The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 13

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Fire

[ – 1.0.0 Update Complete – ]

An update?

Main contents of this update:

– ‘Faith’ system added

– Character balance adjustments

– Bug fixes and optimization

I steadied my trembling heart.

Antonio was still standing in front of me. If I showed any careless behavior…

I put on a smile.

“Then I shall prepare dinner. If there’s anything that doesn’t suit your taste, please let me know.”

“It’s fine. What importance could personal preferences hold when walking a path bearing such a glorious mission? I’m always grateful for Brother’s hard work.”

“Ascetic, I am your tool, so please don’t worry about it. It’s all for God’s sake, so what could I not do?”

Ah…

The word “tool” made me very uncomfortable, but it wasn’t the right timing to address such things yet.

‘Right, a little more… after I become more stable. Then I’ll start fixing the believers’ mindset.’

If I had brought this up during dinner, I might have gotten indigestion.

Maybe some newly interpreted scripture… or I could write new scripture altogether. Something like ‘The Right Mindset Believers Should Keep’ or whatever.

“Then I shall go offer my prayers.”

Using prayer as an excuse, I headed to the backyard with unusually quick steps.

From what I observed all day today, hardly anyone comes here, and Antonio’s House blocks the Main Road, so there was no chance of me being spotted.

Rustle, rustle.

I couldn’t hide my pounding heart and anxious expression.

Thud.

I knelt down under a large old tree. If Antonio looked at me through the Window, he would only see my kneeling back.

My Adam’s apple moved. With trembling vision, I called up the update information floating beside me.

[ – 1.0.0 Update Complete – ]

Main contents of this update:

– ‘Faith’ system added

– Character balance adjustments

– Bug fixes and optimization

[View Details]

A translucent blue window.

There, the ‘update’ notification was neatly organized…

I got goosebumps. My spine went cold, and I broke out in a cold sweat.

No, more precisely, my heart… felt that way.

‘The fact that they did an update like this means there’s definitely an Administrator tinkering with the system…’

Then the GM of ‘Forgotten Legends’.

In other words, is there a Game Master ruling this world?

‘This world that’s no longer a game…’

‘Is he watching everything I do? Why? For what purpose? Were the Quests milestones for that? Were they meant to limit my choices of action?’

‘Then the occasional reward and Skill loading screens had loading times because he was making direct adjustments?’

‘What if the random roulette rewards weren’t random but thoroughly intended results…’

‘Why did I end up in this place?’

‘No, why wasn’t I thinking about this before?’

Just because my computer crashed, does it make sense that I possessed Sernuan Lumiere, who died in Chapter 1.5?

‘It absolutely doesn’t make sense.’

‘The fact that I was strangely calm, unlike my usual self.’

‘The fact that I’m moving so rationally.’

‘The fact that I possessed someone.’

This couldn’t happen without interference from an absolute being. For instance, a GM or something

[error ■ errorㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇoh no!!!!damn. ■]

I don’t know.

I don’t know…

‘Is this place… not reality…?’

‘Inside a game…’

■

…

[Restarting…]

[Complete.]

*

An update, what strange things happen.

When I mentally selected “View Details,” translucent blue windows filled my vision.

Update Contents:

1. ‘Faith’ system added

2. ‘s defense reduction adjustment

3. Bug fixes:

– Resolved interference issues when using Artifacts

– Fixed problems where the system wasn’t working properly

[Collapse]

There was more text displayed in black. If they’re going to do that, why display it at all?

I grumbled at the unfriendly system.

‘What’s this Faith system about?’

When I pressed the collapse button, the update window disappeared to a corner of my left vision. As the window disappeared, a new window filled my entire field of view.

[Faith System Introduction]

-Faith is a divine resource that can be acquired through specific actions.

-Faith is used to activate powerful techniques or enhance combat and Rituals.

◎Small-scale acquisition

-Inspiring faith through conversations with specific NPCs.

-Defeating sacred enemies or praying at Holy Lands.

◎Large-scale acquisition

Sacrifice: Offering NPCs with high faith or items to a Sacred Altar grants large amounts of faith.

Ritual: Performing specific Rituals charges faith to maximum.

▶Usage

-Consume a certain amount of faith to grant ‘Blessing’ to NPCs who have received ‘Baptism’

-Consume a certain amount of faith to enhance Sacred Relics (Currently enhanceable Sacred Relic: Necklace of Ranoop)

-Consume 1/9 of faith to use ‘Prophecy’

-Consume all faith to use ‘Second Coming’

[Faith: 100]

So that means…

‘Faith is a different currency system from points, and with this I can use other additional effects besides skills bought with points, right? Hmm, well that makes sense. Usually games have both gold and diamonds. If you think about it, faith is gold and points perform the role of diamonds.’

My gamer mindset quickly figured out how to utilize the system.

‘It’s natural for new systems to unlock for players who have grown while progressing through the story.’

Since you can’t unlock all skills when you’re too much of a beginner, the faith system was unlocked because I leveled up skills and gained some believers.

It was actually a patch closer to unlocking a new system rather than an update.

Unknown character defense modifications and bug fixes weren’t immediately important anyway.

‘What I need to think about is the prophecy and second coming parts.’

I could somewhat guess what prophecy was. Well… maybe it’s a skill that temporarily reveals the future? It seemed like it would hint at what events would happen through the status window.

What bothered me most was that ‘Second Coming’ keyword.

‘Second coming of what?’

Usually, second coming refers to the resurrection of God that happens on the last day of the world, doesn’t it? When that God returns to earth, mortals are judged and so on…

Anyway, why is the ‘Second Coming’ keyword, which refers to God’s resurrection on the world’s last day, included here?

It even had the vague specification of consuming all faith to use.

‘Sigh. My faith is probably measly anyway, so let’s not worry about it… What would come from racking my brain about it now.’

I roughly postponed anything related to the Second Coming keyword.

‘It said I can enhance artifacts.’

I took out the necklace that was hanging around my neck, carefully tucked inside my clothes.

‘Necklace of Ranoop. Also known as the Relic of Purification. I already know it gives 2.3 times the ability to those who have been baptized. How much stronger would it become if enhanced?’

Perhaps if I leveled up that Baptism Skill more, the effects might become stronger.

I didn’t know exactly how much “consuming a certain amount of faith” meant, but trying to enhance this Necklace of Ranoop as a test didn’t seem like a bad idea.

With that thought, I was about to press the enhancement button, but hesitation suddenly grew thick.

‘Hmm, usually things explode when enhancement fails, so would this explode too?’

This treatment as a Reincarnated God is essentially thanks to this Relic of Purification… if this disappears, I’m screwed, right…?

‘Since it just says enhancement… it probably won’t fail.’

I gripped the necklace.

[Faith required for enhancement: 100]

Oh no! It’s taking all my measly faith!

I almost cried at the merciless and cruel status window that took all my faith right after the update. But to make a living, I had no choice… I had to enhance…

[Would you like to enhance the Sacred Relic ‘Necklace of Ranoop’?]

‘Y.’

When I selected the confirmation window… an unbelievable amount of light began pouring out from the necklace I was gripping tightly.

I hastily gripped it with my hands to block the light. As soon as the golden light coming through my fingers died down, a fanfare sound played and the status window appeared.

[Sacred Relic: Necklace of Ranoop | +1]

[New Additional Effect: Binding Available]

‘Binding?’

The effect I got from investing 100 faith was a binding effect. I wondered whether I should be happy about this or not.

Anyway, it was already an irreversible effect, so there was nothing I could do about it.

[‘Necklace of Ranoop’ User: Undetermined]

[Would you like to register as user?]

When I registered as the user, the Necklace of Ranoop I was gripping tightly transformed into a sphere of light and seeped into my palm. As it disappeared into my palm like melting snow, the flickering light rays also calmed down.

‘What’s this?’

Even when I felt around my palm and rummaged through my clothes, I couldn’t feel the necklace.

[‘Necklace of Ranoop’ User: Sernuan Lumiere]

It shows up properly in the system window, so it should be fine. More than that, if the binding effect manifests like this, it’s pretty good. The additional option gacha was a success.

I straightened my back and brushed the dirt off my knees.

Ugh.

I finally felt like I could catch my breath. Fatigue washed over me. Today I wasn’t even running around outside like yesterday, but I was tired.

All I did was eat breakfast, transcribe the story onto paper, check the update details, learn about the new system called ‘faith’, and… enhance a Sacred Relic, yet my head was throbbing.

‘What did I even do to be tired… Ugh…’

When I entered the house, there was a delicious smell. Antonio had good cooking skills.

While eating, I asked him as small talk and to satisfy my curiosity.

“Come to think of it, Antonio, where is your daughter? I haven’t seen her in the house at all since that time.”

“Ah, you mean my daughter? I thought it might be uncomfortable for you, Ascetic, so I temporarily left her with the neighbors I know. Originally, since I often go on business trips, there were times I’d pay the neighbors to look after her.”

…Something’s strange.

I’m sure I told him to get along well with his daughter last time…?

Antonio isn’t someone who would completely ignore my words.

Could it be that the bizarre loyalty he shows me pushed aside his paternal love?

Parent and child.

Neglect. Abandonment.

Leaving a sick child behind… no, of course that can happen when work is busy. It can happen, but…

I felt bad.

Very much so.

“I see. I’m worried that I’ve interfered with the intimate time between father and daughter.”

I said with a smile.

With a smile.

“You don’t need to feel that way…”

I cut off his words abruptly.

“No, Antonio. Children should naturally stay close to their parents. Moreover, wasn’t Antonio’s daughter young and severely ill until recently? At times like that, parents should stay close.”

It was behavior uncharacteristic of Sernuan Lumiere… but right now I’m struggling just to maintain this smile.

Smile.

Don’t you know how important a kind smile, confident attitude, clear pronunciation, and solid, trustworthy voice are to a person’s impression?

Screech-

The fork and knife in my hands made an annoying sound as they scraped against the porcelain plate.

“My proxy. Stay with your daughter. I’ll look for some suitable lodging.”

Thud!

As soon as my words ended, Antonio stood up so forcefully that he knocked his chair backward. He put both hands on the desk, bowed his head deeply, then rushed toward me.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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