Chapter 05 (Healer)

James hurled another fireball, aiming straight for the armored warrior’s chest. He had considered targeting the head or legs, but ultimately dismissed the idea. The fireball wasn’t particularly fast, and a seasoned fighter like this one—who had boasted about slaying twenty recruits—would likely dodge with ease. Instead, James opted for the chest, hoping to wear him down over time. Once fatigue set in, then he would go for the kill.

Just a week ago, he had watched a heavyweight boxing match between Agit Kabayel and some towering Asian monster. James wasn’t an expert in boxing, but even he noticed how Kabayel had dominated the fight by relentlessly attacking the body. Round after round, those body shots drained his opponent until, in the end, a single devastating liver punch finished the fight. If it worked in the ring, James reasoned, it should work here—so long as the metal armor didn’t absorb too much of the impact.

The fireball struck the warrior’s chest, exploding in a burst of flame. Yet, to James’s frustration, the man barely flinched. Instead, he barreled forward like a mad beast, undeterred by the scorching heat.

"Damn it. I thought that would do more," James swore internally. He spun on his heel and sprinted toward one of the towering stone pillars. The warrior was strong, but his heavy armor slowed him down. James had the speed advantage, and he wasn’t about to reveal his movement skill unless absolutely necessary. It was a trump card—one he would use only if he had no other choice or if an opportunity arose to land a decisive blow.

As he ran, he conjured another fireball, shaping the flickering mass of energy in his palm. The moment he reached the pillar, he fired—this time aiming lower, towards the liver. Another explosion engulfed the warrior in flames, momentarily obscuring him in a fiery haze. But before James could gauge the effect, a massive axe came swinging through the flames.

James darted around the two-meter-wide pillar just as the axe came crashing into it, sending a sharp clang echoing through the chamber. Sparks flew as metal bit into stone. James had already prepared his next fireball. This time, he was close enough to risk aiming for the warrior’s head.

The opportunity presented itself. With his axe momentarily lodged in the pillar, the warrior was too preoccupied to react in time. James emerged from the other side of the column, raised his wand, and unleashed the fireball at point-blank range.

The fiery blast struck the warrior’s helmet with full force, the impact sending him stumbling to the side. His axe remained embedded in the stone.

The armored brute grunted, clearly in pain, but he tried to mask it with bravado. "Ahh… what an annoying little pest. But just wait. I'll get you… and then you’ll pay." His voice was ragged, breath labored.

James, however, was already preparing another attack, fully engrossed in the battle. A fresh fireball flickered in his free hand. He had high hopes for the last shot, and he wasn’t about to let the warrior recover. Before the man could utter another threat, James launched another fireball—this time, aiming directly for his face.

The warrior flinched, likely closing his eyes in the last moment, but it was futile. The explosion consumed his head, sending him toppling backward with a strangled yell. He clutched at his face, his pained groans filling the chamber.

James’s pulse quickened. This is it. This is my chance to finish him.

But the warrior had other plans. Just as James readied another fireball, the man abruptly rolled to the side, dodging the attack and lunging for his ankle.

James barely managed to stumble back in time, heart pounding. The moment sent a flash of déjà vu through his mind—Game of Thrones. That arena fight. The warrior with the spear had dominated the massive brute in black armor, only to let his guard down for a moment… and get caught.

James gritted his teeth. Hell no. I am not getting my skull crushed today.

A chilling realization struck him—Was this guy even more dangerous without his axe?

Sure, the weapon could kill him in a single swing, but it was also cumbersome. The wide, telegraphed attacks were easy to read and avoid. Without it, however, the warrior’s hands were free, and James could already imagine the brutal ways he could be killed. A single grab, a single crush from those gauntleted fists, and it would all be over.

Luckily, the warrior didn’t seem to share James’s thoughts. Instead of lunging again, he turned to retrieve his axe first. The massive weapon was still wedged deep in the stone pillar, and he needed both hands to pull it free.

Big mistake.

James smirked. This was the perfect opening.

The scene reminded him of an MMA fight. When a fighter was knocked down but the still standing fighter refused to grapple with his opponent. Instead, every time the downed fighter tried to get up, his opponent would kick or punch him back down. In the UFC, the referee would step in eventually, but here?

Here, on Floor Zero, there were no referees and no rules.

James kept a fireball at the ready, watching like a hawk as the warrior struggled to retrieve his axe. Occasionally, the man feigned a movement, hoping to bait him, but James wasn’t falling for it. He knew the warrior had made a critical mistake. That axe was deeply embedded in the stone, and freeing it would take effort. Effort that James wouldn’t allow.

Every time the warrior reached for the axe shaft, James launched a fireball at his shoulder or head. The explosions didn’t just stagger him—they disrupted his balance, forcing him to hesitate. Seven times he struck before the warrior finally managed to wrench the weapon free. And when he did, he erupted in a furious roar, charging at James with newfound speed.

It quickly became clear why he had been so desperate to retrieve the axe. The moment he gripped it, a faint glow pulsed along the weapon’s edge, then spread to his body like an aura of raw power. His movements sharpened, his strikes carried greater force. A boosting skill.

James clenched his jaw. That changed things. Boosting skills were powerful but costly—they drained stamina and mana at an accelerated rate. If he could just hold out long enough, the warrior would exhaust himself.

He focused entirely on running now. His stamina remained above seventy percent, and his mana was steadily regenerating since he wasn’t using any skills. The warrior, however, was burning through his resources fast. His newfound speed made him a real threat—he was now slightly faster than James—but that was without James activating his movement skill. As long as he played his cards right, he was confident in winning a battle of endurance.

Despite the chase, James felt relieved about his earlier decision. Had he chosen any weapon other than the rusty dagger, he would have likely been dead already—or forced to flee when the warrior had first gone after Sara. But now, victory was within reach. He just had to survive.

James wove between the massive stone pillars, using them to force the warrior into longer, more awkward paths. His broader frame made it difficult to maneuver as tightly, buying James precious seconds. But even with that advantage, the warrior was closing in fast.

A sharp whistle cut through the air—James barely reacted in time. The axe swung dangerously close, forcing him to activate Shadow Step to avoid the deadly arc. His body flickered, shifting like a phantom, and he reappeared several meters ahead.

The warrior skidded to a halt, momentarily stunned by the sudden movement. That moment was all James needed. He conjured a fireball and hurled it at his pursuer, relishing the satisfying boom as it struck. He managed to fire off two more before the warrior came after him again.

It can’t be much longer now, James thought. His opponent’s breathing was growing heavier—though whether it was genuine exhaustion or an attempt to bait him was unclear. He ignored it, playing it safe. One mistake, and I’m dead.

He pushed himself harder, sprinting at full speed. From time to time, he activated his movement skill to widen the gap, giving him enough space to fire another attack before resuming his escape. His fireballs lacked the raw power he wished for, but this wasn’t the time to experiment. If he altered their composition mid-fight and they drained too much mana, it could backfire spectacularly.

Also, never change a running system.

The chase dragged on for what felt like an eternity—twenty minutes of relentless pursuit. Then, at last, the warrior’s boosting skill flickered and died. His movements slowed, his breaths came in ragged gasps. Without his enhanced speed, he could no longer close the distance.

James smirked. Now the fight was his.

Then, something unexpected happened. As he passed a fallen body on the ground—Ruppert—James saw the warrior’s boot come down on the man’s hand. A low, pained groan escaped from Ruppert’s lips.

James raised an eyebrow. So he’s still alive. Out of commission, but not dead.

A new thought struck him. Could I gain experience from healing him?

If warriors leveled up by killing, wouldn’t it be logical for healers to gain experience by restoring others? Or did they only earn points when supporting a fighter who landed a finishing blow? If healing alone granted experience, then power-leveling a healer would be ridiculously easy—just injure someone, then heal them repeatedly.

It was a fascinating theory, one James would love to test. But first, he had a much more important priority—securing the kill and claiming the solo experience for taking down the heavy warrior.

If healers gained experience from assisting in combat, then surely a solo kill would yield even more. And as a healer, securing a kill alone was a far greater challenge than for any other class.

James didn’t have time to test his theories yet—first, he had to finish off the heavy warrior. The man had stopped chasing him, now standing motionless in the center of the chamber, his broad shoulders rising and falling with labored breaths. He was even leaning forward slightly, his massive frame weighed down by exhaustion.

A perfect target.

But James didn’t let his guard down. Instead of risking everything on a single, powerful fireball, he opted for rapid attacks, sending multiple fireballs directly at the warrior’s face. The explosions lit up the chamber, reflecting off the stone pillars and casting flickering shadows against the walls.

The warrior staggered. Ten fireballs in, his balance wavered. With a final, pained grunt, he toppled over, crashing onto the cold stone floor. But James wasn’t taking chances—he conjured four more fireballs and launched them point-blank at the man’s helmet. The heat warped the metal, smoke curling into the air. He wasn’t stopping until he was absolutely sure.

Then, at last, a notification flickered before his eyes.

You have killed Heavy Warrior (Level 4)

You have earned 835 experience points

You have reached Level 1

You have reached Level 2

You have reached Level 3


James grinned. Three levels at once? Not bad. He was only ten experience points away from the next level, too.

Opening his status screen, he skimmed through his new stats. No new skills, unfortunately, but his attributes had improved—two points each in Intelligence, Agility, and Vitality. That brought his total to sixteen Vitality, seventeen Agility, and twenty-one Intelligence.

At first, he didn’t feel much different. But when he took off in a sprint, testing his speed, the difference became obvious. His movements were faster, smoother. If he had been this quick earlier, the heavy warrior wouldn’t have stood a chance of keeping up. He wouldn’t have even needed to use Shadow Step once.

Curious, he hurled a fireball at a nearby pillar. The impact was noticeably stronger. With his improved mana pool, he could now use Fireball and Shadow Step simultaneously without worrying about running out of energy. That was a huge advantage.

Vitality, on the other hand, was harder to gauge. He wasn’t about to injure himself just to test it.

Speaking of injuries—his gaze drifted to Ruppert, still sprawled unconscious on the ground. The man hadn’t moved since James had last seen him, and judging by the way he hadn’t been screaming in agony, he was either still out cold or in too much shock to react.

James took a closer look. Ruppert’s right hand had been completely flattened, the fingers twisted unnaturally from where the heavy warrior had stomped on it. His nose was broken, likely from face-planting after losing consciousness.

James sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He glanced around, checking the many corridors leading into the chamber. The fight had made a lot of noise—it was possible someone, or something, had heard. But after a few moments of listening, all remained quiet.

They were alone.

James crouched beside Ruppert, his palm glowing with a faint green light as he activated Heal. Energy pulsed through his fingers, warmth spreading as the spell took effect. He hadn’t expected much—maybe a partial recovery, something that would at least stop the guy from bleeding out.

Instead, he watched in awe as the mangled hand slowly reshaped itself. Bones realigned. Flesh knitted back together. Even the smaller cuts and bruises on Ruppert’s face vanished, his broken nose setting itself straight.

The spell had drained almost sixty percent of James’ mana, but the results were far better than expected.

Damn, that’s strong.

A notification popped up.

You have reached Level 4.

James blinked. Wait… I got experience for healing him?

It wasn’t much—just twelve points—but it confirmed his suspicion. Healers did gain experience from restoring others. Not a lot, but something.

But only when healing others.

He thought back to earlier moments when he had injured himself, by cursing the aliens. None of those moments had granted him any experience. So self-healing didn’t count.

That made sense. Otherwise, healers could just repeatedly harm and heal themselves to power-level.

Still, as much as he liked unraveling the mechanics of the system, his real priority was ensuring they were safe. James stood, cracking his knuckles as he turned toward the fallen heavy warrior.

Time to check the loot and get the hell out of here.