Deadmeat Saga

Chapter 47 – Proof. Mass Conversion. New Sword Saint.

"Chosen One?!" Lars exclaimed, skeptical.

"He is the Chosen of a god?! Which one?" Elder Hannes was also doubtful.

To say someone was the Chosen One meant he was the blessed representative of a god, his highest presence in the mortal world. To falsely call yourself the Chosen of a god was a horrendous sin and crime.

Gerhart's earlier performance made them half-believe the claim, but it was still hard to believe. Usually, a Chosen One would already have qualities suitable for the patron god, such as a Saint or Sage, immediately picked by the corresponding temple for training.

For a Chosen One to arrive in their remote village was WEIRD.

Before anyone could voice their opinions, Hope continued.

"Gerhart is the Chosen One of the Great God of Victory, Order, Salvation, Fairness, and Glory! He is the fire of advancement, the protector of his subjects, the beacon of Hope of the civilized world! He is Conquest! The miracle you witnessed is merely a fraction of his divine powers! Rejoice! You were selected as his first subjects to receive divine favor and salvation in your darkest hours!" Hope declared while raising her hands high.

All the villagers were speechless, looking at each other with doubtful eyes.

"God of Conquest?"

"Never heard of him."

"Is he a new god?"

"He doesn't seem like part of the pantheon."

"Hannes, you were in the outside world. Ever heard about him?" Lars whispered.

"Never. The god also literally calls himself Conquest. That sounds pretty dark to me." Elder Hannes made a doubtful look.

"Hope, we don't want to doubt you, but that is a tall claim. Can you please prove it?" Thomas carefully requested.

Thomas was somewhat religious, especially after his close shave with death in the past. He was no fool, but he was careful about the divine.

The villagers also wanted proof.

"Yeah! Show us proof!"

"Show us! Show us!"

"We demand proof!"

Wolfgang kept silent, staring intently at Hope and Gerhart. He also wanted proof- To know if they could heal THAT wound.

"You want proof? Then we are willing to show proof!" Hope declared. "However, the Great God of Conquest, although more proactive with the mortal world, requires allegiance before he can perform his miracles! Who is willing to become his subject and receive his holy blessings!?"

As she asked that, she looked around at the crowd, the villagers refusing to meet her gaze. They were interested, but they were too skeptical.

"I volunteer." Asher suddenly stepped forward, surprising everyone.

"Asher?!" Lars called out.

"Asher, don't be impulsive! You are the village chief!" Elder Hannes also tried convincing him.

"I wouldn't say anything about others, but I don't think you should step forward." Wolfgang also frowned.

"Asher, are you sure?" Thomas furrowed his brows.

"Yes, I am sure. You might not all know this, but I am a dying man!" Asher declared to everyone. "If you don't believe me, ask Jull."

"It is true. Asher is indeed in his last months." Jull nodded. "He is suffering from a disease I am unsure about, but I can safely say he will soon die."

"What?!" From the crowd, Asher's partner, Elli-Mae, ran forward. "Asher! Is that true?!"

"Yes, it is true." Asher bitterly smiled. "Sorry for not telling you all this time. I didn't want to worry anyone."

"Asher, you big fool..." Ellie-Mae teared up.

Asher gave a weak smile, walked to Gerhart, and weakly knelt. "Chosen One of Conquest! I accept being your subject. Please, cure me of my illness so I can help defend my home."

Gerhart knew it was his time to act, so he turned solemn, making his eyes shine silver, and spoke in the most magnetic voice he could muster.

"Then accept god's grace," Gerhart said, placing a hand on Asher's shoulder.

Moments later, a miracle happened in front of everyone. Asher, a 65-year-old man wrecked by adventure and disease, started rejuvenating. His wrinkles disappeared, his flesh turned fuller, his back turned straighter, and his white and dwindling hair turned black, lush, and long.

Everyone was speechless as they saw this unprecedented miracle happen. Slowly but surely, Asher rejuvenated by forty years, looking like a young man in his mid-twenties!

"Rise, Asher!" Gerhart said, taking a step back while analyzing Asher.

Name: Asher Elkington
Race: Human
Age: 25
Sex: Male
Level: 47

Skills: (+)

Base Stats:

Secondary Stats: (+)

Talents:

From 65 years old, he turned 25, said to be the physical peak of men. His analysis wasn't able to detect his actual age.

"Interesting..." Gerhart thought.

Asher slowly stood up, his previously loose clothes now tight-fitting from his muscles, standing at 1.77m tall. He turned into a handsome young man(Albeit very bearded), full of ambition and manly charm.

"Thank you, my lord! I, Asher Elkington, shall forever serve you for this grace!" Asher bowed.

"Asher? You look so young. And handsome..." Ellie-Mae muttered, a blush on her face.

When they became partners, she was younger than him by over twenty years! But now, it seems like the roles are reversed.

"I... Asher turned young?" The middle-aged Lars blinked.

"I think so..." Elder Hannes said, yearning in his eyes.

"He must be able to..." Wolfgang shook.

"He can heal my..." Thomas also trembled in excitement.

The villagers gapped at this miracle, yearning in their eyes. Gerhart just made the impossible possible. He rejuvenated the old to their prime!

"Everyone! Why are you not kneeling before the Chosen One, before your savior?!" Hope yelled.

Everyone, as if on instinct, immediately knelt in respect, including Lars and Elder Hannes. There was no need to doubt anymore since Gerhart performed a legendary feat.

"Uwa... this is kinda embarrassing..." Gerhart secretly thought.

Although he got somewhat used to being the object of worship, having over a hundred villagers kneeling like that was quite the experience.

Just then, a middle-aged nun walked over.

"What is the meaning of this?! Why are you all kneeling?!" The nun exasperatedly asked.

"Mother Rahel! He is the Chosen One!" One of the villagers whispered.

"Chosen One?!" Mother Rahel was stupefied, looking at Gerhart with doubt. "Of which god? What proof does he have?"

"Of the Great God of Conquest. As for proof, look at Asher!" The villager said, pointing at a kneeling, bearded young man with long hair.

"That's not Asher! That's... That's..." Mother Rahel squinted her eyes, trying to discern the man's identity. But somehow, the man seemed familiar.

A wild thought suddenly emerged in her mind. "No way... Impossible! Unless..." 

As she thought about that, she carefully walked forward. Hope didn't stop her, letting her approach and see the young man's side profile.

"Asher?!" Mother Rahel widened her eyes.

"Yes, Mother Rahel. I received the blessing of the lord. He healed me of all my diseases and even returned me to my prime! I am a new man!" Asher said and stood up with pride.

"I... this is-"

"Why are you hesitating?! Kneel before the lord!" Hope yelled in a commanding voice.

"Y-Yes..." Mother Rahel shook and knelt, not daring to question anymore.

Only a divine being could rejuvenate a person's body. Even a Saint was unable to do so. That could only mean Gerhart was a Chosen One! And he was highly favored by his god.

She never heard of the Great God of Conquest but didn't continue doubting him. She was merely a lowly nun to lesser goddesses in an isolated village. Perhaps there were gods she never heard about.

Seeing everyone obediently kneeling, Hope secretly nodded and turned to Asher. "Bring all who are sick, injured, disabled, or too old, and our lord shall heal them!"

"Yes, Holy Envoy!" Asher bowed and looked at the villagers.

"You heard the Holy Envoy! It is your chance to cure your ailments! Come forward and submit to the lord!" Asher zealously spoke.

The villagers looked at each other, many eagerly standing up, especially those over fifty or with debilitating injuries.

"Me first!"

"No, let me be first!"

"I want to be first!"

Thomas, Elder Hannes, and Wolfgang were also eager but held themselves back.

"Settle down! Settle down!" Asher spoke, calming the crowd. "Form a line! Don't trouble the Chosen One! Those who can, go and bring those in need!"

Immediately, many of the villagers entered a line, while others ran to fetch their family members or friends. Elder Hannes, Thomas, and Wolfgang were among the first to line up.

"Hoh, boy... It will be a long day." Gerhart warily thought.

And so, Gerhart and Hope started converting the population en-mass.

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.

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Kasper, Kay, Ada, and Romilda returned from the forest while sporting various wounds.

Like the others, they also encountered a goblin warband. Luckily, Kaspar was a fine shot and managed to take down the Warboss before the fight started, which made the fight much more manageable.

Like the others, they wanted to inform the village and form a beheading operation as soon as possible. However, the villagers were already fortifying the village by digging deep trenches and putting in sharp stakes.

"Seems like they already know," Romilda commented.

"But the reaction is a bit extreme. I fear we are not facing a mere Mega Tribe." Kay worriedly said.

"Do you think there might be a..." Ada frowned.

"Don't overthink it. Inform what we found." Kasper shook his head and continued forward.

The village gates were already open, so Kasper and his group entered without a hassle. But when they arrived at the village center, they saw something completely insane.

A line of people formed, gathering in front of Gerhart and Hope while Asher managed the line. To the side, they saw both familiar and unfamiliar figures.

"I-Is that great aunt Paulina?" Kay gapped as he saw a beautiful woman who appeared younger than himself.

"That's Clemens! He has his leg back and even has hair!" Ada gapped, pointing at a tall and muscular strongman with short hair.

"Is that Grandpa Hannes?" Romilda rubbed her eyes as she saw a dashing young man with a pearly smile.

"Hey... Look." Kasper pointed at Gerhart, who was placing a hand on Mother Rahel.

The middle-aged Mother Rahel slowly transformed, becoming a surprisingly hot and curvy woman in her prime.

"Thank you, my lord, for your blessing." Mother Rahel stood up, bowed, and made way for another villager.

And then the process continued.

"This... What is going on?!" Kay uttered, speaking for all of them.

"Kasper! Kay! Ada! Romilda! I see you also fought a warband." They heard a familiar yet somewhat young voice.

When they turned around, they saw Thomas, his right arm regrown and appearing young. But he was still bald.

"Thomas?! What is going on here?!" Kasper demanded to know.

"Our Lord, Gerhart, is the Chosen One of the Great God of Conquest!" Thomas proudly declared. "That wonderful god is impartial, blessing all who submit to his divine will! I regained my youth and even got my arm back, see?" He said while showing his previously amputated arm.

The four hunters blankly looked at each other, speechless.

"Don't you want to receive blessings, too? He can heal all your wounds, rejuvenate you, grant talents, and more!" Thomas happily said.

"I... See. What about Wolfgang, Hauke, and the other hunters?" Kasper asked.

"They all already received their blessings. Those who are injured get treatment first. Wolfgang, in particular, has a certain part healed, so he is having some quality time with his partner." Thomas had a meaningful smile.

The hunters looked at each other again with excitement in their eyes.

"Should we...?" Ada asked, hoping to solve the infertility problem that plagued her these two years.

"Well, I am injured, so..." Kay made an excuse, but he hoped that the merciful Chosen One might bless his tiny pecker to be a tad bigger.

"I could use some healing." Romilda smiled, already converted.

"I... Could also use some healing." Kasper said, feeling some guilt in his heart. He hoped this blessing might make him energetic enough to please his partner.

And so, they also lined up.

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Several hours later-

Gerhart stood in the center of the village, not believing his achievement, that it was so easy. Out of 700-odd villagers, he converted over 600! It included all the hunters!

Many villagers willingly converted after seeing all of Gerhart's miracles, and many others converted under social pressure. They even brought their children to convert since they wanted them to be healthy! Some heard he could improve performance and increase fertility, so they also converted. Surprisingly(Or not), even the religious priests converted after seeing live miracles before their eyes.

The only unconverted were some who held deep prejudices, but even they were slowly willing to convert.

Overall, the plan was a huge success!

"See, Gerhart? I told you it would work." Hope smiled, hugging Gerhart's hand while her tail swished from side to side.

"I admit, it worked. Good job, Hope." Gerhart smiled back and caressed her face.

"Ahem*. My lord, Holy Envoy. We have brought the wood as you requested." Asher said, pointing at a massive pile of firewood.

It was gathered from most of the homes in the village under Hope's request.

"Good job, Asher!" Gerhart nodded at the now-young man and turned to Hope. "Hope, it is your turn."

"Gladly." Hope excitedly smiled and walked to the pile, placing her furry hand on the pile.

Hum*

The firewood began merging, slowly forming a magnificent and sizeable statue over 10 meters tall!

It was a crowned and bare-chested man resembling Gerhart, holding a fully drawn giant bow and majestic wings on his back. Next to him was a blindfolded mousekin resembling Hope, holding a sword in one hand and a weighing scale in the other, and on the other side was a loyal wolfhound. On the ground were many people groveling at their feet, having shackles on their necks, asking for salvation. There was also a built-in altar and even a raised speaking stand.

"Uwa..." Gerhart gapped at the creation.

"Incredible..." Asher muttered.

Any villager who wasn't working on the defenses and saw it also marveled at it. It made some of them also want to convert.

"Hmhm~! I think I have a good artistic touch~." Hope proudly said.

"How enviable..." Havre approached and commented.

All this time, she was busy doing missionary work, so she was not present. She also wanted to have the raw material for her relatively meager statue.

"This is a statue worthy of kings." Calvin walked over and commented.

"I-I never knew a statue can be so big..." Ray, the serf, muttered.

"This is a top-tier Grade 1 statue, able to cover a small city, let alone a village," Hope said. "It has 100,000 points of storage, and it would allow us to best utilize the absorption power from now on."

When absorbing talents, any redundant talent was not transferred to his other thralls, being wasted. But now, any offered corpse would transfer their stats, talents, and skills to those without. Like in a pyramid food chain, the one who received it first was Gerhart(If nearby), followed by the offering Envoy, then other nearby Envoys, and then nearby Thralls according to Position.

For example, if they offered the corpse of someone with Blacksmithing talent, the talent would go to Gerhart if he didn't have it, and then Hope, and then Havre, and then the most suitable Thrall, likely one with the Blacksmith Position. If he also had it, then to the next most suitable person, etc.

That way, a perfect food pyramid is established, making a community increasingly stronger by trickling blessings from top to bottom and avoiding wasting precious talents. Even if someone died, their gifts would not be wasted, offered to the statue and giving talents to those most suitable.

"It would be very useful for the war to come." Gerhart nodded.

He then looked at his remaining energy.

Energy: 286,927

After converting so many villagers and giving them boons, he still had plenty of energy left. What's more, passive income was generated from them, slowly trickling into the Statue Of Conquest. In a few months, the expenses would be returned in full.

Furthermore, thanks to all the blessings, all the villagers were now combat-ready and able to face the coming threat.

"However, it is still not enough. We need top powerhouses." Gerhart thought and looked at Havre, Calvin, and Ray. "Havre, Calvin, Ray! Kneel!" Gerhart demanded.

"Yes!" The three of them knelt without hesitation.

"Calvin, Ray, I shall now raise your level to 50," Gerhart said.

"Thank you, my liege!" Calvin respectfully said.

"Thank you, my lord!" Ray copied him.

Not wasting any time, Gerhart began raising their levels, giving them the energy to reach lvl 50. Their bodies began cracking and popping as their levels were forcibly increased.

Energy: 230,594

"Still plenty enough." Gerhart thought and looked at Havre. "Havre, I made you wait long enough. It is time to repair your talent."

"My sword is yours now and forever!" Havre declared.

"Hm. Receive it." Gerhart nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder and activating his power.

Havre shook as energy seeped into her, fundamental changes happening inside her body.

Energy: 210,594

"I still have plenty enough. But some of it would likely go to leveling up Havre later." Gerhart thought.

Although Havre was now level 50, that was temporary. After becoming a Sword Saint, her stats and talent would inevitably become top-tier, meaning she would have much more room for growth. He wouldn't be surprised if she regressed to level 20 or even 10.

"Speaking of Sword Saints, Bonnie is an unawakened Sage. However, awakening the five-year-old girl is a bad idea for now. I should wait until this disaster is over and I have enough excess energy." Gerhart thought.

And so, he patiently waited there.

Slowly, the sky turned dark, and Calvin and Ray already finished their upgrade.

Meanwhile, Havre was still kneeling in that same position, her body twitching and popping as her very foundation changed from the core. At some point, her Brunette hair turned blond and her already seductive figure turned even curvier, more appealing, and taller, minor changes happening to her face and skin, her rustic girl vibe slowly changed into that of an unparalleled and flawless beauty.

And before long, the changes finished.

Havre opened her eyelids, a sharp and cold light in her now-golden eyes.

She stood up, proud, her back as straight as a steel sword, and countenance sharp and flawless like a thousand-tempered master-work sword.

She then looked at Gerhart, who was patiently waiting and knelt again. With a soft bell-like voice, she spoke, "Sword Saint Havre Elkington dedicates her sword to her Lord!"