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Apocalypse Healer - B1 Chapter 25
🕑 Added 2024-10-29 11:56:54 +0000 UTCWhat was the best way to start his first day in Arc with a bang? A light chat with some gods of the Pantheon should be good enough to get started with.
“Do you want to come with us to the Familia, or should we meet up later to get your share of the loot?” Melach asked.
David thought about it for a moment. Melach and Torb were members of the Familia. They received their missions from the Familiar, just like most protectors. Natives could join the Familia to complete missions, earn a small fortune, and receive special boons.
Isn’t the Familia just a place to make money from hunting and solving other problems in the Sacntuary’s vicinity? It feels like what most gamers would call a guild or a mission house.
“We can meet up later. I’ll probably roam the Panthea to learn some more about the Pantheon and their gods.”
That being said, their little group split up. Torb and Melach returned to the Familia to complete their mission, while David was alone in a place full of foreign creatures. It was intense, to say the least, but nobody paid much attention to him even after he scrutinized everything intently.
The streets were crowded, but they weren’t overflowing. David didn’t feel uncomfortable here. There may be thousands of invaders in Arc, yet David didn’t feel a threat from this place. He watched the bustling people rushing through the market square and connecting pathways to do their job, to chat, and to live a pleasant, peaceful life.
Why does this feel so…normal? It shouldn’t feel like that, should it?
David had a hard time understanding how easily he’d adapted to the given situation. It had only been a week since the integration started, and he’d spent six of those seven days in an abandoned house training. Still, David had already adapted to the insanity of the new world. Even meeting mythical races from fantasy stories didn’t surprise him anymore.
Let’s meet some gods!
David’s eyes trailed some shops, especially those with magical armaments, but his interest died quickly. He might as well pay no attention to the shops since he had no money.
His attention shifted to the second biggest building in the Sanctuary, right after the watchtower, and approached it with unhurried strides. He walked slowly to the temple of the Pantheon, which towered at the end of the Panthea. It wasn’t a long street, but the Panthea was wide and covered in massive statues.
David initially paid no attention to the statues, but he looked around when he felt a heavy gaze lingering on him. However, nobody paid any attention to him. The Panthea wasn’t visited by many. The Sanctuary’s citizens could be found everywhere, so it was no surprise to find some praying before the life-like statues, but the bustling feeling of the market square didn’t reach the Panthea.
David slowed and looked at the statues for the first time. His eyes drifted from a scaled humanoid creature wielding a spear to a human-like creature clad in heavy armor. Then there were also men and women of various other races clothed in robes, tunics, and other clothes. They didn’t seem special to David if not for the heavy pressure radiating from them.
As David walked past the statues, he could feel their gaze. It lingered on him, scrutinized him from head to toe, and intimidated him. At least, that was what David thought the pressure was there for To demonstrate the superiority of the Pantheon’s gods. David wasn’t intimidated but impressed instead.
How strong are gods if they can fill statues like those with so much power? Didn’t Torb say the Panthea looks the same in all System Sanctuaries? There are statues like these in every Sanctuary. Each empowered with a god’s power.
That was a great way to show off, to say the least. Of course, the lifelike statues with their extraordinary sense of detail were impressive, too, but the gods’ power revolving around him, trying to push him down, attempting to force him to his knees, was far more impressive.
The pressure increased as he strode to the temple, but it did nothing to David. Except putting a smile on his lips, of course.
He licked his lips, scanned the temple one last time – it was impressive, but the structure wasn’t much different from some of the cathedrals and historical churches he’d visited in the past – and stepped inside.
The pressure weighing on him vanished, and silence descended.
The temple wasn’t empty, but no one spoke a word. They didn’t even move an inch.
Do as you please.
David ignored the praying men and women and stepped closer to the front, his eyes trained on what looked like a realistic hologram. No. it wasn’t a hologram. It was a small structure showing a floating island. An island built on clouds.
Damn. That looks super realistic.
He nearly blurted aloud as he checked the small city with countless pristine palaces built atop the island.
Was that the Pantheon?
Whatever.
David cleared his throat, a mischievous glimmer flickering in his eyes.
“Hey guys, gods, or whatever…Why did you invade the Earthen Union? Why are you doing all of this?” He asked, but no one answered.
His questions resounded through the temple’s insides, startling the praying men and women. Their head shot up and glued to him, shock filling every inch of their features.
“I am not mad or anything. Well, maybe a little bit. But that’s okay. Life has been more exciting since the world changed,” David shrugged lightly. Either way, I need answers. Now!”
David heard murmurs behind him, and he turned, only to see the praying citizens scatter quickly. They stormed out of the temple as if their lives depended on it.
Why are they running? Are they afraid of the gods they’re praying to? That’s weird.
Maybe he should be more vigilant as well. Afraid of what could possibly happen, but David didn’t move away. He wouldn’t leave before he got some answers.
“Are you gods afraid? You surely won’t be afraid of telling me why you’re doing all of this, right? Why integrate the Earthen Union…No, our entire planetary system, into the Pantheon? Was that really necessary? Even if it was necessary, did you have to do it in such a gruesome way?”
There was no answer. Again. David cursed softly.
“You’re fucking scared, aren’t you? You call yourself gods but are too afraid to stand up for your actions. Scaredy cats. Losers. Nonames. You’re trying to push your ego with the Panthea, but you mindfucks don’t even realize how stupid you all are. Nobody respects you guys. Nobody likes you. You guys are worth less than my sweaty socks!”
David didn’t expect any answers but was proven wrong as a growl resounded through the temple. The temple started tremoring while a heavy pressure descended upon David. His legs threatened to cave in, but David endured it. He didn’t surrender and endured the all-enveloping pressure.
A pristine light materialized above David. It showered the entire temple in vibrant light, but all David noticed was the crackling. The pristine light gathered, condensed, and crackled loudly. The light formed into countless wildly crackling electricity currents and merged into one point. A moment later, a thunderous explosion rang out as the electricity currents burst forward simultaneously, forming a bolt of lightning that struck David mercilessly.
David couldn’t react in time. Even if the pressure hadn’t restrained him, David wouldn’t have been fast enough to evade the lightning bolt. The impacting force pushed David to the ground.
He writhed on the ground, his chest hurting like he had been hit by a truck that had been set on fire. His upper body was burned, the jacket of his tracksuit and his shirt were no more, and even the hair all over his upper body had been burned. However, David cared little about any of that. Pain occupied his mind.
A Divine Punishment it is?
He grimaced through the pain while activating [Cure Wounds]. But instead of using it only once, David triggered [Cure Wounds] more than ten times in a row until only traces of holy power remained in his Holy Sea.
[Excessive holy power has been detected. Initiate Skill Rune overclock.]
[Proficiency of Cleanse increased.]
[Proficiency of Cure Wounds reached 100%.]
[Tier-0 IV] → [Tier-0 V]
[Cure Wounds reached the first minor threshold.
Healing potency increased. Energy consumption decreased. Control increased.]
David was still grimacing even as his wounds healed rapidly. [Cure Wounds] first tended to the most grievous wounds. It took care of the white electricity currents that entered David’s body by mending the wounds mere moments after they’d been inflicted.
David was still writhing, the electricity currents coursing through his body, but he got up from the temple grounds nonetheless. It was a lot more painful than the wounds he’d sustained in the fight against the Kobolds and the Infected, yet David’s smile never ceased.
“Thank you for confirming that you, or some of you, are listening.” David bowed deeply toward the floating island, his expression filled with mockery. His plan worked out better than expected.
That confirms they’re listening… How interesting!
His Holy Sea was almost empty, but that was hardly a problem. The remnants of the lightning bolt were still spreading through his body, triggering his energy pathways and Holy Sea. That was no surprise. The lightning bolt had been filled with highly potent holy power, after all.
David activated [Holy Touch] for a moment, draining his Holy Sea, but that was only temporary. [Holy Touch] spread through his body instantaneously. It reached the energy pathways filled with natural Aether and encountered the electricity currents filled with highly potent holy power simultaneously. David didn’t even have to try hard to subdue the electricity currents. He had [Holy Touch] devour the electricity currents, empowering the Skill Rune.
[Holy Touch] effect duration was prolonged long enough to consume the remnants of the divine punishment. David annexed the remnants and made them his. He absorbed them and stored everything in his Holy Sea, replenishing it within seconds.
That was delicious!
David thought, licking his lips as he salivated the highly potent holy power, or whatever it was.
“That was nicer than expected. Thank you for helping me rank up my Skill Rune!” David smiled from one ear to the other, “How about you give me a few more presents? A nice Skill Rune sounds like a great gift. What do you think, gods of the Pantheon?”
David didn’t expect anything special, but he was more than ready to humiliate the Pantheon a little bit more. Make fun of them. Provoke them.
Why?
Wasn’t the answer obvious?
No matter how patient the gods of the Pantheon were, they would speak up for themselves, ready to kill the foolish mortal who dared to humiliate them in their temple.
Then they would slip up.
At least, that was what David was hoping for.
All I need is to…survive this. That should be fine. Probably.
