Accidental Healer

BONGGG.

Wave 2 of 5 complete.

Participants will receive rewards based on contribution.

Contribution calculated.

Rewards: Small Storage Chest of Dimensional Holding. One Minor Mana Potion.

POP.

A wooden chest and a small vial materialize in front of me.

I kneel down, inspecting them.

Small Dimensional Holding Chest: A storage unit that utilizes dimensional magic. Can hold 100 stackable items.

Mana Potion: Restores 10 MP.

A bag would’ve been better than a chest, but I’ll take what I can get.

The potion, though? That’s going to matter.

-

Three more levels. 15 stat points. I split them evenly:

+5 Strength

+5 Agility

+5 Constitution

Then my three +5 bonuses—one to Wisdom, two to Intelligence.

The difference is immediate.

The first time I hefted my club, it felt heavier than a wooden bat. Now? It’s barely more than a stick.

New Skill Selection

A grid of 20 skills appears—all Healer-based.

No brainer. I need defense.

Skill Acquired: Weak Barrier.

Uses mana to create a protective shield around a target.

Breaks upon reaching damage threshold or after 30 minutes.

Scales with Intelligence.

I close the screen.

Mischief is lounging five feet away, licking his paws. Like he didn’t just help me kill an army.

My gaze lingers. I remember those claws carving through flesh. He seems docile now. I don’t let myself believe it.

-

“Barrier.”

A soft pulse of mana flows through me.

Shunk—a translucent film of energy wraps around my body.

It’s faint—almost invisible—but I feel it. A light pressure, like standing inside a bubble. I want to test it. But how? It’s literally covering my body. I can feel it following my movements.

I scratch my chin… Is it possible to… detach myself? I focus on the shield covering my body. It’s there, a slight pulse. The shield, it’s made of MY mana. I take a step back WILLING my shield to stay. It does.

If this was a video game, what just happened would never be possible. This world might resemble a game, but the rules are different. I need to start acting like it.

Let’s break it. I tighten my grip, swing the club—

CRACK.

The barrier shatters instantly. A dull force ripples through my arms. No damage indicator. Just gone.

-10 MP.

At first glance? Not impressive. Mischief wouldn’t have any trouble with it.

But against Chaos Spawn? It might be enough. For now.

I check the timer. 40 minutes left. I should train more. Test something else.

Instead, I pull out some Chaos Spawn meat and hold it toward Mischief.

“Hungry?”

He sniffs. Turns away.

I let out a breath. "Can’t blame you. That stuff looks disgusting."

But my mind isn’t on the meat. The next wave is coming. Stronger than before.

I sit down. Then lie back in the grass. I close my eyes and let the weight settle in my bones.

I don’t sleep. I don’t even rest. I just breathe.

-

Wave 3 unfolds much like Wave 2—too easily.

Mischief rushes in, disrupting the swarm, and I swing my club through the chaos. Before we start, I cast Barrier on both of us, 10 MP each. It holds for the entire fight.

Which makes sense.

Because they never come close to breaking it.

Stolen story; please report.

My club smashes through creatures like they’re made of paper. The impact sends them hurtling back in sprays of dark fluid, their bodies crumpling on impact.

Early in the wave I feel the pangs of disgust. No puke this time. I Don’t think I have anything left. As the wave wears on though I slowly feel myself becoming numb.

Disgust? Regret?

The feelings were still there, but they were distant. With each swing of my club my feelings floated away.

Hours ago, I staggered away from my first kill, my stomach turning inside out. Now, I don’t even blink.

The gong chimes.

Wave 3 Complete

Wave 3 of 5 complete.

Participants will receive rewards based on contribution.

Contribution calculated.

Rewards: Full MP restore, Crude Leather Vest, Minor Mana Potion.

POP.

I glance at the items. Underwhelming. Some of the Chaos Spawn were level 11, but they still went down easier than Wave 2.

Why?

I check my status.

Class Level: 9.Personal Level: +3.New stat points: 15.I distribute them automatically—Constitution, Strength, Agility, Intelligence. The process is more satisfying than the combat itself.

The tension in my chest tightens. I should be focused on the fight. On survival. But instead, I feel… excited. The growth is intoxicating.

And I don’t know if that’s justified or unsettling. I exhale, shaking off the thought. Then I spot Mischief—lounging peacefully, like the last wave never happened.

If it wasn’t for this cat I wouldn’t have made it out of wave 2.

The situation seemed strange. Mischief at the end of the day, was still an animal. Was it able to understand that I had saved its life? Or that it had returned the favor and saved mine by helping in the second waves?

Wave 4

The next wave arrives. Armed Chaos Spawn. Swords. Axes. Even a few bows.

I tighten my grip on the club. A small voice in my head whispers that I should be taking this more seriously. It’s still life or death.

But the stronger I get, the more that voice fades. The battle is endless.

They flood the clearing in an unbroken tide. Bodies pile around my feet, the gore soaking through my boots, but I barely notice anymore.

Mischief moves like a blur—bounding, tearing, killing. His claws slice through bodies like a guillotine. A single swipe carves through a dozen Chaos Spawn. For a moment, they still stand—until the top halves slide off the bottoms.

I don’t even react. Just keep swinging. Hit. Move. Hit. Move. Minutes blur into hours.

I only notice the fight is ending when the clearing stops moving.

Wave 4 Complete

This wave will auto-loot.

MP restored.

Stage 1 of the Wave Trial complete.

I blink. The battlefield is... empty.

No bodies. No weapons. No armor. Just flattened grass and churned earth. Over seven thousand creatures just disappeared.

I slip my hand into my storage and confirm the insane truth.

8,576 Vials of Eye Goo.I let out a soft whistle. Was it really so many?

I stare at the loot, but my thoughts are elsewhere. I know why I keep killing them. They’re trying to kill me. They’re Chaos Spawn—monsters.

But… it was my hand, raising a weapon, over and over.

And for the first time, I wonder—if it wasn’t this easy, would I still be doing it?

Would I still feel this detached if every fight felt like life and death?

I shake my head. It doesn’t matter. Why am I even asking this question? If I didn’t kill them I would fail the wave challenge. That meant death.

Maybe this was the point of the waves? If I was in this challenge with a team it would hardly even be a challenge. Was this tutorial just a way to acclimate me to killing?

If that was true. What kind of world was waiting for me once it was over?

I open my status screen. There’s still more to do.

LAYTON

HUMAN

Humans are well-rounded, known for adaptability. Receives +5 free points to distribute per level.

CLASS - Healer (Level 11)

Healer class stat growth per level: each core stat +1; gain +5 to either Wisdom or Intelligence per level, and +2 to the other.

STATS

HP: 53/53MP: 69/69Free Points: 10 (+3 Wis/Int x2)Constitution: 33Strength: 28Agility: 28Wisdom: 31Intelligence: 49Sense: 18Abilities:

Loot: Convert fallen foes into usable resources; may result in random items.Weak Heal: Heals self or target for a minor amount. Scales with Wisdom and Intelligence.Weak Regenerate Health: Minor regeneration every 5 minutes for 60 minutes; duration and strength scale with Wisdom.Weak Barrier: A protective shield that breaks after a damage threshold or 30 minutes. Scales with Intelligence.Bonus Objectives:

Life’s Gambit: Survive the introductory trial without starting gear. Reward: Unique.Titles:

Forerunner: Be first on the new world (+5% exp gain).Man or a Mouse: Forgo a full tutorial and remove fail-safes (+10 to every stat, +10% to each stat).Follow the Leader: Be the first human to slay a monster here (+2 to each stat).A Path Paved in Blood: Slay 1,000 monsters first (+5 to each stat).“Follow the Leader” and “A Path Paved in Blood.”

Two new titles.

Together, they dump a whopping +7 to every stat—forty-two points in total.

I should feel excited. I DO feel excited. That’s a ridiculous boost.

But my eyes linger on one title.

A Path Paved in Blood.I’m not exactly proud to bear something that literally reads "I’ve killed so much the System recognizes it."

I tell myself it’s fine. It was the blood of Chaos Spawn. One literally tore another hole in my ass. It had healed, but I didn’t forget.

I don’t have to feel bad. I know for sure if I didn’t kill them they would kill me.

Right? Then again, before this tutorial, so would Mischief….

With a sigh, I distribute my points, balancing Strength, Agility, and Constitution, then dumping my level bonuses into Wisdom. The fatigue in my body starts fading immediately.

I check the system timer: Two hours until Stage 2.

For now, I need a break. The field is empty, but the image of thousands of dead Chaos Spawn still lingers in my head.

I did have to kill them.