Chapter 37 - A High Priest

<p>I stare at the large building in front of me. It was the largest building I had seen so far, obviously not including the shrine or the stadium. In Puria, most human settlements praised six out of the seven Gods, and the Priests were thought to be especially close to them and the mysterious World Lines. Even researching through the Manaphone's library of knowledge, which was like the internet, no one truly knew what the World Lines were, aside from when their Statbooks referenced it.<br/><br/> Tabling the mystery for now, I opened my Statscreen to allow the Level Up animation to play, and surprisingly there was something new with it.<br/><br/> Instead of doubling like usual, a tiny square screen popped up with the characters [10%] inside it. Then, the numbers on both sides decreased until…<br/><br/> Ding!<br/><br/>[EXP: 240/640]<br/><br/> "Ah, the 10% was ten percent of the EXP cost," I mutter to myself. <br/> <br/> I had expected something like this to happen, considering Eniyala had almost matched my Experience requirements at Level 13, while I was only 8. Still, only 640 points was really good.<br/><br/> As if it had heard my thoughts, another chime sounded.<br/><br/>[You gain much less EXP from equal or lower leveled monsters.]<br/><br/> "… Did I just see a balancing change happen? Are the World Lines just developers for the planet? I swear, if this is some novel or something, I would jump out of the pages to attack the author right now."<br/><br/> A few people give me strange looks, and I close everything out except my Stats, checking my Free Stats to hurry up. Ever since I got one point, I've had trust issues. But, sure enough…<br/><br/>[Free Stats: 3]<br/><br/> With a sigh of relief, I step into the doors, looking at the wide area. Just like the shrine, there are large pillows to sit upon, positioned into groups of circles around each other. Several people kneel on these pillows, hands clasped as they pray. In the middle, there are six human statues standing tall and proud in a circle, their backs facing each other. I don't pay them much mind, walking past to reach the back, which had a plain altar set a single stair up. A few men and women in plain, almost raggedy clothes walk around it, tidying around it. Others sit on pillows praying with their arms raised.<br/><br/> However, the one that caught my eye was a middle-aged woman with a flask lounging comfortably on a pillow. She had bright golden eyes that had a certain twinkle to them as she simply watched everyone. Walking up to her, she must have sensed me coming, and turned her head to watch me approach. I give her a small wave, to which she smiles, patting a pillow next to her. "Sit, sit," her warm voice says, and I don't dare to disobey, politely sitting next to her. Despite the flask that reeked of incredibly strong alcohol, the woman only smelled faintly of vanilla, which emanated mostly from her bright orange hair. <br/><br/> Her eyes laid softly on me, without a hint of drunkenness in them as she offered me the flask. I politely decline; while I had a strange way of avoiding hangovers, which clearly transmigrated with me… That didn't mean I hadn't had too much to drink, as the smell itself made me feel a bit sick.<br/><br/> "So, boy, what did you need?" she asks kindly, studying me. I can't meet her eyes; the look feels like it's sucking my soul in, and I had already received enough toying with my soul for two lifetimes.<br/><br/> "I'm looking for a Priest," I reply quietly, fiddling with my fingers. The confidence I had built from the ground up by earning my current strength was gone. I couldn't quite explain it: she didn't seem to have any combat prowess, but I instinctively knew not to mess with her. My right eye glows slightly purple as I activate Analyze, unable to resist any longer.<br/><br/>[Name: Paastia Inteis]<br/>[Age: 32]<br/>[Lv: 47]<br/>[Class: High Priest]<br/>[Health: 59/59]<br/>[Mana: 218/218]<br/>[Stamina: 52/52]<br/><br/>STR: 11 MAG: 56<br/>AGI: 12 DEX: 17<br/>VIT: 11 INT: 69<br/><br/>ACC: 14<br/>DEF: 11<br/>POW: 62<br/><br/>[Skills: ?3-4&&$+¡@ (Unfound), Short Prophecy (Legendary), Condemning Truth (Ultra Rare), High Class Select (Ultra Rare), Appraise (Super Rare), Discern (Rare)]<br/><br/>[Spells: Extreme Heal, Extreme All-Buff…{see more}]<br/><br/> "Holy shit."<br/><br/> Her Instinct and Magic was insanely high, and everything else was only barely better than mine. 'Talk about 'min-maxed' much.'<br/><br/> "Does this young man like what he sees? I didn't take you to be the type of boy to like an older woman."<br/><br/> I turn red in embarrassment when I realize I've spoken aloud. "No, I…"<br/><br/> She shushes me gently. "I'm just fucking with you. My Appraise Skill is much like your Analyze… no, Analyze+? It's quite hard to see." She leans closer, squinting her eyes, before continuing. "Anyways, I assume you're here for your Class Selection? I haven't been asked to do one of these in a long time." She laughs, drawing a few stink-eyes. Ignoring them, she shoves her flask into a pocket of her large coat. <br/><br/> "Alright, take your shirt off so we can get started."<br/><br/> Slightly embarrassed, I begin peeling the upper part of my armor off before her voice cuts into me. "Why are you stripping? Don't you know we're in a Church of the Six Gods?"<br/><br/> I freeze, completely lost now. 'What the hell is going on??'<br/><br/> Paastia begins giggling, and I notice no one pays me any mind even though I am sitting awkwardly, halfway pulled out of the sleeves. I angrily shove my arms back through, getting ready to stand. I had thought she would be better than a normal Priest due to her Class name, but if she wasn't going to do it anyway, there was no point.<br/><br/> Before I can get out, her hand grabs mine, locking me in place. "Relax, relax. I've had my fun. Let me look."<br/><br/> I sigh deeply before giving in, letting her grab my other hand in hers. Her eyes glow brighter before she closes them, and it feels like something is tugging at my very soul. I close my eyes as well as the feeling spreads until it feels as though I'll fly away from my body. It reaches what feels like a climax, and my thoughts itself grow blurry before it stops so suddenly I wonder if it had even happened.<br/><br/> Ding!<br/><br/> Popping up to ease my worries, a few screens in front of me provide simple information. I open my eyes slowly to read them.<br/><br/>[High Class Select has raised the rarities of available Classes.]<br/>[Sword Saint's Sigil has interfered with potential Classes.]<br/>[A new Class has been offered.]<br/>[Please select your Class:<br/><br/>Sword Saint's Disciple (Unfound)]<br/><br/> Out of the corner of my eye, Paastia also opens her eyes. As she does, her vision locks onto the screens in front of me. 'Makes sense,' I think to myself. 'It's about selecting a Class, so the person who unlocked it would reasonably be able to see.'<br/><br/> What I had failed to remember, after being desensitized by Eniyala's lack of a reaction, was that my screen wasn't normal.<br/><br/> I did quickly realize, however, when Paastia's mouth opened wide and let out a shriek with enough volume to split my eardrums open.<br/><br/> "What the fuck is that?!"</p>