[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully acquired your fourth follower. You have been awarded 30,000 Energy Points. Your monthly fixed Energy gain has increased to 6,000 points.]
[Current total Energy balance: 36,683 points.]
[Ding! Congratulations. Sharon Holygrail's rank has been elevated to Elite, and she has awakened the elite-tier ability Saint Maiden.]
When Luo Shu saw the newly awakened ability—Saint Maiden—which sounded more confusing than impressive at first glance, he was momentarily stunned. Then, curious, he tapped into the system to read the description:
[Saint Maiden – A hybrid profession-type ability. Another title for a female Paladin, evolved from the Ordinary-class profession Nun and the Execellent-class profession Holy Sister.]
[In addition to possessing exceptional hand-to-hand combat skills and divine spellcasting abilities, the Saint Maiden can summon the Faith Armor—a type of armor exclusive to Paladins. With a body enhanced by pure faith and ascended to the elite tier, a Saint Maiden has the potential to challenge demons far beyond her level.]
[Evaluation: A remarkably powerful elite-class profession. Against enemies classified as evil, the Saint Maiden receives a 30% boost in strength. A formidable force on the battlefield, she is feared by all beings of darkness.]
Reading through the system's report, Luo Shu couldn't help but stroke his chin thoughtfully and muttered, "Professions... and evaluations... So, this is something exclusive to elite-tier?"
To have lucked out and gained a follower at the elite tier—one who even had a natural advantage against evil forces—this instantly made Sharon the strongest combatant under Luo Shu's command.
Honestly, when he opened up the detailed specs of the so-called Faith Armor and saw the system's attempt to help him understand it better by comparing it to a 33-millimeter-thick stainless steel Armor, Luo Shu's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
He paused and then took out an item he'd acquired from Sharon earlier—the Level 3 Abyssal Artifact known as Shroud of the Sacred Remains—and skimmed its description again.
[Item: Shroud of the Sacred Remains (Hero-tier)]
[Formed from the tattered burial cloth of a fallen Temple Guardian, its material is forged from their once-mighty Faith Armor. It embodies the protective spirit of a true holy warrior.]
[Primary Function: Grants holy warriors of unwavering faith a Faith Armor of strength ranging between 100mm to 1000mm. This armor has no maximum durability and does not impede physical movement.]
[Side Effect: Can only be partially wielded by one who upholds devout beliefs and adheres to the tenets of the clergy. If the user lacks such conviction, the Shroud will instill it by force—compelling the user to offer their life in service of faith.]
Luo Shu didn't react much—he'd already read this when he first obtained it. He also knew that most Hero-tier items were death traps for normal people.
After all, items like the Kusanagi Sword or the Lucky Wallet—top-tier tools with few or no side effects—were extremely rare. In Luo Shu's estimation, the terrifying downside of something like the Shroud was closer to the norm for Level 3 Abyssal Artifacts.
Staring at the description for a few more seconds, Luo Shu noticed a new note had appeared under the Shroud:
[The Shroud of the Sacred Remains is one of the primary evolution materials required to ascend Saint Maiden to the Temple Guardian profession. Price in System Store: 90,000 Points.]
"Just as I thought," Luo Shu muttered. Ever since he saw that Sharon's ability involved Faith Armor, he had suspected it was related to the Shroud.
Maybe she had worn the Shroud long enough to be influenced by it... or maybe she was simply already a person of deeply rooted faith. Either way, that's probably why she awakened this rare and refined profession-like ability.
This reminded Luo Shu of Mira Tsubakihara's Alchemist profession. He began analyzing aloud, "If I understand things correctly, these so-called professions must be composite abilities—hybrid skill sets grouped under a unified name. Sharon's Saint Maiden and Miss Mira's Alchemist both fit this model."
"It seems that skill combinations can evolve into what the system classifies as 'professions,' which typically possess broad, all-around functionality. If that's the case... then perhaps I should consider acquiring a profession for myself in the future."
While Luo Shu was lost in thought, Sharon slowly opened her eyes, her new power fully awakened.
She lowered her gaze and examined her palms, flexing her fingers. Then she stretched slightly in the chair, gently twisting her waist—probably loosening up her body.
Because she was still in a vacuum state, some of her movements were a bit exaggerated, causing a certain part to ripple distractingly.
Thankfully, Luo Shu's presence here wasn't his real body. He was watching through a multi-perspective view, silently observing the changes in Sharon's form.
"How does it feel... becoming a Saint Maiden?"
Although the system would naturally impart some basic knowledge upon becoming a follower, based on the chat history between Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri on LINE, Luo Shu knew that the extent of this knowledge transfer seemed to vary from person to person.
So, he wasn't sure how much Sharon, as the fourth member, had actually received.
"I can only say... it's an indescribable exhilaration."
A bright, uncontrollable smile surfaced on Sharon's face. But almost immediately, she remembered she was still in the divine audience chamber and quickly schooled her expression. She lowered her head respectfully and apologized, "Forgive me. I lost myself in the moment."
"No harm done," Luo Shu replied, resting his chin in one hand and observing her with interest. He lightly tapped on the table.
At the sound, Sharon looked at the two items placed in front of him.
One was the nun-like head covering of the Shroud of the Sacred Remains, and the other was the bracelet-like Eye of Mist.
The former was a key material for Sharon's future evolution. The latter was a utility artifact that compensated for her lack of area-of-effect attacks—offering battlefield control in the form of restricting enemy capabilities.
"This is...?"
Sharon glanced between the items and Luo Shu, her expression hesitant.
"Think of it as an investment."
Seeing her hesitation, Luo Shu chuckled.
He couldn't use the Shroud himself anyway. And while the Eye of Mist had some value to him, it would benefit Sharon even more.
Right now, Sharon was his only true trump card. As long as he could provide support, Luo Shu was more than willing to invest.
Admittedly, his thoughts toward his followers weren't entirely pure. In situations like this, where his affection level was high, Luo Shu's patience for his them was also pretty generous—as long as they didn't try anything stupid.
Hearing Luo Shu's tone, Sharon hesitated a moment, then reached out and summoned both Abyssal Artifacts back into her possession using the spatial rules of this mysterious domain.
At that moment, Luo Shu offered a gentle reminder:
"The Shroud is a core material for your future evolution. Don't lose it again."
At his words, Sharon's face flushed slightly—an unmistakable, embarrassed blush.
Luo Shu looked at her and let out a small laugh before saying in a relaxed tone:
"Now that you've joined us, there's no need for vagueness. Let's not beat around the bush."
"Tell me... what exactly is going on in this world right now?"