Ordinarily, this power manifested in high-ranking religious officials—men and women alike—driven by intense faith. However, faith alone wasn’t enough.
The power only awakened in those who’d spent a decade or more high atop the sacred mountain in Rolawand to the north, living a punishing life of abstinence and austerities. And even then, only a talented few were so lucky. As such, only one or two priests out of tens of thousands ever gained the power. But once they’d become a goddess’s priest, they could use a skill known as Goddess Eye to see the stats of others.
But Mil was no ordinary goddess’s priestess—she’d had her powers since infanthood. When the king was blessed with such a special daughter, many called it proof that the goddess loved him, and he was celebrated by all the people of his kingdom.
What’s more, her Goddess Eye was unique. Ordinarily, it only showed the numbered stats of an adventurer, not the skills or potential skills, and it could only be used on adventurers below a certain level. But none of these restrictions applied to Mil. Her powers continued to work for adventurers who’d outleveled the abilities of other goddess’s priests. She could also advise new adventurers on how to unlock their hidden potential, and help veteran adventurers determine the strongest monsters they could handle.
And that wasn’t the only power she had as a goddess’s priestess.
“Th-Thank you, Your Holy Highness.” The adventurer bowed his head low before Mil.
“If you’d like, I could help that skill blossom,” Mil said.
“You’d do that for me?”
“Of course.”
Mil’s other power as a goddess’s priestess was known as Blessings of the Goddess, which could unlock new powers. In other words, she could give adventurers new skills.
For example, if a swordsman who’d gained a required amount of experience using a one-handed sword was then trying to develop spear skills, Blessings of the Goddess could help them achieve that goal in an instant. With Mil’s help, they could learn new skills much faster than beginners.
Mil slowly rose from her throne then spread her arms wide as she spoke. “Blessings of the Goddess—Goddess Bloom.”
Particles of faint light poured from both of her hands and flew into the air above the adventurer. There, the light then took the form of a human with white wings.
The soldiers of the royal guard whispered to one another as they looked up at the being formed of light.
“Wow... An angel.”
“I haven’t seen Princess Mil use her blessing in a while.”
The angel slowly descended and then embraced the adventurer. For just a moment its light shone brighter, and then it exploded into small particles.
“I believe you’ve just gained the lock picking skill. Please try it out on a lock you weren’t able to pick before. It’ll feel as though you fully understand its inner workings.”
“You truly are a holy princess... Th-Thank you, Your Holy Highness.”
As this was going on, the guards continued whispering to each other.
“I heard that Princess Mil’s the only one with that power.”
“Yeah, we had adventurers here a while back who’d spent days traveling from another country just for her blossoming power.”
“Ah ha ha...” Mil looked a little embarrassed.
Although many priests could use Goddess Eye to see one’s stats, Mil had never heard of anyone else using the goddess’s blessing. The skill had featured in a handful of centuries old records, but Mil was the only one who could boast the power in modern times.
The king beside her loudly cleared his throat, and the guards quickly silenced themselves. “Is there anything more you’d ask of us?” the king said to the adventurer.
“N-No, Your Highness. This has shown me the way forward. I owe you my gratitude.” The adventurer was still nervous, but he was speaking clearly now.
“Good. Then you may leave. Send in the next one.”
The adventurer bowed one last time then left the throne room. He wore the same nervous expression up to the very end.
The next adventurer to enter was a young man dressed in silver armor. If his large shield and the equally large sword on his back were anything to go by, he was registered as a frontline fighter with the guild.
His facial features were elegant and there was a calm air about him. In stark contrast to the newbie who’d come before him, he approached the thrones with confidence.
There was murmuring among the royal guard’s soldiers as he came into view. Mil’s sharp ears caught a little of what they were saying.
“Hey, isn’t he the hero from the north? That one from a year ago.”
“You mean the one who single-handedly held back an invasion of a hundred ogres?”
The soldiers apparently recognized this adventurer with the giant shield. What began as quiet whispering gradually grew into loud chatter.
When the disturbance was too loud for him to bear, His Majesty cleared his throat once more, and the room instantly fell silent.
The adventurer with the large shield knelt and placed his hand on his chest.
“I consider it the greatest honor to have been granted an audience, Your Majesty.”
Every word was filled with both respect and self assurance. He spoke like someone who’d grown accustomed to the presence of royalty after touring multiple kingdoms.
This was an accomplished adventurer. Although Mil had been using her powers as a goddess’s priestess to aid adventurers for years, only on a few occasions had she met people like this.
Once the adventurer was done introducing himself, His Majesty urged Mil to examine him. “Go ahead, Mil.”
Mil nodded then held out her hand, and the adventurer’s stats appeared before her.
Name: Ruud / Level: 42
HP: 565
MP: 235
STR: 245
DEF: 285
INT: 159
DEX: 147
SPD: 12
LUK: 58
Passive Skills: greatshield proficiency (high), one-handed sword proficiency (high), greatsword proficiency (high), axe proficiency (high), spear proficiency (high), heavy armor weight reduction, poison resistance (high), fire resistance (high), ice resistance (high), lightning resistance (high), fighting spirit, last stand, guard proficiency (high), guardian, learning, etc...
Active Skills: shield bash, shield activate, defensive stance, magic sword, whirling slash, ground slash, battle cry, slash end, etc...
Talents: greatshield, buckler, greatsword, one-handed sword, axe, lock picking, holy magic, enchantment magic, fire magic, ice magic, composite magic, etc...
“Wow,” Mil muttered before she realized it.
The window was full of skills she’d never seen before. There were so many that they didn’t fit in one window—when the first ran out of room, another popped up listing even more.
For an adventurer to master a skill, they had to continuously practice some related activity. For example, greatshield proficiency might be acquired by fighting with one for a long time, and poison resistance could only be gained after repeated exposure to the toxins excreted by monsters.
I wonder how long it took him to learn all these...
Mil tapped the names of a few skills for more details, then quietly started reading.