Holy Chant

Downs's body had been fundamentally altered by Kurog's influence.

In numerical terms, he had gone from an original value of one to a value of three.

That was with the demon's power still not fully apparent. The demon's corpse, once so heavy, now felt like dry grass; he lifted it with one hand.

Unaccustomed to this strength, Downs, who had been half-crouching, nearly fell backward after losing his balance.

Only then did Downs truly understand that strength was real.

Naimus walked ahead, while Downs carried the demon behind him.

As the crowd gathering nearby grew larger, their gazes fell upon the demon and upon him as well.

Downs felt his entire body burning, his blood flowing much faster beneath the pounding of his heart.

He had never experienced the feeling of being watched like this before.

He even had the urge to "get lost," to wander around Dorsal Fin Village for a few more laps.

But when he saw Naimus ahead of him, that little impulse quickly vanished.

Everything he had depended on Naimus. He did not dare get carried away now.

Even without looking back, Naimus knew how Downs's mindset had changed.

When he had first crossed over, he had been the same after achieving a few small successes, immediately becoming full of himself.

But reality had taught him a lesson, and those emotions had long since faded away.

The village was not large, and they soon arrived at the village chief's house.

The commotion along the way had been considerable, so Otto, who had been resting at home, learned the truth from the noisy villagers as well.

He hurried out of his house and welcomed Naimus at the door.

"As expected of Mr. Nigel! You actually eliminated that vicious demon in just one night!" Otto began with flattery. When his eyes glanced at Downs, there was none of his former disregard; instead, he wore a gentle smile.

"It was only a Lesser Demon. It took little effort." Naimus was not as taciturn as Nigel had been, as though the whole world owed him money.

He spoke openly and had Downs carry the demon's body forward and place it on the ground.

Seeing the motionless demon corpse, the surrounding villagers began to cheer.

Many crossed their hands over their chests—The Church's gesture—and recited the teachings of the God of Precepts.

"I will send the token promised as a donation to The Church as soon as possible." Otto glanced at the demon's corpse, his expression wavering slightly before he spoke naturally.

"May you be sheltered by the gods!" Naimus exchanged pleasantries with Otto while sensing the changes in the Precept.

[Precept updated]

[Pact Vessel: Rope of Oath (New—length increased.)]

Only now was Naimus barely satisfied with the Rope of Oath.

Pact Vessels were vessels between reality and illusion forged by demons to ensure contracts functioned properly. They required decades, or even centuries, of continuous forging before they could possess combat power.

But now, after several enhancements to the Oathkeeper Precept, the Rope of Oath's combat strength had become quite impressive.

Yet at that moment, Naimus sensed an unusual gaze. He immediately followed it and saw a somewhat scruffy-looking man.

The man wore rough linen clothes, and his long black hair had gone unkempt for so long that it clumped together.

A short dagger hung at his waist, while a bow and arrows were slung across his back.

The people around him kept their distance when they saw him.

Only one person in the village matched those characteristics—the Village Guardian.

In this world, Village Guardians were a special custom in certain regions.

Some villagers incapable of fulfilling productive roles would be stripped of their names and made Reserve Village Guardians.

Downs, for instance, had previously feared becoming one.

Reserve Village Guardians had to form a contract with the village and drink Deep Well Water.

They would take up weapons and fight all manner of Beasts and dangers in the wild. Only after fighting to a certain extent and undergoing a certain "Alienation" could they drop the word "Reserve" and become true Village Guardians.

Village Guardians held both high and low status. They were a contradictory existence.

They possessed power, but that power came with severe limitations. Once they violated their contract, the intense pain could even make them pass out on the spot.

Thus, most villagers treated Village Guardians with respect while keeping their distance.

The Village Guardian froze for a moment, then averted his eyes, not daring to look at Naimus again.

Something is off about him! The thought flashed through the Village Guardian's mind, but he did not dare investigate further.

Sure enough, people with something to hide will come forward themselves! Naimus looked away. Just as murderers often liked returning to the scene of their crimes—

The person who had summoned the demon would likely come to take a look after hearing that it had been dealt with.

There were not many people in Dorsal Fin Village qualified to cause trouble. Extraordinary power was not something just anyone could wield; more people went their entire lives without even knowing that Breathing Techniques and Meditation Techniques existed.

Under such circumstances, anyone who could summon a demon without revealing themselves during the process had to possess a fairly deep understanding of demonology.

That left only a few possible suspects.

One was Otto. As village chief, he surely possessed some extraordinary power, or he would not have been able to maintain his business.

The other was the Village Guardian. As a demon, Naimus knew perfectly well that the Village Guardian system was essentially an Alienated Demon Contract.

Through the village contract, combined with local water, it transformed people into "artificial demons."

That was why some experienced Village Guardians understood a little about demons.

"Though it is not certain yet, the odds of the Village Guardian being Kurog's summoner have risen dramatically." After confirming this, Naimus bade Otto farewell.

His time was not worth wasting any longer.

He called to Downs, had him carry the demon corpse, and led him toward the village church.

The church stood behind the village, backed against Dorsal Fin Mountain.

At that moment, the towering Dorsal Fin Mountain was cutting through the clouds and mist, with a few tiny black dots visible upon it.

Those were the village's main producers. The herbs and other goods they gathered there were the village chief's primary source of visible income.

Compared to other parts of the Floating Whale, the Dorsal Fin area did not produce much, which was why only a small village had formed below it.

The more prosperous areas of the Floating Whale were mostly around its head, such as Gas Spring City and Pupil Lake.

But those places were also far more complicated, with many experts. Though he possessed certain special powers, they all needed time to develop.

As Naimus considered the Sky Whale's peculiarities, he arrived at his main destination after infiltrating the Material Plane—the church.

Before he even approached, Naimus felt waves of faith ripple through the air.

Then a Holy Chant began.

The chanter's voice was old, yet at that moment, it seemed exceptionally powerful.

It was a power called Holy Light!

Mixed within the song, it swept toward Naimus!