The Hunted Regressor: Rise of the Heretic Saint-Chapter 148: My Abandoned Wolf

Ding!

Ignotus's eyes flickered open.

A soft chime echoed in his skull.

It was a most pleasant sound.

The best there was~.

'Good evening.'

A beautiful voice followed.

'Good evening to you too.'

That was, of course, Eris.

Ding!

—

[Runebearer: Ignotus]

[Second Trial Concluded]

[Type: Fallen Land Reclamation]

[Number of Participants: 33]

[Main Quest: Kill A Demon]

[Main Quest Rating: Perfect (S)]

[Notable Exploits...]

[Exploit One: Solo A Demon]

[Special Exploit: Awaken In Battle]

[Overall Placement: Among The Top 0.000000001%]

[Final Score: S]

—

'Hm.'

—

╔════════════════════╗

║NEW SOUL GLYPH ACQUIRED!║

╚════════════════════╝

[True Heretic]

[Description: You have done what was essentially impossible... defeating yourself. Your irregularity has been confirmed, and the Gods continued interest in you has resulted in an increase of your Divinity reserves.]

—

'Hm, hm~.'

—

╔════════╗

║OVERFLOW!║

╚════════╝

╔═════════════╗

║☆ LEVEL UP X 2 ☆║

╚═════════════╝

[You've Slayed A Lesser Demon]

[EXP = 1500]

[Level: 31 → 33]

[+ 6 STAT POINTS!]

—

And the quest...

—

╔═════════════╗

║QUEST COMPLETE!║

╚═════════════╝

[You Have Defeated Yourself]

[+ 5 STAT POINTS!]

—

And finally, the entire system...

The one he'd been waiting for since the game began.

—

╔══════════════╗

║Heretic Saint System║

╚══════════════╝

{Class: Priest (Class Nine)}

{Ordination: 33}

[• SF: 314/886 •]

{Health}

[• H: 1048 / 1048 → 1145 / 1145 •]

{Divinity}

[• D: 1155 / 1155 → 1235 / 1235 •]

{Statistics}

[Strength] 28 (D) (Academy Avg: C+)

[Intelligence] 35 (D+) (Academy Avg: C+)

[Willpower] 35 → 40 (D+ → C-) (Academy Avg: C+)

[Speed] 30 → 35 (D → D+) (Academy Avg: B-)

[Endurance] 32 → 33 (D) (Academy Avg: B-)

[Appearance] 70 (B+) (Academy Avg: C)

[Personality] -1 (G) (Academy Avg: C)

[Luck] 60 (B) (Academy Avg: C)

—

Ignotus grinned, rubbing his chin as he scrolled through the stats.

'Not bad...'

He'd given himself five more stat points on Speed; the rest were automatically allocated by the fight. Since he'd used quite a bit of Willpower at the end, it had gotten a bit of a boost.

'It really has slowed.'

That comment came from Eris, noticing that one thousand and five hundred Soul Fragments had only increased him two levels, which was insane. Especially when considering that it'd have boosted him from Ordinance one straight to Ordinance twenty-two... but also expected.

'I told you, didn't I? It'd slow down real quick.'

He stretched, popping his shoulders.

'I know, but still it's… ridiculous.'

Ignotus nodded at Eris's agreement.

Soon would be the time to hunt stronger monsters, absorb Runes similar to Luck, and break those that aren't... it was why the land he was getting today was so good. Any Rune that fell from the higher strata on it would be legally his, and he could do as he pleased with it.

Since Ignotus was that of Luck, he hoped that many a Rune would fall on his land, giving him a passive way of gaining SF... But those thoughts were for later; let him get the land first.

The reward for surviving Death's little playground.

He pushed himself up from the ground, his eyes meeting a familiar white realm.

Because indeed, it was over, and he was in the reward... room?

Of course, he wasn't alone.

Ignotus stood only to see a large pitch-black figure stare down at him.

It had no face and no mask, only a humanoid void.

Light bent away and around it.

Death had returned.

"Congratulations."

Its voice was the same distorted one he remembered.

"The Gods were entertained."

Ignotus tilted his head, blinking up at it.

"…good for Them."

"The others have grown stronger, too. Because of you. They're inspired by you, desperate to catch up... it makes for quite the spectacle."

Ignotus crossed his arms, saying nothing in reply, making Death chuckle softly.

"Impatient, aren't you?"

He shrugged.

"You talk too much."

Death laughed once more and snapped its fingers.

"Very well then, Priest Ignotus. Your reward."

A projection appeared between them.

It was a map of green and gray.

At its deep center sat his manor, surrounded by four distinct lands.

The Corruption that had plagued them was lifting, color bleeding back into their soil.

The north was lush forests and a river; the east was barren rock and hills; the south was the ruins of an old village; and the west was open plains leading toward a likely popular trade route.

"You may claim one."

One choice, four different futures.

Ignotus's eyes swept over the glowing map once…

'Hm.'

And without a second thought, he pointed to the east.

"The dead one."

Death stilled, only for a line of white light to slowly split its featureless face.

"Ah..."

That was a smile.

"You continue to surprise me, Priest Ignotus."

"Yes, I tend to do that."

"You reject prosperity for ruin. Why?"

"Because no one fights over dirt, and no one expects treasure under it."

The smile widened as Death gave a slow nod.

"Then so be it."

The white world dimmed; Ignotus's Soul pulled out of its embrace.

A deep, resonant voice whispered through his mind...

"You may have the Land of Death."

Before suddenly, everything was gone.

"Walk strong, Stranger."

...

When Ignotus opened his eyes again, the first thing that hit him was noise.

"STRANGER!"

"STRANGER!"

"STRANGER!"

He squinted a little.

"...huh?"

Oh, the crowd, the arena.

He was back in the physical realm.

And apparently, his fans hadn't calmed down since the fight.

Unlike last time, when it was more horror than game, they'd witnessed 'hype.'

And to make things worse, or better, many of those who once focused on his lowlife reputation no longer did, either giving him excuses or simply not caring in the first place.

A thousand voices howled across the Colosseum, shaking the very air.

"STRANGER!"

"STRANGER!"

"STRANGER!"

Ignotus wasn't the only one getting screamed at, though.

From another side came...

"ICE WOLVES!"

"ICE WOLVES!"

"ICE WOLVES!"

Lykos and Ulv.

Their fans were loud enough to wake the dead.

And, of course...

"FIRE AND WHIP!"

"FIRE AND WHIP!"

"FIRE AND WHIP!"

Mer and Aur had one as well.

A slightly lazier cheer, but still passionate.

Finally...

"LADY EARTH!"

"LADY EARTH!"

"LADY EARTH!"

There was Gaia's, a pretty dead-on title.

If Ignotus hadn't been there, hers probably would've been the loudest.

The girl was a fan favorite, strong, polite, and somehow still blushing half the time she spoke.

But none of the five paid any attention to the roaring crowd. They were all staring at one person, surprise coloring their eyes.

It was, of course, Ignotus.

The reason was simple.

At the projections still floating above the arena, one could see the newly claimed lands.

Lykos had chosen the north, Aur chose the west, Mer didn't care, while Gaia had picked the south.

East was never a choice for any of them, and that meant that Ignotus had chosen it.

The land he chose was… cursed, barren, and bleak, crawling with monsters. It was a stone's throw from a Divine Stair, meaning that it was also dangerously close to a Hell entrance.

Absolutely no greenery or any sign of Divine life, only cracked black rock.

Yet he'd picked that.

Even as they were crowded by families, healers, and nobles trying to shake hands, they still stole glances at him, wondering why. But Ignotus didn't explain himself; he didn't need to.

They'd find out soon enough, for the land couldn't have been better.

It showed the classic signs of something he had heard and seen much about in his past life.

So, instead, he stood there, watching in silence as black figures came in, collecting the dead, while people celebrated around them, cheering for the winners.

The contrast was… strange.

Applause and sobbing mixed together.

'...weird place.'

With that casual blankness he was known for, he turned and walked towards Gaia.

He passed by her guards, nodded once to Nora, and then reached her side.

Her father, Theodore, had his arms wrapped around her, proud tears staining his beard.

Ignotus gently pulled him aside by the shoulder, ignoring the man's startled look, and crouched a bit to meet Gaia's eyes.

"Your father wants the land, doesn't he?"

Gaia froze up, her fingers trembling.

"I… Y-Yes, I… I—"

"It is my right as her father to get that land!"

Theodore interrupted, puffing his chest like a certain chicken he knew.

"I have given her everything she has! It's only natural that it goes to me!"

Ignotus didn't even look at him.

"Don't worry about it."

Her eyes widened.

"R-Really…? You have no… no problem with it?"

He shook his head, and before she could stammer herself into knots, he stepped closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulder in a soft, simple hug.

"You've done well today. Great job."

Her hands clenched onto his clothes.

"T-Thank you…"

Behind them, Theodore clicked his tongue while glaring daggers.

But Ignotus didn't even notice, or maybe he did and just didn't care.

Either way, he was about to pull away when—

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

A voice boomed across the arena.

Everyone turned to see an unusual sight.

Lykos stood stiffly, his tail bristling, his blue eyes trembling with anger.

Before him knelt a similarly trembling wolf, though for an entirely different reason, holding a sealed black letter in his claws.

"L-Lord Nex of House Death... Son of Mors, titles you… a failure, and revokes your Death name. Your performance in the Academy of our father is an embarrassment to the bloodline... as among other things."

The arena went silent.

Even the crowd that had been cheering seconds ago had paused.

Only one person moved, and that was the poor wolf, who dropped to his knees, bowing low.

"P-Please don't kill me, Lord Lykos! I'm only the messenger!"

Lykos's hand twitched repeatedly, the ground beneath them freezing up.

He was burning with more than rage, something much worse...

Shame.

Tears welled up before he could stop them.

He wanted to lash out, get these emotions out...

But before he could strike, Ulv grabbed his wrist.

"You are better than this, my Lord."

Lykos looked at him.

"I-I've tried my best…"

His voice was shaking.

"Yes."

Ulv lowered his head, still holding his arm.

"Yes, you have."

Lykos's breathing hitched, and the tears fell.

"I thought…"

He bit his lip.

"I thought I was doing well."

Ulv stepped closer, supporting his Lord.

"You've done great. You're better than they'll ever admit."

Lykos's tail lowered.

"…did I?"

Ulv didn't hesitate.

"Yes."

Never once did he waver.

It was an undeniable truth.

...This scene was beautiful.

The quiet continued around them.

Nearly everyone there found themselves stunned.

A strange, almost gentle stillness had spread over the Colosseum.

Meanwhile, Ignotus, watching that from the side, couldn't help but smile.

'You should learn how to comfort others like him.'

He didn't hear Eris's teasing, his mind too busy with this one thought.

'My abandoned wolf~.'

Their time had come, and thus...

The second Colosseum Trial ended.