Accidental Healer

BONGGG.

[Wave 2 of 5 complete.]
[Participants will receive rewards based on contribution.]
[Contribution calculated.]
[Rewards – Small Storage Chest of Dimensional Holding. One Minor Mana Potion.]

POP.

A wooden chest and a small vial materialize in front of me.

I kneel down, inspecting them.

[Small Dimensional Holding Chest – A storage unit that utilizes dimensional magic. Can hold 100 stackable items.]
[Mana Potion – Restores 10 MP.]

I frowned. A bag would've been better than a chest, but I'll take what I can get.

The potion, though? That's a very nice addition. Holding up the dark blue liquid I immediately realized a major problem. How the hell was I supposed to carry this? Easily twice as large as my pocket I tried sticking it through my belt loop.

It held for a moment but the second I started moving I could feel it begin to fall free. Annoyed and with no clear answer I just set it next to my chest for now.

There was something more exciting pulling at my attention. Three more levels. 15 stat points.

I split them evenly between strength, agility and constitution, five each.

For the three plus five bonuses—I assign one to Wisdom, two to Intelligence meaning seven in total to wisdom and twelve to intelligence.

The difference is immediate.

The first time I hefted my club, it felt heavier than a wooden bat. Now? It's barely more than a stick. Goosebumps prickled on my skin, I could get used to this–and I wasn't done yet.

A grid of twenty skills appears—all healer-based.

I scrolled through the list. Oddly many of the skills were very similar. Apparently at this level there were only so many ways to cast healing spells?

But healing wasn't what I was looking for. To me it was a no brainer. I needed defense.

[Skill Acquired: Weak Barrier - Uses mana to create a protective shield around a target.
Breaks upon reaching damage threshold or after 30 minutes. Scales with Intelligence.]

I close the screen.

Mischief is lounging five feet away, licking his paws. As if he didn't just help me masacre an army of demon babies.

My gaze lingers. I remember vividly those same claws carving through my flesh.

He really seems pretty docile now. I don't let myself believe it.

-

As leery as I am about my new dungeon partner there are still some things I need to do. First things first. Time for a little product testing.

"Barrier."

A soft pulse of mana flows through me. Shunk—a translucent film of energy wraps around my body.

It's faint—almost invisible—but I feel it. A light pressure, like standing inside a bubble suit. I want to test it.

But how? It's literally covering my body. I can feel it following my movements.

I scratch my chin… Is it possible to… detach myself?

With no better ideas, I focus on the shield covering my body. It's there, a slight pulse. The shield feels familiar to me, vaguely like another appendage.

It's not like wiggling a toe, but with some concentration I can sense the shield acknowledging my intent. Uncertain I take a step back WILLING my shield to stay.

To my utter disbelief–it does.

If this was a video game, what just happened would never be possible. The new world might resemble a game, but the rules are different, less static.

Pleased, I smile at the empty translucent barrier. Awesome. I take a moment to admire my own handiwork.

After a few seconds I heft my club. Time to break it.

-

CRACK!

The barrier fizzles and then shatters like glass. A dull force ripples through my arms. But the barrier is gone. I frown.

I gave that swing all that I had and it completely negated the blow. That wasn't what bothered me. I had no idea how to measure that. There was no equation to HP or anything else. It just broke.

Even worse–the whole experiment cost me a whopping ten MP.

At first glance? Not impressive. Mischief wouldn't have any trouble with it.

But against Chaos Spawn? It might be enough. For now.

I check the timer. 40 minutes left. I should train more. Test something else.

Instead, I pull out some Chaos Spawn meat and hold it toward Mischief.

"Hungry?"

He sniffs. Turns away.

I let out a breath. "Can't blame you. That stuff looks disgusting."

But my mind isn't on the meat. The next wave is coming. Stronger than before.

I sit down. Then lie back in the grass. I close my eyes and let the weight settle in my bones.

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I don't sleep. I don't even rest. I just breathe.

-

Wave 3 unfolds much like Wave 2—too easily.

Mischief rushes in, disrupting the swarm, and I swing my club through the chaos. Before we start, I cast Barrier on both of us, 10 MP each. It holds for the entire fight.

Which makes sense.

Because they never come close to breaking it.

My club smashes through creatures like they're made of paper. The impact sends them hurtling back in sprays of dark fluid, their bodies explode on impact.

Early in the wave I feel the pangs of disgust. No puke this time. I don't think I have anything left. As the wave wears on though I slowly feel myself becoming numb.

Disgust? Regret?

The feelings were still there, but they were distant. With each swing of my club my feelings floated away.

Hours ago, I staggered away from my first kill, my stomach turning inside out. Now, I don't even blink.

The gong chimes

[Wave 3 of 5 complete.]
[Participants will receive rewards based on contribution.]
[Contribution calculated.]
[Rewards – Full MP restore, Crude Leather Vest, Minor Mana Potion.]

POP.

I glance at the items. Underwhelming. Some of the Chaos Spawn were level 11, but they still went down easier than Wave 2.

Why?

I check my status.

Class Level: 9.

Free points: 15.

Class point allocation: 3

I distribute them evenly again—Constitution, Strength, Agility while giving the three plus five bonuses to intelligence. I considered adding the points to wisdom but settled on the intelligence to maximize my mana pool. The process of distributing stats is more satisfying than the combat itself.

The tension in my chest tightens. I should be focused on the fight. On survival. But instead, I feel… excited. The growth is intoxicating.

And I don't know if that's justified or unsettling. I exhale, shaking off the thought. Then I spot Mischief—lounging peacefully, like the last wave never happened.

If it wasn't for this cat I wouldn't have made it out of wave 2.

The situation seemed strange. Mischief at the end of the day, was still an animal. Was it able to understand that I had saved its life? Or that it had returned the favor and saved mine by helping in the second waves?

[wave 4]

The next wave arrives. Armed Chaos Spawn. Swords. Axes. Even a few bows.

I give my club a few warm up swings. When the club first dropped out of the air it was a light brown wooden color. Now? It was caked in the dark black ichor and it smelled like curdled milk.

A small voice in my head whispers that I should be taking this more seriously. It's still life or death.

But the stronger I get, the more that voice fades. The fourth wave is endless.

They flood the clearing in an unbroken tide. Bodies pile around my feet, the gore soaking through my white Converse. I barely notice anymore.

Mischief moves like a blur—bounding, tearing, killing. His claws slice through bodies like a guillotine. A single swipe carves through a dozen Chaos Spawn. For a moment, they still stand—until the top halves slide off the bottoms.

I don't even react. Just keep swinging. Hit. Move. Hit. Move. Minutes blur into hours.

I only notice the fight is ending when the clearing stops moving.

[Wave 4 Complete]

[Auto-looting enabled for this wave]
[MP restored.]
[Stage 1 of the Wave Trial complete.]

I blink. The battlefield is... empty.

No bodies. No weapons. No armor. Just flattened grass and churned earth. Over seven thousand creatures just disappeared.

I slip my hand into my storage and confirm the insane truth.

8,576 Vials of Eye Goo.

I let out a soft whistle. Was it really so many?

I stare at the loot, but my thoughts are elsewhere. I know why I keep killing them. They're trying to kill me. They're Chaos Spawn—monsters.

But… it was my hand, raising a weapon, over and over.

And for the first time, I wonder—if it wasn't this easy, would I still be doing it?

Would I still feel this detached if every fight felt like life and death?

I shake my head. It doesn't matter. Why am I even asking this question? If I didn't kill them I would fail the wave challenge. That meant death.

Maybe this was the point of the waves? If I was in this challenge with a team it would hardly even be a challenge. Was this tutorial just a way to acclimate me to killing?

If that was true. What kind of world was waiting for me once it was over?

I open my status screen. There's still more to do.

[Layton Shepard]

HUMAN
Humans are well-rounded, known for adaptability. Receives +5 free points to distribute per level.

CLASS - Healer (Level 11)
Healer class stat growth per level: each core stat +1; gain +5 to either Wisdom or Intelligence per level, and +2 to the other.

STATS

HP: 53/53

MP: 69/69

Free Points: 10 (+3 Wis/Int x2)

Constitution: 33

Strength: 28

Agility: 28

Wisdom: 31

Intelligence: 49

Sense: 18

Abilities:

Loot: Convert fallen foes into usable resources; may result in random items.

Weak Heal: Heals self or target for a minor amount. Scales with Wisdom and Intelligence.

Weak Regenerate Health: Minor regeneration every 5 minutes for 60 minutes; duration and strength scale with Wisdom.

Weak Barrier: A protective shield that breaks after a damage threshold or 30 minutes. Scales with Intelligence.

Bonus Objectives:

Life's Gambit – Survive the introductory trial without starting gear. Reward: Unique.

Titles:

Forerunner – Be first on the new world (+5% exp gain).

Man or a Mouse – Forgo a full tutorial and remove fail-safes (+10 to every stat, +10% to each stat).

Follow the Leader – Be the first human to slay a monster here (+2 to each stat).

A Path Paved in Blood – Slay 1,000 monsters first (+5 to each stat).

"Follow the Leader" and "A Path Paved in Blood."

Two new titles.

Together, they dump a whopping +7 to every stat—forty-two points in total.

I should feel excited. I do feel excited. That's a ridiculous boost.

But my eyes linger on one title. A Path Paved in Blood.

I'm not exactly proud to bear something that literally reads "I've killed so much the System recognizes it."

I tell myself it's fine. It was the blood of Chaos Spawn. One literally ripped an extra hole in my ass. It healed, but I didn't forget.

So should I feel bad? My own hesitation annoyed me. Without question if I didn't kill them they would kill me.

Right? Then again, before this tutorial, so would Mischief….

With a sigh, I distribute my points, balancing Strength, Agility, and Constitution, then dumping my level bonuses into Wisdom. The fatigue in my body lessens immediately.

One look at the system timer tells me I still have a couple hours until Stage 2.

For now, I need a break. The field is empty, void of the carnage from the last wave. The stacks of meat stowed away are all that remain as proof.

Of course I have to kill them.