Chapter 160: Class Change, Solaris Cleric (1)

Chapter 160: Class Change, Solaris Cleric (1)

Whoosh!

The holy power resting in Kai's hands slowly transferred into Albert's body.

“Sunlight’s Warmth.”

Kai’s voice was calm and soft, and carried a sense of warmth.

High Priest Albert’s eyes widened as the holy power flooded into him.

T-this is... very pure holy power...?

It was holy power so pure it could even be compared to his own, as the high priest. Moreover, he could feel the mercy of Helik as the holy power moved through his body. But the most astonishing thing was...

The pain... it's disappearing.

Moments earlier, it had felt as if his soul was being torn apart. However, as the holy power passed through him, the pain vanished and was replaced by a comforting sensation. It was as if a powerful vaccine was hunting down the virus that had spread through his body.

As Morak watched Kai heal Albert, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Bahaha. Idiot. If you were capable of purification, Albert would have done it himself long ago. The Essence of Darkness is the very power of the god that the thousand-year-old Church of Muldine boasts of...”

However, as Albert’s expression grew more peaceful, Morak’s eyes darted around in confusion.

... Something’s wrong. Why isn’t he screaming like before? There’s no way he could look that calm.

The veins that had once bulged prominently on Albert's skin had vanished long ago, becoming as smooth as a baby’s. His skin even seemed to have regained a slight, healthy glow.

“... That’s impossible. There’s no way he could be purifying it.” Sensing a growing unease, Morak shouted in a panicked voice, “There’s no need to give them a chance! He’s defenseless now! Attack!”

At his command, dozens of dark paladins drew their swords and charged toward Kai.

However, Blizzard and Mimic were not ones to simply stand by and watch.

“Krrr!”

“Kroo!”

Mimic threw its massive body down, creating a protective wall around Kai and Albert, while Blizzard stretched out his twin scimitars and stood guard at the front.

“Black lizardman... Right, I remember you.”

Morak glared at Blizzard with contempt, recalling the creature from a past experiment.

“A worthless piece of trash that once was used as experiments... Now you dare to stand in the way of the church’s paladins?”

Morak, enraged, spat out his words in a sharp tone, “Kill it! And secure Albert immediately!”

Blizzard’s current level was 230. While that wasn’t low compared to other players, it was far from enough to handle dozens of paladins. However, Blizzard had the qualities of a future leader of the lizardman tribe.

Even surrounded by Church of Muldine’s paladins, Blizzard stood tall.

“Krrr.”

Blizzard’s fiery eyes seemed to shout that they should come at him if they dared.

Of course, the dark paladins facing that arrogant gaze did not feel pleased at all.

“That arrogant little...!”

“How dare you, a mere test subject, stand in our way!”

“You insignificant beast that can’t even speak!”

Five dark paladins shot forward like rays of light, and swung their swords. Each strike was powerful enough to cut through Blizzard's body both horizontally and vertically.

However, the twin scimitars in Blizzard’s hands deflected their attacks effortlessly, like sliding down a smooth surface. And that only indicated one thing.

It knows it can’t take us on head-to-head.

A lizardman, a natural-born warrior...

Is avoiding a direct confrontation and taking a defensive approach?

Blizzard had once been the war chief of the lizardman tribe, one whose pride was second to none. However, now he had set aside his pride and focused entirely on protecting Kai.

Realizing this, the dark paladins exchanged smirks with one another.

It's surprising that the black lizardman is fighting this way...

But it gives us more options if it's being defensive.

It won’t last long like this.

Clang! Clang!

The five dark paladins surrounded Blizzard in a pentagon formation, attacking from all sides.

Blizzard could only rely on his two scimitars, and whatever he couldn’t block, he had to endure with his body.

“Krrrk...!”

Crack!

Even when multiple swords struck his body, he didn’t seem to care. In fact, his tenacity caused the dark paladins to swallow nervously.

“Blizzard.”

When Kai called from behind, Blizzard glanced back at him. The moment he saw Kai, his shoulders drooped. At the same time, his entire body began trembling, as if he had become ill.

Blizzard’s abilities aren’t enough to sustain these kinds of movements.

In other words, Blizzard had been fighting beyond his limits.

Kai placed a grateful fist against Blizzard’s chest and said, “You’ve done well. Leave the rest to me.”

“Krrr,” Blizzard responded with a satisfied grin.

***

“Th-this is impossible...”

Morak shook his head blankly, stunned by the scene unfolding before his eyes.

“Even though our inquisitors weren’t here... we had fifty dark paladins and dark priests. But how...?”

All of that was destroyed by just one person, and that person wasn’t even a resident of this world.

If it were monsters like Bach, Korona, or Parsanax, I would have avoided the fight altogether. But the opponent was...

An adventurer. Someone who, just two years ago, had been hunting slimes and rabbits to grow stronger.

“This is so unfair...!”

“Life is always unfair. But in my case, just a little more so,” Kai released his grip on the paladin’s collar and stomped hard on their throat as they fell to the ground.

Crunch!

The paladin’s body turned to polygons. That was the last of them. It had taken Kai just thirty-two minutes to obliterate all fifty dark paladins and priests.

Then, Kai slowly approached Morak. “You need to come with me.”

“You think I’ll just let you take me so easily—”

“Yeah.”

Crack!

The hilt of Kai’s sword slammed into Morak’s side. The sound of bones breaking was followed by a wheezing groan from Morak.

“Oof...”

Kai watched as Morak clutched his side and collapsed, then slightly looked beside him.

“So, what should I do now? I’d like to put him to sleep so he doesn’t cause any more trouble. Could you advise me on how?”

—Hmm.

Chernatia, who had been standing idly, took a step forward and stood behind Morak. Clasping his hands together, he swung down hard on the back of Morak’s head.

—Like this. Hit the pressure point here with both hands, and he’ll fall asleep instantly.

“... Isn’t that just knocking him out?”

—Not at all! It’s a proper sleep technique. I learned it from a warrior from the eastern continent, so it’s reliable.

Kai shook his head as Chernatia stood firm in his belief, but he followed the advice and put Morak to sleep.

“... He’s really just asleep, right?”

—Of course. You could hit his jaw to knock him out, but that could kill him, so I recommend this method instead.

“I see. I’ve learned from you again.”

Kai, having learned yet another useful technique, soon approached Albert.

Albert was looking down at Bernard, his once close friend, with a sorrowful expression. “Why did you do it? What wasn’t enough for you...?”

“Your Holiness... No, Albert. Please, forgive me just this once for the sake of our old friendship... I must have lost my mind for a moment...”

Just as Albert's heart was about to soften at the sight of his friend, sobbing and sniffling...

Whack!

Kai’s clasped hands struck the back of Bernard’s head with a powerful blow.

Albert stared in shock as Bernard collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

Seeing that, Kai grinned and put on a confident expression. “I’ve put him to sleep by striking the pressure point. We can interrogate him later for the details of this incident.”

“Didn’t you just knock him out...?”

Kai glanced to his right for a moment, then shrugged casually. “Apparently it’s not.”