Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 147

[Vol. 5] Chapter 147: Return to the Snowy Peak

The night passed peacefully, and the anticipated attack never came.

The next morning, on January 9th, 1377 of the New Calendar, at 8 a.m., the main forces of the expedition, representing the Bright Light Saintess, safely emerged from the canyon. They crossed the St. Bergen Mountains and arrived in the eastern part of the Holy Empire.

Early that morning, in the temporary camp where the expedition rested, Mr. Dead Soul arrived as promised near the Crystal Bright Beast cart where Violet and her companions were. Miss White Fox had been waiting there alone for some time.

“Greetings, Miss Dawn.”

“Hmm, you’re quite punctual.”

Standing on a hill, the girl who had been gazing out at the vast plains to the east of the St. Bergen Mountains turned her head. The expression on her face, hidden behind the white fox mask, was unreadable as she nodded at him with a detached indifference.

Mr. Dead Soul had dressed especially formally today. Though still clad in his usual grey attire, which appeared to be magical gear, and with seven swords hanging at his waist, his short grey hair was neatly combed, clearly styled with care. He also wore four differently shaped rings on his fingers and an ancient-looking brooch at his collar.

All of these were clearly high-quality magical items, likely of blue-tier or above, and it was obvious that he had brought them specifically for today’s test.

If she didn’t know the reason, Violet might have thought this guy was about to duel a powerful enemy.

After bowing deeply to show his respect, the grey-clad swordsman finally spoke again.

“Miss Dawn, may I ask what the first test is today? Will it take place here?”

Since he got straight to the point, Miss White Fox didn’t bother with unnecessary small talk and shook her head.

“Of course not. Follow me.”

The expedition force had marched through the night, and they wouldn’t be breaking camp anytime soon. This meant Violet had the entire morning to carry out the “test” that had spontaneously come to her mind the previous night.

It was perfect. There hadn’t been anyone suitable for this task until now.

Instead of continuing eastward, she led Mr. Dead Soul back into the St. Bergen Mountains from where they had come.

With their at least legendary-level strength, climbing the dangerous peaks posed no real challenge. However, reaching the summit of the ?Wall of Heaven?, which stood at seven to eight thousand meters, was still a considerable effort for someone like Mr. Dead Soul, who couldn’t fly.

Naturally, this led to the next set of actions.

“Here, put this on.”

Just as they reached the foot of the mountain, Miss White Fox turned around and tossed an unusually large object toward the grey-clad swordsman.

“Uh, this is…?”

Instinctively catching it, Mr. Dead Soul looked at the folded silver wings and various unfamiliar components in his hands, sounding puzzled.

“Artificial Flight Wing 17… oh, forget it. Just call it the artificial flight wing. Violet gave it to me. You should know her, right?”

Hearing this, Mr. Dead Soul immediately seemed to understand.

“Ah, so it was her. No wonder. Miss Violet is indeed known for always doing many extraordinary things. Bringing out such a strange contraption doesn’t surprise me at all. But… it seems the two of you are indeed close.”

Hey, hey, what do you mean by ‘always doing many extraordinary things’? Are you implying something?

Beneath her mask, a few faint “#” symbols flashed across her forehead, but given her current role as Dawn, she couldn’t say much. She forced herself to resist the urge to retort and merely nodded in a serious manner.

“I do have some connection with Violet, but that has little to do with what comes next. Your test… starts now. First, I’ll explain how to use this device. Listen carefully, I’ll only explain once.”

“Ah! Yes, I’m ready!”

With Mr. Dead Soul now looking tense and focused, Miss White Fox quickly explained the basic principles and operation of the artificial flight wing, then helped him put it on.

“…That’s it. Got it?”

“Uh…”

Seeing the grey-clad swordsman nod slightly, seemingly deep in thought, Miss White Fox didn’t mind and continued on her own.

“Let me be blunt, if you can’t master something this simple, which even a regular village girl could use easily, then I’d advise you to forget about pursuing swordsmanship. You’d be better off going back to farm in peace.”

She pointed to the towering, snow-covered peak that nearly disappeared into the clouds above.

“Fifteen minutes. I’ll be waiting at the summit. If you don’t appear before me within fifteen minutes… you know what that means, right?”

After glancing at Mr. Dead Soul to make sure he had heard and understood, Miss White Fox took off, lightly flying toward the mountaintop, as if defying gravity.

In less than a minute, Violet had already landed on the snowy ground, at an altitude of over seven thousand meters at the mountain peak.

The summit of the ?Wall of Heaven? was an entirely different world compared to the base. Though the lower regions were gradually entering the warm spring season, the peak, where snow never melts year-round, remained far below freezing. The biting cold winds howled from the northern domain, sending chills deep into the bones of anyone exposed.

Without sufficient protection against the cold, even a legendary-level being would find it hard to endure the extreme cold here for long. After all, legendary-level beings are still limited by factors like lifespan, disease, climate, and stamina—common external or internal limitations that they have not transcended, making them only stronger in combat but still ordinary in other respects.

Speaking of this, one must mention some things that have yet to be clearly defined.

If one were to categorize the beings of this world conceptually, while ignoring racial traits, the priestess believed there could be three classifications.

First, the “ordinary beings”, who make up over 99.9% of the world’s population and whose pinnacle is the legendary level.

Then, the “extraordinary beings”, who have surpassed the limits of mortal creatures, possessing lifespans of at least a thousand years and no longer constrained by mundane factors like political power, harsh climates, or even the need for food, shelter, or travel. The most iconic examples of these are the mythological species at the apex of the extraordinary beings.

Of course, the distinction between ordinary beings and extraordinary beings isn’t always clear-cut. Some species may not achieve transcendent-level strength but still have near-extraordinary lifespans, survival abilities, and various other advantages. So, it’s more of a general categorization.

Finally, above them all, are the “gods”, beings who, after reaching the limit of pseudo-gods, acquire overwhelming power that can shake the heavens and the earth through their conceptual divine positions, and near-eternal life.

This is a gap that cannot be bridged by mere race.

Clearly, Mr. Dead Soul had not reached the realm the priestess referred to as “extraordinary being.” Overall, he appeared to be just an ordinary, slightly strange human. Thus, overcoming countless difficulties to reach this place within fifteen minutes was already a significant test and challenge.

Violet had no intention of making things difficult for him. After all, there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. To gain stronger power and skills, one must at least demonstrate corresponding qualifications or pay the appropriate price.

The biting cold wind howled past her ears as Miss White Fox stood at the peak of the snow-covered mountain, gazing at the clouds and mist between the mountains. With her hands clasped behind her back, she waited silently.

Five minutes, seven minutes, ten minutes…

Time ticked away, second by second.

It wasn’t until the fourteenth minute that she finally heard the heavy sound of footsteps crunching in the snow behind her, accompanied by a “puff, puff” sound.

She did not turn around.

Only when the footsteps crossed the snow-covered peak and approached her did Miss White Fox lightly nod her head.

“Hmm, just on time. You really did it~”