Becoming the Strongest Saintess in the Game

We entered the forest and followed the crimson trail. The trail led deeper into the woods, and the trees around us grew denser. The air felt heavy, as if a sinister aura was seeping in.

Claire, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped. Her gaze was fixed on a spot between a large tree root and a thorny bush, where there were signs that someone had passed through.

“It looks like someone went through there.”

“Are you sure?”

“The trail continues without breaking.”

I nodded and followed her. But soon, a strange, uneasy feeling began to creep over me. It was as if a chill was running down my spine.

‘Something’s here.’

My body tensed instinctively as I sensed the presence. At that moment, something burst out from the bushes.

“Watch out!”

Claire shouted as she drew her dagger. Emerging from the darkness was a massive wolf-like demon beast. Its glowing red eyes and sharp fangs glinted menacingly.

“Seriously… this was hiding here?”

I stretched one hand back, barely managing to steady myself. Claire had already taken a fighting stance and swung her dagger. But the demon beast moved swiftly, dodging her attack.

“Ellie, can you fight too?”

‘Fight? But I can’t just use my divine power openly.’

I felt cold sweat forming on my forehead as I scanned the surroundings. Suppressing my divine power while fighting made me feel like I was burning up inside. Then, suddenly, an idea popped into my head.

‘What if I don’t use my divine power openly… but condense it to the minimum?’

I began to gather a tiny amount of divine power at my fingertips. Normally, I would create a glowing orb in my palm, but this time I tried something completely different. I compressed the holy power as much as I could, reducing it to a thin, thread-like beam, no thicker than a fingernail.

‘Smaller, thinner… thinner than a strand of hair.’

The holy power began to thin out like a fine thread. It was a method I had never tried before. A nearly transparent, tiny beam of light remained at my fingertips.

Claire was still facing off against the demon beast. She swung her dagger, trying to block its movements, but it wasn’t enough.

“Ellie!”

I maintained my focus and flicked my finger. The thin beam of holy power flew through the air and struck the demon beast right in its right eye.

“Grahh!”

The demon beast let out a painful scream and retreated on its hind legs. Claire turned to me with a surprised look.

“…What was that? Did you just do that?”

I slowly lowered my hand and nodded.

“Yeah… something like that.”

“Wait, are you… a mage? Or something?”

“No, I just… know a few unusual techniques.”

Claire gave me a suspicious look, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. The demon beast was still howling and thrashing around.

“Alright. Whatever that was… do it again!”

“Got it.”

I condensed holy power at my fingertips once more. This time, I controlled the power more precisely, creating two beams of light. I aimed them at the demon beast’s legs and neck simultaneously.

“Here goes.”

I whispered as I released the two beams. They curved through the air, piercing the demon beast’s legs and leaving a thin cut on its neck.

“Grrrgh!”

The demon beast let out another scream and collapsed. Claire didn’t miss the opportunity and plunged her dagger straight into its heart.

“It’s over.”

Claire said, catching her breath. I finally released the holy power from my fingertips and stretched my tense body.

“Phew… that was harder than I thought.”

Claire wiped her dagger and turned to look at me.

“Ellie, you’re really something. You’re way too strong to be an E-rank.”

“No, I just got lucky.”

“Lucky? That wasn’t luck just now.”

Claire narrowed her eyes and stared at me. I avoided her gaze and brushed it off.

“Well, it’s not a big deal. Just a little trick, I guess.”

Claire continued to give me a suspicious look but eventually shook her head and turned to walk ahead.

“Whatever. It’s still a thousand times better than being alone.”

I sighed inwardly and followed her.

Thinking about how many more situations like this might come up, my head already started to ache.

—

After exiting the forest and following the trail, a small village appeared before us. But this wasn’t Lucian Village. Old wooden houses were scattered around, and the area was shrouded in a dark fog. The village was unnaturally quiet. There were no sounds of livestock or people.

“Where is this? It’s not Lucian Village.”

As I muttered, Claire pointed her finger toward a square in the distance.

“Over there… something’s off.”

In the center of the square, a group of people had gathered. They were all dressed in black. They were bowing their heads and kneeling toward one direction, where a woman in red stood.

She was waving a long black cloak, her hands raised high. Her voice was low and resonant.

“Do you believe in the divine? If you offer everything to Him, you shall receive salvation and blessings. The offering to the divine is our salvation.”

As her words ended, the people around her all shouted.

“We offer to the divine!”

Then, a man dragged a child onto the stage. He made the child kneel before the woman in the black cloak. The child was trembling in fear.

“Ellie, stop.”

Claire grabbed my arm and whispered.

“We can’t get too close. First, we need to figure out what they’re trying to do.”

“I need to see what’s going on.”

I stopped reluctantly after hearing her words. Just watching this situation made my blood boil.

‘Are they trying to sacrifice a child? That child is the offering?? This is insane!’

The woman in the black cloak approached the child and raised her hand. She still spoke in a firm voice.

“We offer this pure soul to the gods. The sacrifice of this child will purify our souls and bring us blessings.”

At that moment, the huge shadow on the altar at one side of the square moved. The shadow writhed as if alive, seemingly whispering something to the woman. She nodded as if understanding something.

“The gods have spoken. They require more offerings. Everyone, let us fulfill our sacred duty.”

The crowd shouted again.

“We offer to the gods!”

I couldn’t take it anymore. Holy power flickered at my fingertips.

“We have to stop this now.”

But Claire gripped my arm even tighter.

“Not yet. If we act recklessly here, we’ll both die.”

I gritted my teeth and glared at her.

“What about that child? If we stay still, that child will die!”

“I know. But if we charge in without a proper plan, more people could get hurt. We need to stay calm.”

Claire’s voice was firm, but even her eyes showed tension.

‘Damn it, stay calm in this situation?’

I suppressed the holy power at my fingertips and clenched my teeth. The child in the middle of the square was still trembling. And the woman in the black cloak looking down at the child had cold, merciless eyes.

She reached out and placed her hand above the child’s head, murmuring something in a low voice as if reciting a spell.

“Through this pure soul, may our salvation be achieved…”

At that moment, the air in the square shook, and the shadow on the altar grew larger. Its form gradually solidified, taking on a horrifying shape that seemed like a mix of human and beast.

‘What… what is that?’

I held my breath and stared at the square. Claire, still holding my arm, muttered.

“This isn’t just a fanatic… this is a demon beast summoning ritual.”

I was shocked by her words.

“Summoning a demon beast? But why?”

“Probably to gain more power. But what we need to do now…”

“Is stop it.”

I cut her off and spoke firmly. Claire sighed and nodded.

“Yeah, that’s true. But if we act recklessly, it’s dangerous. We need to find a way to take them down in one go.”

I looked back at the center of the square and muttered.

‘Alright, there’s only one way.’

I began gathering holy power at my fingertips again. This time, very subtly, so as not to be noticed.

“Claire, trust me.”

“What?”

“If we disrupt that woman, we can stop the ritual. I’ll keep her busy. You save the child.”

Claire hesitated for a moment, but after seeing the look in my eyes, she nodded.

“Ha… alright. Ellie, don’t die.”

“Don’t worry.”

I quietly approached the square, sending out a thin stream of condensed holy power from my fingertips. ‘These guys are so screwed.’

.

.

.

Boom!

A glowing sword descended from the sky, causing a massive explosion in the square. The black-cloaked devotees began to panic and scramble around. The woman on the altar also looked around in confusion.

Then, a group of people emerged from the mist.

“What’s that?” Claire muttered in surprise.

A man in golden armor walked forward with dignity. Behind him, mages, warriors, and priests appeared in perfect formation. I let out a sigh when I saw them.

‘Damn it… another hero party?’

But something felt off. These weren’t the heroes I knew. They were a different group. The man in golden armor at the center shouted confidently, like an actor on stage.

“Cease this evil! In the name of the gods, we shall judge you!”

“That’s…” Claire covered her mouth and exclaimed excitedly.

“Wow, amazing… those people… could they be…”

I frowned and looked at her.

“What’s so amazing?”

Claire couldn’t hide her excitement and clenched her fists as she continued.

“That’s the ‘Wings of Light’ party! The famous… NPC hero party that was super popular in the game!”

‘…What?’

My head spun as I heard her words. And at the same time, a word she casually let slip stuck in my ear.

‘In the game.’

I looked sharply at Claire and asked, “Claire… you… are you…”

She finally seemed to realize her mistake and looked at me with a stiff expression.

“Ah, no, it’s just…”

“Are you a player too?”

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