Diana's Choice

"You only want Gold Pounds, not things like my soul or my lifespan?"

Her wide eyes were filled with vigilance as she scanned the invisible presence surrounding her.

She struggled to guess the true purpose of this "Lord of All Spirits," but the more she thought, the heavier her heart became; no matter what conditions He set, the moment she summoned Him, Diana's fate was no longer in her own hands.

After realizing this, she took a deep breath and nodded repeatedly.

"No problem, great Lord of All Spirits. May I ask how I should join your church?"

She did not ask how many Gold Pounds she needed to donate, as that was truly insignificant to her.

"At midnight on Sunday, go to the alley in the East District; my followers will naturally be there to receive you," Ivan's ethereal voice echoed in her heart.

"Midnight... the alley in the East District..." Diana murmured, her brows furrowing again, clearly uneasy about the time and place.

"By the way, I also need you to bring that Book of Rituals and translate some other potential ancient texts," Ivan noticed Diana's anxiety and quickly added.

"No problem! Great Lord, can I obtain extraordinary abilities now?"

Upon learning that Ivan still needed her translation skills, Diana felt relieved.

At the very least, she was someone useful to Him, though a trace of doubt remained in her heart: shouldn't these ancient characters be the ones used by the Old Gods? Why would this Lord of All Spirits need her to translate them?

Ivan looked at the young girl before him and said slowly, "I can grant you any extraordinary ability you desire, though some abilities require patience."

"Do you have a preferred direction?"

Diana blinked, "Any ability..."

She had never thought about what kind of ability she needed, and she was not very clear about what kind of extraordinary abilities existed in this world.

She thought for a long time, finally lifting her head with newfound determination in her eyes:

"Um... great Lord of All Spirits, please grant me a combat-type extraordinary ability."

"A combat-type extraordinary ability?" Ivan was somewhat surprised; he had not expected this elegant young lady to choose a combat-oriented path.

Diana lowered her gaze, as if burying some hidden concern. She gripped the hem of her nightgown, her voice soft yet firm:

"I don't want to be the weak young lady in others' eyes anymore. I want the ability to protect my family when danger arrives."

The room fell into a brief silence; Ivan did not know what had happened to this elegant girl.

Ivan sighed. He happened to have an Order Aspect within his body, which counted as an extraordinary aspect that enhanced combat capabilities.

"I can grant you an extraordinary ability from the Order Aspect."

"You can randomly obtain one of two paths: [Hand of Arbitration] or [Punishment Knight]."

"Hand of Arbitration can utilize rules to a certain extent, using those rules to strengthen your combat prowess."

"Punishment Knight, on the other hand, possesses strong innate combat skills and physical fitness, along with some mysterious means of attack."

"Are you sure you want to walk this path? Once chosen, it cannot be changed."

In truth, Ivan was not certain if it could be changed; it was merely his own speculation.

Hearing Ivan's explanation, Diana did not hesitate further and nodded earnestly. She believed that the sooner she obtained power, the stronger she would become in the future.

Ivan said nothing more and guided the red light within his spirit body to fly into her head.

The orb of light transformed into a scorching sensation, entering through the center of her brow and spreading rapidly down her spine like a warm current.

Her pupils contracted sharply, then slowly dilated, a trace of imperceptible golden light flashing in her eyes.

Her bones felt as if they were being reshaped by some mysterious force, becoming sturdier and more resilient.

Her muscle fibers were strengthened in a metaphysical sense, and her strength and explosive power were significantly enhanced.

Her body became light, her reaction speed increased dramatically, and every part of her body seemed to become perfectly coordinated.

Various combat techniques, defensive postures, and breathing rhythms flooded into her memory like a tide, eventually settling and becoming a part of her body.

She could even sense the invisible "Order Veins" in the surrounding space; the placement of tables and chairs, the position of objects, and even the flow of dust in the air all followed a certain pattern.

This perception allowed her to find the optimal attack angles and defensive timing during combat.

Diana excitedly felt the changes in her body, her thrill overriding the fear she had felt moments ago.

"Praise the great Lord of All Spirits!"

She tried to jump off the bed, but failing to control her strength, she leaped into the middle of the rug. Her feet slipped, and her body tilted forward.

Yet, just as she was about to touch the ground, she stopped in a bizarre fashion, her body nearly parallel to the floor, supported only by the tips of her small toes.

"Tsk tsk, what a high-difficulty move... is this the physical fitness of a Punishment Knight?" Ivan watched this scene from above her head and couldn't help but marvel.

It was a pity he couldn't obtain this power; otherwise, with the addition of extraordinary strength, perhaps even his tentacles could strike with a sound that tore through the air.

"It seems you have embarked on the path of the [Punishment Knight]. Not bad, it provides a significant enhancement to the human body."

Ivan praised little Diana from the air.

Little Diana quickly rose from her strange posture and let out a breath.

She had not expected that her slender body could possess such powerful strength.

"Great Lord of All Spirits, thank you for your grace. Your knight, Diana, will follow in your footsteps forever."

She stood with her legs together and back straight, striking her chest with her right hand in a knightly salute she had learned from who knows where.

Ivan found it somewhat amusing; a young, golden-haired girl with delicate features, dressed in a pristine white nightgown, had actually become a knight for a cult.

What a contrast...

"Very well, from now on, you are the Chief Knight of the Holy Spirit Society. The safety of the church depends on you."

"Ah! I, I just became a Beyonder..."

Hearing herself entrusted with such a heavy responsibility by Ivan, little Diana immediately deflated like a punctured ball, her hands clutching the hem of her nightgown as she reverted to the posture of a young girl.

"Heh, don't worry. Extraordinary power has only recently returned to this world; there won't be any danger."

Ivan comforted Diana with his own conjectures about the world's extraordinary system; after all, the church's current combat strength was indeed limited to just her and Little George.

"So that's how it is." Diana nodded, appearing to understand, though she realized after receiving the revelation from the god that her previous understanding of the extraordinary world had been incredibly shallow.

"Alright, now that you have become my believer, you may pray to me in your heart at any time. I can hear the prayers of all of you and provide a response."

"Usually, you only need to attend the church's worship activities on Sundays."

Diana nodded. Thinking that Ivan had already departed, she began to explore the mysterious power she had just acquired.

Ivan hovered awkwardly in place, thinking silently to himself:

...If I open the door now, will I appear low-status in front of her? To think I can't even vanish without a trace.

Sigh, I'll just have to wait until she leaves tomorrow morning to slip away...

Inside the church's bell tower.

Tom, a young Night Watchman, held his approved application and the prepared Magic Potion.

Under Abel's cold, stern gaze, he nervously drank the potion in one gulp.

"AAHH!!!!"

The liquid, scorching like molten lava, slid down his throat and exploded instantly within his body, as if his internal organs had been set ablaze.

Tom collapsed to the floor in agony, his body convulsing violently as sweat and tears rolled down his cheeks.

Beside him, Abel exhaled a ring of smoke, as if seeing his former self.

"Hold on. If you wish to walk the path of the Order Aspect, you must endure this pain."

"Only by surviving this trial can you truly understand what it means to be a Beyonder."