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ArabicGenshin Impacti: This Priest is Cringe, But She's Also Unbeatable — Chapter 4
Chapter 4: The Wind Sings Softly
To avoid being swarmed by enthusiastic classmates at the school gate like some kind of rare zoo animal, Celeste grabbed her sister—who was still trapped in a dizzying mix of excitement and confusion—and bolted. Under a barrage of “you’re acting so weird” and “who knew you were hiding all that” stares from her peers, she made her getaway as if her shoes had been greased.
Along the way, Selene was practically bouncing with joy, even more thrilled than if she had won the match herself.
“Sis! That last Backward Staff Strike was so cool! You sent that Li Yue flying! You should have seen the looks on everyone’s faces below the stage; their eyes nearly popped out of their heads!”
She mimicked Celeste’s horizontal sweep with an imaginary staff, nearly smacking a roadside utility pole in her excitement.
“And when you shut her down? Every word was a critical hit! ‘Lazy, arrogant, shallow’! Hahaha, her face turned completely green!”
Celeste watched her sister’s energetic display, the corner of her mouth twitching into a slight smile. “Just a standard op.”
“But seriously,” Selene leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper as her eyes sparkled with mischief, “I’ve seen you secretly practicing smacking things with a staff at home, but I never expected you to be so fierce in a real fight! You pressured an Assassin and then sent her packing with one hit! Your style is just… it’s one of a kind! A Melee Priest!”
“What Melee Priest,” Celeste said, her expression unchanging. “This is called a deep understanding of the class.”
She explained with the utmost solemnity, “Can a Priest’s work truly be called violence?”
“I call this ‘Root-cause Healing.’ As long as I eliminate the enemy, no one can hurt my teammates.”
Selene burst out laughing. “‘Root-cause Healing’? Sis, you’re totally just messing with people! But…”
Her joking expression faded, replaced by a serious look. “No matter what you call it, being able to fight is always a good thing! When we go into a Domain later, I’ll take the front, and you can be in the back… uh, depending on the situation, will you be healing or coming up to bash people with me?”
“Trust me,” Celeste patted her sister’s shoulder, a knowing look in her eyes. “When the time comes, you’ll see just how wonderfully useful these skills of mine are.”
“So mysterious…” Selene puffed out her cheeks, but the smile and trust in her eyes never wavered. “Anyway, as long as you’re okay and you’ve gotten so strong, I couldn’t be happier!”
Back home, their parents were still on duty at the local Domain and hadn’t returned yet.
Using the excuse of needing to “consolidate her insights” from the match, Celeste dove into her room.
Click.
The door shut and the lock turned. The entire motion was fluid, completely cutting off her sister’s curious gaze.
The world was finally quiet.
She took a deep breath. With a simple thought, a card shimmering with a brilliant teal-green light materialized at her fingertips.
Depicted on the card was a bard in a green cloak, holding a lyre, with that signature, eminently punchable smile gracing the corner of his mouth.
[Venti Trial Card (24 Hours)]
[Type: Limited-time Character Card]
[Description: Upon use, you will temporarily transform into the Bard Venti from the continent of Teyvat, gaining a portion of his abilities and traits (including but not limited to Anemo element control, a bard’s charm, and the essence of slacking off). Duration: 24 hours (accurate to the minute, supports pausing). After use, there is a chance to obtain permanent buffs based on synchronization and performance.]
[Note: Do some work, Barbatos! — Oh, wait. Now it’s you who needs to do some “work,” Host.]
“The Anemo Archon, Barbatos…” Celeste whispered the name, her gaze growing fervent.
In this world where everyone awakened to a class, elemental control was the exclusive domain of Mages. While Priests could wield the Light element, its application was focused almost entirely on healing and purification.
If she could master the Anemo element, even temporarily, it would be a powerful new trump card.
But the most fatal temptation lay in two words from the system’s description: “permanent buffs.”
‘High risk, high reward,’she thought.’Take a gamble, and a bicycle becomes a motorcycle!’
“But…”
Celeste walked over to the full-length mirror.
The reflection showed a young woman standing at a proud 175cm, her figure sculpted into a perfect S-curve by years of a Priest’s rigorous physical training. Even in loose loungewear, her rather generous curves were difficult to completely conceal. Combined with the sleek muscle tone she’d gained from the Millelith Five-Year Experience Book a few days prior, her entire being radiated a potent, mature beauty.
The very picture of a classic ‘onee-san’.
Her gaze slowly drifted back to the card in her hand, to the slender, willowy, and almost androgynous boy depicted there.
Celeste fell into deep thought.
She glanced down at the impressive peaks on her own chest.
‘This transformation…’she mused,’are we sure this isn’t a clothes-bursting trial card?’
The tragic image of buttons popping like champagne corks and fabric screaming in protest flashed through her mind. Even though her mental fortitude had been tempered by the system for a long time, she felt a powerful premonition of imminent social death.
Still, the words “permanent buffs” seemed to possess a magical quality, thrumming a frantic rhythm against her heart.
“Screw it! Let’s do it! I’m the only one in the room, so the embarrassment can’t leak outside!”
Celeste took a deep breath, psyching herself up in the mirror. ‘For the sake of power, what’s a little bit of shame?’She stood before the mirror, steeled her resolve, and whispered internally,’Use, Venti Trial Card!’
The card dissolved into a thousand motes of cyan light at her fingertips. Like a disturbed swarm of fireflies, they instantly enveloped her.
A gentle breeze, carrying the scent of dandelions and freedom, materialized from thin air, softly curling the ends of her hair.
Her loungewear didn’t tear. Instead, it seemed to strangely “melt” away. The texture of the fabric changed in a flash against her skin, the softness of cotton replaced by the cool slide of silk and the sturdy give of leather.
The light dissipated.
Celeste eagerly looked into the mirror.
The corner of her eye twitched uncontrollably.
The person in the mirror still had her bright, striking face, but the outfit she wore had become a ridiculously “modded” version of the bard’s attire.
The shorts that belonged to the boy had been lengthened into slim-fitting dark trousers, perfectly outlining the stunning lines of her long legs. The white, ruffled shirt, forced to accommodate her proud figure, was stretched taut across her chest, showcasing every curve. Each button looked like it was fighting for its life. The green cloak-shawl worn over it all seemed even shorter and more compact by comparison.
The overall image was that of a mature, charming older sister who, for some unspeakable personal interest, had secretly tried on her younger brother’s cosplay outfit.
The sense of incongruity was off the charts.
Before she could fully appreciate this bizarre transformation, a strong, expressive urge that was not her own welled up in her throat. Her body moved before her mind could catch up, her hands already landing on her hips.
A clear, lively voice, tinged with a boyish playfulness, popped out of her mouth.
“Wouldn’t gliding be faster?”
Celeste: “!!!”
‘Shut up! That’s not my voice!’
She slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with horror.
That voice! That tone!
This damn trial card was a forced role-play session? It wasn’t just a transformation; it came with a pre-installed voice pack and a tone lock?!
She tried to force out a single syllable in her own cool, detached voice, but the moment she opened her mouth, the same lazy, smiling boyish tone emerged.
“Ehe! Looks like I can’t use my original lines anymore! It seems the wind quite likes this new vessel. Though the process was a bit roundabout, the wind will always find its own way, wouldn’t you say?”
Celeste pressed a hand to her forehead and gave up the struggle.
‘Whatever. No one’s watching anyway. I’ll just endure it.’
She focused her attention inward, feeling out this brand-new power.
It was the wind.
Free and unrestrained, the wind flowed through her limbs and bones with every breath, light and agile. She raised her index finger, and a wisp of cyan breeze obediently coiled around it, condensing into a tiny, happily spinning cyclone at her fingertip.
With another thought, the air above her palm suddenly contracted. A palm-sized, teal-colored wind domain formed out of thin air, its airflow stable and potent.
No chanting, no complex spell models—it was as natural as breathing.
“So this is elemental control…”
Celeste held the magnificent longbow that had appeared with the transformation, the one named Elegy for the End.
“Skyward Sonnet!” she whispered, the boyish voice reciting the name of the Elemental Skill.
The moment the words left her lips, she tapped her toes on the floor, and an invisible force suddenly launched her upward. Her entire body shot toward the ceiling like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Thump!
Her forehead made solid, intimate contact with the hard ceiling.
“Ouch…”
Celeste covered her reddened forehead and flopped back onto her soft bed. The pain was sharp and clear, but the excitement burning in her eyes was brighter than ever.
This kind of mobility was an epic-tier buff for a class with notoriously poor movement options like a Priest!
‘So this is… the power of the Anemo element?’This feeling of commanding and riding the wind was completely different from pure physical strength. It was filled with a sense of agility and cleverness.’Should I… try the ultimate?’
Celeste glanced out the window, her fingers itching to try it. That legendary Wind’s Grand Ode, said to be able to pull everything into its vortex…
Reason yanked her back from the brink at the last second.
This was a residential area. If she unleashed that ultimate, tomorrow’s Yi City headlines would probably read: “Shocking! College Entrance Examinee, Suspected of Buckling Under Pressure, Demolishes Home and Triggers Midnight Tornado!”
‘Yeah, no. Let’s save the ultimate for a wide-open field.’
“That should be enough for now.”
Celeste—currently Venti—glanced at the time. About ten minutes had passed since the transformation. She could already feel the thoughts and mannerisms belonging to Venti starting to bleed into her own. If she kept this up, she was genuinely afraid she wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to run down to the public square and start busking for wine money.
“Deactivate state.”
The teal light flashed once more. The tight-fitting bard outfit vanished, replaced by her original loose loungewear.
She cleared her throat and tentatively spoke. “Hey.”
The tone was cool and detached. It was her own voice.
Celeste let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.
‘Thank god. I’m back.’