Unholy Player

Chapter 455: Level UP

The Lunari Kingdom was unusually silent today. There were no usual clashes coming from the training grounds, no heavy footsteps of armored knights echoing through the streets.

Even the wind felt subdued. It did not howl like it always did. It passed only as a light breeze, leaving the whole place eerily quiet.

The capital’s churches were already filled to capacity, spilling over to their doors, and even the city’s main square was bustling with silent figures.

Silver-haired people filled it from end to end, all of them on their knees, waiting in silence.

No one was speaking, yet the same words flowed through every heart and mind. All of them were praying to their God, asking to be cleansed of their sins and forgiven.

Even Zephan and the other 2 Rank 4 Practitioners were among the people in the city square, kneeling at the very front of the crowd with their knees pressed to the stone just like everyone else.

High above this strange scene, like a vast cult gathered in a grand rite, a man hovered in the sky. His black and white wings beat slowly and calmly as he looked down at it all with a casual gaze.

"If this ritual actually works, I will not even be surprised," Adyr murmured. Even he could feel how sacred this moment was for the entire race.

He had only asked them to go and pray because he didn’t want anyone disturbing him while he harvested blood. Seeing now how seriously they had taken his words and how highly they regarded this ritual made him feel a little uncomfortable.

He almost felt ashamed of the deception he had pulled over the entire kingdom, forcing everyone to kneel like this while killing their ancestors for personal gain.

After watching this rare moment a little while longer, he finally decided it was enough and began to descend, planning to inform them they could finish the ritual.

But at that very moment, something stopped him.

A system message flickered into existence in front of his eyes.

"What...?"

[Talent Recognition: "Deception (Lv5)" confirmed.]

- Talent identified through flawless, multi-layered deceit, seamless creation and maintenance of fabricated identities, and interactions capable of silently bending perception, memory, and loyalty without leaving a trace in the target’s awareness.

- Proceed with registration to the Status Panel?

- Cost: 800 Energy

- Reward: 160 Free Stat Points

It was not the recognition itself that surprised Adyr, as it was expected. What truly caught him off guard was that the talent had not yet turned into a bloodline.

He had made an entire race kneel for nothing, made them believe this would save their future, while in truth he had killed that very future with his own hands. Yet even that was not enough for the system to recognize Deception as a bloodline talent. It felt absurd.

Still, it was not something worth crying over. In fact, it might even have been better this way.

This was now his first Level 5 talent recognized by the system, and with it, all the requirements for stepping into the Rank 4 Practitioner were finally complete.

He did not delay. He burned 800 energy on the spot and registered the talent. His Free Stat Points jumped from 0 and climbed all the way up to 160.

He did not distribute them immediately. There was no need for that yet. Instead, he descended toward the crowd to finish his business here.

Zephan and the other Rank 4 Practitioners were the first to notice him, lifting their heads with faces carrying a mix of sorrow and expectation.

The sorrow came because knowing his return meant their ancestors were no longer among the living. The expectation came from hoping the ritual had worked, since they could not feel any obvious change on their own.

"I have done my part successfully. Do not worry. If your God forgave you, you will no longer be affected by the curse," Adyr said calmly.

His tone clearly conveyed that he had fulfilled all the requirements. If something went wrong in the future and their people still walked the Blood Path, they would have no right to blame him. They could only blame themselves or their God for not granting forgiveness.

"I hope our sacrifices were not in vain," Zephan replied with a sigh. All he could do now was wait for his daughter Thalira to reach the next rank and see whether the curse was still in effect or not.

He then swept the melancholy off his face, straightened his back, and bowed his head with sincere gratitude. "Thank you for your help today. We Lunari will never forget the kindness you have shown us."

The other 2 Rank 4 Practitioners bowed their heads as well, their actions leaving no doubt about their gratitude.

Adyr only gave a small, polite nod. He didn’t reject their thanks, yet he didn’t fully accept it as something personal either, keeping his high standing as the blood of an Elder Race and his face perfectly balanced.

Zephan took the silence as a goodwill gesture and raised his head again. "I want to hold a feast in honor of this day. If you are willing, can you join us as our guest of honor?"

Adyr answered without thinking. "I will be honored."

He did have things to do, such as advancing to the next Rank, but this was not something he wanted to reject.

For one, it was an official invitation from a kingdom. Refusing it would be very impolite, even if he had just saved their entire future.

For another, there were questions he wanted to ask them about the Blood Path.

And as a side thought, he did not mind the possibility of receiving a few gifts on top of everything else.

Zephan laughed heartily when he heard his invitation accepted. He then stepped forward and looked over the crowd that was still kneeling on the ground.

"People of the Lunari," he called out, his voice thundering through the square and the streets, drawing every gaze upward.

"Today marks the moment when we Lunari will finally break free from the shameful and humiliating shackles of our past, and it is also the day we can begin to move toward a brighter future."

Hearing their ruler’s words, the citizens and Practitioners alike felt their eyes brighten, a fire lighting up in their chests.

They all understood what these words meant. Every one of them knew of their shameful past and the curse that had haunted their Practitioners for so long, even if they did not know every detail.

"From today onward, I declare this day will be written into our history and will be celebrated as the day of the new Lunari people’s liberation."

Once they understood that their past could finally be left behind and that the lingering curse had at last been lifted from their race, the silence shattered. The whole kingdom erupted into a roar of excited joy.

It did not last long, though. They fell quiet again the moment they saw Zephan raise his hand, a simple gesture calling them back to silence.

Then he opened his mouth to make a declaration that would change the fate of the entire Outer Region and the future of the Lunari race.

***

A/N: Yo, I’m back with bonus Chapters. We are currently in 10th place in the Golden Ticket rankings. If we can hold this spot, we can end the month in the top 10 this time. Thank you for all the support you’ve shown me so far. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)