The scenery of Black Stone Hill was quite pleasant.
The sun was slowly setting, painting the sky in shades of amber, crimson, and soft violet. Long shadows stretched across the uneven roads as the last rays of sunlight filtered through crooked trees and weathered houses. The cool evening breeze carried the scent of pine, damp earth, and something faintly metallic—something that never quite left this land. Despite the cracks in the road and the eerie silence that hung in the air, the place possessed a strange, almost deceptive calm.
I had finished my workout just in time.
As I walked back, I noticed a few locals standing around, watching me from a distance.
They didn't say anything—just observed.
The locals weren't really fond of me. I mean, it kind of made sense. What kind of priest has a tattoo on his forehead?
I mean, it's not illegal for holy people to have tattoos, but that wasn't all.
I still remembered the first time I tried talking to one of the locals. A typical aunty had greeted me out of curiosity and was surprised to learn that I was their new local priest. It was also at that time that I accidentally cursed in front of her.
A raven had dropped its white goo on my shoulder, and at that point, I hadn't fully integrated with reality—much less the proper standards of being a priest.
Like a classic aunt, she had probably spread the news among the locals. To them, I was now likely a hooligan or some street thug who had faked his priesthood. Just like that, my reputation as a priest was gone.
After returning to the church, I went back to my small house in the backyard and checked my status.
---
[Name: Noah Josephstine]
[Age: 21]
[Class: Priest]
[Skills:-
(A) Exorcism Practice: Knowledge of holy rites used to expel spirits or demons from possession.
(A+) Holy Recitation Mastery: Complete knowledge of the Bible, Old Testament, New Testament, and other holy scriptures of this world.
(SS) Stigmata: Mark of the Lord. The forces of this world will not taint your spirit.
]
[Inventory:-
(B) Pure Silver Cross ×2
(B) Holy Water ×4
(B) Holy Bible ×1
]
[Stats:-
Strength: 15 (avg human is 10)
Agility: 15
Endurance: 15
Will: 20
Holy Power: 25 (+10 from Stigmata)
Status Points: 18
]
Over the last week, I had trained every day, accumulating a total of 18 points.
"System, allocate 4 to Strength, 4 to Agility, 4 to Endurance, 3 to Willpower, and the rest to Holy Power."
[Request accepted!!]
[Updating status...]
---
[Name: Noah Josephstine]
[Age: 21]
[Class: Priest]
[Skills:-
(A) Exorcism Practice: Knowledge of holy rites used to expel spirits or demons from possession.
(A+) Holy Recitation Mastery: Complete knowledge of the Bible, Old Testament, New Testament, and other holy scriptures of this world.
(SS) Stigmata: Mark of the Lord. The forces of this world will not taint your spirit.
]
[Inventory:-
(B) Pure Silver Cross ×2
(B) Holy Water ×4
(B) Holy Bible ×1
]
[Stats:-
Strength: 19 (avg human is 10)
Agility: 19
Endurance: 19
Will: 23
Holy Power: 29 (+10 from Stigmata)
Status Points: 0
]
I looked at my status and grinned in satisfaction.
With this, my survival rate had improved by leaps and bounds. It was still low—but at least I wasn't completely helpless anymore.
After that, I cooked dinner and slept peacefully that night.
---
A few days later…
{Third Person POV}
"Hey… is this the place?" a teenage girl with blonde hair asked hesitantly.
"The address says it is, so it must be," replied her friend, a girl of similar age with silky black hair.
Both girls stared at the church, uncertain if it really was one. The building was old, with several broken windows, and looked more mysterious than most abandoned houses they had seen.
As they stepped inside, they realized the interior was not as worn as the exterior. It was well preserved.
Their footsteps echoed loudly as they walked closer to the figure of Jesus Christ, whose gaze seemed to follow them from the cross.
Then they noticed a tall figure emerging from the left side of the church.
He was humming softly to himself while wiping his hands with a cloth.
Their eyes widened.
Noah looked at the two girls standing before him. His gaze calmly assessed them—their appearance, their stiff body language, and the fear they were trying to hide.
The girls, meanwhile, stood frozen, mouths slightly open as they stared at him.
He had jet-black hair, and his forehead was partially hidden by a white bandana. His face was refined and youthful, with a slim, narrow, and well-proportioned structure that gave him an elegant appearance. What stood out the most were his eyes—dark, almost pitch black. The way his irises blended with the sclera created a void-like depth that was difficult to look away from.
He looked roguish, but in an oddly elegant way.
Noah was the first to break the silence, putting on his best priestly demeanor.
"Hello, children. How may I help you?" he said, offering a gentle smile.
"!!!"
The girls flinched.
Trying hard to suppress their embarrassment, they quickly replied.
"W-we're here to… um… talk to the priest of this church. It's an important matter," said the blonde girl, her voice shaky.
"I am the priest here."
"You don't look like one," the black-haired girl said bluntly, still eyeing his face.
"Excuse me?"
"Oh—um! I meant that you're very young for a priest," she corrected herself hastily.
"I started my priest training at a very early age," Noah replied calmly. "So, what is it you girls want to talk about?"
The two girls looked at each other before nodding.
"We need your help… with a ghost," the blonde girl said.
Noah's eyes sharpened.
"Explain."
"The school we attend—it's haunted," she continued, trembling. "Yesterday, we saw a ghost in the washroom. It keeps stalking us. Sometimes… we can see it in the corner of our eyes."
"Alright," Noah said gently. "Calm down. Come, let's sit. Explain everything from the beginning."
Both nodded, and soon all three were seated on the pews of the church.
"My name is Samantha," said the blonde girl, pointing to herself. "And this is Alice," she added, gesturing to the black-haired girl.
"It all started when—"