In E-Rantel, the Church of Destiny's headquarters stood majestically. An area spanning almost half a city block, surrounded by high stone walls, it transformed into a bustling grand compound. Inside, several buildings had been intentionally demolished, leaving a vast open training ground—a battle arena for the God's followers.
Sturdy magical targets were neatly lined up there. Several magic casters stood beyond a horizontal line, chanting spell after spell, training the accuracy of their deadly attacks. Not far away, warriors were divided into small groups, one-on-one or five-on-five, engaged in fierce confrontations. The clang of metal and shouts resonated endlessly, every movement aimed at completely debilitating the opponent. Someone was injured or knocked to the ground almost every second. The sight left Gagaran, Tia, and Tina—along with two other instructors responsible for combat techniques—shocked, even slightly horrified.
"This intensity is nearly equivalent to our assassin training," Tia whispered expressionlessly, her sharp black eyes fixed on a swordsman. The swordsman, though his teammate had fallen and he was now surrounded by four enemies, still refused to yield, his spirit burning fiercely under the pressure.
Tia and Tina, a pair of legendary assassins from the organization [Ijaniya], weren't originally active adventurers. Their mission to assassinate Lakyus had failed, yet fate led them to join Blue Roses at Lakyus's own invitation. Though they were no longer cold-blooded killing machines, their life experiences never faded. Their extraordinary vision and judgment remained as sharp as ever.
Two days ago, these warriors were somewhat restrained during training, hesitant to attack their fellow followers of the God so decisively. But now, everything was completely different. They seemed to have been reborn.
"That's the reason," Tia's gaze shifted to the edge of the training ground. All those injured in battle would immediately be sent to a group of clerics. No matter how serious the wounds, healing magic would restore them in an instant, as if they had never been harmed.
Perhaps it was because they knew that getting injured was no big deal, that fear vanished. After growing accustomed to the pain of injuries and overcoming their phobia of danger, this group's fighting skills improved rapidly. According to the three Blue Roses members' estimations, perhaps within a month, all the knowledge they possessed would be completely absorbed by these warriors.
"Even with the support of cleric abilities, these people's learning capacity is outrageous. Are they truly human like us?" Gagaran, the muscular warrior, couldn't help but frown. She watched a warrior wielding a war hammer deftly employ a Martial Art she had just taught him—a specific Martial Art from this world. An expression of fear mixed with awe clearly shone in her eyes.
It was not easy for ordinary warriors to learn Martial Arts. At least, Gagaran had never heard of a warrior being able to master a new technique in just two days. Not only that, some of the skills the opponents used even seemed far stronger than the Martial Arts she knew—techniques she had never seen before.
Is this what they call the God's blessing from YGGDRASIL? The three Blue Roses members overseeing the training exchanged glances. Their gazes fluctuated slightly, holding a myriad of unspoken questions and thoughts.
At that moment, the sound of approaching footsteps broke their concentration. The Adamantite-tier adventurers' vigilance immediately snapped, instantly locking onto the approaching target.
Gagaran smiled brightly, greeting, "Hi, Lakyus! Your training today seems to have gone well."
"Haha, it's alright. After all, I was a strong Warrior Priest before," Lakyus smiled faintly, a tired yet satisfied smile. Unconsciously, she raised her left hand, and added, "Of course, I also have to thank that person for his help. If he hadn't given me this training item, I wouldn't have gotten such good results."
"That one," Gagaran's and the other two's eyes focused on Lakyus. Besides her distinctive thorny headpiece, a beautiful gem ring now encircled the index finger of her left hand. It was a rare magic item called the [Ring of Sustenance], an artifact that freed its wearer from the need to feel tired, sleep, and eat.
Since Lakyus started wearing it, her daily training intensity was no less than that of the Fate Worshipers on the field. Even Gagaran occasionally saw her training by herself, tirelessly. However, these efforts seemed to be paying off. Before, Gagaran could easily knock Lakyus down with one blow. Now, it took more effort.
At this rate, it might not be long before Lakyus could restore her past strength and become a grand hero once more.
"By the way, how's the Warrior Priest team's training?" As usual, Gagaran inquired about Lakyus's training situation.
Based on the professional positions of the Blue Roses team members, the Fate Worshipers participating in their guidance and training were also divided into several groups. Lakyus was responsible for the Warrior Priest team, who possessed both magic and melee abilities. However, it seemed the God had different arrangements regarding the Warrior Priests' professions, so Lakyus's team usually didn't train at the base, but instead went into the wilderness outside the city for actual combat drills.
"We're training for group battles. His Excellency summoned a large number of monsters to attack us. The clerics not only had to use their magic power accurately, but they also had to engage in close combat when their magic power was insufficient. It was truly exhausting," Lakyus sighed, a shadow of weariness still on her face as she recalled the arduousness of the training. "Perhaps that's why he equipped us with such gear."
Lakyus raised the [Ring of Sustenance] in her hand, and thinking of the entire day's continuous fighting, a bitter smile escaped her.
"Haha!" Gagaran laughed, a smug expression gracing her face. "The more capable you are, the more work you have to do. Wasn't that the role you played in our team before?"
"By the way, are you going out this afternoon?"
"No, His Excellency seems to have some matters to attend to, so we can have half a day off," Lakyus replied, a small relief emanating from her voice.
Inside the quiet base room, after Kael returned all the Warrior Priests from their intensive training, he rested briefly. Kael's mind was already drifting to his next task: going to the Great Tob Forest to capture the Wise Forest King—a rare Magical Beast that could become a valuable asset for Nazarick.
"Who did Enri say was sent? Oh! Now I remember, it was Megan," Kael muttered to himself. He immediately cast message magic to contact the magic caster.
The magical connection took what felt like a considerable amount of time, several tense seconds. About three seconds later, the other party finally responded to his message.
"Is that Megan?" Kael's voice was calm, yet his ear caught something unusual.
"God... God!" Megan's voice was panicked and breathless, clearly not a normal response.
"Hmm, your voice sounds off, what's happening?" Kael felt a bad premonition, a slight doubt flashing in his mind.
"Reporting to the God! We were suddenly attacked by a large number of monsters and are now surrounded by the enemy!"
Monster attack? Kael frowned slightly. The team sent to the Great Tob Forest was chosen directly by Enri. The average level of that team was above LV26—high enough that ordinary forest monsters shouldn't be a threat. This was strange.
Without wasting time, Kael immediately locked onto Megan and the others' position through positional magic, then opened a [Gate]. As he stepped out of the portal, his eyes instantly swept across the entire battle situation.
More than forty Hellhounds, magic wolves, hanging spiders, and various other Magical Beasts surrounded the four Fate Worshipers. Because attacks came from all directions, the four struggled to eliminate them quickly, even with their high levels. They were holding their own, but cornered.
"How strange," Kael analyzed swiftly. Although there were some highly intelligent beasts among Magical Beasts, most of them were mentally deficient. More importantly, Magical Beasts of different races fundamentally would not fight side by side in such harmony.
Unless... someone is controlling them!
"Come out!" After releasing detection magic across the entire surrounding area, Kael immediately found the person hiding in the darkness. Without hesitation, he launched an attack with a magical projectile—an amplified [Magic Missile].
Boom!
The magical beam pierced through the trees and caused a violent explosion that shook the forest. In the swirling smoke and dust, Kael vaguely saw a white shadow fleeing very quickly, and in a blink of an eye, the shadow completely vanished into the depths of the forest.
"Ha! What a surprise!" Kael couldn't suppress a small laugh, a faint smile gracing his lips. Casually, he unleashed a magical attack that eliminated most of the magical beasts surrounding his four followers, freeing them from the encirclement. Without looking back, Kael immediately gave chase in the direction where the mysterious shadow had disappeared.
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