Damned Healer

After fifteen days of running through the forest, Darian and his group finally made it out, followed by nearly twenty shadows. They'd taken longer than expected, since finding those Yin and Yang roots had been an insanely complicated job.

As soon as they left the forest behind, Darian took a deep breath, feeling a rush of raw Yang flood into his body.

Since arriving in this world, he'd always been on the Yin side. The system itself had tagged him as something closer to Yin, which was why it had pushed him there. But Darian had both a Yin and a Yang star, so technically the transition wasn't such a big problem for him.

Without wasting time, he activated the wind and lightning runes so everyone could move faster in a set direction.

Soon, a massive and terrifying mountain range appeared on the horizon. At the top, everything was covered in black clouds, where violent bolts of lightning fell nonstop in every direction.

Awel and Eleri instantly felt weaker, weighed down with heavy discomfort. Both had been born from elements with almost no Yang in them, so this place was completely different from their very nature. Tir, on the other hand, didn't suffer nearly as much, since earth was naturally balanced in that regard.

"I know you don't like it, but you need to get used to it little by little," Darian murmured to the two.

"Yang isn't the opposite of Yin, but rather the other side of the same coin. If you focus your strength, you'll be able to stop the Yang from affecting you. It's a slow, tough process, but... I read that in the final stage of the Trial, the division between Yin and Yang doesn't exist anymore. That's why you have to learn to adapt to a hostile environment."

"We'll manage," Awel quickly replied. "We'll help you in that place too. We won't fall behind."

Darian nodded, satisfied with the confidence shining in their eyes. At that moment, a lightning bolt tore through the sky and shot toward them at incredible speed—it was an Elder from the Wilding Kin Sect.

The process was the same as before: Darian handed over a mark, and the shadows began following the Elder, who would take them back to the sect. But this time, Darian also gave him a spatial crystal filled with a large amount of the sect's most desperately needed treasure.

The Elder received the crystal, and his eyes shook. First stunned, then overcome with joy. That was the lifeline their sect had been waiting for.

"Tell the Leader I'll be back just a few days before the next eruption. He should use it all without hesitation, to prepare," Darian said. The Elder nodded, his eyes shining bright.

As soon as he left, Darian turned to the mountain range. That was one of this world's danger zones. Without hesitation, the group entered through the front.

As they got closer, they realized the whole ground was black and full of cracks. Without any warning, devastating lightning bolts would rain straight down from the sky onto the ground. Every minute, several random spots were hit, and no one could defend against that. Moving through this place was basically playing with your life.

But strangely, all the people who died there and turned into shadows could keep existing without ever getting struck. The system gave the shadows a natural sense for lightning, so they were never directly hit.

Everyone knew that. Which meant, where there were shadows, the area was safe from lightning... but at the same time, it was insanely dangerous because of them.

This place was empty and almost never saw visitors. That was because the dangers far outweighed the rewards—there wasn't any treasure here that couldn't be found somewhere else. Only a few rare beasts specialized in lightning risked training here.

But Darian was pumped. During those fifteen days, he hadn't wasted a single daily essence absorption attempt. But unfortunately, he'd failed every single time.

On the Yang side, the system granted access to the Laws of Fire, Lightning, and Order. He already had the first two at a very low level, and he also wanted to get the third. It would be way easier to get all three Laws from the shadows in this region.

That was an advantage for him, and at the same time, good training for Awel and Eleri. They'd been born in the Yin side and had never felt the weight of a place this oppressive. They were like fish ripped out of the sea, forced to learn to swim on the surface.

"Tir, your training will be protecting everyone from the lightning. You've gotta feel the energy flow in the clouds. At the same time, analyze the electricity and try to refine what you can already produce."

"I'll do my best, Master."

Darian gave the boy his instructions, and he answered excitedly. Tir had basically become his disciple by now. He was going to gain a lot in this place too.

Just like before, the pursuers entered the area as well. But this time, Darian noticed something different about them. They didn't seem nearly as desperate to catch him—they just followed close behind, like they didn't really care whether they'd succeed or not...

...this is way different than before. The Radiant King's orders were absolute for them. But now, they're calmer?

'Well... I can't guess everything. All I can do is set up as many safety nets as possible and only make a move once I'm sure of the escape.' Darian thought, a bit uneasy, feeling like something beyond his understanding was unfolding.

***

After twenty-five days away from the sect, Darian and his group left that dangerous region, accompanied by a dozen shadows. Right after, they blasted back toward the sect at full speed.

Darian had discovered something new about his essence absorption ability. This time, in every single attempt, he succeeded.

He managed to push his Lightning Law and Fire Law up to level 8, and even got his Order Law up to level 2, which he didn't have before. That made it clear: whenever he tried absorbing from a target that had Laws he either didn't have yet or only had at a low level, his chances of success were way higher.

That outcome left him thrilled, since his biggest weapon in this world were the runes piling up in his inventory. Every single day, he was stacking dozens of runes of all kinds, building greater and greater potential.

Now he could quickly get every Law in the system, and once he had everything at level 10, even though the odds would be way lower, he would eventually break through to higher levels.

But he wasn't happy at all—just deadly serious. He could instinctively feel the danger rising, and he couldn't afford to slip. That's why he burned almost half of the wind and lightning runes he had saved up, just to make sure they'd be safe on the way back. He picked the longest route, carefully planned to avoid risks.

The trip took almost two days. When they finally got back and approached the gates... the whole group felt a drastic change.

The entire sect was radiating a dense, powerful energy. Compared to before, it was like night and day. All of that was the result of the massive amount of resources Darian had given to the sect.

The gates opened, and Darian was welcomed directly by the Leader and the High Elders. They all looked at him with a strange gaze...

...like they were standing before a deity sent straight from the heavens into this world.

The legends of the Chromaraic Fairy—said to have been sent by the gods to save this world—were well known by everyone. According to the old stories, she herself had said so, and the performance and power she displayed matched the legend. Still, many had thought it was impossible for someone that terrifying to exist.

But now... standing before them was someone not only comparable to the Chromaraic Fairy, but maybe even more over the top.

Darian had only completed a single cycle, yet he could already move freely through this world without fear. They had never really seen him fight... but the short demonstration he gave back at the battle institute had made it clear his power was unfathomable.

Because of that, those tales no longer seemed like madness. Now, they really believed they were standing before a second legend, destined to be remembered forever.

Darian was taken once again to the meeting hall.

"We already know where the next, easier eruption will be. It'll happen on a plain in the Yang region, near two sects that'll probably fight over it," Mazur quickly said.

Darian nodded. "Good. I'll take another five hundred of my allies who didn't manage to win rewards from the last eruption. You pick another five hundred from the sect. We'll hit it head-on..."

"That'll be very dangerous," Mazur said, dead serious. "The sects definitely won't follow the rules, and they might even gang up against you."

Darian snorted. "I'm counting on it. I want to force them to show their hidden weapons early, or at least give me some hints."