*BOOOOOOOOM—!*
Julien felt someone leap onto him and roll to the side, pulling him with them.
The explosion roared behind him, sending debris flying, tearing at his clothing and dirtying his hair.
His hands were wrapped around the person that rolled with him, and to luck would have it, the person did not save him, rather, he became the one shielding the person as they lay in front of him.
Though, this was the least of his concerns.
What concerned Julien the most was…
It tickled.
The debris… the flying rocks, soil, and splinters—they all hit his back, and it tickled.
Julien was baffled when he realized none of the things were able to pierce his body. The most they did was cut him.
What the fuck?
Was Julien's curse finally gone? Was he finally starting to get lucky? Did he finally develop plot armor like those shonen protagonists?
…the answer was no.
Julien was still as cursed as he could be and luck was completely against him.
This stepping would've resulted in his third death, but thanks to the experience points gained through the previous rounds, he had leveled up significantly, acquiring a body sturdy enough to withstand the explosions of the tutorial trial.
Julien was yet to figure this information out, and given the movements near his feet, his thoughts shifted from understanding the situation to focusing on the person who had tried to save him.
"Oh, I forgot about you. Here…"
Julien gave the person a hand and helped them get up.
"T-t-thank you…" A meek and low voice said to him. "May god bless you…"
"Hm?"
As Julien helped the person sit on a nearby rock, he finally got to have a look at them.
It wasn't them, but she, a lady, no, a nun to be precise.
The girl in front was a nun, who had her entire body covered in typical church attire. She also had a cross necklace around her neck, but the thing that stood out the most were her eyes.
Her eyes were covered with a red blindfold.
This could have many meanings, but one thing was clear—she couldn't see.
"Miss, are you alright?" Compassion swelled up in Julien's heart as realized a person who couldn't even see had tried to save him.
"I-I am fine… thank you for your concern…" The nun said. She then brought her hands together. "Savior, I apologize for being unable to help. Due to me, you—"
"No, no, you helped me, I didn't help you. You are the savior here." Julien swiftly tried to make her understand the truth.
"I am sorry…" The nun looked down. "Due to me you had to go through that…"
"I didn't go through anything due to you. Please stop blaming yourself." Julien shook his head and said.
The nun was about to say something, but the sound of a distant explosion rang in the two's ears, distracting them.
"Oh no—!" The nun immediately got up. "My teammate… that should be my teammate…"
The nun tried to run in the explosion's direction, but Julien held her hand and stopped her.
"Wait, don't run there!"
"Ouch!" The nun exclaimed and turned to look at her hand, but couldn't see anything and could just feel the pain. "Savior, it hurts…"
"Ah, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you…" Julien let go of her hand and took a step back.
He was still not used to his new strength and it would take some time to adapt.
"I stopped you because ahead is a tree and you would've slammed right into it."
"Ah…" The nun stopped rubbing her hands. "Savior was once again trying to save me… ah… how foolish of me to have thought you hurt me…"
"No, no! I understand. You don't have to be so humble and kind for every little thing." Julien once again tried to stop her.
Her humble words were sort of making him uncomfortable and guilty.
"Let's leave the formalities aside. If your teammate is in that explosion's area, I'll take you to it. However, can you please do me a favor first?" Julien asked hurriedly.
"Savior need not be so humble. If there's anything this weak nun could do for you, please don't hesitate to ask." The nun said.
Julien felt his head hurt from the formalities, but he ignored it for now and replied, "If your team is not full, can you take me in?"
"Oh." The nun's face was neutral with no change in expression, but Julien could swear he saw it brighten up.
"The savior is not in a team?" She asked.
"I'm not. I'll let you know about the details later. So could you please—"
"Yes, yes, savior neend not worry!" The nun said.
She swiped her hand in front of her and a blue screen appeared in between them.
+
[Pact Agreement]
Pact Name: God's Beloved Children
Members: 2
Pact Terms & Conditions:
1. Mutual Defense Clause
- All members must protect each other from external threats.
- Abandonment of a member during combat results in penalty points and potential expulsion from the Pact.
2. Resource Sharing Clause
- All resources gathered must be shared equitably among members.
- Hoarding or theft will incur system penalties.
3. Vote of Confidence Clause
- Major decisions require a unanimous vote among all Pact members.
- Dissension will result in penalties or dissolution of the Pact.
4. Pact Loyalty Clause
- Betrayal of the Pact or its members will result in immediate disqualification and severe penalties.
- Trust within the Pact is paramount.
5. Pact Duration
- The Pact remains valid until the end of the trial or until disbanded by mutual agreement of all members.
- Disbanding the Pact before the trial's conclusion will result in penalties.
Sign Below to Finalize the Pact Agreement.
Player 1: Amelia
Player 2: Jackie
Additional Members: ______
Signatures Present: 2/5
+
"Savior, please put your token on the signature area. It will sign itself." The nun, who's name was probably Amelia, said.
The token was a palm-sized diamond shaped badge. It was attached to the chest area from the moment Julien arrived here, and could be removed only by injecting some Essence into it.
Julien did just that and took it out, then placed it on the screen.
As the nun Amelia had said, his name got printed on the blank space.
His token had a symbol of heart engraved on it, followed by the number 3 in the middle.
Amelia took it out of the screen and handed it back to Julien.
"You're now part of our team, savior." The nun joined her hands and said in a gentle, soothing voice.
Julien took the badge and had a look. Behind it was the name God's Beloved Children written. It wasn't the best of names, but it would make do for now.
"Let's hurry." Julien held the nun's hand, this time gently, and began running.
"Ahhh, savior, slowly…" The nun couldn't keep up with his speed and panted heavily.
"Sorry…" Julien forgot that his attributes had increased tremendously.
He stopped at once and asked, "If you don't mind, can I carry you? We could reach there faster."
He did not know whether nuns in this world were allowed to have physical contact with men or not. He had already touched her, and so far she hadn't said anything, but it never hurt to ask for consent.
"Savior, I apologize…" The nun clasped her hands. "I apologize for… sniff… being so incompetent and being unable to keep up with you."
Julien rubbed his temples. "Am I allowed to carry you or not, just answer with a yes or no."
"Yes, but savior doesn't need to—"
"Kyaaaaa!"
Julien picked the lady in his arms and shot like a bullet towards the place of explosion, shocking the poor nun and making her clutch onto his chest for dear life.
As Julien ran, he felt a cool breeze behind his back, but thinking it was just due to him running fast, he ignored it and continued to run.
Amelia stopped screaming after a while and soon, the sounds of metal clanging echoed in her and Julien's ears.
They knew they were close, and as a teammate's life could be in danger, Julien ran faster towards the metallic sound, hoping and praying along with Amelia that it wasn't too late.