Chapter 2: Chapter Two – Choices Chosen

When describing the outward appearances of churches or temples belonging to another world’s religious faction, the first thing that usually comes to mind is usually a large, ornate, and elaborately beautiful building.  That couldn’t be further from the truth when it came to the Unified Temple on Labrynthia.  It was a simple three story building that looked like it was in state of needing constant upkeep, and was almost closer to being called run down and shoddy over ancient and holy.  

Just About the most ornate things in the Unified Temple consisted of the marble statues of each of the thirteen main Gods and Goddesses of Labyrinthia, who are called the Pillars of the World, and the Central Dais itself, which is a special platform that we mortals use communicate with them, their messengers, and are how we rise in ability through changing classes.

It can be thought of like how a pawn in chess promotes to a higher ranking piece once it makes it across the board.  In the case of class changing, crossing the board happens once every ten levels.

Now, it’s only at that place within each temple that it’s possible to do so, and it’s always monitored, day and night, by a priest.  The temple is also never closed and it’s a good thing, too.  Since it’s thanks to that I didn’t wake up alone in the middle of the night with no one there to explain things to me.

When I arrived at the Unified Temple immediately after leaving the brothel, I asked to see the special priest who discovered me on the Central Dais when I first arrived in this world; Priest Northay.  Of all the people I’d met during my short stay in the Temple, he was the one I felt most comfortable talking to about things.

Also, the matter of be being an otherworlder is not something that is publicized.  There are priests who know, but they have bound themselves with an oath not to reveal that fact to anyone.

“Randell, May the Gods’s blessings be with you today!  What brings you here, my boy?”

“Priest Northay, it’s good to see you!  I’ve recently reached the tenth level of experience and wish to undergo a class change.”

“Ho ho ho!  Congratulations on making it this far so soon.  Have you an idea of what path you wish to travel?”

“Yes.  I want to change into a support class.  I want to save as many people as I can from dying in that damn dungeon.”

“That is a noble calling, Randell.  I take it that the unrest found within the Great Zoma Dungeon has entered your heart at last, as I feared.”

“It finally did, Priest Northay.  Yesterday… my party, the Red Hawks, were wiped out.  I somehow managed to survive thanks to their sacrifice.”

“May the Gods keep their souls.  I am truly sorry for your loss, young man.” He placed his withered hand on my shoulder sympathetically while shaking his head.

“Priest Northay, what can you tell me of the Goddess Alurian?”

The priest’s face warmed when I asked about the Goddess.

“Alurian of the Loving Embrace.  She is one of the thirteen Pillars and the Goddess who governs love, birth, healing, and creation.  Many of her followers are often midwives, healers and at times those in the Arts.”

Love, Birth, Healing and Creation?  I know I felt at least two of those things last night while in the arms of Kokoro.

“Is there a way to commune with her?”

“I can take you to her statue and you may pray if you wish.”

“No, I mean… during my class change.  Is there a way to meet her?  The Gods and Goddesses intervene in this world through the Central Dais, don’t they?  I recall you mentioning that to me at some point after I arrived.”

“Ho.  Indeed I did.  However, I cannot say with certainty you would be able to meet her.  Certainly there are stories about mortals meeting either the Gods or their messengers at the higher levels of class change, but at the second stage…  It’s not often that it happens.  Do you feel a calling to her, Randell?”

“I don’t know.  I think rather than me feeling a calling to her, I feel like she’s trying to call out to me right now.”

“Indeed, an auspicious feeling to have!  While I cannot promise anything, perhaps you should take a moment to pray before you change your class?  Even though I am an old priest, even I think it would be polite to send an invitation of dialogue first. Ho ho ho.”

“Mm.  Can’t hurt to try.” I agreed.

“Indeed it couldn’t.  Please follow me to her statue.  Also, you are prepared to make the customary donation?”

“It was five silver coins, right?”  I handed them over to him immediately.

“The Unified Temple thanks you for your donation.”

“It’s my pleasure to help.”

Whether that was actual humility or just courtesy didn’t matter, there’s no such thing as a non-profit that has no money flow.  Even stale bread costs money, and if you can’t eat, you don’t live.

After being led to a medium size room with a modestly tall ceiling, a twenty foot marble statue of a heavenly goddess with four wings behind her and an outstretched arm holding a human heart in one hand looked benevolently at those standing before it.

“I’ll leave you for a moment to pray.  After that, I will take you to the Central Dias.”

“Thank you, Priest Northay.”

“Ho ho ho.”

With his hands behind his back, the old priest made his way out of the room, leaving me the only occupant before the statue.

I wasn’t really religious back on Earth, but I’d managed to visit to a few different types of churches and temples over the years.  Even a Buddhist monastery.

I figured that being a God of some kind meant it didn’t matter where a human actually was when praying for them to be able to listen.  While there were silent prayers, there was also power eminent in spoken words.  Therefore, prayers, when possible, should be spoken aloud just in case there was a real need for it to be heard by a God.

And I wanted to be heard.

So, I knelt before the statue and prayed.

I sincerely prayed.

I prayed about the wellbeing for the souls of my fallen party members, the 「Red Hawks」 and for the wellbeing of Kokoro, and that my honest desire was to find my inner peace by never letting another party wipe and the resulting devastation caused by it be felt by anyone around me.

When I was done, I stood up and found Priest Northay conveniently returning to my side.

“Have you spoken your heart to the Goddess, Randell?”

“As best I can.  I’m ready to go, Priest Northay.”

“Ho ho ho, it’s good to see your determination is strong.”

The elder priest had a calming and jovial side to him, perhaps that’s why I felt more comfortable dealing with him than the others, though I’m not discriminatory.  He was like a kindly grandpa who would let you take a sip of beer while underage, but only once.

There are plenty of priests in the Temple who worship only one god, though they service all of the gods with equal dedication.  I don’t know to which god or goddess Priest Northay keeps his devotion to, but I can’t feel that he’s the most sincere about it.

Maybe it’s just the wisdom and patience that comes with age?

I remember my grandfather was like that.  Very few things could rile him up, and while he appreciated discipline and respect, he also understood that there was a certain hot-headedness of youth that had to be allowed to exist.  

You can’t temper steel without fire, Randell.  He had said to me once, before he died when I entered my teens.

It was like cultivation in those Asian novels I wasn’t the biggest fan of.  That wild red flame of youth that courted death would eventually condense over the years into the small but unquenchable blue flame of the wise master.  Peace was the fuel, but the righteous fury was magnitudes stronger when evoked.

We passed through many smaller rooms, eventually reaching the Central Dais of the Unified Temple.  It was perhaps the most ornate room in the entire building, but that wasn’t saying much.  The raised platform looked to be hewn from beautiful white marble by a heavenly craftsman, and there were a multitude of glyphs and sigils overlaid on top of it.

On the inner walls of the surrounding room were characters of a long forgotten language, perhaps the language of the gods themselves.  The Central Dais room was said to be crafted by Micknock, the God of Crafting.  From time to time there is an object called a Fragment of Heaven which appears on the Dais in a Temple nearest to where a new one would be constructed.  It’s then transported from the temple it was found in to the new temple where it would be dedicated at, and wherever the fragment is placed in the new temple, that place becomes the Central Dais room and in every Unified Temple, this room is identical for the most part, save for a few of what are the ancient letters on the walls which change just a tiny bit.

I had a thought when gazing at those letters after hearing about the slight differences that existed in different Central Dais rooms that this might be something like a Stargate, and that the indecipherable writing was some kind of godly coordinate system.  But that’s just my own theory.

“Are you ready, young man?”

“Yes, Priest Northay.”

We weren’t the only two people here.  There were also two others, another Priest and a Priestess who were on duty as the appointed watchers of the room at this time.  Having a Class Change performed is not like going to a chapel to pray, and privacy is not advised for whatever reason.  When one undergoes a class change, there is a barrier of light which envelopes the Dias and whatever happens within is kept private.   No one outside of the barrier can see inside of it or hear anything from within, and it’s my decision if I wish to keep secret or reveal anything that may have happened.

The only exception is if I somehow receive an Oracle, but I was assured it was unlikely.

Well, I don’t know exactly what I’m expecting to happen, but I’m hoping for a good class at least.  

There are two small steps on either side of a short marble pillar that rises up about a meter from the ground.  That pillar is flat at the top and has a foreign script etched it.  Only the Priests who have sworn their lives in service to the Temple are able to read it.  They are unable to before their vow, and unable to after they break their vow, along with forgetting what information was on it.  It’s supposed to be the key to activating the Dais, so it has some kind of magical geas on it. 

Taking a few steps up and onto the Dais, I stood dead center on the magical circle that is pretty much a part of the marble platform and then faced the elder priest.

“I will begin the class change now.”

“Thanks, Priest Northay.”

“Ho ho ho, I pray for your success, Randell.”

“Thanks, I do too.”

The priest put his hand on the marble top of the pillar before him and a divine golden light began to flow down grooves from the short pillar and along the script beneath my feet.  The light travelled to the center first, then flowed to the outer ring until the circle was fully lit.  At that moment a divine curtain of light shot up and it divided the world I was in from this somewhat artificial space I was now inside of.

I remembered this from the first time, when I became a Novice.

For me, it appeared visually as a virtual reality environment, though there was only one thing available to see.  A translucent window that I could touch which let me select a combat or non-combat class.

I hadn’t really given exploring it much thought the first time, since I wasn’t sure I could back out of it if I chose the wrong selecton, so I touched the window that said combat class, and the only option to choose for my class after that, was Novice.

What awaited me that time was something entirely new. 

There was no screen this time, only a beautiful woman dressed in a long gown made of what I could only describe as white starlight.

Randell Heart, This One has heard your prayer.

“Are you… Alurian?”

It is so.

“Goddess, if it is possible, may I have a class that will let me help others survive the Great Zoma Dungeon?”

I am aware of your loss.  The souls of your fallen companions are with us now.

“I’m… relieved to hear that.”

The one called Relenna wishes to thank you for allowing her body to not be desecrated.  The one called Kyros tells you to be at peace.  The one called Marta hopes you will not forget her lessons.  The one called Jung is glad you listened to his advice for once.

“If it is allowable, please tell them I will live on for them and keep their memory in my heart forever.  Because of their sacrifice I am still alive, and I will do all that I can that no others meet the same fate as them if it can be helped.”

It will be done.

Now, on to other matters.  You have come to change your class.

“Yes.  I want to change to a supportive class.   I… want to protect those close to me.”

You have faith yet do not fully believe in the gods.  You pray to me before your class change and ask for a favor.  Are you willing to place your faith in me, Randell Heart?

“If that is what it takes.  I’ve never really prayed or worshipped a god or goddess before, but in the world I have come from it’s difficult to do so, since they do not exactly make themselves known to us mortals, if they even exist.”

That is only what you know on the surface.  Is your faith in me dependent on being able to see and touch me?

“Normally I would say yes.  Because I came from a world of technology and science rather than one of magic, that answer would have been yes, without a doubt.”

You are saying it is different now?

“I am.  I am convinced you led me to Satori Kokoro for that very reason.  In her arms, I felt the virtues of which you are attributed by the mortals of this world.”

Do you wish for power, Randell Heart?

“Not for the sake of power alone.  I wish only for enough power to protect those who should be protected.  I won’t say there is not greed in my heart for why I want it.  I also wish to protect Satori Kokoro and have the opportunity to be with her for the rest of my life.”

Do you think yourself strong enough to do so?

“No.  But I would like have the opportunity to grow strong enough to do so.  Is it not possible to grant me this opportunity as well, should I put my faith into you, Goddess?”

It is possible, however the way will be paved with misfortune.  If you dare to go against the fate of this world, I can present you the opportunity you desire, by becoming my Apostle.

“Apostle?”

A translucent screen appeared before me, and only one class selection was listed as available to be selected.

『Chosen of Alurian』

It is within my power to grant you this class.  With it you will also need to commune with me and fulfill the obligations I bestow upon you.  Though I am one of the Pillars which uphold this world, unlike the other pillars, I have not given my blessing to a devoted follower in over one hundred years.

“Then, with this class, can I hope for the power to heal people in battle?”

Healing is but one of my facets, Randell Heart.  To be my Apostle is to embrace all of my facets and bear my divine light into the world once more.  It will not be an easy path for you, who come from another world.

“At the end of that path, can I find happiness with and take Satori Kokoro as my wife?”

Is that your only worry, Randell Heart?  You so desperately wish to be bound to the first woman you have embraced?

“Yes.”

Should I give you the opportunity to bind yourself to her, you would serve me unfailingly?

“Without a doubt.”

Then take this divine relic, Randell Heart, and pledge your faith to me.

What looked like a golden Rubik’s Cube with flat gemstones of all different colors appeared before me.  I reached out for it and pledged with all my heart to believe and serve the Goddess Alurian.

It is done.  

You must take this divine relic to the woman you cherish, Satori Kokoro, and she must agree to bind her soul to yours while you both hold it.  Afterwards, should it be successful, you will receive a special blessing from me that will allow you to share your strengths and weaknesses with each other.  Souls that bind to each other on Labyrinthia share the same fate, as the vows of marriage in your world often stated; in sickness and in health, in wealth and in poverty, to be true to each other until the end of your mortal days…

“So, I need her to recite the wedding vows common to Earth?”

Correct.  However, her being true to you is of a spiritual nature.  Even as a Pillar, I have already given her another path to follow.  Her body for now is in servitude to me.

“Servitude?”

She is one of my faithful, yet now a penitent.  Satori Kokoro was destined to be my Saintess, yet she begged with all her heart and soul to take another path when she met with her first crisis of faith.  By binding your souls together, you may instead walk the path she should have, and in return the future you wish for with her may be obtained.  She will be the key which can unlock your strengths now and into the future, Randell Heart. I see in you a great capacity to love, and love takes many forms.

“Saintess?  Wait, was she supposed to be your Apostle and not me?”

That is so.

“Then, was there something I was destined for?”

You were destined to die along with your comrades who went before you.  Your act of trying to save your comrade, Relenna, is what spurred me to push the breath of life back into your body.  Your tenacity and will to live, if only for another day, is what gave you the strength to slay your foe.

“So my life was spared thanks to you?”

It is so.  Does knowing this disturb you?

“Not at all.  I thank you for your benevolence in giving me the chance to stay alive for another day.  I only hope that whatever it is you wish for me to do… I have the strength to do it!”

Accept the class change I have offered you, Randell Heart.  Know that from this moment on, you are now my Chosen and my Apostle.  Your destiny will be re-written and your soul will be bound to the woman you wish to be with, should she accept.

“Uh, what if she doesn’t accept being bound to me?”

If that is what comes to pass, then there is nothing further I can do.  You will, however, remain my Chosen.  Mortals all were given the gift of free will by the Grand Creator.  It is against the order of life and death to deny that gift.  My domain is that of love, and it can be a fickle thing with many ebbs and flows, something that should never be chosen rashly, yet always is.

“Will anything bad befall her if she doesn’t agree?  No, don’t answer that.  I’ve asked enough of you already, Goddess.  If she is uninterested in marrying me, then I also agree it is not right to force her.  At the very least, as your Chosen, I will be able to  help those I will eventually party with and others I may encounter in the dungeon, right?”

If you so choose to obtain the skills to help others, then it will be so.  Should you be unable to bind your souls together with the divine artifact due to her refusal, then return at the time you are able to class change again, and we will speak once more of the matter.

“I understand.”

Now, accept your new fate and destiny as my Chosen mortal!

I reached up and touched the screen-like panel with the class the Goddess had offered me.  When I did, the surrounding light turned a vibrant pink before a sweet sounding giggle echoed all around me.  

Please tell my dear Northay to be strong for a few more years, Until then, Larina sends her love~

The light curtain began to dissipate almost immediately after hearing those words and I soon found myself standing again on the Central Dais staring at Priest Northay, who had been stroking his white and fluffy moustache with one hand.

“Ho ho ho, as I live and breathe!  Welcome back to Labyrinthia, Randell Heart.  You were in there for quite a while… I was afraid my faith wouldn’t be enough to keep it going much longer.”

“I heard an interesting voice just before the barrier dropped.  Larina sends her love!  She wishes you to be strong for just a few more years.”

“L-Larina? Hoh… oh…”  His hand came up and clutched at his chest.  “Hohoho… Larina…  just a few more years?  Always the tease, even in death!  Ho ho ho!!!”

“Are you okay, Priest Northay?”

“Never better, my boy!  I take it your class change went well?”

“Yeah…  You could say that.”

“Then, would you like a moment of respite before you leave?”

“That might be a good idea.”

“Excuse me young man.  Will you tell me what just happened?”

The person suddenly asking was the male priest who was accompanying the younger priestess in the room before I got on the Central Dias.  He approached me quickly.

“Ah, I was given an opportunity to pick a good support class.” I answered him.

“You met with a messenger of the gods!?”

“I guess it could be interpreted like that?  At the very least I can say my faith is now firmly with Alurian.”

“…amazing!”

“Ho ho ho!  Yes indeed.  Come, Randell.”

“Right.  Lead on, Priest Northay.”

I was led to what was something like a small private room with six comfortable beds.  I was told to rest for now and digest the contents of my new class.  Afterwards, I was free to go.

“Ho ho ho, Lurian, you always pulled my whiskers so…”

Priest Northay seemed to almost visibly de-age about ten years in the short walk from the Central Dais to the room he led me to.  After leaving me behind with the promise to visit him again for a meal sometime soon, I set about checking my new class and status.

 

【Name:  Randell Heart】

【Age: 19】【Sex: Male】

【Class:  Chosen of Alurian】 

【Visible Class:  <Please Select>】

【Level:  01】

【To Next Level:  20 EXP】

【Unique Skill:  <Will Awaken Upon Soulbond>】

【Chosen Skills: (1) 3 Points Unspent】

【Alurian’s Divine Treasury Lv.X】

【Status: (0) 5 Points Unspent】

【Power:  5】

【Dexterity: 5】

【Vitality: 5】

【Mentality: 5】

【Faith: 20】

 

Hoo boy.  That’s not right…  I’m supposed to be level ten!  If this isn’t a mistake, then it seems I’m going to have to start all over again.  It took me a whole month just to get there, and now I have to begin again?  I do have a couple things that carried over though.  An increase of fifteen base status points in the Faith stat, and two free Skill Points.  Also… what’s this skill?  Alurian’s Divine Treasury?

【Alurian’s Divine Treasury】

『A gift from your companion, Kyros, for keeping his cherished lover Relenna’s body safe from being defiled until her soul was sent to Alurian alongside his.  It is a unique version of the Item Box skill, and while functioning much in the same way, there may be times a boon will be received by the skill holder.』

A boon?

A quick search of the items within showed there was already one such boon.  The spear I had taken from Relenna to kill the Goblin Leader was changed.  I know this because it was the only spear weapon in my inventory to begin with.  Before it was just listed as an Iron Spear, now it was a named item.

【Relenna’s Regret】

『Goblinbane.  Relenna of the Red Hawks, having being avenged, has given up her worldly anger at her death by the hands of a cruel Goblin Leader and placed it inside this spear to aid her companion Randell.  Any attack landed on Goblinkind that isn’t a glancing blow will be considered a critical strike, and damage to them will be greatly increased.』

Holy hell, thanks Rel!

I decided to wait on spending any of my status points for now.  Instead I went to view the available skill list, and when I opened it my jaw dropped.

“What the hell…?”

I remember a game from when I was a little kid.  It was a cute 2-D anime game from Korea with a pink slime mascot.  There was a certain hard to achieve extended beginner’s class that had an obscene number of skills borrowed from every other class.  

Yeah, it was that game and this situation was very similar.

“So… I can be anything if I choose the right skills?”

Hmm…

Incidentally, there is no HP or MP stat at all in this world.  Magicians instinctively know how much Mana they have access to most of the time, and well, when you’re dead, you’re dead.  If you aren’t, there are plentitudes of potions and magic to keep you alive.

It’s not like there was HP and MP on Earth either, and we did have ways of rating things like Power, Endurance, Agility, Mentality and to a degree, Health.  Faith was always a subject that was more trouble than not to try and assess.  So having those stats relatable is at least reasonable.

But damn.  I swear some of these skills I can see that have now become available to choose...

There are so many, yet there are also just as many that I can’t access without going through certain prerequisite skills before them, as well.  I should just choose two simple and useful ones for now, the first being the basics of the basics any support should have.

【Alurian’s Heal Lv.1】

『Non-elemental Magic.  You must be within two meters of the target.  While channeling this ability, the divine love of Alurian flows through you and will heal the intended recipient beginning with their most grievous wounds first.  If you are able to touch the recipient, the magnitude of healing will increase depending on two factors:  How much trust the person has in you, and their faith towards the Goddess Alurian.』

Damn, this is a good skill!  

I had actually chosen the basic Heal skill, but when it was added to my skill list, it underwent a name change to Alurian’s Heal.  I guess this is somehow linked to me being her Apostle?

Seeing as I have a support skill now, I should probably get a physical weapon skill next to be able to use Relenna’s spear with her blessing… or curse if looking at it from another perspective, effectively.

【Divine Weaponry (Passive) Lv.1】

『Martial Weapons Skill.  Your strong faith allows you to channel divine energy into any martial weapon you take hold of and battle with.  Undead, Evil, Unholy, and Ghost-like enemies will receive intense damage when struck, slashed, cut, crushed, or pierced by a weapon you have taken hold of.』

Well, I uh… I think that’s good enough?

I feel very tense right now.  Seeing all the skills available to me is like having a bad case of a fear of better options.  I can’t help but wonder if I’m choosing the right ones.  There are ways to remove a skill and choose another, but they aren’t easy conditions to meet, and any skill once removed, even if I later decide it was a bad idea to have done so, I would have re-learn it from scratch.

There was a book I read from the library here in the Unified Temple which taught that skills which had been removed weren’t necessarily unavailable afterwards, since skills are a only a means of quantifying ability.  However effort put into mastery of a skill eventually builds into talent.  So, if someone gains talent in a skill, even if it’s gone, there will always be a trace of it which remains.

There are also rumors by a famous scholar known as the Great Sage Dahil, who stated that it is possible to learn skills even without the god’s blessing of a skill point where talent, effort, and time join together.

Now, I was thinking for a third skill, I might go for something magically offensive in nature, since I had been trained a bit by Marta on how to sense and manipulate Mana, but for now I decided against it.  I’d rather see how things go for me in the dungeon with these two skills I’d chosen before making a decision on using my last skill point.  I’d also like to gain a level or two if possible soon, if only to remove the knot in my stomach from having to start over completely.

I’m currently well rested and feeling motivated.  Aside from the fact that I could go for a bite to eat for breakfast, I felt I should drop by the Dungeoneer’s Guild immediately just to see if I can’t get lucky and find a party recruiting a support.  Though, accepting the survivor of a party wipe isn’t exactly something anyone wants to openly welcome.  Bad luck and superstitions are present in this world, after all.  Especially where life and death are concerned.

I was familiar enough with the layout of the Unified Temple to know where the exit is.  I made my way to the Guild quickly since it was still early enough to catch one of the last early morning groups heading out for the day.  

Dungeon diving is all about the timing.  The dungeon doesn’t reset at midnight, but instead when the first ray of sunlight shines on the dungeon.  Being there right at sunup or just after is the ideal time to enter it if a party wants to maximize what is available to be hunted.

I imagine Kokoro had returned to sleep already.  If I’m lucky, I might be able to earn enough to see her again tonight!  I hold hope in my heart that she wasn’t just kidding about wanting me to be her commuting husband, but I also need to be prepared for the reality that it was just words spoken by her to heal me after the wipe.  

That I was only another customer to her.

I know I’m crazy to feel this way for a woman I’ve just met mere hours ago who is working in that trade, however she’s also someone from Earth!  That in itself is enough of a reason to want to keep her close to my heart.  This world is both dangerous physically and taxing mentally.  I wasn’t born in the feudal ages, I was born in the modern era on Earth.  This is an entirely different way of living I’m completely unaccustomed to.  I mean, they don’t even have an air conditioning unit!  When it’s hot it’s absolutely intolerable, and I say this having grown up in a tropical climate most of my life.

While the Unified Temple isn’t flagrant about it’s external appearance, the Dungeoneer’s Guild is.  It’s a massively ornate building that supports hundreds if not thousands of dungeon divers who currently stay in Zoma.  There are dozens of receptionists dealing with hundreds of parties each day, and there is even a request board with behests for all sorts of parts from monsters to bring back, whether for Cooking, Crafting, Smithing, Alchemy, Weaving, or any multitude of other professions I’m not yet familiar with.

Dungeon monsters common to the first floor are Jellies, Bat-bats, Kobolds, and Hell Turtles.

As for the last monster, there is a reason for them being called Hell Turtles.  It’s not that they are so dangerous an opponent to face, it’s that you literally curse them straight to hell when you discover your weapons don’t do fuck-all damage to them when they hide in their shells.

The Hell Turtle shells themselves also make excellent beginner shields according to Kyros, who had recently upgraded from one to an Iron Shield, and Jung was good at making turtle soup from their meat, once Relenna pierced their head with her iron spear by jamming it into their head-socket when they turtled up.

While one might think it would be the obvious thing to do, to attack that obvious weak point, there are in fact actual beginner dungeon divers who would foolishly break their weapons trying to pierce, chop, and even slash their way through the tough outer shell.  The usual reason was simply due to either inexperience or just ignorance.

I can’t say I’ve ever heard of a Hell Turtle managing to kill anyone in all my time being in this world so far, so I guess at least that’s a good thing?

When I entered the large guild building, I made an effort to locate Myria the receptionist immediately by the counters on the far wall from the entrance.  Upon finding her, I requested a consultation with her when she had a free moment since she was currently busy helping out another party.

“Sure, Randell.  Just give me a minute, ‘kay?”

I figured if anyone had a position in their party open for a healer or support, she would know about it.  The only problem now was having to explain about my newly reset stats, level, and skills.

While the Red Hawks party had great coordination, class balance, and chemistry, I can’t be sure the next party I might end up in will have the same.  There are definitely party crushers out there, real toxic people, and I’d like to avoid having one, or being one, in whatever party I’m able to join.

Provided I can find one.

A few minutes later, a tap on my shoulder revealed the cute blonde-haired and green-eyed receptionist.  Her hair was up in pigtails today tied with blue ribbons.

Cute~

“I took a quick break, shall we talk privately now?”

I nodded and followed Myria to a private party room.  There was nothing fancy iniside, it was only a barebones room with a wooden table and some chairs.  It was meant to be used mainly for parties to handle whatever discussions were needed before and after a dungeon dive.

“So, did you end up going to a brothel last night?” She asked curiously.

“Yeah.  But how did you know I’d end up at Alurian’s Bosom?”  I was also curious as to how she knew to contact them.

“I had a feeling.  You struck me as someone Alurian would want to take care of after your painful experience.”

“Oh, are you a faithful of hers, too?”

She nodded.

“Yes I am.  So was Relenna.  So, how was the girl the Madame picked out for you?  Did she help to clear your mind before your big decision?”

“Yeah.  She did wonders for me.” I admitted. “I owe you one, Myria.”

“Not at all, I’m just doing my job.  But what are your plans now, Randell?  Will you be going to the temple to change classes after this?”

“Actually, I already did.  I came here directly from there… Tell me, do you receptionists have some kind of non-disclosure contract?”

“We do… but it doesn’t apply if you’re confessing to murdering someone in the dungeon.  The Guild takes active measures against those who DK.”

DK, In short, Dungeon Killing.

Because there are always a couple of pieces of shit amongst humanity that would think it’s perfectly fine to prey on other humans in a place where there isn’t much security, and little risk of being caught if everyone involved keeps their mouths shut.

“No, it’s nothing like that,” I said, “It’s about what happened at the Unified Temple.”

“That’s good then.  Would you like me to make a Spirit Swear for what you want to tell me?  Using that, you won’t have to worry about me saying anything you don’t want revealed.”

“Spirit Swear?”

“Yeah.  All of us receptionists gain it as a free skill upon joining the guild.  It’s an information binding skill that will not allow us to reveal whatever it is you wish to tell us, if what you’re mentioning is of a sensitive nature.  It can only be modified if what you need to reveal will require the involvement of a higher up, and then only with the agreement of the party who is requesting it as well.”

That’s a convenient skill to have.  It’s the closest thing to attorney-client privilege, or a doctor-patient confidentiality that I’ve heard of in this world.

“I don’t think it’ll come to anything like that.  It’s just that something big happened to me at the Unified Temple… I think.”

“Big?  How big?”

“I uh… I met the Goddess Alurian during–”

“Hold on!” she yelled at me suddenly.

Myria ran over to lock the door to the room, and then came back to take hold of my hand.  She began chanting something and both of our hands began to glow.

“I, Myria, Receptionist of the Zoma branch of the Dungeoneering Guild invoke the Spirit Swear with my client Randell Heart for the duration of our conversation.”

The light encompassing our hands then faded away.

“Okay.  Okay… whew!  You gotta wait for me to actually use the skill first, you know?” She scolded.

“Sorry, I didn’t know how it actually worked.  It’s my first time even hearing about it…” I explained.

“Right.  Anyway, you said something amazing just now.  Mind repeating it?”

“Ah… Yeah.  During my class change, when I was standing on the Central Dias, and Priest Northay activated the pillar, I met with the Goddess Alurian.”

“You… met the Goddess?  It wasn’t just a messenger?”

I nodded.

“That’s… whew… that’s heavy.  Okay, so what happened?”

“You have the appraisal skill, right?”

She nodded.  You couldn’t be hired as a receptionist without it being at the third level.

“Appraise me.” I said confidently.  Doing so would expedite matters much more quickly than words.

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“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I give you full permission.”

Her eyes glowed momentarily, a sign that the she had invoked the Appraisal skill, since it didn’t require any kind of chant being considered a unique class of magic.

“You’re back at level one?  You’ve got no class, yet you have some crazy skills already… and your faith stat is a bit high?  Wait, why do you not have a class?”

“Eh?  I have a class, though.”

“It says Classless.  I’m staring right at it.”

“Hold on,” I checked my own status again, “Let me try something.”

Underneath where it said Chosen of Alurian there was a section that said Visible Class: <Please Select>  and had a selection box for me to use.  I opened it, but there was no class listed there for me to choose from.  I thought it would at least list a number of basic classes, certainly something like Healer or Cleric should be there.

As if reading my thoughts, one option did appear.

Acolyte.

I selected it and then told her to check it again.

“Acolyte?”

“The truth is, my real class is Chosen of Alurian.”

“Chosen… of Alurian?  Wait, you’re an Apostle!?”

I nodded.

“Saint, Apostle, Chosen… those words were sort of all thrown around by her, but my official class displayed to me is Chosen of Alurian.”

“So… those skills you have then;  Alurian’s Heal,  Alurian’s Divine Treasury,  Divine Weaponry…  those skills are freely selectable to your class?”

“Not exactly.  Alurian’s Heal at least was originally just Heal.  It became Alurian’s Heal when I selected it.  I chose it and Divine Weaponry to replace my old Weapon Mastery skill as I’m using Relenna’s old spear as my new weapon since my old mace was destroyed by the Goblin Leader.  Anyway, thought I plan on being a full support for a party, I figured for safety’s sake that I should also be able to fight a little just in case.”

I opened the Divine Treasury, which was previously my old Item Box skill, and removed Relenna’s Spear from it.

“This is…!”  

“Yeah.  It’s the same iron spear I used to kill the Goblin Leader.  It was Relenna’s regular iron spear up until my Item Box skill was upgraded.  It was stored in there during the class change, and when I received my new upgraded Item Box skill as a gift from Kyros, I discovered the blessing on the spear came from Relenna herself.”

“But… they died?”

“Alurian said they were with her.” I explained further.

“I see… May they rest together in the Divine Embrace of the Goddess.”  Myria’s eyes began to water up.  “I’m… happy to know they’re together even after their death.”

“Did you know them well, Myria?”

She shook her head.

“Only a bit longer than I’ve known you.  They were a fun bunch, and Relenna and I shared some talk a few times about how she could... you know... please Kyros a bit better in the bedroom.”

She giggled.

“He was a lucky man no doubt!” I said, not jealous at all of his fortune.

“You’d better believe it!  But he was handsome too, and Relenna was so happy being together with him.”

We commiserated about them for a little while before returning to the subject at hand.

“So you’re Alurian’s Apostle now, but also hiding that fact somehow by appearing to be an Acolyte?  That’s actually not a bad idea.”

“Right, I thought so too.  The main reason for wanting to talk with you so urgently is that I was hoping you knew anyone interested in having a healer who can also maybe use basic spearmanship?”

“Can you actually use the spear though?”

“I’ll figure it out.  I kind of disliked using it anyway since it required me to get closer to a monster than I wanted to.  I also have Jung’s Daggers and Shortbow, Marta’s Staff, and Kyros’ Iron Sword and Shield.  I’m pretty certain that with my Divine Weaponry skill I can use most, if not all of them with basic proficiency.  Well, maybe not Marta’s staff for magic purposes, anyway.  Pretty sure I could swing it like a club though.”

“Please don’t do that.  Mage staves are fragile enough as it is.”

I nodded.  Marta was very careful when even holding it.

“I’m going to focus on getting the ability to Resurrect as soon as possible.  Until then, I’ll keep myself safe and not even go near the third floor until I’m at least level ten again.”

“That’s a wise decision.  But you can access the third floor still, right?”

“I don’t know, probably?”

“Okay,” She exhaled, “I don’t currently have a party who is diving on the first two floors that are looking for a support at the moment, but there are a couple…”

“A couple of what?”

She had a concerning look on her face.

“Are you familiar with Shadow Knights or Necromancers?”

“I don’t know any personally, but those sound like classes geared towards one of the negative domains?”

“Yeah.  There is this guy and girl… they’re a bit… different, but somehow I think they’d be willing to party with you.  It’s already public knowledge that you returned from a wipe, so it’ll be difficult to find someone who doesn’t know and wants to take you in right now.”

“Shit.  Who spread it around?”

“Who knows?  Someone may have come in to drop off some materials and saw one of the Red Hawks corpses and figured it out on their own.  Four dead bodies and with basic descriptions of them, they could piece together that you weren’t one of them.  You also kind of stand out, you know?”

I didn’t think I stuck out that much, but I guess I did if she’s feeling the need to tell me it.

“So, those two are willing to work with someone who wiped?”

“Yeah.  The thing is…”

“I don’t care if they’re a couple.”

“It’s not that... It's Grimlock.”

“The God of Death, Rot, Judgment, Destruction and one of the Thirteen Pillars, Grimlock?”

She nodded.

“They are faithful followers.”

“That doesn’t bother me.  The way I see it, being a Chosen of Alurian means I balance their party’s faith out.  There can’t be life without death.”

“You’re pretty calm about that.  Usually when people hear Grimlock it’s an immediate deal breaker.”

“As long as they don’t plan on sacrificing me for some dark ritual to gain a skill point or anything, I’m fine with whatever they want to believe in.”

“Alright, I’ll introduce you to them.  They’re also trying to form a new party as well, but since you are the last remaining Red Hawks member, you’re by default the party leader now.  It would be more efficient to have them join yours.”

“That’s good with me.  To be honest, I wasn’t really wanting to disband the party, even though it wasn’t mine to begin with.  I think I’d like to honor the memories of them by going as far as I can under their party’s name.”

“I’m sure if they’re watching while in the Embrace of the Goddess, they’d like that too.”

Our conversation came to an amicable close, and a short while later, she brought two people with her into the private party room I had remained waiting in for about half an hour.

Myria had them sit down first before she introduced them.

“This tall bony guy is Gonzo.  And the witchy woman over there is Teresa.”

“Nice to meet you both, I’m Randell.”

“Myria says you survived a wipe.” The bony man indeed immediately launched into the pertinent question.

“Yeah.  The second floor boss.”

“Fuck, it was Goblin Leader?  What happened, did he surprise you with the second wave?  That trio is a major pain to deal with.”

“No.  We made it through both waves, actually.  It was the Goblin Leader himself that wiped everyone.”

“Rot!  Was he a Named?”

“No.”

“A Variant?”

“I don’t think so?  It was my first time going up against him.”

“What level was your party?”

“I was level nine, but everyone else was ten or better.”

They looked at each other.

“You were still a Novice?  What was your team composition like?”

“Knight, Scout, Mage, and Lancer.  And yes, I was still a Novice.”

“Damn, so it was just bad luck then?”

“I guess.” I answered while shrugging.  “I don’t think we should have lost to him either, but that guy was just ferocious.”

“Maybe it was a variant.  Was it their first time fighting it?”

“Yeah, it was the first time for all of us.”

“That might be why.  Were you the support?”

“I wasn’t qualified to really be one yet.  My party pushed into the room to get me to the tenth level so I could class change into an actual support.  I got the level with a sneak attack that killed him, but there was nothing I could do to save my party.  They were dead before I could even think to use a potion, not that I had one to begin with.”

“Pox.  So you class changed recently, then?”

I nodded.

“I’m an Acolyte now.  I can cast healing, and I can use a spear that has the Goblinbane ability.”

The man named Gonzo whistled.

“That must have been a high end piece.  You ended up looting it from your party?”

“Something like that.  Actually, it was just a normal iron spear at first.  When I went to get my class changed, it got blessed somehow when I was in the Dias.”

“Huh?  Weapons aren’t allowed in the Central Dais without permission.”

“I uh… have a special circumstance for that which I hope you don’t mind overlooking for now.”

“Even Grimlock has his secrets.” The bony guy nodded.

“Right.  You both follow Grimlock, right?”

“Yeah.  That gonna a problem?”

“Not for me, but I follow Alurian.  Is that going to be an issue for you?”

“Hey, you said you can cast heals, and you faith with the Slutmother.  Word is her heals feel like either a soft pair of tits or a hot wet cunt, is that true at all?”

What is this guy even saying?

“I’m hoping it’s a soft pair.”

“I’d rather have the cunt.” The witchy woman added into the conversation for the first time.

Myria was just shaking her head.  Was this what she meant by saying they were different?

“I’m sorry Randell, they are both a bit uncouth.”

Her saying that made me laugh.  I waved it off humorously.

“I don’t mind.  I’d rather someone like them who can cut straight to the point over someone being overly polite and roundabout.”

“Me too.” Gonzo agreed. “Alright, I’m down to work with you.  So you’re level ten, right?”

“About that…  Due to some circumstances, I’m at level one again.” I revealed.

“Level one?  Why’s that?”

“I have no idea, it’s just what happened when my class change ended.  But, I have experience up to the boss of the second floor and I know how not to get in the way.  I come with heals, and I can make myself useful in other ways, I’m sure.”

“That’s true.” Myria interrupted, “He’s got a unique version of the item box skill.  So between his heals and a hefty storage, you can definitely hunt efficiently.  His last party made good use of that skill, so just let him gain a few levels with your help, and you’ll be rewarded soon enough.”

Gonzo seemed less impressed than before.

“What do you think, Reese?”

“I wanna know if his heals feel like soft tits or wet cunt now.  I’m really hoping it’s cunt.”

Yes, Myria, they are indeed… different.

“Hmm, give me your hand and let’s find out?” I suggested.

She stuck out her hand and all up her wrists were a great many visible slash marks marring her skin.  I didn’t pay it any mind, and instead focused on just passing a heal onto her somehow.

Heal!

A faint pink light radiated over her arm for a moment and more than one scar began to fade, supplanted by unblemished skin.

“Poxin' hex!” She swore.

“What is it, babe?”

“I was poxin’ snailed by the Slutmother!”

“For real?” He asked, intrigued.

“No joke, Gonz.  That cunt felt better than my own!”

“Hex yeah!  I can’t wait to feel it myself now so I can compare!”

“You want to compare mine to the Slutmother’s?”

“Even if it feels good, you know there’s no one else’s who could ever suck the life outta’ me like yours does, Reese!”

“You better not ever forget it too, or I’ll shove a rotten bone up your poxin’ arse.”

“That might be fun too.” He kidded.

I hope?

Yeah, these two were definitely edgelords.

“Alright, so you only need to be carried for a few levels before you think you can keep up?” Teresa asked me.

“I believe so.  Have you two cleared the second floor?”

“Yeah, but we’re stuck on the third.  We need a full party to even hope to challenge the boss.  We’d also like to be as close to the fifteenth level of experience as possible before even trying.   Just because I follow the God of Death doesn’t mean I’m ready to join the boneyards just yet.” Gonzo answered.

“I completely understand.” I said while nodded in agreement.

“Also,”  Teresa interjected again “I’d like to have some kind of a tanker and maybe someone ranged like a Scout, Thief, or Ranger in the party by the time we get there.”

I looked over to Myria, who looked troubled knowing what I was about to ask her.

“Any chance you can find either of those two types to balance out our party?”

“I can ask around, but it might take a couple of days.”

“That’s fine with me.  I trust the experience of these two to protect me for now.  Mind sharing what levels you two are?”

“We’re both at the twelfth level.  Just hit it the other day.” Gonzo revealed.

I nodded agreeably.  I was glad there were no such things as experience penalties due to gaps in level while partied.

“Then lastly, assuming Myria can find the remainder of our team composition, is there any kind of support skill that you feel is something that would benefit either of you greatly based on what you think you are lacking?”

“Both of them looked at each other, then back at me.”

“I could stand to have a speed enhancement buff.  But we would need an Arcanist for that.  Unless the party member’s an Elf.” Gonzo offered his request.

“I have a question for you.” Teresa added. “Does your heal also smite undead?”

“I… have no idea.  Why?”

“I was thinking…,” Teresa began,  “If you can heal my skeleton summon, this could be a pretty big deal.  We’ve been using it as a tank for now, but I spread my skills a bit too thin, and now it’s getting to the point where he’s getting crushed after only a few encounters.”

“I have no way of knowing without trying.” I answered truthfully.

“If you would like, you can test it out back.” Myria suggested.

We agreed to do so immediately, and Myria escorted us to the rear of the building where a training field existed.

Teresa held aloft a small flat fan-shaped bone and cut her arm with it, drawing blood.  Then let the bone drop and through the magic of Necromancy, whatever it was, a skeleton began to dig itself out of the ground at an inhumanly fast pace right were the bone landed.  It was the first time I’d ever seen Necromancy in play to begin with, but I wasn’t reviled by it at all.

“Alright, give it a go.” She suggested.

I stood about a meter away and gave it a try on the skeleton.  My heal radiated a subtle light with a pink tinting of color and it struck the summoned skeleton.  After a few seconds, I stopped it, and Teresa began her inspection.

“No damage at all.  Have enough Mana to cast one more?”

I felt fine.

“I should be okay.”

“Crack a rib, Gonz.” Teresa ordered.

“You got it, Reese.”

Gonzo took out one of his two short swords that he wore on his belt, and bashed a rib on the skeleton with the metal end of the pommel.  There was a clear crack now showing on the skeleton’s bony body.

“My heal has an increased effect if I can physically touch it.  Mind if I try?”

“He won’t hurt you, so feel free and try it.”  She agreed.

I walked up to the skeleton who aside from a somewhat nefarious dark glow present in its eye sockets, was standing stock still.  I reached out to touch the boney rib cage and put my hand on the cracked bone.

Heal!

I felt a tug on some part of me internally, but other than that it felt like the spell was doing it’s job.  After a few moments, the tuggin sensation went away and I pulled my hand back from the skeleton.

“Poxin’ blight!  Not a hint of damage on Duster.”

“Duster?” I asked.

“Yeah, this guy’s named Duster.” Gonzo explained.  “I named him that because he’s been crushed into dust more than my pelvis by this twisted bitch when she’s got the hell’s fire in her pants.”

I think that was more information than I needed.

“I also have another skeleton, but that one’s a bit…”

“Yeah… that one’s…”

They both seemed a bit reluctant to expand on what that one just so happened to be.

I waved it off.

“It’s not important if you don’t want to say.  My heals can recover this guy, and that’s a good enough, right?”

“You better poxin’ believe it!” Teresa said with a wicked smile on her face.

“Great!  Shall we go ahead and register you two to the Red Hawks party?” Myria asked quickly since she was still with us and we had taken up a large portion of her time already today.

“Red Hawks?  Would’ve been cooler if it was Red Wings instead.”

“Keep dreaming, Gonz.”

“Every night, babe!”

Myria, shaking her head as she had been doing since the beginning of their exchanges, led us all back inside the guild and to the counter where she took my guild card, and theirs as well, then through whatever guild artifact they used, added the two of them to what was now my party.

Our next stop to which we all agreed, was to get a bite to eat and then to visit the first floor while there was still something to hunt.

 

【Red Hawks – Guild Card】

【★Randell – Acolyte – Lv. 1】

【Gonzo – Shadow Knight – Lv. 12】　

【Teresa – Necromancer – Lv. 12 】

【Kyros – Knight – Dead】

【Relenna – Lancer – Dead】

【Jung – Scout – Dead】

【Marta – Mage – Dead】

 

 

【Name:  Randell Heart】

【Age: 19】【Sex: Male】

【Class:  Chosen of Alurian】 

【Visible Class:  <Acolyte>】

【Level:  01】

【To Next Level:  20 EXP】

【Unique Skill:  <Will Awaken Upon Soulbond>】

【Chosen Skills: (1) 3 Points Unspent】

【Alurian’s Divine Treasury Lv.X】

【Status: (0) 5 Points Unspent】

【Power:  5】

【Dexterity: 5】

【Vitality: 5】

【Mentality: 5】

【Faith: 20】

 

 

【Name:  Gonzo】

【Age: 20】【Sex: Male】

【Class:  Shadow Knight】 

【Level:  12】

【To Next Level:  3428 EXP】

【Unique Skill:  Shadow Stalk】

【Chosen Skills: (4) 0 Points Unspent】

【Blade Mastery – Lv.5】

【Shadowstab – Lv.2】

【Lifetap – Lv.3】

【Enchant Curse – Lv.1】

【Status: (+50) 10 Points Unspent】

【Power:  5+15】

【Dexterity: 5+10】

【Vitality: 5+10】

【Mentality: 5】

【Faith: 5+10】

 

 

【Name:  Teresa】

【Age: 21】【Sex: Female】

【Class:  Necromancer】 

【Level:  12】

【To Next Level:  3428 EXP】

【Unique Skill:  Unholy Communion】

【Chosen Skills: (7) 0 Points Unspent】

【Curse – Lv.2】

【Summon Skeleton – Lv.4】

【Lifesteal – Lv.2】

【Fester – Lv.1】

【Field of Night – Lv.1】

【Dark Fire – Lv.1】

【Meditation – Lv.1】

【Status: (+55) 5 Points Unspent】

【Power:  5+5】

【Dexterity: 5+10】

【Vitality: 5+5】

【Mentality: 5+15】

【Faith: 5+10】

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