Apocalypse Healer - Path of Death

Melach turned to a nearby merchant, muttering something about a defective product, while David caught Torb's expression.

The Dwarf was still pale, his eyes flicking back to the purple vortexes now and then, though his posture straightened slightly.

"Rifts are portals connecting these places," Torb pointed at the few Rifts that had formed near Arc, "...with other planes. Usually, they connect to isolated dimensions and are often created by gods trying to expand their influence by deploying the creatures in their servitude to newly integrated worlds."

"The maps aren't defective," Melach returned, cursing. "The Rifts just formed."

"I'm unsure if I read your expressions well, but we don't like Rifts, right? Will monsters emerge from them?" David inquired.

If that was the case, he wanted to go there, right now. There was no need to fill his knowledge gap immediately—he could do that later!

"Rifts drain the surrounding Aether to fuel the Rifts' cores. Once filled, the Rifts stabilize and materialize monsters. To sum it up…yes, we consider Rifts hostile entities," Melach nodded, his expression still sour.

"The monster types of the Rifts have yet to be determined, just like their danger levels. But considering the number of Rifts materializing near Arc, we shouldn't have trouble finding a low-rated Rift. That's what you were asking about, right?"

There were at least four Rifts near Arc. Two materialized south and west of the Sanctuary, while the remaining pair was up north. The distance between the pair of Rifts couldn't be more than a few kilometers.

"Materialize monsters? That's possible?" David asked, but he was met with a pair of skeptical gazes.

"You've fought your kin, resurrected as undead Infected," Torb pointed out, while Melach added, "And you can wield magic. If I'm not mistaken, it hasn't been too long since you recuperated after being struck by a god's divine lightning bolt—what, ten minutes ago? Maybe twenty?"

"Twice," David corrected the Elf.

"What?"

"Nothing. Forget it." Maybe it was better not to mention his encounter with the Pantheon to Melach. "Are those monsters special? How strong are they? Can we fight them?"

Melach shook his head. "No, we cannot fight them yet. We don't know the Rift's type or star rating. We wait until the Familia issues exploration and culling missions and pick the one that best fits our needs."

"We have to wait?" David asked, disappointed.

"I wouldn't call it waiting," Torb chimed in. "You still have a lot to learn. We will go to the library to teach you about Rift types, how to clear Rifts, what to do when a Rift evolves, and so forth. Once the Familia issues some emergency missions, we'll be informed."

"Emergency missions… Do you think the Sanctuary is in danger? Are Rifts that much of a threat?"

"This is a first for me as well," Torb admitted with a slight wince. "But I've heard enough about Rifts in the early stages of world integration to know that one is already incredibly dangerous. Four at the same time? That's a tough challenge."

Melach nodded in agreement. "Even a Rift of the lowest grading has a Boss and Mini-Bosses at the Bronze Rank. And I'm not talking about a Pseudo Mini-Boss like the Mutating Giant Infected. The Rift Bosses are on a whole different level—a level most Protectors cannot handle just yet."

David's heart drummed wildly at that, but he tried not to show it. "How strong are the Protectors here? Shouldn't most Protectors be fairly powerful since they come from already integrated worlds?"

Melach winced. "Yes, but no. The power we acquired in our worlds has been sealed as we stepped into the Earthen Union. Everyone started with a Basic Class, though some were given an altered Class with multiple Basic Skills. The Basic Skills are part of the power we'd already unlocked in the past, which is why it was easier for me to evolve [Mana Bullet] into [Arcane Blast]."

The Pantheon regulated everything around the System Sanctuaries down to the finest details, yet they failed to prepare countermeasures for situations like this.

Or they used the Rifts as a test.

David grinned slightly. He liked fucked-up tests like this. Still, it wouldn't hurt to have a safe resting place when needed. If a single Rift was already a threat to Arc, how would they handle four of them?

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

David frowned, something about the situation nagging at him. Turning to the others, he muttered, "I want to know more about Rifts."

"Good choice," Melach commented, gesturing to David to follow him.

It was time to study.

***

News of the Rifts reached them less than two hours after Melach and Torb had piled several books on him. He hadn't even come close to finishing, let alone understanding them. Some of the information stuck with him, but David's mind drifted to the Rifts outside Arc every other minute.

The ID slate in David's pocket heated up. Judging by the others retrieving theirs simultaneously, they felt it too. Their heads jerked up, their eyes scanning empty air as if reading something unseen.

Ah, right.

David inserted holy power into the warm device, conjuring an azure, rectangular screen.

[Familia Emergency – Rift Overflow]

Several 1-Star Rifts materialized unexpectedly in the last four hours.

Three out of four Rifts stabilized as Common Rifts and can be cleared, but the fourth Rift behaves oddly.

Indicators perceived demonic waves and a high level of Aether emission.

Therefore, it is presumed the fourth Rift ushered the others into existence.

No more Rifts have formed, and no signs indicate any more materializations, but changes can occur at any point!

Emergency Missions have been issued to all Familia members.

Gather your forces and clear the Rifts!

"That doesn't sound too bad," David murmured, rising from his chair. However, the expressions of the others told him he was missing something.

Both Torb and Melach were still reading the message—probably rereading it—their faces pale, their eyes flickering with an intensity that made David uneasy.

"1-Star Rifts are the best we could have asked for," Torb nodded, though he looked far from relieved. "It's good they're Common Rifts…"

"But the oddity is an issue," Melach squinted. "Demonic waves and high Aether emission. That means not only will many demonic creatures emerge from the Rift, but Aether and demonic waves will permeate the surrounding land and alter it permanently. If it had been a different type of Rift that wouldn't have been of importance, but Demon-type Rifts are destructive by nature."

That didn't sound great, but David reasoned it wouldn't be a major problem if the Rift was cleared quickly.

"As long as we clear the Rift fast enough, we should be fine, right?"

Melach seemed about to make a snarky remark when his eyes drifted to the library window. Several Protectors and Familia members gathered outside, preparing to face the Rifts.

"If we clear the Demon-type Rift fast enough, it should be possible to avoid the worst case."

"Which would be the manifestation of more Demon-type Rifts due to high Aether emission mixing with the demonic waves, right?" David continued, earning surprised glances from his team.

David rubbed the back of his head, feeling self-conscious, and pointed to a page in the book before him. "That's what it says here."

Torb burst into laughter and patted David's back, surprising him. Even Melach seemed to struggle to hide his grin, which was oddly satisfying.

David smiled back, trying to steady his restless heart as he noted a detail in the Familia's message. "The emergency mission says nothing about a reward. Do we have to go to the Familia to accept any missions before we go?"

Melach shook his head subtly. "The Familia will reward us according to our contribution, actions, and the aftermath. If Arc is destroyed, even significant contributions will earn less than if Arc survives."

That could be both good and bad. Did contribution mean just slaying enemies, or would he, as a Cleric, earn extra points for healing allies? Hopefully, it was the latter.

"In that case…shall we leave?" David beamed at his unlikely partners in crime.

Torb nodded, grasping his shield with one hand and shouldering the mace smoothly. Melach cursed but complied, grabbing his Mage Wand and gesturing for his barbaric companions to follow.

"We have hardly any experience fighting together. Our only experience as a trio was against the Giant Infected. That wasn't too bad, but this will be different." His lips pressed into thin lines, "Every Rift has one Boss Monster and usually one to five Mini-Bosses, but sometimes more. However, ordinary monsters are the greater problem. There will be dozens by now and more than a hundred once the Rift Core has accumulated more Aether. There will be hundreds more in a few hours, and they'll stall us, wear us down, and force us to consume our stamina and energy before the real danger emerges."

"I don't see the problem," David shrugged. "You said you wanted to become stronger. Enduring and overcoming a threat like this is exactly what you need. At least, that's how it worked for me."

He momentarily activated [Holy Touch] around his finger, smiling at the Elf. "Your family would be proud if you caught the interest of a god—or several," he added, igniting a fire in the Elf's eyes.

"Let's go," Melach declared. "What are we waiting for?"

"Which Rift are we heading to?" Torb asked, only for both Melach and David to answer simultaneously.

"To the most dangerous one, of course!"