Healing Up

Chapter 11: Healing Up

'After an intense battle, you gained a wealth of practical combat experience, but your Dancer level progress increased only slightly. Keep up the good work.'

'After an intense battle, you gained a wealth of practical combat experience. Your understanding of Water Element has deepened, and your level has increased to LV3.'

'You took the initiative to deepen your connection with Oshirresh. Oshirresh was surprised and turned her gaze toward you.'

'You generated a large amount of "joy." Oshirresh was pleased with your talent and decided to let you truly serve her.'

'Out of curiosity about you, Oshirresh decided to let you choose how to advance.'

'Ding! The Legendary Profession options have been uploaded. Please check them promptly.'

Countless voices rang out in his mind, but Yuan Chen didn't have enough time to make sense of them.

After glancing at Nedeli, who was far away and might have been dead or alive, Yuan Chen quickly cut off his connection with Oshirresh, despite his mental exhilaration.

In an instant, the pain that had been transformed into ecstasy returned as a tormenting sensation. His exhilarated state vanished completely, and the sudden change made Yuan Chen feel as if he had fallen from heaven into hell.

The sharp contrast in sensation made Yuan Chen's eyes widen. The stimulation and abrupt change were too intense; to him, they were far more torturous than a bloody battle.

His arm was especially bad. It had already been swollen and aching after Nedeli's pounce, and now, as his blood surged in the throes of his revelry, the force had torn through his muscles.

Before, this had been an indescribable rush of pleasure and comfort, so intense that it felt like he was flying. It had even left him more dazed than the final shudder of sex. But now, all connection between pain and pleasure had been severed, and Yuan Chen could only feel the intense pain pouring out from every part of his body...

Yuan Chen could endure it...

He had already proved as much during the battle.

But now, after experiencing the ecstasy and exhilaration of being Oshirresh's apostle, Yuan Chen could feel his resolve teetering. It was as if he wanted to fall at Oshirresh's feet and worship her. I've drifted through half my life, only to find no Wise Lord!

He forgot the middle part, and the rest.

He summoned a clump of Water Flow and splashed it over his face. Feeling the cool touch, Yuan Chen found his mind growing clearer.

He looked at Milio, whose eyes were filled with shock, and raised an eyebrow.

"How was the adventure?"

"...I... I don't know..." Milio looked a little flustered. Standing off to the side, the boy seemed completely at a loss. There wasn't a trace of his earlier excitement about going on an adventure.

That was only natural. The adventures in a boy's dreams were always wonderful, and he was always the hero. Most people didn't realize they were no better than trash until they actually embarked on an adventure or entered society...

During the battle, apart from the initial burst of flame that lit up the shadowy forest canopy, Milio hadn't been much help.

Yuan Chen didn't have any particular thoughts about that.

After all, Milio's talent for combat was far inferior to his talent for healing and support. No matter how hard he tried, he had never been able to understand or accept the traditional Axiom Constraint.

That meant any conventional Elemental Magic cast by Milio could easily go out of control.

Besides, Nedeli was a level-six Shapeshifter. Though she was a cougar known for her agility and explosive power, the absolute difference in their levels was undeniable. Even if Milio had given it his all, his level-two Elemental Magic could at most have singed Nedeli's fur...

His right arm—the one he'd punched with—was shattered.

He tried moving his body a little. The pain from his right arm made even Yuan Chen suck in a sharp breath. After resting for ten minutes or so, he nodded toward the nearby woods. "Go check on that woman."

"...Is she still alive?"

After a long silence, Milio asked uncertainly, "She flew so far. I saw her arm twisted into a shape that didn't even look human."

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

"All right!"

Milio nodded and ran over, worry written across his face. Yuan Chen followed behind him at a leisurely pace...

It wasn't that Yuan Chen didn't care. It was simply that, as Oshirresh's blessing faded, a powerful ache filled every corner of his body.

It felt as if a machine had been pushed past its limits. It could recover with cooling and rest, but the human body wasn't a machine... Besides, even steel softened when heated red-hot.

Fortunately, it seemed only the bones in his right hand were broken... Oh, and his skin was damaged too.

After the punch that had caused the Sonic Boom, not a single hair remained on Yuan Chen's arm. His long, handsome arm had sleek muscles, but with its skin gone, they were completely exposed to the air.

Blood dripped from the crimson arm. The cool breeze swept through the woods, and the needle-like sting made Yuan Chen tear off a strip of cloth and wrap it around the wound.

"She's alive!"

Milio's voice came from the distance.

"But she doesn't look like she'll make it!"

"I don't need to see her to know that."

As he spoke, Yuan Chen walked over. Nedeli had lost consciousness.

Just before she was hit, she had returned to Human Form. By changing the shape of her bones, she had moved the impact point from her abdomen to her chest and the arms crossed over it.

Otherwise, Milio would have found a dead cougar with her abdomen blasted open and her organs scattered everywhere.

Her arm must have been thoroughly shattered. It hung down in a twisted heap, its bones so misshapen that it looked more like the soft cartilage of an octopus. Her chest had also caved in, though Yuan Chen could still see the faintest rise and fall.

The forest had protected her.

Yuan Chen could see leaves, branches, vines, and other plant matter scattered along the path Nedeli had been blasted through.

The branches had left countless knife-like scratches on her body, but they had also absorbed much of the impact.

Her landing had been greatly cushioned, too. She had slid a long way, reducing the damage, and the ground had even turned into wet, soft marshland.

This had greatly reduced Nedeli's further injuries. Otherwise, even if she had barely survived the punch, the secondary impact would have killed her on the spot... It was impossible to say whether her body would even have remained intact.

As he thought, Yuan Chen used Flowing Water to clean the mud from Nedeli's body. He wasn't worried that Wilderness Blessing would attack him.

During the battle, Yuan Chen had already realized that Wilderness Blessing didn't harm him. It simply supported Nedeli and helped her fight.

For instance, whenever she threw a Bone Spear, the wind was always at her back, and the ground beneath her feet was always firm. If she fell, the ground would turn soft.

Or, when she moved, it would silence her footsteps and help conceal her figure. Aside from that, it would extend branches and vines to block thrown weapons such as Flying Daggers.

It was a blessing, after all, not control. Otherwise, Yuan Chen would already have been stripped, tied to a tree, and left there.

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

Once he confirmed that Nedeli was still alive, Yuan Chen extended his hand and held the five fingers of his left hand straight together. With a thought, his smooth fingernails became razor-sharp. Then he thrust them into the flesh below Nedeli's left ribs.

Splurt!

Blood spurted out almost instantly. Milio covered his mouth, his eyes filled with fear.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Noticing Milio's expression, Yuan Chen gave a weary, aching smile and said, "I'm saving her."

At Yuan Chen's words, Nedeli, who had been breathing her last as if she might die at any moment, suddenly shuddered. A hint of color returned to her skin, and her heartbeat grew stronger.

Though he had cut off his connection with Oshirresh, that didn't mean he was completely disconnected from her...

On the contrary, perhaps because this was the first time he had so deliberately deepened their connection and offered her so much joy, Oshirresh had given him an especially generous gift.

Rather than saying that he had offered her a large amount of joy, it would be more accurate to say he had been converting it passively...

The moment their connection deepened, Oshirresh's power transformed every emotion Yuan Chen could bear and every emotion he was experiencing into joy. That included the pain of being attacked.

The pain had increased exponentially at the moment he threw his punch, and the joy generated alongside it had multiplied over and over.

But what was the price?

Yuan Chen didn't know. But he knew that, as a demon, Oshirresh was no saint... She would come to collect her debt.

Hmm...

He had to find a way to freeload.

Hmm...

Then he had to figure out how to turn this deal into a no-cost transaction.

As Yuan Chen thought, Nedeli's physical condition gradually improved. Her skin, which had been deathly pale, grew visibly rosier.

Throughout the process, Yuan Chen's emotions remained undisturbed.

That was one of Oshirresh's curses, too... As he continued to experience ecstasy, Yuan Chen would gradually find himself unable to be satisfied by the old sensations.

Take food, for example.

At first, Yuan Chen might have gotten pleasure from a jianbing guozi. But, little by little, it would no longer satisfy him. Then he would move on to stir-fried dishes, steak, lavish banquets, and eventually the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast.

When nothing within the bounds of morality could bring him pleasure anymore, he would turn to food beyond the bounds of morality and law...

The same went for everything else. Whether it was eating, fighting, or self-harm, simple enjoyment would turn into a pathological, uncontrollable craving.

Wasn't pleasure just another kind of "addiction"? Oshirresh, born from such a primal, extreme emotion, was terrifying. But... there wasn't a better option.

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

As an aftereffect of his connection with Oshirresh, Yuan Chen could use his bodily fluids to induce emotions and physical reactions such as euphoria, happiness, and exhilaration.

It was like adrenaline. It couldn't heal her right away, but it could keep her alive for a short while.

Sure enough, before long, Nedeli, who had already passed out, opened her eyes.

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

Her brows drew together slightly, and she panted as she spoke. An unnatural excitement filled her expression. Nedeli could clearly feel an indescribable emotion washing over her mind...

"Saved you." Yuan Chen sat on the ground, looking exhausted.

"You feel a lot better, right? But there's a price. This mental euphoria will speed up the depletion of your body's nutrients... Still, it's better than dying right away."

As he spoke, Yuan Chen looked at Milio. "Your turn, Milio."

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

Milio looked lost.

To be honest, Yuan Chen didn't know whether Milio could do it.

Milio had only awakened in theory; he had reached the level required for awakening. But awakening was actually rather mysterious, much like a sudden insight. It was very difficult for someone else to interfere with it.

But right now, Yuan Chen could only try anything he could...

"Your grandmother Lupe was wrong."

Yuan Chen got straight to the point.

"Fire isn't only destructive. Every element has two completely different sides to its nature. Which side it displays depends on how you resonate and connect with it."

"Deepen your perception, 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 words filled his mind as he tried to feel the so-called fire of all living beings in the surrounding environment.

Yuan Chen continued:

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

'The essence of healing is selflessness. You need not draw strength from it. The power is a willing transformation. As long as you show compassion, you will see the Light of Healing shine.'"

But even after sensing for a long while, not a trace of the so-called healing or spiritual flame appeared around Milio.

Seeing Milio still frowning anxiously with his eyes shut, desperately trying to sense it, Yuan Chen shook his head. He didn't know much about it, but he knew that sometimes, the harder you tried to do something, the less likely you were to succeed...

So he simply turned to Nedeli and shrugged.

"You're going to die."

After a moment of silence, Nedeli seemed to realize that Yuan Chen truly hadn't meant to kill her... And since she had been the one to attack first, she gave a few tight-lipped grimaces.

Then she tilted her pert chin toward her leather skirt. "There's medicine inside."