The book Ms. White had given me contained exactly the information I'd been looking for.
A method for suppressing my anger.
But Ms.
She was supposed to blast me with Heterodox Magic in order to acquire Heresy Resistance?
That was like telling someone to get punched to become tougher.
Sure, it might be effective, but when there were other methods available, why would she volunteer to go with the most brutal one first?
It made no sense.
And the fact that she declared it with that smug look on her face only made it more confusing.
There were several ways to raise your resistance.
The first was the one Ms. Sophia was currently trying to practice — taking attacks of that particular attribute head-on.
This method yielded the most Proficiency.
But gaining resistance meant you had to take damage from that attribute in the first place.
If you wanted to become fire-resistant, you had to burn your body with fire.
That was, frankly, torture.
The only people who would volunteer for it were those with some desperate circumstance that demanded they acquire the resistance, complete idiots, or people with a peculiar fetish for that kind of pain.
You're not… into that, are you?
The safest method was to acquire a Skill of the same attribute — a magic or attack-enchantment Skill — and level it up.
Resistance Proficiency naturally accumulated when you possessed the corresponding offensive Skill.
The reason my fire and lightning resistances were so high was largely due to this.
Proficiency accumulated at moments like when the corresponding offensive Skill leveled up, or when your own Level increased.
You gained trace amounts during everyday life too, but the bulk of it still came from Level-related milestones.
Another method was spending Skill Points to directly increase Proficiency.
Skill Points weren't just for acquiring new Skills — you could also pour them into Skills you already had to boost their Proficiency.
It meant spending precious Skill Points, but it was a safe and reliable way to build Proficiency.
Beyond those, you'd have to rely on much more specialized methods.
For instance, evolving into a species with strong resistance to that attribute.
The Ice Dragon I'd fought before had complete nullification of ice attribute damage.
Though this method was pointless if you couldn't evolve in the first place, so it was limited by species.
I might have had the possibility during my evolution process, but since Humans and the Demon Race couldn't evolve at all, it would have been impossible regardless.
Could Vampires evolve?
Even if they could, I wasn't sure there was a species evolution that would grant the resistance I needed.
But in this case, Ms. White had already given me the answer.
"Did you finish reading the book?"
"Hm?"
"Here. Look."
*The quickest method for obtaining Heresy Nullification is to acquire the Patience Skill. While Patience is a Seven Virtues-type Skill, it is an exception in that it has no adverse effects on the soul. On the contrary, it not only grants a degree of resistance, but also allows you to obtain Heresy Nullification through its Title.* "See?"
The explanation was right where I pointed.
Acquiring this Skill would automatically grant Heresy Nullification.
Ms. Sophia froze, still wearing her smug expression.
Without changing that expression, her face slowly turned bright red.
She was embarrassed.
So obviously embarrassed.
"Of course I read it! But the Patience Skill is a Ruler Skill, isn't it? Ruler Skills can only be acquired by one person in the entire world, so you should be grateful for my generosity in offering to give it to you! I'm saying I'll give you Patience, so you'd better help me raise my resistance — that's what I'm saying!"
Ms. Sophia ranted with her face blazing red.
She was desperately trying to cover up her blunder.
Pressing her too hard would just be cruel, so I decided to play along.
"I see. Sorry, I wasn't thinking clearly. In that case, I'll humbantly accept your generous offer, Ms. Sophia."
In truth, this arrangement was more helpful for me too.
My anger was suppressed for now, but there was no telling when I might lose my rationality again and go berserk.
If I could help it, I wanted to acquire Heresy Nullification as soon as possible.
"Yes. Acquire Patience while giving thanks for my kindness, which runs deeper than the ocean."
Thinking she'd successfully smoothed things over, she let out an obvious sigh of relief and spoke down to me from her high horse.
What could I say — the secondhand embarrassment was overwhelming.
So this was what you'd call a "disappointing beauty."
She'd become a weirdo in a completely different way from my previous life.
"You're not thinking something rude, are you?"
"Not at all. I was just feeling a little emotional thinking about being freed from the anger that tormented me for so long."
Close call.
Was that warrior's intuition? She was weirdly sharp sometimes.
But while it was a spur-of-the-time excuse, the sentiment behind it was genuine.
Most of my life in this world had been hell.
Before fighting Ms. Sophia, I'd even wanted to die.
But during that fight with Ms. Sophia — in the moment when I truly glimpsed my own death — I noticed my feelings wavering.
And when that god called Kuro beat me senseless, I felt unmistakable fear.
If this continued, I would be killed.
That meant I felt resistance toward being killed.
The complete opposite of a death wish.
In the end, I truly didn't want to die.
Pathetic.
After committing all those massacres, here I was — on the receiving end of death, wishing I wouldn't die.
If my
They fought, they took lives, and they accepted that one day their own death would come as a matter of course.
I had no such resolve.
I'd only used the power of
When I woke up safe and sound, I felt nothing but relief.
I was alive.
And I was happy about it.
How despicable.
After everything I'd done, to smugly survive while everyone else didn't.
I deserved to die.
And yet, the thought of dying terrified me.
I knew how pathetic it was.
But I simply didn't have the courage to end my own life.
I believed I needed to spend whatever remained of my life making amends.
But even if I were told to die for it, I didn't think I could.
The feeling I'd once held toward criminals in my previous life — "people like this should just die" — was now directed at myself. I never imagined that would happen.
Knowing I should die yet being unable to die — that half-measure existence.
I fell into self-loathing.
Honestly, I still had no idea how to live going forward.
But no matter what, I couldn't let Wrath consume me any further. I couldn't afford to commit any more sins.
That was why I needed Heresy Nullification.
But there was one big problem.
"I appreciate you offering, but I have zero Skill Points."
"Oh."
The air froze.
Ms. Sophia averted her gaze, looking awkward.