Chapter 105: Vol. 2 – Chapter 51 – The Scheming Old

Vol. 2 – Chapter 51 - The Scheming Old

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The raven haired woman after receiving her instructions from the Pope of the Judar Church, Pascal, she walked from the audience room of the Wisdom Cathedral, holding in her hand a small medallion containing a half moon surrounded by three stars shaped like diamonds, that gave off an pleasing aesthetic.

From her inventory, she took another older medallion, seemingly ancient, that had carved on it an Owl gazing at her in a deep way, as if it could see through her, along with two small branches next to the owl.

Gazing at the two medallions, especially at the ancient medallion that she couldn't read the description or even name, compared to the one she received from Pascal which had a full description and name.

[Pascal's Medallion]

Description: A sign representing the Judar's Church and the current Pope, Pascal. It can be used to appoint responsibilities or entrust someone with a task, representing the Church.

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Sighing, as she noticed her quests checkpoints being cleared out, she only had to go to the Bishop of the Church, and show the medallion she received from Pascal and move on with her journey. Then, when she entered the main hall of the Cathedral, and later on toward the office where the Bishop was located, she saw a line of people waiting for their appointment, and she was far from the first people to the office door.

Staring around herself, she noticed that each individual waiting in line was a player of the game, just like herself, with no sign of inhabitants of the world waiting.

'Don't tell me, that person did this intentionally, so I get discouraged from joining the Church, and thus renaging the favor old Tom gained? Well, too bad for you since I am not going anywhere.'

She opened some of the game's features, such as the streams, and began watching the others play around while she was advancing ever so slowly, before when she reached the mid of the line, she got bored, and opened her Guild Chatbox, where to her surprise it got quite active since Red's infamous moment after defeating Blackdawn's.

They were all discussing something that Mathias, remarked inside the chat, about him getting to Titan, and starting to sort out things and set up the base for their guild there.

'Wow, he already progressed so much in the game that his level is in the top rankings. It is thanks to him that I could get used to this world and instill about how I shouldn't look at those characters as just that characters of a story.'

'Nevertheless, this approach allowed me to start in a more realistic way compared to the rest of people who place their entire energy on clearing out quests and hunting monsters.'

'What can I say, just like how Mathias mentioned, you have the heads of a coin that whenever someone throws it it lands on the heads, meanwhile the tails are a small part of the entire community that play the game for various reasons in an unconventional way.'

Time passed with Leonor chatting around with the other guild members, especially with Maple Mist who was around the same level as her for most of the time. Each and everyone has already planned their journey, and the path they want to take with their abilities.

She was slightly luckier to stumble upon old Thomas inside a small village at the end of Fullbaz region, a former Pope of the Judar Church, as per his words. Even now Leonor was marked by how nonchalantly the old man told her about his past, as if it meant nothing to him.

He was someone who stepped down from that position, which conflicted with Leonor's thoughts, understanding how prestigious such a title meant for an individual. Yet, the old man who hid a body full of scars, he remarked belonged to the Vampire Duke, Fenrir, and other demonic beasts that attempted to enter the world.

Her time in that village was enjoyable, since it was a time where her time was limited for the game, restricted by her meetings with the directions of the hotel and being required to write reports after reports with different prognosis.

Only when she was inside Satisfy and was hearing the crazy stories of the old man, as she was cooking him soup, could feel relaxing, destressing from the annoyance of her tasks.

Those weeks flew by for her, and unknown to her when, but the old man was giving her some instructions about sword fighting, and even taught her some basic sword skills, out of gratitude of making his later years slightly easier.

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Back on the waiting line composed by the players, she took the ancient medallion given by the old man, with the pretext he didn't need it and also had no idea what it was too.

'This is something he found in the ruins of a building he was tasked in his younger days to destroy. But why gave it to me? Could it be cursed? Don't tell me I will be turned in a similar way like Mathias?'

Shaking her head dispelling such thought, placing back the medallion with the owl inscribed, she continued waiting patiently in the waiting line, where some whined for taking it so long, or others who arrived later simply quit standing in line and forced their entry.

'What a fool. This is already the 12th guy who tried this and was forced out like some dying dog. I wonder who is the person inside that office to rough those guys up so badly. A priestly person wouldn't resort to violence in such a way, right?'

Leonor could only ask herself that question, her boredom starting making its presence felt, since she began talking to herself, something she missed doing since she was in University and had to work on difficult projects, in her Economic Majors.

With more time, going out, people were entering and exiting the office of the Judar Cathedral, like they were puppets, some showed happiness, others swiftly left the main hall to probably begin the rest of their quests to join the Church. She was among the first in line, and her patience was finally paid off when she heard a male voice from inside the office.

"NEXT PERSON IN LINE"

Getting the invitation, Leonor entered the office, before closing the door, where inside was a middle-aged man with black hair, that had marks of aging, containing strands of white hair, and beside him were two old men, where their name was visible for her.

[Cardinal Luis - LV. ???] / [Cardinal Dominik - LV. ???] / [Cardinal Reinhard - LV. ???]

'I can't even see their levels, just like old Tom and Pope Pascal.' thought Leonor as she stepped inside the office, and greeted the three cardinals, that gave her the impression she was in a job interview from their stares.

"Blessed be, young lady. Have you decided to join the Judar Church, correct?"

"Don't get her startled by that fast brother Luis. Let her feel more comfortable. Take a seat, dear." said the second old man, called Dominik with a warm voice, making a hand sign for her to sit.

On another hand, the middle-aged man, who didn't return the greeting, seemed quite pissed by how he looked around, unlike the old men who smiled warmly at her. He didn't waste his time, just to stare at some girl, and asked the direct question.

"Recommendation or the direct path of joining the church? Be swift, there's more of you people waiting to be assigned the challenge for joining the Church."

Leonor, who took a seat on the other side of the table where the three Cardinals were staying, heard the middle-aged man inquire and replied in a calm way, to the delight of the old men.

"I have a recommendation if you could call it as such? This letter was written by Thomas Kasper, and he is the one who guided me to reaching Judar Cathedral." said Leonor in her calm voice, before giving the letter she showed to Pascal, to Reinhard, and later on placing the medallion she received from Pascal.

The Cardinals had a surprised expression, especially the younger one who opened the letter and started reading it. It contained the words of the old man Leonor took care before continuing her journey, which all had some honest words about the young lady, and also a reminder of the favor they all had to repay him.

"Tsk, I am glad I didn't get indebted to that shrewd old man." commented Luis with a chance of voice, sounding slightly displeased when reading the letter.

"Well, well, I thought that old man was cursed after stepping down from his position as Pope, for showing such disrespect for leaving the Church. Yet, it doesn't look like he forgot about us, and sent one of the outsiders to us, by recommendation at that." remarked Cardinal Dominick, glancing at Leonor with now, sharp and fierce eyes, while Reinhard's expression eased up, seeming to think about something, before asking Leonor.

"What path do you want to take as a member of the Church?"

"I want to become a Paladin."

The two old men, returned to their calm state, but the way they looked at Leonor changed slightly, no longer as friendly since they understood who recommended her, but it was different for Reinhard whose attitude changed, as he asked the woman before him.

"Are you sure you want to go in that direction? Compared to a priest or magic-user which would suit a woman, becoming a paladin is challenging for a woman. Sigh, it seems you have decided for a long time, and with Pascal's medallion it means you will be under my guidance."

After saying that, he placed the letter in his priestly clothes, and later taking a fresh sheet of paper, he began inscribing something, before giving it to Leonor.

"Follow these instructions for now and we will meet again tomorrow when I am available. Do you have any place to sleep?"

Taking the note which triggered a quest for her, she responded to Reinhard before studying the contents of the letter and quest.

• [Cardinal Meeting] •

"There's no problem with that, sir. I've rented a room inside the city outside of the Cathedral compound."

"I see, good then. You can take your leave now since there's more waiting beside you, wishing to become members of the Judar's Church."

"Thank you for your time, Your Excellencies."

Leonor moved out, leaving the office while her expression eased up as she was reading the content of the quest, a point where she decided to return to the Velnior City, the closest city to the location of the Judar Church, that was a journey of 25 minutes.

Outside of the Cathedral, she decided to move to the forests and hunt a bit some wild beasts, to clear some quests she gained from inside the city.

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[Reclaim the Forests]

Difficulty Level: B

The Captain of Velnior City Guards has entrusted the newly arrived adventurers the task of keeping the sprawling beasts of the Shermar Forest. Reducing the beasts population to a stable level without breaking the ecosystem enveloping the region.

Quest Clear Condition: Hunt down the monsters of Shermar Forest, and bring the trophy of 50 beasts to Velnior City Guard Captain, Juan Luis. (11/50)

Quest Reward: 35.000 EXP & Affinity with Captain Guard Juan Luis increased by 5 points

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Quest Failure: None

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"I should be able to clear the quest until I have to go to sleep. From the emails I received there's more pressure on the lower branches to show more profits. Sigh, in the worst case, there will be layoffs since there are more workers than they believe would solve the financial problems of the hotel."

As she walked, her thoughts were consumed by the news she received from the directions about the possible layoffs that will happen the next year, but those worries of her diminished once she entered Shermar Forest and started spotting the monsters she was required to hunt.

Some Impish-like monsters, called 'Edemp' and 'Graesp' were like infesting rats that created an imbalance in the territory of Velnior City, by ambushing people, attacking the nearby villages that were under the protection of Count Velnior. However, for some reason the Count never bothered to take notice of the notices sent out by the elders of those respective villages attack by those pesky monsters, and over time with ears, thanks to their breeding speed, they multiplied exponentially, moving out to different territories.

Leonor from what the notice she took from the Notice Board of Quests in the Central Square of the city, described their breeding speed as similar to rats, while their attitude was of pure hostility against humans. Another important notice besides other irrelevant to Leonor were the territories they liked to occupy, caves, forested zones, mushy places.

Once inside the forest, all her former thoughts vanished, the worries about her work completely wiped out, feeling the pressure of the new environment she walked in. Taking out a broadsword, which looked rather normal, and later getting into guard, she looked vigilantly around herself.

*SHRIEK*

The large scream soon got heard closer to her, making her react rapidly and face the two Level 24 Edempt's, the green-skinned version of the two monsters that make it feel as if it was a goblin in front of her.

She didn't panic and showed a calm, unlike someone who just began playing the game.

Leonor moved first to attack the two monsters, calling her attacks in her mind, starting off a skill she learned from old Thomas in the time she spent with him besides cleaning and talking with him, or doing other quests in the village she was staying for almost one month.

'[Arc Slash]'

[You have dealt 432 damage to the target.]

[You have dealt 375 damage to the target.]

Both monsters suffered the same amount of damage, that reached 807, which was quite high for a player her level with a Rare graded weapon that she already began outleveling. Those impish monsters screamed in pain continuing their attack, as if their only goal was to exterminate any intruder in their territory.

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[Edenp - Lv. 23] (7500 HP)

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Their health was relatively low for a monster their level, but what they lacked in health they boosted in attack power, which was rather troublesome for the aspiring Paladin. With the monsters not stopped by her skill, they reached her and attacked her as she also displayed her skills.

'[Flurry]'

Before those monsters could connect Leonor activated her skill, another of her starting mentor skills in the game, that sent out 5 strikes in a rapid succession that felt as if they were lighting fast, yet it wasn't enough to stop the monster that felt to her suicidal.

[You have dealt 337 damage to the target.]

[You have dealt 241 damage to the target.]

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[You have dealt 316 damage to the target.]

Three attacks connected with one monster on her right side while the other two attacks on her left side, dealing in total a [1476] damage, and being on the receiving end later on with two hits of [245] and [281].

She gritted her teeth to fight on the pain received, and later on reacted by sending another sword slash, cutting at their mid-section, pushing them away from her, and swiftly afterwards beginning her ending phase, where she began displaying her skills, then next when both sides got drained of resources, finishing the battle with the young lady winning, decisively.

[You have defeated one 'Edenp' gaining the following rewards: 1850 EXP, 120 silver coins, Blunt Club, 1x Trophy]

[You have defeated one 'Edenp' gaining the following rewards: 1850 EXP, 95 silver coins, 1x Silk Fabric, 1x Trophy]

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Name: Leona / Class: Warrior

Level: 21(12800/24600) / Titles: Strong Hands (20 STR / 50 STA) / Peaceful Mind ( 25 STR / 25 INT / - maintain calm in dangerous situations)

Health: 1210/2625 / Mana: 25/650

Strength: 225 / Stamina: 150 / Agility: 90 / Intelligence: 125

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Clearing out the notifications she received, Leonor climbed inside a tree, just so she could be safe while recovering her HP and MP that she wasted using the high consuming skills learned from old Thomas.

"Hah, this will take a while to recover, but I should be safe here, those Graesp, or Edenps don't know how to climb on trees. Old Tom, your skills are consuming too much mana and I can only use Air Strike, High Slash and Flurry without being drained in a fight."

'I wonder how are you doing, old Tom since I left. You better clear after yourself or you your hut will be like a pigs enclosure.'

The young lady was thinking about her first memorable days inside Satisfy, and specifically at one old man that felt to her like a parent she never had the chance to bound, and while she was resting, recovering her mana and health, inside a small hut where the fireplace was lighted, two old men talked casually about a specific subject.

*ACHOO*

The short-haired old man with snowy white hair, full beard and golden eyes giving off a warm light sneezed suddenly, splashing some droplets on the second old man who had long white hair with blue eyes, and a full beard maintained cleanly, compared to the latter.

"Bless you."

"Thanks but also no thanks. Is that little girl scolding me again for not cleaning after me?" inquired the short-haired old man looking confused around himself.

"Thoma you got attached to someone at your old age, especially a younger girl?"

"Don't get your thoughts to worked out. I took care of an outlander girl for one month. At first I was curious to see how they compare with us, and I was pleased to find they are just like us. Their emotions are the same, and slowly as I found more from that little girl, I found that she was quite the poor girl, an orphan who struggled in life."

"Sigh, old friend, it could be fate that we are destined to give our hands in our later years and rescue the newer generation from a dark path."

"That little girl, the little lioness, is already a grown woman compared to that little doll of yours that got cursed for that unfaithful union."

"The one with many faces sees everything if she wants it and you open your door for her to enter. You know, Thoma, it is easier to allow someone in your home rather than throwing him away."

"Is the plan going well, brother? Or did I step down too fast?"

"Everything goes according to the plan, so far. We only need to make Racena to cooperate with the Church she leads. As for Devigro, he is already spreading his corruption from his power-hungry and greedy mentality. No one is bothering looking in this old man direction beside some foolish boy who comes to pray for his wife's salvation."

"That boy, Juander, still didn't stop asking the questions, while the answer is evident from the way things got conducted."

"Is none of my business Thoma, I told him when Aria died that it was by dark arts, but that foolish boy couldn't believe me, or choose to ignore my warning in that moment he was mourning her death."

"Right, but what should we do with Yatan and the Tower of Wisdom?"

"So far they aren't aware, and this is how it should be. Only my successor and you know about this plan, no one else. Anyway, let's not talk about this, since it is still not the ripe time. Tell me, have you elucidated the mystery of that medalion you found inside those ruins that marked you?"

"Even now I have that vision of the gorgeous woman that looked so pitiful, with scars and chains all over her body as she was trying to say something to me, something I couldn't understand. But with time, as I was trying to find any leads toward more artifacts similar to the medallion I've stumbled upon, I started losing the drive of finding more since our plan was beginning and it required all my attention."

"Then, why have you given the medallion to that girl?"

"Why not? She is an outlander, maybe those artifacts were intended for them to find, not us, old men with their foot at the Death's doorsteps."

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