The Spirit of Radiance and a Knight’s Pledge

“Spirit of Radiance,” Domu whispered, speaking the name of the only healing magic he possessed. This unique recovery skill, exclusive to the Dark Valkyrie class, summoned a divine spirit to restore a player’s full health and cure all abnormal statuses.

Domu had never prioritized leveling this skill, viewing it primarily as a status-cleansing ability. Given his lifesteal-infused equipment, most recovery skills felt rather redundant to him.

It’s worth noting that in “Tears of the Goddess,” all skills required players to manually increase their proficiency to level up, with the difficulty escalating significantly at higher tiers. To illustrate just how challenging it could be, consider an example.

Take, for instance, Domu’s most proficient skill, the “Strike of Sin-Slaying.” Though he had now mastered it to its highest level, it had taken him a grueling four months to achieve that feat.

The requirements for its final upgrade were astonishing: strike boss-tier monsters of the same level one hundred thousand times, execute ten thousand boss-tier monsters of the same level, hit regular monsters of the same level one million times, and execute one hundred thousand regular monsters of the same level.

This was for just one skill. Every player’s profession typically boasted fifty or more skills. To max them all out would demand an immense investment of time, energy, and even financial resources within the game—a feat impossible for anyone other than a dedicated, professional gaming enthusiast like Domu, who had meticulously elevated most of his skills to a specialized level.

As Domu’s voice faded, a breathtakingly beautiful angel, wreathed in holy light and adorned with a pair of pristine white wings, materialized from his open palm. Though the angel was no larger than his hand, the intense, sacred light it exuded filled Mofimod with an involuntary sense of reverence.

How could one possibly describe such divine, luminous power? Mofimod himself was unsure. Yet, if he had to draw a comparison, he had witnessed the healing powers, dubbed miracles, unleashed by the bishops of Holy Heaven who delved into the mysteries of the God of Light. However, none of the holy light emanating from those bishops could ever compare to that radiating from the exquisite angel nestled in Domu’s hand.

No, ‘compare’ wasn’t even the right word; the difference was as vast as that between a firefly and the sun and moon.

Despite the scene unfolding before Mofimod’s eyes feeling somewhat jarring—a figure shrouded in dark aura holding an angel radiating intense sacred light—he couldn’t shake the feeling that such contradictory forces should never coexist. Yet, on Domu, this paradoxical sight seemed remarkably harmonious.

Mofimod scrutinized the palm-sized angel, and a sudden realization struck him: its appearance bore an uncanny resemblance to Domu’s face beneath his helmet. Involuntarily, Mofimod raised his gaze again to Domu, who stood before him entirely encased in black armor.

“Mofimod, why do you keep looking at me? Ah… my apologies… I haven’t used this magic in a long time. Hmm… how do I control it? Please, heal Mofimod before me. Is it possible that magic works differently in this world than in the game?”

After casting “Spirit of Radiance” on Mofimod, Domu had waited for him to be healed. However, unlike in the game, where the skill automatically restored the target, “Spirit of Radiance” had manifested as a small angel in his palm, currently staring blankly left and right.

As Domu wondered about this, he noticed Mofimod’s persistent gaze on his face. He raised his other hand to touch his cheek, recalling that he should be wearing his helmet. Then, it dawned on him: he hadn’t actually healed Mofimod yet.

A blush of embarrassment rose within Domu as he tentatively tried to communicate with the little angel in his hand. Indeed, upon hearing his command, the angel immediately beamed, as if saying, “Leave it to me!” Then, spreading its wings, it flew to Mofimod’s head.

‘It seems I’ll need to find time to test all my skills,’ Domu mused silently, watching the little angel close its eyes atop Mofimod’s head, its hands emitting a holy glow. ‘I’ve been so busy raising my reputation. From the feedback of this “Spirit of Radiance” skill, this other world is different from “Tears of the Goddess”… even the effects of skills have changed.’

Mofimod watched the incredibly holy little angel fly to his head. The next moment, all his pain vanished, and even the spiritual damage he had suffered from the death of the Immortal Dragon was completely healed. Feeling his state return to its peak, Mofimod stared in shock at the little angel above his head, which was now smiling at Domu, its task complete.

Once Mofimod was fully restored, the little angel giggled at Domu, much like a child seeking praise from a parent. Amused, Domu gently extended a finger to pat the angel’s head. He watched as the angel, wearing a blissful expression, radiated light from its body, gradually coalescing into a ball of light before vanishing.

“Mofimod, how do you feel? Are you fully recovered?” Domu asked, concern lacing his voice, as he saw Mofimod had stopped spitting blood.

To Domu’s surprise, Mofimod suddenly dropped to one knee before him, his right hand clenched into a fist and pressed against his chest. His once proud head was now bowed deeply in a posture of profound respect.

“Lord Domu! I, Mofimod Rigles, voluntarily resign from my position as the Second Legion Commander of the Norachi Kingdom and pledge to follow you from this day forward.” Mofimod humbly knelt before Domu, performing the most solemn ritual of the Norachi Kingdom as he swore his allegiance.

At this moment, Mofimod cared nothing for Domu’s identity—neither the dark-aura-emitting armor he wore nor the terrifying scythe he wielded. For Mofimod had seen in Domu not only absolute strength but also a kind heart. Lord Domu, from beginning to end, had shown no suspicion of his actions. Instead, he had ultimately trusted him and even healed him, the very culprit.

At this moment, Mofimod felt a deep sense of guilt and profound respect for Domu. ‘Forgive me, Your Majesty. Though you remain the greatest and most supreme monarch in my heart, I must now pay the price for my actions. From this day forward, I will follow Lord Domu. If… if there ever comes a day when I must draw swords against the Norachi Kingdom, I, Mofimod, will atone with my death.’

“Mofimod… we didn’t accept the wager… and I didn’t defeat you. Please, Mofimod, stand up quickly… don’t do this.” Domu was startled by Mofimod’s actions and quickly stepped aside, waving his hands in a flustered, dismissive gesture.

“If Lord Domu does not agree… this subordinate will not rise.” Mofimod, overcome with guilt for his actions, stubbornly remained on the ground, resorting to a childish display of defiance.

“Mofimod…” Domu truly couldn’t understand why Mofimod had suddenly acted this way. Could it be that he was captivated by his elegant posture after defeating the large fat dragon? Or perhaps, without realizing it, he had activated some special protagonist’s halo in this other world? ‘Hmm… a protagonist’s halo?’

Thinking of this common term from his original world, Domu couldn’t help but let his imagination run wild. ‘Could it be that I transmigrated to another world and gained a protagonist’s halo, causing all the experts and beauties of this world to bow down to me and eventually establish a grand harem? I’ll become the master of a harem!’ Chuckling at the thought, Domu couldn’t help but break into a silly grin.

However, upon regaining his senses, Domu looked at Mofimod, who was still kneeling on the ground, and a new wave of worry washed over him.

“Lord Domu, please accept this subordinate’s request. Allow me to follow you.” Mofimod remained with his head bowed, speaking in a respectful tone. Fortunately, the other guests nearby were unconscious; otherwise, seeing a Kingdom’s Legion Commander treat someone with such humility would undoubtedly cause a massive uproar.

“Please stand up first, Mofimod… I want to ask you a question. Mofimod, why do you… want to follow me?” Domu pondered for a moment, then posed the question to Mofimod, who was still kneeling before him.

“Because of Lord Domu’s strength, your character, and my own mistakes…” Mofimod replied respectfully.

“Then… if Mofimod insists on following me, will you obey whatever I say?” Domu tried to throw out an enticing proposition.

“Naturally… whatever Lord Domu commands, this subordinate will obey.” Undoubtedly, Mofimod was sincere in his choice to follow Domu. However, Mofimod did not intend to reveal the matter of the Immortal Dragon to Domu just yet. It wasn’t intentional concealment, but rather… if he were to explain that issue, it would inevitably involve Princess Soronna. Though he had decided to follow Lord Domu, Mofimod also did not wish to jeopardize Princess Soronna’s plans. Moreover, Lord Domu, being closely associated with Princess Soronna, surely wouldn’t blame him for this.

“Then… I have only one request now, Mofimod, and you mustn’t refuse.” Looking at Mofimod, who had readily agreed, a triumphant smile formed beneath Domu’s helmet.

“Yes!” Hearing that Lord Domu had accepted his request, Mofimod looked up, a surge of excitement coursing through him. Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.