Genshin Impacti: This Priest is Cringe, But She's Also Unbeatable — Chapter 73

Chapter 73: The Seemingly Normal Team

The last vestiges of the pink, magical glow faded away. The entire process had taken no more than ten minutes.

Selene stared into the mirror at her long hair, which had returned to its original ink-black shade, and let out a long, dramatic sigh of relief.

The very next second, her eyes lit up with a brilliant spark.

“Sister! This function is amazing!”

She grabbed Celeste’s arm, practically vibrating with excitement. Her expression was that of a groundhog that had just stumbled upon an entire continent ripe for the digging.

“It only takes a second to dye it pink, it’s completely safe with zero side effects, and it automatically reverts after ten minutes!” she gushed. “This is basically next-level, magical salon tech!”

Celeste’s facial muscles gave a slight twitch as she looked at her younger sister.

“…Don’t you think your focus is a little off?” she deadpanned. “And it can only turn pink.”

“Pink is perfect! It’s the most popular color right now!” Selene declared with righteous conviction. “This is zero-cost, zero-damage, and completely reversible magic hair dye! Do you have any idea how much of a hassle it is to get your hair dyed professionally?”

Her mind was already racing, planning for the future.

“I can dye it pink for the opening ceremony, dye it pink for the school anniversary, dye it pink for New Year’s… Even if it’s just one color, pink never goes out of style!”

Celeste remained silent for three seconds, then decided to give up on trying to reason with her. It was a lost cause.

“Fine, as long as you’re happy.”

In any case, this “additional function” of the Cleansing Spell was undeniably magical, even if it lacked a color palette.

The next morning at 6:30, the two sisters arrived at Beidou Square right on time.

More than thirty young students, each radiating a distinct and powerful aura, had already gathered. These were the elites handpicked for the special training camp.

Celeste scanned the crowd. Just as Zhou Kai had said, none of the students who had been selected were ordinary. Unlike the eccentric upperclassmen at Tianshu Academy, most of these first-years carried themselves with a solemn gravity. Their temperaments were steady, their focus sharp—they were like newly drawn blades, gleaming and ready for a fight.

At the edge of the square, a boy sat with his eyes closed in deep concentration; the air around him stirred without a breeze, a faint current of energy flowing in a visible vortex.

Not far from him, a girl slowly rotated her wrists, each movement precise and fluid, her eyes locked in an unwavering focus.

Further away, a small group of students was whispering, rapidly dissecting tactics with sharp, clear logic.

“…Sister, everyone here feels so strong,” Selene murmured, subconsciously straightening her posture.

At seven o’clock sharp, not a second late, a figure appeared on the square’s high platform.

Chen Jing.

Today, she was dressed in a sleek, black training uniform, her hair pulled back into a careful high ponytail. Her gaze, sharp and analytical behind her glasses, swept across the assembled students.

The low murmur of conversation across the square evaporated the instant her gaze swept over them.

“I am Chen Jing, the one in charge of this special training camp. Before we officially begin, there are three things that must be made clear.”

She held up a single finger.

“First, all Domains, including the one you experienced during your college entrance exam, are fragments of the real world.”

“They originate from other dimensions, other planes. For various reasons, they have been torn away and have fallen, temporarily adhering to our world.”

“If the core of a secret realm is not found and purified in time, the Domain will forcibly merge with our world, resulting in a catastrophe for both.”

As soon as she finished, a few stifled gasps rippled through the crowd. The expressions of many students shifted, a new understanding dawning in their eyes.

“Second,” she said, raising a second finger. “The type of Domain you encountered in the exam, one without extra restrictions, is the simplest ‘blank slate’ type. Most Domains possess their own unique rules. Your job is to fight, find the core, and purify it, all while operating under the constraints of those rules.”

She paused, her gaze flicking almost imperceptibly towards Celeste.

“Additionally, in most Domains, conventional firearms are nothing more than scrap metal.”

“Third.”

Chen Jing held up her last finger, and her tone became exceptionally grave.

“Life-saving talismans are not all-powerful. The rules of a Domain can interfere with their activation. The moment you sense mortal danger, do not hesitate—crush it immediately! I would rather you be disqualified from the field than have to collect your corpses.”

“The content of this special training is as follows: you will enter an unknown Domain. Your mission is to find and purify its core within two weeks. All necessary logistical supplies must be acquired on-site.”

“You will operate in teams of four, and each team must include a healing-class professional. I have already prepared the preliminary groupings.”

A holographic light screen materialized in Chen Jing’s hand, displaying the team rosters.

“If you have any special requirements for your teammates, you may bring them up now.”

Before she had even finished her sentence, Celeste’s hand shot into the air.

“Teacher, I have one request.”

Swish—!

In an instant, every eye in the square locked onto her. The gazes were a mixture of curiosity, scrutiny, and a faint, unspoken… dread.

After all, the legend of the “Pink Demon”—the priest who had “healed” an entire squad of elite assassins into a state of complete social death—was practically required reading among the new student body.

Chen Jing pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, the lenses glinting with a cold light.

“Speak.”

“My Healing Spell,” Celeste began, her expression perfectly calm and her voice clear, “forcibly adds a continuous visual effect that cannot be negated by any stealth or invisibility skills.”

She didn’t specify what the effect was.

But the few well-informed students in the crowd were already imagining a sky full of fluttering pink hearts, and their faces turned a shade paler.

Several students with deep, shadowed auras, clearly specialists in assassination and stealth, went rigid. They instinctively took half a step back, their eyes fixed on Celeste as if she were a walking, area-of-effect debuff designed specifically to be their natural enemy.

“Therefore,” Celeste offered a slight, polite smile, “for the sake of team harmony, I request that you please do not assign me any teammates who specialize in stealth or invisibility.”

Chen Jing adjusted her glasses again, a flicker of understanding in her eyes.

“A reasonable request.”

Her finger slid across the light screen, directly locking onto several names.

“Celeste, Selene, your teammates are—Su Wan, an elemental mage, and Xia Lian, a ranger.”

As she spoke, two girls stepped out from the crowd.

The one in front was tall and radiated a frosty glamour. Her ice-blue eyes were indifferent and distant, and she wore an exquisitely tailored mage robe with complex ice crystal patterns embroidered on the cuffs. She walked up to the sisters and gave a slight nod, her voice as cold and clear as her magic.

“Su Wan. Level 23, ice element specialization.”

Concise and to the point. Her personality seemed to match the temperature of her spells.

Following just behind her was a petite girl with short, chestnut-colored hair and large, round eyes. She was biting her lip, a clear sign of nervousness, but her gaze was sharp as she quickly and methodically observed her new teammates.

“H-hello, my name is Xia Lian. Level 22, ranger. I’m responsible for reconnaissance and traps.”

Though her voice was a bit quiet, her words were articulate and confident. Her eyes swept over Celeste for a brief moment before darting away, immediately refocusing on the practical matter of team formation. She seemed easily flustered, but her professional competence was obvious.

Chen Jing’s voice rang out at the perfect moment. “Su Wan is a top-tier ice mage, and Xia Lian is a well-rounded ranger. With you two sisters, it forms a standard lineup that balances offense and defense.”

Celeste smiled and nodded. “Thank you, teacher.”

‘An ice queen mage and a shy ranger?’she thought.’Plus me and my sister, the ‘Pink Priest and Shield of Despair’… a classic RPG party setup.’

The style of this team, at least on the surface, was still well within the bounds of normal.

If one conveniently ignored her own, not-so-normal skill set.

“The teams are confirmed. I’ll give you ten minutes to get acquainted,” Chen Jing announced, glancing at her watch. “Ten minutes from now, assemble here. We will then teleport into the Domain.”

Before turning to leave, she added one final piece of advice.

“Remember, the rules within a Domain may seem absurd, but no matter how absurd they are, they are the absolute truth within that space.”

“Do not challenge the rules with common sense, unless you wish to be removed from the field early.”

The crowd dispersed, and each newly formed team began to communicate with professional efficiency.

Celeste took the initiative, extending a hand. “Celeste, Level 22 Priest. This is my sister, Selene, a Paladin, also Level 22.”

Su Wan lightly shook her hand. Her fingertips were icy cold, and she withdrew them almost immediately, but then she said something completely unexpected.

“I chose you.”

Celeste blinked, taken aback.

Su Wan’s ice-blue eyes met hers, her tone still perfectly flat. “Your Healing Spell’s effect has significant strategic value.”

On the other side, Xia Lian shook their hands with a serious expression, her words coming out in a quick but clear stream. “Please take care of me. My reconnaissance range is approximately 300 meters, and trap placement requires ten minutes of preparation. If there are any special terrain requirements, please inform me in advance.”

Selene, trying to break the ice, turned to Su Wan. “Classmate Su Wan, what’s the maximum range of your ice spells?”

Su Wan’s reply was clipped. “Forty meters.”

With that, she fell silent again, standing perfectly still. Her ice-blue eyes, however, remained fixed on Celeste, studying her with the detached curiosity of a collector examining a rare and peculiar specimen.

Ten minutes passed in a flash.

Chen Jing reappeared, holding a crystal that shimmered with a chaotic, internal luster.

“The teleportation crystal has been activated, and the Domain coordinates are locked. Now, enter in order of your teams.”

She looked at Celeste’s group. “Team One, you’re first.”

The crystal erupted with a dazzling white light, and a swirling portal tore open in the center of the square. Twisted light and shadow churned within its depths, exuding an ominous and unknown aura, as if it were a gateway to some unspeakable world.

Selene stepped forward without hesitation, her figure vanishing cleanly into the distorted curtain of light.

Celeste followed a half-step behind.

Su Wan and Xia Lian flanked them, moving in with practiced synchronicity.

The moment she passed through the portal, Celeste felt her body become weightless. The world before her shattered and then reassembled like a kaleidoscope of broken glass.