Second floor

[You have completed the {Chosen Undead} Quest]

[You have received the {Chosen Undead} Title]

[A Legacy Quest has been given to you upon completing the Quest]

[Upon completing the Legacy Quest, your existence will be completed]

{One Promise}

[Quest Stage: 1.1]

[Quest Completion Goal: Climb the Tower]

[Quest Current Objective: Reach 10 values on all Stats]

[Quest Total Completion Reward: Completion of your Existence]

A series of windows assaulted the tired, deadfish eyes of the Chosen Undead who had returned after completing yet another rerun with the Founder within the simulation.

'.....'

"Oi~! That was a wonderful fight, Chosen Undead!"

"Thanks…"

Gerfrie sensed something was wrong with the Chosen Undead, as he wasn't exactly jumping with joy after his hard-earned victory.

"What's wrong? Not happy with how it ended?"

"...Yeah, you could say that."

Gerfrie sighed with a helpless expression. He misunderstood again, but this time it wasn't has easy to pick up than the last time.

"Anyway, you should be done on this floor, right? Let's move upward then."

"Oh, alright."

The Chosen Undead finally paid attention back to the windows that kept going to now.

[Due to your tenacity, the Stat Willpower has been generated]

[Due to your accomplishment of defeating the Soul of Undeath while being underleveled, he has given the Chosen Undead a gift]

{The Chosen Undead has received the Skill, Your Flame}

[An extra reward has been given by an unknown person]

{The Chosen Undead's Skill, Dark Impulses, has been reinforced into the Skill, Dark Heart}

[You have completed the Floor Advancement Quest]

[You can now ascend into the second floor]

[Will you ascend?]

Several windows caught his eyes, so he inspected it before going through with the floor ascension.

[Unable to fully comprehend Skill, Dark Heart]

[Showing the Chosen Undead an Overview of the Skill]

{Dark Heart}

[Skill Overview: A blessing from someone to wish your journey well]

[*Hidden Skill Acknowledgement of Greed: Converts your Greed into the highest Stat while lowering all other Stats]

{Your Flame}

[Skill: Passive/Active]

[Passive Effect: Grants the Chosen Undead the Regeneration Buff and increases Stats based on lost Health]

[Active Effect: Upon Skill activation, the Chosen Undead can choose one Stat or Skill to be enhanced. The Enhancement effect is based on the conversion of other Stats or Skill Level and can be permanent (Stats are counted as 1 and Skill Level is counted as 10)]

[*Tip: There are Hidden Effects to this Skill, this Skill can be Leveled up]

{Willpower}

[Passive Effect: Increases all of your Stats when you manifest your Willpower (value equal to Stat's value)]

Seichi smiles at the progress he just gained. He nodded, satisfied with it, but it was also to distract his mind from another problem.

"I wish to ascend the Tower."

[The Chosen Undead has agreed to move up]

[Transporting the Chosen Undead to the Second Floor]

......…

[Second Floor, First City]

A church in the middle of the city was glowing bright lights as a summoning ritual comes to its final stages.

"Be at ease, everyone."

A priestess with golden hair and a pure white veil over her face walks to the front. Her robes were of gold and purple, the signature clothes of the clergy from the God of Wisdom church.

The light fades from the circle, and in the middle was someone they were most surprised to see.

"A… child?" One clergy said.

"......."

The said child is Seichi Kurotachi, who's ascended to the second floor.

"Do not be rude, Richard. He is the one that has responded to our summoning, so be respectful."

"But… a child? What is our luck?"

The priestess doesn't say anything to it, but just sighs as she feels the same as the clergy Richard.

[Your abilities are doubted by the clergy of the church of the God of Wisdom, Sogthoth]

[Prove your ability or make a favorable impression if you wish to receive your Floor Advancement Quest]

The first roadblock was offered to Seichi, and his eyes narrowed with a frown on his face.

"Hey… I don't want to be rude, but where am I?''

"Oh, I apologize, oh summon one. My name is Agnes, I am the head priestess of this church dedicated to the God of Wisdom, Sogthoth. This is the central church in the Penthovia region."

The head priestess, Agnes, who's a blond, gorgeous, curvaceous woman with a youthful appearance from the looks of it. Her robe was on the tighter side, but still leaving some for the imagination, though it leaves none for her beautiful mounds. Seichi felt nothing though, as he stared at her white veil with curiosity to see her face.

"I am Seichi Kurotachi, Class Chosen Undead, may I be of service to you."

The words he said did make quite an impression for the clergymen, and more so for Agnes.

"Chosen… Undead. Summon one, did you say, Chosen Undead as your Class?"

"Yes…? Is that perhaps something you despise?"

"...Everyone, leave this room at once."

When the clergymen heard the head priestess' order, they moved to exit the room as orderly as possible. Once only the two of them are inside, Agnes lets out a sigh for something within her.

"I… am shocked. Are you truly what you say you are?"

"Yes… at least, I think I am."

"You think… then, let me confirm it as a reality. If you tell no lies, then do not intervene."

Agnes reaches a hand out towards Seichi, and a purple light manifests and envelopes her hand. A window suddenly appeared in front of Seichi, informing him of what Agnes intended to do.

[Head Priestess of Wisdom, Agnes, wishes to view your Status Window]

[You are capable of canceling her attempt]

[Will you cancel?]

'...No.'

[Agnes will now view your Status Window]

"Hmm… Huh?!"

Agnes suddenly stepped back, as she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Y-You… are a Chosen Undead."

"Alright, so?"

"I…"

Agnes was left at a lost for words, but she soon calmed down as she coughs to clear her throat.

"Excuse me, dear Chosen Undead, may I call you Seichi?"

"Sure."

[You have made an appropriate impression]

[Your Floor Advancement Quest will now be given]

"I'm sorry to have doubted you. But, I won't waste your time any longer. I hereby request of your aid, we of the Followers of Wisdom seek your help as our Region Champion. Your goal will be to function as our weapon, and I your Master. I won't be unreasonable, and will hold your interest with utmost care as I am allowed by my God. I hope you will cooperate."

Following her request, a window appears to shorten what she'd said.

{Pawn in a Game}

[Quest Difficulty: C-S]

[Quest Goal: You are offered a contract as a Region Champion by the Followers of Wisdom of the Penthovia region. You will become the weapon of the head priestess, Agnes, and function as her weapon and chess piece within a game to dominate]

[Quest Objective: Complete your function as a chess piece to the Followers of Wisdom]

[Quest Completion Reward: 50 EXP (MINIMUM), a favor from the Followers of Wisdom (OPTIONAL)]

Looking at the Quest window, he nodded and turned to Agnes to accept.

"Alright, I will become your region's champion or whatever."

"I am glad, thank you for your cooperation, Chosen Undead."

Agnes smiled at Seichi's somewhat nonchalant acceptance.

"Then, first you'll be introduced to your colleagues, we've summoned two others prior to you. I hope you three will be able to cooperate with each other during our operation."

From one request to another, Seichi was getting irritated more and more. Agnes fumbled a little when Seichi showed a dissatisfied expression, and she nervously coughed to get rid of some of it.

"U-Uhm, if you don't like to work in groups then I'm perfectly fine with sending you on missions alone. Would that satisfy you?"

"Whatever, I don't really care."

The atmosphere was kinda weird, and it was strange seeing an adult woman being somewhat terrified and retracting from a young child who's not even close to twice her age.

......…

"Here we are, I hope you find our abode comfortable and to your liking."

"..."

Seichi was led to the dormitory on the left side of the church site. It's a large, shared bedroom place with two candle lit chandeliers above. Since it's night, the chandeliers were only able to light up the room partially, while the moonlight shining through the window did the rest.

"We have a lot of spare beds, so pick whichever you like that's not occupied."

Agnes smiled as Seichi made his way in. The other people inside were all asleep, since it's really late with the silvery moon high in the sky.

Seichi makes his way to the nearest bed, and sets the Lost Sword beside him on the same bed.

"I hope you have a good night's rest. I'll return in the morning to wake you up for your first mission."

Without further words, Agnes closes the door and leaves. Her fading steps from the dormitory building made Seichi calm down a little.

'I'm not used to interacting with people…'

Seichi couldn't lie down and rest, because of the Undead's inherent Racial ability he won't be able to sleep. He could lie down and shut his eyes, but it wouldn't make a difference since he'd be counting the seconds away.

'What a waste…'

So, instead of resting, he snuck out of the place through the door. The moonlight being his only light, he made his way to a clearing of the church's site. It was far from the dormitory and the other buildings, and had a tree as well.

'......'

[Activating Your Flame]

[Converting 20 Strength values to 2 Skill Levels for Burst Instinct]

Remembering something Gerfrie had said, Seichi wields his blade and begins to reimagine his three fights. The bullies, his first nightmare, the Grave Corpse, his second hurdle, and the Soul of Undeath, his beginning.

'Remember, Chosen Undead. You won't grow if you just stubbornly rush at your death. That will only tire you out of your mind fuel. What you should do instead, is train. Train in the sword, that is what you should do for now. Start by summarizing your challenges, face them with something new, something different about them, or take a different route in defeating them.'

He slash, he thrust, he utilizes every part of his body in a combo of attacks. It looked clunky, his movement as dragged out and full of openings as possible. His wide slashes, his thrusts that puts his balance in jeopardy, his wobbly stances, and not to mention his awkward positioning of the blade.

'...I'm not used to training like this.'

He's shadow fighting, which Gerfrie has referenced him trying out in his free time. However, the little boy who hadn't fought once in his life until recently was of course going to have a hard time. His battle experience was only specialized on one enemy, on a wider spectrum then he's practically a novice. He's a specialist, one that specializes in dying and retrying multiple times just to beat his one enemy.

It's inefficient, and would be so repetitive that it'd kill him mentally. But, it is the only thing he knows how to do. It is a flawed mindset.

'.......Tch.'

Seichi clicks his tongue and stabs his sword down into the ground. He stands, breathing heavily from tiring himself out needlessly.

'It's hard… I don't know what I'm doing.'

Instead of resuming, he does something else. He trains his muscle with a simple repetitive sword swing training, learning to control the swing and what direction it would take. He also learns of this from Gerfrie.

And so, for the remainder of the nighttime, he trains his muscles with that method.

......…

Grueling, repetitive, mind numbing training that spans for hours without rest. Since his body is practically always in tip top shape when out of combat, he trained until the first light of dawn greets the corner of his eyes.

"Hah… haha…"

He laughed a little at his inhuman determination, and sat down back against the tree.

"Damn… I sweat like a dog.''

It was previously an insult, but now he sees it as an appropriate thing to call himself as. He crossed his legs and put his sword on his lap. A smile spread across his face as he looked at his result.

[Your Strength has increased to 36]

[The Achievement {Thrice the Number} has been given for your dedication]

[Strength is further increased by three times]

[Your Strength has increased to 108]

'......'

A little bit overkill to be honest.

'Alright, let's tone the Strength down a little.'

Even he, who has little intelligence, was able to tell that this was a little bit too absurd of a number gap.

"What Stat should I convert it to…? Or maybe I'll convert it to Skill Level?"

He remembered Your Flame can be Leveled up, but he couldn't see the Level section anywhere so he doubts it can be done casually. Dark Heart is a mystery to him, so that leaves Burst Instinct, his only Skill that has a Level concept to it.

'...Nah, I guess it is Stat in the end.'

His Stat gap was a little bothersome to say the least.

[Permanently converting 32 Strength values to Dexterity values]

[Permanently converting 24 Strength values to Agility values]

[Permanently converting 12 Strength values to Intelligence values]

He spread Strength Stats to some that he feels would be of use to him the most. And, following the increase in Intelligence, he was able to think more clearly all of a sudden. This made him re-evaluate the distribution, and replace some things

[Permanently converting 10 Dexterity values to Vitality values]

Now, his Stats were a little bit more spread out.

{Statistic}

Strength: 40

Dexterity: 28

Agility: 30

Vitality: 16

Magic: 6

Intelligence: 18

Faith: 6

Willpower: 1

Most of his Stats are now double digits.

'Haha, what a good day.'

Progress is something like a drug to the young Seichi.

'But… what is this uncomfortable feeling?'

Slowly, his body felt kinda hot and shaky.

[Alert! Sudden Stat increase has forced your body into an Overheat Status]

[You will experience some pain for the following minutes]

'What… Overhea– argh!'

Like the windows had warned, his body suddenly cramped up everywhere and his body heat skyrocketed out of the blue.

"Kuh… damn fucking… shit!"

He squirmed around, every fiber and cell in his body roaring out in pain as he too screamed along with them.

"Ahhhhhggggggghhh!"

His eyes became unsteady, and he lost consciousness soon after due to his brain being unable to take the heat anymore.

......

A strange boy, I don't know what he's doing.

'Is he… okay?'

From what I heard from the seniors, this boy is a summoned warrior. He is special from what the senior had said, and is probably under direct order of head priestess Agnes.

'He was screaming just a second ago… but now he's sleeping like a log.'

I was poking at his cheeks, slightly ash color his skin tone was. His gray hair was shoulder length, and his face held some femininity to it.

'What a handsome one…'

Unlike the other two previously summoned warriors, who are all women, this one was a man. His body was toned and strong, his body muscles detailed and had a few visible veins, and not to mention his sleeping face was making me want to pinch and tease it all over.

'Should I cast a Flesh Heal on him?'

My name is Beatrice, apprentice rank Priestess of the Followers of Wisdom. I stayed here and trained my Miracles for as long as I can remember. I lived happy, fulfilled each day with just training and good enough food. But now, this boy was making me rethink my fulfilling life.

'I wanna make him my bed companion.'