Feel the Pain

Melanie remained silent for a moment before saying, "A lady's age is a secret, Olivia. You shouldn't ask such questions."

In truth, she didn't know how old Julia was either, but saying this was always a safe bet.

"You're right." Olivia didn't press further.

It didn't take long for the two to arrive at the meditation room.

Once there, Olivia stated her request: "Ms. Melanie, I want to master the pain spell. However, I feel that I might need to experience pain myself to truly grasp it. Therefore, I need you to help me with the Dream Pendant."

"I figured it was something like that," Melanie couldn't help but smile.

She naturally wouldn't refuse such a simple request for help. She immediately placed her hand in the pocket of her nun's habit, touching the inner lining.

"Shall we start now, Olivia?"

"Of course. I'm counting on you."

"Then I'm taking it out."

Melanie unzipped the lining and reached inside to pull out the Dream Pendant.

The pendant gave off an expensive aura, inlaid with a crystal that resembled a purple gemstone. The moment it appeared, it emitted a mysterious ripple that began to influence the living beings in the vicinity.

Olivia did not resist the wave. She allowed the Dream Pendant to affect her, falling into a dream within moments. In that dream, she began to experience the sensations of pain it provided.

...

It felt as if a long time had passed, yet also as if only an instant had gone by.

When Olivia opened her eyes again, she saw the spacious environment of the meditation room and Melanie, who was looking at her with a beaming smile.

She had awakened from the dream.

She didn't know what kind of dream she had had; the dream itself had been forgotten. Only the pain still lingered in her chest, causing her eyes to moisten involuntarily.

"Alright, remember everything I'm about to say." Melanie put away the Dream Pendant and began to offer guidance. "Feel your own pain. Let these pains gather together to form a seed. You can use your body control ability here; I know you're capable of it..."

Under Melanie's guidance, Olivia maintained her state of pain and began to let it converge.

She understood why Melanie hadn't helped her master the pain spell from the very beginning. Mastering this ability actually required a sufficient grasp of the body control skill; otherwise, the pain could not be condensed, let alone gathered into a seed.

And now, Melanie believed that Olivia's comprehension of body control was sufficient.

It didn't take long for Olivia to condense all the pain in her chest, forming a seed of pain that only she could perceive.

"Is this enough to cast the pain spell?" Olivia asked in confusion, as she found she hadn't gained any further abilities.

"Of course that's not enough," Melanie explained. "Next, you need to absorb pain to nourish this seed. Only when the seed grows to a certain point and becomes a flower of pain will you be able to cast the pain spell."

"Absorb pain? How?"

"It's simple: actively create pain. Remember, it must be pain you actively create; it cannot be pain that appears passively."

Melanie gave an example, saying that going to a cemetery to feel the pain of others was useless because the birth of that pain had nothing to do with oneself.

"Actively create pain? How... how do I do that?" Olivia was a bit bewildered.

Pain was not a pleasant word. It was usually accompanied by things people were reluctant to face. Actively creating pain inevitably felt like it wasn't a good thing to do.

Olivia couldn't help but ask, "Ms. Melanie, how did you do it back then?"

As soon as she asked this, Olivia sensed a surge of pain power emanating from Melanie, merging into her own seed of pain.

Olivia: "???"

She looked at Melanie with a subtle expression, only to see that Melanie's own expression was somewhat complicated.

The chanting nun sighed. "Olivia, I have to admit many times that you truly are a genius. You've already learned how to create pain for others so quickly."

Olivia was speechless.

Had that question just now brought back bad memories for Melanie?

That worked too?

So how exactly did Melanie obtain pain power back then?

Olivia opened her mouth to ask, but seeing the complicated look in Melanie's eyes, she decided against it.

Melanie quickly composed herself and said with a smile, "I don't think I need to go into detail. You already know how to create pain for people. It doesn't actually require doing anything heinous; at most, it's just being a bit of a nuisance."

"I think I understand a little now." Olivia's expression was strange.

"Since you understand, I'll be going now. I still have many things to handle. You know, Kaliron hasn't been peaceful at all lately."

"Goodbye, Ms. Melanie."

Olivia naturally understood how chaotic Kaliron had been recently.

Once Melanie left the meditation room, Olivia thought for a moment and couldn't suppress her curiosity. She whispered in her heart.

'Magic mirror, magic mirror, tell me how Melanie obtained pain power when she was at the Pilgrim rank.'

【She would intentionally say things every day to annoy her colleagues and make them feel stifled. The colleague who felt stifled the most was named Yulian Ramirez.】

Just that?

Then why did pain appear in Melanie's heart just now?

Olivia asked again.

'Magic mirror, magic mirror, where is Yulian Ramirez now?'

【She died in a transcendent incident two years ago.】

Olivia fell silent.

She roughly understood why Melanie's mood had become complicated. The fact that Yulian was the person Melanie extracted the most pain power from suggested they had a good relationship—good enough to joke around.

But later, Yulian died.

Her question just now probably made Melanie think of her former colleague, which was why a small amount of pain power was generated.

"I remember Kaliron was quite peaceful two years ago, yet people still died. So, in today's Kaliron..."

Olivia's heart grew a bit heavier.

In the statue gallery last night, it was actually quite a stroke of luck that all the clergy survived. If she had made even a single mistake, it would have resulted in a total wipeout. Gray and the others who rushed back later probably wouldn't have escaped either.

Therefore, every step really needs to be taken with caution.

Olivia then left the meditation room. She hadn't eaten breakfast yet, so she headed straight for the Daylight Cathedral's cafeteria.

The cafeteria was massive and bright, filled with clergy coming and going. The variety of food available was rich, offering plenty of choices.

Upon arriving at the cafeteria, Olivia saw two familiar faces sitting at a table not far away: Ronan and Gray.

She walked over and heard Ronan complaining about yesterday's events. He talked about how they were only supposed to handle one transcendent incident, yet they encountered another on the way back, forcing them to walk the line between life and death.

To this, Gray offered comfort: "Your situation is actually considered good. You know Bob, right? After he finished his assigned task yesterday, he encountered seven consecutive transcendent incidents involving other people on his way back. He couldn't get out of any of them. By the end of the night, he was practically worn to the bone. He only got back at dawn. Poor guy."

Ronan took a sip of the ale in his hand and said, "I don't want to compare who has it worse. I only hope today's mission goes without any surprises and doesn't force me to face two transcendent incidents passively."

Olivia, who had just arrived beside them, thought of her yet-to-bloom seed of pain and almost subconsciously chimed in, "Deacon Ronan, don't be so optimistic. What if you run into three or even four?"