Chapter 18

The interior wasn't that much different from the Rogue's building. They had the same lobby, same counter, and the same bored-looking NPC tending to it. The only ones that were different about the place were the majority of the people inside were wearing robes with wands, staffs, orbs, books, and more sorcerer based weapons.

Additionally, the lighting inside the room was dimmer than other establishments. If one took a closer look upon the walls, they would see a tinge of blue flames lighting the frames of the ceiling.

Jhin and Lily had been here before and their entrance didn't garner much attention from the other Sorcerer NPCs. As for Mia however, she couldn't help but subconsciously walk a little closer to her brother after feeling uncomfortable from the stares she was receiving from the other NPCs.

To be fair, the others did look ominous and intimidating especially when they wore hoods over their heads and carried staffs with skulls or carrying a skull itself.

Additionally, there is a promotion class for sorcerers that specializes in curse and hexes which is why some of the sorcerers carried ominous-looking voodoo dolls.

"Eerie, spooky, and creepy" were the words that described the Sorcerers.

The group passed by the counter and entered directly towards the backroom where the Master NPCs would be located.

Eventually, they approached a woman who seemed to be in her late twenties. She boasted a huge bosom and plump curves that was heavily emphasized by her robes with revealing design.

She gave the impression of a beautiful temptress, a mysterious and yet playful charm. She had long curvy magenta hair that reached her back and fiery orange eyes that seemed to emit a mysterious light.

Behind her was a long staff with a shiny dark purple orb resting at the peak along with four sharp ends to encase it. By her hip was a grimoire with iron frames by the edges and an insignia of a round emblem.

The trio walked closer with Jhin in the lead.

"...Master Sorceress Monica"

Master Sorceress Monica gazed at Jhin with narrowed eyes. "Hmmm... Does this mean you will be purchasing my skills this time, young man?"

Jhin nodded politely.

Master Sorceress Monica looked at Lily who was hiding behind Jhin.

"Is it you, little one?" She asked with an intrigued smile.

"Y-yes." Lily nodded hesitantly, feeling a little peeved from the gaze she was receiving.

Master Sorceress Monica smiled in amusement, bewitching several male players and npcs who saw her do so.

As for Jhin however, he only smiled politely in response.

"Very well then." With a wave of her hand, Jhin, Mia, and Lily saw a system panel appear in front of Master Sorceress Monica.

There were a variety of skills, both passive and active, and most of them cost about a few hundred silvers or so.

Jhin then pointed towards three skills.

One ultimate skill and two passive skills.

"Oh?" Master Sorceress Monica raised a brow in interest before narrowing her eyes towards Lily and looking back at Jhin.

"Are you absolutely sure that this is the skill you want her to learn?" Master Sorceress Monica asked. "I'm sure I cannot be mistaken but, isn't this little lass a [Spearman]?"

Jhin answered, "If Master Sorceress Monica is asking about her class, then the answer is no. Lily has the sorceress class."

"Huh..." Master Sorceress Monica's face grew thoughtful for a moment. "I knew you were unique but.... not this unique. Can't tell if you are being ingenious or pretentious."

[Master Sorceress Monica: Impression ▲]

Jhin smiled. "I am unworthy of your praise."

Catching the interest of an NPC like Master Sorceress Monica was a good achievement early in the game.

Master Sorceress Monica smirked. "Brat, That doesn't necessarily mean a good thing, you know?"

Her eyes then became serious as she matched Jhin's gaze.

"You do realize that the equipment you're having her wear is not one of a sorceress', correct?"

Jhin nodded and remained unfazed by her stare.

"That is correct, Master Sorceress Monica."

"Then," Master Sorceress Monica narrowed her eyes as she asked with a sharp tone. "Are you purposely leading this little girl astray from the right path?"

Seeing this out-of-character response, Jhin only confirmed even more that Lily was a special existence. Master Sorceress Monica, although she was commonly known for being friendly and flirty, but in truth she couldn't care less about the players that interacted with her.

"Rest assured." Jhin replied. "I know which path would suit her best."

Master Sorceress Monica raised a brow and smiled in amusement. "Do you now?"

'She must be thinking "What's with this ignorant mortal acting as if he's knowledgeable?" while also making some snide remarks about being pretentious.' Jhin quietly thought while looking at Master Sorceress Monica who had been silently staring at him as if trying to see what was going on in his mind.

Eventually, She looked at Lily again for a few seconds before humming to herself.

"Well, if that's what you say so." She said with a shrug and only then, was Zed able to see a shop window appear in front of her.

Knowing already which ones to buy Zed didn't waste any time and chose three skills from Master Sorceress Monica's shop.

As soon as the payment was done, Master Sorceress Monica made an interested hum along with an amused expression.

"As expected, you really are a unique one."

Hearing her words, Jhin sighed inwardly. 'As expected, she already knows what I'm trying to do.'

Jhin then bowed his head. "Much appreciation, Master Sorceress Monica."

Master Sorceress Monica shook her head. "No, no. Thank you, boy, for you patronage."

She then sent a flirtatious smile at Jhin and said, "I hope you come visit again next time."

"You too, little lass." She added while glancing at Lily, to which the latter shyly nodded in reply.

With that, the group turned around and exited the backroom, with Mia casting a confused gaze while looking behind them.

"...What?" Jhin finally asked after noticing Mia's weird actions as they walked through the lobby full of wizards and sorcerers.

Mia narrowed her eyes while looking back at Master Sorceress Monica's distant figure.

"That woman.... she was ignoring me, right?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah." Jhin nodded.

By the time Jhin answered, they had already walked through the entrance and left the Sorcerer's establishment.

"Well that was kind of rude." Mia said with a frowning face.

"It's like she didn't even acknowledge that I was there."

"Well, You are correct about that one." Jhin replied. "But it's because it has something to do with your class."

"My class? a [ Cleric ]? What does she have against Clerics?"

"Well-" But before Jhin could answer, he realized that Lily was walking with them.

The little girl was walking innocently between the two of them while looking at them with a dainty smile.

"Hm?" Lily tilted her head with confusion after noticing his gaze at her.

Jhin shook his head.

"Never mind. I'll tell you later."

"Hmmm.... If you say so."

With that, the group continued onwards. They passed by numerous Players and NPCs and because of their conspicuous group, many were also staring at them.

"I'm surprised though." Mia said after some time, seemingly unbothered by the attention they were getting.

"Those three skills only cost us 540 silvers. I'm sure there were more OP-OP (Overpowered and Overpriced) skills from that NPC's shop."

Jhin cast an incomprehensible look at his sister and said, "Are you telling me that you already saw the details of her other skills in the short amount of time that I scrolled through it?"

"What? No." Mia shook her head and answered lightheartedly, "I memorized her kit from the forums."

'That's even more impressive.' Jhin thought inwardly with a smile.

Turning his gaze to the front, Jhin answered her question.

"There's a reason why I specifically chose those three skills for Lily."

"First of all, before choosing your skills, make sure that they suit your playstyle."

"It doesn't matter how strong a skill is if you don't even know how to use it in the first place." Jhin said while glancing at Mia, making sure she doesn't have the misconception of buying OP-OP skills just because they were powerful.

"I know at least that much." Mia grumbled.

Jhin smirked. "Then do you want me to explain why I made Lily take [ Ice Manipulation ],[ Wind Manipulation ], and [ Invoke ]?"

In the World of Ascended Order, Elemental Manipulation skills were the ones that cost money. In most cases, the elemental skills that were free to learn for sorcerers were designed spells, meaning that they cannot manipulate it in any other shape or form.

Skills like [ Fireball ], [ Iceball ], [ Wind Slash ], [ Earth Spikes ], and the likes were the skills that current sorcerers had.

"But you still haven't explained why those skills specifically." Mia stated.

Jhin's smile stiffened as he said with an irked tone, "I was getting to that part."

Manipulation skills are as the name states, skills that allow the user to manipulate the the element specifically according to their will. While this sounds like a wonderfully powerful skill, it has its own disadvantages as well.

These skills needs the precise imagination, control, and calculation of the player. They have to take into consideration the scale of the spell would be, how much it would cost their mana, and lastly, how would they apply it according to their playstyle.

In other words, skills like [ Fireball ] and the likes are ready-made spells as the description and mana cost of it is already written in the description.

As for Manipulation skills however,

[ Ice Manipulation (Active Skill)

Level: 1 (SP: 0/25)

➥Use the Element [ Ice ] in accordance to the player's will.

Mana cost: MP cost will vary depending on the scale of the spell.

Cooldown: 1 Minute ]

[ Wind Manipulation (Active Skill)

Level: 1 (SP: 0/25)

➥Use the Element [ Wind ] in accordance to the player's will.

Mana cost: MP cost will vary depending on the scale of the spell.

Cooldown: 1 Minute ]

"However, what's most important of all is the [ Invoke ] skill." Jhin said.

Having read its details previously, Mia nodded. "I know."

[ Invoke (Passive Skill)

Level: 1 (SP: 0/15)

➥10% chance of combining two or more elemental spell at once and unleashing an entirely new and different spell that have a 30% chance of containing both characteristics of the used spells. (Note: The unleashed spell will not be saved as a new skill)

Mana cost: MP cost will vary depending on the scale of the spell.

Cooldown: 5 Minutes ]

"I can see what you're thinking of, but how can you make sure that Lily can trigger that passive?" Mia asked quizzically.

Although the Invoke skill was indeed powerful, it was also a skill that can only be triggered by chance, making it far more difficult to use compared to other passive skills.

Just as Jhin was about to answer, Mia spoke first.

"Ah, let me guess." She looked at him with a bored expression. "You already have a plan for that?"

Jhin only smiled at his younger sister and said, "Then why bother asking if you already know?"

"Ugh. Why do you act as if you already know a lot in this game. It's really suspicious, you know?"

"Maybe I made more research than you." Jhin lightheartedly replied.

"Psh.... Yeah right." Mia rolled her eyes at his clear lie.

"Hm, anyway, we should be here by now." Jhin said.

Saying so, The group stopped in front of a small chapel. It was located all the way on the other side of the village, built as further away from the Sorcerer Establishment as possible.

If one took a closer look on the village's map, they would see the most of the Class Establishment are located near the center of the village except for the Sorceress Establishment and Cleric Establishment that are placed in northern most side and southern most side of the village.

Many players noticed this as well and many had already began theorizing the reasons for it. But since the servers had just begun, no one had formed any close relationships with the NPCs to learn more about the backstory between the two classes.

Mia, being one of the players who noticed this, was beginning to think that theory that sorcerers and clerics hated each other.

But then she decided not to delve in too deep in her thoughts since she believes her brother will explain everything to her.

"Huh... interesting. It really does seem like clerics are believers of a God." Mia commented while looking at the NPCs that were dressed like priests.

What is currently known about clerics is that they are practitioners of a religion that worships the Goddess Thea, and are affiliates of the Order of Light, a religious group that focuses on the worship of Thea. Clerics are trained not only in the divine aspect and the ability to bend Thea's light to their will, but also in the law of man and in the way of the knight, skilled in protecting oneself against threats and helping fellow soldiers in the heat of battle.

"So... basically battle saints." Mia muttered after recalling their information.

The group passed through the entrance and just as the exterior depicted, it was a chapel.

With long rows of seat accustomed all facing towards a stone statue of a very beautiful woman.

She was the depiction of everything that was holy. Her face emanated in purity that was indescribable in words.

There were many NPCs, some were clerics while others were villagers. They were currently kneeling and praying religiously towards the statue. It was deafeningly quiet inside the chapel. Jhin in particular, looked at the statue with an incomprehensible gaze before turning his attention to the priest that was walking towards them.

Similarly, Mia and Lily stopped looking around when the priest approached them.

"Good day to you, Sir, Ma'am, and little one." The friendly priest greeted with a soft gentle tone while looking at them alternatively.

Jhin nodded, acknowledging the priest's greetings.

"We're here to learn a few skills for her."

The priest followed Jhin's gaze and smiled at Mia.

"Ah of course, We would always welcome a sister."

"...Huh?" Confused, Mia cast a questioning look at her brother.

Jhin only shook his head, saying 'Don't mind it.'

"Please follow me." The priest said and began leading the group towards a corridor beside the chapel.

Shortly after, the group arrived at the backroom where the Master NPCs were located. They saw only a few players that took the cleric class because, again, they were unpopular during this stage of the game.

Some tried to make it work only to despair and deleted their account to make a new one.

Even now, there were several criticism of how incredibly weak and useless clerics was on the game's wiki community.

Looking around the Master NPCs, there was one NPC that stood far from the rest. Compared to the other Master Cleric NPCs that were dressed in all white, he was the only one dressed in all black.

He wore a black knightly outfit with a shield stuck to his back and a mace by his waist. He had a long grey hair that reached his shoulders and a handsome face with a sharp nose. He stood menacingly— his black eyes seemingly staring into the abyss.

"Well, then. I'll leave you to it." The priest said before leaving the backroom.

Jhin expressed his thanks and led Mia and Lily towards the ominous NPC that wore black knightly armor.

"Sir." Jhin called while standing in front of him then lightly bowed his head.

The Master Cleric raised his hand and stopped Jhin.

"Do not do that. I am not worthy of being bowed to." His voice was deep and melodic, which accented his mature and pale profile.

But Jhin did not raise his head and said, "Regardless, I will greet Master Cleric Franz."

Master Cleric Franz looked at Jhin with a peculiar gaze before eventually nodding his head in acknowledgement.

"....Very well."

[Master Cleric Franz: Impression ▲]

"What is your purpose in coming to me?" Master Cleric Franz asked.

"We have come to Master Cleric Franz to ask him to be generous enough to allow my sister to learn some of his skills."

Master Cleric Franz' eyes grew narrow upon hearing Jhin's answer.

"Child... are you aware of the path that I have thread upon?"

Jhin nodded respectfully. "Yes, sir."

"If so, you still wish for the same fate for your sister? Do you not care for her?"

"No sir." Jhin looked at Master Cleric Franz resolutely and said, "I simply believe that my sister has what it takes to walk upon the path of a [Heretic]."

In that moment, Master Cleric Franz' face stiffened along with the atmosphere inside the room. Mia and Lily felt the sudden shift in the atmosphere and couldn't help but look around the room, only to see the other NPCs staring at them with a peculiar gaze.

'...What happened? Did Jhin say something wrong?' Mia thought nervously while moving closer to Jhin, which was the same case for Lily who was holding unto the latter's hem of sleeves.

Eventually, Master Cleric Franz finally responded.

"Hmm.." He lightly scoffed and glanced at Mia who was slightly hiding behind Jhin.

He then spoke, "Young lass, you shall speak for yourself. Do you think you have what it takes to take the path that I have taken?"

Mia answered immediately.

"Yes, sir. I believe that I can do it!"

Inwardly however, she was feeling a little giddy after discovering a new class that hasn't been mentioned in the forums before!

'Heretic! I wonder what kind of class it is...' Glancing at her brother for a moment, Mia thought, 'If Jhin is telling me to take it then it must either be powerful or indispensable to our current line-up. Although, this does make me wonder why no one had discovered this class yet.'

'With so many players desperately searching secrets about this game, I think it's impossible that no player hadn't spoken to this NPC before.'

In response to Mia's enthusiastic answer, Master Cleric Franz' eyes narrowed further as his voice became grimmer.

"Do you know what it means to become a Heretic?"

Mia blinked for a moment, realizing that she didn't really know what it meant. She sent emergency glances at Jhin, asking for help.

But the latter only gave her a supportive nod, saying 'You can do it!'.

[Nightingale: Woi! Stop just standing there and help me!]

[Hoarder: I can't help you on this one. Just answer what you honestly think a Heretic is. I mean, isn't the term itself is self-explanatory?]

[Nightingale: Seriously? What if I answered incorrectly and I don't get to have this hidden class?!]

[Hoarder: If that happens that I guess you'll just stay as a Cleric. Don't worry, we'll still boost you.]

Mia frowned at his reply but couldn't help but feel a little bit moved. However, not even a second later, she remembered her brother's words about proving her worth and being left in the dust.

Clenching her fists, Mia took a deep breath and faced Master Cleric Franz' gaze.

"A Heretic is a person who believes or practices heresy acts according to a religion. However, this doesn't necessarily mean this person is Evil."

"In a way, one could say that he was simply a person who walked on his own path and followed his own beliefs. The people who condemn him and label him as a Heretic may simply be unable to comprehend him or envious of the fact that he was courageous enough to leave the flock of sheeps that merely follow along the words of a shepard."

Once Mia finished speaking her thoughts she suddenly realized that everyone in the backroom, including the other Master Cleric NPCs were staring at her.

As for Master Cleric Franz however,

[Master Cleric Franz: Impression ▲]

Mia saw this appear on her screen but ignored it. It was rude to be distracted while speaking to someone.

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Master Cleric Franz showed a slight smile.

"Bravo to you, young lass. I can't believe that you could boldly say such words especially inside this place."

Mia smiled and humbly replied, "I only answered Master Cleric Franz' question."

In response to her words, Master Cleric Franz nodded in aporoval.

"Very well."

He then stretched out her palm towards him, causing a window screen of a shop to appear in front of them.

From there, They saw eight skills along with their descriptions and that they were all free to learn.

Jhin then made Mia choose [Soul Steal], [Shield Bash], and finally [Nightmare Force].

[Soul Steal (Active Skill)

Level: 1 (SP: 0/25)

➥ Absorbs the soul of nearby enemy to deal damage and recover own HP. Absorbs 9% of taken damage as HP.

➥ Chance to gain 1 stack of Nightmare Force for every enemy killed by Soul Steal.

Mana cost: 50

Cooldown: 2 Minutes ]

[Nightmare Force (Passive)

Level: 1 (SP: 0/25)

➥ Collecting 100 stacks of Nightmare Force will allow the player to "Awaken" as a Heretic and enhance their dark attribute. Gaining additional 30% STR, END, Magic Defense, and Physical Defense for the duration of one minute.

After one minute, the Nightmare Force stack count will revert back to 0.

Mana Cost: N/A

Cooldown :2 Minutes ]

[Shield Bash (Active Skill)

Level 1: (SP: 0/10)

➥ Smashing the shield forward before slightly retreating to the back. Has a high chance of inflicting Stun on enemies that are hit accurately. (60% chance of stunning the enemies for 5 seconds).

Mana Cost: 30

Cooldown: 30 Seconds ]

(A/N: Do note this is only a reference and does not mean that these are the skills that Mia picked.)

"Thank you, Master Cleric Franz." Jhin said after confirming that Mia has learned the skills.

Master Cleric Franz slowly shook his head and said,

"May the dark cast by the light guide you."

After that, the group offered their thanks again, most especially Mia who was energetically waving good bye Master Cleric Franz.