Chapter 13: Awakening

Chapter 13: Awakening

As the emotionless voice echoed in her mind, Dorothy stood still, thoughts swirling like a storm.

That booklet... it’s not just a twisted journal. According to the system, it’s part of a high-spirituality text called the “The Art of Sacred Anatomy”… and it recommends I study it?

Dorothy’s eyes dropped to the grotesque tome in her hands.

It was horrifying—filled with diagrams and instructions on how to harvest Chalice spirituality through murder and cannibalism—and yet, it held knowledge with spiritual value. If the system’s function was to exchange knowledge from this world for knowledge of another, then…

Could this book be used as currency?

Excitement flickered in her chest.

Last time, she’d exchanged a language—3,000 words of Prittish language—for three characters of Dragon Language. If this “high-spirituality knowledge” could also be traded… what might she get?

“Hey, system,” she asked aloud, “if I finish studying this high-spirituality knowledge, can I use it to exchange for knowledge from the other world?”

The system didn’t always answer. Most of the time, it remained dormant. But when the questions were about itself, it sometimes responded.

This was one of those times.

“Confirmed. Any knowledge with sufficient spirituality may be exchanged. The amount of spirituality determines the strength of the acquired foreign knowledge.”

Dorothy blinked.

So the stronger the knowledge’s spirituality… the better the reward?

It made sense. Her previous trade had required over a thousand words of Prittish language just to gain one character of Dragon Language. Clearly, the spiritual value of Prittish language was tiny compared to that otherworldly script.

“Then… if I finish studying The Art of Sacred Anatomy, can I immediately use it for a trade?”

“Affirmative. However, current soul strength is insufficient to inscribe additional foreign knowledge. Soul Codex page count is at capacity. Ascension required to expand capacity.”

Dorothy paused.

Wait, what?

She hadn’t expected that answer.

So the foreign knowledge gets "inscribed" onto my soul? And I’ve already hit the limit? Just from two and a half Dragon Language characters?!

It felt like being told her brain was already full—after just a few phrases.

“Hey, what’s the current state of my Soul Codex?” she asked.

“Soul Codex inscription rate: 100%. Recorded: Dragon Language characters — ‘Fus’, ‘Ro’. Character ‘Dah’ stored but not inscribed. Awaiting soul strength increase.”

Only two characters recorded. A third sitting in storage.

Dorothy sighed.

So unless I increase my soul’s capacity, I won’t be able to learn anything new. The foreign knowledge has to be engraved into this so-called Soul Codex—and right now, I’ve run out of pages.

But how do I expand it?

She remembered something the system had said earlier:

“Ascension required to expand capacity.”

Ascension. In other words—evolve.

Wasn’t that exactly what the grotesque book had described? That so-called “promotion” process, powered by Chalice spirituality?

So if she wanted more knowledge… if she wanted to master the secrets of the other world…

“I’ll still need to gather Chalice spirituality and complete an ascension ritual…”

Dorothy bit her lip, conflicted.

She had rejected the idea of consuming those ghastly fingers herself. Even now, the thought made her stomach turn.

But if I can’t find another way to gain spirituality, I’ll be stuck. No progress. No growth.

Then—an idea.

“Hey, system,” she asked again, “can I extract the spirituality directly from the knowledge I study? Use it for ascension instead of trading it?”

The system’s reply came instantly.

“Confirmed. Spirituality gained through knowledge can be extracted and accumulated within the body. However, doing so renders the knowledge invalid for exchange.”

Dorothy’s eyes widened.

So I can either trade the knowledge… or consume it.

Either route offered power—but not both.

A choice lay ahead: sacrifice knowledge for ascension, or trade it for more powerful secrets.

And with that choice, a new path unfolded before her.

Hearing the system’s reply, Dorothy furrowed her brows in deep thought. After a moment of quiet reflection, she grabbed a pen and began jotting down her insights on a nearby sheet of paper.

“Knowledge carries spirituality. But each piece of knowledge can only be used for one of two things: either to trade for foreign knowledge or to extract spirituality for ascension. The two are mutually exclusive. A choice must be made.”

So that was it.

The system’s "exchange" function was, in essence, a process of burning the spirituality within knowledge. And spirituality—clearly—was a valuable, limited resource.

If I want to grow stronger, I have to make conscious decisions about how to spend that resource—either to accumulate it for advancement… or trade it for otherworldly knowledge.

With that conclusion written down, Dorothy’s thoughts cleared significantly.

Well, it’s not like I have a choice right now…

Her Soul Codex was already full. Until she could expand its capacity, she had no way to engrave new foreign knowledge. So for now, the only viable path was to extract spirituality and accumulate it.

Decision made, Dorothy felt a surge of motivation.

Even though it was already past midnight, she grabbed the disturbing little booklet—the The Art of Sacred Anatomy—and set herself to finishing it.

It wasn’t a long read. The booklet was thin, its contents horrifyingly direct.

And as disturbing as the diagrams and rituals were, they were also weirdly captivating.

She kept reading. Kept turning pages. Kept learning.

By the time the clock struck 4:30 AM, Dorothy had absorbed it all. She exhaled deeply, shutting the booklet with trembling fingers and slumping back into her chair.

“Whew~ I’ve never studied this hard. Not even in school…”

Just as she muttered that aloud, the familiar voice of the system echoed again in her mind.

“The Art of Sacred Anatomy fully comprehended. Ready for exchange or spirituality extraction.”

“Extraction,” she said without hesitation.

The system responded immediately.

“Spirituality extraction complete. Gained 4 points of Chalice spirituality. Gained 2 points of Revelation spirituality.”

Dorothy jolted upright in her chair.

Revelation spirituality? Why did I gain that? The manual clearly focused on ‘Chalice’…

“Hey, system. Wasn’t that manual Chalice-related? Why did I get Revelation spirituality too?”

“Revelation exists within all knowledge.”

Dorothy paused. The system’s reply triggered a memory—something from earlier in the booklet.

There had been a brief passage describing Revelation spirituality.

It was tied not to flesh or ritual, but to the soul, to revelation, awakening, and—most of all—knowledge.

If Chalice is the spirituality of flesh… then Revelation is the spirituality of thought. Of understanding.

Even if the bulk of the booklet was about consuming flesh to acquire Chalice, the very act of reading and learning had still granted her Revelation.

Because—at its core—all knowledge contains Revelation.

Realization bloomed in Dorothy’s chest.

This is it. This is the path I need to walk.

Compared to Chalice, which demanded blood, bone, and death… Revelation could be earned simply by learning.

I’ll become stronger… through study. Through mastery. Through understanding.

She chuckled softly to herself.

Looks like I’m on the road to becoming a full-time scholar now…

Shaking her head in amused disbelief, Dorothy glanced up at the clock. Nearly 5 a.m.

Time to sleep.

The rewards from Edrick’s mission were all deciphered. Her business in Vulcan was just about wrapped up. After a good rest, it would be time to say goodbye to this place.

Her next stop was already set.

A major city in the Pritt Kingdom—her original destination—Igwynt.

“A big city, huh…”

She muttered sleepily, pulled the blanket over herself, and drifted off into dreams.

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