CHAPTER SEVEN: The Discovery

DAKU

One of the things that scared me was those animals that crawl and slither. Those with long-slicking tongues that went in and out of their mouth. Those with thick puncture-proof scales and long sharp claws. Those that didn't only crawl on land but also walls.

Like this one before us. But this was much worse. This was an evolved version - in the worst way possible. My fear was off the chart and the only thing that could lower it was its defeat. And looked like Kenshi and I were thinking the same thing.

"Stay behind me," Kenshi ordered and I agreed without hesitation. If there was someone that could kill this monster, it was Kenshi. After all, he had the experience and the knowledge in combat.

However, there was one tiny problem - Kenshi's sword was two meters from us. If Kenshi were to grab the weapon, that would mean his death. Lizards were excellent runners and getting corrupted enhances those abilities. With one wrong move, Kenshi and I would meet our end.

But there was a saying that went, "The sword is a swordsman's best friend", and so the sword flew in our direction and Kenshi effortlessly caught it in one hand. This signaled the lizard to attack. Kenshi engaged as well and was now in a clash with the creature.

I, on the other hand, couldn't do anything but watch the battle unfold. I would have reacted differently - helping Kenshi defeat the lizard - but with my current knowledge and ability, I doubt I could be of any help. I just learned how to manipulate magic energy and casting healing magic in a distance was an intermediate technique. I had yet to learn all the basics.

I indeed had a weapon in me. The dagger that Kenshi gave me a while ago. But what could a minute dagger do to a ginormous reptile? Aside from the fact that this dagger was lacking in size and capability to deliver an effective blow to the enemy, I was not in the right role to wield such a weapon. This dagger was given to provide the least protection against hostilities and what we needed right now was the total opposite.

Even if I had the will to fight, I still didn't have the required strength to inflict significant damage. We, Healers, were lacking in strength. Although we were blessed with Agility, Speed, and Defense, those were not enough to defeat an enemy like this lizard.

So as much as I wanted to help, I would just go Kenshi's way. I felt so helpless, and useless even more. This was why I wanted to be a Swordsman, a Marksman, or a Mage because for the least they could provide combat support. This annoying feeling of not being able to do something in this fight was the reason why Healer should not be in my class.

"Ack!" Kenshi grunted after being clawed on his left thigh.

Corrupted creatures were different from the ordinary monsters roaming within the Amber Forest. The latter only attacked when threatened or when their territory was trespassed. Moreover, they were not influenced by the Evil Remnant. They achieved such monstrosity due to evolution to thrive.

Corrupted creatures appeared occasionally. They were not something commonly seen on a daily basis and so adventurers could be easily defeated by them. They were not prepared for this kind of monster and it seemed like Kenshi was too.

"Kenshi!" I called out to him and was about to run toward him when he held out his hand, signaling me to halt.

"I'm fine! This is just a scratch! I'll handle this myself," Kenshi protested, triggering my patience. The scratch he was talking about was slowly draining him of blood. Plus, the wound was on his thigh where most of the strength for evading came from. An injured leg lowers the probability of the person escaping the attack. An adventure like him knew that.

I couldn't help but cuss out of frustration. My brain wanted me to help but something was stopping me from doing it. And if I would listen to my mind, what could I do to help? Tickle the lizard?

"There must be something I can do to help," I mumbled. I searched throughout the clearing, hoping to see something that would give me an idea. There were rocks, sticks and branches, our supplies, and my bag with a book hanging out of it. "The book."

That book contained all the healing magic a Healer could do. I had once read through it and fortunately, I could remember most of it.

Distant Healing Magic. A technique that allows the Healer to heal the target from a distance. As I had said, this technique was an intermediate level and I was yet to qualify on that level. But I was desperate, and desperate times require desperate measures.

I recalled everything that one must consider in performing this kind of magic. And before I knew it, I had already both of my hands pointing in Kenshi's direction. It followed wherever Kenshi placed himself. This focus enabled me to fully assess Kenshi's condition: trembling arms, large beads of sweat, heavy breathing, and pale lips. Those were the indicators that Kenshi was slowly weakening.

That fact alone drove me to proceed with my initial plan - use Distant Healing Magic to heal Kenshi without interfering in the fight.

"Please, work," I plead as my brows meet midway. I started my allowing my magical energy to flow from the rest of my body to the palms of my hands. This technique was quite easy after I managed to do it after so many tries earlier. I never knew I would be using it already.

My hand glowed in green but it was not as intense as the one back in the shop when I healed Kenshi. An indication that I had yet to master my magic output.

But this didn't stop me from doing what I intended to do. I continued but this time with more focus and willpower.

"I'm begging you. Just now," I cried and I could already feel sweat dripping down my face. For no reason at all, I screamed from the bottom of my lungs while giving all the strength I had to my magic. The glow intensified and unexpectedly, a green magic circle appeared before my hands. Did I do it?

I glanced at Kenshi who was bewildered upon seeing his entire body glowed in green. Even I was shocked to see it as well. Kenshi's trembling hands subsided, his breathing returned to its regular rhythm, his once pale lips regained their color, and most importantly, the wound on his thigh was gradually closing.

I couldn't believe it! I did it!

"DAKU! WATCH OUT!" Kenshi warned and all of a sudden, something slimy came into contact with my back until I found myself being pulled by it. The magic was interrupted, halting its process, while I was in midair, clueless of what was happening and what was about to happen.

I knew for myself that this would not end well. My intuition was screaming fear but in my current situation there was nothing I could do but to let this. I saw Kenshi run in my direction but we both knew that he would fail. He was not fast enough.

There was no doubt that a monster was behind this assault. Something good in hiding that we failed to notice beforehand. I may be a Healer but my intuition never fails, not until now. This means that this monster escaped my sixth sense.

A moment later, I felt a gust of warm air originating from my behind. Along with it was a stomach-churning smell that I couldn't comprehend. Then, the bright forest scene was slowly engulfed by darkness. It was as if it swallowed light itself.

The following occurrences were chaos. I felt myself traversing through a wet, slimy, narrow, and cushioned tunnel. The tunnel was reeking of the same smell that I sniffed earlier but much stronger. Not long after that I felt myself falling until I hit some kind of a puddle. I was soaking wet but I knew too well that this was not water. Its viscosity implied that this was something else.

"Ugh! Where the heck am I?" The scene was pitch black. The floor was as mushy as the tunnel that I had gone through before. It was a bit slippery as well and the liquid that surrounded me kind of stung. This supported my claim that it was not water at all.

I held out my hand and flowed magical energy to it. Soon after it glowed green, illuminating this very cavern. I inspected the liquid first and let out a mixture of yellow and green. Its thick consistency hampered my vision to see my toes.

"What is this place?" I asked and a low-tone growl roared the entire cavern. The floor vibrated and a weak breeze of warm air caressed my soaked body. That was when I realized that this was not a cavern at all. These grimey walls were undoubtedly the inner linings of the monster's stomach and this liquid was bile. I was swallowed hole.

"Argh!" I hissed when I felt a sudden burning sensation on my soaked legs. It was the bile's doing and it would be a matter of time before I melt and become someone's dinner. "It must've to be here somewhere." I rummaged through the bile, searching for the dagger Kenshi gave to me. I was certain that I brought it along with me.

I stopped from time to time to rest my arm from the heat of the bile. Also, using magical energy manipulation, I constantly healed my feet from the burns I got from the acidic puddle. This had been my routine for five minutes until one of my hands had a grip on something. Without any hesitation, I pulled it up from the bile only to be surprised. It was a decaying human hand.

I quickly let go of it and almost lost my balance if I hadn't recovered from it. A curse escaped my mouth out of frustration and then I noticed that the glow of my magical energy decreased in intensity. This meant one thing: I'm starting to lose my mana.

Magical energy manipulation wasn't supposed to be draining for a Healer. This technique only costs little to no amount of mana. But because I had yet to learn how to control my magical output, it depleted my mana at a faster rate than usual. If this persisted, I wouldn't be able to heal myself and then death follow.

"I dream of dying on the battlefield along with my comrades, not in a monster's stomach," I stated as hopelessness enveloped my body. This weakened my focus thus the green glow fluctuated. It resembled a torch on a windy night.

Suddenly, my whole world shook. The monster aggressively moved his body and I became a ragdoll inside of it. It was as if an earthquake had struck and its roar imitated thunders. With nothing to hold onto, there was nothing I could do but let myself be thrown in all directions.

That lasted for a few minutes until everything stopped all of a sudden. The last sound I heard was a loud thud that sent one last devastating quake. Silence reigned in the gut and the rumbling breathing sound of the monster halted.

A slashing sound ricocheted inside the stomach. Everything happened so fast that the next thing I knew I found myself being taken along with the bile toward the light. My butt hit a hard surface and a cool breeze greeted my body. I opened my eyes just to close it again due to the brightness. But it didn't take long for my vision to adapt to the light until I was able to open it fully.

It was blurry at first but I already had a glimpse of what's before me. My vision's resolution improved, and I saw Kenshi's face much clearer. And for the first time in the history of Thorn, an evident emotion was painted on his face.

"Are you okay?" Kenshi asked worriedly. His upside-down furrowed brows supported it.

I was about to respond to his inquiry when my eyes caught on something behind him. It was the lizard, dashing toward our direction.

Out of pure instinct, I pushed Kenshi aside to make a path for myself. I didn't even know why I did that but what was happening right now was pure intuition. I was one hundred percent certain I would regret this. I just hoped the plan I had in my head right now work.

Unconsciously, I clasped both of my hands into a fist. I recoiled the right fist to gather some force and momentum and imbued it with healing magic. I was uncertain it would yield effective but that was too late now.

When the lizard was within range, I delivered the blow striking a clean and direct hit on the lizard's face. But a jolting pain resonated on my left abdomen, telling me that the lizard had also successfully landed a hit on me.

But the pain was replaced by astonishment. The lizard that was in front of me, was now lying unconsciously a few meters away from my original position. The massive tree on which the lizard landed upon impact left a massive crater.

In normal circumstances, I would be in a state of amazement but this case was different. I was in a state of shock and confusion.

"How did you do that?"