Apocalypse Healer - Path of Death-Chapter 34B2 - Herald
David let the others grieve their two fallen friends while Zachariah left to check out Horville. The regressor returned a few minutes later and stood beside him in silence.
A while passed before the gut-wrenching sobs and cries subsided, yet no one spoke. Maja manifested a portal back to the town where the Cursed resided, then conjured a second one for Zachariah and David.
“Thank you… for helping us,” Lukas muttered, his shoulders drooping.
A tear fell to the ground as David patted Lukas’ shoulder. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“If you ever need help again, come to the Dwarven Sanctuary,” Zachariah said with a faint sigh before adding, “I’d recommend that the Cursed grow stronger. Even the elderly can become Clerics and acquire useful Classes. They can extend their lifespans by upgrading their Bodies and keep their minds sharp by strengthening their Minds.”
The regressor departed through the portal, and David followed after saying his farewells.
There wasn’t much he could say to console them either way. Zachariah had warned them, but they took the risk nonetheless. Some of them had died, yet the rest were lucky to be alive. They all could have died—and probably would have—if the Void Fragment had attacked.
The scenery changed as he rushed behind Zachariah, and he found himself in Torb’s office. The dwarf wasn’t present.
“You might want to tell the others what happened earlier, but it might be best if you—” Zachariah started, but David lifted a hand with a smile. “I know.”
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Zachariah stared at him with a raised eyebrow. “You do?”
“Asmodeus visited me last night.”
Zachariah’s eyes widened, but only for a moment. He nodded in understanding.
“What will you do now?” David asked.
Zachariah shrugged. “I’ll probably force Melach or some other Mage with decent fire-attributed Runes to come with me. The corpses in Horville need to be incinerated. The more firepower, the better.”
Were the black life signals that much of a problem? David had seen them spread through Zachariah’s arm, but what was there to damage in corpses?
“It will spread into the surroundings, seep into the ground if you don’t destroy the corpses, won’t it?” David took a wild guess.
Zachariah shook his head. “‘Death’ isn’t strong enough to infest the Earthen Union just yet. However, monsters—especially undead—should never get to touch it. They will devour the Death and absorb it.”
Somehow, from the way Zachariah spoke about it, David doubted ‘Death’ was the proper term for the black life signals. It seemed more like Zachariah was trying hard not to mention it—just like Them.
“What’s your plan?”
“Mine?” The question took him by surprise. What was his plan?
Today’s events changed a lot. He was stronger than ever, yet he felt incredibly weak. That had to change.
“I think I’ll make use of the Blessing with everything I have,” he said. “I might be away a little longer, though.”
The Blessing of the World wouldn’t last for long. Maybe it would end in a few hours, maybe in another day or two—David couldn’t tell for sure. The last few days had not only been stressful but had overlapped as well, making it incredibly hard to tell how much time had passed in reality.
Regardless, David wasted no time. He told Zachariah where he could be found in an emergency and departed for the prehistoric Rift.
Several dwarves guarded the prehistoric Rift’s entrance, blocking his path with their spears. They said something, but David wasn’t listening. His mind was with the Void Fragment and his pathetic antics.
He had been certain things would change once Lifeweaver reached the Silver Rank, yet everything was still the same. He was strong, but his power was still far from the top brass. The winged serpent had made that much clear, cracking his confidence. But the Void Fragment encounter—and the relentless reminder of the Earthen Union’s fate in past Cycles—shattered it completely, crushing it into dust.
That had to change.
David pushed the spears aside and looked at one of the dwarven guards, the world around him turning crimson as he did. The guards retreated and made space for him as he entered the prehistoric Rift again.
He returned to the valley and dashed toward the Rift Core, which had changed a lot. The stone foundation circling the Rift Core was now surrounded by massive walls and several towers. More dwarves—stronger entities—protected the Rift Core alongside several powerful dinosaurs.
How had they tamed them? David didn’t know. It didn’t really feel like the dinosaurs had been tamed. Maybe they weren’t tamed at all, and the dwarves and dinosaurs simply accepted each other’s company for the sake of peace and Origin Essence.
But David did not care. He unleashed his Bloodlust to the fullest, voicing everything that needed to be said.
“Anyone who bothers me will be killed on the spot,” he declared, leaping across the wall. He sat cross-legged beside the Rift, ignoring the weapons pointed at him. He needed strength, and he would take everything necessary to obtain it—even if that meant making enemies of Aether-infused prehistoric monsters and a bunch of dwarves.
But he needed Origin Essence right now. Serene Ego was certainly not the strongest Secondary Class, but it was exactly what David required at this moment. If he ever wished to acquire enough power to rival the strongest, he would have to improve his foundation. Enhancing his stats with Attribute Points and level-ups would shorten the gap and grant him some power, but Monk—and thus also Serene Ego—provided the means to upgrade his foundation and unlock the full potential of his existence.
All he needed was enough energy—Origin Essence preferred—the means to absorb it smoothly, [Meditation], and ways to utilize the energy: [Reinforce], [Mind Palace], and [Dao Comprehension]. Both Class Skills and the Legacy Skills would push his potential to the limit while simultaneously increasing Serene Ego’s Rank. The combination was as close to perfection as one could get, David thought, confident in his next course of action.
Even if the Secondary Class is harder to level, I can do it. He licked his lips, devising plans and goals—one of which included the next Class Advancement of Serene Ego.
Since he was already there, he might as well try to reach the Silver Rank with his Secondary Class. He closed his eyes as a sudden realization hit him.
Wait a second, he didn’t open his pores to absorb and annex the Origin Essence around him. Instead, his hand reached for the spatial necklace with a wry smile.
“I don’t want to break my neck now, do I?” David snickered, ignoring the heavy tension in the air. He removed the necklace and studied it for a moment. The damaged dimension stone didn’t seem connected to the chain. Was that new, or had he somehow failed to notice that the stone was never attached to the chain?
He tilted his head and removed the chain, replacing it with a simple thread. The thread could be torn apart with little force, making it susceptible to thievery, but that was also why he put it on. It was an unlikely scenario, but if he were to forget to charge the energy storage fused into the dimension stone, David’s neck wouldn’t break. Instead, the thread would rip.
Why did nobody think about that before? David shook his head as he placed the necklace on the ground beside him. Then again, it wasn’t someone else’s responsibility to find a simple solution to his problems—problems he didn’t even know he had.
“I would have died if I hadn’t removed this… right?” he muttered to himself, shaking his head, relieved that he hadn’t forgotten the storage necklace was defective.
Now that all potential problems with the storage necklace had been solved, David closed his eyes again. He activated [Meditation] and started to take in as much Origin Essence as possible.
David willed the Origin Essence straight to [Reinforce], strengthening his Body rather than his Energy Pathways. His Energy Pathways barely reached the threshold to be considered Average, but the Body was the vessel that held lifeforce. He may not have the means to infuse foreign lifeforce into his body—not easily and with unknown, possibly dangerous results—but he could absorb and contain it. The stronger his body, the more lifeforce someone could generate and control, David had learned.
His eyes remained closed as he dedicated himself to the practice of his Skills and the constant improvement of his foundation. David seamlessly shifted between spending Origin Essence on [Reinforce], [Mind Palace], and [Dao Comprehension], while ensuring [Meditation] would never fail him.
But while the process of spending day and night dedicated to his work was seamless, it was also straining. So much so that David barely heard the whisper of a sound as several notifications popped up before the world around him—as well as his mind space—transformed into a blur.
***
David regained consciousness to a searing sting in his chest. He groaned and instinctively used [Greater Restoration], recovering from the pain almost instantly.
“Are you going back to sleep again?” A voice laced with ridicule rang in his ears. “Or do you want me to stab you again?”
He opened his eyes, but his vision was blurred. It cleared slowly, but he could already make out the silhouettes and life signals of several familiar figures.
“Why the hell would you stab me, Zachariah?” David snapped at the regressor. “Are you not busy doing… whatever?”
Once his vision fully returned, he noticed Torb and Melach standing next to Zachariah. And… Maja? What was the Portaligist doing here?
“Did something happen?” he asked, his ears perking up as he got to his feet. His body moved stiffly, and he stretched a little while listening to Torb.
“Excluding that some sort of bloodthirsty demon has been occupying the Rift Core that belongs to Fortress and the Dwarven Sanctuary for three weeks? I don’t think so,” Torb grumbled, his voice laced with sarcasm.
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Three weeks? David gaped. It didn’t take a genius to figure out whom Torb was referring to. Still, he never expected to stay in the prehistoric valley for three weeks. That was… unexpected.
“Torb asked me to wake you up after he and Melach failed,” Zachariah snickered. “I had to sever your connection to Origin Essence.”
“Why though? I was having a good time in here,” David glared at the regressor. He felt great—better than ever—even though three weeks seemed to have passed since he monopolized the Rift Core’s Origin Essence.
“Ask your friend.” Zachariah shrugged, gesturing to Torb. “I would have kept you near the Rift Core to watch you unveil the mysteries of Bloodlust and—the other Intent was called Rend, right?—and Rend.”
David noticed Melach and Maja staring at him in fear, though the Portaligist’s reaction was the most drastic. She was shaking wildly, like a branch caught in a storm. He glanced at his body and noticed a crimson sheen—Bloodlust—emanating from him. He immediately suppressed the Intent.
Torb said something, but David only half-listened as he reached for the storage necklace beside him. It was out of energy and lay firmly on the ground, forcing him to refill it.
He turned to look at the dwarf while putting on the necklace.
“You took too much Origin Essence, David. The dwarves are disrespected by your actions and attitude. I didn’t do anything at first, hoping you would wake up soon, but you stayed there, cross-legged, monopolizing all the Origin Essence.” A heavy sigh escaped Torb’s lips, and they made eye contact for a moment.
“Regardless, I gave you the benefit of the doubt and followed Fortress’ order. He told me to give you more time and that you needed this after your last encounter. But you didn’t wake up even then, and I was forced to do something.”
David digested Torb’s words quickly. Fortress siding with him came as a surprise, but some words irked him.
‘Last encounter’ is exactly what I think it is, isn’t it… he thought, squinting his eyes.
“Either way, you took too much Origin Essence for too long. We need it back!”
Torb looked at him sternly, his eyes glimmering dangerously. If that was meant to intimidate him, Torb would have to try harder.
“I’m done here either way. I never planned to stay this long,” David said dismissively, licking his lips as he checked on the most important system notifications.
[The last stage of the World Awakening has been completed. The Blessing of the World has faded. All boons have been withdrawn.]
It was only obvious that the Blessing had faded, but the message still hurt. He would have loved to keep the Blessing of the World for a few weeks—maybe even months. Regardless, he moved on to the next notifications.
[Devout practice of [Meditation] stimulated your growth
You fell into Trance, amplifying the efficiency and potency of all related Skills.]
[Proficiency of Meditation reached 100%.]
[Tier-1 VII] → [Tier-1 XIV]
[Proficiency of Meditation reached 100%.]
[Tier-1 VII] → [Tier-1 X]
[Progress with Mind Palace increased drastically.]
[Lowest: Basic] → [Middle: Basic]
[Proficiency of Dao Comprehension has increased.]
[Proficiency of the Law of Blood has increased.]
[You have unveiled one of Bloodlust’s mysteries.]
[Basic] → [Intermediate]
[You have unveiled one of Rend’s mysteries.]
His heart pounded at the drastic changes. It was a little disappointing that Rend didn’t reach Advanced, but David knew he was being greedy. Still, he felt that the best notifications—updates—were still missing, and he continued reading.
[Secondary Class’ Rank increased by one.]
[Bronze I → Bronze II]
[Mind and Body increased by one.]
…
[Secondary Class’ Rank increased by one.]
[Bronze IV → Bronze V]
[Mind and Body increased by one.]
[Class Skill [Soul Domain] has been fused to your Source.]
[Secondary Class’ Rank increased by one.]
[Bronze V] → [Bronze VI]
[Mind and Body increased by one.]
…
[Secondary Class’ Rank increased by one.]
[Bronze IX] → [Bronze X]
[Mind and Body increased by one.]
[Your Secondary Class meets all conditions to commence the Secondary Class Advancement. Do you wish to proceed?]
[Error! Error! The host is in Trance. Trance-Danger-Security protocol has been initiated.
The host’s will and desire has been taken into consideration.]
[Secondary Class Advancement has been initiated: most suitable Class has been selected.]
[Herald of Origin(Unique) has been selected.]
[Your Secondary Class’ Rank increased by one.]
[Bronze X] → [Silver I]
[Two Attribute Points and one point in Body have been added.]
The flood of notifications took him by surprise. The seamlessly interwoven pile of messages showed no signs of shrinking. If anything, it seemed as though more notifications were forming as he read through the old ones.
What is going on? He almost blurted it out loud when he found a new Class Skill, Soul Domain, in his mind space. Surprisingly, the Rune fit naturally there. At least, it wasn’t alone—several new Runes had appeared, and some old ones had been replaced.
Could it be…? David needed more information.
[Herald of Origin: (Unique): Weakened Seal]
You devoured an abundance of Origin Essence and found enlightenment in the secrets of the beginning.
As the Herald of the Origin, you are the conduit of primordial power, wielding the Essence of creation itself.
You seek control—dominion—yet you do not lose yourself in greed and wrath.
Even as you tap into the Essence of the Origin Essence, you do not feel at ease.
Death and Chaos resonate with you, but so do Hope, the Perseverance of Life, and the raw, unshaped energy of existence itself.
The Herald of Origin uses his aura of wisdom and understanding of the world’s very foundation to reshape the battlefield.
Using Forgotten— SEALED —...
The proficiency of various Skill Runes increases significantly.
Certain Skill Runes have been altered.
Skill Runes [Indomitable Will] and [Primeval Pulse] have been fused to your Source.
Intent: [Origin Attributes] has been granted.
Source has been modified.
Increasing your Rank will grant you [+2 Attribute Points, +1 Body].
A dull ache spread through his head as he read his new Secondary Class description for the third time. The boons of the Class were tremendous, but David failed to understand how Herald of Origin was related to his earlier Classes—Serene Ego, let alone Monk. It didn’t make any sense.
The first part of the Class description hinted that the Trance and absorbing Origin Essence en masse had resulted in this transformation, but he couldn’t be sure.
David closed his eyes again to check on his Mind Space and smiled lightly. A Body’s Purity was no more. It had been replaced by Promethean Constitution, which had separated from the Source and fused into his body. Apparently, according to his status sheet, Promethean Constitution was now a Modification rather than a Class Skill.
But what bothered him most was the Source’s modifications. It wasn’t listed under the status sheet’s Modifications, but through Bloodthrone Dominion, David could sense a change. The Source had expanded and transformed, creating a small secluded space where particles of something were being…generated? It didn’t take David long to realize the particles were Origin Essence, and his body was generating them—but not from nothing.
He noticed a faint…was it a thread?...connecting to the Source from somewhere else. It wasn’t tangible, and he couldn’t even sense it. However, with Bloodthrone Dominion, David could see it.
What he could also see were the changes in his status sheet. At first, it seemed as though his Skills and abilities had disappeared. However, that wasn’t the case.
Everything was reorganizing, David thought, watching in silence as the screens shifted.
Name: David Stears
Primary Class: Lifeweaver
Rank: Silver I
Secondary Class - [Herald of Origin]
Rank: Silver I
Body: High(+)(Advanced)
Mind: Lowest(+)(Advanced)
Soul: Low+(Advanced): 18 Droplets
[Modification: II]
–
[Laws: III]
–
[Legacy Skills: I]
–
[Class Skills]
[Lifeweaver: IV]
[Monk: II]
[Serene Ego: II]
[Herald of Origin: II]
–
[Skill Runes]
[Tier-0: II]
[Tier-1: VIII]
[Tier-2: I]
Attribute Points: 2
“Damn,” David blurted. “Those stats are dogshit crazy!”
So many things had changed, but one thing was clear: the last three weeks hadn’t been a waste of time. They seemed to have been exactly what he needed.
