Divine Magic

"There are always places in this world where the sunlight doesn't reach. We are not only spreaders of faith but also guardians of faith, using Holy Light to dispel all darkness…" Cleric Reid's tone softened slightly before he spoke.

He stared into Roy's eyes until Roy nodded repeatedly, then allowed him to sit properly again.

Just then...

What attracted Roy's attention wasn't Cleric Reid's words, but Roy's right hand, resting flat on the desk.

A ball of holy light, pointed at the top and round at the bottom, emerged from his palm, looking like a Seed of Light.

This ball of light was as big as an egg, dozens of times larger than the firefly-like light he had shown Cleric Reid a few days ago.

Roy discovered that the seed-shaped light in his palm had actually extended an invisible tentacle, completely colorless and transparent, like an octopus leg, constantly wriggling. When it touched the surrounding Holy Light Particle, it quickly absorbed them.

Roy could clearly sense its existence. It resembled seaweed swaying at the bottom of the sea, growing from the root of the Seed of Light and constantly waving.

The tentacle seemed to possess a strange magnetic force. As long as Holy Light Particle were nearby, it would immediately capture them and pull them back to the Seed of Light, allowing them to merge into it...

This series of actions was coherent and aggressive. The Holy Light Particle floating near Roy's palm were absorbed into the light ball in his palm in no time.

This was completely different from what Cleric Reid had described, leaving Roy somewhat stunned.

And Cleric Reid could clearly see the seed-like light in Roy's palm...

"You must be working very hard at prayer at home, otherwise, the light ball couldn't have grown so quickly. It looks good. Actually, you can follow the method I taught you and integrate it into your body..." Cleric Reid praised Roy.

Roy widened his eyes, not moving the light ball from his palm, but allowing the invisible tentacle to devour the surrounding Holy Light Particle.

"Teacher, is there a way to condense Holy Light without praying?"

Cleric Reid explained to Roy with great gentleness:

"In reality, countless Holy Light Particle float around us. These Holy Light Particle are attracted by the Holy Light power gathered in our bodies. When they get close enough to the body, these Holy Light Particle are absorbed into the body. However, this natural form of gathering Holy Light power is too weak. Usually, we have to rely on prayer, using the power the Goddess gives us in return, to condense Holy Light."

Just as Cleric Reid said, some Holy Light Particle floating around his body almost landed on his clothes before gradually disappearing and merging into his body.

And he didn't seem to know that Roy could clearly see the surrounding Holy Light Particle.

"Teacher, will the Holy Light gathered in our bodies occasionally extend a tentacle to grab those Holy Light Particle floating around the body?"

"That won't happen..."

Cleric Reid replied with absolute certainty.

Just as he said this, the light ball in Roy's palm devoured more than a dozen Holy Light Particle in succession. Roy clearly saw that the Seed of Light in his palm had grown slightly, and the seed had a form that was about to sprout.

Listening to Cleric Reid's answer and seeing the light ball in his palm, Roy immediately fell into confused thoughts about who was telling the truth.

"..."

Seeing Roy sitting in the chair in a daze, Cleric Reid thought that his words might have hit the Novice Cleric hard, and he was thinking about how to keep this young Novice Cleric for the Holy Temple...

Seeing that the Holy Light ball in Roy's palm was as big as an egg...

Such a large ball of Holy Light was enough to condense the simplest Divine Magic, so he said to Roy, "Glimmer Illumination is the simplest entry-level Divine Magic."

Seeing that he had successfully attracted Roy's attention, he continued, "This Divine Magic has the power to dispel darkness and also has a little bit of weak healing effect. Do you want to learn it now?"

"I want to learn."

Roy said.

Of course, he wanted to learn. Roy was very curious about the magic and Divine Magic in this fantasy world.

Cleric Reid stood up and took out a book from the bookshelf behind him. This book was not very thick. It looked like a copper box. The cover was a copper plate with delicate patterns, and the side not only had a buckle but also delicate hinges on the other side.

Unlocking the buckle and casually opening the book, there were only a few thick parchment pages inside.

The first page was a prayer, and below it was a pattern composed of several sacred symbols. Next to this pattern were many lead lines, each lead line being a note.

Cleric Reid flipped through the back pages, which contained more detailed notes.

Seeing this, he nodded in satisfaction and said, "This book has detailed notes on Glimmer Illumination. You can read it carefully, and if there is anything you don't understand, come and ask me."

"Okay, Teacher!"

Roy moved the somewhat heavy copper box in front of him, but instead of immediately looking at the pages of the Divine Magic drawn inside, he raised his head and continued to ask Cleric Reid, "Teacher, Novice Cleric will become Cleric in the future, so what is above Cleric?"

Cleric Reid answered without thinking, "Clerics master powerful Divine Magic. After receiving a Divine Revelation, they can become High Clerics. High Cleric is not just a title within the Holy Temple, but also indicates the rank of clergy."

Roy curiously pressed, "What's above High Cleric?"

Cleric Reid narrowed his eyes, considered for a moment, and then said,

"According to my teacher's description, a High Cleric can advance when the shadow of the Goddess merges into their soul, their body becomes homogeneous with Holy Light, and then the power of Holy Light reaches a certain critical point."

"I can't describe it in detail, because I haven't reached that level myself..."

"Actually, there are two paths above High Cleric: Cleric and Combat Cleric."

Roy had no interest in Clerics; he didn't want to become a mendicant monk in tattered robes, so he asked,

"Teacher, can you tell me about Combat Clerics?"

Cleric Reid asked him, "Do you want to become a Combat Cleric?"

Roy hadn't really thought that far ahead, but at this point, he could only bite the bullet and nod in agreement.

Cleric Reid then said, "The series of Divine Magic that Combat Clerics study is fundamentally different from that of Clerics. Clerics primarily focus on healing power, while Combat Clerics' Divine Magic includes blessings that enhance themselves and their companions, including strength, speed, endurance, weapons, armor, and so on."

"Therefore, Combat Clerics must not only have unwavering faith but also a strong physique. Otherwise, if their physical constitution is weak, even with Divine Power bestowed upon them, they will only become spoils of war on the battlefield."

Roy understood this time; the so-called Combat Cleric needed to cultivate both martial skills and Divine Magic.

"What's above Combat Cleric?"

"Combat Clerics become Inquisitors after promotion, and Clerics become Bishops. It is said that Bishops with powerful Divine Magic can master 'Greater Resurrection', but my teacher never mentioned how to advance specifically..."

After Cleric Reid explained to Roy, he had Roy study 'Glimmer Illumination' in the Study Room.

He then walked out with the geography atlas, and soon after, Cleric Theodore's voice echoed in the corridor outside.

Roy sat in the Study Room, carefully reading the annotations in the book while holding a Holy Light orb in his palm. The invisible tentacle continuously captured Holy Light Particle within the area of the round table, making the Seed of Light in his hand more solid.

The process of learning Divine Magic was extremely tedious. Even though he didn't understand the meaning of the symbols, he had to memorize them...

Not only did he have to memorize them, but he also had to learn to draw them by hand, and there were very strict requirements for how to move the brush and how to connect it with the prayer.

The process was very cumbersome.

Fortunately, Roy was full of curiosity about Divine Magic and studied diligently all afternoon.

At first, Roy drew the symbols crookedly.

But this level of study was not difficult for Roy, who had attended various tutoring classes since childhood, learned English for exams, and taught himself Japanese out of interest.

If the symbols were too ugly, Roy would practice on the round table with water on his finger.

The prayer was a bit tongue-twisting, so he recited it loudly in the Study Room. Anyway, this was the entry-level Divine Magic for Novice Clerics, and there was no need to keep it secret...

During this time, Cleric Reid came over twice. The first time was to correct Roy's speed and rhythm of reciting the prayer; it wasn't about reciting it as fast and fluently as possible.

The second time Cleric Reid came over was to correct the errors in Roy's drawing of the sacred symbols.

It must be said that this was the benefit of having a teacher, even for a small Novice Cleric.

He could correct various mistakes in the practice process in time and point out a shortcut...

In the beginning, Roy couldn't cast this simple Divine Magic no matter what he did.

Later, Roy could successfully cast it once every five or six attempts.

Roy spent only an afternoon learning 'Glimmer Illumination', and most of that time was spent condensing Holy Light.

Looking at a faint light floating above his head, like a big light bulb turned on above him, Roy didn't feel very good. However, as his mind moved, the faint light floated within five meters of his body.

Wherever his gaze reached, the faint light would slowly drift over.

Roy thought that he wouldn't need to carry a lantern when walking at night in the future.

It would be really convenient to go clamming at night.

He still had to hold the lantern in his hand, but this faint light could float by itself, which was not bad...

It was a pity that it wasn't magic. Roy actually hoped that he could control a fireball.

Throw it out and then explode it violently...

The afternoon passed quickly.

By the time Roy left the Holy Temple, he could barely cast 'Glimmer Illumination'.