Apocalypse Healer - Path of Death-Chapter 4B1 - Reinforced

David stared at the pair of long, jagged stones resting in his hand with a deepening frown. They had to be as durable as they looked. If not, he would have to search for stones after every fight until he found something to fight Infected with properly.

That reminded him of the Attribute point he’d earned. It might not be a weapon, but the Attribute Point should still be helpful in combat.

Attribute Points. He remembered them from games. They were among the most important resources for growing stronger. But how was he supposed to use them?

He licked his lips in anticipation as ideas popped up, some exciting, others absurd.

“Interface! Status! Status window! Stat sheet! Information board!” His deep voice rang out, ushering as many names as he recalled from games, but his chest tightened when the first command succeeded—it seemed intent was the key once again.

A blue, rectangular screen materialized before him.

Name: David Stears

Class: Cleric

Rank: Iron II

Body: Low(Basic)

Mind: Low(Basic)

Soul: Lowest(Basic)

[Skill Runes]

[Cure Wounds]: [Tier-0 I]

[Cleanse]: [Tier-0 I]

Attribute Points: 1

David had been expecting something impressive, but the interface was disappointingly plain.

That’s simple.

He had one Attribute Point since he leveled up only once, and there appeared to be only three characteristics to improve: Body, Mind, and Soul.

David’s attention drifted away from the Attribute Point and lingered on the Skill Runes for a while. What would happen when his Skill Runes leveled up? How strong were Skill Runes of a higher Tier?

Questions flooded his mind—how Skill Runes leveled up, how strong higher-tiered runes might be—but he dismissed them for now. He’d figure them out with time and effort

“Upgrade Body!” David muttered, and the system followed his command at once.

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

Low(Basic) → Low(+)(Basic)

As the rectangular screen popped up, time seemed to slow to a crawl. The next few seconds felt like tens of minutes to David as he waited impatiently for the live-changing improvements to his physique.

He visualized his bones cracking and his muscles bulging as his physical strength increased significantly. But from the looks of it, nothing like that would happen. He wasted several minutes on nothing.

“Seriously?” His eyebrows arched up. Was the system a scam? His expectations were already low, but this was worse than he'd imagined. Had he just wasted his only Attribute Point on nothing? The thought clawed at him.

David growled and kicked a nearby stone. He braced for the searing pain from the sudden movement. Instead, the stone shattered, and he felt only the faintest twinge of pain.

“What the?!”

His eyes widened and drifted to the stone fragments as they blasted everywhere.

He’d never been this strong before—not that he’d ever tried shattering stones with a kick—but something had clearly changed.

He considered testing his strength. Lifting heavy stones wasn’t new to him, though he’d used weights, not rocks.

His fingers dug into the edges of some heavier stones, and a sharp ache flared through his wounds as he lifted them. His body protested, but his mind found satisfaction in confirming his suspicion.

The changes were clear: increased strength, speed, and endurance. He didn’t feel it before, but it was obvious now that he focused on his body. His muscles felt taut, his reflexes sharper.

He had much more to test to determine what else the Body property indicated. However, once again, David didn’t have the luxury to do so. It was fortunate that he could determine a few things without extensive testing. His body appeared to regenerate faster than before, but the combination of [Cure Wounds] and the enhancement of his Body property were likely the deciding factors to his rapid regeneration.

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Just a little testing couldn’t hurt. It might even save his life someday, right?

David knew it was foolish, but he did it anyway. Knowing his limits could be the difference between life and death. He had to know when to fight and when to flee.

He pinched himself a little and sprinted across the least damaged areas of the sidewalk as a simple test. It wasn’t enough to determine his durability, but the sprints helped study his stamina, agility, and endurance.

The changes weren’t dramatic, but they were enough to ease David’s initial disappointment.

Strength, speed, and endurance were needed to survive in the new world. Improving Body was the perfect way to do that.

David wondered what he could achieve by improving the other statistics. Would Mind increase his intelligence? That was…unlikely. It might improve his memorization and accelerate his thinking speed. Maybe it would also enhance his Holy Sea’s recovery rate, but that was even more uncertain than the rest.

He would find out sooner or later.

But for now, improving Body appeared to be the best solution.

He rested briefly and checked his Holy Sea before it was time to move on. David grasped the jagged stones tightly, his thoughts a jumble of hunger and survival. He walked beside the cracked concrete streets, his mind drifting to what lay ahead.

Losing his home didn’t bother David as much as he thought it would; hunger was a far more pressing issue. His stomach growled, and he wondered how to find enough food and water for the days ahead.

Maybe just food. Mashorn Park’s lake was nearby, and with [Cleanse], drinking from it wouldn’t be a problem.

David had made several plans to move forward, but after walking for twenty minutes, he realized none of them mattered.

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A large intersection appeared before him. It was wide and irreparably destroyed, with a shopping center to his left and a small supermarket to his right.

He’d expected more devastation, but the shopping center stood strong. In fact, it almost looked like more buildings across the intersection had survived the earthquake. There were still signs of destruction, but it didn’t seem as bad as the area behind him. That was good. Maybe he could find some more survivors!

David had never been much of a talker, but he wasn’t a loner either. He spoke when necessary. That had to be enough to survive. Fighting Infected with others would increase his chances of survival. It was worth a shot.

A wave of relief washed through him at the news he’d gathered from the shopping center’s condition. The earthquake’s center had to be his home if the shopping center and the building behind were mostly fine.

But he was still hungry.

Unfortunately, the supermarket was in poor condition, far from its former glory. He tried to recall the supermarket before the world turned upside down; It had two floors and was always crowded before the earthquake. But now the supermarket was no more. The entire building, except for one wall, had collapsed.

It should be empty since nobody was supposed to work there at this hour. That meant plenty of food to scavenge without disturbances!

The supermarket was wrecked, and most of the food was probably crushed. But there had to be something left to scavenge. There might be even more if he cast [Cleanse]. David’s mind raced, trying to devise the most cost-efficient solution, but he discarded most ideas.

Wasting holy power to cleanse food and water? No, thanks. Not now!

David crossed the cracked pavement of the intersection, the crunch of debris underfoot breaking the eerie silence until he reached the supermarket’s crumbled walls

His head flicked left and right to search for Infected, but when he couldn’t find any, David started searching for salvageable food. He couldn't remember where everything was located since he hadn’t been to the supermarket often, but some memories surfaced in his mind.

That pile should be where the vegetables are supposed to be…moving left and past the–

As he surveyed the ruins, movement across the intersection caught his attention. He was interrupted by a sudden commotion. A high-pitched scream, followed by several shouts, came from the intersection.

David tensed, turning toward the source of the screams and shouts.

David tensed as he spotted three figures running from the shopping center. At the front, a short, agile man with a grimace clutched a bow and quiver. Behind him, a stocky giant wielded a longsword, his muscles straining as he ran. Struggling to keep up was a young woman with short black hair, clutching a wooden staff as she stumbled forward.

Where did they find these weapons? David couldn’t accept that someone would have a bow and longsword at home. Well, he could accept the staff and the bow, but the sword? No way!

The sound of shattering glass drew David's gaze to the shopping center’s entrance, where a horde of Infected poured through the broken doors.

His first encounter with survivors promised to be interesting.

The short man spun around at her scream and David watched him as he drew and fired with practiced ease, his movements smooth and efficient.

The first arrow pierced an Infected’s throat, which didn’t inflict any lasting damage. The Infected continued moving and charged forward. It took a second arrow to eliminate the first Infected. The arrow pierced the Infected’s eye and into its brain.

Impressive. He must be a Hunter.

The woman screeched again, this time in pain. One of the Infected lunged at her, its claws raking across her arm. Before David could react, the staff in her hand glowed with bright blue light. Something materialized and shot toward the Infected, piercing its head.

“Fuck!” The giant of a man cursed as he arrived behind her. “Why the hell are you so slo–...”

He cut himself off abruptly, his expression hardening as he glanced at her. Grasping his longsword tightly, the man faced the incoming horde of Infected.

“Keep fighting! We can only help you once they’re dealt with!” He shouted though the confidence in his voice was fleeting.

Why is he doing that?

David eyed the towering man.

Why is he staying?

The woman had been scratched. She was as good as dead.