I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

A dark underground temple. The place was devoid of light, without even candlelight, where one could only recognize each other through silhouettes. This was the headquarters of the sinners, stigmata, who accepted and bore all sins.

“The Order is waiting for your explanation, brother. Why did you give up on someone as promising as Admon?”

Amidst the darkness, a voice reeking of blood came from an old man, and Albeka knelt down. No matter how promising a genius may be, in front of the Grandmaster of the Order, known as the most sinful, even such prestige meant little.

“Priest Admon was blinded by greed. Despite it being a battle doomed to fail, he recklessly engaged in combat.”

“The Scripture of O’tak. He was ultimately seduced by those demons blinded by gold. But you were there. And now you are here as well.”

Albeka bowed his head to the words of the Grandmaster.

“I cannot wash away my sins yet.”

The expression “to wash away sins” sounded like salvation, as if it allowed for a new beginning. Of course, for the Stigmata Order members, it meant that, but in reality, it just meant death. Only martyrdom, not simple death, could wash away the sins they had accumulated.

“Why is that, brother?”

“If it had been a mere monster, a deviation from reason, I would have gladly accepted the opportunity to wash away my sins. However, my judgment tells me it was a heretical priest.”

“A heretical priest…”

The aged Grandmaster murmured in the darkness. He did not rush the next question. Instead, he maintained a quiet silence, lost in deep thought, and Albeka respected his contemplation.

“Explain in detail. Did it seem to maintain its reason?”

“Yes. If you allow me the use of a relic, I will deal with it myself.”

The Grandmaster once again fell silent. The solemnity weighed as heavily as the gravity of the situation.

“No, you have another task. There’s a bigger case you need to investigate.”

“A more urgent issue than a heretical priest?”

“A noble has died. It’s the highest priority.”

The Grandmaster rubbed his forehead as if it was giving him a headache.

“Contact Luminari about the matter of the heretical priest. Inform the nearby temples about it too. Issue a wanted notice based on what you’ve seen.”

“Understood, Grandmaster.”

The Grandmaster let out a sigh.

“Why now of all times? Two Outer God incidents at once… They might be related. In that sense, checking this case out as well is necessary.”

After a moment’s thought, the Grandmaster issued a firm order.

“Brother, your task is clear. First, find and interrogate the director who fled and the orphans.”

Investigate the connection with the incident involving the noble victim. Gather information about the heretical priest. Albeka organized his tasks in his mind.

“Should I use the torture chamber?”

“It’s merely some children and an elderly woman. No need to bring them here; handle it on the spot where you find them.”

“I’ll carry out the orders.”

The Grandmaster nodded briefly, marking the end of the report. Albeka silently accepted the new mission, and the Grandmaster recited the ancient oath of Stigmata.

“By embracing the darkness…”

“…may the light of Hayat shine even brighter.”

Reciting the oath of Stigmata, Albeka took out his sword and pierced his own hand. Despite the flowing blood and excruciating pain, Albeka accepted the new sin he had taken on at that moment.

* * *

As night fell, we kindled a fire and took a rest. Our meal consisted of a few potatoes that Talia had brought and… it was a bit shocking, but we ate a rabbit that Talia caught with a slingshot. The taste and smell were terrible, but it was edible as we were incredibly hungry.

‘She’s asleep.’ The chattering Talia’s words gradually turned into gentle snores. Judging by how she fell asleep even with me right beside her, it seemed she trusted me to an extent.

With a sigh, acknowledging the dangers of the Outer God, I deliberately opened the scripture a bit further away.

Unlike when I was in the basement, the scripture was no longer highly dangerous.

The formless residue that had clung to the scripture had left, so now it was just a book.

Of course, if someone other than me tried to read its contents, it would still be dangerous.

“Revisiting it doesn’t seem to cause additional mental issues.”

When I had played ≪Orders≫, I had once obtained a translated copy of an Outer God’s scripture.

“I kept experiencing mental damage just by carrying a copy, not even an original.”

Looking back, I missed the jobs and concepts I had explored back then. Even a character who was skilled in marksmanship but became useless in a gunless era—I would gladly swap now if I could.

“I have a feel for how other jobs would work since I’ve tried each of them…”

At least I would be treated like a human.

“Huh?”

While organizing my belongings, I noticed something unusual. My character sheet, which I had considered ordinary, had changed.

The mental stat, which originally read 90, now displayed as 80.

“My Mind stat dropped significantly. Well, it’s understandable, but to lose 10 points in just one day…”

It was troubling. Although my maximum capacity hadn’t been reduced, it would gradually restore over time. Yet, given the priest’s characteristics of handling Outer God power, such a sharp decline was never a good sign. Especially now, with no items to recover mental health, the situation was even more dangerous.

“Leveling up would strengthen my Mind, but…”

Based on ≪Orders≫, the max level was 7. This world might not follow the same logic and might not even have levels, but there was no certainty.

“Considering he used 〈Mountain Charge〉, that Albeka guy must be at least level 2.”

Assuming ≪Orders≫’ system was identical, I either had no level or was at level 1. A level 0 was just an ordinary person, so it’s more likely that I was level 1. Despite that, I managed to face off against a level 2 strongman.

“That doesn’t mean I should consider myself on par with him.”

Clearly, I was far weaker.

“Given that the max level is just 7, even a 1-level difference is substantial. This time… I was fortunate.”

I simply had optimized traits with a high Mind stat, and the Outer God’s miracle itself was high-risk, high-reward, hence its formidable power. The opponent had rightfully retreated, wary of the unknown power I wielded.

“If Albeka had fought to the end, I would have lost.”

Not just due to the mental health issue but also because I needed to prepare for imminent dangers, becoming stronger was necessary. However, this posed yet another problem.

“Sigh… Among so many gods, it had to be a heretical priest…”

If I were a priest of another domain, it wouldn’t have been difficult, but growing as a heretical priest wasn’t easy. Priests, in general, were required to strengthen their connection with their god and grow in faith.

“Simply put, earn qualifications by piously accumulating merits.”

Once the requirements were met, one would perform a special ritual to advance to the next stage.

“The problem is that my target is a calamity-bringing Outer God.”

For example, just 【Slumberer of the Abyss】 demanded human sacrifices. Preaching, a basic act of all religions that I abhor, might have been mere annoying solicitation with other religions. Although, by the standards of this era, it might be different.

“Outer God faith is a different story.”

It involved increasing the number of fanatics who committed all sorts of cruel and insane acts, causing chaos in the world.

“Believing in an Outer God is fundamentally the problem.”

Outer Gods barely cared about humans; sincerely believing in such catastrophic beings meant giving up humanity altogether. This was true for 【Slumberer of the Abyss】 as well.

The end of faith turned into a formless residue, serving that Outer God for a lifetime, nothing more needed to be said.

“I don’t even want to be a regular priest, but this miserable kind of job… Is this part of your conspiracy too, Dowol?”

Muttering while glaring at the character sheet was useless; my friend wouldn’t respond.

‘At least, there are milder options available. Although, I’m not sure if they can really be considered mild.’

Instead of human sacrifices, there were alternatives that involved harming other religions. Killing clerics, destroying temples, and contaminating holy sites—infamously known as ‘Ground Stomping’. The fact that such acts were encouraged was far from normal, but this wasn’t just limited to the priests of Outer Gods.

‘But I don’t really like those options either. I guess this path is more promising?’

Obtaining scripture, miracles, and relics. These weren’t safely secured but rather lost relics that granted the most experience points when retrieved. And these relics typically wielded great power. Rather than becoming a cult leader, a treasure hunt like this suited my nature more.

‘It’s better for me to possess these relics than for them to be out in the world.’

Items like this scripture were dangerous no matter where they were found.

‘When it comes to Outer God-related relics, there’s the “Dragon Crown”… I need to find information to acquire at least one of them.’

That was why I was heading to a port town. A place where all kinds of goods and information came in, and from where one could travel to numerous other places.

‘But right now, obtaining new scripture is difficult. So, what I can do at this moment is only this.’

Unlike other methods, there was one I could do immediately. If I was lucky, the victim would be only myself, and it was a sure way to grow stronger quickly. However, I only had a rough idea of how to do it, not the detailed steps.

‘I should have listened to Dowol more carefully… Wait, did Dowol teach me this?’

“Hmm… How long have I been asleep? Is it my turn for guard duty?”

Just as my thoughts were getting more complicated, Talia woke up. Without needing to be awakened, she rose up for her turn, showing an impressive level of responsibility. Simultaneously, it implied that despite her young age, she had plenty of experience standing guard.

“Go ahead and sleep… Haaam.”

“No, I have something else to do. I’ll be meditating over there, so keep an eye on me from a distance.”

“Meditating?”

“If something happens, don’t come near me. Just throw a rock to wake me up.”

“…What?”

After re-explaining to the puzzled Talia, I moved to another spot and started reading the scripture.

Unlike before, I focused on recalling the passage in my mind and maneuvered the mana I wasn’t yet accustomed to.

“Hoo… Let’s do this.”

I adjusted my posture and took a deep breath before entering meditation.

“When the foolish ones stormed in and defiled His kingdom, and harmed the faithful, his wrath descended…”

I repeated the passage. As I repeated it more and more, the scene unfolded before me. Initially, it was like watching a dream, but it gradually became very similar to reality. The crumbled stone buildings made of some unknown material. The altars soaked in bloodstains and exuding a nauseating stench of blood. The cold rain pouring from the overcast sky.

*Shhh.*

I was inside the scene described in the scripture, immersed in the history and events it depicted. This was the meditation of a priest. A unique experience allowed only to priests, where they could gain experience by immersing themselves in the events and miracles described in the scripture.

“In the name of the great one! Spill the blood of the foolish!”

“This city is now ours!”

I was no longer in the forest. I was in the capital of a lost ancient city that worshiped the 【Slumberer of the Abyss】. The citizens of this ancient city were being slaughtered. Their heads were being severed one by one by the swords of those who believed in a different religion. The heads that rolled to the ground frothed with blood and were discarded like trash.

“Next!”

“Chop their heads! Eradicate them!”

I found myself ascending the execution platform.