Beneath a simple, buttery-yellow parasol, a white-veined table gleamed softly, adorned with a single jasmine flower in a slender vase, its delicate fragrance drifting lazily on the breeze.
Nestled at the heart of the bustling commercial district, the dessert shop’s open-air tables and chairs were shaded by parasols embedded with water-element magic stones, their cooling aura a reprieve from the summer heat.
Noi and her companions each ordered a chilled summer delicacy, savoring every spoonful with unhurried delight.
“Ugh, my hard-earned flat tummy is going to puff right back up,” Tina groaned, her voice tinged with mock despair.
“This stuff is just too good—and way too caloric.”
A generous scoop of strawberry cream smoothie vanished under her spoon’s assault.
Tina scolded herself for her lack of restraint, yet her lips betrayed her, eagerly closing around the frosty mound.
“Getting chubby’s no big deal,” Chenxi drawled, sipping her lemon juice with leisurely poise.
“Noi’s downed, what, three bowls already? If you trained half as hard as she does, you wouldn’t have to worry about a little extra fluff.”
Her sharp critique landed with a teasing edge, poking at Tina’s self deception—that her waistline’s woes were the fault of the food, not her own laziness.
Noi, the subject of their banter and a paragon of both appetite and discipline, had already polished off her honeydew smoothie.
Four empty bowls—her fallen “victims”—sat before her, a testament to her unyielding metabolism and rigorous training.
“Noi, have you mastered that protective barrier spell yet?” Chenxi asked, drawing the last sip of her lemonade through a straw.
She wiped her mouth with a napkin, her tone casual but curious.
After learning the Thorned Rose technique, Lyte had held back from teaching Noi his full arsenal of martial skills.
Instead, he’d urged her to solidify her foundational stances and tactical shifts, saving the Thorned Rose for critical moments.
With newfound spare time and a desire to hone her innate talents, Noi had sought out Tina and Chenxi, pestering them for deeper insights into the divine techniques of Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.
On one occasion, while tending to the church’s garden and clearing away blue petals, Sharei was ambushed by Tina’s melodramatic pleading—tears, tantrums, and all.
Under such theatrics, Sharei relented and taught Noi a handful of basic divine laws.
“I’ve got it. Like this, right?”
A sphere of pure, golden energy bloomed at Noi’s fingertips.
With a gentle point toward Chenxi, a protective barrier descended, its golden threads weaving intricately before coalescing at Chenxi’s feet into a counterclockwise-spinning seal.
Chenxi, caught off guard by the spell, stared wide-eyed at the glowing disc beneath her.
She prodded the air, marveling at Noi’s progress in mere days.
“Impressive,” she murmured, her voice laced with awe.
“Counterclockwise absorbs external impacts,” Chenxi noted.
“Have you figured out the clockwise energy release yet?”
“I have,” Noi replied, hesitating.
“But are you sure I should try it here?”
Her gaze flicked to the bustling crowds of the commercial street.
Chenxi shivered, suddenly aware of their surroundings.
“No, no, forget I asked! This isn’t the church—we can’t just test divine spells out here. Just keep practicing when you get the chance.”
With their desserts finished, only Tina lingered, savoring her treat with the meticulous care of a gourmet.
Noi, growing restless, opened her system interface and pulled up her data panel.
[Noi Vellrich]
[Soul: B (Magic Spirit, Seraph)]
[Strength: C+]
[Agility: B]
[Constitution: C++]
[Magic: D++]
[Attribute Points: 6 (20%)]
Her stats had surged dramatically after entering her Frenzy state, with most metrics reaching or nearing B-rank.
Even her magic had inched upward.
The six attribute points were unexpected—Noi hadn’t killed any humans or demons since becoming a nun.
If anything, her only “kill” was Shang, a fleeting encounter that might have granted her a fragment of his soul by sheer chance.
Without hesitation, Noi allocated all six points, reshaping her panel.
[Noi Vellrich]
[Soul: B (Magic Spirit, Seraph)]
[Strength: B–]
[Agility: B]
[Constitution: B–]
[Magic: C]
[Attribute Points: 0 (20%)]
Four B’s and a C.
She hadn’t yet tested her full strength in the Frenzy state—it was too risky without Lyte nearby.
She wouldn’t activate it recklessly.
Her vision filled with a shimmering blue interface as she tapped into the details of her two soul-bound abilities.
[Ability: Magic Spirit]
[Description: When absorbing the essence of living beings, there is a chance to seize their abilities and attribute points.]
[Ability Slot: Frenzy (Half-Awakened)]
[Ability: Seraph]
[Notice: Ability has been refined. System permissions insufficient to view details. ‘Description’ removed. Related branches moved to the ‘Skills’ tab. No further prompts will be displayed.]
The classification of Frenzy as an ability surprised her.
To Noi, it felt more like a unique gift than a desperate last resort others might stumble upon in extremis.
With time to kill and Tina still nibbling away, Noi opened her “Inventory” panel.
[Hook Spear (Half-Damaged), Priest’s Silver Sword, Judgment Bracelet, Thorned Robe, Shadow Spider Venom (Four Vials), Shadow Cloak]
The silver sword, bracelet, and new nun’s robe were gifts from the bishop, bestowed upon her by Knight of Judgment Lix and Saint Lan for their new Saintess.
They had intended to escort her from Wagner Town under Preiss’s orders, but the Court Master had intervened, sending them aboard the Conqueror to rendezvous with Black Star.
They wouldn’t return to Tria anytime soon.
The hook spear, too damaged to be practical, had been set aside.
The venom was earmarked for Simon to sell once he returned, and the cloak, though unused, was kept for future need.
“Burp! I’m stuffed,” Tina declared, pushing her bowl—now scraped nearly clean—toward her blue-haired sister.
“Finish it, sis.”
“Trying to drag me down with you, huh?” the younger girl shot back, rolling her eyes.
Still, as sisters bound by fate, she dutifully polished off the last dregs of smoothie.
Noi, meanwhile, checked her “Skills” panel.
[Divine Laws]
[Earth Wall (Rank 3), Vines (Rank 2)]
[Authority]
[Michael: Light Sword (Rank 2), Solar Beam (Rank 4)]
[Gabriel: Prayer (Rank 1), Light Shield (Rank 2), Purification (Rank 2), Protective Barrier (Rank 4)]
[Raphael: Healing (Rank 2)]
[Martial Arts: Swordsmanship (Scholar)]
Martial arts were tiered—Scholar, Master, Grandmaster, and Zenith—with a vast gulf between the latter two and the former.
A single Grandmaster could dominate a swarm of Masters.
Thanks to Lyte’s recent guidance, Noi’s swordsmanship had reached Scholar level, no small feat.
Divine laws and spells were ranked by sequence: one to three for foundational skills, four to six for mid-tier, and seven to nine for the rare and coveted high-tier.
Over the past three weeks, Noi had mastered two low-tier divine laws and two mid-tier spells, all practical and honed to the point she could cast them in a second.
All that remained was real-world practice.
“Done!” Chenxi announced, wiping her mouth and moving to settle the bill.
Before she could, Noi flicked her finger, and the disc beneath Chenxi’s feet spun clockwise, trapping her in a reversed barrier.
“What the—? How’d you make it spin clockwise without releasing an energy wave?”
Tina froze, dumbfounded, as Chenxi tapped the air, finding it blocked by a thin veil of energy.
“I… don’t really know how,” Noi admitted, scratching her head.
“I just practiced until I got the hang of it.”
“Genius, huh? I’m jealous,” Tina muttered, her competitive streak long dulled by Noi’s overwhelming talent.
After settling the bill, Noi bought some packaged pastries to bring back for Lyte, Pre, and the novice nuns.
The trio, laden with bags, chatted idly as they returned to the church, only to find Andy pacing nervously at the entrance.
“Hello! Miss Noi, I’m here to apologize!”
True to his imperial upbringing, Andy’s manners were impeccable.
With a crisp salute and a deep bow, he pressed a bag of compensation into Noi’s hands—roughly ten thousand star coins by her quick estimate.
“I’m so sorry. I lost my storage card, so this is all I could gather for now. I’ll make it up to you properly someday!”
“No need to be so formal,” Noi said, waving it off. “It was nothing.”
“Nothing? I was so rude back then—completely out of line! If you and Mr. Lyte ever visit the capital, you have to look me up. I’ll show you all the sights!”
After another heartfelt bow, Andy clutched his mother’s photo in his pocket watch and climbed into his lettuce-shaped car, bound for the capital.
“The capital’s been a mess lately, and he’s still going back?” Chenxi remarked, watching him drive off.
“If I’d been the one hitting on Miss Noi, I’d probably stick around and keep trying,” Tina teased with a grin.
“Yeah, your shamelessness definitely outclasses his.”
Amid their playful banter, the trio stepped into the church, ready to face tomorrow’s Day of Repentance.