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ArabicGenshin Impacti: This Priest is Cringe, But She's Also Unbeatable — Chapter 17
Chapter 17: The Gloomy Forest and the First Encounter
Two days vanished in the blink of an eye.
The plaza at the entrance to the Domain, located in the eastern suburbs of Yi City, was utterly transformed. What was once an empty, silent expanse was now a churning sea of people, a cacophony of anxious chatter and heartfelt goodbyes swallowing the air. Graduating candidates, poised on the precipice of their trial, mingled with the teachers, family, and friends who had come to see them off.
At the heart of the plaza, a massive spatial rift shimmered and twisted in silence. It resembled a great, vertical mirror of water, its surface perpetually disturbed by an unseen stone, its depths radiating a dark and mysterious pull that seemed to warp the very light around it. Flanking the anomaly, several large energy stabilization devices hummed with a low, resonant frequency, their cold, industrial structures a stark contrast to the raw, supernatural phenomenon they contained.
“Sis! Hurry up!”
Selene’s voice cut through the din. Clad in a suit of gleaming silver knight armor, she was a walking beacon of polished steel in the crowd, impossible to miss. The massive, bulging backpack she wore was nearly half her height, clanking with the sound of shifting metal as she moved. She looked less like a Paladin and more like a metallic hedgehog preparing for a grand expedition.
Celeste quickened her pace to catch up, her eye twitching as her gaze landed on the ridiculously oversized pack.
‘Did she pack the entire house?’ she wondered, a headache already forming. “We’re going into a Domain for an exam, Selene, not a multi-year wilderness survival documentary.”
Her own pack was a study in minimalism, containing only the bare essentials: survival supplies and a few crucial potions. As for her weapon of choice—the dazzlingly pink staff, always ready for some “physical enlightenment”—it rested quietly in her system space, taking up no weight or inventory slots.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry!” Selene declared, slapping her breastplate with a resounding clang. She puffed out her chest with pride. “I’m the one who’s going to protect my sister! Bringing more supplies helps me feel at ease!”
She leaned in conspiratorially. “Look, I even snuck in five packs of your favorite spicy strips!”
Celeste sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “simplify it! Ditch the non-essentials! How are you supposed to fight with that thing on your back?”
All around them, other teams were forming up. Most were in the standard configuration of three or four members, all well-equipped and whispering last-minute tactics to one another. Their eyes darted about, sizing up the competition.
In stark contrast, the two-sister team looked dangerously understaffed.
Many gazes drifted their way, a mixture of pity, contempt, and undisguised mockery.
“Just two girls? A Paladin and a Priest… Is this team just here to hand out free points?”
“They did well in the arena tournament, sure, but a Domain isn’t an arena. The monsters in here won’t fight you one-on-one with any sense of honor.”
“They’re probably just hoping to rely on the Paladin’s defense to scrape by until the exam ends. Counting participation points as a win, I guess.”
Hearing the whispers, Selene’s finely sculpted brows shot up in anger. If Celeste hadn’t grabbed her arm, she would have stormed right over with her shield to “reason” with them about the tactical principle that “a good defense is the best offense.”
“Ignore them,” Celeste said, her tone as placid as a deep pool. She was already focused inward, double-checking the Noelle character card and her special supplies in the system space. “Just stay close to me after we go in, and stick to the plan we discussed.”
Soon, officials began organizing the candidates into lines to enter the Domain.
A wave of vertigo washed over them as they stepped forward, a disorienting sensation as if their souls were being momentarily pulled from their bodies, only to be stuffed back in an instant later. Celeste and Selene held hands tightly as the shimmering light of the portal completely swallowed them.
…
The world before their eyes changed in a flash.
A unique scent, a cloying mixture of damp earth and rotting vegetation, rushed to meet them, carrying a strange, fishy sweetness that clung to the back of the throat. Towering, ancient trees clawed at the sky, their dense canopies layered so thickly that they filtered the light into mere dappled specks. These shimmering spots of light danced on the thick carpet of fallen leaves below, creating a disorienting, swaying pattern.
A faint mist hung heavy in the air, reducing visibility to only a few dozen feet.
The silence was terrifying. The only sounds were the rustle of a faint breeze through the leaves and the incessant, high-pitched hum of some unknown insect’s wings, a noise that drilled directly into their eardrums.
“Is this the ‘Gloomy Forest’?” Selene tightened her grip on her shield, her eyes scanning their surroundings with vigilance. “It feels… oppressive.”
Celeste nodded slowly. She could feel it too—an invisible mental pressure, enveloping them like a silken spiderweb. It tugged constantly at their nerves, attempting to stir the embers of irritation and anxiety buried deep within their minds. This had to be the “persistent mental pressure” mentioned in the exam rules.
She raised her wrist. The exam bracelet glowed faintly, displaying a map mostly obscured by a thick fog of war, indicating they were on the very edge of the Domain.
Points: 0
Ranking: Unranked
“Let’s find a sheltered, hidden spot first, then we can start exploring outward,” Celeste decided quickly. Her perception, honed by her time embodying the Millelith, allowed her to vaguely discern the direction from which the heaviest sense of threat emanated.
The two sisters suppressed their presence as much as possible and began to move carefully through the dense woods. Selene took the lead, her tower shield held ready, while Celeste brought up the rear, that absurdly pink staff held in a low guard. Her gaze was like a scalpel, dissecting every shadow, every dark corner where danger might lurk.
They hadn’t gone far when a sudden, sharp rustling erupted from the bushes just ahead.
“Watch out!” Selene barked, her body instantly dropping into a lower stance. Her shield slammed into the ground in front of her as a soft holy light flashed across its surface.
“Hiss—!”
Three black shadows exploded from the foliage, tearing through the air!
They were Jungle Poison Wolves.
Their fur was the color of pitch, and their scarlet eyes burned with the feral light of starvation. The foul, fishy stench of their breath, mixed with stringy saliva, washed over the girls as they lunged.
The bracelet on Celeste’s wrist vibrated, a holographic screen popping up with information.
[Jungle Poison Wolf Lv.18]
[Points: 15/each]
[Characteristics: Agile. Attacks inflict a potent neurotoxin. Pack hunters.]
“Three of them! Sis, get back!” Selene showed no fear, planting her feet and pushing her shield forward. A gentle circle of holy light bloomed around her, the skill [Devotion Aura] activating to slightly increase both her and Celeste’s armor.
In the past, Celeste would have already retreated behind her sister to begin chanting for a [Power Word: Shield].
But today, she did something different. She took a small step to the side, clearing Selene’s frontal defense zone. The pink staff in her hand, topped with its cheerful bow, shifted slightly, its tip pointing diagonally toward the ground.
It was a standard opening stance of the Millelith spear arts.
“No need,” she said, her voice calm. “Let’s take them on together. A quick fight is a clean fight.”
Before her words had even faded, the lead Poison Wolf was already airborne, its razor-sharp claws aimed directly for the arm Selene was using to brace her shield.
Selene was about to swing her shield to intercept, but a pink afterimage beside her struck first.
Thwump!
It was the sickening, muffled sound of something hard piercing soft flesh.
Celeste had surged forward, her staff wielded like a spear. The thrust was precise and utterly ruthless, instantly burying its tip deep into the wolf’s relatively unprotected abdomen. The sheer force of the blow sent the hundred-pound beast flying backward. It slammed hard against the trunk of a giant tree with a choked whimper before sliding limply to the ground, twitching once before its fighting spirit was extinguished.
“Sis! You…” Selene knew her sister was a monster in melee, but this was the first time she had witnessed that brutal efficiency up close. The raw, violent aesthetic of it was staggering. “No matter how many times I see it, you fighting with that pink lollipop is just so jarring!”
The other two Poison Wolves, enraged by their packmate’s fate, howled and split apart, flanking them from the left and right in a classic pincer attack.
Selene immediately snapped back to focus. She swung her giant shield horizontally, intercepting the pounce of the wolf on her right. A piercing shriek of metal on claw erupted from the impact.
The wolf on the left, however, was far more cunning. It circled wide, aiming for Celeste’s exposed back, its blood-stained maw gaping wide for the kill.