The Priest of Corruption - Chapter 53: A Wash Place.

In this world, certain individuals transcended the boundaries of their race, producing powers that were impossible for living beings. After honing their martial arts, they overcame their limits as living beings. These individuals were known as ‘’Experts.-’

In the game setting, ‘’Experts-’ was a melee-specialized class obtained by reaching a certain level. However, in this world, it was a title earned by a select few who had scoured the entire continent. My Master, Pridiya, was one such ‘Expert.-*

Pridiya was not just an ordinary ‘Expert,’ but also a ‘priest.’ She was worthy of a four-and-a-half-finger rating. I first met Master Pridiya at a wash place, specifically, the wash place installed in front of the main temple of the Holy Fire Church.

After Sanctus’s death, I aimlessly traveled east, searching for the holy relics imbued with Mother’s divinity. I finally found a sealed relic, but it was located within the sacred relics of the main shrine of the Holy Fire Church.

At that point, my power was only marginally greater than that of an average person, and Mother-’s hand was merely twitching, unable to communicate. I had only two things with me. As a Priest of Corruption, my only basic skill was ‘The Line the Living Cannot Cross.’ However, this skill held no significant power. Essentially, I was just an ordinary human with a fortified physique. Albeit, my ordinariness was somewhat distorted, given that I had enhanced my physical strength with drugs.

The holy relic in the main building of the Holy Fire Church was not heavily guarded, as the sanctuary’s keeper was my Master.

Honestly, I never believed I could infiltrate the place and steal the relic. This was because I knew that a priest who had achieved the rank of ‘Expert-’ was its guardian. Nonetheless, I couldn’t abandon my mission and start searching for other relics. Wandering aimlessly across this vast continent in search of the holy relics sealed with Mother-’s divinity was far from an easy task.

Ultimately, I chose to remain near the main building, maximizing my opportunities by engaging in various tasks. Fortunately, my body was much stronger than an average person’s, making me well-suited for all sorts of chores.

However, as an outsider, I was not warmly received by the inhabitants of the northern kingdom’s outskirts. This was especially true after I rejected the advances of the general store owner’s daughter.

I was committed to living as a Priest of Corruption and planned to depart as soon as I obtained the relic. Therefore, I couldn’t accept her feelings. Besides, the general store owner’s daughter was not my type in the slightest.

The real issue arose later. Local women started gossiping, and I found myself avoiding them, retreating to the wash area alone at dawn to do my laundry. I couldn’t don the priest’s uniform from my inventory due to my lack of necessary powers.

There were days when I did laundry in the cold water on chilly mornings. One day, I encountered Master, who had also come out to do laundry at dawn. I never even imagined that Master was the keeper of the holy relic.

I merely admired her from a distance, thinking to myself, ‘she’s very pretty,’ and continued with my laundry.

Naturally, there was no need for conversation while doing laundry. That day, Master and I parted ways without uttering a word, each of us simply doing our laundry.

After that, I occasionally bumped into Master when I went to do laundry. Unlike me, who did laundry daily, Master only came to do laundry when she had a basket full of clothes.

Naturally, I always finished quickly because I had a small amount of laundry.

Then one day, Master initiated a conversation.

“Um,

Her proposal was simple. She asked if I could do some of her laundry after I finished mine. I accepted the offer without hesitation, as all I did all day was chores anyway.

Simultaneously, the amount of work I was assigned gradually decreased due to the scrutiny from local women.

Master Pridiya inspected the laundry I had done, nodded in satisfaction, picked up a colander, looked at me, and gestured for me to follow. I trailed behind Master’s back.

A spacious house built next to the sanctuary was where Master Fridiya resided.

It was only then that I realized that my early morning laundry companion was the ‘Expert’ keeper.

But knowing that fact didn’t change anything. Besides, to be honest, I didn’t have time to think about finding the holy relic because Master had given me a generous silver coin in return for the laundry. Of course, when I returned to my dilapidated house, I saw Mother’s hands fidgeting violently in my pockets, reminding me that I had to retrieve the relics.

In this way, Master and I formed an unusual relationship through the laundry service. I found myself eagerly awaiting the days when Master would come to do laundry, anticipating the single silver coin I would receive almost for free.

One day, Master suddenly stopped asking me to do her laundry. Eventually, I cautiously asked Master why she had stopped requesting my help. Master shrugged her shoulders and responded nonchalantly.

“I ran out of money.”

That day, I vented my frustration at the Holy Fire Church for not adequately compensating the Holy Relic Keeper. It was later that I discovered Master was penniless because she had never requested money from the church. The silver coin she had given me was the leftover money from the previous keeper.

With a deep sigh of regret for the lost additional income, I extended my hand to Master to assist with the laundry. After all, I had nothing else to occupy my time until I returned home and resumed work.

Master tilted her head at my gesture and asked.

“Why?”

I simply smiled and squatted next to her, pulling out the laundry and answering.

“Don’t mind the money. After all, I have nothing to do when I get home.”

Master was the only individual near the church’s main building who treated me without bias. This alone was reason enough for me to assist her with the laundry. Moreover, the silver coins I typically received held a value she could demand hundreds of times over for the laundry.

As was customary, once the laundry was done, Master would become lost in thought and vanish with the laundry basket. A few days later, she made a proposition.

“Would you like me to teach you swordsmanship? In return, you’ll help me with the laundry.”

This was an opportunity. A genuine opportunity. A small miracle that occurred at the wash place. I was so taken aback that I couldn’t help but blurt out words.

“Yes? What in the world does that…”

“Never mind then.”

“No, I do! I really do!!!”

Swordsmanship training directly from an ‘Expert.’ Systematic martial arts training always demanded a hefty sum, and I had no means to earn such money.

I had even considered becoming a mercenary, given their substantial earnings, but I knew better than anyone that my body’s regenerative power would draw attention in life-and-death battles. People around me would never overlook this. My identity as an evil god worshipper could even be exposed.

Master offered to teach me costly martial arts technique in exchange for a bit of laundry help. Naturally, after formally establishing the master-disciple relationship, I ended up doing most of the housework.

Martial arts passed down by an ‘Expert.’ The mere words sent a thrill through me. I believed that better days had finally arrived in my life. From then on, only joyous laughter would escape my lips.

However, when the training began, the only sound that emerged from my mouth were groans. Master’s training was incredibly rudimentary. I had expected a method akin to a gym trainer’s, but from the first day, all I could do was wince in pain as Master pounded my entire body with a wooden sword.

Furthermore, Master noticed my body’s quick recovery after each beating and discarded the last shred of mercy she had held in her wooden sword.

Every day, I was beaten repeatedly. No, I was beaten and then made to do housework, over and over again.

Master suggested, or rather ‘informed’ me, that I should stay in her house. She would provide food and shelter, seemingly taking pleasure in my beatings.

Of course, I had no choice.

For twelve grueling seasons, I withstood relentless beatings. Over the course of those three years, I didn’t even grasp the basics of ‘swordsmanship.’ I merely learned to block and slash as swiftly as possible, guided by my instincts. I also picked up a bit of punching and kicking.

As usual, I lay on the ground, battered and bruised, my gaze fixed on the sky, resolute in my decision.

Having learned enough, it was time to secretly take the building key and run.

No matter how much I pondered, it seemed unlikely that I would gain any sharper insights from enduring more beatings. Moreover, as I squandered my time gaining nothing, a sense of urgency crept in. The main quest, which would determine the fate of this world, was still underway.

I had to locate Lieberkel, the murderer of Sanctus, and exact my revenge before he, known for his reckless behavior, met an untimely death on the streets.

Ultimately, I seized the opportunity during Master’s absence and pilfered the key. Using it, I stole the holy relic imbued with divinity.

That’s how I acquired my first power, the ‘Giant of Corruption.’

***

I asked a little nervously.

“How did you know I was alive?”

Had Master Pridiya seen through the truth that I was an evil god worshipper? She replied with a light shrug of her shoulders.

“I didn’t…”

“What?”

“I’ve defeated you a thousand times. Since your body recovers faster than the toughest monsters in the world, I figured your head could be reattached even if it was cut off.”

Her reasoning was extremely irrational. I asked her, taken aback.

“Are you saying that now, thinking it makes sense?”

Her cold blue eyes softened.

“Aren’t you living here like this, as I guessed?”

She was indeed right, but why did I feel this strange sense of injustice?

“Besides, you were already a rat in the trap.”

Master Pridiya produced a piece of paper and presented it to me. It was adorned with peculiar hieroglyphs, tangled together like worms.

“I drew your face, an exact likeness, and had this wanted poster distributed.”

I accepted the paper, my gaze fixed on the strange patterns, my expression blank.

“Did you really create a wanted poster with this drawing?”

“Indeed! They claimed the request fee was insufficient to locate you by directly employing people, so I had them create and distribute it.”

“Scammed…”

Master cocked her head.

“I found you thanks to it, didn’t I?”

I wanted to question the correlation between the wanted poster and her finding me, but I doubted I would receive a satisfactory explanation.

Master Pridiya grinned, extending her hand towards me.

“Disciple. I don’t really care about ‘whatever’ you are, so let’s go back to training. I also have my pride, so a disciple of mine should become an ‘Expert’ too.

“How long did it take you to become an Expert?”

“Me?”

Master was renowned as a once-in-a-thousand-years genius. She smiled, extending her index finger to tap her lips.

“About 30 years of non-stop training? Given your talent, you’ll become an ‘Expert’ in just 27 more years. This Master guarantees it.”

Twenty-seven years. It was ample time, even considering the impending explosion in the main quest.

I was resolved to refuse her outright.

“Master, I…”

Boom!! !

Two colossal monsters erupted from the underground arena, causing a violent crash.

One was a demon revealing its true form, and the other was a ragged monster, constantly exuding divinity.

Upon witnessing the scene, I quickly interjected.

“Shouldn’t you be heading over there?”

Master glanced at the monster, closed her eyes, and responded in a languid tone.

“On my way here, I encountered a man.”

“Who are you referring to?”

“The Black Wolf, Ensis Baltas. He’s heading there, so I don’t believe there’s any need for me to rush.”