He stared at the prompt.
[Use 5 Aether to take *****]
He tried the obvious first: opened his panel, prodded at the Aether line, and even read it multiple times, trying to deduce something. But nothing changed.
He turned to the prompt again, and it waited, patient and exact.
"Fine," he said.
'Maybe then I can get some answers. '
He pressed 'Yes'.
The woman's mouth softened. One bright tear slid to her cheek, then lifted off as light. Her shape unraveled into gold motes that drifted to him, sank into his chest, and were gone.
[New Class Passive Obtained]
He opened his status and checked his class.
— Class Passives —
• Passive 1: Acquire Critical Rate stat (+25%).
• Passive 2: Acquire Critical Damage stat (+300%).
• Passive 3: Acquire Stealth stat (+1).
• Passive 4:+10% damage vs anything with "God" in its name.
• Passive 5:First attack after breaking stealth deals double damage.
•Passive 6: Summon "Saintess of the Fallen Gods, Aureliane" (New).
"So this whole place is related to the fallen gods."
He summoned her, so maybe some of his questions can be answered.
A soft aureate wind rose from the floor and knit itself into a woman. Same gown, same mantle, same veil of light moving like breath over her skin. She bowed, hands to her heart, then straightened.
"Can you speak now?" Loki asked.
Aureliane's answer was a calm, small smile. No sound.
He sighed and swallowed down the flicker of disappointment.
"Let's check your status".
A golden screen appeared in front of him.
[Aureliane (Summon) — Unique Companion]
[Veil of Untouching — Passive]
Aureliane is intangible during combat and cannot be targeted, damaged, or collide with objects. She does not draw aggro.
[Saint's Presence — Passive]
While Aureliane is summoned, the summoner gains +5 STR, +5 CON, +5 AGI, +5 INT. These bonuses end on dismissal.
[Last Stand — Passive]
When the summoner would take lethal damage, set HP to 1 for 3.0 s. You cannot drop below 1 HP during this time.
Cooldown: 180 s. Triggers only while Aureliane is summoned.
[Wings of Regeneration — Active]
Cooldown: 300 s
Effect: The summoner gains Regeneration for 180 s, restoring 0.5% of Max HP per second and +25% movement speed. On cast, remove all stacks of Poison, Bleed, Burns, and reduce Slows by 90%.
Stacking: Does not stack with other regeneration effects; the highest rate applies
[Saint's Sanctuary — Active]
Cooldown: 360 s
Effect: At Aureliane's current position, create a stationary 10 m radius luminous dome that lasts 300 s. Allies inside restore 0.3% of Max HP per second. On first entry (per ally), remove all stacks of Poison, Bleed, and Burns.
Stacking: Does not stack with other regeneration effects; the highest rate applies.
He stared a second longer and turned to her, disappointment being replaced with amazement.
"So I basically got a party member that does not take EXP, TLE, or loot and can even heal," he said under his breath. "And the healer is immortal, at that."
'And let's not forget how easy on the eyes she is, ' he thought as he looked her up and down.
[Incoming Call: Imu-Ha]
His thoughts were cut short.
"Hauen? Why would she call"
He accepted.
Haeun's voice came through, clear and controlled.
"I hope you've been well, Mr. Loki. And congratulations on reaching level seven." A small breath, almost a smile. "But I have to ask… how did you move the bar that far? I've been hunting and my line is barely shifting. I'm still at five."
Loki was in a good mood, so he replied with a hint of amusement in his tone.
"You do remember that I hunt solo, Miss Haeun. And I mostly go for bosses."
A quiet hum on her end. "That does make sense."
Her voice tightened with purpose. "Anyways, where have you been these past two days? I've been waiting to discuss something important when you came to collect the TLE."
"Two days," he repeated. Inside here, that could be more than a day outside.
'I should get out and get cleaned up'
She went on, businesslike. "There's another matter. My father would like to meet you."
"Your father. Why?"
"I told him about you and now he wants to speak directly. My guess is he'll make recruitment offers." The calm held, but he could hear the slight test in it.
'Yoon Seung-min.' Loki searched his memory and found little. Not a major piece in his last run.
'Still, it would be rude to refuse meeting him.'
"I'll hear him out. But I plan to refuse any recruitment offer he makes. That won't affect our partnership, will it?"
A soft laugh slipped through, warm at the edges. "Bold of you to refuse one of the richest men in Korea. But yes, you can refuse with an easy mind. It won't change our arrangement."
"Thank you. When should we meet?"
"My father is holding a meeting in Ashen Hollow with the other families today. If you can make it, that's ideal. If not, tomorrow will do." The curiosity returned, lighter now. "I'd prefer today."
"I'll be there."
"Thank you, Mr. Loki."
The line clicked off, and the quiet came back.
He dismissed Aureliane with a thought. The aura folded in on itself and went quiet. He left the inner hall the way he had come, crossed the ruined nave, and stepped through the portal.
He was in the boss room again, ready to leave, when a call came up.
[Incoming Call: SilverFox]
"SilverFox… who?" he muttered, scratching his head, then accepted.
A voice came clean and clipped, with a thin edge under it. "Mr. Loki. You stood me up."
Loki winced. "I am really sorry, Captain Kang. I was deep in a dungeon and lost track of time. I'll make it up to your team and won't charge them for the trip."
A small pause, the sound of a contained sigh. "That's ok, I guess. But you'll also make it up to me separately for breaking your promise." Her tone softened a notch. "I was even thinking about doing that favor, even if it was a little naughty… but not anymore, mister."
He let a smile into his voice. "Well, that's really unfortunate. Same arrangements as before?"
"Yes.Tomorrow. Ashen Hollow," she said. "My team did find some monster-heavy dungeons as you instructed. Some even tried to clear it, but... it did not go too well."
"I see."
Another beat of silence, then her voice firmed. "Don't vanish on me again. this time I'll really be angry."
"I won't."
"Good. See you then." The line clicked dead.
Loki exhaled, rolled his shoulders once, and headed for the exit to log out.
The room came back, ceiling where it always was. He stretched until his back clicked, took a hot shower, and cooked something simple.
Egg, rice, a little soy. Quiet food.
He ate at the counter and mapped the next move.
"Temples," he said to the empty room. "I need to find more of them."
Temples of Faith answered everything he needed right now: Life Essence, items, EXP, skill drops.
The problem was finding them. He could not waste days bouncing town to town on a hunch.
"What if I pull rumors online?" he asked the air, then shook his head. Too slow. Too much noise. Half of it would be lies.
He sat with it for a minute. And the answer arrived with a face.
Haeun.
She had the network and the people. She could put out a notice in the real world, offer an item or cash bounty for confirmed temple locations. Her side could verify on the ground.
Then he would go clear the place, as no one else would be able to even if they tried.
'Perfect,' he thought. Then he grimaced.
A second thought followed. 'She will want to come with me. And after she does so much, I cannot refuse her.'
He let the idea sit and found he did not mind it as much as he thought. For some unknown reason.
He finished the last bite, set the plate in the sink, and rinsed it.
"Fine," he said to the quiet. "She can come."
He lay back, closed his eyes, and went back in.