An hour before Gaige's surprise attack on Andy, Andy was peacefully babysitting a group of first-graders while dressed in disguise. "Grandma! Tell us a story!" one child from the first-grader group implored. "Tell us a cool story!" another child chimed in. "Yes! Yes! The one with wings!" yet another child eagerly added. After the children had expended their energy running around the classroom, they started pestering Andy, who was sitting in the corner, looking like an actual old lady. They dragged him to the center of the room, where they excitedly handed him a pile of fairytale books. The majority of these books featured tales about how wonderful and beautiful heaven was. When Andy glanced at the covers of these storybooks, his face soured. However, he randomly selected a book, though he had no intention of actually reading it to them. Gradually, the frown on his face transformed into a benign expression, and he instructed the children to find their most comfortable spots to sit
[Warning: Killing Earthlings is not allowed.] [You'll be penalized.] Gaige simply rolled his eyes at Adal's system warning. He doesn't intend to kill anyone, not even the grade schoolers. He may have looked like someone recklessly wreaking havoc inside the elementary school, but in fact, all his movements are calculated. [You have shot an Earthling] [+1 Penalty] [You have shot an Earthling] [+1 Penalty] [You have shot an Earthling] [+1 Penalty] [You have shot an Earthling] [+1 Penalty] [Notice: All skills are disabled.] It only caused Gaige to laugh at the system. There is no such huge effect as him losing access to his skills because he can simply use his divine powers. While the four thug-like men dropped to the ground one by one, Gaige's black hair slowly turned into its holy-looking blond color. He then approached the four men, who were rolling on the ground in pain, and made them scream more in pain when he grabbed them directly on their wounds. "Never get yourse
"They are noisy," Gaige remarked bluntly, his gaze fixed on the grade schoolers who were crying loudly in front of them. "Police and other people are coming. What should we do?" Howl asked, panic evident in his voice. All eyes were on Gaige, waiting for his guidance, as he remained remarkably composed even in the midst of the chaos. "Shall we kill them all?" Gaige casually proposed, a statement that sent shockwaves through the group. Minka and Straz instinctively embraced the children to shield them, while Rowan and Howl shot Gaige angry glares. "I'm kidding," Gaige clarified without a hint of a smile or laughter. He approached the kids, and a holy glow enveloped his body, then radiated outwards, causing the children to slump to the ground and fall into slumber. "What did you do?" Rowan inquired with concern. "I put them to sleep. They won't remember a thing when they wake up," Gaige replied. He strolled out nonchalantly, with the others following closely behind. "Is it okay to
Back in Aogriv, the return of Minka, Rowan, Straz, and Howl with Gaige and Ainspenser at their residence took everyone by surprise. The expectation had been that the four would be taken to Ademordna or the Sky God Church, yet they were back at their residence as if it had been a brief excursion. Eric displayed the most evident dissatisfaction with their return. He immediately approached Gaige, asking, "Why are they here again?" with no concern for whether the four could overhear his displeasure. "A lot happened. I forgot to drop them off somewhere else," Gaige replied with reluctance. He patted Eric's shoulder as he reminded him, "In any case, that's the least of your concerns," a statement that conveyed a deeper meaning Eric was well aware of. "I know. We've also informed the others about the upcoming hunt," Eric grunted. He cast a pointed glare at the four before turning around and sitting down to discuss the impending hunt with the other purgers. Antur, who sat beside Eric, was
The three purgers in front of Gaige regarded him with curiosity. They couldn't help but be intrigued by the villainous smile he wore while exuding a holy aura. Gaige's saintly appearance, marked by his dark black, long, silky hair, healthy glowing fair skin, elegant posture, and benevolent emerald eyes, often left them feeling uneasy when he seemed to harbor wicked thoughts despite his divine appearance. "What are you thinking about?" Ainspenser asked. "Hmm, let's not participate. Let's just watch the hunt," Gaige replied with a wide smile, as if he had a brilliant plan in mind. "Watch? But what will happen to the purgeable beings here? They'll be seized by the spirits," Ainspenser reminded him. Gaige's smile expanded even further, and everyone was taken aback when he suddenly kissed Ainspenser on the lips. "My wife finally learned to care for my family," he happily commented, which caused Ainspenser to keep her silence. She can't say anything because her intention is different fr
Gaige returned to the church he had once destroyed. He didn't anticipate that he would feel regret for his actions, and he certainly didn't expect the church to be of any assistance to him. In his eyes, the church had been more of a burden than anything else. "Saint Gaige, welcome back," the head priest greeted him, despite Gaige's previous request not to use the title. It vexed Gaige that the priest continued to address him in this manner. "How long will the repairs take?" Gaige inquired as he made a full bow in front of the altar, which was essentially the only part of the church that remained standing. Referring to it as "repairs" felt almost shameless, given that the church intended to rebuild the entire structure. "It will take more than a month, Saint," the priest replied. Gaige clicked his tongue in frustration. He recognized that his role as a saint would prove useful in his pursuit of revenge this time, but it would be rendered useless without a church to serve. Furthermor
[Do you want to collaborate with a purger named Ainspenser for the purging? Yes/No] Gaige read the text that popped up on his system and asked Adal, "Are you protesting?" Adal didn't respond, so he said, "Stop sulking and do your usual thing." He called for her because nowadays his notification comes out in the form of a popup message instead of Adal's verbal notice. [Adal is not sulking.] "Oh, I thought you forgot how to talk." [Adal is not stupid like the user.] Gaige snorted at Adal's remarks. He knows that Adal got into trouble because of the last thing he asked her to do, so he just lets her be. He pressed the "no" button on the screen and focused more on the purgeable beings in front of him. "You're enduring well, child," Gaige softly said. He called the man a "child," even though it looks like someone in his early twenties. He just had the habit of calling a believer or devotee "child" because he sees them as children who always whine to their gods, even with a small bi
Gaige realized he needed to be more cautious when assigning tasks to the church members. He hadn't anticipated the overwhelming response to his straightforward request for the media. The reporters he had expelled just a few days ago returned as if nothing had occurred. What's more, there were multiple groups present, crowding the forest near where the former church had stood. It was exactly what he had ordered. The church staff had set up a sizable tent for the devotees to find shade, but it was insufficient to accommodate everyone. A thousand devotees, their origin a mystery, disrupted the peace of the forest near the once-small church. "Adal, please, stop bothering me," Gaige bluntly requested. Unfortunately, the unyielding wisdom core didn't cease, making the monotonous noise in his head even more aggravating. Even though Adal was now capable of speaking with emotion, it remained annoying that she intentionally maintained a monotone tone. [The system reminds you of your mission