Chapter 69

To control the Berserk, we had a plan, and from then on, it was filled with various chit-chat.

Most of it was about Rize, who willingly entertained questions to foster camaraderie.

At first, the group was awkward, but once Rize comfortably took questions, they began to ask everything.

“How do you raise Divine Power after being chosen by Lord Chaos? I mean, with deities like Gaia or Gulrak, you can increase it through prayers or rituals, right?”

That was Kara’s question. It’s due to the prejudice against barbarians, but she’s one of the believers trusted by Gulrak.

Even at a young age, she’s already mastering Lightning with ease. Plus, she’s consistently offering the tributes.

The reason Tartar could gain recognition as a nation is that Hector and Kara have Gulrak’s trust.

“You might have heard already, but Lord Chaos is extremely fickle. So no one knows when, where, or how they’ll receive faith from him.”

Rize quietly replied while sipping her tea. Even she admits that Chaos is quite unpredictable.

Still, his fickleness is more like ‘playful’ rather than serious; in serious situations, he tends to fulfill his duties.

But the fact that it happens more often than not is kind of a drawback. Just then, Rize elaborated.

“Sometimes, even in crisis situations, he does strange things. Like strengthening an enemy’s body at crucial moments or doing nothing when healing is needed. Just thinking about those times makes me shudder.”

“······ Is that okay for a god?”

Kara reacted with disbelief. Gulrak rewards those who offer tributes, and so does Gaia.

But Chaos? He doesn’t follow any of that. Faith is given on his whims, and the rewards are lackluster.

The only reliable being is oneself. In the Soul World, being chosen by Chaos significantly increases the difficulty level.

‘The funny thing is, as the difficulty increases, so does the growth of the player.’

Just to clarify, it’s the player that grows, not the character.

Ultimately, by scraping through some shenanigans, the player themselves is the one who advances.

“Despite Chaos’s playful nature, his care for us is as strong as any god. Even if he plays around, it’s manageable to go through trials. So, if he pulls such pranks, I believe it’s a trial he’s bestowing upon us.”

Rize replied with a bright smile. Wrapped in pleasant words, it’s essentially reached a level of enlightenment.

The results of overcoming those trials led to the current Gwonseong. While the low points are rock bottom, the high points can puncture the sky.

“So, what can the Saint do with faith? Gaia has healing abilities, and Gulrak enhances abilities.”

“Both are possible. However, both are a bit vague. Healing abilities enhance personal regeneration, and ability enhancement raises potential limits.”

“······Could you explain it more simply?”

“When Gaia’s believers use healing abilities, I need to perform medical practices alongside it, and when Gulrak’s believers enhance physical abilities, I need to do weight training.”

That’s one of the main features of Chaos. Didn’t I just mention that the individual player’s stats will increase?

Accordingly, even the characters controlled with extreme precision will see their stats rise. Chaos is entirely focused on the ‘individual.’

Even if the peak is high, the efficiency and convenience are atrocious, which is one reason it’s rated as a trap.

“I have plenty of Divine Power, so I don’t usually need energy to heal common injuries. A disinfectant potion is enough. However, I am steadily increasing my physical capabilities.”

“Can you raise someone else’s abilities?”

“I can, but there’s a problem with boosting the enemy’s abilities.”

Unlike other games, the priests in the Soul World can heal others but can’t boost their stats.

Even a believer of Gulrak can only enhance another believer, and if they tried with an ordinary person, they’d end up sizzling from Lightning.

At least Chaos is an exception; as Rize mentioned, increasing the enemies’ stats is the biggest variable.

“Demons are an exception, though. While Chaos is fickle, he has a complete adversarial relationship with demons. So if it’s just demons, you can use it without worries.”

“What happens if you use it on a demon?”

“Basically, they start to burn. Demons lack ‘color,’ so they vanish like paper burning away.”

That’s one reason Rize is a hard counter against demons. Demons are highly vulnerable to Sacred Power, which is essentially life itself.

If they are exposed to Sacred Power, their flesh burns as if hit by phosphorus rounds, and the only way to extinguish it is to sever the affected area.

One might argue that this makes dealing with them too easy, but demons have astonishing regenerative capabilities.

Since they don’t possess life, the rules that should apply to living beings don’t apply to them, allowing them to regenerate even if their heads are severed.

It’s no coincidence that ‘undead’ are minions of demons. Still, it’s comforting that it consumes a lot of magical power.

Weaknesses are also very clear, allowing for easy strategies if one can identify the demon’s vulnerabilities.

‘Most ordinary demons would probably be annihilated by just releasing Sacred Power.’

Just by Rize releasing Sacred Power in all directions, the weak demons would disintegrate into dust.

Only demons above the indigo threshold would hold out, but they too would suffer considerable damage.

“Just in case, I should mention that Brother Sivar doesn’t necessarily have to become a priest. Like I mentioned before, those chosen by Lord Chaos are at a crossroads. My duty is to help them walk the right path. I chose the duty of a priest, which is why I can use Sacred Power smoothly.”

“That······ means Sivar could also become muscular like Rize just now?”

Eli cautiously chimed in. It seems that the previous muscular Gwonseong mode left quite an impression.

Just to clarify, I have no intention of becoming muscular. To be precise, even if I wanted to, it would take ages.

Rize, perhaps thinking similarly, smiled and replied.

“It is possible, but it will take a while. I’ve gained this body by accumulating Sacred Power over decades of pilgrimage. Moreover, what Sivar needs is ‘body’ not ‘heart.’ So, it’s not urgent.”

“Phew······”

After hearing Rize’s explanation, Eli let out a sigh of relief. Just her action of smoothing down her ample chest drew attention.

“Why are you relieved? I think it’d be cute if he became a muscle giant. Not your type?”

Kara teased, noticing Eli’s reaction. There was certainly enough room for that misunderstanding.

Eli, realizing that only later, appeared a bit flustered. Her golden eyes seemed lost, darting around.

“Th-That’s not it! It’s just that if he gets bigger, it’ll be hard to hug him!”

“··· ···”

“Eli······”

At least from my viewpoint, it’s a response that warms my heart. Not that it matters for others.

Kara’s smile faded and turned into a straight line, while Luna shot her a sharp glare.

Eli, upon realizing she made yet another slip of the tongue, started to blush. Then she began to glance at me cautiously.

“······ I’m feeling a bit strange.”

I heard Kara’s mumble, but I brushed it off. Right now, Eli’s reaction was just too entertaining.

People typically blush when their true feelings are exposed. Eli was no exception.

Meanwhile, Rize softly smiled and tossed out a not-quite-a-joke.

“It’s cozy. I was curious how Brother Sivar suppresses his true nature… but it seems Eli is wrapping him in love.”

“Y-Yeah? L-Love?”

Eli jumped up, shouting. Her face was bright red, almost as if it were ripe.

I was so tempted to poke her cheek with my finger to see if red liquid would drip from it.

“Not that kind of love, you goof. I’m talking about a familial relationship.”

Kara interjected crisply, clearly dissatisfied with the situation.

Rize didn’t say much else, merely maintaining her cheerful smile. Rod simply sipped his tea.

Luna… seemed to be deep in thought. Did she pay close attention to Rize’s words?

“Well, it wouldn’t hurt to check. A healthy body fosters a healthy mind, and improving the body is always beneficial. Right, Brother Sivar?”

“?”

“Could you stand up for a moment?”

What does she want to do? I was puzzled for a moment but then complied and stood up.

As much as I’d like to lean on Eli’s chest for a lifetime, that’s not something that can last forever.

Once I stood up, Rize began to walk and pointed to a spot next to the table.

“Then excuse me for a moment. Just checking, so I hope no one misunderstands.”

Following Rize’s lead and moving to the indicated spot, she then began to feel around my body.

It was less like a caress and more like a process of checking. It felt strangely ticklish yet oddly uncomfortable.

Limbs, abs, chest, buttocks, neck, shoulders, and more. She checked every single place where there might be muscle.

“This is······ quite······”

For some reason, Rize’s calm expression gradually transformed into excitement. Her face flushed as she occasionally exhaled audibly.

She looked like an artist discovering a masterpiece. Now she was even rechecking the parts she’d already felt.

How long did she take to pet my body like that? Rize gazed at my face, her flushed cheeks revealing her excitement.

“Really… truly a perfect physique…!”

“······?”

“It’s truly hard to find such a perfect body…! Brother Sivar, what in the world are you? You have a physique like someone sculpted by hand…!”

What about it? I know my body is sturdy, but it’s nothing compared to the Gwonseong mode you mentioned.

It wasn’t just me with those thoughts. Even Rod, seemingly taken aback, asked in disbelief.

“You’re not in a position to say that, are you? When it comes to bodies, you’re way better.”

“I’m not ‘natural,’ am I? But look at Brother Sivar. A body that’s been honed to the extreme from nature! It’s truly beautiful. I wonder who his parents are to have given birth to such a being.”

Rize was getting more and more excited, almost like a pervert. Thank goodness she’s in Saint mode right now.

If she had that expression in Gwonseong mode… Oh boy. I don’t even want to imagine that. It’s truly horrifying.

“Excuse me, but… could you also take off your clothes? Just to check.”

“No.”

I definitely don’t want to deal with perverts. I immediately rejected Rize’s suggestion and headed back to the sofa.

As soon as I returned to the sofa, I nestled against Eli. That woman is scary in many ways.

“I’m just joking. Can you come back here? I have something to check.”

Rize said that like it was a joke but politely asked me to return to the spot. I wished it wasn’t a joke.

I reluctantly left Eli’s side and went back. Just then, Rize plopped down on the floor.

That was already surprising enough, but then she leaned down, propping her right arm up, and said,

“I’m curious if you’re fully utilizing that body. Do you know what arm wrestling is?”

Of course, I know what it is. I’ve seen Kara and Luna do it from time to time.

Following Rize’s request, I laid down on the floor. As I did so, I found myself staring directly into Rize’s face.

Moreover, my chest was smushed down, almost as if it were being baked. Rize seemed unbothered by it at all.

Crack!

“Hmm. Your grip is definitely impressive.”

As soon as we clasped hands, Rize smiled contentedly and complimented me. I stared straight at her face.

At least in Saint mode, I thought I might be able to win. Saint mode Rize is heavily focused on faith.

Crack, crack!

“Ughhh…!”

That thought was shattered precisely 30 seconds later. With Luna’s declaration of “Start!” and me attempting to push, it meant nothing.

I was trying my best to push through, yet Rize didn’t budge, like a tree with deep roots.

In fact, she wore a perfectly calm expression. Thanks to that, I was the one looking flustered.

Crash!

“······Huh?”

The moment I relaxed my strength to recharge, my arm went over, crashing down to the ground with enough force to create cracks.

I gazed at my hand, which felt slightly numb, then turned to look ahead. Rize stood, smiling casually.

“No matter how excellent your physique, it means nothing if you don’t know how to use it. Isn’t that what they call a pretty-looking useless fruit?”

“··· ···”

“Arm wrestling doesn’t just use forearms, biceps, and triceps, you know? Brother Sivar, you must also engage your back muscles.”

After hearing that, I realized something.

“I’ll teach you soon. How to use that body properly.”

The very essence of a gigantic ‘wall.’

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