Chapter 2142: Chapter 2142

The ancient church entrance had no main gate, a clear invitation for outsiders to come and go as they pleased. Jenkins glanced up, but the absence of any divine decorations or carvings made it impossible to determine which deity—if any—was worshipped within.

"I can't even tell if it's a god, some lord, or just a jumble of other things..." he thought. "Still, it's normal for a town to have a church. Speaking of which, I wonder if I can find a map inside."

He stepped forward, ascending the slippery, moss-covered steps into the church.

Unlike the cellar, the church was lit. White candles of varying heights were scattered unevenly along the walls, their pea-sized flames casting a faint, flickering light.

The long rows of pews that should have filled the church were instead stacked against the wall by the entrance. On the far wall, directly opposite the door, stood a stone altar. Beside it was a wooden chair, occupied by a figure in a black-and-white habit, their face obscured by a black veil. It could have been a nun or a monk, but to Jenkins, the slender frame suggested a woman.

A circle of candles also surrounded the altar, lending a faint air of sanctity to the otherwise decaying, spiritless church.

"She's not the one in red," Jenkins noted. "This isn't the person I saw at the intersection."

The nun on the chair was not the person he had seen at the intersection. Since she seemed content to remain silent, Jenkins cleared his throat to announce his presence before speaking.

"I am... a vile outsider. Do you have anything I can trade for?"

Jenkins hesitated for a moment before stepping completely into the building’s shadows. He approached the nun, stopping only when he was close enough to make out the simple drawings on the board.

More importantly, however, this proximity allowed him to see exactly what was enshrined on the altar.

He had thought it might be a holy symbol, a divine statue, or even a book or a roll of parchment. But he had never expected the altar to hold the blood-red corpse of an infant.

The tiny corpse was curled into a ball, but it certainly wasn't human. The sinister aura and curses clinging to it were so dense they seemed on the verge of taking physical form.

This infant corpse was also on the list of items for trade, valued at a staggering 1000 blood-red dice—more than three times the cost of the Type IV Escape Potion that would allow Jenkins to leave town immediately.

Of course, it was impossible to draw 1000 dice on the board, so a number was used instead.

Jenkins pointed at the board and asked. He hadn't been able to understand the trade list in the cellar because it was unattended, but here in the church, there was someone who could explain.

The nun's voice was chillingly clear, sending an involuntary shiver down his spine.

"A fledgling blood demon. Consume it, and you can permanently change your race and master the method of creating blood-red dice, and even more advanced forms of currency."

"More advanced currency?"

Jenkins was surprised to learn of an even more valuable currency system here.

"What other currency is there?"

Her face was hidden behind the veil, but Jenkins felt her eyes lock onto him.

"Sin Coins—blood currency."

Even though he knew this Mysterious Realm was perverse, Jenkins couldn't help but gasp. The foul air immediately made him cough.

Until now, aside from the [Blasphemous Creation] ability given to him by the train conductor, he had never heard even a whisper of how to create Sin Coins. Now, the chance was right before his eyes. Jenkins knew he couldn't afford it, but that didn't stop him from marveling at the possibility.

"Incredible... The danger level of this Mysterious Realm just shot up in my estimation. I should get out of here as fast as I can and stop thinking about anything extra."

He forced himself to look away from the fledgling blood demon's corpse, worth a thousand dice, and examined the other trade options. This church was clearly a high-tier location, and the goods on offer reflected that, all of them highly valuable.

Furthermore, the board listed more than just items Jenkins could buy with dice. It also showed trades where he could earn dice from the nun—the number of dice on the right, with a simple drawing of the task on the left.

"What does this mean?"

Jenkins pointed to the fifth row on the board. On the left was a drawing of a ferocious, snarling monster. On the right was a single die followed by the number 50.

"Are you buying swords? If I give you one, will you give me 50 dice?"

"No. A monster is trapped here. If you can defeat it, I can give you fifty dice."

The nun offered a total of six tasks through which Jenkins could earn dice. The first was to defeat the monster trapped in the church. Two others involved turning in specific items—a decorative sword and a candlestick—neither of which Jenkins had acquired. The final three tasks were to fight and defeat the nun herself within a time limit, venture into the back of the building to find a lost item in the abandoned section of the church, and finally, to receive a blood injection.

He could earn a few dice for a blood injection from the old woman, but the nun offered thirty. The blood here, he mused, must be something special.

Of these six special tasks, the most lucrative was sparring with the nun, worth a full 100 dice—a third of the cost of the escape potion and a tenth of the infant corpse. Excluding the two tasks he couldn't complete, the remaining four totaled 237 dice. Jenkins wanted them all, but after a moment's consideration, he decided against searching for the lost item deeper inside the church.

For one, the reward was low and it would be too time-consuming. For another, the church gave him a strange feeling, and he had no desire to delve deeper into its mysteries. The bell-ringer had been right: this wasn't a town to be explored. He just needed to focus on his escape.

"Alright, then. I'll take the task to defeat the monster trapped in the church," Jenkins declared.

He didn't draw the White Bone Holy Sword. Instead, he deftly removed the metal cocoon encasing another blade and grasped the magic sword within. As he channeled his spirit into it, the blade began to shimmer with specks of starlight. The surge of his emotions fed the sword, letting it draw even more power.

The nun nodded. With a flick of her finger, she sent a crimson wisp of light arcing down into the center of the nave, now a wide, empty space with the pews cleared to the walls.

The floor began to ripple like undulating waves. Then, with a muffled roar, a massive, blood-red ape-man slowly rose from the ground.

It was an ape-man, but apart from a vaguely simian face, it bore little resemblance to any monkey. Its eight arms, four eyes, and the corrosive crimson light radiating from its body set it completely apart.

The creature was highly intelligent. Once it had fully emerged, it immediately spotted the outsider standing before the nun, yet it didn't attack. Instead, it observed Jenkins carefully. Jenkins saw the glint of intellect in its four eyes. This was no mindless beast, which meant the fight could get tricky.

Sword in hand, Jenkins strode forward. The colossal ape-man immediately backed away, its four eyes gathering red light that shot out in focused beams. Jenkins didn't dodge. With a sweep of his longsword, he deflected all four beams, sending them careening into the wall.

The beams struck the wall but left not a single mark. For all its dilapidated appearance, the church was unexpectedly resilient.

"Not a bad sword," Jenkins thought.

The Star-Forged Magic Sword in his hand was certainly no match for the White Bone Holy Sword, nor was it as perfectly suited to him. Still, it was a rare treasure. Aside from the sword known as Thor's Wrath and his own White Bone Holy Sword, this was likely the most powerful weapon Jenkins had ever wielded.

He advanced again, his pace measured but firm. The giant red ape instinctively retreated another step, then let out an enraged roar and charged.

"This thing is too loud. Better end this quickly."

With that thought, he crouched and then leaped high into the air, bringing the sword down in a two-handed strike. The giant ape met his attack, swinging two of its arms upward. With a deafening CRASH, Jenkins was knocked back—with no leverage in mid-air, he was sent flying into the ceiling. The ape’s two arms, however, dropped limply to its sides, seemingly paralyzed.

The sword's inherent curse was at work. The blade hadn't originally possessed such power; it was only after being reforged with an unknown meteorite that the magic sword gained this potent effect.

Jenkins dropped from the ceiling and landed smoothly on his feet before leaping up again. This time, however, the giant ape didn't swing. Instead, it shot out its remaining two arms and caught Jenkins in a pincer-like grip. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novelꞁire.net

"Huh? How can something so massive be this agile?"

Though his arms were pinned, he wasn't worried. He simply released his grip, letting the magic sword fall. But it didn't drop far. Guided by his will, the blade shot forward as if wielded by an unseen hand, piercing the ape's crimson aura and flying straight for its eyes.

The creature's paralyzed arms struggled to rise, barely managing to block the sword's strike. But as the ape lowered its clumsy limbs, a purple light flared to life on Jenkins's chest, tracing the shape of a hexagram.

The Bestowal he wore on his chest, a hexagram pendant from Magic Miss, was now fully activated. It was a versatile artifact, useful for aiding in rituals, serving as a rare symbolic component, or even enhancing divination.

In Jenkins's hands, however, it served a single purpose. As the pendant finished charging, a purple beam of energy erupted like a cannon blast. Caught completely by surprise, the giant ape's head was instantly vaporized.