When I opened my eyes again, I found myself atop a stone altar.

It was surrounded by a dense forest. The trees here were abnormally large compared to those on Earth. The altar was built in a circular plot of land where the trees had been removed.

“This place… is where it all began, huh?”

Fifteen years ago, when we were first kidnapped to this world for the gods’ pitiful entertainment, this altar was our first destination.

But this time, I alone came.

The serene atmosphere, void of any screams or cries, filled me with inner peace.

“Now, let’s work fast. I only got a few minutes…”

I quickly summoned the Skill Tree. It was not a physical object, but an illusory image projected onto the air before me. It couldn’t be interacted with, by pointing my finger. Instead, it functioned via thought commands.

I had made use of the Skill Tree more times than anyone could count, so it was not a new sensation for me. Though, my mind was blown the first time we were introduced to it.

I quickly controlled the cursor with my mind and unlocked all the skills I needed.

Having over 7 million tokens allowed me to bring my skills’ levels to the maximum immediately. For my current objective, maximizing this many skills was probably an overkill, but it could never hurt to be careful.

I learned that lesson the hard way…

<You have unlocked [Detect Presence Lv.9]>
<You have unlocked [Increase Strength Lv.9]>
<You have unlocked [Increase Agility Lv.9]>
<You have unlocked [Increase Vitality Lv.9]>
<You have unlocked [Improve Hearing Lv.9]>
<You have unlocked [Improve Vision Lv.9]>
<You have unlocked [Close Quarter Combat Mastery Lv.9]>

Alright.

That took almost three years worth of tokens, earned by risking my life, killing monsters.

I would take more, but there’s no time left. [Detect Presence] is already picking up signals. In order to truly be free in this world, there is a group of morons I need to take thorough care of first.

Soon, a number of people dressed in clergy attire and shiny armour emerged from within the sea of trees. They were led by a woman who wore nothing but a simple gown. She may appear youthful, but this witch had lived for centuries and overseen several hero summoning rituals in the past.

The way she dressed was publicly explained as the Saint showing her pure flesh without fear.

“Your Highness, it appears that only one has arrived.”

The holy knight walking by her side spoke while staring at me sitting on the altar.

“Fret not, Lord Glenn, it is a blessing that one hero arrived nonetheless.”

Unlike priests, holy knights were granted land by the king.

I must admit, [Improve Hearing] is a greatly useful skill, but hearing the witch’s fake tone is really making me sick. She’s been alive for too long for her own good.

The group finally arrived at the altar.

When the 500 year old witch stepped forth and kneeled before me, the rest of them did the same. Most of the priests and holy knights held a genuine faith in [The Goddess] and revered summoned heroes.

“O’Great Hero, it is a blessing from the Goddess that you have safely arrived in Eternia. Please, allow us humble believers to provide you with proper accommodations in our kingdom of Corland.”

The first time we heard those words 15 years ago, most of us were mesmerized by her beauty and angelic voice. I was not an exception, until I accidentally uncovered their church’s secrets.

“What happened to all my friends?”

I asked just to see how she would respond.

“Forgive me, Great One, for the summoning ritual is an arcane art of a bygone era, and my unintelligent self do not possess the wisdom to fully control it. However, I promise to do all I can to search for your friends. Perhaps, there is a way for us to venture into the Rift and bring them back.”

That was an obscene load of half-truths and lies mixed together.

The witch possesses [Old Magic Mastery Lv.7] which is more than enough to let her take full control of the summoning ritual. If there were multiple people being summoned, she’d bring all of them to this altar without fail.

I bet despite her calm appearance, she’s a confusing mess inside right now.

What she did not lie about is the fact that there is a way for me to venture into the Rift to find my “lost friends” if they were indeed hurled into another dimension by the ritual. In fact, there is only one way: by having me drop dead.

My second bet is that she fully intends to lie to me until the bitter end, then once I’m no longer useful, she’ll finally “let me” go to the Rift by cutting my head off.

“I don’t really understand any of this…”

“Worry not. We shall escort you back to the kingdom, where you shall be treated as a royal guest. There, I promise to answer all your questions, no matter how many, or how long it takes.”

“Alright… I’ll be in your care.”

“It is an honour, Great One. Now, you must be tired——eh?”

When she raised her head, I was no longer there.

With [Increase Agility Lv.9], it took me less than a second to circle around her entourage. [Close Quarter Combat Mastery Lv.9] provided me with the knowledge and instinct necessary to pull off melee techniques that immediately knock out my opponents without killing them.

Combined all that with [Increase Strength Lv.9], I immediately neutraulized all the priests and holy knights before Glenn could unsheath his sword.

The guy possessed [Improve Reflex Lv.5], so he was the quickest to react, but by the time he caught up, and reached for his sword, my fist already landed solidly onto his face.

“Guhugh!!”

Several teeth flew out of his mouth as Glenn lost consciousness with a swollen face.

“Alright. Maria Rosemary, daughter of Demigod Harald. We need to have a chat.”

I said with a grin.

“I see. Another time traveller…”

“Oh? There was another one?”

“A long time ago, yes.”

“What happened to him?”

“You’re about to find out, rogue. Father of the first flame, by thy name——muguh!!”

The moment she began to chant, I dashed forward.

Maria possessed [Improve Incantation Lv.5], so her casting speed was one of the best in this world. I would always be faster with my current abilities, but I’d rather not risk letting her half-cast a partial spell.

The instant I closed in, I pressed my lips against hers and gave her a “passionate kiss.”

“NO! Get away from me, you filth! NOOO, MY POWER!”

She hurriedly pushed me away.

The bright aura that was building up around her as she cast the spell quickly faded.

This was Saint Maria Rosemary’s ultimate secret, the Achilles’ heel to her overwhelming magic power. Five years ago, when the campaign against the demonkin first began, I wanted to confirm my suspicions, so I went and risked my life to hold her hand in a silly frantic act. She couldn’t react strongly then, but I was able to conclude that she also possessed the hidden skill [Purity of the Flesh], and it was Level 9.

I did say “also,” because I myself had that skill for a while.

The sad truth is: I stayed a virgin well into my thirties, until I got caught up in some dumbass’ love quarrel and ended up sleeping with that pushy wretch right before an important battle against a demon general.

I lost the skill the moment I put my thing inside her.

At the time, I didn’t really think much of it, since it never levelled up.

However, in Maria’s case, this witch has been a virgin for centuries, without letting as much as a man’s fingertip to touch her bare skin. The skill levelled up like crazy and gave her a wicked Stats multiplier.

The way she always went outside with nothing but a night gown on was glorified as divine purity, but it was all a ploy to level up [Purity of the Flesh]. As others began to revere her untouched body in such a way, she gained no little amounts of skill tokens to upgrade with.

And now that I’ve weakened her with that direct kiss to the lips……