Rot Heart: A LitRPG of Rot Magic in an Ancient World (Book 1 completed)

En walked away from the battlefield as Div channeled Echoes of the Rot Heart. He didn't understand what had happened. All he knew was that Div had done something involving rot, and he'd won against the snake.

What exactly, he didn't know. He didn't really care.

He had been so excited to fight, so ready to give his all for Camboaci and his own improvement. He had been rewarded by mockery and ridiculous opponents.

Nowhere had he been allowed to show his talents. And now he was forced to retreat.

As he limped toward the walls, he felt someone wrap their arm under his shoulders.

"Don't worry, En, I know the healers. They'll fix you in no time," Segorix said as he helped him walk.

"Fast enough to return to the battlefield?"

"Um, no. I don't think that's going to happen. Look at you, it's a miracle you can stand."

En looked down to scan his body. The cloak shielding him from the rain hid most of it, but he could tell the venom had spread to roughly half his torso. Dead tissue was sloughing off beneath his clothes, as Div worked to heal them.

It was gross. En stopped thinking about it.

"Then what's the point? What a terrible day…"

"En."

"First the cyclops and then this stupid invulnerable snake," En ranted. "Seg, is Vedovessa targeting me and Div?"

Seg stopped dead in his tracks, forcing En to do the same. He looked at him.

"She wouldn't do something like that," Seg said.

"It looks like it, though."

"No way," Segorix said, shaking his head. "Vedovessa is not that kind of person. Let's get to the healers."

En didn't argue. Seg disagreed, but En was convinced something was going on.

They passed by Gennorina, who was still trying to communicate with the spirit of the walls. En silently wished her good luck as the trees parted to let them inside the village.

There were several healer stations scattered all around the village. Naturally, En and Segorix went to the one closest to their position. It was a simple wooden house. Nothing special, but it was warm and protected from the rain by its thatched roof.

As they entered, they were greeted by several people already waiting for treatment. None were their classmates, but they recognized one of them as a student from the class one year above them.

A lanky boy with long, dark hair flowing down halfway to his waist. His limbs were too long for his size, as if he hadn't grown into them yet.

"Hey Seg," he greeted them, his open mouth revealing a missing front tooth. "What're you doing here?"

"Terneos?" Seg answered. "I'm just bringing Diven. What happened to your teeth?"

"Oh, you're Diven?" He asked, turning his head toward him. "I heard about you. As for my tooth, I tripped on a vine. Walking terpeta, those things are a pain to deal with…"

"Nice to meet you," En said, trying to remember what a walking terpeta was. He was pretty sure he'd heard that name in class. Some sort of plant monster, perhaps?

"Same here," Terneos said.

"Well, I have to return to the battle," Seg said. "I'll leave you two to your treatment."

"Sure. Good luck, Seg," Terneos said, waving him away. Then, he gestured for En to sit next to him. "There are only two healers at this station, so it might take some time for your turn to come."

"It's fine, I can wait," En said. While he wasn't in top condition, he wasn't too worried about his and Div's health. With Div channeling Echoes of the Rot Heart, they might even get a level out of it.

Now that he thought about it, he was a little annoyed that they hadn't gotten their level yet. Even to their standards, this was a pretty bad wound. Maybe it would come when Div was done. Or, their rising level in the skill made leveling slower.

It was even possible that coming to the healer station had annulled their chance at getting a level. They were mostly out of danger now.

"So," Terneos said. "How did you hurt yourself?"

"Rootcoil serpent," En said. "It bit me. But it's fine, the venom has been dealt with."

"Are you sure? I feel like I should call the healers."

"I'm sure. Don't worry."

En wasn't in the mood to talk. He didn't know Terneos, and Terneos didn't know him. Now that his friends knew his identity, it felt strange to talk with people who didn't.

The only exception was Dubno. They had already decided to tell him everything. They were just waiting for his parents to help them. It wasn't easy to explain, especially not to a four-year-old.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Yeah, I'll go notify the healers," Terneos said, standing up. "No offense, but they know better than you."

En rolled his eyes but didn't stop him. He would have to see those healers eventually. It didn't matter.

"Go ahead, Terneos," a young woman who was sitting in another corner of the room spoke up. "The southerner isn't thinking straight."

"I said I'm fine," En said, more sternly than he wanted to.

The woman shook her head, and so did the few other people in the room. En crossed his arms on his chest.

Whatever.

(Div? You're here?)

No answer. Of course, he was still channeling their skill.

Terneos opened the door leading further into the house and disappeared for a few moments. He came back with another young woman in tow.

"It's him," he said, pointing her toward En.

She approached, her brows furrowing, "Thank you, Terneos. Hi, I'm called Nantosia. You are Diven, is that right?"

"Yes," En said, his exasperation seeping into his tone.

"Please come with me," Nantosia said.

En followed her to a smaller room. There wasn't much inside aside from a bench, a stool, and a desk.

Nantosia directed En to the bench, had him lie on it, and said, "So, I hear you were bitten by a rootcoil serpent."

"Yes," En said. "But I'm fine. The venom has been dealt with."

"I know. You wouldn't have made it here otherwise. I just want to ensure you recover correctly."

En turned his head to the side to look at her.

"I'm a healer, Diven. I'm not doubting your skills, but this is my specialty. I can help you."

"Alright," En said. "What should I do?"

Nantosia smiled and said, "Nothing, I'm going to use my Diagnosis skill on you. Don't resist."

En wasn't sure how he was supposed to resist or not. He didn't feel anything special as Nantosia scanned him.

The absence of sensation triggered something in his mind. If a skill like Diagnosis could analyze him without his knowledge, there had to be more nefarious powers that could too. He made a mental note to ask someone about it later.

Minutes passed. Nantosia was clearly focused, taking a few notes about her findings. Her expression had turned serious. For some reason, it annoyed En.

She was going to tell him something was wrong with him, wasn't she?

(Maybe you're interfering with her skill, Div.)

But Div couldn't hear him.

Nantosia let out a deep breath as she completed her examination, "I need to talk to Medunir. He is the Evolved Rank healer of this station. Don't move, I'll be back in no time."

There it was. En understood most people weren't aware of Div's healing powers with Echoes of the Rot Heart, but it would be nice if they could stop acting as if they were sick.

He didn't have time to grumble more before his healer came back, accompanied by a middle-aged man. Clean-shaven, both beard and hair, Medunir strode confidently toward En.

"Let's see…" he said, putting a hand on En's head. "Good deduction, Nantosia, you're absolutely right. Please take care of the other patients while I deal with this case."

Nantosia acquiesced and left the room, closing the door behind her.

"What's going on?" En asked, still lying on the wooden bench.

"You, young man, are using a self-healing skill," Medunir stated. "And you're doing it wrong. You need to stop immediately."

"Why? What's wrong with my skill?"

"We can talk in length about what you're doing wrong and how to do it better another day. One where no battle is raging outside the walls," the healer dismissed his question. "But if you don't stop using your skill, you're going to be left with permanent damage to multiple body functions. Stop now."

Even in his bad mood, En wasn't an idiot. He didn't like the sound of permanent damage one bit.

The only issue was that he couldn't stop. It wasn't him who was using Echoes of the Rot Heart. It was Div, and the nature of the skill made it impossible for him to reach his other half.

(Div! Div! Wake up!)

En knew Div wouldn't hear him, but he had to try.

(Div!)

"What kind of damage are we talking about?" En asked, quickly.

"The biggest issue right now is how you're healing your right arm. The muscle tissue isn't connecting properly. It will lower the strength you can exert with it."

(Div… Come on, wake up…)

There was no way around it. En had to forcefully stop his brother. He knew it was possible. In the rift, they had managed to deactivate Rotten Spear and Rotten Spearfishing.

Deactivating Echoes of the Rot Heart while Div was using it was going to be more difficult. But everything was a matter of will, and En had to believe in his chances.

Div couldn't be that determined to stay in the rotting illusion byproduct of their healing skill. Even if he was, he would surely notice En was trying to stop him.

Unfortunately, back then, it was Div who had taken it upon himself to deactivate their skills. En didn't have much practice.

Still, he could only try.

Moving to a sitting position, En closed his eyes and focused on the skill. In his head, he pictured how it felt when he activated it. The world shifting and turning to rot, the nauseous feeling, the stink, the humidity.

He told it to stop.

(Div?)

Nothing.

It hadn't been enough. He had to put more determination into it. He had to strengthen his will.

Echoes of the Rot Heart.

Stop!

Still nothing.

"Could it be that you do not control your healing skill, young man?" Medunir asked, leaning forward.

"Wait a moment," En said, between two ragged breaths.

If he could bring forth the fire that was burning inside of him the night before. When, in his inner world, En pierced through the rot and refined his Spear skill.

Stop!

But he didn't have the same conviction for Echoes of the Rot Heart. It was too close to his bloodline. He knew he couldn't do it.

No, he wasn't trying to revert the skill to its initial state. He was just trying to wake Div up. It was possible.

Once more, En gathered his focus. He brought his mind as close as he could to the skill, tethering on the edge of awareness. He felt the rot pulse through his veins, into his skin. He felt his skin throb as if millions of insects crawled inside. Even his bones felt damp, almost soft.

But this time, he didn't tell Div to stop; he willed it.

Nothing.

He willed it again, pulling his entire being into his plea.

Nothing.

En pushed his mind to the limit. He willed for Echoes of the Rot Heart to stop.

In his chest, his heart skipped a beat, immediately mirrored by the Rot Heart in his inner world.

[En?]

En lost consciousness just as Div woke up.

"If you can't stop using your healing skill, I'm going to have to put you to sleep," Medunir said calmly.

"No," Div said. "It's stopped. What's happening?"

[En? Are you alright? En?]