I knew the Sun Medals would come in handy!
Stella quickly counted the golden tokens in her pouch—more than ten. Even after offering some, she'd still have plenty left.
From the very start, when she became a Warrior of Sunlight, she had always wondered why she received a Sun Medal every time she helped adventurers defeat a boss. At first, she thought they were just souvenirs—or perhaps emblems of identity, like those worn by church followers.
But as the medals piled up, she began to feel something was off.
Items that could be collected like this had to serve a purpose, right? Maybe… at the Sun Altar.
And today, her guess was proven right.
What kind of reward would she get? Excitement buzzed through her as she placed all her hard-earned proof of faith into the altar.
A blinding flash of lightning struck the stone, and in its wake appeared a yellowed page, covered in dense, ancient writing.
The sudden commotion drew everyone's attention, though none of them knew what she had done.
Taking a deep breath, Stella reached out and grasped the page.
It told the story of a Warrior of Sunlight who wielded a Lightning Spear. In an instant, her consciousness was pulled into the tale—she became that ancient hero, hurling spears of light, leading armies to victory, praying before the statue of an unknown king… and finally casting a radiant Lightning Spear at a dragon soaring through the skies.
When she came back to herself, her companions were gathered around, faces full of worry.
Her first thought: Whoa, the Lightning Spear is so cool. Warriors of Sunlight are amazing!
Her second thought: Wait, why does a Warrior of Sunlight use lightning? Isn't the sun usually fire?
Her third thought: Eh, who cares—lightning or fire, cool is cool!
[Miracle: Lightning Stake (Dark Souls)]
[A miracle of the Warriors of Sunlight. Allows the user to hurl a Lightning Spear—especially effective against metal and dragon-type foes. Records the legend of an ancient Sun Warrior, a loyal follower of the Sun's Firstborn.
Intelligence Requirement: 3]
Miracles were stories of the gods—retelling them allowed mortals to borrow divine power. And in this world, they truly worked.
Stella opened her left hand. Resting there was a golden talisman, faintly glowing with warmth.
[Sunlight Talisman (Dark Souls)]
[An amulet that enables miracles. Once used by ancient Sun Knights. Its self-drawn holy symbol represents sincere faith.
Battle Skill: Unfaltering Prayer — Temporarily boosts poise while casting miracles, preventing interruptions from enemy attacks. Works while equipped in either hand.]
With this, she could now use miracles.
"What just happened? Are you alright?" Melga asked, hurrying over. Seeing that her sister was not only unharmed but practically glowing with excitement, her concern shifted to confusion.
Stella steadied herself and explained everything—what she'd seen, what she'd felt, and the story that had flooded her mind when she touched the page.
Unfortunately, the page had vanished as soon as she did, leaving no trace. No one else could share in the Warrior of Sunlight's memory.
Their reactions varied—but none were stronger than the Fire Priest's.
He stared at Stella, trembling, his eyes brimming with a storm of emotion: four parts reverence, three parts envy, two parts jealousy, and one part hatred. The mix was so intense it could have filled a chart. Stella half-expected him to lunge at her.
Instead, he took a step forward and, to everyone's shock, said solemnly,
"Would you be interested in joining the Church of Fire—as a bishop?"
"…Huh?" Stella blinked.
Meanwhile, the three mages—Drew, Roger, and Perry—huddled together, whispering rapidly.
"A page that lets someone instantly learn magic? Never heard of anything like that," Drew murmured, awestruck. "This dungeon just keeps rewriting the rules."
Roger rolled his eyes. "Can you not act like a tourist for once, old man? If anyone could just learn magic instantly, the Mage Association would go extinct overnight!"
The Mage Association—the most powerful magical institution on the continent—was founded by mages from every corner of the world. Its academies were the most prestigious schools of arcane study, producing elite graduates who were often granted their own mage towers. Even ordinary graduates were highly sought after.
But the road to graduation was brutal: mastery of at least thirty low-tier spells, fifteen mid-tier spells, and one advanced academic degree. The requirements crushed countless hopefuls each year.
"Why would that be a bad thing?" Drew countered. "If more people can become mages, that's a good thing! Wasn't the Association created to spread magic, not hoard it?"
"Easy for you to say," Roger grumbled. "I just can't stand the thought of struggling for years, only for someone else to learn the same spells in seconds. Isn't that right, Perry?"
But Perry didn't answer. His gaze was fixed on the Sun Altar, eyes distant and conflicted.
"Perry?" Roger waved a hand in front of him.
"Huh? Oh—yes, exactly!" Perry stammered, pushing up his glasses. "Knowledge should be earned through hard study. Magic learned through shortcuts… I can't approve of that at all!"
He sounded resolute, but his eyes kept flicking back toward the altar, betraying a swirl of emotion.
His eyesight had been ruined by endless nights buried in books. He refused to heal it with magic, wearing glasses instead—as a constant reminder to study harder. For grades. For magic. For graduation.
If he slacked even a little, someone else would take his place at the top.
And his mentor was ruthless. A single dip in performance meant one thing: failure.
"If there really were an easier way to learn magic…" he whispered to himself, staring at the altar. But after a moment, he sighed and turned away.
Forming a covenant isn't something to take lightly—especially not with gods from a forgotten age hiding in this dungeon.
Maybe if there were a safer way…
On the other side of the clearing, the atmosphere was much lighter.
"Miss Stella, give us a demonstration!" Maru chirped. Even Leon, who had been studying the altar's inscriptions, turned toward her with interest.
"Alright, watch closely!" Stella said, grinning.
She raised the talisman in her left hand, channeling energy through it. Lightning crackled and danced across her fingers, coalescing into the shape of a spear.
She had invested just enough points into Intelligence to meet the miracle's requirement—perfect.
As she prepared to throw it—
A deep, echoing roar rolled across the horizon.
A dragon's roar.
Startled, Stella released the spear on reflex.
"CRACK—BOOM!"
The Lightning Stake shot through the air and struck a massive shape descending from the clouds.
The Rathian screamed in pain, wings flaring in panic as it reeled from the blast.
Everyone stared, wide-eyed.
"…?"