Click...
The door was pushed open by a hand, revealing a robust figure.
York scanned his room, his gaze calm and untroubled. The room was empty, not even the legendary figure of the night was there, only the backpack that had been in the helicopter remained.
"It seems Hilary has already spoken with Brother Rachel. That's for the best."
York closed the door behind him, stretched lazily, checked the time on his phone, and walked towards the bed.
[18:52]
From arriving at the Lutheran Cathedral around eleven to now, only about eight hours had passed.
The sealing site hadn't posed much of a challenge for him, and his stats were full, leaving him hardly fatigued.
But having experienced another level with two thousand points, York felt he needed to properly digest this afterglow.
"Everything will wait until after I wake up."
York lay down on the comfortable bed, gazing at the pristine ceiling, and slowly closed his eyes.
He planned to return tomorrow, giving himself rest and Erin some time to prepare...
Time passed.
As darkness enveloped the sky.
In a deep forest far from the city, a roaring helicopter took off from a small village nestled in the woods.
Brother Esas was looking at the information gathered from the villagers, frowning thoughtfully.
He couldn't figure out what kind of commotion York had caused to allow a village dozens of kilometers away to hear strange sounds and feel slight tremors.
The more he looked, the more bewildered Brother Esas became. He put away the reports, looked towards the indicated direction on the map, and murmured to himself.
"Could it be?"
As if thinking about it brought it about, when the HH60W helicopter arrived at the target location, the knights and Brother Esas aboard were dumbfounded by the scene below.
The vast Saint Cata Monastery was gone without a trace, leaving behind only a crater tens of meters deep and over a hundred meters in diameter.
...
"It seems York really wasn't lying..."
In front of a vast, smooth desk.
Bishop Rovshan stared at the photos and related documents that had been sent over, relieved that nothing unexpected had occurred.
His biggest concern had been the gates of hell within the monastery, not doubting York's abilities but fearing he might have caused other issues.
"So how did he manage this?"
Bishop Rovshan flipped to a photo showing the entire scene, his eyes filled with wonder.
Clean and empty, with only a huge hole remaining where Saint Cata Monastery used to be, the only traces left were the scattered boulders around the perimeter.
Reminded of York's burly figure, Bishop Rovshan couldn't help but shake his head and smile, putting down the photo and picking up his phone to dial a number.
Soon, the message and all related documents were forwarded to the Vatican.
Still in that ordinary-looking yet profound church.
"Your Holiness,"
A middle-aged man stood behind an old man in a white robe, his face kind, whispering.
"Shall we seal this?"
The old man didn't answer immediately, instead looking at the photo in his hand and the related dialogue, his lips curling slightly.
"Continue the seal, Cecil."
Cecil, the middle-aged man, nodded solemnly in response.
"Yes, Your Holiness."
"This will be the boy's merit, not some so-called proof,
They pretend not to know, but we understand that evil can never bask in the holy light; only those whose hearts are pure and acknowledged can wield such power."
The old man slowly put away the photo, uninterested in the detected holy remnants and related speculations, and said calmly.
"Do you think we should promote York's clerical rank?"
Cecil seriously replied, "Your Holiness, I think York wouldn't accept, and many would disagree."
The old man seemed to consider this, handing all the documents to Cecil behind him.
"Let's take our time."
As Cecil took everything, the old man smiled and changed the subject.
"Cecil, care to make a bet with me?"
Cecil, functioning like an assistant despite being a bishop, organized the documents beside him and asked, "What is it?"
The old man smiled. "Bet on whether York will call tonight."
Cecil smiled without responding.
Based on past bets, he only had the option to disagree, and he usually lost.
Hearing no response, the old man continued, "Never mind, even though I would choose no, but Cecil, you're really no fun."
Cecil still smiled without a word.
Thinking of something, the old man's eyes showed a hint of interest.
"Let me call him. I'm also curious how the boy managed to do this."
As if on cue, York, lying in bed, suddenly opened his eyes.
Light swirled in his gaze.
[An Epiphany]
[Reward: +0.5]
"Is that possible?"
Hearing the sudden notification, York was stunned. He had just been replaying that moment's feelings and unexpectedly earned 0.5 attribute points.
"Is there going to be a change?" York instinctively thought back to the first assessment when he touched Jesus's blood and added the accidental 0.5 to his vitality, rounding it off.
Though he felt some changes in the system when absorbing Jesus's blood, York didn't pay much attention. In his view, it was beneficial, like the sudden 0.5 attribute points.
[Points Successfully Added] [Vitality increased from 135 to 135.5]
The sensation of adding 0.5 was subtle. York casually picked up his phone to check the time.
[22:39]
Unknowingly, he had been replaying the experience for nearly four hours.
Just then, his phone vibrated, displaying the old man's call. York's eyebrows lifted slightly as he pieced everything together.
"It seems Bishop Rovshan already knows about Saint Cata Monastery."
Looking at the phone screen, York knew the nature of this call; the old man wanted to hear his story again.
But this time...
York smiled and tapped the call button.
Concerning the enchantment and holy buff, he decided not to share, After all, destroying the gates of hell required two precise conditions: ① firepower to destroy the gates and ② sufficient holy light. These alone couldn't be glossed over as before.
Regardless, he didn't want others to know about his dual buff, even the old man, Not about anything in particular, just a necessary caution in this perilous world. Revealing too much could be deadly, He had only one thing to say: honest people don't last long or go far...
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