Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level?

Violet and the others temporarily left the convoy near a farm at the southern border of the Nobos Iron-Blood Empire.

It was the moment when the morning sun was shining brightly, and most villagers in the surrounding farmland were busy plowing and planting. Following the idea of avoiding crowds as much as possible, Violet moved further away—about ten kilometers, until she stopped in the outskirts of the mountains and forests.

“Here... should be undisturbed by anyone.”

Surveying the surroundings, Violet found a relatively open corner, crouched down, and placed the small crystal vial containing a small amount of [Calamity] on the ground.

“Lady Violet, I still don’t quite understand. What exactly are you planning to experiment with?”

The winged lady who had been silently following behind couldn’t help but ask, seeming quite wary of the power of [Calamity].

“Well... it might be a bit complicated. Leila, just watch, don’t worry, there won’t be any danger.”

Following that, the girl in the white robe gently unscrewed the bottle cap.

Perhaps due to being sealed for too long or maybe because the core of [Illusionary Cloud] had been eliminated, the gray mist inside the bottle did not rush out as expected. Instead, it hesitated for a moment before slowly leaking out, resembling the escape of normal gas.

Of course, Violet did not let the [Calamity] roam freely. She immediately used the Holy Light to condense a small circular shield, containing all of it within.

The deathly aura represented by [Calamity] was the opposite of the pure light that Violet possessed. Upon contact, the weaker gray mist began to dissipate rapidly, just as it had countless times before when they encountered each other.

However, Violet deliberately controlled the strength of the light shield. It was essentially a simple energy release that couldn’t even be considered first-order magic, ensuring that the sparse [Calamity] was not immediately annihilated.

Seeing the situation developing normally as expected, Violet not only didn’t heave a sigh of relief but her expression gradually became more serious.

Next, it was time to verify the conjecture.

She infused a strand of SP through the light enveloping the gray mist.

When still in the game, Violet shared the common belief with most players that HP and MP were the most crucial attributes. SP, on the other hand, was considered a somewhat trivial value mainly used to fuel ultimate magic. Losing a large amount of SP could lead to self-weakening, and many did not see its importance.

However, in this real world, having encountered the soul existence that could not be personally experienced or felt in the game, the priest gradually realized the significance of this attribute representing the power of the soul.

In a sense, SP was even more important than HP and MP, with much broader applications and greater intensity.

If the existence of a creature is divided into two components—Body and Soul—then life points, mana points, and even most equipped items should belong to the realm of the Body. The strength of the Soul, however, is entirely dependent on SP.

Many top-tier experts in this world, especially those who had reached the pseudo-god tier and beyond with various laws, were always beyond Violet’s understanding. Even though she could easily overpower them based on levels, she couldn’t comprehend their methods from a fundamental perspective.

This was likely because the priest had never paid much attention to and researched the mystical soul aspect that seemed enigmatic to her.

Methods at the pseudo-god level might be countered through brute force, but what about the true gods? Perhaps there existed even higher levels of something?

As a recent example, the root consciousness of [Illusionary Cloud]—the fragment split off from the Goddess of Earth Seth—could secretly observe Violet through the [Calamity] seeds. While the priestess was aware of it, she didn’t know how to trace it back or counterattack.

If Violet could further advance her understanding and application of the power of the soul, namely SP, she might be able to deal with opponents from another level through the invisible connection between seeds and the entity, even from thousands of miles away, without the need to personally intervene, wouldn’t she?

If one becomes reckless due to their own strength, neglecting their weaknesses, sooner or later, they will suffer significant consequences due to this arrogance.

That’s why Violet wanted to try something new.

She planned to use the power of her own soul as a thread to control these ownerless [Calamity], making them serve her.

This was a completely new initiative, detached from the game, based on the observations and experiences of the priestess in the real world.

Violet’s soul power was formidable, so powerful that she didn’t have a concrete concept of it herself, as SP itself is an abstract value in the game.

It isn’t represented simply as a number but, after players reach level 100, a monochrome chibi figure appears in the top right corner of the panel, resembling the player. The darker the color of the figure, the higher the player’s SP quantity and intensity. Consuming SP lightens the figure, and if the figure disappears, it means the player has depleted their SP and can no longer engage in battle.

In the game, Violet’s SP figure is a bright golden color, identical to her standard representative color. However, in the real world, she has lost most of the game interface.

Yet, she can still see this figure.

Because this is Violet’s soul, representing the true core of Violet’s essence.

Violet doesn’t know exactly how much SP she has. At least, when dealing with the fragment of Seth’s soul in the statue of the Sky Goddess, the part referred to as “so vast” by Seth, the priestess did not perceive any changes in the color of her soul figure.

But even with such a powerful soul, she faced a barrier when dealing with the small [Calamity] seeds.

The extension of SP is a strange sensation, as if countless limbs appeared out of thin air. Although it’s a tiny amount, Violet, through this contact method, somehow sensed the essence of [Calamity]—or rather, the essence of the deathly power of the Goddess of Earth—in an indescribable way.

This is actually a kind of magic element very similar to the light element, which Violet is most familiar with, as well as various conventional elements. If she had to give it a name, Violet would be willing to call it [Withering].

It’s not just death. [Death] is the endpoint, while [Withering] is a process. Life and death are a cycle, and the conclusion of [Withering] brings about new life.

This is probably the true essence of the Goddess of Earth Seth, the power or law she possessed.

So, the creatures parasitized by [Calamity] would sprout peculiar shoots, while the host would rapidly die after [Calamity] left. This is because [Illusionary Cloud] represents only the power of the deathly aspect of the Goddess of Death, a manifestation of incomplete authority.

The cycle of birth and withering.

And Violet couldn’t control this power.

In terms of game terminology, her [Elemental Affinity] wasn’t sufficient.

Violet is not omnipotent. She is powerful, but that doesn’t mean she can master all elements and accomplish anything. It’s a necessary balance.

Just like how she has always been a priestess, and only a priestess.

After several unsuccessful attempts, in the end, that bit of [Calamity] was completely dispersed under the illumination of the Holy Light.