MTLNOVEL Chapter 26
Joan’s summoning duration is 6 hours.
Once the summon wears off, she has to wait another 2 hours before re-summoning.
This wasn’t an issue unique to Joan though.
All the artifacts I possessed from parallel worlds came with a set summon time and cooldown period.
When my mana runs out or the 6-hour limit hits, the artifact disappears automatically.
The cooldown is also 2 hours.
To reduce this time, I had no choice but to boost my mana capacity.
And the only real way to do that was by entering Gates and defeating anomalies.
==
Napoleon’s Rifle (1)
[Toulon Gate]
Clear the anomalies that have taken over Toulon harbor.
[Difficulty: B]
[Status: Unstable]
[Requirement: Napoleon’s Rifle]
[Reward: Summon Reset Token]
==
“Going straight in would be dangerous.”
Difficulty B.
Much higher than any quest I’d cleared so far.
The “Summon Reset Token” listed as reward was probably an item to reset cooldowns.
Not worth risking an adventure just for that, but there was the advantage of easily obtaining upper-level anomaly mana.
Artifact quests were usually set much lower than the Gate difficulty.
Noryang Gate was A-rank, while Mingliang Gate was of unknown difficulty.
Yet I could clear them like they were low-level Gates thanks to having the required artifact.
From experience, an artifact’s efficiency skyrockets when used in its corresponding Gate.
Like it’s entering its true battlefield.
The Twin Dragon Sword’s efficiency soared nearly 80% inside the Noryang and Mingliang Gates.
Napoleon’s Rifle would likely be the same.
But even accounting for that, this was still rated Difficulty B.
I decided to start with a C-rank Gate as a warm-up.
They say C-rank is where things really begin.
No need to rush—let’s take it step by step.
“Leaving somewhere?”
Joan approached as I grabbed my coat while she was tending the counter.
“Yeah, I’ll be back soon.”
It’s been two days since Joan arrived in the present.
She’s been helping me run the shop these past few days.
Surprisingly fast learner too—already handling the counter confidently after just two days.
Joan may not have had the chance to learn before, but she’s incredibly sharp.
No wonder she got involved in strategy and acted as nominal commander during the Hundred Years’ War.
Joan wasn’t just about sacrifice—she shaped the big picture of war.
The problem was Bishop Cambrai turning her strategic brilliance into reckless sacrifices.
“Going to a Gate?”
“…”
I froze awkwardly. I hadn’t planned to say anything, but Joan called it out.
“There are anomalies in Gates, right? Let me come along.”
“It’s dangerous—you don’t need to follow.”
I tried to stop her.
Didn’t want to push this girl who’d already sacrificed so much into battle again.
As if reading my thoughts, Joan spoke up.
“I’m not being forced. I want to help you, Sejun.”
Her honest violet eyes met mine.
“And… somehow, I feel it’ll be okay.”
She smiled gently, trying to reassure me.
With that smile, I had no choice but to allow her to come along.
Refusing would make me no different from Bishop Cambrai.
“Alright, let’s go together.”
My approval brightened Joan’s expression.
“But stay back. Don’t come forward.”
“Understood.”
Joan nodded with a soft smile.
*
I allowed Joan to come along not just because I didn’t want to force her hand, but mainly because I thought it wouldn’t be dangerous.
It’s just a C-rank Gate—what could possibly happen?
With a legendary artifact in hand, C-rank was nothing.
Though Joan was technically “legendary” rank, I couldn’t fully relax.
I hadn’t seen her abilities firsthand yet.
If things get tough, maybe Yi Sun-sin’s helmet would do the trick.
It didn’t take long to realize how arrogant that thinking was.
“Groooaaarrrr!”
Twenty ghouls melted away into light, disappearing completely.
The undead monsters known for their tenacious生命力 vanished in an instant.
All it took was one prayer from Joan.
“…Joan. That was… incredible.”
“Isn’t it?”
Even Joan seemed surprised at what she’d done, her violet eyes wide like a rabbit’s.
“But I need to control my holy power better. The quantity isn’t that large.”
The limitation on Joan’s holy power was due to me.
Just as artifact efficiency scales with my mana, Joan’s total holy power was proportional to mine.
Even so, her ability was absurdly OP.
‘This is what holy power is?’
The radiant white light spreading from Joan’s prayer was different from light magic.
Brighter, purer, stronger.
It seemed holy power might be an upper attribute of light.
The ghouls couldn’t withstand it, melting away like wax.
[Rescued Maiden Jeanne d’Arc]
[Rank: Legendary]
That moment made me truly appreciate how remarkable Joan’s abilities were.
“Probably not quite at her peak though.”
During the Hundred Years’ War, Joan’s banner shone over entire battlefields.
Allies within its range, even those pierced by swords or trampled by hooves, rose as living undead.
No wonder Bishop Cambrai ignored tactics and charged recklessly.
With Joan’s limited holy power now, she couldn’t perform such widespread miracles.
Still, she remained extraordinary.
Where once she was solely a healer, now her holy power had offensive capabilities too.
This was the result of people’s vague fantasies about “Saint Joan of Arc.”
Most importantly though…
“Joan, how’s your back?”
“Yes, it’s fine.”
Blood no longer flowed from Joan’s stigmata. Solving this biggest concern brought relief.
[C-1 Gate Cleared]
[Clear Rank: SSS]
“Looks like we’re ready for Toulon Gate.”
Things were shaping up to be easier than expected.
*
“Another SSS!? Again!?”
“We tolerated it for D-rank, but clearing C-rank Gates at SSS level? Is this even possible?”
As Choi Seo-Joon finished the Gate run with Joan, Seoul buzzed with talk of a mysterious hunter.
He’d cleared all D-rank Gates at SSS rank, and now was doing the same with C-rank.
People watched eagerly to see how far this streak would go.
“Is someone messing around?”
“Could Brother achieve eleven consecutive SSS clears, even as a joke?”
“Hmm, even as a joke, it’s difficult.”
Hah Jin-woo, leader of Dawn Star Constellation Team 1, answered awkwardly.
As an A-rank hunter, he could theoretically clear C-rank Gates at SSS rank, but couldn’t guarantee it every time.
Gate clearing left no room for error—if you stumbled even slightly, your rank dropped immediately.
Eleven perfect clears from D to C rank? Unthinkable.
And this “scene” was on another level entirely.
“The place is spotless. Not a trace left.”
Archbishop Ambrosio of Yeoksam Cathedral scanned the perfectly cleared Gate with his milky white eyes.
There’d been ghouls here, yet not a single piece of remains remained.
As if melted by sunlight.
“Isn’t this the Connector’s doing?”
“He specializes in water attributes, I hear.”
“True, given that he passed through the Mingliang Gate.”
Surviving the underwater pressure of Mingliang Gate required water attribute specialization.
While a water specialist could theoretically clean up ghouls thoroughly, it’d require extreme dedication.
Hard to imagine the Connector being that meticulous.
Nor could any other attribute user accomplish this.
“So…
“This is the miracle of one blessed by the Lord.”
“You mean a light attribute user.”
“Exactly. Someone greatly favored by Him.”
Light attribute is one thing, but what’s with all the blessing and favor talk?
Archbishop Ambrosio’s overly dramatic reaction made Hah Jin-woo chuckle awkwardly.
Regardless, Ambrosio looked skyward with trembling eyes.
“Lord, I have found him.”
Tears streamed down the Archbishop’s wrinkled face as he rolled his rosary beads.