Chapter 1: The Altar's Acknowledgment

From the age of myth, the goddess of wisdom and war, Athena, was always surrounded by a group of brave and passionate guardians known as her Saints.

Under the dim glow of an oil lamp, Feng Zhe cracked open his eyes in a daze, only to be seized by a splitting headache that forced a cry from his lips.

“Who the hell is still awake? Think today’s training was too easy, do you?” roared a man with a voice like a broken gong from the doorway, sending Feng Zhe into an instinctive shiver.

Opening his eyes, he saw a group of boys in coarse linen lying around him.

“I’ve actually transmigrated? And into the world of the Saints!”

Despite the fatigue wracking his body, his mind remained clear. The body he now inhabited was also called Feng Zhe, one of the hundred children sent by Mitsumasa Kido to various training grounds. His misfortune: his lot was drawn for Greece, Athens.

In his past life, Feng Zhe had been an avid anime fan, with a particular obsession for the Saints. In the original story, the only one to obtain a Cloth in Greece was Seiya, one of the main five. No other character from Greece, and certainly no Saint named Feng Zhe, ever appeared.

His fate was all too clear: death in the training grounds.

At this thought, sweat trickled down his forehead.

Just then, a boy beside him nudged him and whispered, “Let’s go. Let’s run away.”

Feng Zhe glanced at him. His name was Ah Kun, a fellow countryman who had come to Greece from afar after hearing rumors of Saint training.

He hadn’t expected the ordeal to be so harsh. The training for these prospective Saints was grueling—lacking food and clothing, their days spent hauling stones, lugging logs, or rolling down cliffs in the name of forging a Saint.

After witnessing a European boy die from the training, Ah Kun was terrified and began plotting an escape with Feng Zhe. Tonight was the night.

Greece was neither too small nor too large; as long as they made it out of Sanctuary and reached a bustling city, they’d be safe.

The two boys dreamed of a brighter future, not knowing their path led only to doom.

Having read the original story, Feng Zhe knew who guarded Sanctuary: the Silver Saint Argol. Anyone attempting to escape would be turned to stone.

With this in mind, he tried to dissuade his companion. “Ah Kun, maybe we shouldn’t run. I heard—”

Before he could finish, Ah Kun’s expression changed. “Coward. If you want to die here, suit yourself.”

Without another word, Ah Kun walked away with grim determination.

Feng Zhe could only sigh. Good advice could not save the doomed.

The next morning, before dawn, he was jolted awake by an angry shout.

“You lot of bastards! Get up, now!”

The speaker was Toribio, the leader of the foot soldiers, tasked with training them before they could seek a master.

Of course, some had incredible luck, being chosen by Silver Saints the moment they arrived—like Seiya…

As Feng Zhe stepped out, he spotted a striking figure clad in gleaming Silver Cloth, eyes like gemstones—an impossibly handsome man who could surely capture the hearts of many.

Yet, the man’s smiling gaze sent a chill through Feng Zhe.

The other boys might not have recognized him, but Feng Zhe did: Perseus Argol, the Silver Saint.

“You’re Feng Zhe?” Argol asked.

Feng Zhe, knowing full well why Argol had come, feigned ignorance and nodded blankly.

“Ah Kun ran away. Did you know?” Argol’s smile was charming but deadly.

Feng Zhe shook his head, answering respectfully, “Sir Argol, we’re just trainees. We’re not that close…”

Argol’s smile broadened, making Feng Zhe break out in cold sweat.

“So you do recognize me. Not bad.”

Toribio seemed to sense the danger and quickly interjected, “Sir, I vouch for Feng Zhe—he knew nothing of it!”

Feng Zhe was surprised that Toribio would speak up for him, and shot him a grateful look.

Argol chuckled lightly. “Do you really think you can vouch?”

He tossed a stone shaped like a human head onto the ground, making Toribio break out in sweat.

Feng Zhe knew at once it was Ah Kun, now turned to stone. His face paled.

For a modern man—especially a transmigrator—seeing a living person transformed into stone was a profound shock.

“This boy said you were his accomplice…”

Argol spoke as if it were a trivial matter. Toribio tried again, “Sir…”

“Do you want to share his fate?” Argol’s words stopped him cold. Toribio glanced back at the other trainees and barked, “Everyone, five kilometers with full packs—move!”

To Feng Zhe’s astonishment, Toribio led everyone away at a run, leaving him standing alone, battered by the wind.

He looked left and right, hoping for a savior.

But reality was cruel. Apart from Argol, not a soul was in sight.

“S-sir, I really didn’t try to escape. I’m not an accomplice…”

But all explanations were futile.

Argol kept smiling, saying no more, simply turning away.

Feng Zhe knew that nothing he did now could change his fate—he would become stone.

He screamed inwardly, “System! Where’s the transmigrator’s system? Come out! If you don’t, I’m going to be a statue!”

But nothing happened. Argol turned, a blinding light flared, and Feng Zhe’s heart pounded with dread, as if it were turning to stone.

Just as he was about to blind himself in desperation, the pendant on his chest suddenly grew scorching hot.

Looking down, Feng Zhe saw a red light emanating from his chest, countering Argol’s white light.

“What is that…” Argol exclaimed in shock at the red glow.

At that moment, an image appeared in Feng Zhe’s mind—a Cloth, pure silver, shaped like an altar, with sacred fire burning atop it.

“The Altar Cloth!”

As if in response, the Altar Cloth disassembled itself, unleashing a surge of power that shot skyward.

The radiant force illuminated all of Sanctuary.

When Feng Zhe regained his senses, the Altar Cloth was already draped over him.

“This Cloth is…” Argol stared in disbelief.

“The Altar Cloth…” came a deep, magnetic voice. When Argol saw who it was, he immediately dropped to one knee. “Grand Pope!”

Feng Zhe looked up to see the masked, blue-haired Grand Pope before him, and knew at once it was the benevolent Saga.

He too knelt and said, “Grand Pope!”