Condensing Light Stone

Bang!

The wooden door slammed shut.

After countless hardships, Colin and the others finally made it back inside before nightfall.

The instant the wooden door closed, Colin leaned against it and felt a deep sense of security wash over him.

With Hunting Moment deactivated, his demeanor returned to its usual gentleness.

The expedition had taken four hours. Though they'd nearly come to grief several times, they'd ultimately made it back safe and sound.

Of course, despite all the dangers, the rewards had been exceptionally bountiful.

Colin had obtained a wealth of resources and important items. Even his two subordinates had grown stronger, enough to put him ahead of most people.

But before anything else, Colin threw himself onto the wooden bed. At last, his taut nerves could relax.

But he was exhausted and starving.

He couldn't rest yet.

Meanwhile, the two Servants, who had been panting ever since they rushed into the cabin, finally recovered.

Just keeping up with Colin during the escape had taken every last ounce of their strength, and even then, they'd nearly been left behind several times.

The Lord was too much for them. The two of them could barely keep up!

At that moment, all three of them felt a sudden pang of dread. They turned to look out the window and saw the Gray Fog World, which had still held a little light, plunge abruptly into darkness.

The gray fog seemed to come alive, churning beyond the window. Low growls and faint screams sounded from within it.

A dim, yellowish light flickered on inside the Wooden Cabin, though its source was nowhere to be seen.

[Black Night has fallen. You make a rough estimate: it will last at least twelve hours.]

Twelve hours. Daytime also lasted twelve hours, which meant this world probably used a twenty-four-hour clock. We must have been transported here sometime in the afternoon.

Colin's thoughts wandered, but then he was struck by another pang of dread and quickly looked away.

"Stop staring. Eat your porridge."

Colin kicked aside the pile of rotten wood beside the bed and took out the table and chairs he'd "picked up" from the Church today.

"It's a bit big."

Colin looked at the wooden table, which took up nearly a fifth of the floor space, and shook his head. "Never mind."

He also took out a bench, but it looked like there was no room for it in the cabin.

He took out the Stone Pot and stone bowls, then the bread and water, and combined them into porridge.

Then Colin began taking stock.

Level 3 Water: 20 liters.

Animal meat of various kinds, mildly and moderately decayed: 12.

Treasure Map fragments: 3.

Hunter title.

Axe and Hurricane Lamp set.

Benches: 4.

Black Bread: 8.

Thorns of Suffering: 4.

Kadish's Wooden Wheel.

Condensing Light Stones: 2.

Dim Filthy Blood: 107 ml.

Ordinary Filthy Blood: 71 ml.

Bones, Timber, and stone.

All kinds of materials nearly filled the Inventory. Colin took out the Timber, stone, and other basic materials and told his two subordinates to stack them neatly at the foot of the bed.

Then Colin stared at two items in his Inventory, lost in thought.

One was the Condensing Light Stone he'd obtained from the female Survivor, and the other was the Wheel he'd taken from Father Kadish.

"Condensing Light Stone: A special mineral that emits a faint white glow."

"Note: Using it can dispel negative effects such as fear and confusion. It can harm undead creatures, and it can also accelerate the healing of wounds in ordinary living creatures."

[Hint: You find it familiar. You recall seeing a similar power on Father Kadish's Wooden Wheel. You have a vague feeling that absorbing this power might grant you a unique ability.]

"Grant me a unique ability?"

Colin's heart beat faster. "This thing is definitely valuable."

He immediately sensed that it had something to do with the Underground Passage beneath the Church.

His inspection of the Wheel soon confirmed his suspicion.

After the Little Girl used it to kill herself, Colin saw its name change from "Blood-stained Broken Wooden Wheel" to "Kadish's Wooden Wheel."

Its description had changed, too.

"'Kadish's Wooden Wheel': If the holder enters a Rage State while carrying it, they can activate the power remaining in the Wheel and make it emit a sacred light."

"Remaining uses: 3."

[Hint: As one of the Suffering Church's thirteen Saints, Father Kadish was known as the "Saint of Light." However, within the Church, he was constantly rejected and isolated by the other Saints. This seems to have something to do with the power he used.]

[The Church believed that the "light" Father Kadish used was not a "Miracle" bestowed by the "Mother of Suffering and Thorns," but an evil power he'd obtained from demons in exchange for his soul—a power capable of corrupting people's minds.]

[When an incident turned against him, the Church used this as an excuse to execute all of Father Kadish's devout followers, strip him of his title as a Saint, and send him back to the place where he'd first manifested a "Miracle." They also forbade anyone from following him.]

"...The Church are clearly the real villains."

Colin thought of the aberrant monster lying on the ground. He couldn't reconcile it with the "Saint of Light" described in the hint.

And considering what the Church had done and what the Priest had done, it was obvious who the good guys and bad guys were.

Colin didn't dwell on it. Instead, he focused on the last part of the hint: Father Kadish had been sent back to the place where he'd first manifested a Miracle.

That place was probably beyond the Underground Passage beneath the Church.

No, that couldn't be the only way into the Church.

The Condensing Light Stone on the female Survivor was clear evidence that she'd explored some area saturated with a special power.

It was probably in the same direction as the passage beneath the Church.

"There must be something incredible over there, but I really can't beat that monster."

Colin hesitated. The Lord-level Aberration had undergone a significant transformation. He really couldn't beat it—not even with Hunting Moment activated.

"Forget it. Better to be safe. I'll get stronger first, then go back."

Colin shook his head and put the matter aside. Then he opened the Parchment.

He saw a new, blood-red task on the Task List:

"Task Name: 'Majesty of the Arbiter.'"

"Task Requirement: Survive until the eighth day."

"Task Description: Your actions have disrupted the stability of the game environment. You will face a sanction from the system."

"Task Reward: Hardened Black Bread * 3"

"Note: It's not too late to kill yourself now."

[Given your current strength and progress, you feel like you're doomed.]

Looking at the red text, which seemed to drip with blood, and the bluntly worded hint, Colin felt the pressure bear down on him.

For the first time, Colin felt a genuine desire to grow stronger.

It brought the Church to mind again.

Only by mastering a special power could Colin face the sanction coming in seven days with any confidence.

But the Lord-level Aberration was blocking the way.

"What a headache." Colin rubbed his temple and fell asleep, weighed down by exhaustion.

And so the night passed.

Early the next morning, Colin was jolted awake by a message that appeared directly in his mind.

The Parchment has gained a new feature.