Six Hundred Thirty-Three Concealment
After initially sorting through all her current skills, Dorothy immediately began her next task, examining her spiritual condition. Following her promotion, her spirituality had undoubtedly suffered a major loss.
Sitting in an armchair in just her nightgown and bare feet, Dorothy rocked back and forth while stroking her chin, assessing her spiritual state. Her attention first focused on “Cup.”
The primary drain on her “Cup” spirituality came from rituals, which consumed 20 points. Further losses occurred during her battle with Gethsmoor when she used 1 point to create the Full Moon Water Nymph and another point to manifest multiple Spiritual Threads, successfully trapping Gethsmoor temporarily. She then performed several large-scale damage transfers to restrict Gethsmoor’s movements.
These damage transfers should have consumed a significant amount of “Cup,” but thanks to her Spiritual Mastery, the damage transfer skill of a Chalkline Spiritual Mage was greatly reduced. All told, only 3 points were spent on “Cup.” Although manifesting Spiritual Threads is a Red Tier skill, it consumes very little energy. Dorothy manifested many threads but captured Gethsmoor almost instantly, so it only cost her 1 point of “Cup.”
Additionally, when rescuing John Machison in Tivyan, Dorothy used a Water Absorption and a bl**d-Eating seal, both of which consumed 2 points of “Cup” since she lacked Spiritual Mastery at the time.
In total, Dorothy had expended 27 points of “Cup.” Previously, she had 28 points, meaning she now had only 1 extra point of “Cup” left, excluding her inherent “Cup” stored in her body. This situation was quite dangerous.
‘Goodness… That’s only one point left. This is too dangerous. If I keep using “Cup,” I might end up exhausting myself. Luckily, I ended it in time…’
Seeing how little “Cup” she had left, Dorothy thought to herself. After examining her “Cup” spirituality, she began checking her “Stone” spirituality.
This time, Dorothy didn’t use much “Stone.” She used it to conduct electricity to shock Gethsmoor’s body, to launch an Electromagnetic Cannon with the zombie puppet to knock Gethsmoor down and give Francesco time, and to use magnetic force to make the zombie puppet fly.
Thanks to her Spiritual Mastery, these uses were minimal. Conducting electricity consumed 1 point of “Stone,” the Electromagnetic Cannon cost 3 points, and magnetic levitation was negligible, totaling 4 points. Adding the 20 points used for her promotion, Dorothy had spent a total of 24 points of “Stone.”
Previously, Dorothy had 28 points of “Stone,” leaving her with 4 points now. This was slightly better than “Cup,” but still not much better.
‘That level of Electromagnetic Cannon… Only cost 3 points of “Stone.” Quite economical. It seems I can afford to use it more often once I have a bit more “Stone.” Compared to that Red Tier Archbishop’s fireballs, the Electromagnetic Cannon has extremely fast trajectories and high penetration power. As long as it hits, even a Red Tier “Shadow” can’t dodge it.
‘The downside of the Electromagnetic Cannon is its poor destructive capability against high HP targets. Its excessive penetration often goes straight through the target, leaving two holes and no follow-up. For targets with fatal points, this is fine, but for targets without vital areas, being hit isn’t lethal. They recover quickly, making the destruction less effective compared to fireballs that explode violently and evaporate large amounts of flesh. Too much penetration can be problematic, so I need to find a solution…’
Dorothy pondered this, then shifted her focus to her “Shadow” spirituality.
Due to the blessings of the Black Dream Hunter Group, Dorothy had eaten a big meal in the Dream Realm, giving her ample “Shadow” reserves. However, even with plenty of “Shadow,” she still consumed a significant amount due to the promotion and battle.
During her fight with Gethsmoor, Dorothy created the Full Moon Water Nymph using local legends from Gramorn, consuming 4 points of “Shadow.” The Full Moon Water Nymph successfully used its abilities several times to confuse Gethsmoor, consuming another 4 points. Then, Dorothy used 10 points to create the Lake Fairy, providing a link for Mirror Moon Goddess’s intervention. These abilities fall under the Red Tier category, so Spiritual Mastery had minimal effect.
Additionally, Dorothy used 3 points of “Shadow” to turn Misha into a Dream Realm entity and infiltrate her family’s cemetery in Tivyan. Adding the 20 points used for her promotion, Dorothy spent a total of 41 points of “Shadow.” She had fully stocked “Shadow” before, so after this, she had 9 points left. Although “Shadow” is the most frequently used spirituality, she still had surplus due to abundant reserves.
‘I never expected to have 9 points of “Shadow” left. This is somewhat surprising. I must thank the generous Black Dream Hunter Group for their gift. Thank you.’
After sincerely thanking the Black Dream Hunter Group, Dorothy continued to examine her remaining “Lamp” and “Silence” spiritualities. Over the past few days, besides the 20 points needed for her promotion, she hadn’t used any of these. “Enlightenment” consumption wasn’t counted, so it was ignored.
After calculating her spiritual consumption, Dorothy tallied her spiritual income. Since her main opponents, Gethsmoor and Ed, died without leaving anything behind, she didn’t gain any loot. She only received some spiritual energy related to Twinkling Star Lake from John’s riddle incantation. Initially, Dorothy had full “Shadow” and didn’t extract it urgently. Now, with some “Shadow” already used, it was time to extract it.
From the riddle incantation, Dorothy gained 5 points of “Shadow” and 2 points of “Enlightenment.” Summing up, her current spiritual state was roughly:
1 point of “Cup,” 4 points of “Stone,” 14 points of “Shadow,” 7 points of “Lamp,” 11 points of “Silence,” 2 points of “Enlightenment.”
‘Indeed… After a successful promotion, my spiritual state became very precarious, especially for “Cup” and “Stone,” which are closely tied to combat. The loss was severe, so I need to find ways to replenish them quickly…
‘Fortunately, my “Stone” Divine Blessing Object can be returned to the Artisan Guild. I have a substantial deposit there, and although much of it is collateral, selling part of it will provide enough cash to buy books easily.’
Thinking this, Dorothy planned to sell assets soon to replenish her spirits. She then turned her thoughts back to her current spiritual limits.
Now, each type of spirituality could reach a maximum of 100 points. To advance to Gold, Dorothy needed to accumulate 100 extra points of “Enlightenment.” Given the requirement of 100 points for “Enlightenment,” other spiritualities would likely need around 40-50 points.
‘Wow… 100 points for the main spirituality and 40-50 points for others. That’s twice what it takes to go from Chalkline to Red Tier. No wonder Gold is considered the pinnacle of human achievement below divinity. It’s the peak of this world.
Estimating the spiritual requirements for Gold, Dorothy sighed. She wasn’t surprised by the high demands; after all, it’s the peak of this world, rare even within large organizations, and there are only seven such individuals in the Church. This matches the tier.
Despite the high spiritual requirements for advancing to Gold, Dorothy wasn’t overly worried. With her reading method, accumulating these spiritual points was inevitable. With money for books, the process would be quick.
Her biggest obstacle to advancement wasn’t the spiritual demand but the incredibly difficult promotion ritual and methods to obtain it.
‘Who knows what bizarre conditions this Gold promotion will require? Not six divine gifts, right? Divine gifts are treasures of various organizations, only Gold-tier individuals can hold them. Collecting six is nearly impossible…’
Dorothy complained internally. Without knowing the Gold advancement method, she couldn’t determine the exact requirements.
‘For now, I’m not considering Gold advancement. After a busy half-year, I’ve finally reached Red Tier. First, I need to rest and accumulate spiritual energy…
Yawning after organizing her new abilities and spiritualities, Dorothy forcefully rocked the chair, launching herself onto the carpet.
Then, Dorothy climbed into bed, covered herself, and turned off the bedside lamp, preparing to sleep. Looking out the window at the bright moon, she observed the cold light of the full moon falling upon her.
‘Mirror Moon Goddess, Night Sky Empress… truly intervened to help. My bloodline inherited from my mother is deeply connected to the Mirror Moon…
So… what are you hiding? Oh, Sovereign of the Night, Dorathyia, are you my backup plan in Prit? Are you or I just pieces on your board?
Finally… what memory did you conceal for me?’
Lying in bed, Dorothy contemplated the moon outside. She clearly sensed anomalies in her mind and memories. She felt a segment of her memory was abnormal.
This memory was from her promotion ceremony, where her consciousness entered the Inner Realm. She remembered her consciousness exploring deeper into the world, guided by “Enlightenment.” According to information from the Enlightenment Mark Temple, the Inner Realm is where all information converges, like the Akasha records of this world. Red Tier “Enlightenment” individuals must experience the Inner Realm during their promotion, akin to a pilgrimage.
Dorothy consciously visited the Inner Realm. According to the temple’s records, she only needed to stay briefly and return to complete her promotion. Curious about the Inner Realm, she wondered if she could obtain some valuable secrets.
However, now, Dorothy recalled that her memory after entering the Inner Realm was blurry. She couldn’t remember what happened. After losing consciousness, she found herself back in the present ceremony site, having completed her promotion.
Knowing she had been to the Inner Realm, Dorothy was puzzled by her vague memory. She couldn’t recall what happened there, but she felt the silver light surrounding her when she woke up.
Realizing the silver light and its mysterious power, Dorothy understood that the Mirror Moon Goddess must have intervened. Under the full moon, the goddess may have been watching over her former temple. Dorothy might have been under the goddess’s gaze since entering the temple.
Subsequent actions in the temple, possibly around Twinkling Star Lake, were likely seen by the goddess. She watched Dorothy manipulate the group with eight points and desecrate her temple, completing the ritual swap without interference.
Only after realizing this did Dorothy create the Lake Fairy entity. Knowing the goddess probably supported her, she guessed she needed only to interfere with Prit.
Understanding the goddess’s stance, Dorothy suspected her memory’s blurriness was intentional. The goddess might have protected her consciousness from dangerous information in the Inner Realm.
Such information could be more dangerous than “Poison Recognition.” Perhaps it was something beyond poison, and even the system couldn’t fully protect her mind. It needed to be handled.
Dorothy speculated the goddess hid dangerous information using divine power, causing her memory to be fuzzy. However, she sensed the concealment wasn’t strong, at least not for her.
Regarding the blurry memory, Dorothy felt she could recall it if she tried hard, but a slight fear would arise. This fear wasn’t intense; it was more like a sense of danger. If she faced the fear, she could remember everything. But this small fear made her hesitant.
From this fear, Dorothy interpreted the goddess’s warning: the Night Sky Empress clearly warned her not to delve into this memory, or there would be serious consequences.
Yet, Dorothy also felt the fear wasn’t particularly strong. With absolute confidence, she could overcome it. If it were the goddess, she could completely prevent Dorothy from remembering the information or make her forget it entirely, avoiding this ambiguous state.
Dorothy interpreted this as the goddess telling her to prepare thoroughly and truly need the information before recalling it, breaking free from fear’s constraints.
This memory was a “Magic Box” left by the goddess for Dorothy, to be opened based on her judgment.
‘Sigh…’
After interpreting the goddess’s intentions, Dorothy looked out at the full moon, sighing softly, then whispered:
‘That person truly cares… Since coming to this world, no one has taken care of me so selflessly except for my brother…
I hope your true intentions… won’t…’
After muttering, Dorothy lay quietly in bed, covering herself with the blanket. Under the moonlight, she fell asleep peacefully.
