Divine Prayer and Craving Light

Li Wen was contemplating what she was currently lacking. In terms of survival, she had two rare-grade equipment: the Shattered Eye of the Transcendent and the Eternal Star of Emerald. The Shattered Eye of the Transcendent goes without saying; instant displacement is a highly applicable ability at any time.

As for the Eternal Star of Emerald, a damage-absorbing shield equivalent to 100% of her own life was not to be underestimated. In "World Tree: Origins," damage-absorbing shields are a type that takes damage first and then absorbs it, meaning they only block post-tax damage.

Post-tax damage refers to the final damage dealt after reductions from armor, magic resistance, and various shields when an attack or spell hits. In other words, the shield provided by the Emerald Star Cloak can be considered another health bar for Li Wen, the kind that would make interdimensional beings exclaim "divine artifact!" This is precisely its power.

When it came to offensive capabilities, the Spell-less Arc Light combined with the Bone-Gnawing Short Sword offered such high output that it was enough for her to instantly kill any Transcendent within level 10 who wasn't on a flesh-and-blood Path. The Dark Word Curse's damage-over-time and blinding effect could catch enemies off guard, serving as a safeguard for winning against the odds in critical moments.

Considering all this, Li Wen's main deficiency was in sustainability. Although the Prayer Incantation had healing effects, it was somewhat useful at lower levels. As Li Wen's level increased, when any of her Paths advanced to Stage Two, her life essence would undergo significant changes, making that small amount of life recovery feel like a drop in the bucket.

Furthermore, ability levels could be upgraded through repeated use, so improving ability levels wasn't an urgent matter. Thus, Li Wen decided to spend 300 and 400 Experience Points respectively to learn the third and fourth abilities of the Supplicant class: Divine Prayer and Craving Light.

[Divine Prayer Lv1]
[Radiance - Divine Art]
[Requires: 2 Magic Power, 1 Basic Prayer]
[Targeting - Quantity 1]
[One of the widely spread Divine Arts among the many Kanan faiths. It is the first Divine Art that priests of the ancient Sun God Cult must learn. Only true fervent faith can attract the gaze of light.]
[When used on an ally, it restores [Ability Level x 20% Caster's HP] and slowly restores 10% of the caster's HP over the next ten seconds, while also providing a degree of immunity to status effects like bleeding, poisoning, and vulnerability. When used on an enemy, it can be considered a Divine Strike of the same level, dealing [Ability Level x 15% Caster's HP] damage to the target and causing them to become dazed for five seconds.]

[Craving Light Lv1]
[Radiance - Divine Art]
[Requires: 5 Magic Power, 1 Long Prayer]
[Targeting - Not Self - Quantity 1-3]
[One of the ancient Sun God Cult Divine Arts, long lost and rediscovered by an unknown saint of the Kanan faiths. The reason for its loss was not that it was abandoned by the times, but rather its excessive power and danger. "Craving Radiance is not wrong; the mistake is getting too close to the light." - "Aries Admonitions"]
[Grants up to [Ability Level] targets a "Craving Light" status. While this status is active, targets will unconsciously yearn for light, and Radiance Spectrum spells cast on them will have an additional 20% effectiveness. After the status lasts for one minute, targets will wish to stay in illuminated areas, or they will become agitated. After the status lasts for five minutes, targets can only act under direct sunlight or firelight, otherwise they will fall into a frenzy and self-harm. After the status lasts for ten minutes, targets will be ignited by light until death. "Craving Light" is considered a curse or blessing of the same level. Repeatedly casting this Divine Art on a target will remove this status.]

As seven hundred Experience Points flowed away like water, Li Wen's Path of Light Chasing level rose to Lv4, and her total Magic Power reached 40.

The reason these two new abilities were not learned sooner was mainly that they were difficult to apply in most situations.

Divine Prayer's recovery and damage were based on a percentage of her own HP and were not universally applicable. At her current low level, the fixed values of Prayer Incantation and Spell-less Arc Light were actually more practical. However, in the future, it would definitely become one of her primary means.

Craving Light was even more so. Its 5 Magic Power cost was comparable to some Tier 2 spells, and its long prayer chant time lasted a full ten seconds. During intense combat, that much time would be enough for Li Wen to die several times over. Furthermore, it couldn't be cast on oneself, and using it on allies carried risks if it timed out. So, despite appearing powerful, it actually had little practical use.

Although the description stated that the Divine Art was lost due to its excessive power and danger, Li Wen seriously doubted this.

The only reason Li Wen learned it now was to complete all the Supplicant abilities and then find an opportunity to grind skill proficiency to max out all ability levels.

"Is there anything else?"

Pastor Mog saw Li Wen standing there for a while without leaving. Despite his extreme reluctance, he asked.

"The mission my mentor bestowed upon me is about to begin. As a member of Dark Dawn, you must contribute to it. Tilroggzak, do you understand what I mean?"

Seeing Li Wen utter his true name, Pastor Mog's expression changed drastically.

"Siswell, my revered mentor, the wise one, my master, has not instructed me on anything. I have my own tasks to complete. Until then, unless it's a direct order from the master himself, nothing doing!"

Li Wen sneered, "Heh, what kind of existence is our great mentor that he would personally contact a mere bug like you? Do as I say! Or do you intend to disobey our great mentor's command! Can you bear the consequences if our great mentor's plan is delayed?"

A cold wind blew in from the windows and doors of the church. The candlelight flickered a few times but never extinguished. Only their shadows danced indistinctly in the candlelight, appearing particularly eerie.

A flicker of hesitation appeared on Pastor Mog's deathly cold and stiff face. Siswell himself wouldn't contact him. He had come to the Black Dragon Territory three years ago to accept his mission and hadn't received any instructions from Siswell since. Otherwise, his first act would be to beg his mentor to drive away this annoying scum, Li Wen.

Unfortunately, Siswell had ordered him not to act rashly. Otherwise, Mog would have already slaughtered Li Wen, used her ashes to craft a soul artifact, and sacrificed her soul to the demons of the inferno.

"Speak, what can I do."

After weighing his own honor and Siswell's wrath, Pastor Mog ultimately, as expected, relented.

"Don't worry, it won't take up too much of your time..." Beneath her cloak, Li Wen narrowed her eyes. "First, we need twelve sacrifices, to be offered to the Twelve Pillar Gods respectively."