KAPPA 12 (Patreon)

While Sophia went somewhere to address the matter of the improperly handled alms, Cairn and Kaia were shown around the Church's facilities by a young Neophyte boy with spiky red hair named Tristan. Most of the official clergy were assisting with the outbreak underground, so those who remained were children between the ages of eight and sixteen, the cutoff point for becoming a Priest or Monk.

After a quick tour of the training and dining facilities, Tristan showed Cairn and Kaia to the barrack-like dwelling where Neophytes, regardless of age and gender, resided. Instead of bunks, however, the children living in the barracks were given a prayer mat, two incense burners, a washbin, and a small shelf to store books and other personal effects.

"This is where the two of you will be staying," said Tristan. "If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to petition our brothers and sisters for assistance. Also, as the two of you are guests, you need not participate in our training or ceremonies. Of course, we will not turn you away if you choose to do so."

"Thank you for your assistance, Brother Tristan," said Kaia, placing her hand over her chest and lowering her head slightly, prompting Tristan to do the same.

"May the Light of the Goddess guide us," replied Tristan. At the same time, about twenty or so children of various shapes and sizes flocked over, the majority human, but a few had features such as horns, animal ears, and tails. One of the older boys, standing nearly 2m tall at fifteen years old, even had the head of a lion.

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Name: Asim

Species: Lionel

Gender: Male

Age: 15

Title: Neophyte(Talent Rate+100%)

Class: Neophyte(Rare)

[Attributes]

Level: 20/65[Neophyte(20)]

HP: 12,001/12,987

MP: 2,448/3,099

Str: 75+15

Agi: 68

Vit: 183+91

Int: 95+38

Dex: 81

Cha: 48+29

Talent(s): [Goddess of Light's Blessing(20/20)], [Corruption Resistance(20/20), [Lionel Physiology(20/65)], [Mace Mastery(19/71)], [Shield Mastery(28/59)], [Undead Slayer(19/49)]

Skill(s): [Light Healing(MAX)], [Purification(MAX)], [Charge(MAX)], [Heavy Blow(9/10), [Shielf Bash(8/10)], [Stalwart(3/10)], [Lifestyle Magic(3/5)]

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Acting as the de facto representative of the group, Asim adopted a kind smile as he asked, "Are these new convents? Regardless, welcome to the Restia Church of Austral's Junior Chapter. My name is Asim. Might I have the honor of knowing yours?"

"Cairn," replied Cairn, making it clear he wasn't a convent by forgoing the act of placing his hand over his chest.

Demonstrating the proper courtesies, Kaia appended, "And my name is Kai'ankh, daughter of Kai'nuk and Su'anah. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Brother Asim."

Mirroring Kaia's actions, Asim asserted, "The pleasure is surely mine, Sister Kai'ankh. Though some might have reservations about your presence here, it gladdens me to see a Karakut aspiring to become a member of the Church. I shall pray for the success of your endeavor."

"And I, yours," replied Kaia, adopting a faint smile. She could tell some of the younger children were bothered by her arrival, but their biases would invariably fade as their faith matured. If not, they would simply be ousted from the Church the day they turned sixteen...

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"So, what brings the two of you to Austral...?" asked Asim, helping Cairn and Kaia pick out prayer mats and pillows that were more like boards than proper cushions.

"We're on our way to the Capital to witness the Decennial Tournament of Champions," replied Cairn, preempting Kaia's response that they were on a pilgrimage.

"Then I presume you won't be staying for long," said Asim. "I've heard it takes at least three months to travel from Austral to the Capital on foot, not including rests and detours. With only six months until the inaugural ceremony, you'll be cutting it close."

"Then we'll shorten the time by running," contended Cairn. "Either way, that's where we're headed."

"Well, I won't try to stop you," mused Asim. "Rather, my Ordination will occur five days from now. Presuming everything goes well, I would be honored to accompany you on your journey. I need to pay my respects at the Grand Cathedral, and it would be a shame to miss an event that only takes place every ten years."

Hearing Asim offer to accompany them, Cairn looked at and sized up the two-meter-tall Lionel a second time. His Level Cap was only 65, but that wasn't exactly bad. In fact, if he remembered correctly, Cairn was fairly certain the elderly Vice-Commander of the Crimson Knight Brigade had a Level Cap of 65. In other words, Asim clearly had potential.

Instead of deciding on his own, Cairn turned to Kaia and asked, "What do you think, Kaia? I'm fine with how things are, but it wouldn't hurt to have extra travel companions."

Nodding in affirmation, Kaia replied, "If you have no reservations about adding to our party, I think it would be for the best. From what I can tell, Brother Asim is a capable and virtuous man. Our journey would be much smoother with him at our side."

"Your words honor me," said Asim, placing his hand over his chest and bowing in the usual manner. The Lionels were the leaders of the Felidae Tribes, but rather than embodying arrogance, they were most known for their protective nature and incredible insight. Asim could tell there was something special about Cairn and Kaia, so with their arrival coinciding with his forthcoming Ordainment, he felt it was his fate to accompany and protect them...

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With little to do while awaiting Sophia's return, Cairn sat atop his mat, skimming the chronicles related to King Alfred and occasionally looking up to see what the others in the barracks were up to.

("This is boring...") thought Cairn. He wasn't much of a bibliophile and had little interest in things like meditation and prayer. Kaia seemed to be in her element, but he was the type that 'needed' to be doing something. Sitting still when he could be Leveling up and earning money just felt wrong...

Recalling the rewards he had received from his previous Quests, Cairn pulled out the [Map of the Southlands] and began inspecting key areas with his [Insight]. The latter didn't just work on people, plants, monsters, and items, but if he focused on specific keywords, such as the names of cities, he could uncover details such as population statistics and, most importantly, basic information pertaining to important figures, their Levels, Classes, and Titles.

According to Cairn's [Insight], the most powerful person in Austral was someone by the name of Zodias, a Level 73 Bushin. Cairn couldn't see the specifics of their status, but by focusing on their Class and Title, he could see the associated Skills, Abilities, and acquisition method.

Shifting his attention to nearby Dungeons, seven of which were located within the city, Cairn noticed that the majority were between the Levels of 5-15. The solitary exception was a B-Rank Dungeon called the [Paradise of Ooze], populated by a dozen different Slime species, including a Level 43 [Slime Monarch]. The rest of the Slimes were between Levels 10~35, but with the average Knight being around Level 25, it was no wonder they were struggling to get the situation under control.

("This one looks promising...") thought Cairn, perusing the information of a Dungeon called [Gnawing Burrow]. It was a D-Rank Dungeon with a Level Range of 5-10, primarily populated by Common monsters called a [Naked Horned Rat]. There were also [Mimic]s among the monsters listed, but the thing that caught Cairn's attention was a listing in purple text, denoting a Level 10 Epic monster called a [Treasure-Hoarding Chinchilla].

While he couldn't see the specifics of the [Treasure-Hoarding Chinchilla]'s status, Cairn could see the information pertaining to its Skills and Abilities. This included the Abilities [Treasure Sense] and [Cheek Pouch Vault], the former enabling the Chinchilla to sniff out rare and valuable items and the latter permitting it to store a functionally limitless amount of treasure in its cheeks, much like an Inventory.

As interesting as the information on the [Treasure-Hoarding Chinchilla]'s Abilities was, the real kicker was what Cairn discovered when using his [Insight] on [Cheek Pouch Vault]. Not only did it include information on the Ability, but it also told him how much wealth the [Treasure-Hoarding Chinchilla] had stockpiled. In this instance, despite being a mere Level 10 monster, it had 10,337 Gradis in its possession. According to Kaia, 10,000 Gradis was the price of a [Statue of the Goddess, Restia], while the meat skewers they purchased on the way to the Church were 5 Gradis each. In other words, the tiny rodent was carrying a small fortune.

Though Cairn didn't believe finding the [Treasure-Hoarding Chinchilla] would be easy, the difficulty of the Dungeon made it ideal for his current Level. The Longcats he fought were Level 6, so rodents of a similar Level should be no problem. However, before making up his mind, he spent the better part of an hour looking into other Dungeons, searching for anything else that might stand out.

Discovering nothing of note, at least among the information available to him through his menu, Cairn looked around the barracks to see if he could spot Asim. Failing in that, he turned to Kaia, disturbing her meditation by asking, "Hey, want to check out a nearby Dungeon?"

Opening her eyes, Kaia remained silent for a moment before answering, "I don't think that's the best idea. Nightfall is only a few hours from now, and you've yet to rest properly. There is also the matter of Bishop Adranis. I'm not sure she would appreciate it if we left without informing her."

"I mean, you're not wrong, but I'm tired of just sitting around," said Cairn. "More importantly, if my Level remains as it is, I'll only be a liability if and 'when' we encounter dangerous enemies."

"I see..." replied Kaia, her brows furrowing in contemplation. Cairn's words hadn't swayed her, but as her duty was to support him, she was reluctant to oppose his suggestions.

"Don't worry," said Cairn. "The Dungeon I have in mind isn't far from here, and the primary monsters are [Naked Horned Rat]s. We also don't have to enter it immediately. I just want to check it out."

"If that's all, then I will gladly accompany you," replied Kaia, feeling a little less apprehensive. [Naked Horned Rat]s were E-Rank monsters, the same category as [Southern Longcat]s. They also produced a lot of noise when skittering about, so she could easily discern their locations and whether a large group was waiting in ambush.

"Then let's see if this works," said Cairn, surprising Kaia immensely as he sent her a Party invite. He wasn't sure it would work, but seeing her ears perk up, he assumed a window had appeared before her.

Recovering from her surprise, Kaia asked, "What is this? A strange blue window just appeared out of thin air, asking me if I wanted to join a Party called 'Rabbit Express.' What should I do?"

"Just think about pressing the Y icon or reach out your finger to press it manually," said Cairn. "Once you do, the Exp we get from killing monsters should be distributed equally across the Party. If nothing else, it will let us see each other's locations."

Following Cairn's instructions, Kaia successfully joined his Party. When she did, a red and blue bar appeared over Cairn's head, along with his name, Level, Class, and tiny white text denoting the distance between them.

"Good. It looks like the Party Function is the same as I remember," said Cairn, going through the Party Settings to toggle on Experience Sharing and set Loot Distribution to Leader's Discretion. The latter wasn't strictly necessary, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Finished editing the settings, Cairn closed the window and suggested, "We should see if we can't locate Asim before heading out. I'm not sure how long he's been in the city, but he should have some information on the nearby Dungeons. If we're lucky, he may even join us."

Though she had many questions she wanted to ask, Kaia pressed them down and replied, "Yes, that would be ideal." She didn't know exactly how powerful Asim was, but from the confidence he exuded, he shouldn't be inept. Thus, after grabbing her equipment, she and Cairn set out in search of the tall and muscular Lionel, finding him in the middle of a spar...

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(A/N: MC be leachin...)