Chapter 123: Close at Hand

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【"Trace of Light"】
【Type: Tier 1 Stigmata.】
【Item Description: A sacred mark created through special methods. When carried, it reduces various mental influences and provides a suppressive effect against aberrant entities, evil spirits, and other malevolent life forms.】
【Can be used to create one-time mystical means within the domain of Holy Light, such as "Crystals of Light" and "Runes of Holy Light."】

"It feels like a waste for me to use it; it would only add a bit of resistance and restraint. But if I give it to Shana, it seems like she could get a major boost... However, after she promotes, will she still retain the ability to create 'Crystals of Light'?"
Colin pondered, and the answer he obtained was yes.

Soon, he took out the "Trace of Light" and placed it in his palm; it was as light as paper dust.
In appearance, it resembled a sun symbol drawn in simple strokes, palm-sized, as thin as a piece of paper, and just as soft.
At this moment, it was emitting a faint glow—slightly dazzling, but not excessively so.

"I have a thousand Mist Points, and a pile of Condensed Light Stones. The Trace of Light..."
With all the materials now gathered, Colin didn't feel much heartache about upgrading Shana.
However, just as he was about to initiate the upgrade for her, he suddenly thought of something...

Judging by its properties, the "Trace of Light" seemed closer to what Colin categorized as "Northern Holy Light," the faction that forcefully "praises the sun."
Looking at the effects of the "Crystal of Light" and the priest's wooden wheel, its radiance was more akin to grinding people into bone dust, purifying them until nothing remained...
Shana, on the other hand, belonged to the "Southern Holy Light," which leaned toward brainwashing; its attributes were also inclined toward healing and encouragement. Purification wasn't absent, but it wasn't the main component...
Although he didn't know if this was due to the "local customs" of different worlds.

"But will there really be no problems when using it?"
Colin thought cautiously...
【You suspect that the properties of the light will be transformed within Shana, so there will be no conflict...】

That was good then... Colin placed the mark into Shana's hands.
Shana blinked her deep blue eyes, traced a circle representing the sun on her chest with her right hand, and said politely, "Thank you..."
She had already guessed what Colin intended to do by giving her this item.

"Don't mention it..."
Colin opened Shana's personal panel and chose to upgrade without hesitation.
The next second...
The white stigmata merged into Shana's skin, and a hazy radiance began to emanate from her body.
Within the mist-like light, the figure of Shana, dressed in white robes with gold trim, became somewhat blurred. She stood with her eyes closed, dignified, looking elegant and holy, making it hard for anyone to harbor blasphemous thoughts.
Not long after, when everything subsided, everyone felt that Shana's temperament had become increasingly holy and pure.

Colin couldn't wait to open her personal panel.
【Holy Light Priest: Shana Helaka.】
Identity: Holy Light Priest of the Church of Eternal Flame.
Description: A benevolent, gentle Holy Light Priest who brings healing.
Status: "Blessing of Courage"...
Strength: Tier 3.
Satiety: 87
Strength: 7.7—12.4 (The former is the initial value, the latter is the attribute under the effects of blessings and other buffs.)
Endurance: 5.2—7.9
Stamina: 6.1—11.5

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Agility: 3.6—5.1
Spirit: 3.9—7.1
Intelligence: 3.3—5.2
Mana: 6000/6000.
Mastered Skills: ... "Pray for Light (New)", "Divine Chain (New)", "Fist of Repentance (New)", "Punishment of Light (New)"...

【Pray for Light: Consumes one "Refined Condensed Light Stone" to stimulate the activity of Holy Light, causing a massive increase in personal attributes. Can be used three times a day, with a one-hour interval.】
【Divine Chain: Extends chains condensed from light from your hands to bind and subdue enemies, with special suppressive effects on chaotic life forms.】
【Fist of Repentance: Attacks have a probability of forcing the enemy into a state of repentance, with the probability varying based on the attributes of both parties...】
【Punishment of Light: Condenses light into a spherical object and hurls it at the enemy for forced purification...】

Looking at these skills, Colin took a deep breath: "Sure enough... I knew it would change... Sigh."
Especially the "Fist of Repentance"...
It was a classic combination of Northern and Southern Holy Light skills...
But, there didn't seem to be anything more to say.

"Shana, can you... still control your strength properly?"
Colin suddenly remembered this point. With 12.4 strength, he was a bit worried that if Shana accidentally touched someone...
The other person would end up in the ICU.
He finally understood a bit why Lord-level aberrants were so monstrous; their attributes were so high that ordinary people would be affected just by being near them.
Just like Shana's current attributes.

"Yes, no problem..."
Shana nodded earnestly, indicating that there would be no issue.
Russell, on the other hand, found the conversation between Colin and Shana somewhat baffling...
A priest's strength is usually so low; how high could it possibly get?
Up until now, he hadn't specifically seen Shana in action, knowing only that she was a female priest of high status.
However, priests generally held high status in groups, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

"Can you create 'Crystals of Light'?"
Hearing Colin's question, Shana tilted her head slightly, thought for a moment, and then nodded to indicate it was no problem.
For every three "Refined Condensed Light Stones," one "Crystal of Light" could be synthesized. The method of use was also very simple: just squeeze it with a little effort.
Moreover, creating these didn't consume much energy. At Colin's request, Shana produced thirty "Crystals of Light."

After resting for a while longer, Colin looked toward the "Ruins of the High Court"...
The result was... nothing had changed.
It was very safe there.

"Let's go take a look..."
Colin ultimately decided to lead his team over to investigate.
He wanted to understand what exactly was going on.

Not long after, they arrived in front of the ruined temple-style structure and saw the fallen statue of the Mother Goddess.
However, Colin's gaze subconsciously drifted to a faint mark on the statue's arm...
That mark looked somewhat familiar...
"Isn't this the shape of the 'Trace of Light'?"

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Colin was stunned. There was only a mark in that spot, but he didn't see an extra "Trace of Light"...
【You know that this is the 'Trace of Light' you obtained...】
Ah, this...
How come it feels like the system took what I dropped after killing the monster, put it into the quest rewards, and then gave it to me?
Colin let his thoughts wander, but he didn't dwell on it for long; now was not the time for that.
As he observed who could have brought the statue here, an unexpected answer emerged.

【You suspect that perhaps it was that priest who placed it here to ensure that this area would not be intruded upon by unknown existences...】
It was him again...
Surprising, yet not entirely unexpected.
Without overthinking, Colin looked warily toward the dark and deep outer perimeter of the High Court to gather information...
Compared to this, he was more worried that the antlered behemoth would suddenly come back to life and jump out to wipe out their team...
With Shana at Tier 3, she now had a high probability of escaping from a Lord-level aberrant, but she wasn't yet at the level to confront one head-on...
So far, he still didn't know what had happened inside, but if nothing went wrong, he would soon find out.

Then, carrying a storm lantern and surrounded by his team, they explored inward bit by bit.
Just as the prompts indicated, there was no danger here, aside from the extreme darkness caused by the lack of light.
The outer perimeter of the temple wasn't particularly large either...
Soon, Colin and the others discovered the tracks where "Tebidad" had crashed and overturned when it fell here.
There was still the stench of charred wood and burnt flesh in the air.
But when they saw the final landing spot, everyone couldn't help but have a barrage of questions pop into their heads.

"Where did that thing go?"
They didn't see the corpse of "Tebidad"...
【You realize that it died right here.】
"Really? I don't believe it. Unless you tell me how it died, I don't believe it..."
Colin muttered to himself, but the prompt didn't provide much more information, so he and the team searched the vicinity for a while.
But the result was...
The antlered behemoth, incarnated by the high-ranking cleric of the Church of Suffering, "Tebidad," was indeed gone.
After searching for a while longer, Colin and the others finally concluded...
It was probably, indeed, dead.

At this moment, an indescribable sense of horror enveloped everyone's hearts...
They stood at the spot where "Tebidad" had vanished, falling into a silence, their hearts deeply unsettled.
A Lord-level aberrant had appeared in the High Court and just died like that...
Did that mean they, too, could suddenly cease to exist in some inexplicable way at any moment?

But...
The light was right before their eyes.
Colin lifted his head and looked at the incandescent light diffusing across the horizon, his heart inexplicably calming down.