Chapter 75

Luna may not excel in many areas, but she is confident about one: her physical strength.

Coming from a rural background where farming was the only proper job, the activities were predominantly physical, unlike in the city.

Moreover, Luna is an orphan. Thanks to the love of the townspeople, she grew up to be a decent person and lent a hand whenever needed.

From basic farming to milking cows, repairing buildings, and miscellaneous tasks, she gradually built up her strength.

On top of that, her master even started her on basic physical training, so her fitness level is considerably better than that of other students.

One might say her impressive mental fortitude is rooted in her physical prowess. After all, mental strength thrives when supported by physical strength.

‘I’m dying…’

But that confidence was shattered completely after yesterday’s training with Rize. Luna trudged along, lost in her thoughts.

There wasn’t a single part of her body that wasn’t sore. Her limbs ached all over, particularly the back of her thighs, which hurt the most.

Doing push-ups and sit-ups was hard enough, but squats were a whole different level. Even a slight deviation in posture meant starting all over again from the beginning.

Especially, quick reps were a big no-no. Each rep had to be done with perfect form to ensure the proper stimulus.

‘At least it’s a once-a-week test…’

The mere thought of having to do it again was dismal. Who knows how long this muscle soreness will last?

For now, she was barely holding it together, but it was tough to collect her thoughts.

“Are you okay?”

It must’ve been serious for Sivar to ask with genuine concern. Usually, it’s someone else who asks.

That meant Luna looked close to being a zombie. Just walking was a monumental task, to say the least.

Luna awkwardly smiled and replied to Sivar’s question. It was painfully exhausting, but she was fine.

“Yeah. I’m okay.”

“Really?”

*Poke!*

Sivar lightly prodded Luna’s arm with his finger to check. It was a feather-light poke.

But unfortunately, that area hurt as much as her thighs.

“Ugh!?”

The unique scream that escaped Luna as Sivar touched her was alarming. The problem was the pain that followed.

Startled, the other muscles reacted, and that shockwave of muscle soreness swept through her entire body.

Was this what it felt like to taste hell in a blink? Luna barely managed to prevent herself from collapsing onto the floor.

“Ugh…”

“Looks like it really hurts. Hey, Sivar? Don’t pull stunts like that again.”

“Sorry.”

Well, an apology was good enough.

Luna accepted Sivar’s apology—called out by Kara in the process—internally forgiving him.

Honestly, whether he apologized or not, she was in too much pain to even think about it. She just hoped this agony would ease up soon.

‘What am I gonna do about today’s practice…?’

The morning classes were one thing, but the afternoon practice was the real issue. Would she be able to hold on until then?

“Are you alright?”

At that moment, a strange man’s voice reached her ears. Luna slowly lifted her head.

As she looked up, her eyes fell upon a combination of white and gold attire—typical dress for a priest.

The man’s appearance was rather average, but his brown eyes glinted with determination.

He was the priest assigned to their group. She remembered his introduction but hadn’t paid much attention.

“Yes… I’m fine…”

“You don’t look fine at all. Is something hurting?”

The priest firmly refuted Luna’s response. It was clear to anyone that her condition wasn’t great.

She figured telling a white lie wouldn’t mean much, so she decided to be honest, omitting any mention of Rize.

“I overdid it with exercise yesterday… Just some pretty bad muscle soreness.”

“Oh, I see. By any chance, has your urine been red or black?”

“No, it hasn’t gone that far.”

Luna guessed what the priest was worried about. Rize had warned about this too.

The phenomenon where muscles literally begin to melt away, resulting in severe damage. Furthermore, it could lead to kidney failure.

“That’s a relief. If it does become unbearable, you can always head back. I know it feels inadequate to say, but there’s really no medicine for muscle soreness.”

“I-I’m fine. It’s not that bad.”

It was because of Sivar’s teasing that she was in this state, but she wasn’t at the point of needing to return to the dormitory. As long as nobody touched her, she’d be okay.

“What do you mean there’s no medicine for muscle soreness? Aren’t you a priest serving Gaia?”

Grace spoke up, bewildered by the priest’s explanation. As she rightfully said, priests were followers of Gaia.

Gaia’s biggest trait is her healing abilities. So, Luna’s pain should be easily remedied with those powers.

But it seemed the priest disagreed, shaking his head.

“Well, that’s true, but for muscle soreness caused by training, it’s generally better to leave it alone unless it’s urgent. It actually leads to increased efficiency.”

“Increased efficiency?”

“Yes. First of all, Gaia’s healing ability is indeed what you think it is. To explain in more detail…”

The priest explained that healing abilities act like a protective barrier until all injuries are fully healed.

Although the human body inherently possesses regenerative capabilities, it’s quite slow. Healing abilities can help maximize that potential.

However, bad things can happen before that healing occurs, making it more of a ‘patch job.’ And once regrowth is complete, that patch disappears.

“The complex fracture treatment method invented by the advanced surgeons of Santius is derived from this. They insert metal rods to stabilize the bones and, once healed, they remove them later.”

“What does that have to do with muscle soreness?”

“Muscle soreness causes pain during the process of muscles being damaged and regenerating. The regenerated muscles will remember that pain and intensity, becoming stronger than before. However, healing abilities remember the pre-injured muscles and layer over them, making it all ineffective.”

“So the healing abilities aren’t all-powerful after all.”

Grace remarked with an intrigued expression. Gaian healing powers are always regarded as top-tier everywhere.

Especially for priests ranked Cardinal and above, they can even heal severed limbs. While this might be a bit exaggerated, it speaks volumes about their capabilities.

“Only the gods can govern all-powerfulness. If someone like us could do that, the world would be far more chaotic.”

The priest answered with a warm smile, adeptly navigating his words, which might’ve been taken poorly by some listeners.

Grace seemed to realize her faux pas and cautiously attempted to apologize, which the priest graciously accepted.

“Can you go?”

“…Maybe.”

Luna was at death’s door from muscle soreness, but the priest’s explanations barely registered in her ears.

At least he gave her some painkillers, which made it slightly more bearable. Without that, she might have considered returning to the dormitory.

Another student would have asked for permission to leave, but Luna bore the pain with her steadfastness and diligence.

Some might call her foolish or stubborn, but it was Luna’s strength.

“Before we start, has anyone visited the church or shrine?”

Before entering a museum-like building, the priest looked around at the group and asked.

Only one person raised their hand: Kara, a devoted follower of Gulrak.

She visits the academy’s shrine weekly on weekends to make offerings.

The priest noticed Kara, who stood out among the others, and exclaimed as if realizing something.

“Considering your skin tone, you must be of the Tartar lineage. Doesn’t Tartar have Gulrak as its state religion?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Did you notice any differences between the academy’s shrine and Tartar’s shrine?”

“Only the appearance is different; the shrines themselves seemed quite similar.”

Indeed, the altars varied in shape and size, but their effects were no different.

The priest seemed to expect this answer, nodding as he began to explain.

“As you said, the gods prefer substance over form. What truly matters is sincerity and heart. If you all keep that in mind, you’ll be favored by the gods.”

“…”

Sivar made a somewhat bored face at that remark. Some people don’t want God’s favor but ended up receiving it anyway.

Moreover, the authenticity of that favor, in Sivar’s case, was highly doubtful, especially since it came from Chaos.

Seemingly oblivious to Sivar’s mood, the priest smiled gently and entered the building.

The group silently followed him inside.

Except for one person, Sivar, who was suddenly drawn in another direction.

While the others moved along behind the priest, Luna was too absorbed in her muscle pain to notice, and Kara chatted with Grace, momentarily distracted.

“Those interested in mythology probably know that a rainbow appeared in the beginning. The colors mixed into this rainbow are termed the light of life. It is through these colors that we can possess life.”

“And if these colors didn’t exist?”

“We’d become soulless beings like demons. To combat that demon, over there…”

The priest was pointing behind him when he suddenly went silent. The group turned to see what had caught his attention.

There stood Sivar, holding what appeared to be an item.

It was about the size of a small wooden stick and bore a similarity to the academy’s monument.

The priest gasped upon seeing it and exclaimed.

“Hey, you! What do you think you’re doing? Put that down right now!”

His voice echoed in the museum-like building, ringing loudly.

Was he startled by the echo?

*Snap!*

Startled, Sivar lost grip and shattered the item he held.

Just by squeezing it in his hand, the solid stone broke cleanly.

“…”

“…”

A heavy silence hung between the group. Sivar, caught off guard, was wide-eyed, glancing nervously.

He looked like a puppy that’s just realized it did something wrong. However, Sivar was no puppy.

He quietly set the shattered piece of the monument back where it belonged, carefully adjusting it, fearing it might crumble again.

*Rumble…*

But what could a broken stone accomplish? Even if he forced it together, it would just fall apart again.

“…”

Sivar started glancing around again.

He might not know exactly what he did wrong, but he certainly knew he’d done something.