The Hunted Regressor: My Heretic Saint System-Chapter 59: Golden Glow

The Shepherd cleared his throat.

"All right, so first, I’ll tell you about your year ahead. And listen up because I won’t repeat this for those who wander off into daydreams."

A dozen bored faces snapped to attention while a dozen more tried to pretend they’d been listening the whole time.

"The other Shepherds, Bannerets, and I will meet you at least once a week in this hall. Attendance isn’t mandatory, but is noted and will be reflected on your overall ranking."

He tapped his cane twice for emphasis.

"You will be drilled until you are good enough. I will not have you break our tradition."

Lothar pointed up at the roof.

"The Colosseum Trials will be held whenever the Gods—if they feel merciful—wish to bestow a Rune, where you would compete to prove your worth as a Runebearer."

That was the second and final way Runethera was given any Runes after the Day of Runes. Something that the Disciples knew full well, understanding just how tough their futures would be, if there was even one.

Because, well, as the Shepherd said, Colosseum Trials were utterly random, decided whenever the Gods felt "merciful..." but really, it was more than that. They claimed the Trials were a tool for a Runebearer to prove their worth, but they truly were for the entertainment of the Gods.

Imagine living in Heaven with nothing ’bad’ forever and ever... how boring would that be?

Yes, a way to fight that ’boredom’ would be to forever gain knowledge, but these Gods didn’t care for that. They already saw Themselves as the pinnacle; why bother for more?

’Ouroboros had finally eaten its tail, and turns out it wasn’t very... nutritious.’

Ignotus chuckled at that thought, finding it was so very true. The Gods, becoming aimless, wanted drama and death to feel something. Meaning if the Disciples wanted to reach any of their goals in this realm, their lives would cease at Their mere whim.

"A Colosseum Trial will be held in a week."

Lothar’s eyes narrowed.

"Prepare. You will stand in the arena before many, not only the Gods. There, your bodies will remain, and your Souls will go to another place to fight, risking it all."

They were as sharp as could be.

"Usually, you win by finishing the Trial, which means fulfilling a unique objective, including but not limited to solving a trivial issue for the Gods or simply surviving their challenge, whatever it may be."

A look quite uncharacteristic of him.

"You might be ridding a land of Hell’s Corruption, reclaiming it, and even Diving into Dungeons. Or, of course, a second option. Which is winning by whatever odd rule They decided to hand down."

It almost made him look respectable.

"One thing to note is that failure doesn’t always mean death. If you have a Butterfly, you survive a Soul-death and return. If not—"

A cold ripple ran the length of the lecture hall.

"—you die, and that is the end of your story."

He let the silence sit for a few long heartbeats, wanting the information to sink in.

Ignotus grinned away, knowing that only he and an unlucky few had the misfortune of not having a Butterfly to fall back on.

The thing was a Divine Relic, a rare and expensive item that saved the Soul when killed, returning it to the body.

He knew the item well in his past life, commonly abused by most useless Young Lords, using it to save their lives after entering the Trial while knowing that they’d be sure to die or fail.

That meant that it was also useful for madmen, specifically Ignotus, who wanted to test all sorts of things, even the most unimaginably stupid ones, without permanent consequences.

This ’permanent consequence’ here meaning death, of course.

"Alright, now that you know, tell me..."

The Shepherd moved on.

"What is Divinity?"

Hands shot up, and answers came fast, too many, all a little wrong and a little too proud:

"It’s a holy power!"

"It’s the Gods’ breath!"

"It’s the force that makes Runes work!"

Lothar let them all sputter, then raised a finger and cut them off:

"Divinity. Also known as the Flow of the Untainted, the Sea of Life, or Divine Ichor, is a Holy Energy that permeates the realm, ensnaring the world within its grasp. Its revelation came from the first Blessed, Adam, in the First Epoch, the Age of the Fool."

He paced and tapped his cane.

"Blessed Adam named this undisturbed Holy Energy as Neutral Divinity. It is a malleable Holy Energy that lacks a specific property or characteristic, and it permeates the realm, able to be absorbed by us, the Runebearers."

A student in the front squinted.

"So to put it simply, it’s like... food for Runes?"

Lothar gave a small, seemingly rare smile.

"Yes, food. But do not call it that in front of any House Lords, especially not the Temple of Gods; they will be offended, and you will lose your head."

Nervous laughter spilled out, and the mood briefly loosened.

"Next."

He pointed.

"What is a Rune?"

The answers this time were better, bits of library books:

"It’s what lets you cast magic."

"It binds Divinity to a Soul."

"It shapes your spells."

"Abilities condensed."

"Correct..."

Lothar nodded.

"A Rune directs Divinity into a form, taking hold within one’s Soul, allowing the Runebearer to control the flow of Divinity under its specified conditions. There is a Root Rune—your first Rune, deciding your Element—and normal Runes that come after. Great Runes and Ancient Runes exist, of course, but those are for higher classes. Most Runebearers will never see one in their life, and that includes most, if not all, of you here."

He leaned forward until his eyes caught Ignotus’s in the back.

"Those unfortunate should listen closely to this; it is their only hope in surviving this realm... Normal Runes are not weak simply because they are more... common."

Ignotus stared back.

"They can be strengthened."

Lothar wrote on the board slowly in big letters.

"A Rune’s strength is ranked thus..."

—

{Rank 5—Weakest (White Glow)}

{Rank 4—Stabilized (Green Glow)}

{Rank 3—Experienced (Blue Glow)}

{Rank 2—Strengthened (Purple Glow)}

{Rank 1—Ultimate (Gold Glow)}

—

A girl in the row in front of Ignotus sucked in air.

"Gold glow is real?"

"It is."

Lothar’s voice was pleased.

"And it is only earned by those who bleed for it."

It seemed he liked being asked such questions.

"Now, how to rank up a Rune?"