A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

"Elite, do you mean able to break through the enemy ranks head-on? Normal people can never do that?" Thomas was puzzled.

"Oh, that's what we mean by stable performance," Giuliano explained. "It's possible to break through enemy lines through luck, friendly fire, or mismanagement, but that doesn't qualify you as an elite. Elite individuals are those who can break through enemy lines single-handedly, every time. More precisely, the standard of elite is... the ability to single-handedly break through a massive siege. In other words, even if surrounded by enemies several or even dozens of times their number, they can still break through. It's extremely difficult to kill an elite through sheer numbers."

This is truly impossible for a normal person. No matter how much experience or training one has, it's impossible. Breaking through a siege alone isn't impossible, but it requires a bit of luck, and it doesn't always happen.

As for protecting the country, he defeated an army of a thousand men with just one man, killing hundreds or even tens of thousands of people...

At least Thomas had heard of one in his previous life: Liu Yu. Of course, Liu Yu relied solely on bluffing and superstition, not genuinely overwhelming the enemy with his own strength. The King of Chu, the greatest warrior of all time, though fierce, only managed to kill a few dozen men on the battlefield, relying on the help of his subordinates. He wasn't strong enough to single-handedly defeat an entire enemy army.

"The entire empire has only a handful of elite troops, estimated at around one or two hundred at most. As for Protectors of the Nation... you know, at least in the past few decades, no one has been knighted for demonstrating Protector-level combat prowess, so it can be assumed there aren't any. At least not publicly. As for whether there are any in secret... that's another matter. While titles are valuable, they're also shackles. Truly powerful individuals don't necessarily embrace them. Although monarchs are willing to offer titles in exchange for a Protector's services."

"Of course, this is just a rough division. Some people even add names like 'beginner,' 'intermediate,' and 'advanced' to each level, forcing it into fifteen levels. In my opinion, this is completely unnecessary."

"So you understand, don't look down on the mid-level lords. As long as you don't go to war and don't fight against the regular army... then the mid-level lords are not bad either. You can travel around the world. If you join the army, you will definitely receive the title of officer. Any small or medium-sized lord will accept your allegiance and even give you a small piece of territory."

Thomas understood a little.

After ten years of hard training... have you become a core player?

Thomas felt that he shouldn't be so miserable, at least it wouldn't take so much time.

He has a damaged godhead.

Others can only practice for two or three hours a day, no more, because more will cause sports injuries - this is a very intuitive thing, if you practice too much you will get injured.

In the martial arts stories I read in my previous life, the protagonists often went out in the middle of the night to secretly train hard. But this doesn't work in reality.

If others work two hours a day and you work eight hours a day, it will not make you a backbone in three years, but will only make you a cripple in half a year.

But Thomas is not afraid, because he can recover with divine power if he is injured!

"Besides humans, as a member of the church, there's a certain chance you'll encounter aliens...at least the possibility is much greater than for others."

"Alien?" Thomas was puzzled.

"The standards for outliers are set by the church. I don't know which pope announced this classification method, but it doesn't really matter. Outliers are divided according to six standards." Giuliano ignored Thomas and continued talking to himself.

"First, there's the harmless level. It's basically harmless. The only thing you need to pay attention to is taking good care of young children. The only ones you can harm are them. You can think of it as being on the same level as kittens and puppies."

"The next level is troublesome. They're a bit more troublesome than harmless, but that's all. Anyone with a weapon can kill an alien of this level without losing their life. All they need is a pitchfork. You can consider large dogs to be at this level."

"The third rank is dangerous. This level of monsters is very dangerous. Not only are minors unable to deal with them, but even adults can be killed due to carelessness. However, even so, it's really just that. An experienced hunter or a little luck can handle this. You can think of it as a wild boar."

"The fourth rank is lethal. Even an average adult would essentially have to flee if they encountered one to survive. Dealing with this type of creature is best left to professionals. Think of it like a bear or a tiger or leopard. Be especially aware that many of these creatures are immune to standard bow and arrow bullets (most have thick hides that can block penetration from standard weapons)."

"The fifth level is the Horror level. This level of aliens is basically a walking Grim Reaper. Non-professional fighters are just going to die. Even professional fighters need to be spirited, form a team, and fight with the most serious attitude and in top form to have a chance of victory."

"The highest level is a natural disaster. This requires the Church to step in, gather enough professionals, or even dispatch an army. It often requires the coordination of spells to eliminate it."

"You want to ask me what an alien is..." Giuliano finally brought up the topic that Thomas was most concerned about. "It's really hard to say. I can only say that if you have the chance in the future, you will naturally understand."

He looked at the sky.

"That's all I have to say. If you have any questions, please ask them later. Otherwise, you won't have enough time to learn meditation today. Also, do you know the cafeteria? From today on, you'll eat there. You can have a little more honey and a serving of broth with each meal."

He shook his head. This was not enough for a young man like Thomas, but it was better than nothing.

Section 19 Meditation

"Meditation can be said to be a very important foundation of the church. If we have to say what is the reason for the prosperity of the church, the answer is definitely meditation," said Giuliano.

Thomas was speechless. After talking for so long, it seemed that martial arts were really of no use.

It's not much better than my martial arts in my previous life. No matter how good my martial arts skills are, I'm still afraid of kitchen knives. Even if I'm not afraid of kitchen knives, I'm still afraid of bullets!

"First and foremost, I must emphasize that there's far more than one meditation method. There are at least five or six commonly used within the Church. Outside of the Church, there are perhaps hundreds. As for why there are so many... after years of internal analysis, the Church determined that different meditation methods are most effective at different stages. For example, I'm now teaching you the most basic, universal meditation method, which all novices within the Church use. It's simple, quick, and has virtually no side effects. However, if you ever reach the second level of the Magic Web, you'll need to switch to a different meditation method. This universal meditation method will reduce your efficiency. Similarly, the same applies to higher levels of the Magic Web."

"Okay, enough nonsense. Let me show you first." Giuliano stood up and stood still. "Watch me. Put your hands behind your back, stand upright, close your eyes, and let your body sway instinctively."

"This meditation method focuses on clearing your mind of distractions and connecting to the Magic Net with a sense of 'no-mind'. You must empty your mind, breathe naturally, and strive to feel your surroundings. At the same time, maintain a gentle swaying rhythm, back and forth. Remember to imagine that all around you is a void, feeling the feedback from that void... Find the location of the Magic Net..."

Thomas immediately calmed down and listened carefully to his instructions.

Soon, the meditation technique was taught and Thomas followed along, with the teacher correcting his mistakes and giving him tips.

It didn't end until dinner time.

This meditation method is easy to learn but difficult to practice. Each meditation session actually strengthens your soul a little bit. It takes years, decades, or even decades of persistent practice to see results.

When it got dark, Thomas returned to his dormitory.

"Thomas!" Joshua, his roommate, was already waiting for Thomas. "I heard you became Giuliano's student?"

This was unusual, as it meant Thomas had been promoted to a full member of the monastery.

Normally, a novice monk must maintain this status for several years before becoming a full member of the monastery. If they have no family background, no money, and do not show sufficient talent and ability, they will be expelled.

Go back to where you came from, don't even think about getting into this church system! Get out of here, poor bastard!

Thomas's promotion was incredibly fast—faster than anyone else's. Because those with connections and wealth, even though they'd already been chosen, often delayed their promotion by a year or two to conceal their involvement. It must have taken at least six months!

After all, superficial work still needs to be done, and the church also needs face.

“Yes,” Thomas replied.

Over time, he gradually realized that this seemingly shy roommate was actually an enthusiastic gossiper. A common rumormonger and purveyor among humans, this type of person was all too common online in Thomas's previous life.

This doesn't mean he's a bad person, it's just human nature. There are always people like him in every era.

And considering that he comes from a merchant family, perhaps this is an advantage!

At this moment, Joshua's eyes flashed with the sharp light that only belongs to a tabloid reporter.

"how did you do it?"

"Maybe it's because... most people don't want to be knights." Thomas thought for a moment and replied.

This answer was somewhat disappointing. But Joshua was a smart man and knew that this was just Thomas's excuse. By now, he was convinced that Thomas was not some orphaned farmer's son—farmers' sons didn't get that kind of treatment.

So it is very likely that he is the illegitimate son of some important person - not an ordinary nobleman, but a real important person, at least of the level of a real earl.

Being the son of a farmer whose parents are both dead, this identity is actually a natural disguise, because there is no way to expose it!

Only this kind of noble would have such a need. If their designated heir died, they would need a bastard to take over. Therefore, they had to pay attention to the bastard's education. Of course, on the other hand, if the heir survived, the bastard was not worthy of being in the church and could just stay there.

"Go to bed early, grammar class will start tomorrow!" Joshua blew out the oil lamp.

Thomas lay in bed, thinking about what he had gained today.

First, he finally got rid of Batista.

This was very important to Thomas because, due to the other party's deliberate difficulties, he clearly felt that his study time and energy had been greatly reduced.

In addition, the most basic meditation method is also provided.

Thinking of this, Thomas stood up again and entered a meditative state according to what he had learned today.

Emptying his mind, everything around him returned to zero. The world contained nothing but himself. He was suspended in an endless void. Within this imaginary space, he sensed that presence.

The existence of the magic network.

It's like a big river, flowing quietly in a distant place.

Entering the water meant contact with the first layer of the magic net, which he couldn't do at all because the distance between them was too great.

Of course, this was just an imagination. The real situation was that his soul was too weak to even touch the magic network, let alone splitting part of his soul to extract magical energy from the magic network.

The whole meditation process is to spend a long time approaching the big river.

Thomas couldn't estimate how long it would take him to contact the magic network, but he knew it would definitely take a long time.

In this void, Thomas' heart suddenly moved and he remembered his damaged godhead.

As he thought about it, the broken godhead appeared beside him.

In the endless void, there are only three things: oneself, the damaged godhead, and the magic net.

The magic net is out of reach, and although the damaged godhead is within reach, it seems to be in another dimension. It can be seen but not touched.

It just stayed quietly beside Thomas, like a tired pet, not responding to any movement.

But even in a meditative state, one can still feel the damaged divine nature.

Judging from this point of view, it is highly bound to Thomas.

Thomas began to try to harness his divine power, to see if he could do anything. But things proved far simpler than he imagined. A ball of divine power surged into his empty body, and it felt like a rocket engine had been installed on his body, sending him hurtling towards the quietly flowing river.

The distance that was out of reach just now was suddenly much closer!

Because there is no reference in this state, it is unclear how much the distance has been shortened, but... if this happens two or three more times, I estimate that I will be able to touch the magic net.

Damn! It really works!

There were only two balls of divine power left... he couldn't waste them. Under any circumstances, he had to keep at least two balls in case he got hurt.

Currently, I can only get one ball of divine power per week, so I can't make more for the time being.

Thomas paused.

In addition to restoring the body and increasing physical attributes, divine power now has another use.

No, maybe there are other uses.

After all, this is a divine power...it should have originally belonged to some unknown god.

Thomas didn't know much about the gods in this parallel dimension, but at least in the myths of his previous life, any god was far more powerful than humans.

Section 20 Martial Arts

The grammar class ended and the monk in charge of teaching left in a hurry.

For most ascetics, this kind of teaching is an extra burden, so they lack the most basic qualities of a teacher.

Most of the students attending the class, if their intelligence is within the normal range but they do not have sufficient foundation, should be in a confused and half-understanding state at this time.

If you teach a foreign language this way, most students will be completely wasted. They will either have to start from scratch or they won't be able to learn at all.

Fortunately, this is my mother tongue.

The written language of one's native language is something that elementary school students can learn by the first grade. So even though the teachers are irresponsible, as long as everyone has a basic foundation, it's not too bad.

The same goes for Thomas... With the mother tongue inherited from his original body as a foundation, learning spelling and grammar is a little easier.

Thomas began to understand why illiterate people could become priests in this era. The reason was that the church had not done a good job in education.

In two days, we'll be learning Latin, and that's the real challenge. Even Thomas would find it difficult. This isn't just learning the language first and then the writing, but truly learning a foreign language.

A foreign language that I have never come into contact with in my past or present life.

The reason for learning this is that many books are originally in Latin. Therefore, to truly master it, one must understand the original text. Just like the true Buddhist master Xuanzang had to master Sanskrit to obtain the true scriptures.

While others finished their studies and went back to review, Thomas hurried to find Coach Giuliano.

He has one more physical education class than others...martial arts class.

Giuliano had already prepared some basic training programs for him. Although Thomas was very talented, he still needed some preliminary training before he could start formal learning.

After all, martial arts aren't ordinary physical labor; they involve muscles that most people rarely use. To increase efficiency, preliminary training is essential.

In addition, there are also some basic knowledge teaching. When physical strength reaches the limit and a break is needed, Giuliano will explain it to make full use of the time.

It's important to note that Thomas wasn't the only student Giuliano was training with. While there weren't many knights or apprentices at the monastery, there were still a dozen or so. To avoid disrupting Thomas's academic studies, Giuliano had taken time off to accommodate Thomas's other classes.

"...Every weapon is profound and varied. Whether it's a sword, spear, axe, or warhammer, there are multiple schools of thought. I believe that a person can only, and must, choose one weapon to master in their lifetime, while remaining proficient in the others. As for this mastery weapon, I recommend the longsword. I chose this because it's the most common. Even if it's damaged, it's easy to replace."

"As for why I chose only one, I'd say it's the muscles and nerves—long-term training can ingrain certain reactions into the bones, allowing a series of actions to be completed instantly. This instantaneous reaction is the essence of all martial arts. For example, the longsword and the war hammer both involve the action of raising both hands and chopping down. But even though the movements are almost identical, the muscles involved are very different. So they are actually two completely different moves, used in completely different situations."

"I hold the most popular and most produced standard longsword in the empire. The longsword consists of two parts: the hilt and the blade. The hilt can be further divided into three parts, with the pommel at the bottom. The pommel of a standard longsword is generally spherical, which not only prevents the hand from falling off, but also allows for striking the enemy."

"Not every time you draw a sword, you use the blade. The pommel and guard can all be used as offensive weapons under certain conditions."

"Above the pommel is the handle, which is where you're supposed to hold the sword. I recommend wrapping it with fabric so it absorbs sweat and prevents your hands from slipping."

"Remember, a horse spike can destroy a nation, but a skater's hilt can kill you."

"Above the hilt is the guard. It can block enemy weapons and protect your hands. A skilled swordsman can even use it to assist in attacks. It's about the same length as a dagger blade, so this is something you should pay special attention to."

"Trust your gauntlet more than your blade. Broken blades are common, but broken gauntlets are rare."

"The sword body is divided into two parts. From the guard to the midpoint of the blade is the strong blade, and from the midpoint to the tip is the weak blade. When blocking, the blade closer to the hilt provides greater power, and vice versa. This is why the sword body is divided into strong and weak parts. When swinging the sword, the weak blade is much faster than the strong blade."

"So, always use your strong sword to block the enemy's weapons, and use your weak sword to attack the enemy."

When Thomas heard this, he realized that an ordinary sword could have so many descriptions.