Solo Max-Level Newbie – Pure Blood

Chapter 16: Priests of the Sun

Having escaped from the explosion, Sa Junhyuk immediately regrouped with the rest of his team members.

“Captain?”

“What happened to those wounds? And where are the others?”

The mercenaries who had been tending to their equipment looked up in shock.

Seven had departed, yet only one returned. Their confusion was only natural.

Clink.

Instead of answering, Sa Junhyuk held out the dog tags hanging around his neck.

He hadn’t been able to recover them all in the chaos, but he had gathered as many as he could.

“Are you saying… everyone’s dead?”

“No way. Even the captain had a hard time?”

“That rookie was that strong?”

Their faces showed disbelief.

They hadn’t come here because D-rank dungeons were their limit.

They were elite—more than capable of clearing C-rank and higher dungeons if they put their minds to it.

But—

“He’s a monster.”

Sa Junhyuk’s reply was curt.

He suppressed the rage boiling up from within.

I underestimated him.

No—he had already realized his opponent was formidable when he saw him effortlessly take down the Patchwork Golems.

That was why he had taken six subordinates with him in the first place.

The problem was…

That still wasn’t nearly enough.

An enemy beyond common sense had appeared, and they had paid dearly for it.

He had lost his precious comrades—veterans of countless battles—in vain.

Crunch.

Sa Junhyuk ground his teeth until they nearly broke.

It should have been impossible for anyone to survive that massive explosion and the rockfall that followed.

But one could never be sure.

In this world, monsters operated under entirely different rules.

If that was the case...

He’d best set up some insurance.

A way to exploit the opponent’s weakness suddenly came to mind.

“Everyone, move out.”

Sa Junhyuk rose to his feet.

Things hadn’t gone as planned, but there was no more time to waste.

They still had a mission to complete.

＊＊＊

Yohan returned about an hour later.

The sounds of battle had completely subsided.

Looks like they managed to take it down.

The Guardian-type monster Frankenstein was notorious for his massive health pool, but even he couldn’t withstand the concentrated fire of three entire attack squads.

Of course—

Had he awakened somewhere unexpected, things might have gone very differently.

The number and quality of Patchwork Golems and Undead soldiers would have increased dramatically.

But thanks to Yohan’s foresight, that didn’t happen.

First, I should meet with Park Yeri… and explain the plan going forward.

There were still a few minor preparations to make before a perfect strategy could be executed.

Then—

……?

A group of people had gathered in front of the tent where Park Yeri was staying.

They were dressed in white.

And among them—

He immediately recognized a familiar face.

A mercenary from the Daesan Industrial Association—Sa Junhyuk.

His eyes widened when he saw Yohan.

“So you actually survived that pile of rubble.”

“I used to go hiking quite a bit in my younger days. I get along well with rocks—they may look tough, but they’re actually softhearted fellows.”

“You’re still running your mouth. But this time, things won’t go your way.”

Sa Junhyuk sneered at Yohan’s carefree sarcasm.

“So, you’re the one who supposedly used divine power?”

As if waiting for confirmation, the priests all glared at Yohan.

They were one of the three major factions participating in this dungeon raid—

The Priests of the Sun.

The divine power was a sacred authority granted only to those chosen by the Church itself.

And yet, someone not on the registry had used it?

That could only mean one of two things—he had stolen a Sacred Relic, or he had obtained divine power through some heretical means.

“You’re accusing me without any proof? And you call yourselves priests?”

Yohan feigned ignorance, maintaining his composure.

“I saw it with my own eyes. And I’m sure you’ll confirm it quickly enough once you interrogate him,” Sa Junhyuk added swiftly.

A statement from a Daesan Association hunter versus an unidentified outsider.

There was no question whom they would believe.

Clang.

Click.

Paladins and priests began to slowly surround Yohan.

This was bad.

Of all people, it had to be fanatics. No amount of logic or excuses would work on them.

“Come quietly.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then we’ll show you a taste of divine punishment before dragging you in by force. For the record, resisting will be taken as a confession of guilt.”

“What a convenient worldview. I think I’m starting to understand why inquisitions wrap up in under a minute.”

If he and Seo Changhee were ever to debate, it’d go on all night without conclusion.

Both would insist they were right while plugging their ears.

My mana’s almost depleted…

Running wasn’t an option. Fighting was even worse.

Five Paladins. Fourteen Priests.

And the mercenaries under Sa Junhyuk, too.

And they’re after Park Yeri as well.

Typical. The mercenary was as cunning as a viper—laying multiple traps in such a short span.

Any ordinary opponent would have considered this an inescapable checkmate.

“…Fine. Lead the way.”

Yohan agreed to the interrogation.

＊＊＊

After about fifteen minutes of walking, they arrived at a cluster of pure white tents.

“‘The light that rises in the east shall drive away the darkness of the west.’”

“‘Until that dawn arrives, this humble servant shall gather the grains of the barren land.’”

There were prayer tents for recitation—

And torture tents for “purification.”

“Kiieeek!”

“Khahaha! This is what we call holy water!”

They had managed to set up a disturbingly thorough operation in barely a week of raiding.

Yohan was brought to a large central tent belonging to the Paladins.

“I am Pack Bedro, from the Korean branch of the Priests of the Sun. Are you the one accused of using divine power?”

The man introduced himself with a rolling accent, his bronzed muscles straining beneath his robes.

Even without the introduction, Yohan remembered him immediately.

The priest who had vowed to beat him senseless atop a Banshee during their first encounter.

Of all people—

Damn it. Had to be the last person I wanted to see.

That horrifying sight was something one would never forget after witnessing it once.

However, contrary to his true feelings, the words that came out of Yohan’s mouth were cold as ice.

“That’s right. But what’s it to you?”

According to the noble Vampire code, if someone spoke informally to you upon first meeting, you were to repay them with every curse word you knew.

In that sense, the fact that Yohan hadn’t even raised his middle finger was a tremendous display of patience and generosity.

Especially toward someone with a name as atrocious as this half-breed’s.

Fuck Bedro?

Seeing the unholy fusion of an otherworldly religion and Korea’s Dangun lineage made his chest swell—for all the wrong reasons.

If there were ever a heresy trial, the man would be convicted the moment they heard his name.

“You dare—!”

“Enough.”

“B-but, my lord—”

“The punishment for blasphemy comes after all the questions have been answered.”

…Or so he said, though his trembling beard betrayed his rising fury.

“Tell me, without omission, how and through what means you obtained divine power.”

“I’ll repeat myself—I don’t see why I need to explain that to you.”

Yohan’s voice dropped low and cold.

“If you refuse to answer, we’ll have no choice but to take you to the branch interrogation chamber. After spending some time there, you’ll end up confessing what you ate as a newborn.”

Since the Gate Incident, religions like the Priests of the Sun had gained tremendous authority—

Tax exemptions, immunity from civil law… sheer absurd power.

And their interrogation chambers were infamous. Out of ten who entered, nine never returned.

Yet Yohan didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow.

“You… dare speak to me that way?”

“So you’re crossing the line now…”

Before Pack Bedro could reply, Yohan spoke first.

“Looks to me like you’ve brought the Staff of Saint from the Vatican. Care to explain why a Sacred Relic of the Church has been brought into a D-rank dungeon?”

“……!?”

His face collapsed in an instant.

It was the moment Pack Bedro truly became ‘Puck Bedro’—as if struck in the head by a hammer, his face was filled with nothing but shock and disbelief.

“H-how did you… know that?”

Know it?

The unique aura of the Sacred Relic had been seeping out from that inner tent all along.

Back in the 405th round, I was hailed as a prophet and nearly opened the Holy Grail itself. You think I wouldn’t recognize something like this?

It already felt like ages ago since he and the Priests of the Sun had giggled about summoning their god.

Of course, he couldn’t tell them the truth.

Instead, he needed a performance—something they would believe.

From this point on, acting was everything.

“Consider it an honor. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t reveal this before the likes of you.”

Bzzz!

A faint glow spread across Yohan’s hand—the [Sacred Flame] had manifested.

The Knight’s Token, normally invisible to others, could be displayed if the bearer wished it.

As divine light blossomed from his scar, the symbol of Dawn’s Radiance etched on the token began to shine.

Dawn’s Radiance.

Simply put—a Stigmata.

[Divine Power +10]

The third effect granted by the Knight’s Token.

Of course, the stigmata wasn’t real—it was an imitation, crafted so convincingly that none could tell.

But without countless rounds of experience and knowledge, even faking it would have been impossible.

And then—

[Isofoth’s Animal Encyclopedia — ‘White Dove of the Sky Desert’ is summoned!]

“Coo…”

A pure white dove, spotless and radiant, perched gently on Yohan’s shoulder.

Normally, it scavenged scraps on roadsides or produced acidic droppings—but right now, it served as the perfect divine familiar.

The laurel leaf in its beak completed the image.

A flawless scene.

“T-this can’t be…”

“It’s the stigmata!”

“He even commands a divine beast!”

“The humble servants have witnessed the miracle of the glorious light rising from the East!”

Those with stigmata were directly overseen by the Cardinals of the Church.

Their status was such that even a Paladin Captain would bow before them.

Everyone except Pack Bedro dropped to one knee and offered a reverent salute.

“I can’t quite recall…”

Yohan rested his chin leisurely on his hand.

“Since when were Second-class Priests allowed to stand upright before a Stigmata bearer?”

Looking up at him made his neck ache.

So—

Kneel.

You two-stick insignia clown.

“……!?”

Pack Bedro collapsed onto his knees.

Thud!

“I-I have sinned grievously!”

Whoa. That sound was solid.

No doubt his kneecaps would be sore for a while.

“We’ll discuss your punishment after you’ve answered me. Speak. Why did you bring the Sacred Relic?”

The roles had completely reversed.

“T-that is… because we received a Revelation. It foretold that an unspeakable darkness would appear within this dungeon. We came here to stop it before it grows stronger.”

Now it was Yohan’s turn to be surprised.

A revelation?

No way.

Someone else knows about the deeper levels of the Withered Garden?

That couldn’t be right.

While there were prophets among those tied to the Vatican, the real ones hadn’t even awakened yet.

The Heavenly Scribes, who recorded fragments of the future and ranked the strong—their true emergence was still far off.

Which meant…

There existed a highly unusual individual capable of creating unexpected variables.

Things were about to get interesting.

Yohan made sure to engrave that fact deep in his mind.

“Then tell me, Saint—why have you come here?”

Pack Bedro asked cautiously.

As for the reason…

He couldn’t say he’d come to obtain the Knight’s Token.

And if a Stigmata bearer gave some absurd excuse, suspicion would immediately follow.

But then again—who was he?

He already knew the perfect cheat word that made zealots like these lose their minds.

Yohan slowly opened his mouth.

“There’s a heretic here.”

The kind of phrase that would make a Cardinal burst from the restroom in his underwear.

From this moment on, Kang Yohan’s profession was—

Inquisitor of Heresy.