I, Olivia, an Evolver

An Ascetic does not gain many new abilities upon becoming an Evolver, as most of their powers are already mastered in previous class ranks.

However, those existing abilities undergo a massive enhancement once the practitioner reaches this level.

The only active ability an Ascetic gains upon becoming an Evolver is known as the Giant Spirit Form.

Just as the previous ability, Giant Spirit Hand, allowed one to extend their arms or enlarge their palms, the Giant Spirit Form provides a far more comprehensive version of that power.

By utilizing the Giant Spirit Form, one can extend or enlarge any part of their body, even to the point of transforming into a literal giant for combat.

An Ascetic's combat prowess in this form undoubtedly reaches a staggering level.

Of course, exactly how staggering it is remains somewhat difficult to reference within the church itself.

To ensure the secrecy of the Ascetic path, the church does not display their unique traits in public settings.

Many Ascetics are actually mistaken for Arbiters by outsiders.

In most situations, Ascetics do indeed disguise themselves as Arbiters, refraining from utilizing their full range of techniques.

However, if Olivia wanted to know exactly how powerful the Giant Spirit Form was, it wouldn't be much trouble; she only had to ask the magic mirror.

While Ascetics might not easily show their hand in the outside world, they had no such concerns within the church headquarters.

The church headquarters was already within the magic mirror's sphere of influence; nothing happened there that it did not know about.

Consequently, Olivia was quite looking forward to this Giant Spirit Form.

To use the Giant Spirit Form effectively, however, she would need suitable attire. It would be rather embarrassing if her clothes burst every time she enlarged her body.

Naturally, the church had solutions for this, which she could look into once her advancement was complete.

As for whether the advancement would succeed, Olivia wasn't worried at all. She never doubted the outcome.

The magic mirror had already assessed her success rate, and it was, without question, 100%.

All she had to do now was wait for seven days while soaking in the medicinal bath.

Time began to trickle by, second by second.

When one is occupied, time seems to fly, often passing without being noticed.

But when one has nothing to do but wait, time feels as though it is crawling at a snail's pace.

For Olivia, the passage of time slowed significantly.

During such a wait, it was inevitable to feel restless.

Nevertheless, Olivia restrained herself, keeping her body perfectly still.

After all, there wasn't an infinite amount of medicinal liquid in the bathtub. If she were to unconsciously roll over and let a limb break the surface, exposing it to the air, it would cause trouble.

To become a complete Evolver, every single part of her body had to fully absorb the medicinal liquid.

If any part of her was accidentally exposed, that area might not absorb the liquid sufficiently, creating a weakness. In severe cases, it could even cause the advancement to fail.

Therefore, she had to endure.

Olivia controlled her body, keeping it motionless while her mind wandered through various thoughts. Even if it felt like years were passing, she had to see it through.

One day, two days, three days...

As time passed, many within the church turned their attention toward Olivia, waiting for the Protagonist of the Era to complete her advancement.

In the blink of an eye, seven days and seven nights had passed.

Olivia sensed the changes in her body immediately.

In truth, her body had been changing every moment during those seven days and nights of soaking.

But as the final moment passed, those changes reached a sudden climax, granting her entire being a qualitative leap.

Her physical attributes soared to an incredible level; she felt as though she could crush steel with a casual touch.

At the same time, she could faintly feel that her life force had been drastically extended. The passage of time would find it much harder to leave its mark on her now.

She had successfully advanced!

Normally, at the very moment a transcendent advances to an Evolver, they are granted the opportunity to reshape their physical form.

Many elderly transcendents choose this moment to restore their youthful appearance, and some even choose to make themselves look like children.

Some Evolvers Olivia had met before, such as Annie from the Twilight Council and Chester from the Time Chamber of Commerce, maintained the appearance of children.

That was the result of deliberate reshaping upon becoming Evolvers.

At this moment, Olivia could also choose to turn herself into a child.

However, once the reshaping was complete, that appearance would be permanent and could no longer be changed.

Olivia gave it some thought but ultimately decided not to alter her appearance.

She was already in the prime of her youth; maintaining her current form was enough. She had no need to become a child, nor did she need to make herself look more mature.

Then...

Splosh...

Accompanied by the sound of shifting water, Olivia braced herself and sat up in the bathtub.

The remaining medicinal liquid had turned into clear water. Looking down, her gaze passed easily through the liquid to her fair, delicate body.

She stepped out of the tub, shook the water droplets from her skin, and took a towel from Amber Tears to dry herself before changing into a fresh nun habit.

From this day forward, she was an Evolver—a high-level class rank transcendent.

Thinking of this, even Olivia felt a slight sense of daze.

She still remembered when she first entered this world; back then, a high-level class rank transcendent was a distant, powerful existence in her eyes.

Yet, it felt as though not much time had passed at all, and she had already stepped into that realm herself.

It was truly something to marvel at.

Taking a deep breath, Olivia opened the door to the meditation room and stepped out.

Several familiar faces were already waiting outside.

Sybil, Ivy, Clara, and even Bishop Charles were present.

When they saw Olivia emerge, radiating a profound and distant aura, everyone understood: Olivia had successfully advanced.