickly.”

As Kai rose to his feet abruptly, Albert stopped him.

“Wait! Let me cast a blessing on you.”

Soon, Albert’s blessings enveloped Kai’s body.

[All stats increase by +50.]

[All speed increased by 30%.]

[Damage received reduced by 30%.]

It was a blessing from the high priest himself, superior even to that of a Solaris Cleric! Moreover, all the skills he had cast were basic cleric skills.

Yet, the effect is this strong...

Just as Kai marveled at the buffs, the high priest cast one final blessing.

“Grant him a ray of light to pierce through the darkness... Holy Enchantment.”

[All attack power against demons, undead, and corrupted beings increased by 250%.]

“These blessings should aid you greatly in battle.”

“With this level of blessing...”

This wouldn’t just aid him. The battle was practically already over!

“Mimic, it’s alright now. You can get up.”

As Kai patted Mimic’s scales, it stretched and made a satisfied sound as it stood. With Mimic no longer blocking the view, the dozens of dark paladins and priests came into sight. And...

“

Huh?

”

Just as he had thought during the battle with Aosa, Kai had expected Blizzard to be overwhelmingly outmatched. However, reality turned out to be a little different from what he had imagined.

“One, two, three...” Kai counted as he observed the polygon fragments scattered across the ground. “Looks like at least five... Blizzard did all this?”

Of course, Blizzard's condition didn’t look normal, with blood pouring from its entire body. But even considering that, taking down five enemies while facing dozens alone would be impossible for anyone without abnormal stats like Kai.

The dark paladins are at least level 250 each. Every one of them is stronger than Blizzard, and yet...

Kai remained silent and watched Blizzard’s fight closely. He dodged all the enemies' attacks and skillfully deflected them with his scimitars—truly a divine technique! And in the moment when the enemies revealed a small opening, frustrated by their repeated failed attacks, he finished off his opponent without fail.

Crack!

Even when multiple swords struck his body, he didn’t seem to care. In fact, his tenacity caused the dark paladins to swallow nervously.

“Blizzard.”

When Kai called from behind, Blizzard glanced back at him. The moment he saw Kai, his shoulders drooped. At the same time, his entire body began trembling, as if he had become ill.

Blizzard’s abilities aren’t enough to sustain these kinds of movements.

In other words, Blizzard had been fighting beyond his limits.

Kai placed a grateful fist against Blizzard’s chest and said, “You’ve done well. Leave the rest to me.”

“

Krrr

,” Blizzard responded with a satisfied grin.

***

“Th-this is impossible...”

Morak shook his head blankly, stunned by the scene unfolding before his eyes.

“Even though our inquisitors weren’t here... we had fifty dark paladins and dark priests. But how...?”

All of that was destroyed by just one person, and that person wasn’t even a resident of this world.

If it were monsters like Bach, Korona, or Parsanax, I would have avoided the fight altogether. But the opponent was...

An adventurer. Someone who, just two years ago, had been hunting slimes and rabbits to grow stronger.

“This is so unfair...!”

“Life is always unfair. But in my case, just a little more so,” Kai released his grip on the paladin’s collar and stomped hard on their throat as they fell to the ground.

Crunch!

The paladin’s body turned to polygons. That was the last of them. It had taken Kai just thirty-two minutes to obliterate all fifty dark paladins and priests.

Then, Kai slowly approached Morak. “You need to come with me.”

“You think I’ll just let you take me so easily—”

“Yeah.”

Crack!

The hilt of Kai’s sword slammed into Morak’s side. The sound of bones breaking was followed by a wheezing groan from Morak.

“

Oof

...”

Kai watched as Morak clutched his side and collapsed, then slightly looked beside him.

“So, what should I do now? I’d like to put him to sleep so he doesn’t cause any more trouble. Could you advise me on how?”

—Hmm.

Chernatia, who had been standing idly, took a step forward and stood behind Morak. Clasping his hands together, he swung down hard on the back of Morak’s head.

—Like this. Hit the pressure point here with both hands, and he’ll fall asleep instantly.

“... Isn’t that just knocking him out?”

—Not at all! It’s a proper sleep technique. I learned it from a warrior from the eastern continent, so it’s reliable.

Kai shook his head as Chernatia stood firm in his belief, but he followed the advice and put Morak to sleep.

“... He’s really just asleep, right?”

—Of course. You could hit his jaw to knock him out, but that could kill him, so I recommend this method instead.

“I see. I’ve learned from you again.”

Kai, having learned yet another useful technique, soon approached Albert.

Albert was looking down at Bernard, his once close friend, with a sorrowful expression. “Why did you do it? What wasn’t enough for you...?”

“Your Holiness... No, Albert. Please, forgive me just this once for the sake of our old friendship... I must have lost my mind for a moment...”

Just as Albert's heart was about to soften at the sight of his friend, sobbing and sniffling...

Whack!

Kai’s clasped hands struck the back of Bernard’s head with a powerful blow.

Albert stared in shock as Bernard collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

Seeing that, Kai grinned and put on a confident expression. “I’ve put him to sleep by striking the pressure point. We can interrogate him later for the details of this incident.”

“Didn’t you just knock him out...?”

Kai glanced to his right for a moment, then shrugged casually. “Apparently it’s not.”