Chapter 2: The Fallen
[Death confirmed.]
[Exceptional condition detected...]
[Class activation in progress...]
[Class received: Fallen Priest]
[Class description:] The Fallen Priest is a messenger of salvation and destruction. A servant no longer serving the light, but walking the line between mercy and madness. He carries the blood of a god, but his god... accepts no other gods. He serves the god that brings the apocalypse to the world.
[Innate Talent activated: Blood Of God]
[Talent description:] Blood Of God: Blood tainted by the cycles of fate. This blood can force any living being into obedience. Those who drink it become loyal slaves of the fallen god and his priest.
[Skill activated: Fallen Will]
[Skill description:] Fallen Will: Temporarily gives control of the body to the true essence of the class. During activation, the user appears as the "complete Fallen Priest." Personality changes. Holy skills become usable. Duration: 2 minutes. Unconsciousness may occur afterward.
[Skill available: Crimson Judgment]
[Skill description:] Crimson Judgment: A divine trial masked in rage. All enemies in sight are judged. Beasts of Corruption are 100% subject to absolute erasure due to their nature. Heavenly wrath falls from the sky as blood.
He was lying on the ground.
He couldn't hear anything, nor feel any pain. It was like his body didn't belong to him anymore.
And then... his eyes opened.
Two golden flames, silent but full of madness, shone in his sockets.
His eyes were no longer light brown. They had turned into burning gold.
Blood vapor was rising from his skin. The wounds that had broken his bones earlier were now closing with a soft sound. Muscles healed. Skin reshaped.
But there was no humanity left in his gaze, especially in those golden eyes. It was like he wasn't himself.
Daniel took a deep breath and stood up. His steps were smooth and steady, like someone preparing for a special ritual.
"...The clothes are bloody.
But this time... I'm not the victim." he whispered calmly. His voice didn't sound like his own. It was rough and broken.
Alice had dropped to her knees, gasping. Her sword was bloody and broken, her eyes filled with tears.
When she saw Daniel slowly walking toward her, her lips trembled.
"D-Daniel...?"
"...Are you okay?!"
"Big brother!!"
Daniel didn't look at her. His eyes were focused on his own wounds. It was like he was watching his healing body with childlike curiosity.
Then suddenly, he started laughing—not loudly, but a low, broken laugh.
It sounded more like a demon than a normal person.
He turned toward the remaining Beasts of Corruption and looked at them with amusement, like he was watching some cute little kids.
The rest of the people had already completely fled the scene. Not surprising.
There's actually a kind of training protocol for times like this, something most people learn when they're young.
After all, it's been nearly a few centuries since the towers and dungeons appeared in this world. Humanity has gotten used to these kinds of events.
Even the military and national federation, using their own technology and relics found in the Celestial Domain, have mostly managed to handle dimensional breaks.
If any dimensional breaks happens on a national level, they're notified in less than a second and send alerts to all guilds.
The awakened are also on their way to kill the monsters and secure the area. It doesn't take them long to arrive.
He was a bit curious—when they get here and find no trace of the monsters, how will they feel?
After all, the awakened don't kill these monsters just out of good will. They want the monster corpses.
But what happens when no corpses are left?
Daniel opened his arms. A ringing sound came from his joints as he moved.
"My children..."
"Why did you stray from the right path? Why did you turn your back on me?"
"Did I not place you in the womb of corruption? Did you not cry out for my mercy?" Daniel paused for a second as if he remembered something.
"Just kidding. I didn't create you at all." His smile faded.
"...But now, it's my job to judge you." He sighed, like he wasn't happy about what he had to do.
Though the playful and amused look in his eyes betrayed that.
[Activating "Crimson Judgment"]
The ground beneath Daniel cracked open.
A dark red magic circle with old, rusted symbols appeared right under his feet.
The sky split open.
Drops of blood started falling from the sky—not real, not imaginary.
The monsters didn't even get a chance to run.
Red light, like a divine whip, slammed into the earth. And every Beast of Corruption in sight silently crumbled. No screams, no blood—just erasure. Disappearance.
The D-rank corruption beasts were torn apart just like that, like a bunch of ants.
Alice crawled back in fear. What did she just witness? How?
How did her brother kill all those monsters? Wasn't he just an ordinary person a few moments ago? Then how?
He slaughtered all those monsters so easily.
Even she, known as one of the greatest talents in the city, didn't have that kind of power.
But now, the same brother who was considered talentless just a few minutes ago had this kind of strength?
What kind of class did he get to give him this kind of power?
Her body trembled with fear.
Daniel turned back, and his golden eyes, emotionless, stared into Alice's tear-filled ones.
For a moment, a deadly silence took over.
And suddenly—his eyes turned off. The golden light disappeared.
His body went limp. His knees gave out, and like a cracked statue, he collapsed to the side.
The system voice was barely audible:
[Duration of skill "Fallen Will" has ended.]
[Body in half-dead state. Returning to normal... in progress.]
[All awakened stats have returned to normal.]
[Skill "Fallen Will" cannot be used again for three months.]