Chapter 85 – A New Ability
"For sealing purpose?"
Gideon raised an eyebrow.
Sadie nodded. "Earlier, I had no idea you could perform exorcism rituals…"
Her tone was earnest as she finally revealed what she had kept hidden.
According to Sadie, many years ago, the seal had already been broken once.
That time, the plague zone spread with terrifying speed.
"Almost overnight, several nearby towns turned into a living hell…"
The people of the South paid a terrible price to halt the death-line from expanding further.
Even today, their descendants still suffer from incurable illnesses—forced to rely on medication for the rest of their lives.
"If left unchecked, the plague zone will spread quickly into nearby cities."
"Central America, the West, even the capital itself could all be affected…"
Her expression was grave.
"This isn't just a disaster for the South. It's a crisis for everyone."
Gideon fell into thought.
If Sadie's words were true, America could easily descend into a world of the walking dead.
In such a world, danger would multiply, trust between people would collapse—
and with evil spirits and demons added to the mix…
It might be better to reincarnate and start over than try to survive in that nightmare.
On the other hand, a "plague zone" undoubtedly held unknown risks.
"So, you believe the exorcism ritual works on those creatures?" Gideon asked, studying the demon huntress.
Sadie nodded firmly.
"The Church's thousand-year heritage wasn't meant only for evil spirits and demons."
"Its traditions also grant us powerful means against monsters and human aberrations."
She explained that they had once sought the Church's help.
But priests with such capabilities usually served in the Vatican or important dioceses.
Their roles were too vital for the Church to risk sending them into deadly plague zones.
"So, what you're saying is that I'm expendable… an outsider?"
Gideon narrowed his eyes at her.
"N-no, that's not it!"
Sadie panicked, fumbling for an explanation.
"It's just… demon hunters rarely have access to such people, and… no, that's not right…"
Her words tangled themselves into knots, frustration flashing across her face.
"I'm only joking," Gideon said with a faint smile, shrugging.
"You—!"
Sadie nearly exploded with irritation. She gave a cold snort.
"Of course, I wouldn't let you go for nothing."
She pointed at Gideon's cloth satchel.
"In addition to the commission fee, I can offer you a recipe—something that can strengthen the holy oil."
"Oh?"
Gideon's interest was piqued.
Seeing this, Sadie smirked slyly.
"Perhaps you don't know, but high-quality holy oil can be used in more than one way. Beyond direct application, it can be refined further with other materials."
"This not only enhances its potency, but sometimes grants additional effects."
"For example, a bottle of holy oil that's aged thirty years—after refinement, it might gain the potency of forty."
She gestured with her hands as she explained.
"That doesn't sound like much," Gideon said, rubbing his chin.
Sadie froze, then nearly tripped in disbelief.
"Not… much?"
Her face screamed don't push your luck.
"That's an incredible boost! Even within the Church, most refinements only manage seven or eight years—and that's with a high failure rate!"
She then leaned closer, lowering her voice.
"The formula I'm offering you… raises the success rate to eighty percent."
She poked Gideon again.
"This has to stay secret. Not a word to anyone!"
Seeing the sincerity in the huntress's eyes, Gideon nodded.
"Fine. But you'll have to give me the formula first." He held out his hand.
"No problem. You'll need clean water, three swamp leaves, and two portions of water beast tentacles—" Sadie began counting on her fingers.
"Hold it."
Gideon frowned and cut her off.
"First of all, you're spilling your 'secret recipe' way too casually. Second… those ingredients you mentioned—don't tell me they only exist in the South?"
Sadie flashed a row of bright white teeth.
"Exactly! This recipe originated from local tribes. That's why it has such a high success rate."
Gideon shook his head helplessly.
So, she was playing an open scheme all along!
Still, he decided he would go.
If he could study tribal methods, maybe he could adapt them for other types of holy oil. That would save him a lot of money in the long run.
"When do we leave?"
Seeing that the priest actually agreed, Sadie's eyes lit up.
"On behalf of the Southern people, thank you." Her voice carried genuine gratitude.
Gideon instantly grew wary.
Clever—praising him before they'd even begun.
"Let's get one thing straight," he said firmly. "I'm only assisting you. The success or failure of the seal isn't on me. And if we run into something beyond control, I'll pull out early."
Sadie stifled a laugh.
"Of course, Father."
She truly was grateful, though she hadn't expected the priest to be so cautious.
They went over more details of the commission, and soon after, Sadie suggested leaving immediately.
"I still need to stop by the church," Gideon said. He had to replenish the holy items he had used.
So the two of them returned to the West District.
After half a day of preparation, Gideon had brewed a fresh batch of holy water.
Since this trip might take him far away, he notified the local residents in advance, so they wouldn't come seeking him in vain.
He also reinforced the church's protective wards before finally setting off.
With that done, the two of them took a car to the airport and purchased tickets to Louisiana.
During the journey, Gideon carefully reviewed the state of his abilities.
One of them, [Psychological Counseling], had advanced to Tier 1, now renamed [Confession & Absolution].
[Current Progress: Tier 1 (0/1000)]
[Unlocked Ability: Voice of Redemption — grants the power to communicate with evil spirits, demons, and monsters, persuading them with words.]
When Gideon first read it, he was stunned.
Previously, [Psychological Counseling] only worked on humans.
Now its scope had expanded—and judging from the description, it wanted him to redeem evil itself.
Gideon couldn't help but imagine the scene:
Gideon: "My good sir, possessing humans is terribly rude. You really must stop."
Evil Spirit: "???"
The corner of Gideon's mouth twitched.
It felt like he was turning into some kind of Monk, lecturing demons until they reformed.
What's more, proficiency gain had changed too—now it only counted when persuading evil spirits or demons.
That meant he'd have to face monsters regularly.
Fortunately, their Southern journey was bound to provide many encounters, which should boost his proficiency quickly.
Of course, the original effects of [Psychological Counseling] still remained—he could still soothe human minds with words.
Meanwhile, another ability, [Holy Water Purification], had finally advanced.
[Holy Water Purification]
[Current Progress: Tier 2 (1/5000)]
[Unlocked Ability: Sacred Gaze — allows precise perception of spiritual fluctuations, discerning weak points in spirits.]
Gideon had already run small experiments with it.
At first, he could barely glimpse faint traces of spirits in the air.
But after repeatedly washing his eyes with holy water, his vision had sharpened.
Now, he could distinguish subtle differences in the very air.
For instance, when a soul lingered in the mortal world, the air around it rippled faintly.
Even if the spirit cloaked itself, that ripple could not be hidden.
Which meant, before Gideon, evil spirits would have no more "privacy."
For now, observing those ripples took effort.
But as he accumulated progress, the time required would shorten.
The advancement also raised the proficiency requirement—
from regular water to consecrated holy water.