It was still version 1.0. The Phantom Demon Candle Heaven Holder had yet to descend and be defeated, and the level cap for the Dedication Path was only Level 50. The highest-level person was the Eternal Pope of the Eternal Theocracy.
Iver conservatively estimated that Bishop Mathers should be at least Level 39.
In Avalon, that would put him among the top-tier members of the Arbitration Hall. One level higher, and he would be among the strongest experts in the current version of the world. If one dared to make a bolder estimate, Bishop Mathers might already be above Level 40, making him the strongest person to have touched the power of the Fifth Level.
Even the Cardinal Bishops of the Eternal Theocracy were only at that level.
But after thinking about what his adoptive father had told him before he left, Iver felt relieved.
This Bishop Mathers was the highest-ranking bishop of Candle Holder Cathedral. In other words, he was the highest administrator of the Nine Pillars God Church in Avalon.
If such a powerful person had not died in a direct impact during the turmoil that would soon engulf Avalon...
Then he had most likely changed his name and identity afterward.
Because Iver truly had no impression of anyone named Mathers. None at all.
The Eternal Theocracy was ruled by elves, so the pace of life there was extremely slow. Not all humans could adapt to living there.
Two-thirds of the upper echelons of the Nine Pillars God Church were women, and more than ninety percent were elves. The Pope who ruled the Theocracy changed every three hundred years. After stepping down, the Pope automatically became a saint and continued traveling through the nations of the mortal world as the Theocracy's representative, bestowing blessings and mediating disputes until growing old and unable to walk, at which point they would return to the Theocracy. Therefore, only elves could serve as Pope.
Mathers was not only male but also human, making him one of the rare few among the Theocracy's upper echelons. Iver remembered that there should not have been anyone like him among the church's leadership.
The Nine Pillars God Church also had another rather special requirement.
They cared about appearances.
One did not necessarily need to be stunningly beautiful, but one absolutely could not be ugly.
The healing arts of the Dedication Path required physical contact with others. If the other party resisted the treatment, its effectiveness would be greatly reduced. In addition, Sacrificial Fire had an obvious beautifying and age-preserving effect, so the church's upper echelons certainly could not be ugly.
But Bishop Mathers...
Was he simply too old? Iver's expression became somewhat strange.
"Don't look at me, Iver. Look at the candle."
Noticing that Iver had suddenly looked at him, Bishop Mathers, whose appearance resembled that of a stern and old-fashioned homeroom teacher, naturally spoke in the severe tone one would expect from such a stereotype. "There is no light or fire on my face. Looking at me won't do you any good."
"Yes."
Iver came back to his senses and answered obediently.
—Pay experience.
He confirmed it inwardly.
Beside him, Bishop Mathers saw Iver return to his senses and continued teaching in a gentler tone:
"You must imagine that the pain, curses, deficiencies, and other negative factors in your body are not 'things that originally existed in your body becoming less,' but rather 'something negative appearing in a body that was previously balanced and healthy.' You must perceive it as a flowing, pitch-black liquid, then use your mental power to move it to the middle finger of your left hand.
"It is something like fuel, something resembling smoke. The moment it comes into contact with flame, it will hiss and dissipate..."
As he spoke, Bishop Mathers touched the flame with the middle finger of his left hand.
The ordinary flame suddenly brightened.
Faint flames extended from his fingertip throughout his body. His entire body seemed to be coated in a membrane of fire, shining with radiance.
The old bishop's pain and aging vanished as though time were flowing backward—
The wrinkles on his face were smoothed away. The unnatural pallor of his hair faded, replaced by a deep-brown luster, and it regained its elasticity, returning to its naturally curly shape. His old, murky pupils, dark as coagulated blood, also brightened, becoming like amber of a slightly deeper shade.
His back straightened, and his skin became fair, clean, and supple.
His entire body grew younger at a visible rate, stopping only when he looked to be around thirty—
It was not that his ailments had been burned away, nor that his pain had melted away. Instead, his body had been restored completely to its "ideal state." It was like a fully refurbished electronic device—with the inevitable deterioration of battery life excluded, not the slightest trace of use remained.
And Mathers now could no longer be called an "old bishop" by any stretch of the imagination.
He pushed up his black hexagonal-framed glasses and smiled smugly. Even his voice had become younger. "...Just like this, Iver. This is the gratitude and blessing that The Illuminator bestows upon us for being willing to walk the Path of Dedication.
"Other than the natural deterioration of one's lifespan, one will never suffer from illness. The body will remain at its peak forever, and one's lifespan will consequently be much longer than that of an ordinary person. After all, even when ordinary people die of old age, it is not because their natural lifespan has been completely exhausted. Rather, they age prematurely due to exhaustion and wear, then develop irreversible illnesses once their bodies become frail.
"But we will never encounter such a situation. Once one masters the Sacrificial Fire Method, one can obtain health and longevity—The Illuminator once said, 'Those who live for others need not suffer.' Health is the most important thing, yet it is something that people who walk other Paths long for but cannot obtain. Nor can we share this blessing with them.
"I am already forty-six years old, yet after using Sacrificial Fire to nourish my body, my appearance has recovered to that of someone not even thirty. My bones, muscles, nerves, and internal organs can all be restored to this degree.
"If someone underwent sufficient training and took meticulous care of their body and mind, then theoretically, they might be able to remain this young at my age. This is the 'positive' change that Sacrificial Fire can bring. Of course, ordinary priests still cannot achieve what I have. They can only turn a negative into zero, but they cannot turn zero into a positive."
Seeing Samuel Mathers use the Sacrificial Fire Method so skillfully that he had nearly returned himself to youth left even Oswald looking astonished and impressed.
The rejuvenated Bishop Mathers smiled smugly at their reactions.
Bishop Mathers had a very good impression of Iver and was full of expectations for his future.
That was why he hoped so badly that Iver would steadfastly walk the Dedication Path.
He had deliberately consumed his own lifespan earlier, making himself look exceptionally old—and he had done so to perform this demonstration at this very moment. Only if his appearance was old and frail could this "return to youth" leave such a deeply unforgettable impression.
"Of course," Bishop Mathers hurriedly added so as not to undermine Iver's confidence, "you don't need to rush. For an ordinary priest who has only just come into contact with Sacrificial Fire, being able to make up for some of the deficiencies in their body is already quite good. You were just sacrificed by a demon, so your body's vitality must have suffered some loss. That is why I taught you Sacrificial Fire first. This way, you can slowly replenish the vitality, blood, and lifespan consumed by the sacrifice.
"Sacred Arts are all simple to master, but that doesn't mean they can be mastered instantly. Generally speaking, mastering Sacrificial Fire within five days is normal. I feel that you should be able to learn the basics within two days. Illumination Spell is much simpler and can be mastered instantly, so we'll discuss it last. Blessing is the most difficult and usually takes about a week to learn.
"So this time, I will only teach you how to practice. After you return home..."
Bishop Mathers stopped speaking halfway through.
Because he saw Iver's pupils suddenly become hollow.
A trace of sunset-like crimson abruptly seeped into his sea-deep blue pupils. It was like the surface of the sea at dusk: the higher it reached, the deeper the blue became, while the lower part resembled a sunset half-submerged beneath the horizon, shining with an almost golden-red glow.
Iver opened his left hand toward the candle flame and touched it with his middle finger.
The flame instantly flared up and flowed along his fingertip into his veins.
Iver suddenly felt a soothing warmth.
It was like soaking in a hot spring filled with fragrance and flower petals while listening to gentle music after a long day of exhaustion. As the heat relaxed his entire body, an intense drowsiness and sense of satisfaction surged through him.
In the world of pure white light he had visualized, a deer slowly walked past.
The deer was transparent, glowing with a pure and dazzling red, like the finest ruby. The instant it appeared, Iver's gaze was irresistibly drawn toward it.
—That was The Illuminator! The supreme being of the Dedication Path, the God of Dedication!
Unlike the immense pressure that the Silver Crowned Dragon of the Path of Authority had brought him, gazing at The Illuminator caused Iver neither hallucinations nor pressure. That was because He had restrained His own divinity, allowing Himself to come into contact with mortals—
Black thorns coiled around His body. The thorns pierced His skin, causing red blood to flow. As He walked, blood continuously dripped onto the ground, causing clusters of eternally burning red flames to rise as footprints.
His enormous crystal-red antlers resembled candle holders stabbing in every direction, with dozens of clusters of pure white flames burning upon them.
The deer slowly approached Iver, who stood motionless like a statue, and gently licked his outstretched left hand.
Then He raised His head and softly brought a wound beneath His neck, pierced by the Black Thorns, toward Iver's palm.
A drop of blood fell into Iver's hand and transformed into a teardrop-shaped ruby.
Three lines of text appeared in Iver's mind.
They were the three choices that appeared whenever one advanced along a Path—
Flame Affinity LV1 (Blue): You crush The Illuminator's Blood and comprehend a fragment of the essence of flame. Lasting Health (White): The Illuminator's Blood purifies your body, allowing you to resist illness more effectively. Flame Container LV1 (Blue): You consume The Illuminator's Blood, expanding the capacity of your soul.
Before you continue