Level Up

That afternoon, Gagnor returned to his quarters at the church and slept until late at night, finally recovering from his physical and mental exhaustion.

Only then did he remember the matter of leveling up and focus his attention on the panel.

Experience: 198/100 (Can Level Up)

When Gagnor decided to level up, it felt as though he had pushed open an invisible door. Accompanied by a vision-like sensation, he suddenly saw countless spheres of light appear out of thin air.

The spheres varied in size and color, scattered together in a mottled display as they faintly shimmered.

What were these?

Gagnor focused on one of the spheres, and detailed information immediately flooded into his mind.

Holy Name: Akmondenis

Affiliation: Demon

Bonuses: All attribute caps +5, Constitution +2, Spirit +2, Intelligence +2, Strength +2

Blessing · Dark Gate: Summon demons whose level and number do not exceed your own level. No cost and no contractual restraints. Can be used once per day.

After reading the description, Gagnor gradually understood. These differently sized and colored spheres of light were Holy Names. As long as he chose one, he could level up.

But... Holy Names could be chosen?

He had never heard of such a thing. Ever since coming to Falaro, every rumor and document he had encountered told him that Holy Names were gifts from mythical beings. Mortals could pray for them at most; they had no right to be picky.

So why could he choose a Holy Name now? And why were there so many available?

Looking at the spheres spread out like stars across the sky, Gagnor even suspected that every mythical being in the universe was here.

He could not help recalling the phrase he had vaguely heard when gaining his first segment of a Holy Name: "Cognition is choice." This was probably also the effect of "cognition," allowing him to perceive and actively choose the gifts of mythical beings in this way.

No matter what, this was a good thing. Things acquired after comparison were usually better than arrangements made by fate.

Gagnor began making his selection with great interest.

Although there were countless Holy Names to choose from, most were rather rubbish. They either provided only minor attribute bonuses or an additional Blessing that was not very useful. This could be judged directly from the size of the spheres.

There were even a few Holy Names that gave nothing besides increasing attribute caps. Gagnor did not know how those mythical beings had the nerve.

Only a handful of Holy Names seemed genuinely worthwhile. After several comparisons, Gagnor found himself wavering between four of them.

One of the four was rather special. Its Blessing was "Suspend aging for twenty years."

To be fair, twenty extra years of life was highly valuable. If Gagnor had been middle-aged or elderly, he would likely have chosen it.

But he was only seventeen and had not even finished adolescence. Naturally, prolonging his life was not his priority, so he eliminated it first.

That left three Holy Names.

One was Akmondenis, the one he had noticed first. The other two were Sebastian and Sanderan.

Holy Name: Sebastian

Affiliation: Mosa Saint

Bonuses: All attribute caps +5, Constitution +10, Strength -1, Agility -1

Blessing · Saint's Touch: A healing spell capable of restoring disabilities.

Destiny · Prophecy: Unknown before acquisition.

Holy Name: Sanderan

Affiliation: Wind Element

Bonuses: All attribute caps +6, Constitution +1, Strength +1, Agility +3

Blessing · Swift Breeze: Create and control swift breezes, altering the speed of objects.

Judging by the effects alone, Akmondenis was probably the strongest of the three Holy Names. Dark Gate could summon demons every day, at no cost whatsoever. No mana, sacrifices, or blood were needed. It was absurdly powerful.

But the hidden dangers were just as great. Let alone the church, there were probably few places in all of Falaro willing to accept someone with a demon's True Name.

Yes, True Name. That was the more common term for a demon's Holy Name.

There was indeed a difference between a True Name and a Holy Name. Even if someone knew a Holy Name in its entirety, it usually would not cause much trouble. But a True Name absolutely could not be exposed. Even revealing a single segment of one carried enormous risks and could easily invite curses.

Holy Names could also be used for curses, but mythical beings such as deities and saints generally protected their followers from curses, so exposure was not a major problem. Demons clearly would not protect any "followers," so once it was exposed, one could only pray for luck.

Aside from the risks of its demonic affiliation, the demons summoned through Dark Gate were not bound by contracts. That was another serious hidden danger.

So despite its tempting power, Gagnor was the first to discard this demon name.

Sebastian, meanwhile, was a highly revered saint of Mosaism. If he chose this Holy Name, Gagnor could consider developing within the church system.

The Blessing of Saint's Touch was powerful enough as well.

It could restore disabilities!

Restoring disabilities was widely regarded as a top-tier ability, somewhere between human capability and a miracle. As far as Gagnor knew, most healing spells acquired through study could never achieve such results.

With the name of Saint Sebastian and the ability to restore disabilities, even if his first segment of a Holy Name was unimpressive, Gagnor could easily become a widely respected priest.

But everything came at a price. For such a powerful Holy Name, bearing a "Destiny" was only natural.

After browsing the information on a large number of Holy Names, Gagnor was certain that "Destiny" was roughly equivalent to a "curse." Nearly all of them were severe negative effects. Sebastian's Destiny was even unknown, which was terrifying just to look at.

Thinking of Saint Sebastian's own deeds—martyrdom and sacrifice—Gagnor felt increasingly inclined to back out.

If he chose this Holy Name, would he also have to imitate Saint Sebastian and become a martyr someday?

Gagnor did not believe in gods. He absolutely did not want to die for "the glory of the Lord," so after much consideration, he abandoned Sebastian's Holy Name as well.

That left only Sanderan.

Compared to the first two, this Wind Element Holy Name seemed somewhat ordinary. Its Blessing Ability did not look especially powerful either, but it had the advantage of carrying no obvious risks.

Moreover, Sanderan increased attribute caps by six points rather than five. That was quite appealing to Gagnor, whose attributes had already reached their caps.

Thus, Gagnor ultimately chose Sanderan as the second segment of his Holy Name.

At the same time, he made another decision—he would leave Driftwood Town after turning eighteen.

After all, neither segment of his Holy Name had anything to do with Mosaism. Developing within the church system was destined to be impossible. Since he could not get a position at the church, there was no point staying in remote Driftwood Town. He might as well go take a look at South Sea Town.

Choose the Wind Element Holy Name, Sanderan.

Level up!

Once the level-up was complete, Gagnor, now a Level 2 Anointed, immediately examined his panel again.

Holy Name: Adakonyanus · Sanderan

Level: 2

Constitution: 10/26

Spirit: 20/26

Strength: 10/26

Intelligence: 16/26

Agility: 14/26

Experience: 98/400

Swift Breeze: Create and control swift breezes, altering the speed of objects. Can currently control up to 4 swift breezes simultaneously. Maximum control range: 400 meters.

As he examined himself, just as when he had obtained his first segment of a Holy Name, a string of vague information seemed to appear out of nowhere and drift through his mind.

"May the wind guide your path..."

What exactly was that? A message of blessing?

Gagnor had no way to investigate the message further. It was so fleeting that he almost suspected it had merely been an illusion.

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