The Saint Wants to Rest - vanish into fiction

A gym located on the outskirts of Seoul.

Until the Order of Regnasia finished remodeling, this place, leased as a temporary training center, was filled with tension pulled taut like a bowstring from early morning.

In the center of the gym, a dozen trainees were lined up, including Park Dong-ho and Kim Cheol-su, who had passed the selection exam. From those who had swallowed despair while wandering the bottom of society simply because of their low mana aptitude, to those who were once firefighters saving people from flames but had to give up their dreams due to terrible injuries. Different kinds of longings were entangled in their eyes.

“Will we really… be able to perform miracles?”

Kim Cheol-su swallowed his dry saliva and whispered to Park Dong-ho standing beside him. Park Dong-ho stared intently at the firmly closed entrance of the gym in a state of tension.

“Lord Ian promised it himself. If he were a crazy con artist, there is no way Stigma and the Management Bureau would push for him so openly. I’m going to endure this even if I have to bury my bones here. So, Mr. Firefighter, don’t say such weak things.”

It was then. The heavy iron door of the gym opened with a screeching sound of chilling friction. Then, the long awaited Ian and Vermouth appeared side by side.

With their appearance, the buzzing inside the gym died down.

“Everyone gathered early. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Ian scanned the trainees slowly and gave a soft smile.

“Starting today, you all will begin serious training to become the first priests of the Order of Regnasia. As I have said repeatedly, divine power is fundamentally different from mana. It does not stem from innate bloodlines or talent scores, but from a noble will to save others and an unyielding, firm mental strength.”

At that point, Ian looked around and continued speaking.

“However, in order to fully contain that massive power within an empty body, your weak physical frames must first be completely reborn.”

Ian reached out toward Vermouth standing behind him with a mock solemn expression.

“From today, our Order’s Holy Knight, Vermouth, will be in full charge of all your training. I will pray that everyone can surpass their limits.”

As soon as the words ended, Vermouth took a step forward. His brutal and overwhelming momentum pressed down heavily on the trainees as if squeezing the breath out of them.

“I am Vermouth, in charge of your training. First, before we begin, there is one more person to join us here.”

The moment Vermouth’s words fell, the gym door opened roughly as if it were about to break. And when the trainees identified the figure walking in boldly with a leisurely stride, their eyes widened as if they were about to pop out in shock.

“Hahaha! I’m not late, am I? The morning air in Korea is quite excellent no matter when I breathe it!”

A man of massive stature dressed in a tracksuit with a large sports bag slung over his shoulder. It was Alexander, whom they had seen at the Stigma headquarters reception room just yesterday, walking in with a boisterous laugh.

“A, Alexander?! Why is the Guild Leader of the Empire coming here?”

“That really is the Alexander we saw on the news, right? Why is an S-rank awakened joining the priest class training!”

The trainees were shocked and could not close their mouths, but Alexander did not care and strode forward to naturally take a spot at the very end of the trainee line. He gave a sly wink toward Ian and held up a thumb.

“Saint, I have entered for training as promised yesterday! As for the donation to the Order, I just had my secretary, Jessica, complete the transfer very cleanly to the corporate account. I am just a prospective new priest as well, so do not mind me and feel free to roll me as much as you like!”

Ian swallowed a hollow laugh and nodded. Accepting the world’s strongest S-rank hunter as a trainee. The start of the Order was certainly following a path far removed from the word ‘ordinary.’

“Welcome, Lord Alexander. However, I warn you in advance that in this training ground, neither your ranking nor the massive name of the Empire Guild means anything. Sir Vermouth’s training will be terribly equal, without any mercy for anyone.”

“That sounds like an excellent condition!”

That was the confidence of someone who had not yet been put through the wringer by Vermouth. Ian, who had watched the training in Lancia, only offered a smile. Since it had to be done anyway, wouldn’t it be better to start without knowing?

And so, the first training began.

First, Vermouth spoke.

“Everyone, from this moment on, the use of your core is completely prohibited. If you use a trick to draw mana even unconsciously during training, I will expel you from the Order on the spot.”