Chapter 15: Chapter 15

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Chapter 15: Obtaining a Class (1)

My first impression was this:

A hairy Adonis.

Standing there was a well-built man clad in a single white cloth, reminiscent of the attire from ancient Greek and Roman mythology.

His arms, legs, and face were covered with golden hair, but his face itself had a distinctly Western look—an overwhelmingly handsome one.

He stood almost three meters tall, yet his perfect physique made him seem neither grotesquely large nor out of place.

He was a wild man who exuded masculinity to perfection.

“Greetings, my proxy, eunuch.”

“What?”

“Despite being granted the ultimate skill, you cannot use it. How could you be anything but a eunuch?”

Ah... I shouldn’t have called him.

“Could you call me by my name? It’s Kim Jiho.”

“I am the avatar of Pollux. I am not equipped with the skill to remember the names of men.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“The only male names Pollux remembers are those of the gods of Olympus.”

“What about women?”

“I never forget the name of a beautiful woman. The most recent one I remembered was Kang Shia.”

That’s so you.

“Anyway, avatar? Not the original?”

“If Pollux descended in his true form, you would cease to exist. A D-rank cannot withstand such an encounter. I am Pollux’s East Asia avatar, Pollux 111.”

“Oh, I see... So why did you call me?”

“You ask why when you’ve qualified as a Soul Mediator?”

Of course.

How would I know what to do right after changing classes?

“Fair enough. It’s understandable. Heh... By the way, you’ve done something interesting. To think you’d straddle both the Neutral and Order factions.”

“Ahem. I wouldn’t call it straddling... But didn’t you already know about it?”

Now that he mentioned it, I did get the sense that Pollux and Aurelia weren’t aware of each other.

I had tried to avoid thinking about it to keep my thoughts from being read.

“We, as patron gods, have limitations on what we can observe. You don’t know what dust particles are doing, do you? Now that you’ve risen to the level of an ant, I can assess your abilities and have realized you belong to both factions simultaneously.”

“Is that bad? I didn’t do it on purpose...”

Please don’t take my status window away.

I looked at Pollux with a pleading expression, and he shook his head.

“I don’t mind. It’s not like irregulars like you haven’t existed before. It’s fortunate we even got a Soul Mediator this way.”

“Is being a Soul Mediator useful?”

“Do you know why we grant you powers and help you?”

“Not really.”

“It’s all for SP.”

Hearing him say it’s for SP suddenly made it sound cheap.

Isn’t that the same thing I got after grinding for a D-rank status?

“Do you underestimate SP? Soul Points are the only way to enhance the spiritual rank of a being. For instance, the class limit a human can reach is...”

Suddenly, his voice became garbled.

Each time I tried to listen, a message window popped up.

[Pollux is speaking about the world’s order. The user’s rank is insufficient to comprehend. SP decreases by 1.]

[SP decreases by 1.]

“Wait a moment. I don’t think I can hear this.”

“Heh. At least you haven’t gone mad. You only lost SP?”

“...Yes, and?”

“You’re definitely a Soul Mediator.”

Don’t tell me he knew and tested me on purpose.

Wow, what a wicked guy...

“Well, I’ll tell you the rest when your rank increases. For now, I’d like you to mediate for me as a Soul Mediator.”

[Pollux’s avatar offers you a proposal. Will you mediate SP acquisition on Earth’s dimension? Due to your low skill level, mediation is limited to certain areas.]

“You have nothing to lose. For instance, if I were to earn SP raw, I’d get 1 point. But if you help, I’d get 1.2 points, and you’d take a 0.1 commission from it.”

“So we both gain an extra 0.1?”

“Exactly. It’s a win-win.”

“Can I negotiate the percentage?”

“The percentage depends on your skill level.”

I checked the Soul Mediation skill.

[Soul Mediation LV1

Facilitates the absorption of souls by patron gods. Generates 20% efficiency, with the user eligible to take up to 10% as a commission. Up to three patron gods can be mediated simultaneously.]

“Fair enough. In exchange for mediating, could you do something about this Infinite Stamina skill? It’s useless.”

It’s supposedly an A-rank skill, but I couldn’t find any use for it.

Danger Detection, on the other hand, was incredibly handy.

I’d settle for even a D-rank skill if it were practical.

“Hah. Are you seriously asking that? Do you realize how precious an A-rank skill is?!”

Pollux, who had been jovial, suddenly flared up in anger.

What the hell, this Infinite Stamina skill makes normal life impossible, you divine jerk.

I have to keep it OFF all the time.

“What do you think stamina actually is?”

“Isn’t it just sexual desire?”

“Narrow-minded fool. The Infinite Stamina I granted you represents the core of masculinity. And what is masculinity? What does it mean to be male? A being destined to spread its seed, to propagate its genes.”

“Oh. Uh, okay...”

“And how does one achieve that? To surpass rival males, one must have superior strength, stamina, and vitality. My Infinite Stamin is the ultimate skill that allows you to shatter limits and gain unmatched strength, endurance, and vigor!”

“Is... is that so?”

“I observed you when you advanced to E-rank as a novice. A choice deemed impossible for a human! On top of that, you evenly distributed your stat points. I admired your rare ambition as a Soul Mediator and granted my most cherished skill, even bending the rules of causality. Yet all you’ve thought about is using it for sex, without even considering its true potential!”

Pollux raged.

I could feel his genuine anger.

Even as an avatar, his fury made my body tremble.

Wow.

He’s seriously pissed.

It feels like I should be the one angry about this skill, but it’s more like “the guilty party is acting offended.”

“What do you want me to do about impulses?!”

“You idiot. It’s called willpower. Even I feel like pouncing when I see Hera or Athena, but I manage to restrain myself!”

Ah... Hera and Athena.

They’re the highest-ranking gods of Olympus.

Still, it seems even they get cautious.

“Human, do you know what rank I, Pollux, am?”

“Well... I’d guess SSS rank? Since you’re a guardian deity?”

“No. I’m merely S-rank. Despite that, I hold the qualifications of a lower deity. And the skill I gave you? It’s an A-rank skill. An A-rank skill I had when I was a demigod. It’s an extraordinary skill. Among the skills I possess, only one surpasses it!”

What?

Even a guardian deity is only S-rank?

A-rank...

That’s an amazing skill, right?

Suddenly, I feel intrigued.

I’m starting to think I should just turn on Infinite Stamina all the time.

Come to think of it, don’t athletes inject testosterone to build muscle and end up getting caught?

This skill might be like a natural super testosterone injection.

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Big muscles.

Massive enhancements.

If I can just manage the impulses toward women, this could be great...

Yeah, even that lecher keeps his head down around Hera and Athena.

Maybe I can control myself too?

Oh, wait.

But now that I think about it...

“Who told me to use the skill in front of Kang Shia?! And now you’re lecturing me about restraint!”

“Tsk. A man must seize his moments. That woman isn’t Hera or Athena, is she?”

“Wow.”

“In any case, don’t underestimate an A-rank skill. If it were just a skill for... that, how could it be rated A-rank? I cannot grant your request to alter it. It’s for your own good!”

Pollux’s avatar was firm in his response.

He seemed genuinely displeased at the suggestion of changing the skill.

At that point, I decided not to push further.

Maybe, as he claimed, there’s a hidden benefit to this power.

“All right. Let’s go back to what we were discussing earlier. I’ll serve as a soul broker. Do I just agree to the contract?”

“Good decision. As someone who has two awakened agents on Earth, I assure you, it will benefit you.”

[You have formed a soul brokerage contract with Guardian Deity Pollux.]

[Guardian Deity Pollux’s SP acquisition increases by 1.2x. Broker Kim Jiho earns a 10% commission on this increase.] S~eaʀᴄh the NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

[Due to your low skill level, you cannot broker all SP earned by Guardian Deity Pollux on Earth. Limited regions are available for brokerage.]

“Looking forward to working with you.”

“Indeed. It’s a pity your skill level is low, but I hope to see you grow quickly. And... don’t get consumed by your own soul. Let’s talk again when you’re at C-rank.”

Pollux grinned and vanished into light.

He disappears immediately after the contract is sealed.

[Guardian Deity Aurelia wishes to meet with you.]

The volcanic goddess who dislikes me?

Ugh.

Still, I have to meet her.

A red-haired woman descended into Pollux’s place.

She wore a crimson iron armor that covered her entirely.

Perhaps because of her divine nature, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

Of all the women I’ve ever seen, she was the most overwhelmingly stunning.

Her hair flowed down to the floor, and her eyes shone brightly.

Despite her usual disdain for me, her gaze was surprisingly gentle.

“Congratulations, Awakened One Kim Jiho. You’ve finally achieved your dream.”

“My dream?”

“A version of you from another dimension always regretted it—learning about SP only after reaching too high a rank. But you... you’ve spoken too much with Pollux. My allowed time with you is running out.”

She gave me a look of regret as she pointed it out.

Ah.

She’s unexpectedly kind...

And now I felt guilty.

I cursed myself for talking about Infinite Stamina with Pollux.

“If we talk further, your allotted SP will rapidly decrease. It’s a shame—I was curious why the version of me in another dimension chose you... but we must part for now.”

“What? Already?”

“Yes. I’m fine, but you wouldn’t be. I can’t let you take such a risk. Let me ask: will you also broker my soul?”

“Yes.”

I answered as if hypnotized.

Her beauty and kindness completely captivated me.

This is what a goddess is...!

“Thank you. It’s a small gift, but I’ll grant you this skill.”

[Serene Mirror, Still Water]

[Passive Skill.]

[B-rank passive skill. Calms emotional turmoil and preserves self-control.

Increases resistance to mental attacks and grants a composed, unshaken mindset.]

“Pollux wasn’t wrong. His A-rank skill could bring you to the limits of human potential. But given its side effects, this skill will keep your mind in check.”

Danger Detection and now Serene Mirror...

You’re amazing, goddess.

If I use this skill alongside Infinite Stamina, will it help me control those overwhelming impulses?

I resolved to experiment later and bowed deeply to Aurelia.

“Thank you.”

“Currently, I’m not a guardian deity of Earth, so I cannot provide you with much divine power. But don’t forget: the other-worldly version of you ultimately trusted me the most.”

“Yes. You’re far better than Pollux.”

“Comparing me to that libertine is an insult.”

“Sorry.”

“Pfft. Summon me first when you reach C-rank. I have much to tell you. And... study soul reaping, not just mediating. It will aid your growth. This time, don’t fail...”

With that, she disappeared as soon as our soul brokerage contract was sealed.

Her parting words, warning me not to fail, lingered in my mind.

What on earth happened to you, future Kim Jiho?

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