Zero woke up, opening his eyes and staring at the wooden ceiling of the inn. It was the first time since he'd been to this word that he had a proper rest in a bed.

Zero threw the covers off him and stood up, stretching his arms into the air. It was a new day. He had already bathed at the inn's bathhouse yesterday to clean off all the blood on his clothes and body. He put on his equipment, opened the door, and walked out of the room. The inn was mostly quiet, a few noises emerging from the floor downstairs.

Walking down the stairs, he saw people sitting at tables eating breakfast. It looked like a collection of eggs and some weird type of sausage.

"Good morning!" the server called out when she saw him. "Care for breakfast? Your friend already paid for breakfast and dinner."

"Yeah, sure. Thanks."

Sitting down at a table, Zero looked around. People were minding their own business, eating their food, save for one person. A man with a white beard, looking to be in his fifties was staring intently at Zero from another table.

???

Zero looked behind him, confused if the man was staring at someone behind him. He then looked back, the man still staring into his eyes. The man slowly got up from his table, which was empty, and walked over to Zero's. He pulled out a chair and sat down, smiling; which revealed his yellow teeth.

"I prefer to eat alone," Zero said, unsure of the man's intentions.

"You seem like a young man with a lot of potential," the man said while scanning Zero up and down. "An aspiring adventurer as I once was."

His hands shot forth with lightning-quick speed, grasping Zero's hands. The man felt Zero's palm and his pulse, smiling and nodding.

[Magic Acquired: {Demon Dectection}]

Zero struggled to remove his hands from the man's strong grip. He had an unnatural strength for someone of his age. The man finally released his grasp, Zero reaching for his trusty dagger tucked away under his shirt.

"Don't be hasty, young man." the man laughed. "I was merely checking your potential."

Zero said nothing, hand still on the hilt of his weapon.

"Look here," the man said, pulling a worn-out book from behind him and placing it on the table. "I have a skill manual here. How about it?"

The man held up five fingers.

"Five silvers and this book is yours. I'm only charging you this little because I like you."

Zero finally relaxed and reached out to examine the book. It was full of strange markings, written in a language he didn't understand. There were also poses of people in different stances, although the moves looked a little awkward.

"What is this skill manual about?"

The man held up his fist. The fist slowly began glowing white with a brightness that caused Zero to squint his eyes.

Zero then reached out and tapped the man's fist, a burning sensation coming from his hand.

[Skill Acquired: {Holy Strike}]

The man quickly deactivated his skill, surprised that Zero had suddenly touched him.

"You have to be careful with this, young man," the man warned. "This is a legendary secret skill passed down by my ancestors."

"Sure. Five silvers, you said?"

Zero reached into his pouch, counting out five silvers, and handed them to the man. Although he wasn't sure what the manual was about, he decided to give five silvers to the man for unknowingly giving two new skills.

The man quickly grabbed the silver, as if Zero would regret his decision, and stood up.

"Thank you, young man. Pleasure dealing business with you."

He then walked out of the inn, grinning to himself.

What was that all about?

Zero then glanced over the description of the new skills he had gained.

[Magic: {Demonic Detection}

Additional Information: Checks the target for any signs of demonic energy.]

[Skill: {Holy Strike}

Additional Information: An attack that centralizes the power of the light in one's fist and releases it outward.]

Zero smiled to himself. He now had an actual fist technique. He wouldn't have to use {Enhance Sharpness} and {Piercing Shot} on his fist as a makeshift punching skill. Zero also wasn't sure what that first spell was about. Did the man think he was a demon?

The server brought out Zero's food, having an appetizing smell. He picked up his fork, ready to try food from this world.

 

---

 

Ezekiel walked along the road, still happy that he had earned those five silvers from that kid earlier. He was a Demon Hunter, albeit a very poor one. He had detected traces of a demon on the road, which led to this town. Ezekiel couldn't find any leads or mentions of a demon in the town as he wandered around.

Suddenly feeling his stomach growling, he walked into an inn, planning on dine-and-dashing.

Then, he felt a shallow feeling of demonic energy. It came from a young adventurer-looking fellow, sitting alone at a table. Ezekiel walked up to his table, preparing for a fight to minimize casualties. Checking the kid, he felt no traces of demonic energy, which left him confused. Could it be that the kid recently interacted with a demon? If so, Ezekiel would have to check the town again.

But having walked up to the guy who looked like a newbie, he had to teach him a lesson about the harsh realities of life. Ezekiel performed one of his skills, sweet-talking the kid with his charming words. Yes, he had scammed the boy with a random book.

Ezekiel was a bit sad, though. That was his favorite erotic novel, but it was worth it for five silver. He could use it to eat at an actual restaurant.

Haha. What a fool that youngster was.

 

---

 

Zero quickly finished his food, remarking at the taste. It tasted pretty good, considering that it was probably only seasoned with salt.

"When my friend wakes up, tell him to come to the Mercenary Guild," Zero told the server.

"Okay!"

Zero walked out of the inn, throwing the manual in the trash. Since he had already mastered whatever skill was written in the book, he didn't need it. Traveling across the town, he arrived at the Mercenary Guild.

Walking inside, he noticed that it was still the white-haired woman at the counter, Anata nowhere to be seen.

"You're a bit early," the woman said, glancing up from her work. "Our staff is yet to return. Check back in another hour."

Zero, at a loss for words, turned to walk back out of the building. He opened the door, noticing that a crowd had formed in front of the guild. Zero also watched along, confused as to what was happening.

"What's going on?" he asked a random bystander who was standing next to him.

"It's the Saint!" the woman replied. "He's coming to town!"

Everyone was intently staring into the distance, waiting for something. The road was already cleared and everyone was standing off to the sides.

"The Saint?" Zero asked. "Why's he coming here?"

The woman rolled her eyes as if annoyed at Zero's ignorance.

"The Church of the Sun God regularly sends people out to inspect all their churches to ensure that they're doing their jobs well. But it seems like the Saint himself is coming today!"

"Then, I guess I'll take a look at this Saint as well."

Zero followed their examples, looking out to the distance.

System, you're not going to make me kill this guy, right?

[No. You do not currently have the power to end his life.]

Is he that strong?

[He is not strong, you are too weak. Moreover, it seems like his body is not yet ready for his God to descend. Therefore, no action needs to be taken as of right now.]

So how powerful are those three Gods you're constantly talking about?

[Extremely. They have more power than you could ever imagine.]

Then are they unkillable?

[No. After all, there used to be four Gods reigning over this world.]

Who was the fourth?

[They called her the Mother of the Earth, The Queen of Nature. She also had many followers before she was killed.]

Then why haven't I heard anyone mention her?

[The other Gods have caused all mention of her to disappear from this world. They cannot allow others to know that they can be killed.]

Who killed her?

The system paused for a while, then responded.

[Me.]

Zero suddenly heard the faint sounds of marching in the distance.

"They're here!" he heard the lady next to him yell in excitement.

Zero saw armored knights adorned in red and yellow armor sitting atop horses, coming closer. Others were on the ground, marching with their heads held high. On their chest plates was a simple decoration of the golden sun. They all carried a shield, their swords sheathed by their sides.

The crowd watching began buzzing with excitement. Eventually, a man with blond hair was revealed behind the knights, causing the crowd to begin cheering furiously. The Saint waved at the townspeople, having a bright smile on his face. Wherever the Saint looked, the people there began yelling for his attention. It looked like the Saint was extremely popular here.

The Saint then locked eyes with Zero, looking away after a moment.

"SAINT!" the lady next to Zero screamed. "Give us a prayer!"

The Saint, hearing her yell, gave a bright grin and said, "Gladly."

The woman screeched in excitement, grabbing Zero's shoulder.

"He's about to give us a prayer! A prayer in the holy language!"

Zero also listened, wondering if he could get a skill from it.

The Saint opened his mouth and began chanting.

"Say, can you see."

Zero froze in shock.

"By the dawn's early light."

Not only was the Saint speaking in a language he knew too well, English, but he was singing America's national anthem.