Apocalypse Healer - Path of Death-Chapter 1B3 - Apex

His impression of the Pantheon was not great, yet he didn’t doubt the truth of the words written in the information scroll. Deep down, he knew it was the truth, no matter how much he wanted the information to be wrong—to be a mistake, or a sick prank.

His parents were dead. David should have expected it after everything he and others had gone through since the start of the integration. The chaos. The destruction. The deaths.

Yet, despite being pushed to the edge of death several times, David somehow never thought they would die.

“Fuck this shit,” he growled, watching the chaos around him in anger.

Not even fighting the Great Horde and eliminating the Sacred Beast that had threatened the Dwarven Sanctuary’s survival brought him any comfort. The excitement of the bloody battlefield was still there, yet it was dull and bleaker than it used to be.

Was that a temporary situation, or would it always be like that? David wondered as he strolled through the Sanctuary—or what was left of it.

The dwarves’ craftsmanship was phenomenal, and they had transformed the Dwarven Sanctuary into a beautiful home for their kind and their allies. But their buildings were not made to withstand the assault of a Sacred Beast. Less than half of their structures survived the brutal conflict against the Great Horde and Electra.

But does it really matter? More than a third of the population didn’t make it through the fight. David grimaced, his eyes drifting to the market square. No merchants were seen trading in the market square, but that was only obvious. The entire place had transformed into a massive makeshift infirmary to treat the injured.

And there were many that needed treatment. Far more than David had anticipated, considering how many had already perished defending the Sanctuary.

He sighed and turned to the market square. His Source was still recuperating, but it ought to endure the strain of some Skills.

As David inched closer to the market square, the lifeforce of the creatures within his line of vision cleared up. He separated the bundles of lifeforce in a moment and distinguished those who were bound to survive from critical cases, allowing him to dive straight into work as he reached the first patient.

David enhanced [Healing Sphere] with [Purify] and sent several modified spheres toward the worst cases of Toxification. Most melee fighters who survived the battle were either maimed or suffered from the aftermath of Toxification. However, as it turned out, most healers were either too exhausted or unskilled to cleanse the Stage-3 Toxification that feasted on the lifeforce of more than two dozen Protectors.

They would survive thanks to his application of [Purify], though he’d have to focus more attention and Blood on everyone to cleanse the deepest roots of their ailments. That was not feasible in his current state, so a partial cleanse had to do.

The fog mantling the Great Horde dispersed with the death of the last monster, though it seemed to have infected many before dissipating. David glanced in the direction of the battlefield and winced.

Even the field was not spared. Cleansing that will be annoying. He grimaced but shrugged after a moment. It was not like they needed him to cleanse the field. There were more than enough Clerics with more than enough experience to do the job.

Nonetheless, the Dwarven Sanctuary’s situation looked worse than expected. David couldn’t see everything from his position, but he knew what he had seen during battle—and how much worse it had gotten thanks to Bloodthrone Dominion.

The walls built by Fortress, using most of the remaining influence he had on the Earthen Union, had been damaged. One of the walls was beyond repair and would have to be torn down and reconstructed, which would require an experienced workforce, resources, and time. All of these things were hard to come by at this moment.

How long will it take before the first monsters attack? David asked himself while stopping the bleeding of a human Warrior who’d lost both legs. With enough time, energy, and a fully repaired Source, David could have restored his legs, but he could only stop the bleeding for now.

“Sleep,” he commanded the Warrior, who nodded in silence, the fright in his eyes dispersing slowly. Not even a second later, exhaustion caught up to him, and his eyelids closed.

David treated a few more patients, though he only took care of the worst cases, ensuring they would survive another day or two. However, his Source complained, screaming at him in anguish after he finished the 11th patient.

“That’s all I can do for now. Make sure everyone survives until tomorrow or the day after,” David told the other healers, ignoring the reverence and gratitude, and added, “I will be back.”

Someone spoke to him, but he was no longer listening. While most survivors looked scared—to an extent that made it hard to believe they wouldn’t be traumatized until the end of their lives—others met David’s gaze with pride. They survived and emerged stronger than ever from the fight with the Great Horde.

But neither the pride nor the fear got to him. What bothered him most were the looks of gratitude, awe, and reverence. They may have seen him fight the Great Horde and watched him kill the spawn of a Beast God, but did that really mean they had to look at him like that?

David sighed deeply. Did he really deserve to be treated like that? It was not like he fought the Electra for their sake. Not really…

Whatever. This is only temporary.

The survivors were just confused, traumatized. Part of the Dwarven Sanctuary was no more, and too many powerful Protectors died. It was only natural to cling to someone powerful in times of despair.

And powerful he was. David understood that much, even if it meant double-checking his status screen.

Name: David Stears

Primary Class: Lifeweaver

Rank: Silver VII

Secondary Class - [Herald of Origin]

Rank: Silver IV

Body: Low (Superior)

Mind: Low(-)(Advanced)

Soul: Middle(-)(Superior) : 50 Droplets

[Modification: II]

[Weave Optics]: [Bloodthrone Dominion]

[Promethean Constitution]

[Laws: III]

[Law of Blood]: [High(Minor)]

Bloodlust: (Intermediate)

Rend: (Intermediate)

Origin Attribute: (Basic)

[Legacy Skills: I]

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[Dao Comprehension]: [Intermediate]

[Class Skills]

[Lifeweaver: IV]

[Weave of Life]: [Tier-2 IX]

[Equivalent Exchange]: [Tier-2 III]

[Sacrifice]: [Tier-3 II]

[Blood Manipulation]: [High: Basic]

[Monk: II]

[Meditation]: [Tier-1 XVIII]

[Reinforce]: [Tier-1 XIV]

Body: Elite– V(0.42%)

Energy Pathways: Average– VII(71.15%)

[Serene Ego: II]

[Mind Palace]: [High: Basic]

[Soul Domain]: [Low: Basic]

[Herald of Origin: II]

[Indomitable Will]: [Lowest: Advanced]

[Primeval Pulse] [High: Advanced]

[Skill Runes]

[Tier-1: VI]

[Heightened Vision]: [Tier-1 VI]

[Blood Blast]: [Tier-1 VIII]

[Blood Armor]: [Tier-1 IX]

[Purify]: [Tier-1 IX]

[Healing Sphere]: [Tier-1 XV]

[Blessing]: [Tier-1 XVII]

[Tier-2: I]

[Greater Restoration]: [Tier-2 VIII]

[Basic]

[Origin Lightning]: [High: Basic]

Attribute Points: 11

[Aether Slash], [Symphony Control], [Blood Patch], [Blood Aegis], and–... David tilted his head, scowling deeply, …and [Sacred Aura].

Those were the Skill Runes he had lost fighting the Mythical Electra. The Skill Runes [Sacrifice] had devoured to grant him the power he and Maja had needed to deal the finishing blow. Losing so many Skill Runes was tough, to say the least. They had been ripped out of his Soul by force, leaving him to fend for himself without their aid.

Worse still, [Sacrifice] hadn’t allowed him to choose anything. It took whatever Skill Runes it wanted, leaving him the bare minimum to defeat the Sacred Beast.

But it was not like the fight hadn’t granted him anything. He was inching closer to the Gold Rank with his Primary Class, and he would gain another powerful Class Skill from Herald of Origin shortly. There were also his stats, the size of his Source, and his remaining Attribute Points.

Pristine, white electricity currents crackled in his palm.

“And [Origin Lightning], of course,” David muttered, a flat smile playing on his lips as he dispersed the pristine currents into the surroundings.

Should I recover my lost Skills?

He cocked his head to the side. Acquiring [Oasis of Harmony], [Mana Shield], and [Slash] shouldn’t be a problem. He had enough currency slates to purchase the Skill Slates. [Blood Patch] and [Holy Touch] would be more problematic, especially with his Classes altering most Skills that were designated for other Classes. It would be great to reclaim [Sacred Aura], yet David doubted [Holy Touch] wouldn’t be altered if he were to bind it now. [Blood Patch], on the other hand, was rather simple to replicate.

He had [Blood Manipulation] and could use it to mark his target, creating a temporary link of healing. It might require some time and effort, but studying his newest Class Skill was high on his to-do list, either way.

But was it worth purchasing the same old Tier-0 Skills and training with them for weeks to push them back to Tier-1? [Slash] had been useful, but it was not essential to him. Not with Rend at his disposal.

Controlling my enemies, while being able to protect my allies is important though.

Even if it were only for selfish reasons, [Blood Aegis] and [Oasis of Harmony] had been important assets.

“Maybe later,” he muttered, ruffling through his hair. David didn’t even know what he wanted to do now. How was he supposed to know whether he wanted to spend weeks reclaiming his lost Skill Runes?

David was certain fighting wouldn’t stay dull forever. It would go back to being as exhilarating as he had gotten to know it. The same applied to the sensation of growing stronger. It was addicting, and it was not something David wanted to miss. Especially not with a Beast God hunting his friend and, most likely, also hunting him, now that he’d killed its child.

But other than growing stronger, than fighting powerful enemies to feel… something… what did he want? What did he need?

His family was no more, but not everyone he was friends with before the integration was dead. And not everyone he had gotten to know, to like, after the integration was dead either.

Some people were still alive, and they needed him. Somewhat.

Probably.

***

David barely felt the following days as they passed by. He was given a small room to rest and recover, which he did without any qualms.

Unsure how it happened, David ended up sleeping for almost two days. Nobody dared to interrupt his sleep, but he found several notes of urgency that healers had slipped through the tiny gap in the door.

He leaped to his feet, feeling more energetic than ever, and returned to the market square, only to find more patients than before—including elderly Clerics.

Tending to hundreds of patients was possible, but it was a challenge when he had to restore limbs and properly cleanse victims of Stage-3 Toxification. Worse still, David discovered a few unfortunate souls—their lifeforce mere flickers of dying embers—whose Toxification was worse than anything he had seen or experienced before. The dwarven woman, albeit once powerful, was merely a husk of her former self.

But she was still alive, and David promised to help her. That he did, after investing his Attribute Points into the Soul stats.

[11 Attribute Points have been used to enhance the User’s Soul.]

Middle(-)(Superior) → Low(+)(Apex)

The improvement was instantaneous. Upgrading his status this drastically was painful, especially when the Blood droplets of his Source expanded and improved. They drained the natural Aether in his Energy Pathways and his accumulated Origin Essence instantaneously, but that was still not enough. His body was in need of more energy and lifeforce.

David allowed it to drain a good portion of his lifeforce before he stopped the stream of lifeforce leaving his body. He would have used [Sacred Aura] under normal circumstances to absorb the ambient Aether, alongside [Meditation] to accelerate the process, but he was forced to activate [Meditation] alone.

That required a calm mind and as little movement as possible, which he provided while casting [Purify] on the tough dwarven woman. He overclocked [Purify] once the first Blood droplets at his new upgraded standard had formed and moved onward. He applied [Blessing] on [Purify] after a moment and added [Greater Restoration] once the dwarf’s complexion improved.

Tending to the dwarven woman required a considerable amount of time and energy, but with Soul reaching Apex, David had enough leftovers to tend to the worst cases.

Nobody died on his table, which slowly eased the heavy tension that hung over the market square. But still, no matter how much energy and stamina David had, he could not restore everyone instantaneously. It would have been different if everyone had the same anatomy as him, but he doubted anyone had three Blood Storages built into their bodies, accelerating their natural regeneration.

David did not leave the market square for days, using his Blood Storages with the effects of Deryadus’ Arm and natural Blood, until everyone had been tended to.

Finally, once work was done, David looked for the others. He hadn’t seen anyone for days and visited the battlefield first. However, there was nobody. The battlefield had been cleared, and the corpses—allies as well as enemies—were nowhere to be seen.

Though the soil was still corroded, someone had collected the bodies. Including his spoil of war: the Sacred Beast’s corpse.

“Hey, David!” a familiar voice rang out from beside him, and he turned to Maja, appearing out of nowhere.

“I was looking for you!”

“You were?” David met Maja’s eyes with a smile, earning him an even wider, overjoyed smile in return.

“Of course! Everyone has been waiting for you!”