Am I a Healer? You'd Better Think So!-Chapter 14: Wicked Grin

Six hours passed quickly.

It definitely wasn't enough time for full preparation, especially since the merchants weren't fools. The moment they noticed the increasing flow of Summoners, they realized it was the perfect time to make a profit. Prices skyrocketed, limiting how many resources each person could buy.

Only those with fewer than five rings cared about what was available in the marketplace; anything relevant at higher levels was acquired exclusively through the academy.

Because of that, there were no rules or anyone to help the weak. In fact, it was better that way—it pushed them to seek out resources and grow stronger.

But in this situation, the price hikes also increased the chances of Summoners failing, putting the entire galaxy at risk of destruction.

Some tried to argue about it, but the merchants just laughed, thinking it was a joke. Summoners and their Spiritual Guardians were almost always proud beings who treated the natives like trash. Now, karma was coming back around.

Another reason was that everyone knew the weak wouldn't be part of something this grand. There should have been a few hundred Summoners with more than five rings ready to fight and handle the situation.

But... Ceug and the others had executed their plan well—they had thinned out the numbers, creating this crisis.

Only a few lucky ones managed to snatch up the thirty core weapons that suddenly appeared in the black market. Once time was up, everyone regrouped.

Niara already knew the drill. She joined up with the rookies and those who only had one ring, forming a single unit. They stood in the back row and would focus on eliminating any enemies that slipped past the other defenses.

Usually, that would just be the weakest ones—targets the more experienced fighters didn't want to waste energy on. But in the end, it was a lottery. Something far more dangerous could slip through.

The Summoners organized themselves into four lines. The strongest stood at the front to deal with the most powerful Risen, while the rest would handle anything that broke through on purpose. That way, no one wasted unnecessary energy.

Ceug arrived flying on his partner. Shortly after, the black-scaled woman appeared, spreading a massive inscription across the area.

Everyone got into position, and she activated the spatial movement inscription.

The space around millions of them twisted at once. In an instant, darkness swallowed them, and the laws of space carried them beyond the speed of light.

The process lasted a minute. Then, light returned.

They were now on a rocky planet, covered in volcanoes and thick with a heavy stench. There was no life here. To Darian, it felt like standing on the surface of Venus from his universe... or so he believed. He didn't really do that to confirm.

But right ahead, everyone could see a colossal mass of gathered miasma. Its shape resembled a gigantic nest, which was why it was called the Abyssal Nest.

Near it, bodies were scattered everywhere—dead Summoners and Risen alike. A group of Summoners had stayed behind, guarding the place and killing the lower-level Risen emerging from the nest. The few remaining allies rushed toward the newcomers, relieved.

They were severely wounded and needed to retreat to heal as soon as possible. They wouldn't be able to assist in the all-out assault.

*Everyone, form up! Mountain-Breaking Waves Formation!*

Ceug roared from the front line, commanding them.

The Summoners moved into position. They looked like ocean waves, ready to surge forward and destroy, with strategic gaps between them.

Two minutes after arriving, Ceug roared again:

*ADVANCE!*

The order was simple: charge straight into the nest and tear through it.

The temperature plummeted to the point of freezing their bones. With each step toward the nest, they felt as if they were leaping off a cliff. The sense of danger and death was absolute.

*GET READY!*

Ceug roared when they were a meter from the entrance.

All the Summoners drew their weapons, tense. Their Spiritual Guardians began radiating colorful auras, ready for a life-or-death battle.

*GO!*

His roar echoed, and the Summoners charged in formation.

Darian's group, of course, was the last to enter—about ten seconds behind the first wave.

It was like stepping through a portal into another dimension—an abyss completely swallowed by darkness and miasma.

**CLANG!**

**BOOOM!**

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

Deafening explosions and chaotic bursts of multicolored light filled the battlefield.

For the first time, Darian saw the true scale of the Risen's power. They came in every size and shape imaginable. Some were as massive as buildings, others small and agile. Beasts, demons, elves, humans—every kind of race... all turned into Risen.

And the ones that still looked completely human, like those he had faced during the test? They were actually the weakest and most foolish among them.

**BANG!**

Niara leaped forward, delivering a devastating punch. The shockwave exploded outward, obliterating a Risen instantly.

The Summoners around her—all of them without rings—took a step back, fearing for their lives.

It was obvious: none of them were even remotely prepared for this. Most of them had barely learned how to use their blessings yet.

Darian watched them, confused. The rookie Summoners were still trying to fight, but their Spiritual Guardians were clearly shaken.

'Wait... they didn't kill any Risen during the test?'

The answer was obvious. Fight? Why would they even try?

During the test, he had spent fifteen days fighting and killing nonstop, while the others simply used the resources they earned to run until they found a powerful law.

The ones who ended up having to fight probably got scared and tried to flee like fools. None of them had any real training. They had lived in a peaceful universe, most never having to face anything as brutal as real combat. The result of running? They got eliminated. Only the lucky and the fast ones made it out alive.

It wasn't just three rookies, like the instructor had said back then. There were almost twenty of them. They had probably come from another planet in that universe.

'Wait... if he said only three would pass, but there are this many here... does that mean Earth is the most mediocre of them all?' Another question he already knew the answer to.

*BANG! BANG! BANG!*

"!"

Suddenly, Darian's attention snapped to Niara, and his eyes widened. She was running, already ahead of the fourth line, pushing further and further.

Among the weak Risen, she was a furious, unstoppable Dragoness. She fought without hesitation, trusting in her powerful defenses. Perched on two raised points of her clothing, her partner watched everything through his eyes, sensing it all.

'Hey, hey... slow down...' He hesitated for a second. 'No! Go all out! Let the Dragon inside you out!'

A wicked grin spread across her scaled face. He could feel her excitement—she definitely loved fighting... and maybe, she even preferred it when there was enough blood to bathe in.

Darian couldn't devour the Risen's karma here, not in front of everyone. It would be too obvious that something was off. He could only do it if Niara got injured and he needed to use the white power.

But if she moved far enough from the fourth line, into the space between the third and fourth, they would be just out of sight. The ones behind wouldn't be able to see them clearly, and the ones ahead wouldn't waste time focusing on them.

They reached the perfect spot for him to devour. Here, the weaker Risen were retreating from the third line, running straight into the fourth.

Then, suddenly, Niara froze. She flapped her wings... tried to move, but her body wouldn't respond.

*PIERCE*

Darian felt a heavy impact, followed by a soul-crushing pain.

When he became aware of himself again, a black arrow had pierced through him—hitting exactly where he had been standing.