Jenkins wrenched himself free from the ape's grasp and leapt back to the ground. He watched as the massive, headless corpse crashed down, only to quickly dissolve into a pool of blood that stained the dust-caked floor a deep crimson.
"If only I'd saved that containnt potion for now,"
Jenkins thought to himself. He retracted his demon sword and walked back to the nun seated by the altar.
"That should do it, right?"
"Yes. A clean and impressive fight."
She reached to the side of her habit and, from sowhere unseen, produced a small pouch that she handed to Jenkins. Inside were fifty blood-red dice—the reward for the mission.
Jenkins didn't open the small cloth bag to count them. Instead, he examined it closely, confirming it was identical to the one the bell ringer had given him.
"Do you know the bell ringer from the clock tower?"
The only other explanation was that all the town's residents used the sa standard-issue pouches.
"I do."
"The bell ringer told I shouldn't pry into the town's secrets."
"Then you should heed his words and leave this place as soon as you can,"
her voice, cool and devoid of any emotion, advised. Jenkins nodded, then pointed to the cardboard sign.
"This ti, I'll try the blood injection."
As he spoke, he tucked the pouch into his backpack.
The nun reached to her side once more, retrieving a tal instrunt identical to the syringe the old woman had held. It was just as riddled with rust, and the liquid inside was just as filthy.
Jenkins took the syringe from the nun and plunged the needle into his arm.
"Are you aware of the intruder from a while back? A machine, billowing steam,"
he asked as he pushed the plunger.
"I am."
The nun's words were few, but her voice was surprisingly pleasant.
"The bell ringer said it set a trap for here. Do you know what it is?"
The cold fluid was already coursing through Jenkins's body. Along with an unusual surge of spirit, visions began to flash before his eyes. It didn't stop him from conversing with the nun; he was more than capable of multitasking.
"That machine fears the town as well. Its trap is near the outer exit, but I don't know the exact location."
"If that's the case, then that's great,"
he said, his gaze fixed on the apparitions, before asking another question.
"So, do you have a map of the town?"
"No."
"Then from my current position, how far is it to the edge of town?"
"If you can find the most direct path, you've only covered a tenth of the distance from the clock tower to the exit."
"So, the number of dice I have should be enough to get out of here?"
"The closer you get to the edge of town, the more convoluted the paths beco. Without a map, even with all the dice I can provide, you'll barely make it out. And even then, you'll need luck on your side."
Jenkins nodded in understanding. He frowned suddenly but said nothing. Neither of them spoke again, and a sudden silence fell over the church. A full five minutes passed before he heaved a long sigh and returned the syringe to the nun.
"Alright, I'll start describing what I saw... It's your story, isn't it?"
The vision he'd seen was the story of a nun living in the modern era of the 18th Epoch. Though her face was never visible in the vision, Jenkins was certain it was the nun before him.
"Yes. You injected my blood."
"Your blood? You just arrived here, too?"
"Ti and space in this town are completely distorted, Savior. Perhaps when I was alive, the era I lived in was very close to your own. But when I ca to this town, it had only just been founded. What you saw is, for , a mory from a very distant past."
Jenkins sighed. He didn't ask any more questions, instead launching into a detailed description of what he'd witnessed—a tangled saga of love, faith, nation, friendship, and family. The nun listened in silence, and when he finished, she simply handed him another cloth bag containing thirty dice, offering no comnt.
To her, it was all ancient history. Though she could still recall the flavor of it, it was no longer worth agonizing over.
Jenkins looked at her with a hint of regret, then pointed to the last line on the sign.
"I want to challenge you."
"Are you sure?"
Her voice remained cool. Only after Jenkins confird his choice again did she slowly rise to her feet. It was then that Jenkins realized she was surprisingly tall—nearly the sa height as him.
The nun reached out to her side and, much like Jenkins summoning his White Bone Holy Sword from thin air, drew a blood-red tal staff from the ether.
It was the first ti Jenkins had seen soone in this world use a staff as a weapon. He didn't dare underestimate her. He tossed his demon sword aside with his backpack and switched to the more familiar White Bone Holy Sword.
"If I kill you, you lose,"
the nun stated.
"Do I have to kill you for it to count as my win?"
"No. If you can truly defeat , I will surrender."
"Then can I surrender, too?"
"No, you cannot."
As she replied, the nun rose onto her toes and rushed silently toward Jenkins. But just as he swung his sword to et her charge, she vanished into thin air.
Jenkins froze for a second, blinked, and then turned to the side.
"How about you drop the invisibility and fight head-on?"
he suggested kindly. He swung his sword, and it collided with empty air. The clang of tal on tal rang out as sparks flared briefly before vanishing. The wind whistled with the trace of his blade, but the staff and the nun had disappeared once more.
Overall, when it ca to unard and ard combat, Jenkins had taken formal hand-to-hand combat courses, but thanks to his [Hero] ability, he was actually more adept with cold weapons.
In close-quarters combat, regardless of skill, one's own physical condition and reaction speed played a crucial role. Jenkins didn't know what kind of being the town's nun was, but while her skill with her weapon was slightly superior to his, her physical attributes were far inferior. From the mont they clashed, Jenkins knew he was destined to win.
The abilities the nun displayed, aside from her excellent weapon skills and brief invisibility, included conjuring a blood-red light to add an enchantnt-like effect to her staff. While the glowing staff couldn't damage the White Bone Holy Sword, every ti their weapons collided, Jenkins could feel the blood in his veins begin to boil.
Beyond that, the nun was also proficient in so simple blood-related spells. Had anyone else been her opponent, they might have been defeated by the surprise of a master of arms suddenly casting a spell. But Jenkins could manipulate his own life force to influence his blood, making him unafraid of such curses and negative effects.
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