Healing

Chapter 11: Healing

'After an intense battle, you have gained a large amount of practical combat experience, but your Dancer level progress has only slightly increased. Please continue to strive.'

'After an intense battle, you have gained a large amount of practical combat experience. Your understanding of the Water Element has become increasingly profound, and your level has increased to LV3.'

'You actively deepened your connection with Oshirresh. Oshirresh was surprised and gazed at you.'

'You experienced a large amount of "Bliss." Oshirresh was satisfied with your talent and decided to let you truly Serve her.'

'Out of curiosity towards you, Oshirresh decided to give you the choice of advancement.'

'Ding, the Legendary Profession selection has been uploaded. Please check it in a timely manner.'

Countless voices appeared in Yuan Chen's mind, but he didn't have enough time to discern them.

Glancing at Nedeli, whose life and death were unknown, Yuan Chen quickly severed his connection with Oshirresh, ignoring the mental exhilaration.

In an instant, the pain that had been transformed into Bliss became a painful stimulus. The state of excitement vanished completely. The sudden change made Yuan Chen feel as if he had fallen from heaven to hell.

The drastic drop in sensory stimulation made Yuan Chen involuntarily widen his eyes—this stimulation and sense of contrast were too intense. For Yuan Chen, it was far more torturous than a bloody battle.

Especially his arm, which was already throbbing from Nedeli's pounce. Now, accompanied by the surge of blood that broke through his muscles during the ecstatic state, it was unbearable.

Before, it was an indescribable joy and comfort, so exhilarating that he felt like he was flying, even more intoxicating than the final climax of intimacy. But now, all the pain was severed from its connection to pleasure. Yuan Chen could only feel intense pain surging from all over his body...

Yuan Chen could endure...

This had already been proven during the battle.

Now, after experiencing the Bliss and exhilaration of being Oshirresh's Apostle, Yuan Chen could feel his mind wavering, as if he wanted to prostrate himself before Oshirresh—Having drifted for half a lifetime, he lamented: I have not yet met a Wise Lord!

Forgot the middle part, forgot the latter part.

Summoning a stream of water to splash onto his face, Yuan Chen felt his mind clear considerably from the cool touch.

Looking at Milio, whose eyes were filled with shock, Yuan Chen raised an eyebrow:

"How does adventuring feel?"

"...I... I don't know..." Milio seemed somewhat panicked. Standing beside him, the young man's face was full of helplessness, showing none of the longing for adventure he had before.

But then again, the adventures in boys' dreams were always beautiful, and they were always the protagonists. Most people, when they truly began their adventures, or entered society, would realize they were no different from trash...

During the battle, apart from the initial Firelight illuminating the dark forest canopy, Milio did not participate much in the fighting.

Yuan Chen didn't have many thoughts about this—

In the end, Milio's talent in combat was indeed far inferior to his talent in Healing and Support. No matter how hard he tried, he could never understand or accept traditional constraints.

This meant that any conventional Elemental Magic was in danger of going out of control in Milio's hands.

Furthermore, Nedeli was a level 6 Shapeshifter. Although she was known for her explosive bursts of speed as a Cougar, the absolute difference in levels was undeniable. Even if Milio gave it his all, his level 2 Elemental Magic would only be enough to scorch Nedeli's fur...

His right arm, the one he had thrown the punch with, was shattered.

Yuan Chen shifted his body slightly, and a sharp pain shot through his right arm, causing even him to gasp. After resting for about ten minutes, Yuan Chen tilted his chin towards the forest not far away and said, "Go check on that guy."

"...Is she still alive?"

After a long silence, Milio said uncertainly, "She flew so far, I saw her arm twist into an unnatural shape."

"I don't know," Yuan Chen said bluntly. "But if we don't go check, she'll definitely die."

"Okay!"

Hearing this, Milio nodded and ran over with a worried expression. Yuan Chen, however, leisurely followed behind Milio.

It wasn't that Yuan Chen was indifferent. It was purely that as Oshirresh's blessing faded, an intense soreness filled every corner of his body.

The feeling was like a Machine entering overload. While it could recover through cooling and rest, the human body was not a Machine after all... Moreover, even Steel would soften after being heated red-hot.

Fortunately, only the bones in his right hand should be fractured... and the damage to his epidermis.

After the punch that created a Sonic Boom, Yuan Chen's arm showed no sign of hair. The muscles of his slender, well-built arm flowed smoothly, but they were completely exposed to the air due to the lack of skin protection.

Blood dripped continuously from his scarlet arm. A cool Breeze blew from the side through the forest, causing a stinging sensation like needles. Yuan Chen couldn't help but tear off a piece of his clothing to wrap it.

"She's alive!"

Milio's voice came from afar:

"But she seems to be in bad shape!"

"I don't need to look to know."

As he spoke, Yuan Chen walked over. What met his eyes was Nedeli, who had lost consciousness.

At the last moment before being attacked, she had reverted to her Human Form. With the deformation of her bones, the area of impact shifted from her Abdominal Cavity to her Chest, and her arms were crossed in front of her chest.

Otherwise, what Milio would have seen now would have been the corpse of a Cougar with its abdominal cavity blown open and its organs splattered everywhere.

Her arm seemed to be completely shattered, hanging limply on the ground, twisted into a shape that didn't resemble bones, more like a Cartilaginous Creature like a squid. A large portion of her chest had also caved in, but a very faint rise and fall could still be seen.

The jungle had protected her.

Yuan Chen could see that the trajectory along which Nedeli was blown away was filled with leaves, branches, and vines from Plants.

Although these branches had left dense, knife-like scratches on Nedeli, they had indeed slowed down a significant amount of the impact force.

At the same time, Nedeli's landing was greatly cushioned. Not only did she slide a long distance to reduce damage, but the ground even actively formed a soft, swampy mud.

This greatly prevented Nedeli from suffering further injuries. Otherwise, even if Nedeli could barely survive the blow, she would have died on the spot from the secondary damage caused by the impact... it wasn't even certain if her corpse would remain intact.

Thinking this, Yuan Chen controlled the flowing water to clean the mud off Nedeli's body—he wasn't worried about Wilderness Blessing attacking him.

Because during the recent battle, Yuan Chen had already discovered that the so-called Wilderness Blessing did not harm him but acted as Support, helping Nedeli in combat.

For example, when throwing Bone Spears, it was always with a tailwind; the ground beneath her feet was always firm; and when she fell, it was onto soft ground.

Or when moving, it made no sound, actively helping her conceal her movements and presence. Besides that, it would extend some branches and vines to help block projectiles like Flying Daggers.

After all, it was a blessing, not a control. Otherwise, Yuan Chen would have already been stripped naked and tied to a tree by now.

He confirmed Nedeli's pulse, breathing, and heartbeat.

After confirming that Nedeli was indeed still alive, Yuan Chen extended his palm, his five fingers on his left hand held upright and side-by-side. With the catalyst of his will, his flat fingernails instantly became incredibly sharp, and then, he fiercely stabbed into Nedeli's left side below the ribs, sinking deep into flesh and blood.

Ch!

Almost instantly, a gush of blood spurted out, causing Milio beside him to involuntarily cover his mouth, his eyes filled with terror.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Noticing Milio's gaze, the tired and sore Yuan Chen twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "I'm saving her."

As Yuan Chen spoke, Nedeli, who had been on her last breath and seemed like she would die at any moment, suddenly trembled. Her skin regained a touch of color, and her heartbeat grew stronger.

Although he had severed his connection with Oshirresh, it didn't mean Yuan Chen was completely free of any ties...

On the contrary, perhaps because it was the first time he had actively strengthened the connection and willingly offered so much pleasure, the boon granted by Oshirresh was exceptionally generous.

It was less like offering a large amount of pleasure and more like passive conversion...

The moment the connection deepened, Oshirresh's power would bear Yuan Chen's burdens, transforming all the emotions he was experiencing into pleasure. Among these was the pain from being attacked.

And this pain was amplified geometrically the moment he threw a punch, with the generated pleasure also doubling continuously.

But what was the price?

Yuan Chen didn't know. But he knew that as a demon, Oshirresh was definitely not a benevolent being... she would come to collect her debt.

Hmm...

He needed to find a way to get it for free.

Hmm...

And then find a way to turn this transaction into a risk-free business.

As Yuan Chen contemplated, Nedeli's physiological state also began to gradually recover. From her previously near-death condition, Nedeli's complexion became visibly rosy again.

During this process, Yuan Chen's emotions remained completely unfazed.

This was one of Oshirresh's curses... accompanied by the constant generation of bliss, Yuan Chen would gradually become unable to satisfy himself with old stimuli.

Take fine food as an example.

Initially, Yuan Chen might have found joy in Jianbing Guozi, but gradually, this joy would become insufficient. It would then escalate to stir-fries, then to steaks, then to lavish banquets, and finally to a Manchu Han Imperial Feast.

When, at last, all foods within the bounds of morality could no longer provide joy, then it would be foods outside the bounds of morality and law...

The same principle applied to other aspects. Regardless of whether it was eating, fighting, or self-harm, it would transform from simple enjoyment into a pathological, uncontrollable craving.

Wasn't this so-called joy a kind of "addiction"... Oshirresh, born from the creation of such a fundamental, extreme emotion, was terrifying. But... there was no better way.

Yuan Chen injected his cursed Blood of Joy into Nedeli's body.

Due to the lingering effects of completing the connection with Oshirresh, Yuan Chen could, through his bodily fluids, bestow emotions and physiological activities such as ecstasy, happiness, and excitement.

Much like adrenaline, while it couldn't heal instantly, it was enough to keep someone alive for a short while.

As expected, not long after, Nedeli, who had previously fainted, opened her eyes.

"What... did you... do... to me...!"

Her brow furrowed slightly, her words came out in gasps, and an unnatural excitement filled her expression. Nedeli could clearly feel an ineffable emotion washing over her mind...

"Saving you," Yuan Chen said, sitting on the ground, looking somewhat exhausted.

"Feeling much better, right? But this comes at a price. This mental exhilaration will accelerate the loss of nutrients in your body... but it's better than dying immediately."

Saying this, Yuan Chen turned his gaze to Milio beside him. "It's your turn, Milio."

"Me?... What, what can I do?"

Milio looked somewhat at a loss.

To be honest, Yuan Chen wasn't sure if Milio could do it either--

Because Milio's ability awakening had only theoretically reached the level where it could awaken. But awakening was actually very mystical, much like enlightenment; it was extremely difficult for outsiders to interfere directly.

But now, Yuan Chen could only try his best, hoping for the best...

"Your grandmother Lupe was wrong,"

Yuan Chen stated concisely.

"Fire is not solely about destruction. Any element possesses a duality in its exhibited properties. The nature it displays depends on how you resonate and connect with it."

"Deepen your feelings... Milio."

"The fire of the soul, the heart, and all of nature. Feel it, feel the warmth of the Fire of All Living Beings."

Milio closed his eyes, Yuan Chen's voice filling his mind. He tried his best to sense the so-called fire of all living beings in his surroundings.

Yuan Chen continued:

"The Children of the Stars, the Giant God, the compassionate Soraka once said:

'The essence of healing is selflessness. You do not need to draw power from it; power is voluntary change. As long as you show mercy, you will see the Light of Healing shine.'"

However, after sensing for a long time, there was still no sign of the so-called healing, spiritual fire around Milio.

Seeing Milio still with his eyes tightly shut, frowning in urgency and eagerness to sense, Yuan Chen shook his head. Although he didn't fully understand, Yuan Chen also knew that sometimes the harder you try to do something, the less likely you are to succeed...

So, he turned and shrugged at Nedeli:

"You're going to die."

After a moment of silence, Nedeli seemed to realize that Yuan Chen didn't actually intend to kill her... and she had been the one to attack first. She coldly twitched the corners of her mouth.

Then, she lifted her chin, gesturing towards her animal skin skirt: "There's medicine inside."