The Healing Solaris Cleric

Chapter 221: Period of Rest (2)

"We first guided the Church of Muldine and the Demon King’s followers—factions that weren’t supposed to have any significant connection in the scenario—to form an alliance. Then, we introduced major bosses like the Death Dragon Sineras and Zirukan with the Smiling Face into the storyline, creating a situation where Kai, even if aware, would be unable to do anything."

“... And yet, he still managed to rescue the dwarves?”

“... Yes, sir.”

“This is truly unbelievable... Sigh.”

Marco forcefully stubbed his cigar into the ashtray and clasped his fingers together as he leaned forward.

As he did, the dimly lit conference room brightened again, and he turned to Dr. Jim Lewis to ask, “Doctor, didn’t you once say that guy would lose his job class sooner or later?”

Unable to respond, Dr. Jim Lewis remained silent.

“Keeping your mouth shut won’t solve anything, so let’s consider a solution as you suggested. Players have already defeated Veghas in the first main quest and uncovered the existence of the Church of Muldine. On top of that, in the second episode, they’ve begun to raid Zatan, one of the Church of Muldine’s secret weapons, while defeating corrupted monsters. In that case, the third episode will open, and naturally, we’ll have to drop hints about the fourth. But surprise, surprise! That bastard Unknown completely ruined the fourth episode, the damn Remnants of the Fallen Heroes episode!”

“Actually... The fourth episode isn’t the only problem.”

“What? What do you mean by that?”

Marco looked at the doctor with a fearful expression as he wondered how the situation could possibly worsen.

“Most players are already aware of the Church of Muldine’s existence. We’ve given so many clues through the main episode quests that anyone with a brain would figure it out. Plus, the Church of Muldine was revealed in the Battle of the Bir Plains that Unknown streamed, and Zatan, as you mentioned, will be defeated soon.”

“Get to the point.”

"The Church of Muldines’s power is steadily weakening, while the Solarian Church remains not only strong but overwhelmingly strong. In the original scenario, the Church of Muldine’s internal schemes were supposed to corrupt and bring down the Solarian Church. The continent, losing its central authority, would then descend into chaos, and the Church of Muldine was meant to exploit that fear and disorder, rising as a symbol of terror."

“But Kai saving the high priest's life only strengthened the Solairan Church, right?”

“Yes. The corrupted high priest who would have plunged the continent into fear no longer exists.”

Silence fell over the meeting room once again.

“And that’s not all. There’s no player, or even guild, capable of keeping Kai in check. Moreover, the restructured Solarian Church has become exceptionally powerful. If they become the continent’s central force, the Church of Muldine might be defeated altogether.”

“Ugh. That must be prevented at all costs. The major shareholders are already deeply concerned. The Church of Muldine needs to last as long as possible. That’s an absolute priority. Only then can the game’s longevity be maintained.”

“Of course, that’s what we hope to achieve. And to do so, I have a formal request.”

“A request?” Marco's eyes gleamed with interest as he pressed the doctor for details.

“Some rankers are currently pursuing hidden class job class quests.”

“Hidden classes are already common—”

“All of them are Mythic classes, like Kai’s.”

As Marco’s face showed clear shock, Dr. Jim Lewis continued.

“If they succeed in their job class change, they should be able to counterbalance Kai.”

“But Kai has already changed to his new class for over six months. Even if they acquire Mythic rank classes, the gap will be too wide to close, won’t it?”

“I designed MID Online to be as close to perfect as possible. There are strong classes, but no absolute class.”

“What are you saying?”

“No matter how powerful the Solaric Cleric class is, it can’t surpass our imaginations. That’s how the skills were designed from the start.”

“Hm. So what exactly are you asking permission for?”

“Mythic rank job class quests are currently nearly impossible to complete. I’m requesting permission to slightly reduce their difficulty.”

"... This isn’t a case of calling in a tiger to chase out a fox, is it?"

“If we don’t act now, one fox will devour the entire mountain.”

Deeply contemplating those words, Marco eventually nodded. "Alright, I’ll approve it. But are you sure about it? The fall of a star might not be the narrative the public wants."

Currently, Kai was undeniably a world-famous gamer, a star shining brightly in the sky. If his downfall affected the stock prices even slightly, it would be a troublesome situation for Pegasus Corporation.

However, Dr. Jim Lewis tilted his head at Marco’s concern. "Satellites and stars both reside in space, but no one treats them the same."

One was manufactured, while the other was born that way.

Dr. Jim Lewis compared Kai to a satellite. "Besides, any player who steps onto the stage must always fight to prove their worth. A champion with no opponents left has nothing but solitude and retirement ahead of them. Kai is likely yearning for a rival who can truly match him as well."

Dr. Jim Lewis casually made remarks that would likely earn him a punch from Kai if he ever heard them.

However, the executives agreed with his words, and nodded thoughtfully.

"Now that you mention it, I’ve heard the phrase about absolute power bringing solitude before."

"How unfortunate. Unknown gained absolute strength but lost friends to play with."

"It’s not surprising he has no friends. Based on his online hours, he spends all his time playing, except for eating and sleeping. He probably doesn’t even have a girlfriend."

"Sniff

Kai was suddenly labeled a lonely absolute being with neither friends nor a lover!

Marco muttered with a noticeably more relaxed expression, "Humans really are fickle creatures; once a solution is in sight, everything seems better. Come to think of it, there are no more demi-humans left to rescue, so doesn’t that mean Kai’s growth will stagnate as well?"

"That’s correct. Of course, there are still various ways to increase Benevolence stats, but..." Dr. Jim Lewis pondered for a moment before smirking and shaking his head. "Haha. Even for Kai, there won’t be much content he can tackle for a while. He’ll probably have to keep a low profile."

"That’s good news to hear."

While smiles filled the conference room at Pegasus Corporation, Kai was visiting Snowy Mountains.

***

"Thank you so much. When I think about the hardship caused by this foolish brother of mine... Sniff."

Tears welled up in Luna’s eyes, who was usually so mature and composed.

Noticing his noona’s expression, her younger brother Sora carefully said, "I promised to never do something like that again... I was completely in the wrong, noona."

Kai received the siblings’ gratitude in the village of Cordo in the Snowy Mountains.

"Of course, it was the least I could do. I’m just glad I wasn’t too late."

Had Kai arrived even a little later, Sora would have been killed by the Death Dragon.

Recalling that moment, Sora shivered. "I was so reckless at the time..."

"I understand. If my only sister were cursed like that, I would have done the same. How is your condition now, Luna?"

"Oh! Thanks to you defeating the Death Dragon, the curse’s mark has been completely erased," Luna responded in an excited voice, gently touching her arm with a bright expression.

Her once pale and gaunt face was now full of vitality.

"Congratulations."

"No, it’s all thanks to you, Kai—"

"Sorry to interrupt, but..." @@novelbin@@

A third voice interrupted Luna.

"What is it?"

"What are you doing here, of all places?"

Luna and Sora, who had always been warm and friendly with Kai, suddenly hardened their expressions, speaking curtly. Their voices carried unmistakable anger, clear for anyone to hear.

Why are they reacting like that? This person is...

Even in a small village, no ship could sail without a captain. The same was true for Cordo. According to Kai’s memory, the old man standing before them was the village chief of Cordo, the one steering its ship.

“Aren’t you the village chief? What brings you here all of a sudden?”

As Kai softened the tense atmosphere with his gentle words, the village chief gave him a grateful look before looking at the siblings.

“Luna, Sora. I’ve come to beg for your forgiveness.”

“Hah, forgiveness? You ignored us when it mattered, and now, after everything is over, you’ve come to ask for forgiveness?”

Sora scoffed, looking ready to draw the spear strapped to his back at any moment.

Luna, barely managing to keep her brother back, replied in a cold tone, “For someone who insisted on kicking us out of the village the moment the curse’s mark appeared on me, it’s bold of you to even mention forgiveness. You’re far more shameless than I thought.”

“I truly am sorry... but we really had no other choice at the time. We were just overtaken by fear. As you know, we’re just ordinary people with families to protect, just like you. We were terrified that the Death Dragon’s wrath would reach us.”

As the village chief apologized in a weary voice, the villagers who had accompanied him began to speak up one by one.

“We never imagined the dragon’s curse could vanish overnight.”

“There was no telling what might happen if we stayed in the same village as someone marked by the curse...”

“Well, there’s no excuse for what we did. In any case, I’m truly sorry to you both."

“That’s supposed to be an apology...?!”

Despite the villagers’ continued apologies, Luna bit her lip hard and clenched her fists, trembling. She thought about how much she had suffered. Her body was in pain daily from the curse’s mark. At a time when she should have been receiving warmth and care, she instead endured the villagers' scorn and pressure.

Honestly...

She wanted to commission Kai to punish them all. But remembering the history she shared with them, she barely managed to hold back her anger.

“Enough. Even talking to you is unpleasant. Sora, pack your things.”

“Got it.”

“W-wait... Pack your things? What do you mean by that?”

“Do you really think we can face each other again and live together like before?”

“But if we all work together...”

“I don’t want to.”

Kai thought her voice was far colder than the biting wind of Snowy Mountains.

"You’re the ones entirely at fault, so why should we have to make an effort? Why should we help clean up your mess?"

“Tsk. You sure still are young. When adults apologize to this extent, you should just reluctantly accept it and—”

“Shut up,” Sora threatened, as he had drawn his spear at some point, glaring fiercely at the villager who was speaking.