17 Chu's powers(2)

-A week earlier-

As usual, Chu Wang was gulping down intense liquor in her run-down apartment.

She recently lost her only means of income, but she didn't regret anything at all.

'Do I really ever want to be happy?' She frowned as her esophagus visibly rejected the burning liquor, and protested with pain.

If she ever felt happy, then that meant that she was wrong.

If she ever felt happy, then that meant that the world wasn't entirely against her, as she always thought.

Her misfortune began at birth, being born in the world's biggest slum, to dirt-poor parents.

Then, they gradually piled on as she grew up alone, without any schooling or security.

However, she persevered.

Some of her coping mechanisms were less healthy than others, but she didn't know better.

However, as desperation struck when she lost her income, she had to further lower her bottom line.

The residents of the slum were often used as lab rats by the richer countries, and unpaid ones at that.

Fortunately for her, she received news of a paid study by an Almanian professor that would not only pay her in money, but also in the hardware and software for a 'game' called Paragon Online.

They operated on a selective basis, and some delegates were holding interviews for the residents.

On that day, Chu Wang did her best, replicating the manners and etiquette of richer women she saw on the communal television as a child.

This strategy worked, and on the day of the launch, she received a cartridge of the game and the exquisite-looking game helmet.

When she entered the game, shock overwhelmed her at the realistic mechanics and graphics of the world.

'The grass is so green....'

This grass looked healthy and lush, unlike the grass in Kowloon, which was very much polluted from the dirtied water of the clothing sweatshops and factories.

When she left the spawning treehouse, she saw a village at the edge of her vision.

________

-Bloemfarm Village, Paragon Online-

In a humble room of a humble inn of this village, a luxuriously dressed man rubbed his glabella.

The wrinkles on his face and the head of grey hair showed his advanced age.

'If that piece of shit Augustine is lying about this, I'll find a way to excommunicate him....' Unlike his kind face, the man didn't have such kind thoughts.

He was a person who normally didn't attend to weak villages and areas like this one.

However, a superior shared some interesting information with him the other day.

The conversation played back in his head, as he tried to analyze the man's intentions and feelings.

"Patrick!" A man greeted him and smiled brightly, flashing his white teeth.

This was Cardinal Augustine, the highest-ranking member of the church beside the Pope.

"Oh, my dear Augustine!" Patrick returned the smile, though it couldn't be any more obvious that it was fake.

"Do you want to hear some juicy rumors that Pope Gregori shared with me?" A cunning glint passed through his eyes.

"The church advocates for a mastery of the art of listening. I am all ears, Cardinal."

"Well, a large influx of immortals are coming to the continent soon."

Earlier, Patrick only wished to listen to please the man, but now, his interest was piqued, and he slightly opened up his slanted eyes.

"They call themselves the players, and from what I've heard, a few of them with a special title, beta-testers have been sighted in the Republic of Savoy...."

"Cardinal, God has given us limited time on earth, why should we blaspheme as to pursue the taboo?" Patrick waved his hand and made up some magnanimous-sounding bullshit on the spot.

"Of course, Patrick, you're very right."

And thus, he returned to the present.

Patrick couldn't get that information out of his mind, and after some quick brainstorming on his part, he immediately recruited some templars and set off for the Republic.

The Republic of Savoy was far away from their position in the Kingdom of Labricia, but there was a reason he so unhesitantly made his way there.

For years, the limitations of his mortal body were becoming more and more visible, and he wasn't talented enough anymore to become stronger and increase his lifespan.

In secret, despite being a 'holy clergyman', the man was researching on the undead and the dark facets of magic to find a clue to immortality.

'Holy shit! Does that fanatic know of my research, and he just wants to corner me!?' Patrick didn't realize the irony of him calling feces holy.

'You want to play that game? Fine. I know all about your 'holy child attendants' anyways...' Patrick grimaced to himself.

In the Kingdom of Labricia, the cardinal wouldn't get in trouble for those disgusting crimes, but he could ruin his reputation everywhere else.

"I'll have you burned at the stake soon, just you se-

"High Bishop!"

"AAA! WHAT?!" Patrick was alarmed and hoped they didn't hear his monologue.

The templar looked at him strangely and stated, "We've found someone who might fit your criteria."

"Oh?" Patrick stood up and followed the templar.

On the dirt streets of Bloemfarm, a woman looked around, seemingly lost.

'She looks like someone from the lands where they worship Kohei..' Patrick smirked as he noted her monolid eyes and facial structure.

He couldn't believe that some people truly thought that a woman could ever be a divine goddess.

"Excuse me? Kind-looking lady?" Patrick called out to her.

The woman turned around, and when he saw her dull and empty eyes, he almost thought he was looking at a lifeless doll, not a human.

"Would you be interested in increasing your strength through the orthodox methods of the church?" He didn't put too much effort into not sounding suspicious.

In a strange turn of events, at the mention of strength, the woman clenched her fists, and a fiery determination replaced her former emptiness.

"Y-you're a player, aren't you?" Patrick observed her reaction.

Chu Wang was surprised that he knew that she was a player, but she concluded that this was a part of the game.

Unfortunately, she wasn't able to make any research on the game outside of the useless pamphlet the professor behind the study sent her.

"Yes..."

Patrick felt excitement flowing through his veins.

All of his earlier experiments ended in failure as the participants died strange deaths, but in the case of an immortal, just what would happen?

"I'll first tell you who we are."

Patrick introduced the templars to her, and the church in the most positive light possible.

Chu seemed suspicious, but her desire to gain an advantage over the other players was too great.

As someone who lost the genetic lottery entirely, she was aware of how much an advantage in the early stages of anything contributed to success.

On top of that, she was just going to sell the game and the hardware when the study ended anyways, so she didn't care if she was involved in a sketchy experiment.

"Follow me then," Patrick was full of smiles.

He left the woman with the templars and approached the innkeeper.

"Man, you said your basement had really good sound-reducing walls, right? How much could I rent it for?"

The innkeeper refused at first, but when he saw a few colorful and pure gemstones on the table, he waved his hands and exclaimed, "I am a generous man, use it for free!"

"Heh.."

"Could you also chase out the restaurant-goers for a second?" Patrick placed a few other gemstones on the table.

"People! I'm closing off the pub and restaurant! Leave now!"

The guests were confused, but they all eventually exited the pub.

At this point, Chu Wang was starting to feel apprehensive towards this entire matter.

However, the grip of the templars on her was getting stronger.

"Mister, may I leave now? I've to do something."

Patrick smirked and 'regretfully' said, "I'm really not sure..."

"Templars, I'll raise your ranks when we go back to Saint-Gregori's Basilica, detain the criminal, and take her down to the basement."

The templars looked at each other through the slits in their helmets and shrugged.

Chu attempted to escape, but the templars of the church were well-trained 'holy' knights, and there was no way a Level 1 would be able to successfully evade them.

And thus, she watched as she forcibly had to drink a strange serum.

When she drank it, an immense pain fogged her mind.

Her body was rapidly losing warmth and muscle mass.

(Race successfully changed to Undead Lich!)

(ERROR: Race system not available.)

(Class successfully changed to Necromancer!)

(ERROR: Class system not available.)

(FRAMEWORK ERROR.)

(COMPUTING POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS. PLEASE WAIT.)

(Class successfully changed to Necromancer!)

(You died!)

A flood of notifications appeared on her screen, but they all disappeared when two buttons, 'Log-out', and 'Respawn' filled her field of vision.

At that moment, Patrick looked like he had aged a few years.

The experiment seemed to go successfully, and the woman was acquiring undead traits, but then, she suddenly...disappeared.

*Tsssssssss*

The sound of glass breaking brought him back to reality.

On the ground, a magenta liquid was spreading everywhere.

Patrick fell to his knees.

That liquid was the result of a long, painful crusade, and now, it was all gone.

He looked at the templar that caused the accident, and screamed, "WHY DO YOU NEED EYES IF YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE PROPERLY?!"

The two skinny fingers of the high bishop inserted themselves into the slits in the helmet of the templar, and blood began flowing.