LTTH C53

Chapter 53

I had believed it would help, at least a little—but that was nothing but delusion. What on earth had I been hoping for from this damned system?

Both skills promised the same thing: to heal a target. Yet from the descriptions alone, there was no way to know which was superior. Neither gave any clear measure of how much health or divinity would be consumed.

Of course, there was no time to dwell on such worries. The trembling I felt through Peter’s collar, which I clutched desperately, was gradually fading.

Use both. Whatever the case, if I used them together, surely one would take effect. With that thought, I followed Kassie’s lead, and once again invoked my skills upon Peter.

“Sacrifice, Resurrection!”

A sensation unlike anything I had felt before swept through my body. Then, upon Peter, a strange radiance lingered—at once golden, white, and faintly tinged with rose. That subtle light, a fusion of many hues, circled around him again and again.

Unusually, the system suddenly bombarded my vision with messages, as though in warning.

You have expended 3 Divinity.

You have expended 50 Health.

Why this, of all things?

The system had never displayed mana costs before—yet now it suddenly deemed it necessary. Puzzlement was fleeting; soon, an overwhelming sensation surged up from within, leaving me unable to think further. My legs buckled, and I collapsed heavily to the ground.

“…Cough!”

It began as a nausea rising from deep in my gut, followed by dizziness. A sudden convulsion wrung my body, and something forced its way out of my throat.

Blood?

When I came to my senses, a bright scarlet mass had splattered onto the ground at my feet. My own.

“Ah…”

The countless wounds I had suffered since venturing into gates at level one could never be counted on both hands and feet. But this—coughing up blood out of nowhere, without any wound or blow—was a first. And because of that, I was more startled than anyone.

“Hansol! Are you all right?!”

Seeing me collapsed, unable to rise, Kassie nearly abandoned Peter then and there to rush to me. Ironically, it was that very sight which restored my calm.

The situation had startled me, yes. But for one who had just vomited blood, I was in remarkably sound condition. I was fine. That was the conclusion I reached, and with what little strength remained in my clean hand, I wiped my mouth and motioned for Kassie to stay back.

If he dropped Peter now, the boy would strike the ground—and his already critical state would become far worse. That, at least, I had to prevent.

“Kassie. I am fine. Support Peter instead.”

“You cough blood and call yourself fine? Impossible! This is madness!”

At his exasperated outburst, I shook my head firmly. Truly, I was all right. It only looked grave. The truth was that nothing had changed in my body, save that my full health had fallen by one-third, and my divinity, which had read eleven, now stood at eight.

So this is what it meant.

The cost of the skills had not been mana, but my health itself. The reason the system had explicitly displayed the resources consumed was precisely because of this kind of danger. An odd discovery, perhaps—but for now, Peter mattered far more.

The multicolored light that had consumed my health and divinity still lingered about his body, refusing to fade. His condition did not seem to be improving. Should I use the skills once more? Yet if I did, my health would drop by another third. Could I withstand it?

It is unlikely that anything untoward would occur within the sanctuary… but at my already low level, if my health drops further…

“Hansol, you truly are all right? If you are thinking of doing something reckless to save Peter, do not. I mean it.”

“…I am fine. Truly.”

Had he mastered mind-reading?

His resolute gaze struck me like steel, as if he had plucked the thought directly from my head. I froze where I stood.

“Hansol. I do not speak in jest. If you endanger yourself—then I will kill Peter.”

“…Kassie!”

His voice carried a murderous chill. Startled, I lurched to my feet, swaying but managing to steady myself on my knees.

“Do not!”

“That depends on you, Hansol.”

Though my words were firm, his blue eyes glinted with a cold light as they fixed upon Peter. They looked as if they might strike him down at any moment. There was no mistaking it: Kassie was not joking.

This was dangerous. If I entrusted Peter to him, I felt certain he would not hesitate to kill him. Summoning all my strength, I dragged Peter’s body toward myself.

Damn it. Was Peter too heavy, or was Kassie too strong—or had I simply grown too weak? Peter’s weight leaned entirely toward Kassie, refusing to shift.

“You need not fear. If you behave yourself, Hansol, Peter will live, you will live, and all will follow its proper course.”

As if it had all been an act, Kassie suddenly returned to his usual playful demeanor. Yet his words did not feel light. I could not help but weigh the odds: whether I might heal Peter faster, or whether Kassie might strike him down first. It was pointless to debate. For Peter was closer to Kassie than to me.

“…You will do nothing to Peter.”

“Wise choice. Let us return now to the building you stayed in. It is the safest place in the village.”

A step back for ten forward—that was the decision I made. And yet, I could not simply stand idle while Peter’s life ebbed away before my eyes. Even if it meant carving away my own life. Still, it was undeniable: Kassie could kill Peter faster than I could save him.

Then there is only one way left.

“Proclaim Sanctuary.”

You are within a Minor Sanctuary.

Would you like to proclaim Sanctuary?

“Yes.”

“Hansol?”

Golden light rippled outward, halting Kassie’s steps for an instant. But I was unashamed. I had done nothing to Peter. I had simply invoked a skill I already possessed—nothing more.

“Spend all remaining skill points.”

You have proclaimed Sanctuary.

A sanctuary is designated around the caster.

Current range: 75m. Duration: 300 minutes.

Divinity +3.

A divinity-infused building exists within the sanctuary. The sanctuary’s effects are enhanced.

Current range: 150m. Duration: 600 minutes.

As the system displayed the sudden expansion of the sanctuary’s range and duration, the golden light stretched out far into the distance. I was not surprised.

The effect was much like the previous proclamation of sanctuary, and the system had even warned me in advance, asking, Will you truly use this? I had anticipated this much. But that was not why I invoked it.

Peter. It was for him alone.

I remembered what had happened in Berthel’s laboratory. When I proclaimed sanctuary there, those I thought dead had risen again. Berthel’s doppelgänger had dissolved into dust. Of course, I held no such hope that the black wraith above us would vanish. If it were that simple, the system would never have issued such a dire warning.

No—the only thing I prayed for was that the pale youth before me, half-drenched in his own blood, might return to life.

Please… please…

With trembling hands, I pressed my palm to Peter’s chest. His heartbeat was faint. Or was it even beating at all?

[So it was you who dared disturb my fields?]

“……!”

Before despair could take me, a voice resounded—not merely through the air, but through the entire space itself. Raising my eyes, I found the black smoke had coalesced into a humanoid shape, staring straight at me.

Unlike the doppelgänger I had once encountered in the laboratory, this presence radiated a crushing pressure.

Berthel.

It was him.