NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 32
The stigmata, a divine miracle that has only appeared once in the church’s long history, has surfaced.
The marks of Christ that were said to be possessed only by Saint Francis of Assisi. The stigmata.
However, this legendary stigmata has manifested in a small land far in the East.
“Ooh.”
Cardinal Francis, who witnessed the stigmata, fell to his knees and began to pray, tears streaming down his face.
Archbishop Ambrosio was no different.
Of course, Jean’s stigmata was not the real stigmata they believed it to be.
It was, after all, a “forgery.”
It seemed that Cardinal Francis, who represented the church in this era, was unaware of the fact that they had created this fake stigmata as a mimicry of divine miracles.
The church, with its long history, had committed just as many sins and held just as many hidden secrets.
‘However, is it really a fake stigmata?’
I don’t know anymore.
In the past, Jean’s stigmata bled, but it didn’t emit such brilliance.
It did emit light, but not the brilliant and warm light it emits now.
It wasn’t unreasonable for the two bishops to mistakenly believe that the real stigmata had appeared.
When the light of the stigmata faded and Cardinal Francis completed his prayers, he rose.
“What may I get for you?”
His expression was calm, unlike his earlier flustered reaction when asked for essence.
“The same as I just said. I need essence and a relic.”
“Understood.”
“… Cardinal.”
“I will take responsibility.”
In response to Archbishop Ambrosio’s call, Cardinal Francis shook his head.
Normally, giving away relics requires the Pope’s approval. It’s not something a cardinal can decide on his own. Even more so for essence.
Yet, Cardinal Francis accepted all my proposals without any conditions.
He promptly took off a ring he was wearing and handed it to Jean.
He then went to his room and brought back a vial filled with essence.
Cardinal Francis of the Vatican had been keeping the essence and relic for himself.
“Is there anything else you need?”
“Please ensure quiet passage through the gate so I can focus on the mission.”
Due to concerns about getting entangled with the church or exposed to the media, I made this condition clear. If it isn’t honored, I won’t offer any help at all.
“And, this is merely support. If I judge the mission too difficult, I will retreat immediately.”
“Understood. I will take responsibility and ensure this.”
*
After finalizing the deal, we returned to the antique shop.
Since the renovation was only happening in the daytime living areas, the antique shop was quiet deep into the night.
“How about the relic?”
“It’s the Ring of Healing. The power itself may be meaningless, but it seems usable to replenish divine power.”
Divine power itself is already specialized for healing.
From Jean’s perspective, its healing effect appears inferior to that of divine power.
It didn’t matter though. The relic was not requested to gain new abilities, but to supplement Jean’s insufficient divine power.
‘The important thing is the essence.’
I looked at the transparent liquid inside the glass vial.
The amount was small, about a mouthful, but if it was essence, it would definitely be enough.
After all, essence is a substance that concentrates pure mana.
‘I would benefit from drinking it, but…’
Unfortunately, my body’s potential is low.
Essence is an amazing item that strengthens mana, but it can’t magically turn an E-rank hunter into an A-rank.
That would require being reborn.
If you have no talent, pouring in mana is like pouring water into a bottomless pot.
So, I decided to use another method.
‘I’ll grow the Blizzard Stone and absorb it within my power.’
Blizzard Stone is a stone that grows on its own.
Unlike me, its potential is limitless.
Therefore, I will grow the Blizzard Stone and merge it with my Overlord Connector.’
‘If there’s a “slot,” it’s possible.’
I’ve already confirmed that the slot doesn’t just store interdimensional items.
—
[Catalog]
– Napoleon’s Table
– Blizzard Stone
—
As the Blizzard Stone disappeared from my hand to appear in the catalog listing, it was not completely gone. Since the catalog is connected to me, I can fully sense the Blizzard Stone and use its power.
Still, this was only a partial fusion.
The transmission of mana was unstable, and I felt a certain distance from it.
To fully synchronize the Blizzard Stone with me, it needs to be stored in a higher catalog: the Relic Catalog.
Even though I can’t physically embed the Blizzard Stone into my body, storing it in the Relic Catalog is practically the same thing.
As it feels similar to being inside my body.
However, it was not immediate.
– Entry into the Relic Catalog requires elevation.
If I try to replace Napoleon’s Rifle in there, a warning message appears and it gets rejected.
It means the current Blizzard Stone doesn’t meet the conditions to enter the Relic Catalog.
It needed further growth.
I opened the lid of the vial and poured all the essence, without sparing a drop, onto the Blizzard Stone.
The transparent liquid fell onto the Blizzard Stone and was absorbed instantly.
Then,
Whoom—!
The previously silent Blizzard Stone began to resonate.
Hwarrak! Zzheuk!
Fire and ice competed and intertwined, growing and shrinking repeatedly.
And, it changed.
Hwaek—
The reddish flames turned blue and illuminated the shop.
Eventually, the flames were sucked into the transparent ice and settled into it.
—
[Blizzard Stone]
Mana: 12500 / 12500
Amplification: Amplifies the mana exerted by the user.
—
“Done.”
A smile spread across my face.
The Blizzard Stone, which was previously stuck at its limit, broke through and grew.
Its mana has even increased more than doubled.
Not only that,
The Blizzard Stone has been assigned the “Amplification” property.
The ability to enhance such that 5 units of mana used yields power greater than 5.
Though the Blizzard Stone’s mana amount is 12500, it doesn’t necessarily end there.
We’ll have to perform an experiment to see just how much impact it has.
‘It could even act as a substitute lantern at night.’
When considering the bright blue flames emanating from the Blizzard Stone, a trivial thought crossed my mind, when suddenly,
– Your Respawn Standby Time has decreased by 3 minutes.
—
Respawn Standby Time: 01:57
—
“Ah.”
Finally, it decreased.
Though it was only by 3 minutes, the fact that the previously unmoving standby time had shrunk, was a great achievement.
My ultimate goal for increasing mana was to reduce the Respawn Standby Time to ‘0’ after all.
Only then could Jean transcend this incomplete form of summoning to truly become one with this world.
And relics could be fully utilized too.
However, the changes didn’t stop there.
– The power of the stigmata has increased.
Instantly, bright light flowed out from Jean’s back.
“Jean, let me take a look at the stigmata.”
“Yes.”
With permission granted, upon checking Jean’s stigmata, I widened my eyes.
The originally crimson mark, like blood, now had one line turned white.
‘Maybe it’s transforming into real stigmata.’
It was speculative, but it was evident that the change occurred due to the increase in divine power.
The reason for the increase in divine power was due to the rise in my own mana reserves.
Jean’s divine power, being under my jurisdiction, is proportional to my mana reserves.
In other words, as I get stronger, Jean becomes stronger too.
In any case,
[Summons 3/4]
This paved the way for welcoming a new Overlord.
*
The summon slots can be opened and closed.
As similar to a game master adjusting the number of people in a room.
For now, I kept the summon slot closed.
Opening it doesn’t guarantee a sudden arrival of an Overlord, and we can’t know how much time they’ve spent in their own world either.
Even if time passes differently in the real world, there’s not much leeway left.
After all, there are only four days left until the Despair Gate goes critical.
Considering the travel time, it was a tight schedule.
—
Passengers, our plane is now taking off. Please confirm that your seat belts are fastened.
“Jean, is your belt fastened?”
“Yes.”
Jean’s voice was normal, but her actions weren’t.
She was gripping the handle tightly with small hands, a telltale sign of unusual tension.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
How would Jean, a 15th-century Frenchwoman, have ever boarded a flying plane?
That era considered the sky to be the domain of gods.
We boarded a plane at Incheon Airport to travel to Vatican City, where the Despair Gate was located.
“Just sit still, right?”
“Exactly. Sit still and the captain will guide us to the destination.”
Boooom—!
Suddenly, the plane shook and ascended into the sky.
Startled, Jean instinctively grabbed my arm.
She curled up tightly, an adorably tense sight, as Jean was usually calm.
Click!
Unable to resist my instinctive urge, I took a photo, which drew a curious look from Jean.
“What did you just do?”
“I took a picture.”
Showing her the picture she had pouted slightly, likely displeased with the curled-up image.
Adorable, though.
Thinking Jean had calmed down, I pointed at the window.
“Take a look outside, Jean.”
Following my hand, Jean turned her gaze to the window.
Beyond was an endlessly stretched clear sky.
A sea of white clouds laid out like a carpet.
The warm sunlight.
Jean’s eyes widened.
“It’s amazing. The clouds are right in front.”
Looking down, the ground appeared like dots.
Gray buildings crammed together looking like ants.
“You won’t fall, right?”
“Rarely, but sometimes it does happen.”
Jean clasped her hands as if in prayer.
Though it was adorable to see, the situation wasn’t one to laugh at.
After all, with human endeavors, there are unfortunate accidents from time to time.
Click!
Still, it’s best to take the photo.
*
It was late at night when we arrived at the Vatican.
During the trip, Jean’s summon ended once, but things worked out smoothly.
Guided by the bishop, we headed to our lodging.
“See you tomorrow, Jean.”
“Yes.”
Returning to my room, I ended Jean’s summon.
The night was too late to do anything else.
And the next morning, I prepared to really get moving.
“Let’s stretch our bodies first before heading out.”
With little time left before the Despair Gate goes critical, I didn’t rush.
We needed to check our condition before heading out.
The Vatican was filled with religious architecture, and the Gates here were largely dark attributes.
A dark cave.
Hehehehe—!
Faint shapes floated and laughed in the air.
These were Specters, ghostly anomalies created when people become spirits.
They are impervious to physical attacks.
Only magical attacks can eliminate them, with light magic being the most effective.
Dang, Bangbang!
The Specters attacked the protective barrier.
‘The medal is becoming usable.’
The previously inefficient Napoleon’s Medal has improved with the growth of Blizzard Stone.
Possibly enhanced by the “Amplification” property, it no longer consumes massive mana like before.
Bang—!
Napoleon’s Rifle fired, and a Specter patrolling near the barrier shattered.
The efficiency was a staggering 8%.
A result of increased mana reserves combined with Blizzard Stone’s amplification.
‘To capture one of them?’
Taking a step toward the Specter who could pass through walls, at that moment,
Whoosh—
The dark shadow technique moved my body instantly in front of the Specter.
Swish!
The Twin Dragon Sword swung and the Specter disappeared.
‘Hmm.’
Though constrained by my physical strength, the swing was awkward but the power was excellent.
Mana consumption was also much lower than before.
It seemed like this was enough for experimentation.
Though more than a dozen ghosts still floated in the air, I turned my back.
“Jean.”
Hwaaak—!
A holy light illuminated the cave.
*
The Despair Gate was once a church used in the Russian Orthodox Church.
Once a sacred place of worship, the building is now overrun with weeds, creating an eerie atmosphere.
This is where the fallen Solomon’s 72 devils, Ashtoreth, resides.
The demon spits out despair, believing its fall to hell to be unjust.
From the Despair Gate, incomprehensible whispers of despair could be heard.
“A number of hunters from the church are already inside. We request your support.”
“Understood.”
“I pray that God’s blessings go with you.”
With the bishop’s blessing, Jean and I stepped into the Despair Gate.
—
Entering the Despair Gate.
—
Endless darkness greeted us.