A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

"Well, I went." Thomas sat down. It didn't matter if he admitted it privately, so he didn't bother to hide it.

"What did he say?"

"He said he was about to start formal studies and asked what my ambitions were."

Joshua pricked up his ears.

"I want to be a knight," said Thomas.

The ascetic's future was clearly bleak; he would spend his entire life in the monastery chanting sutras. Born as a farmer's son, no matter how well he worked or how long he had experience, he would only be able to reach the middle level of the monastery, a position with the least lucrative reputation.

To be a priest requires talent, eloquence, and the skill to deceive. Without deception, one would never be able to defraud the faithful. Thomas didn't think he had any talent for this. If nothing else, he simply couldn't overcome the psychological barrier.

Even if Thomas were truly gifted, his background meant his future in the clergy was equally bleak. He would likely only manage a small church. Reaching the rank of bishop was a long shot, let alone higher positions. Those were reserved for the second and third sons of nobles, or even the illegitimate children of prominent figures.

So even though he has to maintain his status as a novice monk for now, Thomas feels that he should leave when the time is right.

In this case, the Cavaliers are actually a better choice.

Other skills are useless outside the church, but the skills of a knight are always useful. Who knows, one day you might need to lick blood on the blade.

After all, mercenaries were a famous feature of medieval Europe.

At the very least, it's a self-defense skill. Just like swimming, you don't need it in normal situations, but if you really fall into the water, you need it to save your life.

Most importantly, he still has a damaged godhead.

Plug-ins that can cure diseases and injuries are obviously more useful for physical exercise.

Thomas also felt that divine power must not only restore the body, but must have other potentials. It just needed to be developed slowly.

It was also an accident that he discovered that divine power could restore the body.

Silent all night.

At dawn the next day, the monks, both big and small, gathered around the dining table.

In the group of novice monks, everyone's expressions varied greatly.

Many people looked anxious and worried, a typical expression of a human being unable to grasp the future.

But there were also people who looked bitter and resentful, but said nothing.

Halfway through his meal, Thomas noticed someone coming.

The leader was shirtless, a muscular figure with a dark beard. Though unarmored, he wore a sword. His gaze burned fiercely, and a murderous aura emanated from him, like a fierce tiger. He was a knight of the church, the instructor in charge of knight training within the monastery, and perhaps also the captain of the monastery's security team. Thomas had seen him before, but didn't know his name.

Here it comes! Thomas thought to himself.

Chapter 6: Aftermath

There is no way that something like what happened yesterday could just be let go like this.

Every group must maintain a minimum level of order. No matter how corrupt the monastery is, it will not turn a blind eye to such matters.

Unless the offender is powerful.

It’s a pity that powerful people have no need to rob.

Therefore, there will definitely be side effects from using evil ways.

And judging from the situation... this isn't a normal state.

The captain was not here because of his own duties, at least not entirely, otherwise he would not be the only one here.

Of course, one person's execution wasn't a problem. This captain was tall, with a broad waist and shoulders, and strong limbs. On the battlefield, armed and armored, he could easily defeat ten men. He would have no problem dealing with these trainee monks, let alone ten, even twenty.

No matter how strong a trainee monk is, he cannot fight against such a professional warrior.

Thomas was relaxed, so he continued to eat his mushroom soup with a spoon.

No one should have seen him from start to finish when he was robbing someone yesterday. But those three robbers lacked basic manners—they didn't even wear masks.

There's nothing I can do about it. After all, I'm not a professional. Even if I'm not a novice, I'm not skilled either.

Look, the enemy is here to find someone.

Or rather, they chose their prey poorly—not everyone is incapable of resistance or revenge.

Some people may not have power or influence, but money can make everything happen, which is an eternal truth throughout history, both in China and abroad.

This captain should be doing things for money.

This is much more serious than regular punishment.

A little distance away from Thomas, the novice monk stood up with a pale face - he was one of the three robbers from yesterday.

In fact, the three were not far from each other.

The captain's goal was so clear that they couldn't hide it even if they wanted to.

Thomas also noticed a novice monk about his own age standing at the entrance of the dining hall, looking at them with hatred. Or rather, looking at the three little bandits.

"Shall we go first?" Joshua asked in a low voice.

After last night, he had a little more respect for Thomas—because the fact he could come up with the money proved that he wasn't just a farmer's son. Perhaps he was the illegitimate son of some important figure.

These days, there are too many illegitimate children who hide their identities.

"No need." Thomas said nonchalantly and continued eating.

The mushroom soup is very good. It’s rare to come across food that suits your taste, so it would be a shame to give it up.

However, not many people were as calm as Thomas. Most people stood up, not wanting to get involved. The crowd spontaneously formed a circle, blocking Thomas's view.

There was the crackling sound of broken dishes, screams, and other sounds, such as the admiration of the onlookers.

It looks like a few of the little bandits are rebelling.

Judging from the fact that he was able to stun the prey with one palm yesterday, he has practiced and has reached a certain level.

But it didn't work.

When faced with an overwhelmingly powerful opponent, actually giving in is the best option; resistance will only make the situation worse.

If you are really determined to resist, you should have the courage to fight to the death.

After all, ordinary fighting is one thing, and a life-and-death battle is another.

If you gamble your life, then there is a certain possibility that the weak will defeat the strong.

But if you don't have the courage to fight to the death and your strength is weak, then resistance will only increase your pain and bring you greater humiliation.

Do those three dare to fight? Obviously not.

Or even if they fight their hardest, what good will it do if they win? Will they be able to pass this level?

Thomas didn't look, but just from the sound he knew that the three of them were definitely being beaten up, and they were being beaten very badly.

Then, several genuine ascetics, who were the managers of the monastery, arrived.

Thomas watched as the three young robbers were dragged out like dead dogs. As they passed by last night's victim, the latter spat at them forcefully.

The protagonist of this drama, the captain, stood proudly in the center of the field, looking around with a victorious attitude. His eyes fell on Thomas, who was still drinking mushroom soup at the table.

Faced with the sudden situation, everyone else almost stopped eating, so Thomas's performance was indeed eye-catching.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he didn't say anything more and turned away.

The other genuine monks looked at Thomas with strange expressions.

The day passed peacefully.

"Thomas," Joshua said before he fell asleep that night. "Do you know what happened this morning?"

He was obviously quite concerned about this matter and asked around.

"I don't know, but it definitely has nothing to do with us."

"Those three novice monks actually robbed a… newbie, a newbie like us, last night!" Joshua looked at Thomas. Yesterday, Thomas had advised him not to go, but he didn't understand. Now, he understood. "But he happens to get along well with Otto. So Otto went looking for him early this morning."

Otto is one of the newcomers, but he is the illegitimate son of the monastery's high-ranking official, the abbot Conrad.

The county magistrate is not as good as the current one, and no one dares to mess with Otto.

So, had he found a partner? Even though Otto couldn't help him with the money, he was still a valuable partner, Thomas pondered.

"You didn't meet him yesterday?"

“I don’t see anything,” Thom replied, closing his eyes.

The damaged godhead remained motionless, radiating light within his spiritual realm. In the 21st century, Thomas was actually an atheist. But now, looking at the damaged godhead, he felt that the possibility of God's existence was extremely high—though the possibility of God's non-existence was equally high. After all, if God truly existed, He would have to rectify this church.

"Why do you want to be a knight?" Joshua was curious. After all, to be a knight, one didn't need to come to the church. It would be more appropriate to find a knight to be his squire.

"I just think the Knights are more suitable for me."

"Is your life goal to be a knight? To become a noble?"

"No," Thom blurted out. "My life's ambition is to be in control of my own destiny."

Although his memory is messy and he cannot sort out a complete life trajectory, there is an emotion in it that cannot be ignored.

That is regret.

He was regretting it! Or rather, he must have had some major regrets in his life before crossing over.

It wasn't about making a wrong choice—that kind of regret wouldn't be very strong for him, after all, everyone regrets buying the wrong lottery ticket, but that regret easily fades. Thomas's regret was of a different kind. When he had the power to choose, he chose to go with the flow instead of insisting on his own choice.

Opportunities for truly crucial choices in life are rare; if you miss them, they'll never come back. Since God has given him reincarnation and a second chance to live, he absolutely must not have such regrets this time. He must take his destiny into his own hands, not give up and let fate dictate it!

He stretched out his hands towards the air, as if trying to grasp the invisible fate.

The short-term goal is to make money, and the long-term goal is to take control of your own life.

Even if it is medieval life!

Chapter 7 Aftermath 2

A few days later, the course to teach them writing and language finally began.

Everyone was actually given a notebook instead of a slate.

This is really a rare thing.

Thomas remembered some historical records about the Middle Ages. Even during the height of the Renaissance, Martin Luther's survey of low-level clergy revealed that only 50 out of 300 could accurately recite the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer, and that illiterate people thrived in the clergy. A hundred years after Gutenberg printed the Bible with movable type, some clergy still didn't own a single book. The most learned low-level clergymen, however, (which truly impressed the investigators), boasted a collection of as many as twelve books!

Not to mention now.

Thomas didn't know what era it was, but he guessed it didn't seem like the Renaissance.

It's unclear whether this is from the early or middle Middle Ages, but it's probably not the late period. This is because people here bathed. Those who could afford it did so at least once a week. There were even professional baths in towns.

But there's no rush. He'll find out sooner or later, right?

The first thing they learned was Arabic numerals. Naturally, Thomas could ignore this for now. He didn't need to be taught anything about it. Not only did they not need to learn Arabic numerals, they didn't even need to learn arithmetic operations, or even square root equations.

After all, these basic things are learned enough in the nine-year compulsory education.

It should be noted that he is obviously not the only one who does not need to learn.

Many families from middle-class or higher backgrounds can afford to give their children some early education. It's hard to say how advanced it is, but basic grammar, spelling, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are definitely taught.

A book was opened on the blackboard, and the teacher (also a genuine monk) was explaining a number on it: 1678.

Thomas didn't recognize the letters, but he was absolutely sure about the Arabic numerals.

Thomas' heart skipped a beat.

"What does 1678 mean?" Thomas asked quietly to a classmate next to him who also didn't need to study.

"1678." The other party answered as a matter of course.

1678? But the Middle Ages ended in the 15th century, and the history after that is called modern history!

Then it suddenly came to my senses... This might be a calendar problem.

After all, different calendars mean different years. If we use the Yellow Emperor's calendar, the first digit would be 4 or 5 now!

The Gregorian calendar wasn't born, but was developed by scholars. It's probably not yet widespread? Perhaps it hasn't been invented yet?

"What does this mean, 1678?" Thomas couldn't help but ask again.

"Jesus was born in 1678," the classmate replied lazily. He then noticed something was wrong with Thomas.