0 – Prologue

I heard mud splashing on the wheels. The old gentleman cleaned his glasses in his carriage. As the city got closer, the little bit of sleep also fled.

The old gentleman raised the tent of the stagecoach slightly. The warmth that had been heated to human temperature escaped in an instant. The people riding with him complained.

“It’s cold, I’m going to search!”

“Old man chief! Close the door!”

“I’m sorry. I was wondering how far you’ve come.”

The old gentleman stuck his face out through the tent. He glanced around in the direction the carriage was going.

I see. The iron city.

The fresh morning air was cold. However, a rising white haze was enveloping the city.

A city of iron nestled in the snow. Because it is in contact with the mine, it maintains the shape of a ‘city’ at least.

The northern frontier city, Benelda.

Perhaps it’s because I’ve been there so many times, I could tell the distance just by hearing the sound of the mud being stepped on. Is this age He thought it was funny, and the old gentleman gave a small smile. He shut the tent door and sat down again among the people.

He had nothing to do, so he just glanced around at the people who came with him. The only people who dared to go to the northern city on the border were usually miners who came looking for work, or only those with a story who decided to go to a remote place for their own reasons.

Sometimes criminals sneak in.

The old gentleman examined the faces of the people who were drunk. It was kind of like a habit. Since he lived as a merchant, he often had to judge the appearance of his customers.

The old gentleman, who was diligently scanning the people, suddenly stopped his gaze. He looked very cold, staring at the boy who was clad in a blanket close to the duvet.

“…Hmm.”

The face inside the hood turned inside out. It wasn’t neat, but it was pretty. A face that is sure to grow into a handsome man.

But strangely, that face was filled with displeasure. It seemed that he was angry with someone.

Intrigued, the old gentleman slipped away. He went to the empty seat next to the boy and spoke to him.

“How are you?”

The gaze came closer and then immediately fell. The sound of Bolmen crawled out.

“Hello.”

“Why are you so angry?”

“I’d rather be mad at the top of my head. Then I’d feel a little warmer.”

Look at this.

Isn’t it fun to talk?

The old gentleman laughed. He took a thermos bottle from his bosom and poured warm water into the lid.

The boy’s eyes twinkled as they scattered in the air.

“You are a good person!”

“This is no big deal. It will be hot, so eat carefully. By the way… So what did you come to this remote city for?”

“Is there anything special about living as a person? I came here to survive.”

“You don’t have to go to the north to survive. Did you come to look for work on the miners side?”

“Well…What are you doing in that cold city?”

The boy subtly changed the subject. The intention was obvious, but the old gentleman readily accepted it.

“I came from Benelda to see the condition of the iron.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone do it?”

“That’s also true…But wouldn’t it be more comfortable to see it in person?”

“That’s true too. There’s no creature that likes to be stabbed like a human.”

I’m confident, but even fierce.

The old gentleman gently stroked her mustache. She laughed lightly.

“So Gongja seems to have a lot of fun with his words.”

“…Are you rude?”

“No way. A conversation during a trip is like a snack over coffee, isn’t it? It doesn’t seem like a good place to be polite.”

The boy brewed some tea. Fu- and a short blow drove away the steam.

“…You must be a wealthy businessman?”

“I’m just a wandering trader. I’m too busy to glue it on my mouth.”

“The trinkets you’re wearing look too expensive for that?”

Look at this. You have good eyesight.

The old gentleman glanced at his watch. But the boy only glanced, and he immediately looked away.

Are you not greedy for money? The curiosity that had once ignited went deeper and deeper.

“I think there are times when who sells a product is more important than what kind of product you sell.”

“You’re right. It feels a lot better to buy things from a rich person than from a beggar.”

“I’m sure we’ll see each other again when you start working in the mines.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think that will happen. My purpose is not mine.”

“If miners are not your goal… Is there any other reason for coming to Benelda?”

“With your bare mouth?”

“Didn’t something suitable go into that mouth already?”

“Ah. It looks like a lot of money, give me a little more.”

The old gentleman smiled lightly. I don’t aim for expensive things, but I long for small things.

The old gentleman took out his wallet. He dropped a few coins into his little hand.

“Is that enough?”

“Imperial silver…Five thousand talents. Well, that’s good enough. I could eat one meal with this.”

The boy sneakily rolled up his arms. The old gentleman frowned at the vivid pattern revealed through the blanket.

A strange character close to a tattoo. At first glance, it looked like dark red graffiti.

I think I saw it somewhere…

Where is it?

“…No way…You came to find the Church of Ra?”

“That’s right.”

Oops.

My God.

It’s a pity that I’m young.

The old gentleman clicked his tongue. He resisted all to add a few words of condolence. You won’t be able to break the dream of a child when you’re almost there.

Cult of Ra. It is also known as the Sunshine Church.

It is a religious group that worships the sun god ‘Ra’.

However, it may have been in the past, but now the position of various ‘churches’ itself has decreased. The denominations that ate the continent a few decades ago have now completely collapsed.

The development of magic. And as a result, the position of ‘God’ decreased.

Things that used to be called miracles can now be solved with just one magic. Most of the wounds could be healed with magic and medicine without having to find a church.

The rise of physical ability through blessing was also pushed back by magic, and the subjugation of the undead in the name of purification was also pushed back by divine magic that imitated the Holy Law. The priests, who were symbols of sublimity, lost their voices, and the paladins, who were symbols of unyielding faith, were endlessly pushed back by knights equipped with artifacts.

Gyereuk.

Chicken ribs.

There was a reason why the Empire abandoned the Church. This is the human age.

It was as if God had no place to stand. Human faith is still there, but well…

It was not so special that you had to pay money and gain faith. Because there are more things that humans who have accumulated power can do than gods can do.

“…Is the minor going to join the Church of Ra?”

“As you can see, there’s nothing I can do about it because I got a stigma.”

“I won’t stop you…I’d like to give you some advice. I won’t if you don’t like it.”

“I’m curious. Please do it.”

The old gentleman cleared his throat briefly.

“The Cult of Ra is poorer than you think. You’ll probably get used to starving once you get in.”

“Don’t believers donate?”

“You know…Isn’t the atmosphere of the empire hideous? Rather than seeking faith, it’s time to grab the sword in front of you. If you have money to donate, it’s safer to use that money to hire a swordsman. The operation is due to a small number of donations… I heard that there are not too many.”

“Why?”

“When humans stood above the gods, the gods took their attention from the ground. The naturally shining light also disappeared. When the divinity was removed, the power of the priests also weakened. He said.”

“Well…I know…But that’s all…”

“I’d like to say I’m joking, but unfortunately I can’t. The Church loses. People come to believe more in the visible than in the invisible. Magic and sword. This is an age of violence. God has no place.” Feel free to look.”

It is not for nothing that young people cry out because their throats are about to burst, saying ‘Academy’ and ‘Academy’. It was taken for granted to build strength through education and laugh at those below.

An era in which those with power have everything. With the war taking place on the borders of the Empire, the era has come when fists speak louder than words.

And there was no place for ‘religion’ in it.

“I think it’s good that a minor worker has been called by God… If you want to live properly and live doing what you love, I think it would be better to get a job as a miner. In addition, the Sun God Church in Benelda. ..No. You’d better see that for yourself.”

“What is it?”

“Why do minors want to join the church in the first place? If it’s just because of one stigma, I’d like to stop it.”

“I think that’s the only way to live ‘like a human’.”

The boy let out a sigh with an expression that didn’t tell whether he was laughing or crying.

“It’s not intentional, it’s intentional. I didn’t expect things to turn out like this either.”

. . .

‘Glory Fantasia’.

One of the most popular roguelike RPG games.

As the name suggests, the game was one of the manga games. All other elements are normal, but only one.

It was a strange game that got sucked in because of the notorious difficulty. A game that is so difficult that very few people have played it to the end, and none of them have achieved the achievement.

But, damn it, I’ve been claiming to be a mangagem collector.

I collected game achievements day and night. The story changes every time I start, and I cried that if the difficulty level was low, I wouldn’t have stuck to the ‘Mangem’ title.

But who said that the end of hard work is victory?

I finally did it and got what I wanted. I ended up updating all the achievements of the game that no one had reached.

But I didn’t know.

That it is a one-way road to the entrance to hell.

[Zahard Barton] [Level: 1]

[Race: Human] [Occupation: Apostle of the Sun God]

[Job Unique Skills]

-Love of the Sun God: Skills related to the Sun God grow rapidly.

– The Sun God’s Grace: The possessed holy power is quickly restored.

-Sun God’s Blessing: You can handle the sun god’s relics without risk.

– Prayer of the Sun God: Mental pollution does not work.

[Possessed Skills]

-Stigma (F): Has very little resistance to all demons. It is a vessel that can contain divinity.

-Divinity (F): You can bring in the divinity of the sun god slightly.

-Heal (F): It can remove scratches at a slow speed.

-Blessing (F): Your mood slightly improves.

-Crown of Ashes (EX): Offer tribute to bring out the efficiency of skills related to the sun god.

A character I created myself. The priest of the sun god who had the highest level of difficulty among all the jobs.

Fortunately, one of the perks was transferred intact.

“… Ha.”

It came.

Into this damn game. Without even knowing why!

“Why… This character…?”

Even if there are perks, among the many jobs, it is an apostle of the sun god.

It was as if a thorny road was unfolding before my eyes. If it had been a different combat job, I wouldn’t have been so desperate.

The world of Glory Fantasia was not very different from other fantasy worlds. It was a fantastic place full of magic, overflowing with sword-bearers, and teeming with beasts and monsters.

However, one of the things that this Glory Fantasia has consistently insisted on is the worldview in which the denomination is persecuted. A place where there are many things that only imitate ‘priests’ without the power of God.

A world in which the position of the gods has fallen due to being pushed by magic.

There are only a handful of real priests out there, and even those were not found in the heart of the Empire. Theology was now only a simple study, and the denomination was a power in name only.

Even in the Empire-centered academy, where Hidden Peace was prevalent, the Theology Research Department was barely maintaining its name. It was a setting where a small number of official priests from various denominations studied while being discriminated against.

So in a word, I stepped on a mine.

I was born with the worst job of the worst.

“…….”

It’s not that different from the church of ‘Ra’, the sun god. From the beginning, you could tell just by looking at its location in the northern city of Benelda.

An already ruined church. A group in which some priests go out to beg under the guise of pilgrimage because they have no money.

The old man was right.

It was a group that had to think about how not to starve as soon as they entered.

But what can I do?

As long as my job is an apostle of the sun god, this is the only way to make a decent living in this cruel world…!

Let’s just arrive. After arriving, there is a way to live somehow. Fortunately, the big frame of the information I know would not have changed.

If my prediction turns out to be right, I might be able to live better than before.

I adjusted my collar. I staggered and stretched out my feet into the cold winter.

I could have gone to a different branch to join the church. However, there was a reason why he had come all the way to Benelda.

Hidden peace hidden in Benelda, and to immediately enter the religious headquarters and receive proper education to build strength.

And besides, the church headquarters is much better than the branch. It must be an environment where you can rely on your body without starving your stomach that much.

My stomach growled. I held on with my mouth shut.

The initial funds were exhausted while returning to the headquarters of the Church of Ra. All that was left was the five thousand talents he received from the old gentleman earlier.

It seemed like a good idea to save this money just in case. She didn’t know the way to the Church Headquarters, so she asked people, but the answer she got back was bleak.

“Cult of the sun god?”

“…What the hell are you looking for?”

“That group of beggars is over there.”

“Look around the corner of that building. Probably on the outskirts of town.”

“To bother looking for those trash…Did you get any money from them?”

I knew. About low awareness. Everyone knew that they were treated as extras.

But!

But still!

There is such a thing as degree! Damn god!

I stood in front of an abandoned building. A large building wearing the mask of a church. I jumped over the barbed wire and stood in front of the creaking door. The lower part of the door was not there at all. Even though the wind leaked in, all I had to do was put a piece of cloth on it.

Warmth didn’t flow out, only cold wind was full. I don’t know anything else, but I know one thing.

It will be cold even inside. f*ck.

“…Hey?”

I knocked lightly. I took the first step in my fantasy life history.

The door opened and a drawn face came out. He looked at my face and rummaged through his pockets.

“…I’m sorry.”

What the old man handed over was a piece of candy.

“This is all I have now.”

“No. That’s it.”

Once I received the candy.

“I’m here to enroll.”

“…What?”

I showed the stigma of the sun god on the back of my hand. Proof of being chosen by the sun god. The old man blinked.

“The sun god’s…Stigmata…A person certified by Ra…But…”

The old man’s sigh was deep. It also seemed to represent my feelings.

“Why didn’t you come to the Church Headquarters… To a blank branch in a border city?”

…Wait.

Isn’t that the church headquarters?