Apocalypse Healer - Path of Death-Chapter 12B1 - Death

David’s body felt ready to explode as he thrust forward. His muscles burned while the Kobold spun around. The creature’s scales clattered, its sword whipping upward, but David was already in motion.

His weapon scraped against the Kobold’s sword before plunging into its neck, slicing through thick scales with ease. David’s lip twitched at the sensation of the razor-sharp blade cutting through living flesh, but he didn’t falter. The Kobold writhed in pain and lashed out desperately, but David could feel its strength fading. The creature’s desperate strikes started coming slower, weaker.

He avoided the worst without breaking into a sweat, then tore the blade free, wrenching it from the dying creature. He watched as its movements grew weaker until a notification flashed before his eyes.

[You have defeated Kobold (Iron III).]

That looks different, he noted as he turned to assess the others.

David tapped Jack’s bleeding leg lightly, casting [Cure Wounds]. As the Skill Rune fulfilled its purpose, a strange sensation stirred deep within him—something gathering, like standing before an invisible barrier. Just like last time.

He lowered his upper body, the muscles in his legs bulging in preparation for a sudden launch when his eyes fell on Sebastian.

Blood-soaked and pale as paper, Sebastian towered before one of the ferocious Kobolds. Crimson blood dripped steadily from his blade as more gushed from the massive gash in the Kobold’s chest. It pooled beneath the lifeless creature, creating a crimson river across the floor tiles.

This guy is a fucking savage!

David smiled. Jack and Flora weren’t bad to team up with. Their support had been exceptional, and without their interference, he would have suffered far worse injuries. But Sebastian? Sebastian was on another level entirely. David couldn’t have been happier to have a Warrior like him by his side.

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“Can we leave now?” Flora asked weakly, her voice cracking. Her legs buckled, but a small smile graced her face. They had defeated the Kobolds, and escape through the emergency staircase was within reach. In minutes, the looming dangers would be behind them.

Jack dashed over to Flora, catching her before she could collapse. “Let’s get out of here,” he urged, steadying her.

David nodded, taking a stride toward Sebastian, who turned to them with a bloody grin.

“We aren’t too bad, are we?”

David’s smile widened. Their teamwork had exceeded his expectations. There was room for improvement, sure, but that was something they could address in the future. He approached Sebastian, intending to cast [Cure Wounds] again—but hesitated. His Holy Sea was nearly dry. Only a faint trickle of holy power remained. Too little to fully stabilize Sebastian.

No. It had to be enough!

You’ll be fine. This is nothing!

David reassured himself inwardly, rushing to Sebastian. But as he neared, something blue glistening in the stairwell caught his attention. At first, he noticed only one flash, but then more appeared—a dozen shimmering points reflecting a faint light.

He tensed and slowed, and Sebastian must have sensed something too. His ears perked up, his head snapping toward the stairwell—but it was already too late.

Three spears shot through the air with horrifying speed, striking Sebastian with deadly precision. Each blade plunged deep into his chest, one piercing his heart outright.

Sebastian crumpled. His body went limp before his back even hit the floor. The shock frozen on his face burned itself into David’s mind. The light in Sebastian’s eyes had already vanished, leaving them dull and lifeless as they stared at the ceiling, locked in disbelief.

David’s mind blanked. His gaze drifted slowly to the source of this new terror.

A trio of Kobolds emerged from the stairwell. They paused, their reptilian eyes flicking to their dead brethren, then to Sebastian’s corpse. A guttural sound rumbled from their throats—laughter?—as they approached the fallen Warrior, ignoring David and the others entirely.

Fuck.

David’s face twisted in anguish. This couldn’t have been worse. Their strongest member, their anchor in this fight, was dead—killed in a single, careless moment.

Sebastian had been a good guy. He didn’t deserve this. None of today’s victims deserved what had happened to them. But the world didn’t care. It was cruel, merciless. Only the strong survived, and David knew he had to keep moving.

Calm down. You aren’t dead yet.

David crouched slowly, his empty hand groping for the fallen Kobold’s sword. His fingers curled around the cold metal. Two short swords now in his grasp, David rose to his feet once more.

Three unarmed Kobolds. If Jack helps a little, this should be feasible. Maybe Flora can fire off one more [Mana Bullet] before she collapses.

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Cold sweat trickled down David’s back, drenching his tracksuit. His expression darkened as more footsteps echoed through the stairwell. More Kobolds were on their way. Mere seconds separated them from certain death.

David’s heart pounded in his chest.

If we kill the three Kobolds quickly, we can run for it.

“Back me up with all you’ve got!” David commanded, surging forward.

One of the Kobolds reached Sebastian’s corpse but didn’t retrieve their spears. Instead, it walked around the body and stomped on Sebastian’s head. The deafening crunch sent a jolt through David’s entire body, but he forced himself to press on.

Behind him, Flora screamed, but David barely registered it. The Kobolds grasped their spears, ready to pull them free, when David’s arms shot forward. He didn’t target their limbs or vital points. Instead, his blades cut cleanly through the spears’ wooden shafts.

The Kobolds hissed and lunged at him. They didn’t seem to care about their lack of weapons. If anything, the three of them pushed harder, forcing David to retreat a step. Claws tore across his chest and arms, gouging deep wounds into his flesh.

They’re faster and stronger. Fuck this shit.

A sharp pain flared through his veins, and the burning message seared into his mind.

[Your blood has been contaminated.]

David cursed, deflecting a strike from the Kobold on his left with one sword while pushing sideways to create distance. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. His other arm slashed upward, slicing through the left Kobold’s scales, chest, and abdomen in a single motion.

The wound was deep—several centimeters—but not enough. It was far from enough.

More!

He groaned as the Kobold clawed him again, even deeper this time. But David wasn’t the type to leave things unfinished. He kicked the creature hard, his foot connecting with its gut.

The Kobold roared, intestines spilling from the gash as its abdomen burst open.

A sickening gush of blood and entrails covered the floor, silencing the Kobold’s roars. Its death gurgles faded to silence, but David barely spared it a glance. Two more remained, unscathed and closing in fast. Too fast.

David narrowed his eyes, retreating in hopes of Flora’s [Mana Bullet] or Jack’s arrows coming to his aid. But nothing happened. The Kobolds pressed forward, their claws eager to tear into him.

Did Sebastian’s death break them? Are they out of their minds? Grieve later, you fucking morons!

He didn’t scream it aloud. Even if he’d wanted to, David couldn’t. His throat burned like fire, just like the claw marks crisscrossing his body. He was bleeding heavily—too much. At this rate, he’d bleed out in minutes if nothing changed.

You’ll all be beaten black and blue once this is over!

David swore silently, deflecting another set of claw strikes. It was easier said than done. The Kobolds were vicious, their strength surpassing his by a notch or two. Their punches were brutal, the impact rattling his arms, but their swift claw strikes were worse.

[Cure Wounds]!

His Holy Sea screamed in protest as he poured the last of his holy power into the spell. He knew it wouldn’t fully mend him, but it would have to be enough.

The holy power surged through his body, closing his wounds slowly. Simultaneously, a threshold deep within him shattered.

He barely registered the notification that lit up in his mind:

[Your Rank increased by one.]

[Iron II] → [Iron III]

[One Attribute Point has been added.]

David moved instinctively, dodging a Kobold’s punch with a risky weave. His mind processed the notification quickly, and a grim smile spread across his face.

Reinforce Body!

[One Attribute Point has been used to enhance the User’s Body.]

Low (+)(Basic) → Middle (-)(Basic)

The first enhancement of his Body didn’t usually make a dramatic difference, but this was different. It was intense: just like David had hoped from the improvement to Middle.

The change hit him immediately. Strength surged through his veins, flooding him with vigor. His exhaustion vanished like a tide retreating from the shore.

He was still bleeding, but the pain was dulled. His wounds healed faster under the influence of [Cure Wounds]. Even his Holy Sea rejoiced, the first traces of holy power beginning to refill its dry reservoir.

David was faster, stronger, and more durable. His swords gleamed as they sliced through a Kobold’s side, cutting deeper than before. The remaining Kobolds shifted, their tails sweeping low across the ground.

The unexpected attack caught David off guard as he adjusted to his newfound strength. Their tails struck his legs, sending him tumbling to the floor.

But the looming threat of the Kobolds was the last thing on his mind.

From the corner of his eye, David saw Jack dragging Flora away. Her screams echoed faintly, distorted by the pounding in his ears.

Jack wasn’t even trying to help. He slapped Flora to snap her out of her panic and continued dragging her from the battlefield.

They were fleeing, abandoning him as more Kobolds poured into the stairwell.

Did they just sacrifice me?

The realization hit like a punch in the gut. Anger surged in his chest, but there was no time to dwell on it. The Kobolds closed in.

David’s eyes turned ice-cold, his focus snapping back to the fight in front of him.

So be it.

The battle came first. Revenge could come later.