Becoming an adventurer by copying monster abilities

They could leave the pleasantries for later; Luke went straight to the point and explained the purpose of their visit.

After hearing this, Yi'er nodded solemnly.

After the announcement, he took Luke directly to the inner sanctum.

Soon, they met one of the priests of the church, a tall man named Wyatt.

The other person was wearing the same white robe as Yi'er, but with several delicate patterns on the shoulders.

Beneath his robust physique, the robe appeared remarkably fitted and appropriate.

The man looked very young, but the corners of his eyes had deep wrinkles that didn't fit his youthful appearance.

"Mr. Wyatt, please help my friend."

Ir spoke first. This priest was not only one of the church's leaders, but also her mentor.

"Eir, how many times have I told you to use your job title when you're working? And if I remember correctly, you should be preaching and saving people in church right now."

Priest Wyatt's voice was calm and gentle, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.

"Okay, Master Priest."

Knowing her mentor's personality, Illya could only wink at Luca discreetly before turning and leaving.

"Please come this way."

Wyatt's voice remained calm as he led Luke to the innermost part of the inner sanctum, where he stood beneath the statue of Losanda, Lord of the Dawn.

As Luke approached the statue, he felt as if his entire body was enveloped by something invisible.

The feeling wasn't unpleasant; it was like gentle, clear water washing over the body from the inside out.

After a while, the strange feeling dissipated.

Luke felt warm all over and his spirits were high.

This is a blessing from the Lord of Dawn, and also a simple spell for judging good and evil.

Seeing this, Priest Wyatt, who had been standing as still as a pine tree, slowly spoke:

"Tell me, my friend, what problem have you encountered?"

Luke briefly described what had happened to him and showed the mark on his wrist.

"Rest assured, under the protection of the Lord of Dawn, all evil will have nowhere to hide."

The burly priest had barely finished speaking when he began to act.

The other person's long robe swayed and fluttered even without wind.

At the same time, his muscles tensed, and his hands and eyes emitted a strong white light.

If the other party hadn't reminded Luke not to move, Luke would have even wanted to hide to the side, fearing that the other party would give him a "physical exorcism".

Soon, the light enveloped Luke and the statue together.

Sensing the powerful energy emanating from Wyatt at close range, Luca judged that the other party was at least a high-level professional.

Moreover, his aura was even more imposing than that of the high-level professionals he encountered in Twilight Town.

Before long, the light faded.

Luke quickly looked down at his wrist, and to his disappointment, the black mark was still there.

"This mark was indeed constructed by divine power, and it came from a god who did not leave many traces on the continent."

Wyatt looked at Luke with a strange expression. "I don't know if you've ever heard of the Chosen Ones, whom believers regard as the greatest gift and honor."

Seeing Luke shake his head, Wyatt continued:

"The reason why the purification ritual is ineffective is simple: this mark is not a curse, but a blessing."

"A blessing?" Luke was skeptical.

Torture yourself in your dreams every now and then—what kind of blessing is that?

"That's right, I used the divine power of the Lord of Dawn to probe, and I found no malice involved."

"As for the nightmares you mentioned, perhaps you haven't understood His intention yet. Don't be impatient; those favored by God will hear His oracle sooner or later."

Luke received an affirmative answer from Wyatt.

Moreover, the other party advised Luke to temporarily slow down his investigation of the mark.

At least in Lane City, Wyatt was certain that no church had the ability to erase this mark.

Leaving the inner sanctuary, Luke's heavy heart eased slightly.

Although the mark on his wrist was still not gone, he felt reassured at having been there.

The priest from the Church of the Lord of Dawn personally confirmed that the mark would not have any adverse effects on his body.

Meanwhile, Illya, who had been observing the situation in the inner sanctum, immediately approached Luke to ask him questions as soon as he appeared.

After learning that the matter had been temporarily resolved, I was genuinely happy for him.

He also said that as the host, he would treat Luke to a delicious meal of local specialties from Lane City.

...

In the evening, Ir took Luca to a restaurant called Old Oyster.

This restaurant is quite well-known in Lane City, mainly because of its signature dish, which has a very eye-catching appeal.

That is "Braised Flying Dragon Tail".

Despite its name, "Flying Dragon Tail" is actually a delicacy made by mixing pork, rabbit, and turkey together and then cooking it using a special process.

Yi'er said that the reason this restaurant is so famous is because it used to actually serve braised grouse tail meat.

The ingredients are taken from the tail of a real wyvern with a challenge level of 6.

However, due to the current scarcity of ingredients, this alternative version was launched.

The taste was still amazing, and Luca couldn't help but take a couple more bites.

"By the way, where's Tina?"

Luca remembered that Tina had gone to Ryan City with Irene, but now he couldn't find her.

The traps he set while spending the night in Sunset Forest were learned from this half-drow nomad.

"Things have been unsettled outside the city lately. A large army of monsters has been attacking the surrounding villages and manors, and I heard that even the largest trade route has been blocked."

"The Adventurers' Guild and the local lord issued a joint commission, recruiting adventurers to hunt down these monsters. Tina, as a wanderer, joined the hunt as a scout."

Yi'er sighed. The two of them had originally planned to go pick up the commissions together after she finished her current busy schedule.

As a result, Tina went alone first in order to exchange for a combat skill from the association as soon as possible.

"Can you buy combat skills at the association?"

Luke expressed curiosity, but upon reflection, he found it quite reasonable.

After all, if the Adventurers' Guild can offer three basic combat skills as part of knowledge-sharing programs, it's only natural that they would provide some combat skills to professionals as well.

"Of course." Yi'er nodded.

"Some advanced combat skills cannot be purchased with money; instead, they require completing a certain number of commissions given by the association and exchanging them for points."

This is also one of the rights of honorable adventurers.

The association's approach is quite clever, since making money isn't particularly difficult once you become a professional.

Besides money, a high-level combat skill is clearly more attractive to professionals who want to accept challenging commissions.

After dinner, Elaine had to return to church for evening prayers.

Before parting, she asked Luke how long he would stay in Ryan City this time.

Luke indicated that he would stay there at least until the trade route was open.

Upon hearing this, the blonde pastor girl smiled again.

After asking Luke for the address of the hotel where he was staying, they made an appointment.

Once she has some free time in a couple of days, she'll take Luca to explore the city properly.

Luke nodded in agreement; he was indeed very interested in Lane City.

Especially the Adventurers' Guild here, since he also needs to learn new combat skills to improve.

"I'll go see what's going on tomorrow..."