Chapter 13.2
Having finally arrived, I pressed my lips together in a pointless tension, feeling slightly intimidated by the subtle scent of incense and silence seeping out from the cathedral.
‘I just nearly died, but I should go inside.’
I mustered the courage and stepped into the sacred hall.
My footsteps felt awkwardly loud in the quiet, almost reverberating off the walls.
Inside was cool, like a basement.
I wasn’t sure if it was just me, but there was an uncomfortable chill in the air.
I faced the imposing giant cross at the front and gingerly perched on the end of a long bench.
The cathedral was eerily empty, devoid of praying visitors or clergy.
The colorful light pouring through the stained glass and the holy ambiance almost felt suffocating.
‘Let’s get this over with.’
I have a bit of an allergy to this sort of solemnity.
I’ve never made a wish even in front of my birthday candles, but I mimicked the gesture of praying, clasping my hands tightly and shutting my eyes firmly.
A priest from Myeongdong Cathedral was one of those NPCs that appeared only when a specific action was taken.
“Have you come to hear the word of God?”
There she was.
I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the person before me.
A middle-aged woman in priestly attire was smiling kindly at me.
‘Sister Mikaela.’
A rosary bracelet with a cross dangled from her wrist.
“God listens to the words of every wanderer. Feel free to confess everything and ask for forgiveness.”
“No, I’m here for…”
“Ah, perhaps you’re here for a baptism?”
“I came to acquire a weapon.”
And then the gentle face of the priestess instantly hardened.
Had I been too direct?
The atmosphere quickly turned cold, and I clenched my teeth tightly.
The first gate to acquiring a Divine weapon:
‘The first impression test.’
Though grandly termed a test, it essentially just checked the system’s alignment of good and evil tendencies.
Well, of course, Lee Moa inherently had to maintain over 90% good alignment to keep using Divine-class weapons.
I anticipated an easy pass.
Still, I demurely clasped my hands and waited for her judgment.
As time ticked by, my anxiety grew.
Ah, surely not… I’ve always been inherently good…
Snap!
Suddenly, Sister Mikaela grasped my hands firmly and pulled them up to her chin.
I alternately looked at my hands, now caught off guard, and her face.
The pressure on my clasped hands increased.
“Ow, that hurts…”
“Do you believe that God truly exists in this world?”
Our eyes met—her black irises devoid of any light.
A chill ran down my spine.
A slow, uncomfortable feeling began to gnaw at my reason.
This was a dialogue event that had never appeared in the game before, not even when I played with a character that had 100% good alignment.
‘Why are you asking me that?’
I couldn’t close my gaping mouth.
My mind was in turmoil.
Has something changed again?
Should I not have come here?
Once something happened, everything now seemed suspect.
An agonizing silence lingered.
“Hehe.”
At that soft laugh, the tension in the air snapped like an overstretched elastic band.
Sister Mikaela slowly let go of my hands, smoothing back her fallen hair.
A blurry holographic window appeared above her, and she stepped back to regain her gentle demeanor.
【MISSION】
▷ Return the Sacred Relic to Myeongdong Cathedral.
― Category: Sub
Sacred relics have been plundered by those who falsely claim to be gods. Ignoring this would be equivalent to acknowledging their claims.
Success: Awarded <Pentagon Staff>.
Failure: Significant decrease in favorability with all sacred NPCs.
“For our Lord.”
Sister Mikaela drew a holy symbol above her head.
“… She seems like she’s out of her mind.”
I muttered as I left the cathedral behind.
Gong. Gong.
The sound of the bell echoed faintly from the cathedral’s spire.
Sister Mikaela’s face flashed before my eyes.
Her manic gaze, rapidly changing expressions, and the excessive strength she exhibited during our first encounter.
‘Was she always this kind of character?’
Thinking about it, it seemed plausible.
I hadn’t paid much attention since I rarely encountered her outside of sacred quests, but in a world nearing destruction, she was the lone priestess who was guarding a fallen religion.
That was Sister Mikaela’s story.
Slightly embarrassed, I scratched my cheek and started swiping away the accumulated notifications.
There were so many of them.
This is what they were all about…
【MISSION】
▷ Track the Whereabouts of the Holy Relic.
― Category: Sub
【MISSION】
▷ Talk to the Homeless Person in Myeongdong Alley.
― Category: Sub
【MISSION】
▷ Hear Rumors While Getting a Tarot Reading at a Nearby Fortune Teller.
― Category: Sub
And so on.
All these were linked missions for progressing in the weapon quest.
Of course, a first-time player, not knowing anything, would naturally have to follow each step methodically.
It’s fun to get a feel for the story, wander around, and waste time.
But me?
‘Why do it all over again when I already know?’
The plan was to storm into the base of those who had stolen the holy relics.
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