Global Fog Survival

Chapter 123: Close at Hand

Chapter 123: Close at Hand

[“Light Mark”]

[Type: Level 1 Sacred Mark.]

[Item Description: A sacred mark crafted through special methods. When carried, it can reduce various mental influences and suppress aberrant beings, evil spirits, and other malevolent entities.]

[Usable to create “Light Crystals,” “Holy Light Runes,” and other one-time mystical techniques within the domain of holy light.]

“Using it on myself might be a waste; it only adds some resistance and suppression effects. But for Sanna, it could bring a significant upgrade… Will she still retain the ability to create ‘Light Crystals’ after her promotion?”

Colin pondered and realized that she could.

He took out the “Light Mark” and placed it on his palm. It was as light as a paper scrap, looking like a simple drawing of a sun, palm-sized, thin as a sheet, and just as soft. It glowed faintly, not overly bright but still slightly dazzling.

“One thousand fog points, plenty of Light Condense Stones, and the Light Mark…”

With all the materials ready, Colin was not too hesitant about upgrading Sanna. However, just as he was about to proceed, he suddenly had a thought.

From the attributes, the “Light Mark” seemed more aligned with what Colin classified as “Northern Holy Light,” a type that emphasized “praise the sun” and had effects similar to those of Light Crystals or the priest’s wooden wheel, which incinerated targets down to nothingness.

In contrast, Sanna’s holy light was more of the “Southern Holy Light,” which leaned towards mind control and healing, with purification playing a minor role.

Though unsure whether these differences were due to varying world conditions, he wondered, “Will this really not cause any issues when used?”

Colin thought cautiously…

[You speculate that the properties of light will transform within Sanna, avoiding any conflicts.]

That’s reassuring… Colin handed the mark to Sanna.

Sanna blinked her azure eyes and drew a sun-like circle on her chest with her right hand, expressing polite gratitude: “Thank you…”

She already understood Colin’s intention behind giving her the mark.

“No need…” Colin opened Sanna’s personal panel and chose to upgrade without hesitation.

The next moment, the white sacred mark merged into Sanna’s skin, and a hazy light emanated from her.

Within the misty glow, Sanna’s figure in her white robe with gold edges became indistinct. She stood gracefully with her eyes closed, radiating an aura of elegance and sanctity that made any blasphemous thoughts seem impossible.

Soon, the light receded, and everyone felt that Sanna’s presence had grown even more pure and sacred. Colin eagerly opened her status panel.

[Holy Light Priest: Sanna Helaca.]

Identity: Holy Light Priest of the Eternal Sun Church.

Description: A loving, gentle priest who brings healing through holy light.

Status: “Blessing of Courage”…

Power: Stage Three.

Satiation Value: 87

Strength: 7.7—12.4 (initial value—buffed state).

Endurance: 5.2—7.9

Stamina: 6.1—11.5

Agility: 3.6—5.1

Spirit: 3.9—7.1

Intelligence: 3.3—5.2

Mana: 6000/6000.

Skills: …“Prayer of Light (new),” “Holy Chains (new),” “Confession Punch (new),” “Judgment of Light (new)”…

[Prayer of Light: Consumes a refined light condensate stone to activate holy light, significantly boosting personal attributes. Usable three times daily with a one-hour interval.]

[Holy Chains: A special chain of light extends from the hand, restraining enemies with a unique suppressive effect on chaotic beings.]

[Confession Punch: Attacks have a chance to induce a state of remorse in enemies, varying based on attributes.]

[Judgment of Light: Condenses light into a sphere and hurls it at enemies for forced purification.]

Seeing these skills, Colin took a sharp breath: “I knew it… Changes were bound to happen… Sigh.”

Especially “Confession Punch”—it’s a classic example of Northern and Southern Holy Light integration.

But there was no more to say.

“Sanna, can you… still control your power properly?” Colin suddenly thought of this. With a strength of 12.4, he worried that even casual contact might send someone to the ICU.

Now he somewhat understood why lord-level mutants were so monstrous; their stats were overwhelmingly high, to the extent that ordinary people could be harmed just by proximity.

“Yeah, no problem…” Sanna nodded earnestly, reassuring him.

Meanwhile, Russell found their conversation rather puzzling. Priests generally didn’t possess extraordinary strength, so what was all this fuss about? Though he hadn’t seen Sanna in action, he simply regarded her as a high-status female priest, nothing more.

“Can you still create ‘Light Crystals’?” Colin asked.

Sanna tilted her head thoughtfully, then nodded. Every three refined light condensate stones could be synthesized into a Light Crystal, which was easy to use—just squeeze it a bit.

Creating them wasn’t overly taxing, and under Colin’s request, Sanna made thirty Light Crystals. After a brief rest, Colin turned his attention to the High Court Ruins…

The result was unchanged—it was still deemed safe.

“Let’s go check it out…”

Colin finally decided to lead the group in exploring the area. He wanted to figure out what was going on.

Before long, they reached the destroyed, temple-style structure and saw the fallen statue of the Divine Mother. Colin’s eyes instinctively focused on a faint mark on the statue’s arm—

That mark looked familiar…

“Isn’t that the ‘Light Mark’?” Colin froze. There was only a mark at that spot, with no extra “Light Mark” present.

[You realize that this is indeed the ‘Light Mark’ you obtained…]

What the… Was the system just pocketing items from defeated monsters, adding them to quest rewards, and handing them to me?

Colin’s mind wandered, but he quickly refocused—now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. He observed the statue and pondered who might have brought it here.

The answer was unexpected.

[You speculate it was that priest who placed it here to ensure that the area remained protected from unknown entities…]

Him again…

Unexpected, but not surprising.

Colin warily scanned the dark, deep perimeter of the High Court, seeking information from within.

He was more worried about the antlered beast suddenly resurrecting and launching a surprise attack that could wipe them out.

With Sanna now at stage three, she had a decent chance of escaping a direct encounter with a lord-level mutant but was still far from being able to confront one head-on.

He had yet to discover what happened inside, but it wouldn’t be long before they found out.

With lanterns in hand, Colin and the group cautiously ventured deeper, just as the prompts indicated: though pitch dark, it was otherwise free of dangers.

The perimeter of the temple wasn’t particularly large either…

Soon, they discovered signs of “Terbidard’s” violent crash and scorched debris, but the beast’s body was nowhere to be found.

[You realize that this is where it died.]

“Really? I don’t believe it unless you tell me how it died…” Colin muttered, but the prompt offered no further clues. So, they continued searching nearby.

Their final conclusion: the antlered giant monster, once the transformed form of a high-ranking priest of the Church of Suffering, had vanished entirely.

After searching further, they were certain—it was likely truly dead.

An indescribable dread hung over the group as they stood at the site where “Terbidard” had disappeared, feeling a complex mix of emotions.

A lord-level mutant appeared in the High Court and then just died…

Did this mean that they, too, could suddenly vanish without a trace?

However…

Light was within reach.

Colin looked up at the blinding light spreading across the sky, and a strange calm settled within him.