"There are many ways people interpret these words. I believe it means to work on yourself as much as possible before competing against others in the world. For Hunters, things are much simpler. You train to the best of your abilities and go fight monsters or challenge Divine Trials.
"But there is one very popular method to learn one's standing in the world. Members of the Crescent church take into consideration various things about you and determine your standing among your peers. There are also many arenas that host tournaments and challenges to help Hunters improve and show off their prowess.
"All this is under the arrangements of the Crescent church, but also the All-seeing. It's common knowledge that hunters receive fitting skills and prizes from the All-seeing if they're high ranked in the Crescent church."
'Why the hell aren't churches like this irl?'
"You want me to become a member of the Crescent church?"
"That would be great, but as I've said, it's morally and legally unallowed for me to force you."
"Then?"
"I've seen you fight the ogres out there," Lucas suddenly said. "You fought well, but you could've fought much better if you didn't limit yourself. That's what I'm trying to tell you."
"How did you even see me?"
"My skills allow me to manipulate senses. I can use them on my own senses to strengthen, or even expand them beyond human capabilities. Or I can use them to tamper with other things. I can make the water feel extreme heat, forcing it to boil."
"?"
"It's thanks to a skill called Effect and Cause. It can create causes for the senses I'm forcing on others."
"Should you be telling me this?" Lorn asked.
"It doesn't matter much. Everyone in the city knows about them, anyway."
Lorn frowned. "But what if my strength lies in keeping hidden trump cards?"
"Of course, you can keep your secrets for as long as possible. But do make sure to use them when necessary. The Crescent church teaches to not lose battles you could've won otherwise."
Lorn wouldn't understand why someone would talk about things like this so passionately if it was anyone else, but since Lucas was a priest, he could get it somewhat. The preachers back on Earth could talk endlessly about some ambiguous deity, so compared to that, what Lucas was trying to make him believe wasn't something so outlandish.
Lorn considered the advice. To go all out. It was only for a moment, though. Even if he went all out, there wasn't really much point. He was only an E-rank after all. Compared to someone like Lucas who could somehow see him fighting half a day away, he was a child.
"I can see your hesitation," Lucas smiled. "Feeling like there's no place for you in the spotlight as an E-rank? It's not something for you to worry about. Like I said, the Crescent church has many different arrangements to help Hunters. One such method is the Soul Rank specific ladder. This means that you can only compete against Hunters of your own rank. For ranked matches, it's possible to challenge Hunters above your rank, but it's impossible to do so to the ones below you."
'It's weird, hearing a priest zealously explaining an ingame ranking system,' Lorn thought.
He glanced at Sybil. She could only shrug back.
"I mean, I can consider it, sure," Lorn replied.
"Of course," Lucas replied. "I apologize if I'm being nosy, but what's your plan from now on?"
"Maybe head to the central continent?"
"Ah, in that case, you're probably going to be stuck here for a while."
"?"
"As long as you're not a soulless or a normal soullblessed, only B-ranks and above can enter the Central Duchies."
"What? Why?"
"Unsustainability. Since there are so many Divine Trials and monster nests in the central continent, many Hunters wish to develop themselves there. But if all low-ranked hunters gather there as they wished, it would be impossible for them to find even a single soul to absorb.
"But the Central Duchies are the Central Duchies. There's a reason they're the most powerful force in the world. There's almost an abundance of resources available for only B-ranks and above. A-rank Divine trials that can be counted on one's fingers in the Eastern continent can be found in abundance there. Every town has at least a B-rank Trial lying somewhere nearby."
"So there's no problem if the other continent's elite go there to hunt with them," Lorn nodded. He thought a bit. "So we can only go see that Divine Trial in the Sun Land?"
"That, too," Lucas smiled, "is off limits for you. It's one of the few A-rank Trials I've mentioned earlier."
Lorn sighed. He looked at Sybil. She didn't seem too troubled by their failed plans.
He smiled wryly. "Guess we're stuck with each other for a while, then."
"It can't be helped," she replied.
"Let's say you succeed in separating your bond," Lucas interjected. "What happens next?"
"I'll try to challenge the One Emperor," Lorn said impishly.
"An admirable dream," Lucas smiled. "I'm sure the One Emperor blessed this religion only was because he wanted someone to fulfill his Grand Order."
Lucas stood up and opened up the curtain.
"You can think on it for a bit. The Crescent church is always welcoming to new members. I can act as your patron at the start, getting you used to things and perhaps teaching you a few things about Elusive Manipulators."
Lorn nodded.
"And don't worry about the Spirit Bond thing. I don't even mind if you go declaring the method to other Undying. The One Emperor's thoughts are beyond understanding, but I do know he wants the world to be filled with strong people."
Lorn and Sybil said their goodbyes and walked out of the room.
"That wasn't too bad," she said.
Lorn still felt uneasy.
If it was anyone else but Elan, he probably wouldn't have cared so much, but because it was the damn debtor that's been haunting him for the past few years that held an advantage, Lorn couldn't not care.
'He also said he was in Vexis, right?'
"Let's go out," Sybil said. "I wanna check the capital a bit more."
The two gave a local kid some coins and had him guide them through the city. The place felt stuffy, with the tall walls blocking everything from all sides. It was the same with Belo city as well, but there, at least some of the inner buildings were taller than the wall.
In Vexis, the only building taller than the wall was the royal palace. Most of its lower floors included the government buildings, but the upper floors was where the royal family lived.
Surrounding the royal palace were the various special buildings such as the Hunter Association, Skill Research Center, and the University of Vexis that Sybil once tried to get in. Further away were the various entertainment buildings, the opera houses, art galleries, publishing houses and the Grand Arena.
They then asked the kid to bring them to a place with nice meals and the two spent half a day having fun with just the two of them.
Sybil was more talkative these days. She spoke her mind much more than before, most of her conversations explaining her thoughts on things. She sometimes looked like she wanted Lorn to ask her opinions on stuff, so he tried his best to read between the lines and keep her talking.
She was trying to change into someone more outgoing and though Lorn wanted to tell her that being comfortable with oneself wasn't something bad, he didn't want to ruin the process she was going through.
And to be honest, Lorn decided not to care so much about what Sybil did. When she said that she wasn't going to randomly kill herself, she was right. Lorn really was treating her like she was some fragile piece of glass. She wasn't going to shatter so easily.
But as they were eating, Lorn saw someone familiar walking towards him. A tall Asian man wearing a long black coat, accompanied by a woman whose soul exuded an aura more powerful than Adrian. It felt more akin to Lucas's.
'Is she a B-rank?'
But then his senses observed Elan. The man's soul was undoubtedly F-rank. Not just any F-rank, it felt like he became a Hunter just today. But there was definitely something between the two. Something akin to the thing between Sybil and himself.
"Hello," Elan said.