Apocalypse Healer - Path of Death-Chapter 10B3 a - Aether Breath

The days passed slowly. Digesting everything he had just heard was hard and time-consuming. So was making use of the newly acquired knowledge. It drained his time and pushed him from one challenge to the next, just like the creation of Sparks and the practice of Skill Runes.

But maybe David had been in dire need of those difficult, time-consuming tasks after everything he had gone through.

He did not return to the wild to seek fights with powerful monsters. This time, David chose a different path—temporarily, at least.

However, that didn’t mean he enjoyed his time in the prehistoric Rift and the Dwarven Sanctuary. The first days had been bad, to say the least. His mind was a mess after learning all about Sparks, the truth behind the Venomancer’s identity, and the simple fact that Zachariah had been a god before he regressed, making it all the more difficult to focus on the creation of new Sparks.

Therefore, David adjusted his strategy after wasting two days doing… nothing.

He split his day between tasks. He feasted on Electra’s meat three times every day. He prepared the first meal right after waking, before the sun rose and illuminated the Sanctuary. He stayed in the Dwarven Sanctuary tending to patients and practicing his Skills in the morning, while also working out to stay in shape.

Next, still early in the morning, David prepared the second meal, filling his stomach to the brim before he encountered the prehistoric monsters and dwarves at the Rift Core, claiming more than a third of their energy and Origin Essence to strengthen his Energy Pathways and Body.

David did not shy away from making use of [Dao Comprehension] either, hoping to deepen his understanding of the laws of the cosmos. While that worked to a certain extent, the results were not up to David’s expectations—until he realized that [Dao Comprehension] was far from an ordinary Skill.

David never thought of [Dao Comprehension] as a simple Skill, as it granted him much more than an ordinary Rune could provide. It was a Legacy Skill, after all. However, after days of struggling to comprehend the tidbits missing from creating his second Spark—which was what he did in the evening after his third meal—David shifted gears once more.

He siphoned a portion of the Origin Essence absorbed in the second stage of his daily training and put it aside to use in the evening, supplying the Essence to activate and maintain [Dao Comprehension] momentarily. The Legacy Skill could not be maintained throughout the night as it drained too much energy when used at full power, but it aided David’s progress drastically, allowing the creation of the second Spark after ten days of tireless work.

But as exciting as the creation of his second Spark was, the System’s response was just as confusing:

[Monk: III]

[Meditation]: [Tier-0 IX]

[Meditation]: [Tier-2 III]

[Reinforce]: [Tier-1 XVII]

Body: Elite– VI (1.43%)

Energy Pathways: Elite: I (34.01%)

[Meditation]’s Spark materialized beside the Class Skill Rune within his mind space, but it was dim and barely visible. The Spark’s light flickered weakly, which was the result of his lackluster comprehension.

Thus, having no other choice, David was forced to keep using the Skill Rune for the following weeks, hoping the Spark would catch up and surpass the Rune shortly.

Focusing on [Meditation] and the other tasks at hand consumed a lot more time than expected, and a month passed in the blink of an eye. The Skill Rune of [Meditation] ranked up four times, which would have been satisfying if David did not have a Spark to compare its growth with. [Meditation]’s Spark surpassed the Rune, urging David to use [Sacrifice] on the Class Skill Rune with the intent to attain deeper understanding of the Path of Meditation.

Ripping another Skill Rune out of his soul was deeply unpleasant, but the Spark of [Meditation] filled the gap near-instantaneously. While not perfect, David gained more from the consumption of the Skill Rune than he lost.

He continued modifying and adjusting certain modifiers he couldn’t even see before. The power of [Sacrifice] granted him exactly what he wanted: deeper understanding of the Path of Meditation.

As it turned out, David was good at making mistakes. He nearly crushed [Meditation]’s Spark half a dozen times out of impatience. However, as impatient as he was, David learned from his mistakes, pushing [Meditation] into a new—different—direction.

The Spark pulsed and expanded. It mutated and transformed into something entirely new.

***

David was out of Origin Essence. He was hungry but also too exhausted to move. His Energy Pathways looked like dried-out riverbanks, and his stomach trembled, nausea threatening to overwhelm him.

Thick droplets of cold sweat poured down his back and temples, mixing with the dried blood covering his body like a second skin.

Am I dead?

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David shook his head.

Not yet.

A wry smile formed on his lips, consuming whatever energy his body had left to spare. Yet as David’s consciousness slipped away, he felt something cling onto him. Something entered his body, invigorating him ever so slightly.

The sensation wasn’t overwhelming, but it was potent enough to keep him awake.

Ambient Aether seeped into him naturally, even as he lay there unmoving. No Skill had been activated, no willpower was used to command ambient Aether, yet it flooded inside him.

That feels good. Really good, a faint smile playing on his lips. Moving was still exhausting, but his condition no longer worsened.

He annexed the Aether entering his body before the Energy Pathways could do so and channeled it straight into [Healing Sphere], as it was the best he could afford to cast right now.

A dimly glowing sphere conjured above him, accelerating the healing process.

I sure hope you were worth the effort. If not, I am going to throw… Well, I don’t know. I’ll still use you, but I am going to tear the mutation, evolution—or whatever these changes are—apart! David swore in his mind, his eyes closed to inspect the changes in his mind space.

The Spark which had filled the gap left behind by [Meditation]’s Skill Rune was still there, but it was no longer a Spark of Meditation. It was more than that; it had gained an intent. At least, that was what David presumed had induced the changes. He could be wrong, but he sincerely doubted it.

The Spark was brighter than ever, and it felt more solid than ever, as if it had been permanently engraved into David’s soul. That was an interesting find, considering the Spark had been unstable and on the verge of dispersing since it filled the gap [Meditation]’s Skill Rune had left behind when he ripped it out to nourish [Sacrifice].

[Aether Breath: Intermediate]

David inspected the Spark, failing to suppress a vibrant smile.

“Phenomenal,” he muttered into the mind space.

There didn’t seem to be any sub-ranks to [Aether Breath], but that was hardly an issue. His Legacy Skill did not have any additional ranks to determine its exact rank either, and it was exceptional.

[Aether Breath]

He mused in his heart, his will reaching out to the Spark.

David recalled the modifications he had added to the Spark and was excited to test it out. Especially since its main function had already proven efficient enough to work with.

If anything, the modification worked better than David could have hoped for. Every breath sent a pulse toward [Aether Breath], activating the Spark. However, instead of activating the Spark at full power—straining it, and the soul, constantly—[Aether Breath] responded weakly, emitting a faint suctioning force, drawing ambient Aether into him.

The force is still a bit too weak. I think I can modify it a little bit now that I can be certain the Energy Pathways can handle it. A bit stronger and I won’t even have to use the Spark actively to replenish my used-up energy.

The corner of his mouth tugged upward. Modifying his abilities sure was interesting. Of course, it was unlike the thrill of combat, but transforming [Meditation] into [Aether Breath] had created not only a much stronger active ability that could be used to practice his Skills, Sparks, and Laws, but it was also useful in combat—allowing him to replenish Aether passively.

More modifications were needed, but [Aether Breath]—after a few more experiments—turned out to be several times more efficient than [Meditation] had been at the second Tier. David could focus on his other abilities while drawing Origin Essence and ambient Aether from the surroundings, just like he did before.

Even better, using the Spark for its designated purpose with every breath he took nourished it. The effect was barely worth mentioning, but quick calculations told him that he should have no issue receiving two, maybe three Intent Images from the Spark, granting easy access to a more profound understanding of [Aether Breath]’s dormant potential.

“That is so much better than I could have hoped for,” he muttered, opening his eyes to more notifications.

[Your Secondary Class’ Rank increased by one]

[Silver IV] → [Silver V]

[New Class Skill has been unlocked for reaching Silver V with your Secondary Class (Herald of Origin).]

[Class Skill (Phantom Rush) has been fused to your Source.]

[+2 Attribute Points, +1 Body]

That was within expectations. If anything, the rank-up was long overdue. But it was not like he could complain about advancing without doing anything special. It was a blessing.

“Strengthen my Mind,” he muttered, and the System acknowledged his intent.

[Two Attribute Points have been used to enhance the User’s Mind.]

Low(-)(Advanced) → Low(+)(Advanced)

The exhaustion plaguing him had already receded, and the headache drumming in his head followed shortly. Enhancing his Mind with two Attribute Points should have made a big difference, but really, it just lessened the headache.

Should I distribute Lifeweaver’s Attribute Points more evenly as well? Probably not—it should be more than enough to give Herald’s Attribute Points to Body and Mind.

He moved his hand through his unkempt hair and fixed it a little. Or he tried to, but it annoyed him too much. Waves of Rend surged out of him, cutting it short. Not that cutting his hair would be of any help, given that it might take months until Zachariah decided to take him along on the hunt for Void Fragments.

Fortunately, David was not in a rush. Creating and modifying Sparks, while training his body, [Reinforce] Body and Energy Pathways, and working with his other Skills, was still exciting—especially with the various unfortunate, mostly maimed patients he could experiment on.

Although David doubted they liked his experiments, they didn’t have much of a choice. After all, he was still the only healer in the Dwarven Sanctuary with the ability to restore limbs and other lost body parts.

***

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