Apocalypse Healer - B1 Chapter 2

David gasped for air, his chest heaving up and down, as he looked down at the dead body of the woman he’d spent the last night with. He clearly recalled her warm body pressed against his and the steamy hours they’d spent awake.

But now she was dead, killed in an earthquake, resurrected by…

What is going on here in the first place?!

David felt sorry for the woman, and it was weird to think he’d killed her after she resurrected as a bloodthirsty…something, but he didn’t feel as bad as expected. He was in pain, his whole body aching, his broken ribs felt like they pierced into his lungs every time he breathed, and his sight was still blurry. 

His condition was worsening as well, his body temperature rising while the pain intensified as the adrenaline subsided.

Something is wrong with me.

It wasn’t his wildly beating heart or the eerie calmness spreading through his body that worried David. Even though his condition was terrible, David was oddly calm.

His shoulder stopped hurting all of a sudden. It was replaced by numbness. David couldn’t feel his shoulder anymore, and the sensation spread. He looked down at his shoulder and squinted his eyes to narrow slits at what he saw in the corner of his view.

His skin around the bite mark on his shoulder was turning black, whereas the flesh was bubbling. A foul stench hit David in the nostrils as some bubbles popped open, revealing rapidly rotting flesh. 

That was enough to worry David, but it got worse. It had only been a second or two since he started inspecting the bite mark, but the veins around it were already changing. They turned into a sickly yellow.

Am I dying right now?

That thought struck hard. He was already injured and felt like collapsing on the spot, but the Infection, whatever that entailed, was most definitely worse than some strained muscles, a head wound, and a few broken ribs.

I should look for help. But who is going to help me in a place like this? This is a disaster, and I don’t know if anyone nearby is alive. 

More unfortunate people had died in the building, and it wouldn’t surprise David if they resurrected as ‘Infected’ as well. Many people must have died today, but nothing mattered to David.  After all, he would join their rows soon.

No! I am not going to die here!

David grit his teeth and tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. The current situation was bad, to put it simply. The resurrection of the dead was not supposed to be possible, and the interfaces were confusing, to put it mildly. 

But panicking wouldn’t solve his problem. If anything, it would make things worse.

So…what do I have? Nobody will be able to help me. Even if others survived…what are they supposed to do? They’re bound to be as lost, if not worse than I am. Who wouldn’t be lost if everything around them turned into stuff straight out of fantasy novels and science-fiction comics? 

David ruffled through his hair without feeling an ounce of pain. That was odd. He should be in hellish pain from something like that. That could only mean one thing. The infection and the numbness accompanying it spread fast.

What do I have? What can I use to stop this nonsense?! I have…the dead resurrecting, transforming into zombies, fantasy stuff…various interfaces…

He checked the interfaces and read them as thoroughly as a dying man could afford, settling on a particular notification.

The Class System!!

“Whatever you are…access Class System! Summon Class System!! I want to pick a Class!” David had no idea if that would work, but he sure hoped this would be similar to some things he’d read in the novels he checked out when he was bored to death. This didn’t seem like your average cultivation novel, but David sincerely hoped it was similar to one of the light novels he’d read when bored.

[The Survivor has unlocked the Class System.  As a new subject to the Pantheon, you are given access to the four Basic Classes. Pick your favorite!]

[Basic Classes: Hunter, Warrior, Mage, Cleric.]

[Hunter(Basic Class) – Hunters are known for their extraordinary combat experience with the bow and other ranged weapons, but their expertise doesn’t end there. Hunter accumulated experience in tracking and pursuing prey over years. Their….]

“Stop that bullshit and give me the Cleric Class!” David ushered, dismissing the descriptions of the four Basic Classes without hesitation.

Under normal circumstances, he would have never picked the Cleric Class. He never played a lot because his parents forbid him to, but he spent the first summer after moving out at home trying to find out why everyone was so obsessed with games. David understood the appeal of gaming at the end of the summer, but he was forced to stop because it interfered with his responsibilities at work. 

Nonetheless, David knew what some Classes were capable of. A Warrior couldn’t heal. That was the Cleric’s job. It was his only option for survival.

[Cleric Class has been selected.]

[Your energy reservoir has been prepared.]

A warm feeling formed in his stomach region, but it wasn’t like the rise in temperature from the Infection. The warmth was soothing and invigorating.

[Holy Sea has been formed!]

[Congratulations! The Survivor(Cleric) advanced to [Iron I].]

[Basic Class Skills [Cure Wounds] and [Cleanse] have been added. Prepare for the influx of information!]

David ignored the warm and soothing feeling gathering behind his navel and focused on the pulse of information crashing into his mind. He couldn’t do anything about it as foreign information spread through his mind and settled down. 

A wave of nausea hit him heavily, nearly forcing David to the ground. He swayed to the side but caught himself before anything worse could happen. 

That is definitely not normal. So…everything is real?

David hadn’t doubted the sudden twist of reality, not after his partner of the last night nearly ate him alive. However, the influx of information surprised him nonetheless. David’s mind was foggy, but he comprehended snippets of the information that had been forced into his mind and learned what he could do to solve his predicament.

The strange information imprinted on his mind had to be enough to survive. He didn’t want to die!

[Cure Wounds] seems like a useful skill, but [Cleanse] is what I need first…I think…

David’s heart leaped out of his chest at the intel he’d digested, but he was forced to calm down as the numbing spread. The sickly yellow veins spread even faster and occupied a good portion of his shoulder.

David closed his eyes and focused on the Holy Sea. He had never done something like that, but the glimpses of information imprinted on his mind helped him locate and understand what he had to do. Normally, he wouldn’t see anything with his eyes closed, but by focusing on the Holy Sea in his abdomen that changed. 

A small sea, shining even brighter than the stars of a cloudless night, appeared in the darkness. It was his Holy Sea. Small, but hopefully useful enough to overcome the infection. Even smaller objects, appearing like stars, swirled around the Holy Sea. They were minuscule but of utmost importance.

David tried following the bits and pieces of the newly acquired information to use [Cleanse]. He tapped into the Holy Sea’s power and tried pulling out some energy stored within. It came as no surprise when David was too rough. He grasped the Holy Sea too firmly, nearly breaking it in one go, and pulled out too much energy at once.

But David didn’t mind. He had a patient – himself – to heal, and chanelled the energy to one of the two glittering objects revolving around the Holy Sea.

[Cleanse has been activated manually.]

[Excessive holy power has been detected. Initiate Skill Rune overlock.]

David kept his eyes shut as [Cleanse] worked its wonders. The numbing receded, a flood of warmth replacing the numbness. Simultaneously, the heat accumulating in his body transformed into a faint flicker that kept him warm in the morning cold.

[Bloodstream has been cleansed. Level of Infection decreased to stage one.]

[Proficiency of Cleanse increased.]

Nice!
 He nearly shouted aloud. David was not going to die today. Not due to the Infection, at least.

His body was still a mess, utterly destroyed, and hard to move without the ever-present pain, but he was not dead yet.

One step at a time.
 He tried reminding himself and took a deep breath, not without wincing in pain as his ribs poked his insides.

David was about to use [Cleanse] like that again when he checked the notifications. He read them thoroughly to make sure he wouldn’t miss anything.

The objects revolving around the Holy Sea are called Skill Runes. I see. Controlling holy power is feasible, but it’s difficult. Will I be able to do that while fighting more Infected?

He looked down at the ground where the stone drenched in brain mass had landed. It wasn’t a good weapon, but it was the only thing he had at his disposal. The blood-drenched metal bar that had killed Rebecca would have been better, yet it was still to a part of a wall or ceiling. Fighting beings who’d resurrected from the dead unarmed would be a certain death sentence, yet the stone didn’t give him any means to remain at a safe distance.

He would be scratched or bitten again, infecting him again. 

If the notification says ‘manually’, shouldn’t it be possible to use [Cleanse] differently as well? Automatically or half-automatically? 

That would be best in battle, especially when he could do the same with other Skill Runes.

He opened his eyes and made a mental command.

Use [Cleanse] on myself!

The Holy Sea stirred when he ushered the word [Cleanse] into his mind. Or was it the intent behind the word? David had yet to find out, but he was in no hurry to start any thorough experiments. He closed his eyes for a moment and focused on the Holy Sea again, revealing a small but steady stream of holy power creating a path to the Skill Rune of [Cleanse]. It connected to the Skill Rune, albeit slowly, and activated [Cleanse.]

The effect was less prominent this time, but it did what it was supposed to do. David opened his eyes and glanced at his shoulder. The foul smell dispersed, and the sickly yellow veins returned to their original appearance. All that remained was the dead flesh around the Infected’s bite mark.

[Infection has been cleansed.]

[Proficiency of Cleanse increased.]

After using [Cleanse] twice, David’s head felt like someone had cracked it open with an axe.

This is a lot more exhausting than expected. 

Despite that, David didn’t stop right there. He ushered his intent to use the other Skill Rune on himself before the pain of his wounds could get worse.

[Cure Wounds]!

His Holy Sea was drained slowly. This time, however, the stream of holy power poured into the other Skill Rune.

[Cure Wounds] was activated and filled the target with warmth. David’s entire body started itching as the warmth spread through him. The pain was still there, but it wasn’t as bad as before. The itching sensation intensified, dulling the pain. However, the itching got so bad, spreading into his bones, that he nearly cried aloud.

But David endured it silently, his eyes trained on the bite mark. The fresh flesh underneath the dead, rotten flesh grew rapidly. For a second, it looked like the dead, rotten flesh was about to recover, but it was expelled, and the wound healed.

[Proficiency of Cure Wounds increased.]

His bones were still broken and heavily damaged, but David felt much better.

That’s crazy. I am wielding magic. 

David burst out into laughter, only to shut his mouth when he heard the rattling groans of Infected nearby.

I take my words from earlier back. Considering this a ‘disaster’ was the understatement of the century. This is nuts!!

That being said, David used [Cure Wounds] again, the corners of his lips curled upward.

The mystic power surged through his body, slowly mending what was broken.