Returning to the third floor, where Zen spent the longest time at Stoneberry Keep, there was a strange nostalgia compared to his adventures on the first floor. This was the stage Zen conquered using wits and gaming loopholes. Every NPC here greeted Zen and hailed him as a hero now that the war with the goblins is over.
“Welcome back, hero!” a gantry guard saluted. “Are you here to see the lord?”The goblin maniac? No way. Zen shook his head and returned the greeting, telling the NPC called Daniel to keep up the good work.Making a beeline to the shadiest parts of the small town within the castle wall, Zen spotted the rundown tavern reeked of cigars and beer. Boisterous shouts and laughter resounded from within as Zen stood outside. The side quest pointed him in the right direction, and it didn’t seem like Lorren intended to return to his priestly lifestyle and duties. Praying to the gaming gods, Zen hoped Lorren was sober enough to assistThe surroundings darkened as the game adjusted the dungeon’s special conditions for Zen’s training. Within seconds, he skipped through the night and met Lorren again at the chapel, which was brighter, indicating it was late morning.“Healing arts of the church is similar to magic. However, unlike magic, which uses mana from within a mage that is replenished from mana in the atmosphere, healing arts require faith. The stronger your faith, the more powerful your healing arts. Of course, there are physical limitations to using it. You could easily exhaust yourself mentally as it requires intense focus.”According to the lengthy explanation monologue, Zen learned that healing arts could do almost anything. Of course, within the limitation of logic. Apart from healing illnesses and injuries, more advanced healing arts could reattach limbs that have not rotted and bring the dead back to life within five minutes of their death, provided the brain wasn&rsqu
Learning the basics of healing magic wasn’t difficult. Zen had a good grasp of anatomy from his time as a chef. Although animals and humans were different, the generic concept was similar. Magic was all about imagination, and healing arts was a type of magic that used faith instead of mana. Zen could understand why healing many people would take its toll on the healer. Mental stamina was something that drained faster than physical stamina for those who were unable to focus for an extended period. Thanks to his gamer lifestyle, Zen could hyper-focus and deal with more stress than ordinary people.“It’s similar to a rhythm game,” Zen noted after selecting the order of sparkling words during the chanting mini-game.Apart from memorising patient names, parts of the injury, and injury type, the healer had to react quickly. The healing magic’s success rate relied heavily on the healer’s ability to recall all details and select the correct opti
Thanking the goblin for suffering unjust pain for the sake of his education, Zen delivered the merciful killing blow. By the end of his lesson, the goblin looked more human than a monster, except for green skin and a goblin face.Lorren had to admit that Zen had more talent than the other adventurers looking at becoming a healer. Ordinarily, he would end the specialisation quest at healing wounds. Most healers were only required to heal party members during combat. The more talented few would learn to cast basic blessings to increase their party members’ base stats. However, it was a waste to let Zen go so quickly.“You have great talent,” Lorren mused. I don’t know if you’re interested in learning more. Most adventurers would consider this a useless skill because they have the blessing of God to return to life after dying in the line of duty. Revival magic is also risky to learn as it is a fine line away from necromancy. Resuscitation can onl
Returning with two baskets of stale bread and three water pitchers, Zen felt envious of Damian’s specialisation trials. Unlike him, the cyborg’s quest progressed smoothly without a single hitch. He had the cheating ability to access information from his digital database of a brain. Although Zen had cheats given to him by the God that revived him, it wasn’t the same.“You’re back,” Lorren said, eyeing the massive amount of food Zen had brought. Given the boy’s talent, he wouldn’t need to touch the second basket of bread to master the skill of blessing food.“The most important thing when giving a blessing is to have a clear intention. There cannot be a trace of doubt or hesitation in your intention to fully trust or support your allies when giving them the buff. It’s why only those with strong and unwavering faith can become healers.”Paying close attention, Zen observed how Lorren kept his eyes closed t
Meeting Damian at the portal of the fifth floor after his specialisation quest, Zen noticed how the cyborg was already working on his gear.“Is that something from your quest?” Zen pointed at a gauntlet Damian was wearing.“This?” the purple-eyed teen raised his left arm. “I made it after finishing the specialisation because you took too long. After getting materials from the others, the blacksmith allowed me to borrow his workshop. It’s built from dismantling the magic wand the specialist NPC gave me with additional crafting ingredients for the buff. How does it look? It’s more efficient than waving a stick. I haven’t had time to create pre-casted magic circles into this, so it’s merely a punching machine for now.”Punching machine… Zen could hardly believe his eyes. However, upon inspection, he confirmed Damian was telling the truth. It was probably better for the NPCs to not know what he did to the
As Damian's voice filled the air with his complaints about the fluttering fairies, which he equated to bothersome flies, Zen trudged through the gloomy forest. It reminded him of the mushroom forest veiled in a poisonous fog. Thankfully, Zen was immune to the side effects of miasma, a stark contrast to Damian's vulnerability. Any miasma that came into contact with him was instantly purified.“You’re like a walking version of an air purifier,” the cyborg commented offhandedly after collecting his fourth fairy tear. “Part of me wish I’d taken the same quest path as you. These flies won’t stop trying to pull on my hair or scratch my eye out!”Compared to Damian’s initial aloof and disinterested personality, Zen thought he had drastically changed since requesting the Trial of Fire. Then again, this might be his true personality all along. The engineering genius had a childish and whimsical side from when his time had been frozen
Even from afar, the forest looked brighter. Its lush greenery and vibrant colours starkly contrasted Zen's slow progress compared to Damian. The cyborg had already turned in his first part of the quest and was now tasked by Blacksmith Bob with creating a fairy trap. Despite the ominous feeling about Damian’s chosen quest path, Zen knew he could do nothing about it. The complex forked path quest on this floor must be a test of character more than skills. Although he had no idea why the Godfather would test someone’s character using the dungeon, he was glad to have a choice. Murder never sat well with him, even if bloodthirsty assassins surrounded him.“I’m back,” he greeted Father Mark, who had a radiant smile.“Welcome back, child,” the clergyman greeted warmly. “The forest looks livelier than it did in years. Thank you for doing what I should have been doing.”Shaking his head, Zen greeted the orphans, who were od
The fairy cake recipe looked fairly simple. Most ingredients could be found at Chef Marvin’s restaurant and Martha’s fruit stall. However, there were several things Zen had to forage personally. The second part of the main chain quest was similar regardless of the path Zen or Damian chose. They needed to hunt for monster loot in the forest.“It sure would be a lot easier to hunt with a walking air purifier,” Damian lamented over the voice call.Due to the location of the loot they needed, both boys decided to split up. Zen sighed. In the time Zen had taken to finish the first part of his quest, Damian used it to upgrade his gauntlet. Although its attack power was nowhere near as powerful as the main combatants of their party, Damian was able to hunt monsters a lot easier than Zen.“And I wish you could loan me the gauntlet,” Zen replied dryly. “That would make hunting a lot easier.”Not taking each other