Hero Staving off Evils—
The morning light on the highland sprinkled over the pages, letting the words frolic in the gold, while the Hero gazed at the notes left by his grandfather, motionless for a long time.
But suddenly, a faint sound carried by the breeze reached his ears, startling the Hero who was engrossed in the notes.
"This should be the last piece, it flew quite far."
"Damned White Snake obstructing [ ]. Humph."
1. Resurrection of our Lord
"Will there be any problems with the plan?"
"Just look at the dismal state of those scales, the snake's interference was always within our expectations."
The Hero's pupils contracted, sensing an unusual aura.
As the newcomers approached, the air began to fill with the prickliness of malice, a feeling as if their mere existence was a profanity to others.
"The plan of our sect can't be hindered by merely any Fantasy Species."
"You're right; even the defenses of Border City are soon to welcome their collapse. The failed Arcane Surge from eight years ago will be accomplished by us now."
"Speaking of which, what are these scales intended for?"
"Probably for the ritual catalyst, I'm not clear myself, just following the orders."
[Cultist Professions]
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
The voices, moving from distant to near, grew clearer.
Capturing the disturbances carried by the wind, hearing the conversation of the arrivals, realizing their identity, the Hero held his breath.
As one of the Six Major Guilds, the Kingdom's Church doesn't worship a specific God but gathers believers of various ideas, aiming to contribute to others in their own ways.
Thus, for existences with different ideologies and viewpoints, the Church has a tolerant attitude.
Even the most radical factions, if well-intentioned, are mostly repelled as "heretics" within the Church, but overall, these heretics are still allowed to operate.
However, there is an entity called the Heresy Court within the Inner Court dedicated to monitoring and adjudicating outliers.
'Accepting a Demon' is one of the more radical ideologies in the Church, exemplified by the Snow Woman who has joined the Church.
Though not well-received by most, and nearly being refused entry by Bishop You at the Lake Town Church previously, she at least receives adequate supplies for work.
Thus, in the Kingdom, heretics, though unpopular, are not deemed evil.
But Cultists are different.
If, no matter the methods and ideologies within the Church, the intention is to better Humankind,
Then, conversely, the Cult is all about promoting destruction and decay.
—Not for profit, not for recognition, but to live for the burning of the world.
But the two Cultists apparently didn't anticipate that on this vast uninhabited highland, someone would exactly collide with their objective; thus, they didn't disguise their footsteps and voices.
Realizing they were about to confront each other, the Hero's face changed slightly and quickly set down the scale of the White Snake.
[Hero's next action—]
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
[Hero's hiding (Agility+20, one-third less Perception than enemy's -30)]
Although it's nothing particularly noteworthy, since her debut, the Hero had never fought against a fellow human.
Although Goblins are also Humanoid, after all, they are Goblins.
Thus, upon noticing the unwelcome visitors, the Hero had no intention of direct confrontation; instead, she rolled on the spot into the tall bushes nearby.
[Cultist Mage's Perception (Perception+77)]
D100+77=d100(97)+77=174
2. Launch an Attack! ♛
[Cultist's Perception Critical Success! Action+1]
Her reaction was undeniably swift, as she first darted into the bushes, her long hair naturally changing to the green of the grass, camouflaging like a protective color.
The Gleaming Scale Serpent also bowed its head, its dark snake body unobtrusive atop the soil.
But this speed was only relative to herself, commonplace to others.
Just as a commoner could not faze her by striking her head with a hammer,
Her swift hiding maneuver, though decisive, appeared no different from a panicked rabbit in the eyes of mages able to sense Magic Element.
The two Cultists noticed the anomaly, exchanged glances, and their mouths curled into a sinister arc simultaneously.
One Cultist signaled to his companion then ostentatiously shouted aloud.
As he shouted, the other, perceiving the cue, quietly began chanting a Spell.
The shouting masked the sound of the Magic Curse, and as the Hero was startled by the shout and realized something was amiss, the spellcasting was complete—
[Cultist launches magic]
3. Venomous Cloud Mist
4. Puppetry Technique
9. Confusing Evil Words