Witch Monastery

Andny thought to herself that even standing still, she could hear everything her worms perceived. But now was not the time to defy her Master's will. With a slight bow, she acknowledged the order and departed.

Charles surveyed the remaining four witches, considering what tasks to assign them—until his gaze landed on Sephera. His expression stiffened.

He could clearly see the weakness in her face and eyes. Even her magic power had noticeably diminished.

A memory surfaced—her lips pressed against his as she poured something primordial into him during his unconsciousness. Her sacrifice had saved his life, granting him that crucial moment of clarity to command the clinic for treatment.

Now, understanding dawned. That had been a witch's Essence—their most fundamental being.

A surge of gratitude welled within him.

"Thank you," he said softly.

The once-malicious, selfish witch merely smiled. "This was my atonement. Master nearly died purifying me. Had I not been so arrogant, you'd never have been endangered. Giving my Essence was the least I could do."

Her remorse moved him deeply. He knew Hattie, Ruth, and the others would have done the same without hesitation. In fact, long ago, when his constitution was frail, Hattie and Ruth had offered to share their Essence to strengthen him.

He'd refused outright.

To a mundane being like him, Essence was merely a potent tonic. But for witches, it was their very foundation. Even a slight loss could cripple them for years without proper treatment.

His constitution could recover naturally. He'd never let them harm themselves for his sake.

This made Sephera's sacrifice all the more touching.

"There's no need for guilt, Sephera," he said softly. "Every witch held the same beliefs before being purified."

As he spoke, Hattie pressed her lips together to suppress a smile, while Ruth's expression turned slightly awkward. Only Ekta remained impassive—after all, she'd been too weak to pose any threat to Charles before her purification.

"And I've never blamed any of you," Charles continued, his gaze sweeping across the witches before settling back on Sephera. "Every witch I've purified stands equal in my favor—you're all my most trusted companions!"

Tears glistened in Sephera's eyes. "Master..."

Charles opened his arms, and she immediately threw herself against him, clinging tightly. "Master, I swear—even with my diminished strength, I'll serve you until my last breath!"

With a gentle smile, Charles removed her nun's wimple, running his fingers through her pink long hair. "Then I promise you this—soon, I'll find a way to restore your Essence and return you to your full strength."

Though a witch's Essence was difficult to replenish, as a veteran player, he knew of one method to help them recover.

For now, however, he wasn't strong enough to obtain it.

Sephera nestled against him contentedly. Charles settled her on his lap, arms wrapped around her slender frame, then raised a fingertip to summon his system interface:

Host: Charles

Gender: Male

Race: Human Subspecies (Silver Kin)

Age: 15

Height: 1.7m

Weight: 57kg

Attributes:

Strength: 8

Agility: 9

Constitution: 9

Intelligence: 13

Perception: 12

Charisma: 20

Class: Warlock (Level 3)

Supernatural Gift: Toxin Immunity

Class Abilities: Pact Magic, Eldritch Invocations, Pact of the Blade

Remaining Spell Slots: 14/14

Highest Spell Slot Level: 2nd

Eldritch Invocations:

Eyes of the Rune Keeper

Eldritch Mind

Pact Weapon: None

Feats: None

Spells:

Cantrips: Blade Ward, Eldritch Blast, Light, Shocking Grasp

1st-Level: Create/Destroy Water, Mage Armor, Shield, Absorb Elements, False Life, Sleep

2nd-Level: Gust of Wind

Spellbooks:

Lorehold Primer · Burning Hands

Prismari Primer · Armor of Agathys

Quandrix Primer · Thunderwave

Silverquill Primer · Longstrider

Witherbloom Primer · Cure Wounds

Remaining Purification Points: 3,679

Seeing his Constitution attribute, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Good, good. Though the poisoning had been severe, the purification had been timely enough. His body still felt weak, but his Constitution attribute remained unharmed.

Since his last attribute improvement, nearly a month of careful recuperation had brought noticeable growth—his height and weight had increased, and his Constitution had risen to 9, saving him another 100 Purification Points in expenses.

The number filled Charles with quiet delight. At this rate, in two more months, his Constitution should reach 10—the average for a healthy adult in this world.

As for that Supernatural Gift... there was no doubt. Sephera had poured her very Essence into granting him this boon.

Its effect? Near-total immunity—over ninety percent resistance to toxin damage and their debilitating effects.

For someone like Charles, who'd had zero natural resistance to poisons before, this was an invaluable advantage.

Yet, looking at Sephera's weakened state, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

This trade was absolutely not worth it!!

Toxin immunity, while tricky to obtain early on, became commonplace later—spells like Feast, anti-venom amulets, high-level class abilities...

To sacrifice precious Essence for this...

But then again, in that desperate moment, what choice had there been?

Ah... fate could be cruel indeed.

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