As Jonathan walked through the room, he reached the bathroom and stared at his tired face in the mirror. The expression was his, yet it still felt unfamiliar.
His face was pleasant, but not in the conventional sense.
It had the beauty of marble worn down by time: high cheekbones, a defined jawline, a long and stern face.
Jonathan could even aspire to a career in the entertainment industry, but in a world like this—one where he might even face a god—such temptations were kept at bay.
Many said that his gaze seemed to look into the soul of every person he encountered, as if he could see what lay beneath.
His hair, a dark blond mess deliberately tousled, seemed to resist the rigid appearance of the rest of him, though not enough to truly soften it.
He was young, and according to his documents, Jonathan was twenty-five, but there was a wisdom in his eyes that only someone older could possess.
Perhaps these traits made him a good exorcist—one who stands out just enough when it's time to solve problems.
After going up to the second floor, he changed clothes and inspected every corner of the house before returning to his bedroom.
He lay on the floor and pulled a safe out from under the bed. When he opened it, there were rows of coins marked with a building on them, along with gold bars, numerous cell phones, and weapons.
Jonathan picked up one of the cell phones, took a photo of the check he had received, and sent the image to a trusted contact. "Cash the check. Send me whatever's left after purchasing the materials I need."
A few seconds later, that number replied: "The toys will be shipped later, thanks for your business!"
Jonathan set the phone aside and looked at the large coins that resembled medallions. He muttered, "There are even assassins…"
Every kind of story that was ever criticized could be found in this world. At least in this one, he was certain that even the most normal tales could be found easily, if one tried hard enough.
The only thing missing was some kind of alien invasion—that thought gave him a bit of anxiety every day he spent in this chaotic world.
But not everything could go well, especially since he had arrived in this place without clear instructions. Perhaps a higher being had brought him here on a whim—who could know? Jonathan would simply focus on doing his job well and honing his skills so that no horror story would ever become a threat to him.
"Oh, right." At that moment, he suddenly remembered something and pulled out the invitation that the man in the park had given him.
It contained some truly intriguing words.
Spiritualism, the Golden Bible, the Knight's Sword… According to gods and knights, what is the best weapon for exorcism? What weapon kills witches? The theocracy never gave us the answer, so we must find it ourselves.
Jonathan couldn't glean any clues from it, so it probably wasn't a snowball coming straight at him. "If I bring a few sacred objects to sell, I think I'll earn some rewards."
Jonathan's eyes gradually lit up with a cold gleam. He could also get his hands on certain artifacts that others dismissed as mere toys.
"This will be fun."
…
The next day, Jonathan went down to the weapons storage and headed directly to the warehouse, where valuable objects made entirely of silver were kept.
He packed silver crosses, glass bottles of holy water, and rosaries into a leather suitcase. Everything except the bottles of holy water was made of silver and had been blessed by his own words, making them unique tools for use against cursed spirits.
"This is more than enough." Once he had taken what he needed, Jonathan—dressed in a black suit with a clerical collar—headed straight to the church to fulfill his duties for the day.
What he knew about the gift that had kept him alive so far was that, in addition to telling him his personal stats like in any RPG game, it also gave him certain missions that had no consequences if left incomplete, and it notified him of jobs he could either accept or decline.
The missions weren't daily—weeks could pass without one, and then suddenly, a list of tasks would appear, offering special rewards for completion.
Jonathan accepted all missions as long as they were related to his work. Of course, the key point was that the mission shouldn't be a death sentence.
As he looked at all the numbers on his panel, Jonathan wasn't sure how strong he really was. He wasn't aware of it. But overall strength related to all physical abilities, while Faith strength was focused on his energy for exorcism and activating certain skills like prayers, blessings, and commands.
At first, Jonathan thought he could become very powerful, but aside from increased physical strength, there wasn't much to highlight in terms of his abilities. He was still just a human like any other.
"A human like any other…" Jonathan thought as he gazed at the light filtering through the stained-glass windows of the church.
When there's not much to do, he opens the church in the mornings and stays with the believers, listening to many of their problems—serving, in that way, as a kind of psychologist.
Some believers come to pray every day, and sometimes they seek solutions to their problems, even though he's a young priest. It wasn't obvious he was only twenty-five, but according to his ID, that was his age.
Jonathan, who believed in no religion other than the god in his own heart, respected everyone's beliefs because no one truly knew which of the gods people had created might be the closest representation of the Almighty.
For Jonathan, dealing with believers as a priest meant identifying the identity each one held. Some were rich, others were killers, most were ordinary, but others had strange behaviors that raised his suspicions.
All the believers were mixed together, and it was hard to tell them apart. Being a priest holds great power, but at the same time, it's a struggle against oneself when certain things are discovered, when very dark confessions are heard.
As Jonathan walked into the church after opening the door, he wondered whether he could truly be considered a priest based on his thoughts, and he looked around.
This church wasn't as bright as others in more populated places, but it had its charm and was certainly old. What he realized was that no matter how beautiful a church is, as long as it is a church, there will be believers dedicating their prayers.
"Good morning, Father!"
"Good morning!" Jonathan greeted a group of elderly people who gave him a sweet look, and after chatting with them for a bit, he walked toward the main church building.
He didn't know why, but the more seriously he took his role as a priest, the stranger it felt.
This church was no different from those in his original world. Here, there were long rows of chairs, many statues of angels, saints, and of course, Jesus nailed to a cross.
Under the light of the candles, the overall illumination tended to be dim, which was done intentionally to give more reverence to the place.
Jonathan walked to the front and only stopped when he saw a large statue of Jesus. He looked at it with respect and then moved his hand over his chest, making the sign of the cross, closed his eyes, and said amen.
After that, he began to offer his own prayer to the world.
Jonathan's words, meant for those who believe in nothing, were the following: If you don't feel represented by a god, that's okay. But if there's one thing everyone should agree on, it's the existence of a creative mind behind everything known and yet to be known — science itself affirms this.
"I know you're listening to me somewhere in the universe… I still don't know if what I'm doing here is seeking forgiveness, but I won't stop until I know I've done enough."
"I'm imperfect, but through my hands I will exorcise as many cursed spirits as I can, and when the time comes, I only ask that you explain to me why it had to be me…" Jonathan, who finished those words, felt a vibration in his body and soon a message appeared in front of his eyes.
"[Congratulations on making a deep prayer. You have gained 5 Spirit Points and a new ability: Mastery of All Forms of Combat.]"
"That's an amen…"
Jonathan murmured as he opened his eyes and saw the points added to his spirit power, along with the new ability: Mastery of All Forms of Combat.
"[...
[Passive Ability]: Mastery of All Forms of Combat
[Effect]: The bearer possesses innate and progressive mastery of all types of combat, physical or spiritual. They can wield any weapon, adapt to any fighting style, and execute complex tactics without prior training. Their body, mind, and spirit act in perfect harmony, enhancing offensive and defensive effectiveness with every encounter.
…]"
"Mastery of all forms of combat…" Kneeling, Jonathan furrowed his brow as he read in detail all the information this ability granted him. Just a few seconds later, a smile appeared on his serious face — a smile he quickly wiped away.
He wasn't bad with weapons; he handled them quite well thanks to training with experts. But there was a huge gap between him and the figures he knew, so this ability completely changed the game.
Not only could he now aspire to have all those skills that characters use in movies, but his combat abilities against supernatural beings were also enhanced.
This single ability gave him twice the confidence when facing enemies, so now he could say he was a complete man.
Jonathan, after giving one last look at the statue, picked up the backpack he had brought with him and walked to the right to wait for the arrival of some believers who might be looking for someone to talk to. In the end, he also needed someone to talk to in order to feel useful, even if just for a moment.
Although he was not a priest and this wasn't his responsibility, he could very well carry out all the duties a priest performed in this church.
But since that would be too much, he limited himself to talking to people and performing exorcisms.
He wasn't authorized by the church to act as a priest. He tried to reach out, but not knowing how to do it without getting the call cut off, he simply carried on with his life.
He just hoped he wouldn't be thrown out of this place…
And just then, as if Jonathan's thoughts had been heard, the sound of high heels striking the floor loudly could be heard from a distance.
Turning his head, Jonathan saw a woman with short hair and very attractive features, though she seemed to dress in a rather dull manner.
"Exorcist Priest Jonathan, of the Belmont clan, I need to speak with you alone to determine the rank that will be granted to you based on your accomplishments so far within the Healing Church." The woman, with not a trace of emotion in her voice, walked toward Jonathan and showed him a purple cross.
Jonathan, on the other hand, was confused, but he didn't admit he remembered nothing about his life in this world, so he said, "Please, come with me."