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Chapter 13: Frica’s Cleric (2)

"Cleric, I am ready to gain new strength."

"Hmm. Let\'s see...," Cleric Ray observed Kai\'s body and then smiled. "You have indeed become stronger. Please choose which lesson you wish to learn from among these."

Kai closely examined the interface window that appeared before him.

[Bless]

Bless allies to temporarily increase all stats.

The amount increased depends on skill level.

[Holy Enchantment]

Imbues ally weapons with holy power. Weapons with holy power inflict additional damage with each attack, and double the additional damage to demons and undead.

[Resurrection]

Revive one ally. The amount of HP restored upon revival increases with the skill level.

*Cannot be used on NPCs.

[Healing Wave]

Connects multiple allies with a ring of holy power to heal them simultaneously. The amount healed increases with the skill level.

[Mass Bless]

Grants a blessing to multiple allies, increasing all stats for a certain period. The increase in all stats depends on the skill level.

[Spring of Restoration]

Installs a holy well that heals ally health and stamina.

Can inflict damage on nearby undead or demonic monsters.

"Wow...!"

They were skills as sweet as honey, only given to Clerics who had crossed the devil’s section!

Kai was about to learn the skills right away, but then hesitated.

Wait a minute, but why is this all?

Even after rubbing his eyes, he couldn’t find the Solaris Cleric\'s exclusive skills. Could it be that to learn skills for a Mythic class job, one had to go to the main center of the order rather than a branch?

Furrowing his brows in thought, Kai noticed strange characters.

[Support Skills - 6 skills available]

[Holy Magic Skills - 37 skills available]

[??? - Locked]

[??? - Locked]

"What is this?"

It seemed like a list with higher-level skills, but it was locked and couldn’t be accessed.

I’m sure this must be related to the skills of the Solaris Cleric.

These items were definitely not present before his class changed to Solaris Cleric, so it was natural to think they had appeared newly afterwards, and the following thought was why these were locked.

Are they locked because my level is too low right now?

It was a plausible possibility. The skills he currently had were powerful, so they could have been deliberately locked to maintain balance.

Kai sighed and looked somewhere else.

I guess I can’t learn them right now. Then, let\'s learn Bless, Resurrection, and Spring of Restoration for now.

Holy Enchantment and Healing Wave were honestly not that necessary for him at the moment. He was confident that he could produce far superior effects with just Solaris Blessing and Sunlight’s Warmth than those skills. Moreover, since learning skills also cost money, he had to be cautious.

"I will learn Bless, Resurrection, and Spring of Restoration."

"Excellent. May the sun’s light shine down upon you on your journey."

[Skill - Bless acquired.]

[Skill - Resurrection acquired.]

[Skill - Spring of Restoration acquired.]

After paying seventy-five silver to learn three skills, Kai looked at the interface and tilted his head.

"What’s the difference between Bless and Mass Bless?"

"Bless can bestow blessings on a single person, whereas Mass Bless allows you to bestow blessings on many people at the same time."

"Woah."

Kai imagined himself bestowing blessings on dozens of people at the same time.

It seems like I\'ll mainly be playing solo from now on...but maybe it could come in handy in certain situations.

After considering his financial situation for a moment, he made up his mind and nodded. "I’ll learn Mass Bless as well."

"The path of the sun will guide you, brother."

[Skill – Mass Bless acquired.]

Of course, it wasn\'t free. A total of one gold was spent to learn four skills.

Feeling proud, Kai left the temple and immediately felt disheartened when he looked at his remaining gold.

He sighed, saying, "This is why they call it a spending spree...."

He had visited only the blacksmith and the order, yet 800,000 won had vanished. Although he didn\'t regret the valid expenses, he couldn\'t help feeling a sense of emptiness.

I\'ve run out of saved allowance and can\'t buy gold now, so I should start saving money from now on.

There were still more than two weeks left until the deadline for his quest to save Frica. Since it would take a week for the items to be ready at the blacksmith, it seemed like a good idea to work on quests in the meantime.

I wonder if there are any new quests that have come up in the last three days.

Kai headed straight for the quest board, thoroughly searching for newly updated quest listings.

There’s not as many as I thought.

Of course, many new quests had been registered in the last three days. However, none of them were quests where he could perform good deeds.

If there are no quests, how can I perform Benevolence?

Sitting at the edge of the fountain, Kai pondered deeply.

Just then, an old woman coughed and groaned as she passed by him.

Feeling pity for the old woman who seemed to be suffering from a severe summer cold, Kai approached her. "Excuse me, ma’am?"

"Hmm?"

"Sunlight’s Warmth."

As golden holy power surrounded her, her complexion noticeably improved.

Her wrinkled eyes curved into a gentle smile. "Thank you so much. Are you a Cleric?"

"Yes, I am."

"But what about the cost..."

When the old woman spoke with a slightly worried voice, Kai smiled brightly and waved his hand dismissively, "Oh, what cost? Don\'t worry about it."

The old woman then smiled back at Kai, creating a heartwarming scene.

Ding!

[You did a good deed for Nella (NPC).]

[+1 Benevolence]

"...Huh?"

Taken aback by the sudden message, Kai wore a bewildered expression.

***

"Hmm..."

In the small Church of Solaris temple of Frica village, two Clerics were sitting upright.

The branch manager Cleric Ray turned his head and asked, "Brother Tei, doesn\'t it seem a bit quiet these past few days?"

"Hm. Indeed, apart from adventurers seeking new powers, no one else seems to visit."

Usually, aside from the few Clerics who came to learn skills, NPCs from the village and adventurers with different professions often visited for healing or curse removal.

"What could be the reason?"

They felt apologetic to the Solarian God as if the decline in the order\'s popularity was their fault.

"I’m not sure. Perhaps it means everyone is healthy and well, which is also a blessing from god."

"Oh! That makes sense. Helik must be looking after us."

"Yes, so let us pray."

While they were praying, one of the Clerics outside rushed. "Brothers!"

"Brother Caro? Why the commotion?"

As Ray asked curiously, Cleric Caro gestured excitedly with a smile, "I’ve figured it out! I\'ve found out why we haven\'t had visitors to our temple these past few days!"

"What do you mean?"

When the Clerics stood up in confusion, Caro started to lead them outside.

"Come with me."

"But we can\'t leave the temple unattended."

"It will only take a moment!"

"Very well, but only for a short while."

They followed Cleric Caro, who led them not to the busy central square but to the residential area where NPCs lived.

"Why are we here...?"

"Look over there!" Caro pointed excitedly in one direction.

As the Clerics turned to look, they saw a large sign that was visible from afar.

Fast! Accurate! Aroma Jade Anion Heal! Free treatment for those feeling unwell or down, and for those whose affairs aren\'t going well. 0% medical accident guarantee!

"Wh...what is that?"

As Ray stuttered in confusion, Caro quickly explained, "It\'s an adventurer brother. Do you remember? The one who visited our temple a few days ago to learn skills..."

After hearing this and looking below the sign, they surely recognized the face of the man.

A lady who had received his healing covered her mouth and laughed, "Oh my! The muscle pain has completely disappeared! Thank you, young Cleric!"

"I should be the one thanking you."

After exchanging well-wishing remarks, the lady simply turned and walked away, and the man also turned his head.

“Next person!”

A perfectly smooth and efficient transaction!

Ray swallowed as he looked at the line of people waiting. "Are all those people in line really...?”

“They’re all waiting to be treated by the adventurer!"

"Indeed...!"

They finally understood why people hadn\'t been visiting the temple. With a Cleric offering free treatment so close by in the residential area, who would go to the distant temple and make a donation to get healed?

Ray was greatly impressed by the young adventurer\'s kindness. "Huh...! To think there would be such a faithful adventurer among them!"

Caro added, "I thought most adventurers were reckless with divine power, but I was wrong. There are those among them who spread the holy will of god like this!"

"Haha! You\'re right. We have much to learn from this adventurer brother."

Ray laughed and approached the adventurer, Kai.

"Huh? Clerics...?" Kai stood up awkwardly, surprised by the sudden visit from the Clerics. His face showed unease like an illegal street vendor facing the police.

"Oh, brother Kai, why do you look so frightened?"

"Well... that is... if I heal everyone here, wouldn\'t that leave you without work?"

The Clerics were amazed by Kai\'s considerate response.

"To think of us even in such a situation! We failed to recognize a saint right before our eyes."

"This must be officially reported to the church."

"Indeed! Wait, we shouldn’t just stand around like this. Since it has come to this, let us help him!"

"That\'s a good idea!"

As the Clerics rolled up their sleeves to prepare to treat the residents, Kai stopped them. "You must not!"

"Brother...?"

"Why not, what do you mean?"

The Clerics were puzzled, tilting their heads in confusion.

Kai said with a desperate voice, "Please leave this task to me! I can handle it alone!"

"But if we help, the work will be done much faster."

"That\'s right. Besides, as fellow followers of the same path, we cannot overlook such a good deed!"

"Don\'t worry, brother."

As they smiled warmly, Kai felt a burning frustration inside.

Standing by is the best way you can help!

Kai had experienced his Benevolence stat accumulating after treating an old lady in the square the other day. At that moment, a brilliant idea struck him like lightning.

Come to think of it, there was no mention that quests were the only way to increase the Benevolence stat.

It only stated that performing good deeds would increase the stat.

So, as long as I perform good deeds for NPCs in any way, that should work, right?

Kai then immediately headed to the residential area of the village.

For those who don\'t have the time to visit a healing center or temple, or those who are financially trapped, I\'ll treat those people.

It was a true win-win strategy where he could do good deeds, and NPCs could receive treatment for free.

The result is... a huge success!

[Kai]

Class: Solaris Cleric

Level: 54

Title: Envoy of God

HP: 12,200

Holt Power: 20,700

Stats

Strength: 52 Stamina: 122

Intelligence: 52 Agility: 52

Holiness: 207 Benevolence: 31

Remaining points: 40

In just five days, he had increased his Benevolence stat by a whopping 13 points. Kai was deeply engrossed in this act, which was the same as gaining 13 levels while merely sitting down.

Should I give up hunting and walk the path of a healer in the capital...?

He seriously contemplated a change of career!

However, Kai\'s desperation was interpreted differently by the Clerics.

"Ah, to wish to heal all the hurt by himself... It\'s been a long time since we\'ve seen someone with such a pure heart!"

"A role model for all Clerics of the Church of Solaris."

"Seeing our adventurer brother reminds me of my younger days. It has been a wake-up call to return to my original intentions. Hahaha."

"Indeed. What was I doing at Kai\'s age...."

[NPC Caro\'s affinity increased.]

[NPC Bric\'s affinity increased.]

[NPC Daniel\'s affinity increased.]

[Helik is pleased. The Church of Solaris\'s merit points increased by 70.]

"...Haha."

Caught in an awkward situation where affinity and merit points unintentionally rose, Kai could only give an awkward smile as the Clerics showered him with praise and kind words.