The stigmata is a miraculous sign of God that has only appeared once in the long history of the Church.

The mark of the Lord, which only Saint Francis of Assisi is said to have possessed. The stigmata.

And yet, this legendary stigmata manifested in a small land in the far Eastern world.

“Wow.”

Cardinal Francis, who witnessed the stigmata, kneeled and prayed while shedding tears.

Archbishop Ambrosio was the same.

Of course, Jeanne’s stigmata was not the real one, as they thought.

It was, after all, a “counterfeit.”

Francis, a cardinal of the time, seemed unaware that they had created a counterfeit stigmata by imitating God’s miracle.

The Church, with its long history, had committed many sins, and there were many hidden secrets.

“But is it really a counterfeit stigmata?”

Now, I don’t know either.

In the past, Jeanne’s stigmata bled, but it didn’t emit such brilliance.

Though it did shine, it wasn’t as radiant and warm as this.

It was no surprise that the two bishops misunderstood it as the true stigmata.

When the light from the stigmata faded and Cardinal Francis finished his prayer, he stood up.

“What can I offer you?”

His expression was calm, different from the earlier confusion when he was asked for the essence.

“As I just mentioned, I want the essence and the holy relics.”

“I understand.”

“…Cardinal.”

“I will take responsibility.”

When Archbishop Ambrosio called, Cardinal Francis shook his head.

To give out the holy relics, the Pope’s approval was required. It was not something a cardinal could unilaterally decide.

The essence was even more so.

However, Cardinal Francis accepted my request without any conditions.

He took off the ring he was wearing and handed it to Jeanne.

Then he went to his room and brought back the glass bottle containing the essence.

As a cardinal of the Vatican, Francis personally kept the essence and the holy relics.

“Is there anything else you need?”

“Please make sure the gate remains quiet so we can focus on the conquest.”

I made sure to stress this, as there was a risk of getting involved with the Church or being exposed to the media. I told them that if this condition wasn’t met, I wouldn’t offer any help.

“And, this is purely support. If the conquest seems difficult, we will retreat immediately.”

“I understand. I will take responsibility and make sure it happens.”

After completing the transaction, we returned to the general store.

The store only operated during the day for living spaces, so it was quiet at night.

“How about the holy relics?”

“It’s a healing ring. The ability doesn’t matter, but it seems useful for replenishing holy power.”

The holy power itself was energy specialized in healing.

Given that Jeanne said it was meaningless, it seemed the healing effect of the ring couldn’t compare to holy power.

It didn’t matter. The holy relics were meant to supplement Jeanne’s lacking holy power, not to gain abilities.

‘The essence is what matters.’

I looked at the transparent liquid in the glass bottle.

It was a small amount, about the size of a sip, but if it was indeed the essence I knew, it would be enough.

Essence was a substance that contained the essence of magical power.

‘I wish I could use it…’

However, unfortunately, my potential was low.

While the essence was an amazing item that enhanced magical power, it couldn’t suddenly turn an E-class Hunter into an A-class.

That could only happen if you were reborn.

Without talent, no matter how much magical power you poured in, it would be like pouring water into a bottomless pit.

So, I decided to use another method.

‘I will grow the Snow Stone and absorb it with my own power.’

The Snow Stone was a stone that grew on its own.

Unlike me, its potential was limitless.

So I would grow the Snow Stone and merge it with my ‘Transcender’s Connector.’

‘If it’s a slot, that should be possible.’

I had already confirmed that a slot wasn’t just a space for otherworldly items.

== The Snow Stone is being stored in the general catalog. [General Catalog]

• Napoleon’s Table
• Snow Stone ==

The Snow Stone disappeared from my hand and appeared as an entry in the catalog.

However, the Snow Stone hadn’t completely disappeared.

Since the catalog was connected to me, I could still feel the Snow Stone and use its magic.

But this was only a half-merged state.

The transfer of magical power was unstable, and it felt somewhat distant.

To fully merge the Snow Stone with me, it needed to be stored in a higher-level catalog.

Specifically, the artifact catalog.

While I couldn’t directly insert the Snow Stone into my body, putting it in the artifact catalog was almost the same thing.

The artifact catalog felt as if it were inside my body.

But that was difficult for now.

To enter the artifact catalog, I must raise the hierarchy. Even if I tried to remove Napoleon’s gun and put the Snow Stone in, it was rejected with a warning message.

This meant the Snow Stone did not yet meet the conditions to enter the artifact catalog.

It had to be grown further.

I opened the lid of the glass bottle and poured all the essence into the Snow Stone without leaving a drop.

The transparent liquid fell onto the Snow Stone and was absorbed immediately.

Then.

Whoooom!

The once-quiet Snow Stone began to resonate.

Fwoosh! Crackle!

Fire and ice alternated in size, tangling as if competing.

And it caused a change.

Whoosh!

The red flames turned blue and brightly lit up the store.

Soon, the flames were sucked into the transparent ice and curled up inside.

== “Snow Stone” Magical Power: 12500/12500 Amplification: Amplifies the magical power exerted by the user.

“It’s done.”

A smile appeared on my face.

The Snow Stone, which had been limited by its growth, broke through its limits and grew.

In fact, the magical power had more than doubled.

Moreover, the Snow Stone had acquired a special attribute called ‘Amplification.’

When using 5 magical power, it could amplify that power to greater than 5.

The Snow Stone’s magical power was 12,500, but that wasn’t all it had.

I would need to test how much effect this had.

‘It could be used as a lantern at night.’

As I thought about trivial things while watching the blue flames of the Snow Stone.

== The reincarnation cooldown time is reduced by 3 minutes. Reincarnation cooldown time: 01:57

“Wow.”

It had finally decreased.

Though only by 3 minutes, it was a big achievement that the previously immovable cooldown time had been reduced.

My ultimate goal in raising magical power was to make the reincarnation cooldown time ‘0.’

That way, Jeanne would no longer be summoned in an incomplete form and could truly be integrated into this world.

She would be able to use artifacts freely, too.

But the changes didn’t end there.

The holy power of the stigmata increases.

In that moment, a bright light flowed from Jeanne’s back.

“Jeanne, let me take a look at your stigmata.”

“Sure.”

After getting permission, I checked Jeanne’s stigmata and widened my eyes.

The stigmata, once red like blood, now had a white line where there was once a mark.

‘Is it becoming a real stigmata?’

It was a guess, but the change was certainly a result of the increase in holy power.

The reason why the holy power increased is likely because my magical power increased.

The amount of holy power Jeanne possesses is proportional to my magical power.

This meant that when I became stronger, Jeanne became stronger too.

Anyway.

[Summon 3/4]

Now, I could welcome a new transcendent.

The summon slot could be opened and closed, just like how the host of a game adjusts the number of people in a room.

I decided to close the summon slot for now.

Opening it didn’t mean the transcendent would appear right away, and I didn’t know how long they would spend in another world.

Even if time passed more slowly in the real world compared to the other world, the situation was still tight.

There were only four days left until the Despair Gate’s rampage.

Considering the travel time, it was going to be a tight schedule.

“Ladies and gentlemen, our plane is now about to take off. Please ensure your seat belts are fastened.”

“Jeanne, have you fastened your seatbelt?”

“Yes.”

Jeanne’s voice sounded the same as usual, but her actions were different.

Her small hands were tightly gripping the armrest, showing an unusually tense demeanor.

It made me chuckle, but it couldn’t be helped.

When would Jeanne, a 15th-century Frenchwoman, ever have been on an airplane before?

At that time, people believed the sky was the domain of the gods.

We were on a flight from Incheon Airport to the Vatican, where the Despair Gate was located.

“Should I just sit still?”

“Of course. Just sit still, and the captain will take us to the destination.”

Bzzz!

Suddenly, the plane shook and soared into the sky.

Startled by the sudden weightlessness, Jeanne instinctively grabbed my arm.

Her posture, tightly curled up, was particularly adorable.

It was rare to see Jeanne, usually so calm, in such a flustered state.

Click-

I instinctively took a photo, and Jeanne looked up at me with a puzzled expression.

“What did you just do?”

“I took a photo.”

When I showed her the photo, Jeanne puffed her cheeks slightly.

She probably didn’t like her curled-up posture.

But it was cute.

After Jeanne calmed down a bit, I pointed to the window.

“Look outside, Jeanne.”

Following my hand, Jeanne turned her gaze toward the window.

Beyond the window, the clear sky stretched endlessly.

A sea of white clouds spread out like a carpet.

The warm sunlight.

Jeanne’s eyes widened in awe.

“It’s amazing. The clouds are right in front of us.”

Looking down, the ground appeared as small as a dot.

Gray buildings stuck together like ants.

“Do you think we won’t fall?”

“Though rare, sometimes, yes.”

Jeanne clasped her hands together as if praying.

It was cute, but it wasn’t really something to laugh about.

Since accidents of falling sometimes occurred when humans were involved.

Click-

Still, I had to take a photo.

When we arrived at the Vatican, it was late at night.

On the way, Jeanne had experienced a summoning end once, but it was smoothly dealt with.

We followed the bishop’s guidance to our accommodations.

“See you tomorrow, Jeanne.”

“Yes.”

Once in the room, I deactivated Jeanne’s summoning.

It was too late to do anything, anyway.

The next morning, we began preparing to move out.

“Let’s stretch our bodies a bit before we go.”

Although the Despair Gate’s rampage was only a few days away, I didn’t rush.

I needed to check my condition before leaving.

The Vatican had many religious buildings, and because of that, all the gates were shadow-afflicted.

Dark caves.

Hehehe-

Pale shapes floated in the air, laughing.

They were specters, the grotesque ghosts of people who had died.

Physical attacks didn’t work on them.

They could only be dispelled with magical power, and among the types, light magic worked best.

Thud, thud!

The specter’s attack hit the protective barrier.

‘The medal is starting to be useful.’

The Napoleon medal, which had been inefficient, became easier to use as the Snow Stone grew.

Thanks to the ‘Amplification’ attribute, it didn’t drain as much magical power as before.

Bang—!

Napoleon’s rifle spat fire, and the specter lurking around the barrier was shattered into pieces.

Its efficiency was 8%.

This was a result of the increased magical power and the Snow Stone’s amplification.

‘Should I try catching that one?’

I moved toward the specter passing through the cave walls.

Just as I took a step.

Swoosh-

With the shadow cloak unfolded, I was suddenly in front of the specter.

Swish!

The twin dragon sword I was holding swung, and the specter was obliterated.

‘Hmm.’

Though my swing was awkward due to a strength issue, its power was exceptional.

Magical power consumption was also much lower than before.

I felt I didn’t need to experiment any further.

Although there were still several ghosts floating in the air, I turned my back.

“Jeanne.”

Whoosh!

Holy light illuminated the cave.

The Despair Gate was an old church once used by the Russian Eastern Orthodox Church.

Once a holy place of worship, the building now exuded a sinister atmosphere with weeds growing everywhere.

The door leading to the church’s sanctuary was the entrance to the gate.

Astaroth, one of Solomon’s 72 demons.

A demon who, having fallen to hell, spewed despair.

From the Despair Gate, voices of unknown grudges whispered in the air.

“There are hunters from the church inside. Please support them.”

“I understand.”

“I pray that the Lord’s blessing be with you.”

With the bishop’s blessing, making the sign of the cross, Jeanne and I walked toward the Despair Gate.

Entering the Despair Gate.

Endless darkness greeted us.