Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 3



Only Noblemtl

Episode 3. Predation (1)

Isaac looked out the window.

It was early morning with the blue sunlight just coming in. I could hear birds chirping in the forest surrounding the monastery. It was too early for a child to be awake, but it gave Isaac some time to organize his thoughts.

It was one month since Isaac became ‘Isaac’.

He survived the attack by the Immortal Order, and when he regained consciousness, he was consigned to this monastery. The abbot only said that he had rescued him and gave no further details.

It was a surprising but fortunate thing for Isaac, who thought he would be questioned or questioned countless times.

Anyway, asking for details would only lead to trouble. Even for Isaac, the case was not a top concern.

Isaac has spent the past month in a slightly dazed state. It seemed like he was dreaming, and it also seemed like he was having a hard time acknowledging reality. Isaac had gone through a month trying to log out or waking up expecting it to all be a dream.

However, as my consciousness gradually became clearer, I was able to set my purpose straight.

Today he decided to give up all expectations.

Isaac is now Isaac. He was now a resident of this world.

Since I had to live in this world, I had to thoroughly integrate into its inhabitants until I could find a way to return.

Isaac checked his strength by opening and closing his hands. The strength required to lift even a slightly heavy branch without difficulty.

The physical strength of the extremely weak Nephilim was weakened even further due to their young age.

No joke, Isaac saw himself as comparable to a five or six year old.

‘Damn it, if I knew I was going to live in the game, I wouldn’t have set my abilities like that.’

The Nephilim are not a bad race. No, on the contrary, they are a good species that can be considered lucky. This was because although he had the worst physical abilities, he had high faith and attractiveness values.

Abilities such as charm, luck, and intelligence are called ‘hidden abilities.’ This is because it is not clearly evident.

Among them, the Nephilim had a poor relationship with the gods, but had an exceptionally high ‘attractiveness’ value that earned them favor with humans. He couldn’t say anything about the face he carved himself, but in this world, Isaac’s current appearance was nine times out of ten something to be mesmerized by.

‘That’s because they threw Korean online game-style beauty into reality… … Even though I gave an example, it is astounding.’

However, it was not a bad idea to at least buy the favor of humans instead of the inevitable relationship with God due to bloodline. First of all, she just looks like a good-looking man or a good-looking woman. She didn’t see any problem with Isaac as long as he hid it well.

The only problem is the weak body.

They are vulnerable to diseases and have difficulty wearing proper equipment. It was difficult for Isaac to imagine how vulnerable he would be in this realistic, or rather, medieval fantasy reality.

‘I’m sure I heard that your physical abilities increased when you absorbed Carlsen… … .’

Could it be that it has risen to this level? That may be true, but I recalled that there was also a message that ‘digestion is delayed’ due to the high level of Carlsen. I can’t believe that a month later I still haven’t digested it, but that’s the only way to explain it.

In fact, the skills I acquired at that time were in an unreleased state.

[Guardian’s Lighthouse (Unopened)]

‘The sentinel’s lighthouse… … ‘You got something crazy right from the start.’

Isaac cleared Nameless Chaos 8 times. Of course, I also played with the Code of Light Faith, which is the largest faith in the game.

To put it simply, it was the ultimate move that transformed the entire area into ‘heaven.’ However, as can be seen from the expression lighthouse, dangerous creatures from heaven that the caster does not want could also gather.

As such, it is the highest level ultimate skill that a ‘Code of Light’ paladin can obtain. It’s an ability so absurd that it can only be granted if recognized by a famous angel, but Isaac acquired it by simply eating it.

‘Can I, a person of another faith, have this?’

Perhaps the reason it was left unopened was because Isaac was of a different faith. Of course, even if it can be used in its current state, we don’t know what the consequences will be. In Nameless Chaos, if you use an inappropriate skill, it doesn’t just result in you being unable to use it, it leads to stamina depletion and disaster.

‘If Carlsen had used this skill before he died, it might have been me who died.’

Isaac was horrified.

He never forgot the moment he barely survived.

He rubbed his chest without realizing it. There was still a scar on his chest where Carlsen had cut him. And I also remembered the scene where countless tentacles overflowed from the wound and swept away Carlsen Milter and the undead of the Immortal Church.

It was a scene that sent a chill down my spine before it made me nauseous.

‘Nameless chaos… … It must be the power of. maybe.’

When creating his character, Isaac chose ‘nameless chaos’ as his faith. And the tentacles are a symbol of nameless chaos. However, Nameless Chaos is a faith that is hostile to all other faiths.

‘It was said that nameless chaos in the past caused a white plague that killed all those who knew its name and then disappeared from the world…? … .’

It was called the white plague, as it is a disease that causes the entire body to turn white and then scatter like ashes.

It is said that in the southern desert regions, cities that were destroyed at the time still remain covered in the white ashes of corpses. It was also one of the highest difficulty dungeons in Nameless Chaos.

Thus, the chaos god, who originally had a name, lost all who knew him and became ‘nameless chaos’.

That was all Isaac knew.

Afterwards, the civilized world was divided into the White Empire led by the Code of Light and the Black Empire led by the Immortal Church. Because so many people died, many kingdoms fell, and since then, all religious denominations have erased or sealed all records of the nameless chaos.

This was especially true at the ‘Code of Light’ monastery where Isaac was now.

Isaac had no idea how he, a nameless follower of chaos, ended up in a secret shrine. But I knew one thing for sure.

In any case, if his identity is discovered, his life is dead.

‘I’m glad there were no witnesses.’

It was unfortunate for those who died in the Holy Land, but it was fortunate considering Isaac’s life. And the witnesses who may remain are the undead of the Immortal Church. The Priests of the Code of Light will not listen to them.

Isaac was worried, but there was nothing he could do.

Although he chose a nameless chaos faith out of interest, the only faith that had similar values ​​to him as a modern man was the Code of Light. He had to somehow find a way to survive among them.

He had no desire to be a mountain monkey or a moving skeleton. Above all, I never wanted to become a slime monster whose entire body was made up of tentacles.

Fortunately, Isaac had enough knowledge to survive in this world.

‘There is a Jjambap that has cleared the eight faiths, of course.’

As long as you overcome the Nephilim’s uniquely intense first half, you can do anything from then on.

survival.

That was Isaac’s top goal.

***

As the time for morning worship approached, a bell rang outside. A young monk came in, woke his children and took them to the chapel. Isaac quietly obeyed and pretended to pray as he was told.

But instead of praying, he was thinking furiously about how to survive. In fact, he didn’t even have much time to think like this.

In the monastery, all Isaac could do was repeat four things all day long: pray, work, eat, and sleep.

Just because he was a survivor, they didn’t give him any more attention or care. To do so, the monastery itself lacked resources and manpower to take care of it.

‘It’s fortunate that it’s a monastery of the Code of Light Church.’

The ‘Law Code’ is the most powerful denomination among the nine faiths. In addition, it was also a denomination that maintained universal social order by Isaac’s standards.

No matter what faith you choose, it will ultimately be tied to the Code of Light, whether you like it or not. Thanks to this, Isaac was able to understand the system and physiology of the Code of Light and the secrets hidden within it.

Although this monastery seems to be a monastery on the outskirts rather than the main monastery, it was still not difficult to find useful information. If the worldview in the game remained the same, it might not have been very difficult to hide one’s identity and live in this monastery.

‘Above all, this world has not yet begun in earnest.’

The reason Isaac was able to accept the situation in a strangely stable manner was because he already had memories of living as ‘Isaac’ for 14 years.

To him, the expression ‘the world has not yet begun’ seemed strange. But it really was. The ‘current’ point in this world was approximately four years ago from the start of Nameless Chaos.

‘Four years from now, the war between the nine faiths will begin.’

To be precise, a clashing competition is taking place around the two axes of the ‘Law Code’ and the ‘Immortal Order’. Players must lead their faith to victory. Or, you can apostatize and participate in the victory of another faith.

‘Apostasy… … .’

Considering that ‘Nameless Chaos’ is being treated as either a public figure or a devil, it didn’t seem like a bad choice. However, Isaac’s race, the ‘Nephilim’, have the cursed blood trait anyway.

Nephilim with the ‘cursed blood’ trait are not on good terms with any gods. It’s just a hybrid between an angel and a human, but is it that bad? You may think so, but given the setting, the Nephilim can steal and use miracles without asking God’s permission if their faith is connected to their lineage.

There is no way to say that the Nephilim are not religious, but it is likely that there are some who free ride.

You can even steal and use miracles while serving a completely different god.

Thanks to this, no matter what faith they worshiped, there was no faith that welcomed the Nephilim.

Additionally, the apostasy penalty was also a problem. The gods do not like their believers moving around arbitrarily. Of course, a curse follows, but if this curse is applied incorrectly, it would be better to erase the character and start over.

But it was questionable whether Isaac would ever have a chance to start over.

So, as I had decided from the beginning, I had no choice but to cherish, love, and hide the nameless chaos well. Fortunately, considering the events that had occurred a month ago, Nameless Chaos did not appear to be a weak deity.

If you get caught, you’ll be hunted.

‘The time given is 4 years.’

If it was long, it was long; if it was short, it was short.

Isaac knows the location and history of almost all secrets and treasures in the game. I don’t know if those treasures will really be where I remembered, but recovering them as quickly as possible will be safer and help my growth.

But the problem is that Isaac’s body is extremely fragile right now.

Isaac looked down at his bony limbs. It’s not that he’s being particularly abused. This monastery itself was poor, and the monks also lived in poverty.

‘First of all, I have to do something with this body.’

At the very least, I had to build up my stamina to the point where I wouldn’t die while walking down the street.

***

Nameless Chaos is a game where the number of people who have cleared the game is less than 1% of all gamers. Some people say it’s okay because the game itself is fun even if you can’t clear it, but Isaac is someone who has cleared the difficult game eight times, each with different beliefs.

The fact that such a hero among heroes has entered the Monastery of the Code of Light can be said to be one of the most auspicious events in the Code of Light.

However, the hero, who might one day recapture the Holy Land and face the monsters of evil, was frustrated in front of the table.

‘Is this really a meal?’

Isaac looked at the white porridge bowl and pursed his lips. Mulgun porridge, unpeeled boiled potatoes, and half a slice of black bread are served every day.

It was a simple, hearty monastery-style breakfast.

As soon as the children sat down at the table, they quickly peeled off the potatoes. But Isaac had no choice but to fall into agony.

“Isaac, do you have no appetite?”

One of the monks asked kindly. Isaac had a lot to say, but he couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth. He did this because it was not a problem a monk could solve.

Isaac was shocked not because his diet was poor or because he had no appetite.

‘It’s all carbohydrates…’ … .’

I know this is not the time to complain.

Even though this meal is quite generous since it is late fall, I know that there are times when you just have to indulge in a bowl of wheat porridge.

In the game, you don’t have to eat even a single meal, but in real life, if you eat this kind of food, you’ll just end up like a skinny monk. And, of course, other monks were eating the same food.

It’s a child… … hungry?

It’s a child… … Are you lacking protein and calcium?

It’s a child… … Are you experiencing delayed height and muscle growth due to lack of sufficient intake of essential nutrients during the growth period?

‘I never thought I would feel the gap between the game and reality from such a trivial thing… … .’

Already, Isaac’s body felt like a skinny cane.

A growing child who will grow up for a long time. However, it was clear that if he only ate such a poor and unbalanced diet, he would grow up to be a corrupt person.

***

After work was over, Isaac went back to the bedroom.

Of course, the children had no personal space. All the orphans at the monastery were gathered together in one large room and slept. The only personal space was a straw bed and a thin blanket to escape the cold of the floor.

Even after returning to the bedroom, Isaac couldn’t sleep and was looking up at the ceiling.

I couldn’t sleep at all. It’s not because the bed was uncomfortable, nor because I realized my past life self.

‘Do I really have to live like this?’

The environment of the monastery was extremely harsh for Isaac, who was a modern man. If you see room for improvement in the future, you can persevere and persevere. But what is the future for an unrelated orphan left in a monastery? Moreover, in a place like this where there is poverty and no time for self-development?

‘Should I run away from the monastery right now?’

That too is a method. But now Isaac was just a young 14-year-old. No matter how much adult knowledge and skills you have, this is not a game, it is reality. It was also an unfamiliar medieval era for Isaac. It’s a good thing if you don’t act like a guest on the street.

Isaac felt like he wanted to say a prayer. No, in fact, he had already prayed at least eight times today alone.

Of course, he did not recite a proper prayer, he just held his hands together and closed his eyes while the monk prayed. Still, Isaac forgot the nameless chaos and prayed rather earnestly toward the Code of Light.

‘I asked for some meat for dinner.’

A piece of cheese finally arrived. It was an unexpected result, but I couldn’t tell if my prayers were truly answered. It was an insufficient amount for a growing child’s body.

Even then, the monastery cat Murzik made cute noises and nuzzled the cheese, splitting half of the cheese and giving it away.

Isaac found this situation extremely absurd. The taste I knew was scary. I was originally satisfied with bland soup, but now I remembered all the dishes I enjoyed eating in my past life.

Even if it wasn’t that bad, it felt terrible that this poor 14-year-old had to go to bed hungry.

‘How on earth do I supplement protein? Should I at least plant beans?’

While Isaac was lost in thought, the door opened with a squeak. Isaac quickly turned around and lay down, wondering if a monk had come to check on the children. But what opened the door and entered was a small silhouette.

“Murzik.”

The monastery’s lazy tiger… … No, cat. It was Murzik.

Murzik was a cat raised at a monastery. Although he was neglecting it rather than raising it, he was just letting it come in and live as it pleases, using it to catch rats.

“Meow.”

“Why did you do all the work?”

Murzyk was holding a dead rat in his mouth, as if he had been scolded for neglecting rat-catching. For a moment, he wondered if he was repaying the favor for the cheese he gave him for dinner, but he didn’t really appreciate the gift.

But Murzyk came over to the bed and put the rat down, as if expecting a compliment. Isaac roughly smoothed Murzyk’s head and lifted him up by his tail to get rid of his rat.

It felt like something warm had recently caught and killed it. Suddenly, Isaac had a strange idea.

‘This is also meat, though.’

Of course, Isaac, who had the ego of a modern man, had no intention of eating a mouse.

[Nameless Chaos is watching you.]

“what?”

The moment Isaac was taken aback by the unexpected sound, he suddenly felt a stinging pain in his palm.

“uh?”

Isaac panicked and threw away the rat he was holding, wondering if the rat had bitten him. However, with a snapping sound, a red tentacle came out from somewhere and snatched the mouse.

No, it wasn’t somewhere.

It was in Isaac’s palm.

“?!”

Thin tentacles crawled out from Isaac’s skin and quickly devoured the rat carcass.

The field mouse, which became plump after eating the wheat grains that fell in the field in late fall, was bigger than Isaac’s palm. But it was an instant for it to be sucked into the palm of my hand.

Waddeuk, waddeuk.

After feasting on the field mouse, the tentacle instantly disappeared into the palm of the hand. The bedroom, where the sound of flesh and bones breaking disappeared, quickly fell into silence again. Only Isaac and Murzik were frozen, trying to understand what had just happened.

At that time, Isaac heard another sound.

[It preyed on ‘field mice.’]

[The ‘predation’ perk increases intake efficiency.]

[Resistance to low-level diseases increases.]

[The blessing will remain until it is digested.]