Chapter 4: Patron

Torin went into the temple next. It was a dimly lit chamber, and upon closing his eyes, he heard a powerful, booming voice. "Boy, open your eyes."

His eyes flipped open instantly, unable to refute the command.

Torin found himself looking at a large pale man with blue hair and a goatee sitting upon a throne of Ice, a giant halberd by his side. His crystalline armour shone a brilliant blue. An endless expanse of space stretched around the platform he and the man were on. Compared to what Daran had said about his patron, the man in front of him exuded experience and wisdom - a far cry from the dense, insensitive deity Daran had described.

"Welcome to the celestial realm, child. Your consciousness has been transported here. I am Glaciaras, Breaker of Ice. One of the 28 elemental deities of this world. You may be in shock, but as you may have realised, you have been transported to a world where magic and monsters exist. With the blessing of us deities, you will be provided with the ability to grow and easily transcend human limits, obtaining power beyond your wildest dreams. If you wish to return to your world, your opportunity will come. But for now, you are advised to stay safe and grow stronger." The pale man who called himself Glaciaras started to drone on in a bored manner.

Torin interjected. "Glacia-Sir, how many-"

"Shut up, I'm giving the mandatory briefing. This is my fourth time repeating this shit so my patience is running low." Glaciaras growled. His aura surged forth, blasting Torin with a cold breeze, silencing Torin. He muttered to himself. "At least I wasn't one of those idiots who chose over 20 children."

"Anyway, congratulations boy, you have become one of my five - No, four selected children." Glaciaras continued. "To survive this labyrinth, do not hesitate to approach us at any temple. Your safety is the utmost priority of us deities." The breaker of ice paused and sighed. "What was it you wanted to ask boy?"

Despite being face to face with a powerful being, Torin was not intimidated. Rather, he was awed by the aura of superiority the deity exuded. Moreover, the way Glaciaras spoke and carried himself reminded him of one of his uncles, who had retired from the military. Upfront and casual, that uncle of his was one of the few people he didn't mind being around. Torin thus had no issue asking for information

"How many elements are there? Since there are 28 of you elemental deities."

"7 elements. 4 deities for each. We all have our specialties." Glaciaras gestured towards his halberd. "I represent the warrior aspect of ice. The other three ice deities are the craftsman, magician and monarch."

He added "So like it or not, selecting me as your patron means that you're destined to live a life of fighting on the frontlines."

Torin has expected that anyway. He tried to pry for more information. "Why were we summoned? Is there some sort of powerful Demon Lord we have to defeat or something?"

"I can't tell you that."

"When will we know?"

"The time will come."

"..."

'Well, that was helpful.'

"So how many of us were summoned?"

"Over a thousand, but only a fraction still live. You humans are less resilient than I thought. Perhaps technological advancement has made your race weak." This wasn't surprising either. The multitude of corpses Torin had come across in his journey to the temple was proof of that. Moreover, the summoned ones were probably freshmen like Torin who had lived sheltered lives, and were unable to protect themselves. Torin subconsciously touched the wound on his head - a reminder of his close shave with death.

Glaciaras noticed Torin's action. "You're one lucky child. If you weren't saved by the other two children, I would have become a laughingstock. At least you were better off than that idiot who died before I could speak to him."

Torin was then reminded of his purpose of coming to the temple - to use the bonus points and get stronger.

"Sir, how do I use the bonus points?"

"Hmph. Calling me Glaciaras would suffice. And just tell me where you want to allocate your points to, and I'll handle it." Glaciaras snorted, as if it wasn't common sense.

Something bugged Torin. 'Bonus points can't be the only way to become stronger right? Can't I just train to improve my strength?' In all the RPG games he had played, it became harder to level up his characters as his stats rose, meaning that eventually his stats would plateau. If the same concept was present in this world, then that meant that his bonus points would become way more valuable in the future.

"Can I train by myself to improve my physical self?"

Glaciaras became intrigued by Torin's question. He thought he had found himself a one of a kind idiot. "I don't see why not."

"Then if I get stronger, will it get harder to level up my stats?"

"Oh?" Glaciaras was pleasantly surprised by Torin's question. It seemed the young one had caught on faster than he expected. He nodded. "Of course, it will get harder to transcend the limits of the human body." He then hinted: "Although mana is something hard to come by."

Torin thought for a moment. "Then I would like to add 1 point to Mana please."

Glaciaras smiled. "It will be done upon your exit of the celestial realm."

Torin then had a revelation. Although he had a system, one of the most important tools of an overpowered main character, he was still lacking one thing: Appraisal. The ability to analyse people and objects. It was an invaluable skill in another world.

"Is there an observation system? A way to inspect the status of others?."

Glaciaras was surprised. "Not for you, boy. Only the gods see everything." He pointed at his own eyes.

"Then is there a way to see the way you do?"

"...?"

Torin rephrased his question. "What can I exchange for your eye?"

"My...eye?"

An awkward silence ensued.

"KUHAHAHAH!"

Glaciaras threw his head back and laughed.

"A mere mortal wants to take on the power of the gods. You sure are an interesting child."

Glaciaras fell deep into thought. "But since your growth would benefit me..."

After what seemed like as few minutes, he hesitantly said. "Your bonus points, where the power bestowed by the gods is used to make you stronger. It can be given in return for the divinity of my eye. Reach the fifth stage of growth. In exchange, all the bonus points you get will be mine. That is the price for the eye of God."

Of course, Torin understood the value of the bonus points, but he believed that the appraisal system was worth much more. It was a widely known cheat after all.

"Deal."

Glaciaras narrowed his eyes. "Boy. Are you sure? It won't be easy without the points."

So far, Torin had yet to see any monsters that posed a serious threat. At worst, he could just farm those low level monsters until he leveled up and got stronger.

Seeing Torin's confidence, Glaciaras sighed. "Very well. It will be done."

[Deal for "Eye of Glaciaras" is proposed. Exchange 120 bonus points?]

Torin accepted the deal, and felt a tingling in his left eye. Glaciaras also put a hand over his left eye, which had started fading away. If he was in pain, the ice god did not show it.

Suddenly, Glaciaras became alert, and turned a lot more serious. "Take this and go." He ordered.

[You have obtained the Blessing of Glaciaras]

[You are now resistant to cold]

[Skill: Ice Magic (I) has been obtained]

Torin was confused, and didn't react. "Huh?"

"Go quickly. Your physical body is in danger."

"Wha-?"

"Close your eyes and leave now, boy." Glaciaras issued a stern warning.

Torin finally grasped the urgency of the situation and quickly shut his eyes, and in an instant, he disappeared.

----

A figure clad in pale blue robes appeared from behind the throne. "How strange it is, to see the stubborn warrior of ice so kind."

"Shut your trap, Icicras."

"To think you would offer up your eye for the sake of the mortal realm."

"I don't want to hear that from the fool who offered up his tongue."

Icicras gave a sad smile, and stroked his beard. "It looks like we're both fools, for believing so much in the impossible."

"I owed him a favor after all. The least I could do is honour his last wish." Glaciaras let out a heavy sigh, and shook his head slowly. "So little time, and so much for the children to do."

He stared into the void. "There is nothing left to do but wait and hope."