Apocalypse Healer - Path of Death-Chapter 23B2 - Class Advancement

David spared those who did not direct their killing intent at him. He considered that merciful enough, especially after everything the perpetrators had done. Nevertheless, David attacked them with [Blood Blast], shattering bones and leaving gaping holes in their bodies, rendering them defenseless. Maybe that was more cruel than killing them, David thought as he watched the injured being carried away, but he did not interfere.

As the battle was nearing its end, David began spreading [Healing Sphere] across the battlefield to heal the wounded Protectors, increasing his efforts after the last perpetrators surrendered. He rushed to the grievously wounded, cast [Weave of Life] to preserve their lives, and attached one of his healing spheres to them. Some received instantaneous healing through [Restore]; two unfortunate Protectors required an overclocked version of the Skill Rune. However, no Protector succumbed to their wounds once he focused on healing them.

If anything, David felt like he was a victim of some Protectors’ incessant chatter. A handful of them—mostly those with the worst wounds—behaved like chatterboxes, which David blamed on their wounds and adrenaline. While it frustrated him, it was also helpful.

So, these idiots approached Arc, saying they would spare everyone’s lives if they surrendered? David frowned deeply as he processed what he heard. It sounded incredulous, yet several Protectors said the same—including natives of the Earthen Union. A small army of humans arrived with several demands, only to kill the Protectors who had left Arc to negotiate—at least, that’s how it seemed. Though it sounded unbelievable, David listened in silence.

“They’re crazy. I don’t know what Demon whipped their brains, but they were stupid to believe we would surrender Arc just because power got to their heads,” one of the wounded cursed, and David nodded silently.

He finished treating the injured on the battlefield and turned to the field littered with human corpses. He shook his head, deciding against draining the remaining traces of lifeforce from the human carcasses, and watched the Protectors loot them. David cocked an eyebrow as he discovered item drops but remained silent as the lifeforce on the battlefield dispersed.

Maybe he was a hypocrite for draining the Giants until no trace of lifeforce remained, yet hesitating with humans, but David cared too little to dwell on it. He dismissed the thought with a shrug and returned to Arc. His eyelids grew heavier, and he let out a yawn.

I guess I need some sleep.

He walked away from the battlefield, feeling his mind shutting off as he closed in on the System Sanctuary. Yet, something unnatural caught his attention from the corner of his eye. He approached the side of the main street and removed a small stone, revealing a…translucent marble. It didn’t seem like anything special—except for the electrical currents crackling within it. David tilted his head, feeling a faint tingling sensation as he picked it up.

“Did someone lose it?” he wondered. “But what is this, in the first place?”

It wasn’t his business; however, something about the marble felt odd. David didn’t like the way the marble made him feel. His stomach churned, forcing him to postpone his initial plan. He sought the captain of the Protectors and caught his interest.

The dwarf turned to him, covered in blood, his face as grim as ever. “You returned in a timely manner. We are grateful for your support. Fewer brave warriors died thanks to your support and healing.”

“No problem. I’m glad I could help,” David waved dismissively and held out the marble. “I found this near the battlefield. Maybe it belonged to the perpetrators. It might be nothing, but it feels off.”

The Protector Captain took the marble and handed it to one of his underlings. David hoped they would take care of it and uncover its purpose, but there was nothing more he could do. The Protector Captain grumbled something into his beard, nodded curtly at him, and turned away.

David shrugged at that, knowing he did more than was demanded of him and returned to his room to rest. He extended his stay, spending a few currency slates, ordered some food, and finished his meal alone and in silence. Nobody bothered him in his room. Though the day’s events were intriguing, David ignored the thoughts and questions flashing through his mind.

He couldn’t even tell when he fell asleep. The last thing David remembered was falling onto his bed.

It felt like only a moment had passed before his eyes shot open again.

David sat upright and turned to the window, groaning when he saw that it was still dark outside. However, he was not tired anymore. If anything, his mind felt refreshed, and his body was back at its peak. Even his Source felt better than ever, with thirteen Blood droplets filling the energy reservoir.

Thirteen?

He closed his eyes and double-checked his Source, counting the droplets again.

Not wasting any time, he skimmed through the notifications. The kill notifications were dismissed without a second thought, while he only briefly acknowledged the proficiency increases until he reached the most recent ones. One of the last notifications was what he had been looking for.

[Your Source has grown. +1 Blood.]

“I obtained a few Drops in the prehistoric Rift already. How come it increased by one again?” he wondered aloud, but there was no answer.

David shrugged and smiled at the increase. The more Blood, the better. He had no reason to complain.

The Blessing sure is helpful, he thought, listening to his palpitating heart. The increment motivated him to keep going. However, instead of returning to the wild to hunt and fight, David crossed his legs on the bed and activated [Meditation]. He sensed the ambient Aether with greater precision, and it didn’t take long before his pores opened to absorb it.

His Energy Pathways were flooded with Aether until they reached capacity, significantly slowing the influx. David willed the Aether to circulate through his body, making it his before channeling it straight into [Reinforce]’s Rune. The second Class Skill [Reinforce] flashed to life at the influx of Aether, but David did not reinforce his Energy Pathways immediately. Instead, he absorbed more Aether to annex and infuse into his Skill Runes.

He failed to create a perfect cycle to absorb ambient Aether and annex it efficiently until he inserted traces of Origin Essence into it. His initial plan had been to infuse the Origin Essence settled in his body to empower [Reinforce], and that was still the case. However, David adjusted the plan, ensuring he could efficiently absorb and annex ambient Aether while maintaining [Reinforce]. The mental strain bore down on his mind as he multitasked two Class Skills, the Aether cycle, and the supply of Origin Essence traces, but David did not dislike it.

He focused on the task ahead and stayed in his room until midday. Only a portion of the stored Origin Essence had been used, but the System had already rewarded him with several notifications.

[Proficiency of Meditation reached 100%.]

[Tier-1 V → Tier-1 VI]

[Proficiency of Reinforce reached 100%.]

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[Tier-1 V → Tier-1 VI]

[Reinforcement progress of Energy Pathways reached 100%.]

[Subpar-VIII → Subpar-IX]

[Your Secondary Class’ Rank increased.]

[Iron VIII → Iron IX]

[Your Body has been enhanced.]

[Middle (Intermediate) → Middle (+) (Intermediate)]

Feeling how much he had progressed was already great, but David liked seeing the notifications just as much. They showed him that his effort was not in vain. He closed his eyes with a smile and resumed his work, using more Origin Essence at a time.

David couldn’t tell what time it was when he opened his eyes again, but the sun hadn’t seemed to move an inch. However, the Origin Essence had been used up, more notifications had appeared before him, and he could clearly feel how bloated he was despite not having eaten in a while.

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He was close to ranking up again, wasn’t he?

No… that’s not it, he chuckled, checking the new notification as the realization set in.

[Proficiency of Meditation reached 100%.]

[Tier-1 VI → Tier-1 VII]

[Proficiency of Reinforce reached 100%.]

[Tier-1 VI → Tier-1 VII]

[Reinforcement progress of Energy Pathways reached 100%.]

[Subpar-IX → Subpar-X]

[The User’s Energy Pathways reached all requirements to be formally labeled ‘Average’.]

[Subpar-X → Average-I]

[Your Secondary Class’ Rank increased.]

[Iron IX → Iron X]

[Your Body has been enhanced.]

[Middle (+) (Intermediate) → High (-) (Intermediate)]

David was already feeling good about his Body’s improvements, but the next message was even better.

[Your Secondary Class meets all conditions to commence the First Class Advancement. Do you wish to proceed?]

It was different from last time since he was asked if he wanted to proceed instead of it being forced upon him. However, while it seemed like a good idea to wait in hopes of acquiring a powerful Unique Class by achieving greatness—potentially attracting another transcendent being’s interest and earning their Essence as fuel to augment the Advancement Ritual—David didn’t wait.

Earning support from a transcendent being might have been a great boon, but David felt that postponing the inevitable could make things worse. The Blessing of the World would wear off in a few days. He either used it well, ensuring both Primary and Secondary Classes could profit as much as possible, or he would have to cripple his growth by waiting until he met more requirements to unlock Unique Classes, requirements which he didn’t even know.

“Show me what you got!”

[Commence First Class Advancement (Monk: Secondary Class)]

Golden particles appeared around him, and David grasped them without a second thought. He instinctively cast [Holy Touch], coating his hand before absorbing the golden particles. Several notifications flashed to life, but he dismissed them except for the list of viable Classes to pick from.

…

[Devout Believer (Common+)]

[Berserk Monk (Uncommon)]

[Zealot (Uncommon)]

[Serene Ego (Uncommon+)]

[Fallen Monk (Uncommon+)]

[Splicing Monk (Rare)]

That’s fewer options than I thought, David mused, checking the Class description of Devout Believer, though he hadn’t expected much.

[Devout Believer– (Common+)]

Your faith is deeply ingrained into your identity, influencing your thoughts, actions, and perception of the world. Your belief is not just a principle but a guiding force in your life, shaping your morals, purpose, and decisions.

You are unwavering in your convictions, which is often displayed in your immense dedication to your faith through rituals, prayers, and acts of…

David stopped reading midway, sneering, “What kind of bullshit is that?”

He skimmed through the rest and cursed, “The fuck is that Class Skill? [Prayer], seriously? And an increase of one in Mind whenever I rank up? What’s that supposed to do? Why is the increment shifting from Body to Mind?”

Devout Believer was dismissed instantaneously, and he moved on to Berserk Monk. It improved Body by two for every rank up, which was something he’d been looking forward to, and granted him two Class Skills, but one was called [Rage-fuelled Mind], with one line describing the loss of rationality in the heat of battle. While that may fit the Class, especially with a second Class Skill called [Berserk], it was not what David wanted.

He also ignored the Class Zealot after skimming through it and did the same with Fallen Monk, not even bothering to check the Class’ description as he felt a certain instinctive aversion toward it. David did not want to risk it, leaving him with Serene Ego and Splicing Monk.

“Forget the description. Show me what you got, Splicing Monk,” David muttered.

Your proficiency with Offensive Skill Runes and Intents increases drastically.

A trace of the Law empowering Rend will be used to augment the Skill Runes using weaponry.

Skill Runes [Weaponry], [Splice], and [Material Arts] will fuse to your Source.

Splicing Monks heavily rely on their Comprehension of Weaponry intent and a strong Body to utilize Skills of greater power.

Increasing your Rank will grant you [+2 Body], [1 Attribute Point every two Ranks].

The improvements were a little bit different than expected, and so were the Class Skills, and he couldn’t help but wonder if the Splicing Monk was still considered a Monk, in the first place. Would his Secondary Class still rank up if he were to keep using [Meditation], [Reinforce], and [Dao Comprehension], or would the Class Skills and Legacy Skill become less effective?

Still, receiving a Class revolving around his newest Intent was interesting, though it might not be as useful as he’d hoped.

“Is that my best option?” David murmured, rubbing his chin. He read Serene Ego’s description, but it was not much different from his current Class. Except for two new Class Skills and an increment of +1 Body and +1 Mind for every rank up.

It was one Class Skill and fewer Attribute Points than Splicing Monk offered, but the Class description did not differ much from what he expected a Monk to be described. He was certain Monk’s Class Skills and Legacy Skill would still work, earning Serene Ego some proficiency to rank up. However, the final decision was based on the Class Skills. While he liked Splicing Monk’s Weaponry, Martial Arts, and Splice—even though he did not know exactly how the Skills would work—David was more interested in a different field.

Lifeweaver was already versatile, but Serene Ego’s Class Skills were undoubtedly something Lifeweaver would never be able to obtain.

“[Mind Palace], and [A Body’s Purity]...” He whispered, squinting his eyes, “You know what? Fuck this shit!”

What was there to be afraid of? In the worst case, he could always work tirelessly to ensure the Secondary Class Advancement would be better than the first.

However, deep down, David knew that he was doing the right thing.

[Serene Ego (Uncommon+) has been selected.]

[Your Secondary Class’ Rank increased by one.]

[Iron X] → [Bronze I]

[Mind and Body increased by one.]