The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 88

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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

[Existing Skill Level-Up Ticket (1 use)]

‘Existing Skill Level-Up Ticket…?’

Considering how much I struggled to raise it by 10 levels, it seemed like a modest and insignificant reward…

‘But isn’t it amazing that it lets me level up a skill that’s become hard to level up next, once without any probability involved?’

Thinking about all the resources that went into upgrading equipment to +12, this much was worth it.

‘Let me keep it for now.’

Around me right now, there were three strong men busily moving pigs around with grunts and heaves. I’d rather not stare blankly into space looking at my status window and get strange looks.

‘Now that I have it, I’m wondering what to level up.’

Should I level up ‘Sanctuary Declaration’ which I’ve been using very effectively recently? Or should I upgrade either Scales or Punishment, which I’ve been sweetly building up believer numbers with through the Scales-Punishment tech tree?

I fell into happy contemplation. Meanwhile, the snow was falling more heavily.

“The blizzard is too strong!”

If there were a Mage, they could have put up a weak barrier around us to preserve visibility and warmth, but unfortunately there was no real Mage here.

Kalebrin was a ‘Sorceress,’ not a Mage. Yelena was naturally a tank-DPS Inquisitor. And I was… a Healer for now?

Would the situation have been a bit easier if I’d brought Cardil? It would have been really comfortable if I’d brought Celestia. Of course, she had work to do first, so that wouldn’t have been possible.

‘I’m still bothered about leaving Cardil behind. I left him to let him rest, but next time I should definitely bring him along…’

Of course, Cardil’s opinion wasn’t considered.

“C-c-cold…”

Kalebrin shivered like a soaking wet kitten after a bath. She was thin, and her jet-black curly hair hung limp from the blizzard, making her look quite pitiful.

I waved my hand in the air. Then appeared the same curved-tip staff I’d used when hunting Taraka.

It wouldn’t help that much, but just being nearby would provide gentle warmth.

There was also the advantage of securing visibility with light in this blizzard.

Kalebrin’s expression softened slightly upon seeing my staff.

‘It’s not as cold as I thought.’

I lifted my clothes slightly to check on Ife in my bosom.

She was fast asleep. Probably hibernating from the cold.

Of course, I didn’t know if spirits chose to hibernate like ordinary reptilian snakes…

Then Yelena shouted.

“Are we going the right way-!?”

Even though she was right behind me, her voice was muffled by the blizzard.

When I turned around, I saw Yelena carrying three pigs with a deeply furrowed brow.

Not wanting to shout loudly like Yelena, I applied Voice Transmission slightly.

“Yes. If we continue straight at this pace, we’ll probably arrive within 15 minutes.”

Even with the snow, even with the perspective changed to a very vivid first-person view, my experience of constantly roaming this area was vivid. I probably knew this vicinity better than the Empire.

Whether due to the defensive sacred items, I didn’t need to frown from the painfully falling snow.

The snow that beat against my skin fiercely enough seemed to be recognized by the defensive sacred items as something to defend against, as it didn’t touch my skin.

Snow was hitting the thin barrier floating like down on my skin and crumbling as it fell into the air.

Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch.

I could hear Yelena’s footsteps as she walked hard through the snow behind me. And soon as she came near me, I could also sense the three headless wild boars she was carrying.

“Ascetic! Are you alright?”

Was she asking if I was okay in this cold?

“Of course.”

I was fine since I was covered in defensive sacred items. I wasn’t even carrying luggage since I was breaking trail at the front.

I pushed through the snow with the head area of my long staff, clearing a path. Soon I could see fire flickering in the distance. I stopped abruptly and smiled at my companions.

“We’ve arrived.”

*

“Wow… I didn’t know the shelter would become so organized in that short time~”

Yelena said while wiping herself with a towel soaked in warm water.

“It’s because there are no injured. It’s all thanks to the Ascetic.”

The Veteran Mercenary who had built this shelter spoke with kind eyes.

“You’re too kind. That this shelter was built like this is thanks to everyone’s merit.”

I was sincere.

I hadn’t expected them to build a shelter with a roof so quickly when they had so few materials. This was probably skill that could be demonstrated because most of the people here were mercenaries.

“But it’s thanks to the Ascetic that everyone was saved.”

“Being able to eat this meat is all thanks to the Ascetic too!”

The shelter, shaped like a large yurt, was very warm with a campfire lit inside.

A large pot was placed over that campfire.

In the pot was Pugru stew cooked mercenary-style, containing Pugru mushrooms, Pugru meat, and potatoes from the remaining food supplies.

“Hahaha!”

“That’s right~ Yes, yes. Thank you- Ascetic!”

“It’s a shame there’s no alcohol!”

“Mercenaries need alcohol to be proper~”

“What can we do, we should just be grateful to be alive.”

With a warm shelter and food, everyone seemed to have relaxed.

‘Yeah~ This is adventure and romance!’

Wasn’t playing RPG games supposed to be about pursuing this kind of romance? On ‘rest days’ like this, I should try this kind of romantic thing once in a while.

One of the mercenaries leisurely stirred the stew with a long ladle. Another mercenary skillfully brought plates and was distributing bowls one by one from the side.

If this had been recognized as a food item in the system window, it would probably have been displayed as – Cooked by mercenaries, right?

Performance would be hunger relief and warmth provision… something like that. It probably wouldn’t have bonuses like mana increase or casting speed boost.

While I was having such random thoughts, a bowl was pushed in front of me.

“Come now, Ascetic, please try a bowl. Well, it’s nothing compared to the food you usually eat, but in situations like this, isn’t it better to eat something?”

As if he thought I wouldn’t eat, the Bearded Mercenary’s words grew longer.

“Be… Because the Ascetic hunted twelve Pugru, we have plenty of food. We could probably feast for five straight days and still have leftovers. Haha.”

“I’ll gratefully accept it. It looks delicious.”

It wasn’t a lie. Of course, I was a shameless man who could spout lies without batting an eye…

“Oh, r-really? This… it was made by the best cook among the mercenaries. It should taste good. There’s this perception that mercenaries eat carelessly, but that’s not true. Hahaha. Yes, people who use their bodies need to eat well and heartily, don’t they?”

My character, who had considered starving these physical laborers on one potato for five days, was being put to shame.

“That’s right. You’re someone who understands the importance of food.”

“Hehe. People need to eat to have strength.”

“That’s why it looks so delicious.”

I lifted the bowl I received to show it off.

The mercenary laughed heartily, his beard bristling at my simple compliment.

Despite his muscular body and intimidating armament, he acted like a young child being embarrassed by praise in front of me.

I picked up what seemed like a hastily made wooden spoon. The knife marks were still visible as if freshly carved. I carefully scooped up some ingredients and broth with the spoon and ate it.

“…!”

It was delicious.

Honestly, it was a bit bland for modern people’s taste buds accustomed to MSG, but it was still delicious.

The refined, painstakingly prepared course meals from the Banquet Hall weren’t bad either… but I liked this food better.

I stirred the steaming stew in the wooden bowl with my spoon. The aroma was fantastic.

The stew had a nice balance of sweet and salty flavors with a rich umami taste, and the roughly chopped Pugru mushrooms scattered throughout had a chewy texture.

Since they were soaked in broth, when I bit into them, hot liquid came out of the mushrooms, and it was delicious when eaten together with the tenderly cooked potatoes and carrots.

The Pugru meat had a living texture that melted in my mouth after a few chews. It was an interesting texture.

Probably because Pugru lived in cold places, they developed this kind of texture. The texture that melted after moderate chewing was appealing.

‘How did they cook it like this without many spices?’

I ate the stew deliciously. Looking to the side, Kalebrin and Yelena were also eating the stew with happy expressions.

Yelena chewed her food, swallowed, then smiled and said to me.

“Ascetic, you seemed pretty excited going to the dungeon.”

Ah, was it that obvious?

Normally I would have hidden it thoroughly… but I got excited over a place called a dungeon.

I made a slightly awkward expression.

‘This much shouldn’t harm the Ascetic’s image.’

I smiled sheepishly while holding my spoon.

“Is that so? Haha… I suppose it’s because I found it fascinating to visit a place I’d never been to.”

All the places I’d been to were just experiences of being attacked, not even proper dungeons. I’d never actually been to a real in-game dungeon.

The thrill of experiencing an in-game dungeon as an actual space you could explore!

And to think I was eating a meal made from monsters hunted there.

As a veteran gamer like myself, I couldn’t help but be excited.

“I found it fascinating too~ The stalactites there shine like gems. The mercenary next to me said they weren’t valuable, but they were tempting enough to covet, you know?”

“I found the self-sustaining ecosystem there quite remarkable.”

Kalebrin, who had been sipping from her bowl, quietly approached and joined the conversation.

“The, the atmosphere was… fascinating.”

“Ah~ The atmosphere there was definitely nice~”

Yelena seemed to be in a good mood now that warm food was in her stomach.

“Mmm. The, the inside was damp… and there were c-centipedes too.”

“Ugh, gross.”

“…I caught one.”

Don’t tell me that thing wriggling in the pouch earlier was a centipede?

Yelena froze for a moment while holding her bowl, then screamed.

“Go throw it outside right now!”

“Don’t wanna…”

“Hahaha.”

I just laughed.

Whatever the case, the atmosphere was good, so that was fine.

*

D-1 until the Rescue Team arrives at the northern snowy plains where the Ascetic is

*

Erendor arrived at headquarters, a place he truly hadn’t visited in ages.

“Crotal.”

“Yeah.”

“Use honorifics with the Commander!”

“Don’t want to.”

“Fine… Don’t get worked up, Violin.”

He sat in the chair on the podium and pressed his temples firmly with his hands.

It was a gesture that even Erendor, who didn’t know the Commander well, could understand meant ‘you’re giving me a headache.’

However, if he had thought about such things, Erendor would have become Violin or Flute, not Crotal.

“There’s only one thing I need you to do. Can you handle it?”

“Let me hear it.”

“Hey-“

Violin erupted from the side, but Erendor skillfully ignored the commotion.

Even the Boss continued speaking without concern.

“Annihilate the Rescue Team going to rescue the Ascetic.”

Erendor’s eyes widened.

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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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