Damned Healer-Chapter 93: Advantage

"In that universe, because of that mutating power, a bunch of unique natural artifacts popped up. Besides the Merit Points you'll get from the mission, the Empire might also give you a fat bonus depending on the artifacts found later." Damon finished, dead serious.

Darian already had some idea of how things worked. After a mission was completed, everyone involved could return home, and then a portal from Earth to that universe stayed open for seven days.

During that time, the Empire could send in a bunch of powerful High Humans to search for artifacts and anything valuable. Each universe had its own quirks—stuff that was rare in one might be super common in another, and sometimes you'd find materials that didn't exist anywhere else.

In the end, it all came down to luck. Once the seven days were over, the Empire would pick what it wanted to take back, and then the celestial altar would assign a 'Merit' value to each thing to allow it through. To be fair, those who completed the mission would get a cut of the final profit.

Everyone nodded, a bit tense. The chances of dying on a mission like this weren't low. Even with clear goals and a solid description, unexpected problems always showed up. On top of that, this mission was tight on time and demanded extreme caution.

Leander turned to Darian. "Now that we know what we're up against, it's time for you to start buying stuff."

They all took a deep breath, and Darian nodded before heading to another building—the one that stored the clan's treasure and supplies.

The clan could buy all sorts of stuff from the Empire at a huge discount. That was one of the biggest perks of being in a clan: the members got to enjoy those benefits too.

Darian had already been to that place before. Right when he joined the clan, Damon had given him something called a mana crystal. These crystals were used in some of the clan's training installations and artifacts.

Everyone got a set amount for free every month. That helped a lot in training since you could boost the difficulty of the challenges. Plus, some artifacts only worked if you used a bit of those crystals. But if you ran out, you could buy more with points.

Darian hadn't held back at all these last few days—his life was on the line. He ended up spending nearly a hundred million just on mana crystals.

When he got to the building, there was no one at the front desk. He grabbed an electronic list full of options and research topics. There were items already in stock and others that could be ordered from the Empire.

Now that he knew what he'd be facing, he had a clear idea of what to get. First, he went to the equipment section and picked out the Magic Defense Cloak.

Inside the building, AI-controlled robots moved to the warehouse and brought out his request. After paying thirty million, Darian grabbed a box containing a dark blue cloak with gold markings at the edges.

The cloth and inscriptions were made from materials from other universes. Basically, it could burn up ring power to block non-physical attacks—like elemental or energy blasts. For someone in the backline like him, getting hit by that kind of stuff was pretty common.

After that, he looked for all the gear that specifically used ring power.

By now, Darian had a way better understanding of Spiritual Guardian's power. The more rings you had, the more energy and density you got.

But he was completely different—his "blessing" didn't depend on ring power. His white and black energy only existed if he devoured it from enemies. He could have a massive amount or none at all. Unlike others, who regained energy with rest, his powers never came back on their own.

In other words, his ring power didn't affect his combat strength. That actually turned out to be an advantage. While everyone else had to be careful using ring power, Darian could go all-in and use every type of item or artifact that consumed it.

The cloak he just bought was a good example. Technically it was super useful for mages and support fighters, but people rarely used it because it drained too much ring energy.

Back in the present, Darian picked out two artifacts he thought would be good for emergencies. One was designed to release poison over a wide area, and the other helped with quick movement.

After selecting and paying, the box arrived, and he opened it. They were all single-use. Darian bought thirty of each at a million apiece.

These items were super expensive and could only be used once, plus they burned through a ton of ring energy. High Humans usually bought one or two, depending on their blessings. Darian, though, planned to use them freely, no stress.

Next, he searched for something Veyle had once recommended. He ended up spending fifty million on it:

Defensive Lock Ring: It created a subtle spatial distortion for exactly one second, dodging a fatal hit—if the user could activate it in time. After one use, it was gone for good.

It was definitely useful, but also insanely expensive, and hardly anyone bought it. The real issue was using it at the right moment. Only people like Veyle—who, even without fighting on the frontlines, trained just as hard as the tanks and brawlers—had the reflexes and instincts sharp enough to pull it off in time.

Finally, Darian looked for a weapon. He'd actually enjoyed using his fists in the Array, but truth was, he wasn't exactly athletic or built for brawling. Harper had trained him with all kinds of weapons, and considering the nature of his powers, something more versatile seemed like the right call.

Then, his eyes lit up.

He found a set of twelve Flying Daggers. The problem was, they weren't available in the clan's current stock. He'd have to make a special order, and the clan would buy them directly from the Empire.

It was the kind of item no one ever bought—it was just there on the list. The full set cost 150 million. Made from a unique kind of metal, the daggers moved through the air with insane ease, needing barely any effort.

Despite their speed and ability to hit from a distance, they needed really precise control. Plus, the blades were short, which could lower the damage. The metal also didn't take poison, and no energy or power could fuse with it to make it stronger.

As he read that, Darian felt this uncontrollable urge to try them out. He still had that Mithril Dagger from the array, so adding more and learning to use them properly sounded perfect.

Damon got a notification about Darian's request. He quickly placed the order with the Empire remotely. Just a few minutes later, a drone appeared in the sky carrying a sealed box.

Darian grabbed the box with excitement. Inside, he found twelve small daggers, made from an icy-cold metal with a faint bronze tint. He picked one up and focused...

A black aura flowed through the dagger.

Normal powers didn't work with that metal—but the black power had no problem at all.

'Perfect,' Darian thought, fired up.

After finishing his shopping, he still had millions left. So, he did something different: he converted all his remaining Merit Points into cash.

A huge sum got transferred. He got a new card with the full amount, and not long after, a car arrived.

Darian headed home, where Lucy and Lucius were living.

He visited them once a week and always spent the whole day with them. They were already pretty settled in, living a quiet and safe life. Sadly, that peace wouldn't last more than a year.

When he got there, he found the two of them upstairs, in an open area. They'd rearranged the balcony and turned it into a training space. Both had asked for a teacher, and Darian had hired a military guy—just a normal human—to train them.

The sound of wooden swords clashing and the instructor's strict voice correcting movements echoed through the air when he arrived.

Darian could only sigh when he saw them. They were working hard, getting ready for whatever was coming. They wanted to make the most of this chance. They didn't want to keep being protected—they wanted to become strong enough to never lose anyone again.

At least Darian could give them everything he never had—knowledge and training. They didn't have to figure it all out by instinct like he did.

He watched from a distance.

The instructor looked a bit annoyed with Lucy, and only Lucius was holding a practice weapon. The guy was trying to explain how dumb her approach was. See, she was training with makeshift padding on her fists and legs, trying to fight using only that.

Darian had heard about this before, after the twins' first sessions. Lucy was incredibly bad with regular weapons. So, he'd mentioned he once met a woman who fought using her body and didn't rely on any gear... and Lucy's eyes had lit up.

Only later did Darian realize what that meant, and it left him a bit worried. Niara fought without weapons or equipment because she had natural armor and insane physical strength thanks to her bloodline.

Lucy, on the other hand, was a small, fragile-looking girl... but everyone had their own path. Maybe her blessing would make up for that.

After a few minutes of watching, Lucy spotted her brother and smiled before running up to hug him tight.

He patted her head, then said softly, "Take this card. I converted everything I had left into cash. If something happens to me, you two will be able to live well for a long time."

They both froze and widened their eyes.

"Big bro's mission..."

Lucius muttered, and Darian just gave a quiet nod. Death was always close, and he wanted to make sure he'd done everything he could for them, just in case.

So, after the training session, they spent the rest of the day together.

Life was harsh and full of pain—but together, it still felt worth it.

When the time came, Darian said goodbye with a faint smile, watching their trembling, anxious eyes.

'I need to go back,' he thought, and got into the car.