Well, if it followed the trend, it would’ve been sixteen, but like how the required Soul Fragnts boosted insanely quickly, the boost from the monsters did so as well... thankfully.
Still, it wasn’t ’boost’ enough as...
—
╔══════════════╗
║Heretic Saint System║
╚══════════════╝
{Class: Priest (Class Nine)}
{Ordination: 33→ 36}
[• SF: 420 / 1,174•]
{Health}
[• H: 1145 / 1145 •]
{Divinity}
[• D: 1235 / 1235 •]
{Statistics}
[Strength] 28 → 30 (D) (Academy Avg: C )
[Intelligence] 35 → 40 (D → C-) (Academy Avg: C )
[Willpower] 40 (C-) (Academy Avg: C )
[Speed] 35 (D ) (Academy Avg: B-)
[Endurance] 33 → 35 (D → D ) (Academy Avg: B-)
[Appearance] 70 (B ) (Academy Avg: C)
[Personality] -1 (G) (Academy Avg: C)
[Luck] 60 → 70 (B → B ) (Academy Avg: C)
—
Ignotus’s Soul Fragnts rush had truly slowed.
’You shouldn’t be so stuck on the numbers. Keep in mind, two months ago, you were running from Cyclopses, seeing only death from them. Now you’re killing them with explosives for fragnts, as you like to say, farming them.’
Ignotus nodded.
"Progress~."
’Progress.’
Eris echoed, with a smile in Her tone.
He started walking back, stretching his arms, the sll of dust still clinging to his clothes.
"But I still can’t use Synaxis."
’Hm...’
He sighed again.
"Yeah."
Ignotus kicked a small stone, watching it skid across the dirt path.
"And the others have already started."
It was a sore spot, tiny but definitely there.
Though he didn’t show it much, Ignotus had his pride.
The others—his ’peers’ in this chaotic realm—had caught up.
Only recently, sure, but they had successfully activated Synaxis.
anwhile, he was still blowing up mines to farm Soul Fragnts.
Yes, he was still stronger than them despite that, but...
"Hm."
He didn’t like it.
’They have different aptitudes, Ignotus.’
Eris offered a consoling ntal pat.
’We aren’t to be compared to them.’
"I know..."
He chuckled.
"I once said that myself."
In the month that had passed since he really settled into his role of House Lord, Ignotus hadn’t gone down the typical path of the ’regressor entrepreneur.’ He hadn’t revolutionized the culinary world with items that he knew from the Second Stratum, nor had he opened a chain of more modern departnt stores to dazzle the natives.
Again, he realized sothing back in that restaurant.
Comrce, specifically anything that saved ti or revolutionized daily efficiency, was strictly gatekept by the Great House lording over the Second Stratum—House Ti.
They held the monopoly on ’ti,’ ’convenience,’ and likely much, much more.
If Ignotus had been foolish enough to open a public storefront, disrupting their market, he wouldn’t just be dealing with angry rchants; he’d have the entire Ti army on his doorstep by morning.
They would need only the flimsiest public excuse to crush an upstart, and Ignotus wasn’t keen on handing them one.
After all, if given a public reason to attack him, they’d no longer need to stick to assassins.
Ignotus wasn’t one to care about attracting attention, as anyone he t since regressing would say, but even he knew better than to call on the wrath of an entire House so openly.
"I’m already busy enough trying not to die."
He scratched the back of his neck.
’The assassins from the other Great House are quite persistent.’
Eris noted dryly, sothing that Ignotus seed to obviously agree with.
"Exactly. Fighting a war on two fronts against two Great Houses? No thanks. Call crazy, but not suicidal."
However, public law didn’t apply to private property. In other words, House Ti could regulate the streets, but they couldn’t tell Ignotus what to do inside his own walls.
So, he did it anyway, just... exclusively.
A public bathhouse, a saloon, a proper restaurant, and a café.
All were built within the confines of his manor, strictly for his people.
Ignoring the latter two, the first two were non-negotiable in Ignotus’s eyes.
"Appearance is everything, Eris."
’Is it?’
"Yes. My people are a reflection of myself."
Ignotus stated with the conviction of a man discussing religious doctrine.
"I can’t be walking around looking all proper while my subordinates look like bandits covered in mud. It reflects poorly on my managent."
He needed them to look dapper, clean, and styled.
Once, he had toyed with the idea of a mandatory all-black uniform but quickly scrapped it.
It was too gloomy and too generic villain organization. His manor needed life; it needed color. It needed to look like a place people actually wanted to live, not so funeral procession or so secret organization.
So instead, he went for red, black, and very subtle hints of gold!
Quite the difference, right?
Well, he thought so...
"It’s been a long month getting all that set up."
Ignotus sighed, the adrenaline of the explosion finally fading into a dull ache in his muscles.
’It has...’
Eris’s voice drifted into a nostalgic hum.
’Between the renovations, the training... and that first day.’
Ignotus paused on the path, a mory returning to grace his mind.
"Yeah, that first day."
***
One Month Ago...
The wind howled through the rocky slopes as Ignotus climbed up a gray rock.
A mountain stretched above him, its sides carved by ti and monsters.
Behind him followed Lykos, Ulv, Gaia, and Nora.
Each one appeared not exactly thrilled to be there.
"Remind again..."
Lykos grumbled, his gray tail twitching behind him.
"Why this mountain? Out of all the lands you could’ve picked—this one looks cursed."
"It’s not cursed."
Ignotus stepped over a ledge.
"It’s just old and... misunderstood, yeah."
"Old and useless."
Lykos muttered under his breath.
"I heard that."
"Good."
Ulv sighed behind them.
"My Lord... maybe tone it down?"
Lykos huffed and looked away.
"I’m just saying what everyone’s thinking."
No one denied it.
The place did look miserable with jagged rocks and no greenery in sight.
Even Gaia, ever trusting of Ignotus, looked uncertain, holding her bladed staff close to her chest.
"It’s... ah... quite barren. Are you sure this is the one you wanted?"
He didn’t bother to look back.
"Yes."
Nora, walking in silence behind them all, frowned but said nothing.
They kept walking, their boots scraping against stone, until finally the path narrowed into what looked like a hollow pocket in the cliff—a tight crack between two rock faces that led deeper inside.
"We’ll have to squeeze through, I think."
Gaia tilted her head while Ignotus stared at the slit of stone.
With only a single word, he turned to Ulv.
"Greatsword."
Ulv quickly handed it over.
"Here."
Ignotus gripped it, stepped close, and in one smooth motion—
Slash, slash, slash, slash!
—carved four diagonal cuts into the rock.
Dust fell as the stone cracked.
Leaning forward, he pushed the rock, and it broke off cleanly like a slab of bread. Sliding inward, it revealed an opening big enough for them to easily walk through.
"See?"
He handed the sword back to Ulv.
"It fits better now."
"That..."
Gaia’s awe mixed with confusion.
"That shouldn’t even be possible."
"Sure it is."
He walked in first.
"You just need to have the right Runes~."
Lykos followed, sowhat expecting this.
"Or be insane enough."
Nora hid a small smile behind her hand.
"That’s true."
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