Child of Apocalypse.
The advanced form beyond the Hero Class Calamity Priest, a Demigod Rank Class.
Shortly after his promotion to the Hero Class Calamity Priest, Luo Shu had learned the method for the next advancement—though he hadn't acted on it yet.
On one hand, he was still adjusting to the Calamity Priest role. On the other hand, his wallet was a limiting factor.
Before the group, Luo Shu began explaining the Apocalypse promotion conditions:
"The required materials are the Essence Blood of a Nature Spirit and one Calamity Jade Seal. No auxiliary materials are needed."
"The ritual is: Predict a calamity that disrupts the natural order, and when it erupts, contain the calamity within yourself."
"Setting aside the ritual for now, just the Essence Blood of a Nature Spirit and Calamity Jade Seal are headache-inducing enough."
"How so?" Natsuki Minamiya asked, puzzled, while Mukuro Hoshimiya curiously patted Luo Shu's head, mistaking it for literal pain.
In contrast, Kirika Tachibana seemed to grasp the issue and smirked:
"Probably a points shortage, right?"
Luo Shu glanced at Kirika Tachibana and couldn't help but remark:
"Are you the worm in my stomach?"
After this quip, Luo Shu sighed and then said:
"Whether it's the Essence Blood of a Nature Spirit or the Calamity Jade Seal, both require 1,000,000 Points from the Divine Pantheon."
"So we can gather them by April?" Lacus tilted her head, then smiled at Kirika Tachibana: "Looks like we'll have to pause various department experiments for a while."
Kirika Tachibana remained completely unfazed upon hearing this:
"It doesn't matter. It's just returning to how things were before. We've managed before, so enduring a little longer now is fine."
In this brief exchange, the two decided to pool all their points to support Luo Shu's advancement.
"Eh~ how could this be? I hadn't even started spending the budget yet. All those hard-earned points~"
Tabane Shinonono wailed, looking as if she could see banknotes growing wings and flying away from her hands.
At this point, Luo Shu glanced at Lacus, somewhat curious why she'd proposed such a thrifty suggestion:
"We won't need four months. About three months should suffice. If we hurry, even two months might be possible."
With the addition of points from Mukuro Hoshimiya, Ania, and Tabane Shinonono, Luo Shu now had over 690,000 Points in hand—already quite close to purchasing one main material for advancement. That was why he had said the conditions might be met within two months.
"That may be so, but what about after that?"
Kirika Tachibana instinctively reached for the pack of ladies' cigarettes in her pocket, then abruptly stopped herself when she noticed Lacus smiling at her. She tucked the cigarettes back and crossed her legs instead.
"How many points would it cost to advance to the Apostle rank?"
"If I recall correctly, your Hero Rank advancement required three main materials, each costing 100,000 Points—the minimum threshold for a Demigod Rank ability."
"Now, the number of main materials for Demigod advancement is fewer, but the point cost has increased tenfold."
"By that multiplier, a single main material for the Apostle rank would cost 10 million Points? And for Angel rank, 100 million?"
"Assuming two main materials are still needed without accounting for further increases, advancing to Apostle would take 3 years and 4 months, while becoming an Angel would take 33 years."
At this, Kirika glanced at Tabane Shinonono but shrugged indifferently.
"Personally, I don't care. The SDS has grown this far without relying on points, so it's just business as usual."
"The real question is, can you play the role of a hamster diligently hoarding for over thirty years?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu chuckled, leaning back on the sofa with a sigh. "That is indeed a thought-provoking question."
Just then, Yukino Yukinoshita, who had been standing nearby, couldn't hold back any longer:
"Can the advancement materials only be purchased within the Divine Pantheon?"
"Isn't it possible to find them in the outside world?"
At her question, Luo Shu, Lacus, and Kirika all turned to look at Yukino.
Noticing their reactions, Yukino hesitated. "Did I say something wrong?"
"You're not wrong, but this is precisely what they were deliberately avoiding earlier."
Natsuki Minamiya sighed, resting her elbow on the armrest and propping her chin on her hand.
"Suppose such materials for Luo Shu's advancement do exist in this world."
"How would they manifest?"
"Would they take the form of an Abyss Artefact held by an individual or an organisation?"
"Or would they simply be like a treasure chest, hidden somewhere in the world?"
"Setting aside the fact that main materials for Demigod advancement inherently obscure divination and are nearly impossible to find in the wild, let's assume they're held by a certain faction."
"Then, do we negotiate for them or seize them by force?"
"Given Lacus's temperament, she'd likely prefer negotiation, wouldn't she?"
Natsuki glanced at Lacus, who responded by silently sipping her tea in tacit agreement.
"Luo Shu's approach aligns more with Kirika's—acquiring them by any means necessary."
Luo Shu leaned back without denying it, while Kirika let out a cold laugh.
"So, the question becomes: how much sacrifice would it take to obtain such materials?"
Natsuki posed the question, not expecting Yukino to answer, and continued calmly:
"Abyss Artefacts of this calibre are invariably the foundation of a faction's power. Whether through trade or force, obtaining them would inevitably spark war between factions."
"Then whose lives will we sacrifice when the time comes? The SDS rank and file? Our own? Or those from other factions?"
Yukino Yukinoshita fell silent.
Matters involving human lives were too heavy for a high school girl to bear, leaving her unable to respond.
"Comparatively speaking, isn't it better to lie low for four months and use our existing resources to obtain these promotion materials? As for Apostle-level or even Angel-level materials, we can temporarily set them aside."
"After all, our boss hasn't even reached the baseline for Demigod promotion yet."
As she spoke, Natsuki Minamiya glanced at Luo Shu with a smug chuckle.
Hearing this, Luo Shu didn't argue but sighed instead:
"My mastery of the Calamity Priest class is indeed lacking. If there were a progress bar, it'd probably be around 5%? There's still a long way to go before Demigod promotion."
'With this much time, whether we search for materials or accumulate points seems irrelevant.'
However, he kept the following thought to himself, as he couldn't guarantee his future actions.
After all, if core materials for Apostle or Angel promotion truly appeared in someone's possession, Luo Shu knew he would undoubtedly scheme to obtain them. It was precisely because he recognised this selfish tendency that he'd avoided mentioning the search earlier - fearing Lacus might choose selflessness instead.
At this point, Mira Tsubakihara, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up:
"So the final decision is to search for materials while conserving points as much as possible?"
Luo Shu considered briefly before replying:
"More or less..."