Hidden Trouble (Congratulations to Alliance Leader Book Friend 120226104604296!)

"Confused?"

Sulu recalled Bukadi's words: the professional paths of the Seven True Gods Church all have flaws to varying degrees.

Unfortunately, by the time he realized this, it was too late.

"Yes... I have many questions."

Rhode put down his beer and barbecue. "We're a bunch of pathetic creatures watched by the Abyss... After my rank was promoted, I often heard whispers from the Abyss in my ears... Sometimes it felt like an axe, splitting my head open, sometimes like an awl driven into my brain... sharp, piercing... so painful that I wanted to smash my own head open..."

"My teacher told me that this was the influence of Demon, and that I shouldn't pay attention to it, deliberately forget about it, believe in the Goddess, and fight against it..."

"But... when I prayed to the Goddess of Light, I seemed to hear countless disturbances... I seemed to hear countless believers screaming and roaring... and it seemed as if a large number of madmen were calling for help and cursing in my ears... full of absurdity, arrogance, and chaos..."

Rhode solemnly recounted the secret, something he had never revealed even to his teacher.

"I seem to recall reading in a religious text... that false believers and those without faith will surely suffer bad consequences when they pray... Don't you wish to believe in the Goddess of Light?"

Sulu finally understood that this guy's faith was not devout.

Or rather, they had no intention of surrendering their faith to the Goddess of Light at all!

In a world without magic, or during Twilight of the Gods, this wouldn't be a big problem, but now, it's a huge problem!

Because of the unique nature of the [Witch Hunter] class, they are easily affected by Demon and need to fight them at all times.

In fact, in the later stages, one will inevitably be unable to resist on one's own and will have to introduce an 'external force', the most suitable of which is the Goddess of Light!

Of course, in this way, the soul is first bound by Demon's pact, and then falls into the Hands of God, risking being torn apart!

"Heh... As expected, the hardest person to deceive is yourself. You saw right through me. If I had to choose a belief, I would only believe in myself!"

Rhode laughed.

Sulu remained silent. "If that's the case... why did you choose to become a [Witch Hunter] in the first place?"

"At that time, I had no other choice."

Rhode paused for a moment, then casually explained, "And... I thought my will was strong enough, at least until I reached the fifth rank, that I wouldn't have to worry about falling... But later, I realized... in the face of the Abyssal Whisper, an individual's will is as insignificant as an ant. Several times, I was just a hair's breadth away from 'falling'... For a [Demon Hunting Expert] like me, falling is very easy; I'd immediately transform into a third-rank [Horned Demon]! If that day ever comes... kill me!"

He stared at Sulu, his tone very serious.

"This is too cruel... I probably can't do it!" Sulu shook his head and tentatively asked, "Would things be better if I advanced to [Demon Hunting Master]?"

"No! As my rank increases, this will only get worse... I suspect that if things continue like this, by the time I advance to the fifth rank... I mean, if that happens, I will definitely fall into depravity immediately, there will be no other possibility!"

Rhode shook his head.

Sulu was speechless.

The solution is actually quite simple: sincerely believe in a righteous deity and pray for their protection.

But Rhode seemed unwilling to do so.

To be honest, deep down, Sulu didn't want to offer his faith to any being, even if that being was the 'Creator'!

It is very dangerous to resist depravity solely through one's own willpower.

"So... even if I had enough merit to meet the requirements for promotion to [Demon Hunting Master], I might not dare to promote..."

Rhode sighed.

"Why... are you so resistant to faith in God?"

Sulu was a little confused. To be fair, the Church of the Seven True Gods were quite reliable. So many people from the Federation went to the Goddess's church to pray every week, and the religious atmosphere was very strong. He didn't see anyone with problems.

He's a time traveler, but why is Rhode so resistant?

"I... found some fragments left by my ancestors."

Rhode poked at the fire. "That contains some secrets of the [Witch Hunter] profession... After reaching the [Demon Hunting Master] stage, the risk of corruption becomes very high. Those who ultimately persevere either join the Church, completely fall into corruption, or end their own lives before that..."

"The fragments I saw were about those who joined the Church. Some of them, through divine grace and their own will, overcame the temptations of the Abyss, cleansed their souls, and successfully advanced to the fifth rank [Paladin]... However, during that stage, they were all gradually changed and replaced... After they successfully advanced, it was as if they had become completely different people."

"Can you understand? What makes a person human is everything about them... But after becoming a [Paladin], many ancestors became completely indifferent. They used to be very family-oriented, but now they completely disregard the life and death of their families, only knowing how to serve the Goddess of Light wholeheartedly, as if they have become Her fanatical believers."

"One person's transformation could be considered an exception, but if everyone is like this, then there must be some trap hidden within the [Paladin] profession?"

Sulu broke off a branch.

Within the Federation, the faith of the Church of the Goddess of Light is deeply rooted. Not to mention ordinary people, even professionals dare not utter any blasphemous words, let alone have the thought!

But he wasn't from this world, so he directly Lock-on the source and questioned the gods!

'As expected... While some of what Bukadi was half true, a portion of it was true... The gods do not want to see those who share their glory and will deliberately suppress any potential threats!'

This applies not only to external affairs, but also to internal affairs.

Needless to say, the profession of [Acolyte] for believers is one where the body, mind, and even soul of those who follow this path belong to the divine and are utterly incapable of resistance.

In fact, one must even obtain divine permission to advance to a higher rank.

It's equivalent to being completely controlled.

In addition, the [Warrior], [Witch Hunter], and other professions controlled by the Church all have flaws to varying degrees.

This is especially true for [The Witch Hunter]!

"No... calling it a trap isn't quite right... after all, the soul of a [Witch Hunter] is already imprinted with the gaze of the Abyss... to contend with this power, or rather, to completely resolve it, we must introduce a power of equal rank... to let the power of the Goddess of Light completely enter the soul, expel evil, and incidentally change some of its essence."

Sulu pondered, "This reminds me of a law mentioned in a certain classic text... Once you are watched by a great being, you can never escape it. Even if you pray to another being of the same level and receive a response, the result is only replacement, not a complete solution!"

This means that once you are 'marked' by Demon, Goddess, or other divine being, it's like jumping into a fire pit. You can only choose to find another fire pit, but you can never get rid of it!

This is the ironclad rule of this world!