Olivia had long known through the magic mirror that the Ascetic path existed within the Church's orthodox transcendent routes. However, unlike Priests and Arbiters who were kept in the public eye, the Ascetic was a hidden choice.
Why the Church chose to hide the Ascetic path, she did not understand.
Hearing Melanie mention the option of becoming an Ascetic now, Olivia felt a subtle shift in her heart. On the surface, she feigned confusion. "An Ascetic? I've never heard of that class rank. What kind of class is it?"
Melanie explained, "It's normal that you haven't heard of it, because the Ascetic class has been deliberately hidden by the Church."
"Hidden? Why hide it?"
"That's a bit of a complicated story..." Melanie weighed her words carefully. "The main reason is that the Church is simply too massive. It's so large that classes like Priest and Arbiter have been studied extensively by our hidden enemies—the heretics. This places the Church at a disadvantage.
"Therefore, in the distant past, as soon as the Ascetic class was confirmed as a complete transcendent route, it was hidden away.
"You might have already guessed, but the Ascetic is an orthodox route of the Church itself, standing on equal footing with Priests and Arbiters. By following this path, you won't have to worry about a lack of subsequent advancement rituals or transcendent materials.
"However, to ensure the secrecy of the Ascetics, any member of the Church who wishes to become one must be recommended by another Ascetic and must strictly maintain the secret of their existence.
"Don't look so surprised. Since I'm mentioning the Ascetic to you, I'm naturally not violating any confidentiality protocols. When an Ascetic attempts to recommend someone else to join their ranks, they are permitted to temporarily reveal relevant information.
"That's right—I am an Ascetic.
"I admire your abilities, Olivia. That's why I hope you won't take the Arbiter route. Instead, I want you to walk the path of the Ascetic with me. It is absolutely the better choice.
"Of course, I won't force you. If you still wish to follow the Arbiter route, I will respect your choice. However, in that case, you'll have to come with me to the basement of the Daylight Cathedral—the forbidden artifact containment room. I'll need to use a forbidden artifact to make you forget everything regarding the Ascetics.
"What are your thoughts on this?"
Melanie watched Olivia with a smile.
This development had indeed exceeded Olivia's expectations. After a moment of thought, she asked, "Being an Ascetic sounds like it involves a lot of suffering? It makes me a bit uneasy."
"An Ascetic does indeed need to taste all kinds of bitterness. Some advancement rituals even require experiencing pain beforehand. However..." Melanie suddenly winked. "Suffering in a dream is still suffering. That is our way of bypassing it. So far, I haven't actually suffered much at all."
Olivia was stunned.
Suffering in a dream?
That works too?
She had to admit, Melanie's explanation truly swayed her. Her resolve to choose the Arbiter path was no longer so firm.
"But if I choose to be an Ascetic, how do I explain myself to the outside world? I can't just never use my powers, can I?" Olivia thought of another problem.
If Ascetics were meant to be hidden, did they have to refrain from acting just to stay secret?
Melanie laughed. "That's a minor issue. Many of an Ascetic's abilities are similar to an Arbiter's. For instance, upon becoming a Pilgrim, an Ascetic also masters superb combat skills. You can simply claim to be an Arbiter. As for the abilities that differ from an Arbiter's, just use them sparingly. If you must use them, you can attribute them to the power of talismans or even forbidden artifacts. There are always plenty of excuses. Besides, when the time comes, you won't have to explain yourself alone; the other Ascetics will help you."
Melanie pointed upward, indicating that the higher-ups were very good at cleaning up such messes, so there was no need to worry about exposure.
This gave Olivia a strange expression. Did Melanie have extensive experience with the higher-ups cleaning up after her?
'If Melanie is an Ascetic, was that shrinking ability from before an Ascetic power? It's a truly impressive ability.'
Olivia thought for a moment and asked again, "Lady Melanie, may I know more about the abilities of an Ascetic? If I don't agree, I'll have to forget this memory anyway, so there's no harm in telling me. And if I do agree, I'll just be learning about my future abilities ahead of time."
"Certainly, no problem." Melanie immediately began describing the various abilities mastered by Ascetics.
At the Pilgrim rank, in addition to being skilled in combat, an Ascetic can trigger negative emotions deep within a target's heart, making them feel pain.
Furthermore, their endurance and constitution receive a boost. Naturally, this doesn't negatively alter a girl's figure; in fact, it allows for better control over one's physique.
"Any lady who becomes an Ascetic is bound to have a figure she's satisfied with, because an Ascetic's control over their own body is incredibly strong," Melanie said, offering an ability that was hard for any woman to refuse.
Beyond the Pilgrim rank, Melanie also told Olivia about the Ascetic's abilities at the Sensate and Transcender ranks.
As a chanting nun, Melanie's current class rank was that of a Transcender!
While learning about the Ascetics from Melanie, Olivia also whispered in her heart.
'Magic mirror, magic mirror, have Priests and Arbiters been studied so much by heretics that they are easily targeted?'
【That is correct, Master. This has always been a source of distress for the Church. They have been trying to supplement their ranks with a wealth of talismans and even forbidden artifacts to alleviate this pressure.】
Olivia grew thoughtful. Being too conspicuous inevitably invited too much scrutiny; that was indeed a problem.
And the Ascetic path was much better than she had initially imagined.
Melanie asked with a smile, "Well? Olivia, do you plan to become an Ascetic? I can also tell you that if the combat ability of an Arbiter at the Pilgrim rank is considered Combat Proficiency, then an Ascetic's combat ability is even more formidable—it's at the level of a Combat Expert."
These were passive abilities corresponding to the class rank, allowing one to easily master and skillfully apply combat techniques.
But the difference in strength between Combat Proficiency and a Combat Expert was clear at a glance.
Olivia made her decision. "Since it is your invitation, Lady Melanie, I naturally have no reason to refuse. I am willing to become an Ascetic."
"Welcome to the fold, Olivia." Melanie smiled with satisfaction.
It was true that one could only join the Ascetics through a recommendation from another member, but the Church also had a strict requirement: only those who were sufficiently outstanding could be recommended.
Olivia clearly met that criterion.
Just as the two finished their conversation, Ronan arrived with the materials required for the Arbiter advancement ritual. Melanie took the materials and dismissed Ronan, then went to swap them for a different set of materials for Olivia.
When Melanie returned, she looked at Olivia and said, "I will keep an eye on your advancement ritual to ensure nothing goes wrong. However, you must perform the specific process of the ritual yourself. I will now tell you how to conduct the Ascetic's advancement ritual."
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