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Chapter 102: Healing? Dark Wave. Acquired Advanced Class: Cursed Knight
🕑 Added 2025-05-15 16:28:32 +0000 UTCAs Imina's figure vanished into the distance, Leinas's deep blue eyes finally softened. She stepped forward, her gaze carrying a fragile glimmer of hope.
"I've heard that the miraculous alchemical potions you craft… have the ability to heal even the most grievous of wounds."
Her voice trembled slightly—barely noticeable, yet telling.
Ever since she had been afflicted by the curse, Leinas had tried everything: temple healing magic, sacred spring water, dozens of exotic elixirs from famed apothecaries. None of them had made the slightest difference.
And so, despair had crept in.
It wasn't just about her appearance.
The true pain came from being cast aside—abandoned by her family, her engagement broken off. For someone as proud as Leinas, the humiliation struck far deeper than any scar.
"Those rumors are a bit exaggerated," Lyle replied, shaking his head.
Leinas's hopeful eyes dimmed instantly.
"But," Lyle added with a faint smile, "as long as it's not a congenital defect or permanent physical loss, I can usually fix it."
Her eyes lit up again at once. She opened her mouth to speak—
"Miss Leinas, you helped me earlier, so you're my guest now. No need to be so anxious. Please, sit down first."
Lyle smiled gently, gesturing toward the stone table in the center of the courtyard.
Leinas inhaled deeply to steady herself, then quietly followed him.
Over the past few days, she had already been quietly observing him, confirming that Lyle's alchemical potions were indeed as miraculous as the rumors claimed. Only after confirming it for herself did she come knocking.
Once the two were seated, Lyle looked across at the golden-haired woman. His expression grew serious.
"Now then, let me take a look at your injury."
"It… might be a little disturbing. Please don't be alarmed."
Leinas warned softly, then raised her right hand and gently swept aside the golden locks that had been concealing half her face.
The moment she did—
A faint but distinct stench of decay filled the air.
Her right cheek, now fully exposed, was a grotesque mess of rotting flesh, streaked with angry red veins. If one looked closely, they might even see the rotten tissue twitch faintly from time to time.
Leinas bit her lower lip. This was a face she didn't want anyone to see—ugly, foul, shameful. But if there was even a chance it could be healed, she had no choice.
For a split second, she thought she saw a flicker of revulsion in Lyle's eyes—disgust, horror, maybe even pity.
But then…
To her surprise, Lyle's gaze remained calm. Aside from a single raised brow when he first saw the injury, his expression didn't waver.
If anything, it was… focused. Almost intense?
Leinas's heart gave a startled lurch. Did she see that right?
She had heard whispers that alchemists often had peculiar interests, but surely…
Lyle, meanwhile, was analyzing the grotesque contrast between the decaying half of her face and the untouched beauty of the other half.
But something didn't add up.
"The Cursed Knight class shouldn't have this kind of side effect," he thought. "Unless… something's changed in this world?"
Without letting his thoughts show, Lyle calmly reached into his sleeve and produced a vial of crystal-clear potion.
"Pour this on your face," he instructed. "Let's see how it reacts."
Without hesitation, Leinas took the vial and tilted it over the rotted side of her face.
Ssssss—
A sound like meat sizzling on a hot grill filled the air.
Pain surged through her.
Leinas let out a soft gasp, teeth gritted as if a thousand ants were gnawing her flesh. But in her eyes—a spark of joy. Hope.
For the first time in ages, she felt something change in her face.
Quickly, she pulled out a small mirror from her pocket and brought it to her cheek.
Lyle's lip twitched.
A mirror? Really?
Figures. No matter the world, women always carry mirrors.
Under Lyle's watchful gaze, the decayed skin slowly began to regenerate. But the process was noticeably sluggish—far slower than when he'd used the same potion on other injuries.
It took three full minutes before the flesh had completely healed.
Leinas stared at her reflection in disbelief, then delight. She clenched her left fist tightly, overwhelmed.
"Don't celebrate too early," Lyle said coolly.
She froze. Just as she looked up—
The newly healed skin began to rot again before her eyes.
"What…?"
The mirror trembled in her hands.
Lyle leaned back in his stone chair, eyes fixed on her.
"That's not a regular wound on your face. It's a curse, isn't it?"
Of course the potion hadn't worked. It was designed to treat physical injuries, not curses.
And Leinas's affliction… wasn't just any curse.
More importantly, it came from the class itself.
"…Yes."
Her eyes reddened slightly as she fought to suppress her crushing disappointment.
"I've never heard of a curse that only affects half a person's face," Lyle muttered, narrowing his eyes at the decaying flesh. "That means the issue isn't with the curse—it's with you."
He leaned forward slightly.
"May I take a look at the actual curse on your body?"
Leinas, instinctively sensing his gaze lingering on the disfigured side of her face, hastily lowered the curtain of golden hair to hide it again.
"…Alright."
She stood up and stepped back a few paces.
Boom!
Dark energy surged outward from her, enveloping her form in an aura blacker than the night around them. The grass at her feet withered and turned to dust on contact.
"Apologies. I'm still not very good at controlling this power," she said softly, raising her eyes to meet Lyle's again. "Should I show you again?"
Buzz—
[Skill Detected: "Dark Wave"]
→ Requires Advanced Class: Cursed Knight
→ Current Conditions Not Met — Needs 3 Skill Points
[No prerequisite class detected — 6 Skill Points Required]
[Base Class requirement unmet…]
["Genius" Trait Activated — Base Class: Warrior Recognized]
→ Eligible to learn skill.
[Learn "Dark Wave" for 6 Skill Points?]
Lyle glanced at the newly refreshed status window.
"No need," he said, straightening his back.
Success.
Much smoother than he'd anticipated—and worth the month he'd spent lingering here.
Six points, huh?
He recalled that acquiring the mid-tier class Sword Saint had cost him only three.
As for his other advanced class Magic Swordsman, he'd gotten that for free by fulfilling the requirements, with no skill point cost.
Still, he didn't choose to learn it right away.
The last time he'd picked up an advanced class, his mana had gone haywire for days. He wasn't taking any chances.
"I'll need some time to think this through," Lyle said, rising from his seat.
"I can wait," Leinas replied without hesitation.
Lyle nodded and turned toward his home—a blend of European and Byzantine architectural flair.
"Oh, by the way," he added over his shoulder, pausing mid-step. "If you two aren't planning to leave…"
"There are still some empty rooms on the first floor."
He said it casually, but Leinas and Imina—who'd just finished disposing of a corpse and was now sneakily peeking over in curiosity—both straightened at his words.
——
Third Floor, Lyle's Home
In the stillness of a private, spacious room, Lyle took a deep breath.
"Learn," he whispered.
Buzz—
[Skill Points: 39 → 33]
As "Dark Wave" registered as a learned ability, the Advanced Class Cursed Knight automatically appeared in his class list.
[Class: Cursed Knight]
[Tier: Advanced]
[Passive Skills:
Complete Curse Immunity: Immune to all curse-based attacks.
Dark Affinity I: Reduces dark-element damage taken by 20%.
Restless Spirit: Using curse abilities rapidly degrades all equipment below Level 40. Legendary equipment (Level 80 and below) suffers double durability loss when affected.]
[Active Skill:
Dark Wave: Releases a burst of dark curse energy in a radius centered on the caster. Inflicts "Terror" (mental shock) and "Crippling Curse" (mobility reduction) on enemies. Statuses are removed upon being hit again, dealing double damage.]
[Notes:
At Class Level 3: Curse damage cannot be healed by low-tier healing spells; regeneration effects are suppressed.
At Class Level 5: Curse damage has a chance to inflict Instant Death.
Each level grants +15 to HP, Physical Attack, Physical Defense, and Magic Defense.]
[Class Description: An unforgivable, fallen knight of darkness. Cursed to roam the earth in twisted armor, clinging to a shattered existence through sheer hatred.]
______
"...!!"
Lyle stared at the information in stunned silence.
