David’s fist, coated in pristine light, impacted heavily, crushing an Infected’s skull at once. The Infected collapsed to the ground, where several more headless Infected rested in peace.
[Holy Touch] works well against the Infected, but how will the pristine light work against something that’s not undead?
For now, [Holy Touch] could be used to coat any part of his body, augmenting it. However, the augmentation was different than expected. David’s fist coated in [Holy Touch] didn’t feel much resistance when it hit the mark, shattering the Infected’s skull. [Holy Touch] weakened the Infected’s defense, removing the undead characteristics from the walking dead.
It was still hard to fathom, but from David’s experience, it felt and looked like the pristine light of [Holy Touch] purified the Infected, removing everything related to the evil, corrupting power used to resurrect the dead.
As David’s fist hit the side of the Infected’s head, the undead’s rotting yet thick, gray skin no longer protected it. It looked more like its skin burned and pulled back, afraid the pristine light would also burn – purify – it. How was the latter possible? David had no clue, but that’s what he witnessed multiple times now.
Why is leveling [Holy Touch] so difficult? I mean, I know why. It’s a Tier-1 Skill Rune. Still, I wish it would rank up a little bit faster.
David didn’t pay much attention to the Infected. He left them behind in the narrow, empty street and returned to his temporary home. David walked for a few minutes, smoothly climbed a small wall, jumped into the neighbor’s backyard with light steps, and returned home.
Once David was back in his temporary home, he closed his eyes while finding his way back to the bedroom on the second floor.
The Holy Sea is still not locked. But defeating the Infected didn’t replenish the used-up holy power any faster. That means…the energy doesn’t come from the monsters.
It hadn’t been long since Daivd noticed [Holy Touch]’s greatest advantage. At least, he’d considered it such. By activating [Holy Touch], David opened his Holy Sea to channel holy power into the Skill Rune. That was also the case when he activated his other Skill Runes. However, the Holy Sea would close down again when his other Skill Runes were fueled with enough holy power to activate. That wasn’t the case with [Holy Touch]. The Holy Sea remained open for several minutes even after [Holy Touch]’s effect wore off.
First, one had to note that David could always access the Holy Sea to draw out holy power. It was more challenging when his Holy Sea was ‘locked’, but it worked nonetheless. But what he couldn’t do with a locked Holy Sea was to insert holy power. The Holy Sea replenished its used-up energy quickly but recovered holy power much faster while his Skill Runes were active. Thus, whenever the Holy Sea was ‘unlocked’, which felt like the paths leading to the Holy Sea were easier to access and use, it could absorb or generate more holy power.
Initially, David didn’t think much about it, but he had been wondering where the energy to refill a Cleric’s Holy Sea and a Mage’s Mana Core were coming from. It had to come from somewhere.
Even if the Holy Sea produced holy power on its own, it needed something—some sort of energy—to transform into holy power.
His first idea was to fight a few Infected with [Holy Touch] active. Maybe it was necessary to defeat the undead or magical creatures to absorb their energy.
The idea was good at its core, especially since it reminded him of the summer full of gaming. It was a common experience in games to gain experience points for slaying enemies. Maybe the magical creatures and undead monsters dropped invisible particles of mythical energy that his Holy Sea could convert into holy power.
It was a nice try, but while his Holy Sea recovered holy power slightly faster during and after [Holy Touch] had been activated, there weren’t any sudden bursts or floods of energy entering his body after killing the undead.
That was also why David resumed another idea.
Since the world has turned upside down and everyone is actively changing, growing stronger by performing different tasks—tasks that fit their class description—it shouldn’t be impossible to consider that the entire world, or at least the air, is filled with an invisible energy.
His Holy Sea always replenished holy power, meaning it always had enough ‘resources’ to recover his used-up holy power. That thought pushed David to his second idea.
What if he tried to replenish his holy power like a cultivator in Xianxia stories recovered their Qi? David didn’t know all too much about cultivation stories, but William and Basti showed him a few in the past. David never finished any of them, but that wasn’t necessary to remember bits and pieces.
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If not for his Mind enhancement, David wouldn’t have recalled such old memories, but since he did…he might as well try it out, right?
Cultivators use the energy of Heaven and Earth to recover their dantian, if I’m not mistaken. If I replace their dantian with my Holy Sea and the qi used by cultivators with holy power, I shouldn’t have problems replicating their techniques…as long as the Holy Sea is open to accept more energy. And, of course, there has to be energy in the air or ground for me to absorb. If there is nothing like that…No, there has to be. There is no IF. The energy has to come from somewhere!
But what if there was energy in the air or the ground? He couldn’t even see or sense it. How was he supposed to channel it into his Holy Sea?
David sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes closed to focus on the surroundings. He could see the Holy Sea in his mind space but cast it aside with a thought.
[Holy Touch]!
There was no need to waste any time idling around.
[Holy Touch] activated, rapidly consuming his holy power, but instead of coating his fists in pristine light, David tried coating his entire body. However, as his intent reached the Skill Rune, it wiggled and drastically increased the drainage of holy power. Even then, only his upper body was coated in pristine light. The warmth filled David, but it wasn’t what he wanted.
He severed the stream of holy power channeling into [Holy Touch] and rubbed his head as if to greet the light headache manifesting in the back of his head.
That doesn’t work. [Holy Touch] is too draining to be used like that.
David activated it again. This time, however, David coated his head in pristine light, thus starting one more experiment.
His eyes remained shut tightly while the rest of his body tried to perceive the energy in the surroundings. David was still uncertain if his theory had arms and legs, but he believed there had to be something.
At first, nothing happened. David was too focused on the thought that there had to be something to clear his mind. There was no way he could sense something invisible that was ‘probably’ everywhere in that state. He had to focus more on sensing rather than doubting.
[Holy Touch] drained the remaining holy power within David, leaving him with a bad headache. He groaned in pain and realized the blood trickled on the bed sheet too late.
“A short break…Just give me a short break, and I’ll be ready again.”
He had to replenish more holy power and wait until the headache eased up to start again. Yet, while waiting, David noticed something he should have realized earlier.
“Why did I start searching for the unknown outside my body? Since my Holy Sea naturally recovers holy power, the unknown energy has to enter my body first. Doesn’t that mean my body has been absorbing an unknown energy, or whatever is used, to fill the Holy Sea?”
David’s first guess had been that the Holy Sea ‘opened’ and ‘closed’ whenever he activated Skill Runes because it was easier to control holy power in those times, but what if that sensation was related to his body accepting more of the unknown energy around him?
It was nothing more than a theory. Another theory, just like the rest of the thoughts, questions, and ideas forming in his mind. Still, it was worth a try.
First, before activating [Holy Touch] again, David focused on the Holy Sea again. But instead of looking straight at it, David focused on the Holy Sea’s outer perimeters. He paid attention to the instances holy power entered the reservoir, how it happened, and what it felt like.
Holy power was warm and cozy. It purified and healed, filling David with vigor. However, there was also something else. It was attached to the Holy Sea and sept slowly inside.
The headache eased, and David’s focus returned. He paid more attention to the unknown and spent the next thirty minutes learning more about the cold—yet not unpleasant—unknown energy inside him.
It’s no wonder I never sensed it. Holy power’s warmth and coziness overshadowed this energy, whatever it is.
David followed the tiny tendrils of energy, trying to find where they came from and how to acquire more of them. However, he realized something interesting when he followed the thickest tendril attached to his Holy Sea.
The thickest tendrils led to his hand, with the biggest connecting to his right hand: The hand he’d used to smash the Infected’s heads.
It took him a little longer – it was already late at night when David opened his eyes again –, but he learned a lot about the hundreds of tendrils attached to his Holy Sea. Some tendrils didn’t contain any energy and were thus incredibly hard to perceive. It only got easier when David learned what he had to look for.
At some point, David could discern the empty tendrils after a good minute.
It’s not perfect, but I’m getting the hang of it.
The system seemed to agree with his sentiment.
[The User discovered his body’s Energy Pathways and Aether within the first 24 hours of the integration!
Congratulations! The process of annexing Aether will come to you naturally for the next 48 hours.]
David’s eyes lit up and he subconsciously recognized that the tendrils connecting his Holy Sea to every part of his body were none other than the Energy Pathways. Meanwhile, the cold, unknown energy was called Aether; the primary resource needed to produce holy power!