Am I a Healer? You'd Better Think So!-Chapter 27: Two Marks

"Err... and the money? When am I going to get paid?" Darian asked awkwardly.

Rhea nodded. "You can already withdraw with your card. Now that you have a ring, the amount will increase a lot."

"Can I trade my Merit Points for more money?" he asked, clenching his fists tightly.

Rhea looked him in the eyes, then understood a bit. "Yes, I'll take you to exchange them. This time you earned a lot, so it shouldn't be a problem. But you'll only have fifteen days to spend with your family. After that, I'll take you to train with my clan."

"Clan?" Darian looked at her, confused.

"Yes, since I recruited you, I'm responsible for you for a while. You don't have to join the clan if you don't want to. But, for your first mission, you'll be required to go with my clan in a group so we can train you properly," she said calmly.

"Anyway, you'll have fifteen days to relax. After that, I'll come get you for intensive training. It should take, at most, another month for us to get a mission at our level and head out. So, these points are essential for surviving the missions; it's not wise to exchange too many for money."

"My clan is pretty friendly. You came at a great time, we only have one support, and everyone's going to want to be your friend," she added, smiling slightly.

Darian nodded and asked seriously, "When can I go back to the Divine Protection Universe? Isn't it dangerous for Summoners to be alone?"

Her smile widened: "There can only be a fixed number of Spiritual Guardians in the Divine Protection Universe at a time. So, there's a rotation between people from each Earth empire and also from all the planets in our universe. It'll take exactly three months before you can go back."

She answered calmly, but inside, she was quite happy that he was so concerned about his Summoner. Usually, it took a long time to form a strong bond, or it never happened. If he had already achieved that, it meant Darian was someone trustworthy.

"Summoners, when they're without their partner, stay inside Celestia Academy, being protected and trained. You must have seen it in the nest, but Summoners can use a bit of their Spiritual Guardian's power. There are techniques created exclusively for Summoners to use. The higher the Summoner's level, the stronger these techniques are. Your Summoner, being at the immortal level, should become pretty powerful using them. Celestia Academy didn't get that name for nothing, Summoners gain a lot being there."

Darian sighed internally. Unfortunately, Niara didn't have that possibility.

Then, he clenched his fists. He couldn't be sure if their contract was still valid. After all, he died, and that was already a breach.

Maybe she lost her status as a Summoner. So, that King could move the pieces to capture and kill her. There was a chance he would come back, and she'd already be dead. But... she definitely wasn't a damsel in distress; it was better for him to worry about himself for now.

Her mark, after being delivered, lost all contact, becoming something of his. It no longer belonged to the contract, so it was impossible to know.

Let's not forget. The mark was a power created by the contract, the same contract Darian and Naria made when they met in that prison. She used the power of her Divine Dragon Bloodline to do that. It was part of the exchange—she gave him this mark, and with it, he could absorb the Merit Power and create the rings. In return, he had to help that universe. Since the mark had already been given, it was now Darian's. It didn't matter if the contract was still active or not.

Seeing his expression, Rhea said lightly: "Don't think too much about things right now. You need to learn to separate them, or you'll get overwhelmed. Use your fifteen days to really rest from all of this. After that, I'll teach you what you need to know."

"Your card also allows the Empire to send you messages. When you agreed to become a Spiritual Guardian for the Empire, your soul was marked by the celestial altar. They always know where you are. It's useful for emergencies during missions, so I can come get you wherever you are. Anyway, let's go. I'll take you to the capital."

She finished and waved at him, leading him out of the room.

Rhea didn't talk to anyone. As she said, the Empire knew exactly where everyone was. The rules were very clear, and escaping after breaking one seemed pretty tough.

Outside, her golden wings appeared on her back.

She turned to Darian. "Try using your own power to connect with me. It'll be a good starting training."

"Huh? How do I do that?"

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Darian already knew how to pull his reddish aura out of the ring, just like he did to bind his card. It flowed around his body, but it was a soft, almost transparent aura. It seemed like a stronger wind could blow it away because it was so fragile.

"Before, when you didn't have a ring, you instinctively activated your blessing using the power from that law you captured during the test. The energy in that law is pretty simple and small, it doesn't even represent 5% of what you now have with a ring, in terms of quantity," Rhea explained, gesturing as her yellow aura moved closer to Darian.

"Since it was so easy, almost instinctive, you didn't need much training; even less to know about it. Now, you need to use the power from the ring. You have to make it flow into your law and, then, merge them. This method of fusing power with law makes the mixed energy act more efficiently in the world. So, just make it touch mine. I'll do the rest."

Darian listened and tensed up. His Law? He never captured one during the test.

Rhea saw his hesitation and added: "Relax, it's common not to know where your law is in the beginning. You used it instinctively, almost like breathing. Just try to activate your blessing and imagine that you have a core inside you that provides power. Focus, and you'll be able to feel it more clearly."

Darian nodded, worried about the outcome. He closed his eyes...

Currently, he had zero white and black power to use. So, he just imagined that he had something and did exactly what she said.

Suddenly... he felt something very different.

It was two...

Exactly on his two fists, he noticed that there were two marks.

It was just like Rhea said. Before, he used to accumulate the white and black power and use them instinctively, without even knowing where they were inside him. Only his will made them come out.

'Are these laws? They look like... no, that's impossible.'

He remembered that book. The protagonist had two Yin and Yang tattoos on his fists, which were the core of his power, allowing him to dominate and absorb any kind of natural law.

But in his case, the marks were engraved on his soul, not his body like tattoos. But they were definitely opposites: one was responsible for the white power and the other for the black.

'More questions than answers as always. Well, fuck it.'

Darian opened his eyes and manipulated the reddish power coming from the ring towards the marks.

He gestured, and then his reddish power really flowed out of the marks. This time, it was dense and bright, as if it was something solid.

With his will, he touched the yellowish power and felt it stick to him like a chain.

"Good job. Let's go." Rhea smiled and jumped.

*Whoosh!*

Darian felt like a chain tied to his body yanked him violently. His body was thrown up, dragged along.

He was startled and panicked. Any normal person in this situation would have broken numerous bones and had their organs twisted. But...

'Hehehehe... you're now a High Human. Your body is still adapting, but something like this is nothing.' Her mocking voice echoed in his mind, amused by his reaction. 'Small things that kill people only cause discomfort. Even your lifespan is pretty different.'

He had wide eyes, but indeed, he only felt discomfort. His body was no longer something normal; it now had very abnormal resistance.

Darian was violently dragged through the skies towards the former American continent, which now belonged entirely to the New Arcadia Empire.

He was taken to the capital, in the northern part of the continent, a place he had never dreamed of visiting. In certain cities, entry was prohibited for common people. There was no freedom to live where one wanted.

Rhea landed in a spot far from the city entrance. They would have to walk from there because there were many common people nearby, and they couldn't reveal their powers.

As they approached, Darian took a deep breath when he saw the magnitude of it all.

A huge shield surrounded the entire city, stretching up to the skies and forming a dome with no openings. But it wasn't made of bricks or any physical material. It was like a colorless, blurry holographic barrier, blocking the view of the city's interior.

It wasn't a physical barrier—anyone could cross it. But doing so would immediately get them detected, and inside, numerous guards would shoot to kill without mercy.

The person wouldn't live even a minute after trying... Yes, Darian had read about this. It wasn't uncommon in the past.

Hungry and desperate people tried to cross, but they all died, and their bodies were thrown outside, left there for a long time as a warning. Eventually, the attempts stopped, but the message was passed down to future generations to give up.

Once they arrived, everyone had to pass through a single entrance and were thoroughly checked.

Rhea just showed her golden card, and the guard immediately directed them to a private room at the entrance.

Inside, Darian saw a large, empty hall, but it was so luxurious and colorful that he was stunned.

There was only one person inside, a well-dressed and beautiful woman who approached them.

"Do you want to visit the city or get the money first?" Rhea asked Darian.

"I... can I bring my siblings to the city?" was the first thing that came to his mind.

His siblings' safety was his priority. Outside, things were tough and chaotic. The law only applied to the most powerful—there was no discussion or attempt to hide that. The weak could only accept it and hope they wouldn't get unlucky and be targeted by someone powerful.

On the way to the city, Rhea explained that she lived in the capital with her family. It was an extremely safe place, but the cost of living was very high.

The woman ahead smiled. "Of course, sir. Now, you've become a direct agent of the Empire. Inside the capital, only imperial agents and their families are allowed to live. But... living here isn't cheap."

"Your family is just two siblings, right?" Rhea asked, looking at him. He nodded. "I advise you to bring them immediately, if possible."

Darian agreed. Rhea didn't insist that he bring them right away because it was frighteningly expensive to move there.

The money was his, but just because he got lucky and earned a lot at the start didn't mean he'd get much more later. Besides, it was pretty common to take losses during incursions. Staying alive at any cost was the top priority.

But, since it was just two siblings, and Darian had earned a lot, it would be worth it.

At that moment, the woman asked for his card and registered everything. With that done, he could bring his siblings to the capital.