Chapter 1487

<Paladin: The Journey of Evil Annihilation - Chapter 1487>

[Name: Eugene


Origin: Paladin


Level: 70


Strength: 42 Agility: 20 Stamina: 20 Holiness Power: 32


Available Points: 5


Skills: Divine Light (Master Level), Holy Aura (Lv.7), Sacred Blade (Lv.7), Dash (Lv.3), Holy Light (Lv.3), Divine Enhancement (Master Level)]

I had five available points to allocate.


I poured all my points into holiness power.

After slaying undead and the fallen at Saloth Castle, I leveled up by five.


Level 70.

Compared to game progression, this was an absurdly high level. Even in the Valentier region, which is the early phase, clearing all side quests and defeating the Great Demon Suton wouldn’t push you past level 50.

“Used the Holy Route shortcut to relatively easily kill Suton.”

Even without it, I didn’t think I’d lose—I still had ultimate recovery options like Total Restoration or Heavenly Favor.

“Five available points.”


My style is always to immediately allocate points upon leveling up. Hoarding them would just make me suffer unnecessarily.

“Increasing strength for maximum destructive power would be good… but for the next Great Demon, holiness power is crucial.”

Still, I possess Divine Spirit. With its effect, I don’t necessarily need to invest heavily in holiness power. But relying solely on Divine Spirit feels ominous. My opponent will be a Great Demon—never forget that.

“…Increasing holiness power. Though it has lower efficiency compared to strength, there’s no harm in boosting holiness power.”

Holiness power influences most skills. With sufficient holiness power and skill levels, I could potentially wipe out dozens of low-level demons or fallen ones in one go.

“All points go to holiness power.”


Increased holiness power by 5.

“The remaining blessing energy. Quite substantial after purifying the soul of a Great Demon.”

I selected two skills I’d been eyeing.

[Blessing of Resurrection (Master Level) now resides within you.]

[Blessing of Descent (Level 1) now resides within you.]

Resurrection allows one revival every three days. Combined with Total Restoration, I essentially have two extra lives.

“Revive in perfect condition, just like Total Restoration.”

The Blessing of Resurrection.


I believe it’s the best value-for-money skill.

“Other paladins or holy maidens don’t even know about the existence of Resurrection.”

Unlike me, who can see the system interface, other paladins and holy maidens cannot. They lack objective insight into their own stats. Regarding blessing energy, most simply enhance their existing blessings or choose well-known ones.

I checked my remaining blessing energy.

There’s still plenty left.

I deliberated over three skills. With my current blessing energy, I could only pick one out of ‘Perfect Body,’ ‘Dawn Wings,’ and ‘Sacrifice.’

The skill Perfect Body maximizes physical capabilities.

Dawn Wings maximizes mobility.


Body: Kye.

A Secrifice that temporarily causes a miracle by sacrificing oneself. Each had its own pros and cons. In games, Secrifice is an old-school skill for veterans—trading reduced max health for boosted attack power.

“Hmm, this is reality, so the skill itself has changed. The penalty’s stronger now. But if the penalty’s beefed up, then so must be its power…”

How much stronger could I get with Secrifice? Curiosity bubbled inside me.

“I’ve got resurrection and full recovery. Maybe out of all three, Secrifice might just be the most efficient.”

I chose Secrifice.

[Name: Eugene


Origin: Holy Knight


Level: 70


Strength: 42 Agility: 20 Vitality: 20 Spirit Power: 37


Skills: Gender (Lv.Master), Holy Aura (Lv.7), Divine Sword (Lv.7), Dash (Lv.3), Holy Light (Lv.3), Divine Enhancement (Lv.Master), Revival (Lv.Master), Descent (Lv.1), Secrifice (Lv.1)]

But the calculations weren’t over yet. There was still one more thing left.

I pulled out the Great Demon Heart from my inventory. This thing had multiple uses—brewing elixirs to boost stats by at least 10 points, or crafting legendary gear. But none of those options were optimal.

“The most efficient use? Just one—Master Skill Enhancement.”

Plop.

The Great Demon Heart dissolved into the Sacred Pool like it was melting.

“Paladin-sama?!”

Amelia gasped and rushed toward the sacred pool.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry. No purification ritual needed. A Great Demon Heart isn’t the same as a Great Demon Soul.”

As it sank into the Sacred Pool, the Great Demon Heart melted away, and a blue light surged forth. It swirled around me, illuminating certain skills in my skill window.

Gender, Divine Enhancement, Revival.

The Master-level skills seemed to beg for selection. Without hesitation, I moved my hand.

[Upgrading Gender (Lv.Master)…]

[Ultimate Gender (Lv.Ultimate) now resides within you.]

“Ughhh!”

A wave of pain hit my eyes. Unable to endure it, I dropped to my knees involuntarily. It felt like billions of tiny bugs were eating away at my eyeballs.

“Paladin-sama?!”

Amelia hurried over, her pure spirit energy palpable. Before she could heal me, I spoke.

“…It’s fine. Just a fleeting trial. I’m alright.”

Shaking off the trembling in my knees, I stood back up.

Externally, my Gender didn’t seem any different. My eyes still glowed blue, etched with the winged cross emblem of the Order. But what I saw… had changed.

“Now I can not only detect demons and the corrupted but also damn heretics.”

Even those who haven’t fallen but collaborate with demons…

Heretics. And demon worshippers.

“I can see humanity’s sins now.”

I smiled in satisfaction. With this, I’d gain even more experience.

“…Your Gender has grown stronger, Paladin-sama. Did you offer the Great Demon Heart to the Goddess?”

The saint asked in quiet admiration.

“Something like that.”

I looked at her. She was pure. Not a trace of the slight sin that every human should have. Knowing this beforehand, I wasn’t surprised. She was a saint prepared to sacrifice everything.

“You’re pure.”

Being able to see sins let me fully grasp how exceptional her value truly was.

“Me…? No, I’m not as pure as you think, Paladin-sama.”

“Huh…?”

“Yes. Sometimes… without realizing it, I end up having bad thoughts occasionally.”

“Humans are all like that. Thoughts alone don’t accumulate sin. However, when the heart succumbs, that’s where things change. I trust your heart won’t falter.”

“Thank you for believing in me. Occasionally, Paladin-sama seems to know me better than I do myself…”


“It seems you believe.”

“You are… ”

Without realizing it, I reached out and grabbed the cheek and jaw of the veiled saint. She was soft. It felt like she might break if I applied even a little more pressure.

“Paladin…?”

“I’m sorry. I spaced out for a moment.”

I immediately let go.

For a fleeting moment, a greedy desire to take her overcame me. It was shameful for a paladin.

“Could the influence of the Great Demon still be affecting you, Paladin?”

“It’s possible.”

Unlike the saint, paladins are beings that can fall into corruption. One must always remain vigilant against such corruption.

“We should conduct another purification ritual.”

“No, it’s fine. Aren’t you tired from conducting the purification rituals for three days straight? As you know, there’s no taint of corruption in my body right now.”

“But I would like to perform a simple purification ritual. Please, Paladin.”

“…Alright.”

I sighed as I said it. It was rare for her to earnestly ask like this. Besides, a simple purification ritual doesn’t take long.

I took off all my clothes and laid down in the sacred pond. Showing her my naked body felt as natural as everyday life.

The purification ritual was boring.

Unlike Amelia who was focused, I just lay there in the holy water doing nothing.

Typically, paladins pray to the Goddess Heryanne during this time. But I had no intention of praying. Praying wasn’t my style. Finding and killing demons and the corrupted is my prayer and devotion to the goddess.

Then, a different thought came to mind. To avoid disrupting the purification ritual, I raised my hand and stared intently at it.

“Sins are showing up.”

Unlike the pure saint, my hands looked dirty, as if covered in thick grime. Of course, I don’t regret anything I’ve done so far just because of this.

“The sins of the paladin are borne by the saint.”

Exactly how the saint carries the paladin’s sins, I don’t know. Nor do I need to care. The saint may be the sacrificial lamb, but she has already received her reward from the goddess.

“It’s finished. Fortunately, there are no abnormalities in the paladin’s physical body.”

As I got out of the sacred pond and dressed, I asked,

“Is there any information about rampaging demons nearby?”

“There isn’t. Since the news of the Great Demon’s death spread, Valintier has never been more peaceful. Paladin, please rest here in the sanctuary.”

“Hmm. Resting isn’t bad either.”

I’ve killed almost all the demons and the corrupted active in Valintier. With the rumor of the Great Demon’s death spreading, the lesser demons and corrupted ones must have all fled.

“Bored. Can you play with me?”

“Of course.”

Her voice was slightly cheerful.

The paladin and the saint sat across from each other at a table to play poker. She removed her veil and practiced making expressions. Unlike before, she maintained a natural poker face. When we first played poker, she couldn’t keep a straight face at all. She was overly excited about the new game and hadn’t fully learned the rules.

But now, she’s quite good. It was impossible to read her hand from her expression alone. I checked my own hand. It started off pretty decent. I aimed for two pairs.

“When will the reforging of Valintier’s Holy Sword be completed?”

“Thanks to the continuous supply of materials from the Paladin, it will be finished soon.”

The materials she referred to were byproducts of demons.

“What’s the reaction from the Vatican?”

“Not just the Vatican, but everyone in this world rejoices. People praise you, Paladin.”

“Is that so? Two pairs.”

“Full house.”

“…”

I lost.

Of course, I didn’t get disheartened just because I lost one round.

“Two pairs.”

“I also have two pairs.”

Her numbers were higher.

“…Three of a kind. Looks like I win this round.”

“Flush.”

“…”

2 wins, 8 losses.

With the score so lopsided, I had no choice but to admit defeat. Her poker luck was better than mine.