MAEPG: Episode 89
Episode 89 Holy Sword's Trial (2)
It was a place similar to a cathedral's prayer hall, with the Main God Church's emblem and an altar.
'The time ratio is different for each trial.'
Unlike before, the time ratio here was about three times that of the outside.
As he calmly observed the surroundings, a will echoed in his head once again.
<Pray to the Main God.>
Twinkle—
At the same time, a faint light emanated from a large symbol engraved on the wall near the platform.
It was the emblem of the Main God Church, the holy symbol, as if symbolizing light spreading in all directions.
'Ah, I think I know what this is.'
It was a type that appeared quite often in the records of previous challengers.
Heinrich confidently walked towards the platform and naturally knelt before it, clasping his hands together.
'Trial of Faith.'
As a frequent exam question, this trial's process was very simple.
He just had to prove his faith.
As he began to pray, the light emanating from the Church's emblem became increasingly intense.
Whoosh—
And the light began to shine on Heinrich like sunlight streaming in from the window.
Along with it, an enormous amount of holy power surged into his body.
'Enduring and accepting a certain level of holy power.'
That was how you proved your faith in this trial.
He roughly knew the level required in the holy sword's trial.
It seemed like they determined the difficulty by considering various factors like potential and possibilities, so there were slight variations for each person taking the trial…
But on average, a level between bishop and archbishop would satisfy the criteria.
It was a simple task for Heinrich, who already had bishop-level holy power and could increase his limit whenever he wanted.
'So I thought I could easily pass this trial…’
But something was strange.
Holy power continued to flow in endlessly.
And it showed no signs of stopping, even though it had already reached a considerable level.
'Uh, uh… this is dangerous?’
He hurriedly drew on the mental resources of the other avatars and converted them into faith using “Mind Hub” and “Persona”.
Hans, who was helping to build an information network by gathering dark mages.
Heinz the Second, who was focused on expanding his power after taking over the entire clan.
Harley, who was staying at the Iron Fortress to hunt monsters in the northern mountains.
Hubert, who had established a stable foundation in Tarak's merchant world and was gradually expanding his business.
Harris, who had gained attention from various Elves in the Elven Kingdom after the festival.
But…
‘No, how long is this going to continue?’
The influx of holy power didn’t stop even after drawing on the mental power of all his avatars.
The amount of holy power already inside him was comparable to that of an Archbishop.
‘I can’t hold it for long because I’m just forcibly containing it in my body… Ah, this won’t do.’
He didn’t have time to think anymore.
Han Seong-hyeon, who was observing the situation on Earth, also hurriedly closed his eyes and focused his mind.
And he poured all his mental power and all the abilities he had gained so far into Heinrich.
In the midst of the urgent situation, his body, which had entered a state of emptiness without a moment’s respite, was writhing with several times the amount of holy power he usually handled.
After some time,
The radiance of the holy symbol shining on him gradually began to decrease.
But he couldn’t notice the change outside because he was barely holding onto the holy power that was about to burst from his body.
Swoosh—
The light of the holy symbol, which had been gradually weakening, finally went out completely, and the chapel was silent, as if nothing had happened.
Only Heinrich, emitting holy power from his entire body, was different from before.
And then, at some point,
A different kind of holy power flowed through his body.
《The individual meets the conditions and gains enlightenment. You have acquired the special skill “Blessing: Capacity Increase”.》
A ray of light in the midst of an extreme situation.
The holy power that was about to burst from his body gradually calmed down and started to obey his control.
And not long after…
<Second trial complete. Proceed to the next stage through the gate.>
His mind, which had been deeply immersed, slowly awakened as the will echoed in his head.
‘Ah… that was close.’
It felt like he had reached the very limit and barely escaped.
As he gradually regained his composure, the avatars’ consciousness, which had been focused on Heinrich, started to return to their places one by one.
And he soon realized his change.
‘The amount of holy power I can contain has increased.’
It was thanks to the new skill he gained from this experience.
“Blessing: Capacity Increase” was an ability that increased the maximum amount of holy power he could hold in his body, a blessing mainly obtained by priests.
His rank didn’t increase because he didn’t level up, but at least he could now hold an amount comparable to an Archbishop.
‘No, not yet.’
Even now, the holy power he couldn’t control was leaking out, illuminating the surroundings.
He wasn’t used to the new ability yet, and controlling the holy power during the trial was only a temporary achievement through the help of the other avatars.
‘It doesn’t matter since the trial is over.’
Thanks to “Blessing: Capacity Increase”, the amount Heinrich could control alone had also increased by more than double, so it was a satisfying result in many ways.
‘But the difficulty is too high.’
He knew that they gave more difficult trials to those who were strong from the beginning and relatively easier trials to those who had potential but were still lacking…
He had passed the trial using the avatar trick, but the holy power that was poured into him in the end was at a level that even an average Archbishop would struggle with.
Most Paladins, who generally had less holy power than them, would have been eliminated here.
The first trial of patience would have also been very difficult if it hadn’t been for his various characteristics.
Perhaps only those at the Paladin level could pass it.
‘Heinrich is still on his first attempt, and he’s not that strong, isn’t the standard too strict?’
His combat power wasn’t at the Paladin level, and his holy power wasn’t at the Archbishop level.
But the trials he had gone through so far required both, so he couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied.
‘No, it’s too early to judge. I don’t know what the next trial will be like. Maybe the next one will be easier for overall balance.’
Heinrich tried to think positively and looked around to find the next gate.
And he found a brown wooden door that hadn’t been there before, near the exit of the chapel.
‘But how many more times do I have to do this?’
The number of trials given to each person was different, so he didn’t know how many he would have.
According to records, only two people had reached the holy sword so far.
They were able to stand before it after going through three and four trials, respectively.
‘Of course, they failed to pull out the holy sword and be recognized by it.’
He opened the door and entered, hoping that this would be his last trial.
“Ah.”
And when the light disappeared and his vision returned…
It was a desolate ruin.
A black, decaying land of death, devoid of any life force.
‘I’m screwed.’
He could instinctively tell from the ominous atmosphere.
There was no way the next trial would be easy, it was obvious that he would be given another difficult task.
<Defeat the enemy.>
At the same time, a will echoed in his head.
He could immediately tell who the ‘enemy’ was.
Someone was floating in the air in the distance, blatantly emitting a sinister aura and looking at him.
‘His appearance looks very familiar…’
It was an atmosphere he was very familiar with.
Tattered black robes, a black wooden staff with several skulls attached to its end.
And the death energy that seemed to be burning from his entire body, and the skull radiating red ghost fires.
‘…He’s similar to Hans.’
Of course, his pressure couldn’t even compare to that of the Immortal King.
‘Then, is he a Lich?’
At that moment, Hans, the master of the undead, the Immortal King, analyzed everything about him, including his energy.
And the conclusion was…
“An Arch-Lich…”
It was the same undead that Hans had been right before becoming the Immortal King.
And a fully matured Arch-Lich was a being that even Paladins were wary of facing one-on-one.
[A hound of the Church? How did you get here?]
A sound like scraping metal reached him, even though they were quite a distance apart.
[Well, it doesn’t matter now.]
The Arch-Lich, who seemed to be talking to him for a moment, immediately gave up on the conversation and raised his dark magic power.
And he swung his skull staff, imbued with dark energy, in the air once.
‘No, why is he so impatient!’
But the Arch-Lich didn’t care about Heinrich’s feelings, and the energy that spread like fog immediately seeped into the ground…
Creak—
[Keheeek!]
Clatter—! Clatter—!
[Kiii—!]
All sorts of undead emerged from the ground endlessly.
Hundreds, thousands… perhaps even more.
‘Wow… the trial can even do this? It’s even more intense in person.’
He knew through prior information that this was a virtual space created to evaluate his qualifications, but everything, from the energy to the presence emitted by each undead, felt real.
‘But I’m already struggling to face an Arch-Lich one-on-one, and now I have to deal with all these undead too?’
Wasn’t this a bit too much?
But he didn’t have time to be lost in thought.
[Die, dog of the Church!]
He was in a situation where thousands of undead and the Arch-Lich leading them were targeting him alone, trying to kill him.
'The time ratio is different for each trial.'
Unlike before, the time ratio here was about three times that of the outside.
As he calmly observed the surroundings, a will echoed in his head once again.
<Pray to the Main God.>
Twinkle—
At the same time, a faint light emanated from a large symbol engraved on the wall near the platform.
It was the emblem of the Main God Church, the holy symbol, as if symbolizing light spreading in all directions.
'Ah, I think I know what this is.'
It was a type that appeared quite often in the records of previous challengers.
Heinrich confidently walked towards the platform and naturally knelt before it, clasping his hands together.
'Trial of Faith.'
As a frequent exam question, this trial's process was very simple.
He just had to prove his faith.
As he began to pray, the light emanating from the Church's emblem became increasingly intense.
Whoosh—
And the light began to shine on Heinrich like sunlight streaming in from the window.
Along with it, an enormous amount of holy power surged into his body.
'Enduring and accepting a certain level of holy power.'
That was how you proved your faith in this trial.
He roughly knew the level required in the holy sword's trial.
It seemed like they determined the difficulty by considering various factors like potential and possibilities, so there were slight variations for each person taking the trial…
But on average, a level between bishop and archbishop would satisfy the criteria.
It was a simple task for Heinrich, who already had bishop-level holy power and could increase his limit whenever he wanted.
'So I thought I could easily pass this trial…’
But something was strange.
Holy power continued to flow in endlessly.
And it showed no signs of stopping, even though it had already reached a considerable level.
'Uh, uh… this is dangerous?’
He hurriedly drew on the mental resources of the other avatars and converted them into faith using “Mind Hub” and “Persona”.
Hans, who was helping to build an information network by gathering dark mages.
Heinz the Second, who was focused on expanding his power after taking over the entire clan.
Harley, who was staying at the Iron Fortress to hunt monsters in the northern mountains.
Hubert, who had established a stable foundation in Tarak's merchant world and was gradually expanding his business.
Harris, who had gained attention from various Elves in the Elven Kingdom after the festival.
But…
‘No, how long is this going to continue?’
The influx of holy power didn’t stop even after drawing on the mental power of all his avatars.
The amount of holy power already inside him was comparable to that of an Archbishop.
‘I can’t hold it for long because I’m just forcibly containing it in my body… Ah, this won’t do.’
He didn’t have time to think anymore.
Han Seong-hyeon, who was observing the situation on Earth, also hurriedly closed his eyes and focused his mind.
And he poured all his mental power and all the abilities he had gained so far into Heinrich.
In the midst of the urgent situation, his body, which had entered a state of emptiness without a moment’s respite, was writhing with several times the amount of holy power he usually handled.
After some time,
The radiance of the holy symbol shining on him gradually began to decrease.
But he couldn’t notice the change outside because he was barely holding onto the holy power that was about to burst from his body.
Swoosh—
The light of the holy symbol, which had been gradually weakening, finally went out completely, and the chapel was silent, as if nothing had happened.
Only Heinrich, emitting holy power from his entire body, was different from before.
And then, at some point,
A different kind of holy power flowed through his body.
《The individual meets the conditions and gains enlightenment. You have acquired the special skill “Blessing: Capacity Increase”.》
A ray of light in the midst of an extreme situation.
The holy power that was about to burst from his body gradually calmed down and started to obey his control.
And not long after…
<Second trial complete. Proceed to the next stage through the gate.>
His mind, which had been deeply immersed, slowly awakened as the will echoed in his head.
‘Ah… that was close.’
It felt like he had reached the very limit and barely escaped.
As he gradually regained his composure, the avatars’ consciousness, which had been focused on Heinrich, started to return to their places one by one.
And he soon realized his change.
‘The amount of holy power I can contain has increased.’
It was thanks to the new skill he gained from this experience.
“Blessing: Capacity Increase” was an ability that increased the maximum amount of holy power he could hold in his body, a blessing mainly obtained by priests.
His rank didn’t increase because he didn’t level up, but at least he could now hold an amount comparable to an Archbishop.
‘No, not yet.’
Even now, the holy power he couldn’t control was leaking out, illuminating the surroundings.
He wasn’t used to the new ability yet, and controlling the holy power during the trial was only a temporary achievement through the help of the other avatars.
‘It doesn’t matter since the trial is over.’
Thanks to “Blessing: Capacity Increase”, the amount Heinrich could control alone had also increased by more than double, so it was a satisfying result in many ways.
‘But the difficulty is too high.’
He knew that they gave more difficult trials to those who were strong from the beginning and relatively easier trials to those who had potential but were still lacking…
He had passed the trial using the avatar trick, but the holy power that was poured into him in the end was at a level that even an average Archbishop would struggle with.
Most Paladins, who generally had less holy power than them, would have been eliminated here.
The first trial of patience would have also been very difficult if it hadn’t been for his various characteristics.
Perhaps only those at the Paladin level could pass it.
‘Heinrich is still on his first attempt, and he’s not that strong, isn’t the standard too strict?’
His combat power wasn’t at the Paladin level, and his holy power wasn’t at the Archbishop level.
But the trials he had gone through so far required both, so he couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied.
‘No, it’s too early to judge. I don’t know what the next trial will be like. Maybe the next one will be easier for overall balance.’
Heinrich tried to think positively and looked around to find the next gate.
And he found a brown wooden door that hadn’t been there before, near the exit of the chapel.
‘But how many more times do I have to do this?’
The number of trials given to each person was different, so he didn’t know how many he would have.
According to records, only two people had reached the holy sword so far.
They were able to stand before it after going through three and four trials, respectively.
‘Of course, they failed to pull out the holy sword and be recognized by it.’
He opened the door and entered, hoping that this would be his last trial.
“Ah.”
And when the light disappeared and his vision returned…
It was a desolate ruin.
A black, decaying land of death, devoid of any life force.
‘I’m screwed.’
He could instinctively tell from the ominous atmosphere.
There was no way the next trial would be easy, it was obvious that he would be given another difficult task.
<Defeat the enemy.>
At the same time, a will echoed in his head.
He could immediately tell who the ‘enemy’ was.
Someone was floating in the air in the distance, blatantly emitting a sinister aura and looking at him.
‘His appearance looks very familiar…’
It was an atmosphere he was very familiar with.
Tattered black robes, a black wooden staff with several skulls attached to its end.
And the death energy that seemed to be burning from his entire body, and the skull radiating red ghost fires.
‘…He’s similar to Hans.’
Of course, his pressure couldn’t even compare to that of the Immortal King.
‘Then, is he a Lich?’
At that moment, Hans, the master of the undead, the Immortal King, analyzed everything about him, including his energy.
And the conclusion was…
“An Arch-Lich…”
It was the same undead that Hans had been right before becoming the Immortal King.
And a fully matured Arch-Lich was a being that even Paladins were wary of facing one-on-one.
[A hound of the Church? How did you get here?]
A sound like scraping metal reached him, even though they were quite a distance apart.
[Well, it doesn’t matter now.]
The Arch-Lich, who seemed to be talking to him for a moment, immediately gave up on the conversation and raised his dark magic power.
And he swung his skull staff, imbued with dark energy, in the air once.
‘No, why is he so impatient!’
But the Arch-Lich didn’t care about Heinrich’s feelings, and the energy that spread like fog immediately seeped into the ground…
Creak—
[Keheeek!]
Clatter—! Clatter—!
[Kiii—!]
All sorts of undead emerged from the ground endlessly.
Hundreds, thousands… perhaps even more.
‘Wow… the trial can even do this? It’s even more intense in person.’
He knew through prior information that this was a virtual space created to evaluate his qualifications, but everything, from the energy to the presence emitted by each undead, felt real.
‘But I’m already struggling to face an Arch-Lich one-on-one, and now I have to deal with all these undead too?’
Wasn’t this a bit too much?
But he didn’t have time to be lost in thought.
[Die, dog of the Church!]
He was in a situation where thousands of undead and the Arch-Lich leading them were targeting him alone, trying to kill him.
_________________
“It will begin soon.”
“…Ah, is that so?”
Southern Ion Continent, the secret hideout of Oath of Heaven’s Defiance.
The large man in a robe spoke first, but the old man, who was always gloomy and filled with madness, had a strangely flat reaction today.
‘Don’t tell me he’s scared now?’
The operation couldn’t even begin without him.
It was absolutely unacceptable to the large man, who had invested over ten years in this grand plan.
He frowned at the old man and examined his condition more closely.
But contrary to his thoughts, there was no sign of fear.
He was just staring blankly into his locket pendant, opening the lid with an unreadable expression.
Inside was a portrait of a family, drawn with fire magic.
“There won’t be any problems, right?”
But the large man, who couldn’t understand such sentimentality, asked the old man directly.
He couldn’t comprehend such emotions in the first place.
“Don’t tell me you’re backing out now…”
“Aah— Don’t be ridiculous.”
But before he could even finish speaking, the old man closed the locket lid and chuckled in his usual voice.
“Heh, I’ve been preparing for this great undertaking for thirty years. You think I would give up now? Hehehe…”
Unlike when he was looking at the portrait, his eyes were once again filled with madness.
“My resolve has only strengthened. This continent shouldn’t be so peaceful. Yes, indeed.”
The large man quietly nodded with a satisfied expression at the sight of the old man, who started muttering to himself with a confident voice.
It seemed like there wouldn’t be any problems with the operation.
“There’s no time to waste! I need to check everything one last time. It’s the fruit of thirty years of labor. It can’t fail.”
The old man got up from his seat and left to check the preparations for the grand magic.
“Hmm… Then I should go do my work too.”
He needed to prepare in advance because things would get busier.
Everyone on the continent would need this preparation…
But it wasn’t his concern how many were actually prepared.
“It will begin soon.”
“…Ah, is that so?”
Southern Ion Continent, the secret hideout of Oath of Heaven’s Defiance.
The large man in a robe spoke first, but the old man, who was always gloomy and filled with madness, had a strangely flat reaction today.
‘Don’t tell me he’s scared now?’
The operation couldn’t even begin without him.
It was absolutely unacceptable to the large man, who had invested over ten years in this grand plan.
He frowned at the old man and examined his condition more closely.
But contrary to his thoughts, there was no sign of fear.
He was just staring blankly into his locket pendant, opening the lid with an unreadable expression.
Inside was a portrait of a family, drawn with fire magic.
“There won’t be any problems, right?”
But the large man, who couldn’t understand such sentimentality, asked the old man directly.
He couldn’t comprehend such emotions in the first place.
“Don’t tell me you’re backing out now…”
“Aah— Don’t be ridiculous.”
But before he could even finish speaking, the old man closed the locket lid and chuckled in his usual voice.
“Heh, I’ve been preparing for this great undertaking for thirty years. You think I would give up now? Hehehe…”
Unlike when he was looking at the portrait, his eyes were once again filled with madness.
“My resolve has only strengthened. This continent shouldn’t be so peaceful. Yes, indeed.”
The large man quietly nodded with a satisfied expression at the sight of the old man, who started muttering to himself with a confident voice.
It seemed like there wouldn’t be any problems with the operation.
“There’s no time to waste! I need to check everything one last time. It’s the fruit of thirty years of labor. It can’t fail.”
The old man got up from his seat and left to check the preparations for the grand magic.
“Hmm… Then I should go do my work too.”
He needed to prepare in advance because things would get busier.
Everyone on the continent would need this preparation…
But it wasn’t his concern how many were actually prepared.
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