Chapter 172 172: Faith Ascension
"Master, regarding the airfare for the flight routes, I believe there is still significant margin for an upward adjustment..."
Greed was diligently presenting his latest fiscal proposal to Kaito.
Kaito gave a dismissive wave of his bony hand, cutting him off. "Enough. Let's leave it as it is for now. You have to let the grass grow before you can harvest the sheep, Greed. If you hike the prices any further, what's next? Are you going to open a high-interest lending department?"
Greed's eyes—the deep crimson of ancient wine—ignited with a terrifying spark.
"The Master's foresight is truly boundless! [Credit and Loan Services]! Why did I not think of this sooner?!"
Kaito stared at his general's obsessive, logic-driven face and decided it was best to stop talking entirely. If he continued, there was no telling what horrific schemes Greed would concoct to squeeze every last drop of "surplus value" from the residents of the Empire.
"Fine, fine. Just drop it. You're dismissed."
Greed offered a respectful, deep bow and turned to leave at a brisk pace, his lips moving as he muttered mathematical formulas under his breath. Kaito watched his back and decided to pretend he had seen nothing.
He turned his attention to the squishy, blue ball of jelly perched on his skeletal shoulder.
"Come on, Bochi. I'm taking you to the Mall. Let's see what kind of treats we can find today."
Bochi wobbled with excitement, his two black bean-like eyes shining like high-wattage lamps. Ever since he had started following this particular skeleton, his life had undergone a terminal transformation. In the sewers, "gourmet" meant a fat cockroach or a particularly slow rat.
Now? Fresh, flopping fish every single day! Bochi felt he had reached the peak of Slime existence.
As the duo approached the street leading to the Mall, a series of sharp, aggressive barks erupted from the corner.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
Kaito looked up. A large yellow dog was sprawled by the roadside, lazily basking in the morning sun. Kaito recognized him. The residents of Iron Fortress called him "Big Goldie." He had belonged to a merchant whose caravan had disbanded; since then, he had lived as the neighborhood's unofficial mascot.
Goldie was well-fed and well-loved, but he was still a territorial creature.
Kaito looked at Big Goldie, then at the squishy Bochi on his shoulder. A whim of dark amusement struck him.
"Bochi. Go. Defeat your rival."
Bochi froze.
What? Me? Fight that giant?
He looked at the dog, which was at least three times his size, and instinctively shivered, his gelatinous body shrinking inward.
Kaito lifted Bochi from his shoulder and set him on the pavement. "What are you afraid of? You're technically a Mabeast, Bochi. Manifest some of that racial pride."
Bochi hesitated for a long second, but the Master's command was absolute. He wiggled his way across the stone toward Big Goldie.
The dog sensed the movement and lifted its head. Seeing a blue blob of jelly inching toward him, the dog tilted its head in genuine confusion.
Woof?
Is it edible?
Bochi skidded to a halt three meters away, his body tensing, ready to bolt back to the Master at the first sign of teeth. Kaito stood behind him, acting as the coach.
"Bochi! Use [Water Gun]!"
Bochi's frame gave a violent jolt. The moisture within his body condensed toward his front and erupted in a concentrated spray.
SPLASH—!
A jet of water shot straight for Goldie. The dog's reflexes were sharp; he gave a playful hop to the side, the water missing him entirely.
Woof!
Goldie barked, seemingly taking the splash as an invitation to play. He dug his paws in and lunged toward the blue blob.
"Bochi! Jump left!"
Bochi sprang upward, the dog's snout whistling past him by a hair's breadth. Mid-air, Bochi compressed his core and spat a glob of high-viscosity mucus directly into Goldie's face.
"AWOOOO!"
The dog began to shake his head frantically, trying to dislodge the sticky slime covering his eyes. Bochi used the opening to bounce back and create some distance.
Kaito watched the skirmish, his Soul Fire flickering.
Interesting.
Even though Bochi was an unranked creature, under Kaito's tactical direction, he was actually trading blows with a dog three times his weight.
Just then, Kaito felt a surge of warmth radiating from within his core. He blinked, his consciousness sinking into the deepest depths of his soul.
Faith Points.
This was the new Authority he had awakened upon reaching Tier 6. He checked the ledger of his accumulated points.
Holy hell.
I've gathered this much already?
He had studied this ability recently and found its primary limitation: he could only use it to advance the rank of entities lower than himself. Since he was currently Tier 6, he could only boost his subjects up to Tier 5. For the Seven Generals—who were already Tier 6—it was functionally useless. At the time, he had dismissed the skill as a bureaucratic gimmick.
But now...
A very "modern" idea sparked in his mind.
If this skill is useless for the elites, why not open it up to the masses? It's not like I'm using the Faith for anything else.
He began to run the numbers.
Ascending a unit to Tier 3: Ten silver coins.
Tier 4: Ten gold crowns.
Tier 5: One hundred gold crowns.
The prices were steep enough to be a status symbol, but not so high they were impossible for a hard-working skeleton or resident. He immediately used the Soul Link to upload the new interface to every unit in the Empire, modeling it after the RPG menus from his old world.
[DEVOTION ASCENSION SYSTEM: ONLINE]
[Status: Authorized for use by all units within the Master's Soul Link.]
[Requirement: Pay the required coin at the Bureau of Logistics to consume Faith Points for Rank Advancement.]
Tier 3 and below: 10 Silver Coins
Tier 4: 1 Gold Crown
Tier 5: 10 Gold Crowns
Tier 6: 100 Gold Crowns
[Note: Post-Ascension payment is mandatory. All units are authorized for mutual surveillance. If a unit advances without settling their tab, please report them to the Bureau of Logistics immediately.]
Kaito nodded with satisfaction. He was leaning into the "Honor System," but since every undead could sense the rank of their peers, skipping out on a payment was a social death sentence.
Good. Let them grind for it, Kaito thought, withdrawing his consciousness.
Back on the street, the battle between Bochi and Goldie had reached its climax. The dog had finally cleared the mucus from his eyes, baring his teeth in a playful growl.
Woof-woof-woof!
He charged again, his speed increasing.
"Bochi! Compress into a ball and roll backward!"
Bochi tucked his limbs—well, his edges—inward and became a perfect sphere, tumbling across the stones. Goldie lunged at the spot Bochi had just occupied and slammed his head directly into a stone wall.
THUD!
The dog shook his head, looking dazed. Bochi uncurled, gathered every drop of moisture in his core, and unleashed a high-pressure jet of water five times the size of his previous shots.
BOOM—!
The water cannon struck Goldie square in the flank, knocking the dog off its feet and sending him sliding across the pavement. Goldie scrambled up, did a few dizzy circles, looked at Bochi, then at the silent skeleton in the background.
Whine...
With a defeated whimper, Goldie turned tail and bolted. He knew when he was outmatched.
Bochi stood alone in the center of the street. He had... won?
He began to bounce and vibrate in place, performing a manic victory dance. Kaito walked over, scooped him up, and returned him to his shoulder.
"Well done, Bochi."
Bochi nuzzled Kaito's jawbone, vibrating with pride.
"Come on then. Let's go buy that fish."
Meanwhile, through the Soul Link...
Every undead in the Empire had received the notification.
In a corner of Iron Fortress, a Skeleton Soldier on patrol froze.
Devotion Ascension?
I can level up... for money?
He checked his current status: Tier 3.
He checked the price: 10 Silver Coins.
The skeleton was silent for three seconds. Then, he began to sprint toward the Bureau of Logistics with a speed that defied his ranking.
"LEVEL UP! I NEED A LEVEL UP!"
Similar scenes erupted across the continent. Thousands of Skeleton Soldiers, Ghouls, and Mages began a frantic stampede toward their local administrative offices. The age of the "Paying Customer" had arrived in the Empire of the Dead.
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you