CHAPTER 29: HEALING BLADE AGAINST THE VOID

Raito blinked hard, trying to clear his vision. His head spun as though the entire dungeon were tilting around him.

What do I do? How do I beat this thing?

He clenched his teeth. This... it isn’t just a monster. It’s alive. And anything with life can be killed.

But his stomach twisted at the thought. It’s supposed to be a rank C... yet it feels like so much more. Normally, they send mages against Void Stalkers, because only mages can counter their tricks. But me? I’m not a mage. I can heal myself, yes—but I can’t create, can’t place magic where I want it to go.

His dagger trembled in his grip. He forced his eyes to focus on the Void Stalker, though the world still swam around him.

"Come at me," he growled.

The dizziness worsened, his knees buckling. Snarling in frustration, he bit down on his thumb until it tore. Warm blood ran across his skin.

And just like that, the spinning stopped. The noise receded. The shadows bent away from him.

Breathing hard, Raito raised his head, glaring at the creature. "You bastards... I know you’re smart. Very smart. But that sound—your trick—it doesn’t work on me anymore."

The Void Stalker continued its maddening hum, but the effect was gone. He could hear it without falling into the spiral.

"Status box," Raito commanded.

The familiar translucent window snapped open before his eyes, lines of glowing text scrolling. He navigated quickly, his mind racing. Healing... healing is my only ability. But if I could just—

He swallowed hard. "Can I... can I place healing on my dagger?"

The system voice chimed softly in his ear.

[Yes. It is possible.]

Raito’s eyes widened. "How? Tell me. Give me the instructions."

[If you want me to, I can guide you step by step.] The system paused, then added, [Or, if you prefer, you can simply command me to do it for you.]

commanded the system voice. And it obeyed."

This time, his voice rose, sharp and steady.

"System voice—place healing on my dagger!"

[Affirmative. But this will cost 200 LP.]

A glowing notification box flashed before him.

[-200 LP]

"What? Two hundred?!" Raito’s eyes widened, but then he chuckled under his breath. "Whatever. Do it."

The confirmation snapped into place, and the blade in his right hand flared with a green, radiant glow. The light pulsed like a heartbeat, wrapping the dagger in raw healing energy.

The three Void Stalkers shrieked in unison, their distorted voices vibrating the air. They knew—their trick no longer worked on him. Two of them darted forward, moving faster than before. One’s arm warped grotesquely, twisting into a massive hammer that swung down toward Raito’s head.

He shifted, dodging at the last instant, the hammer smashing the ground where he had stood. Dust burst upward.

Raito shot past it in a blur, dagger raised. He drove the glowing blade straight into the stomach of the second Void Stalker.

The creature let out a horrible, warped scream. Black blood splattered across the floor as the dagger sank deep, the healing light burning through its body like poison. The Void Stalker staggered back, clutching its stomach, its shriek echoing through the cavern.

Raito withdrew, panting, eyes wide with triumph.

"...It worked. Finally—it worked."

He tightened his grip on the glowing dagger, his chest heaving.

"Now, I just need to finish this... end it fast and get the hell out of here."

The green light flickered dangerously along the blade as the Void Stalkers regrouped, circling him like predators.

Raito’s eyes followed the wounded Void Stalker as it staggered back, its black blood dripping onto the stone floor. A grin tugged at his lips.

"Good. Healing magic works... just like holy water," he muttered. "Finally, I can hurt them. All I have to do now is kill them."

His thoughts raced—priests usually brewed holy water, selling it to adventurers for thirty thousand gold a vial. A fortune he could never afford. But this dagger, glowing with borrowed healing, was enough.

He crouched low, gripping both daggers tight. The injured Void Stalker tried to hide behind its companions, but Raito’s body blurred into motion.

Shhhk!

The blade sliced clean through its neck. Its head dropped to the ground with a dull thud before the body dissolved into darkness and vanished.

The remaining two shrieked, their distorted voices shaking the dungeon walls. They charged him in unison. One warped its arm into a massive slab, slamming down like a hammer to crush his skull.

Raito’s instincts flared—he twisted aside, dragging his dagger upward in the same motion. Shhhk! The monstrous arm fell away, severed.

But even before it hit the ground, the limb regenerated, reforming in a pulse of void energy.

"They can regenerate?!" Raito hissed, eyes flashing. He didn’t wait for a second strike.

Purple fire burned in his gaze as he lunged forward, his dagger arcing across the neck of the second Stalker. The creature shrieked, collapsing in a hiss of smoke.

But the third was already behind him. Its arm sharpened into a blade and thrust forward.

Raito felt the killing intent—he ducked in the split second before impact. The void blade carved empty air above his head.

"Too slow!" he roared, spinning on his heel. His dagger swept clean, slicing through the Stalker’s throat.

The last creature fell, its scream fading as the body disintegrated into ash and vanished.

Silence fell over the chamber.

Raito straightened, panting, both daggers dripping with black ichor that vanished as quickly as it came. "All three... defeated."

A notification shimmered before him.

[Greed updated: Remaining quota—16 monsters.]

"Yes!" Raito clenched his fist, relief and triumph surging through him. "They counted. Sixteen more monsters to go."

He exhaled deeply, letting his daggers drop to his sides. For the first time since the fight began, the dungeon felt still.

The blue glow pulsed brighter, the system trembling as if struggling to process what had just happened.

[Warning: Anomaly Detected]

[Player has slain a creature beyond permitted level.]

[Evaluating... recalibrating...]