Chapter 17: Many gains – Arianna

Arianna sat cross-legged on Cassis’ bed, freshly showered and wrapped in the same sweatshirt and jogging pants he had given her the night before. The scent of clean linen and a faint trace of his warmth clung to the fabric, grounding her in the present even as her thoughts drifted.

The night had settled into an exhausted calm after they had checked on the children. With the immediate danger gone, they had finally split up. The Morrisons had returned to their house, needing the comfort of their own space. Nadine and Violet had done the same, though Nadine had been visibly anxious about her husband, who had been at work in the city when the apocalypse began. It was only natural for her to be afraid—who knew what had become of him? Liam, ever the steady presence, had volunteered to stay with them for the night. She had been beyond grateful, and together they had disappeared into the darkness of the neighbourhood.

After that, it had been just Cassis, his parents, and her.

She hadn’t had a home to return to—not in this world. But no one had asked her to leave, and she hadn’t wanted to. Cassis had told her to shower, handed her the clothes she now wore, and told her to wait in his room afterward. There had been no hesitation in his voice, just quiet certainty, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for her to stay.

Now, alone in his childhood, she glanced around, taking in the simple, orderly room. It was strange imagining a younger version of him living in this room as a child and teenager. She had known him for over ten years, and for all of them he had been an adult.

A desk against the wall, shelves filled with books, a few scattered belongings that told of a normal childhood, like a deck of cards in one of the shelves, a – was that a Lego robot? - some schoolbooks and posters of football players. He had left his phone on his desk, letting it charge.

It was strange—electricity and running water still worked, at least for now. But communications – the phones and the internet – had been severed. As if the system wanted to isolate them. Once the first wave ended for everyone tomorrow afternoon, the networks would return. She didn’t know why. Was it a test? A way to break them? Or was the system merely indifferent?

Her mind shifted to the messages she had received after the battle. The rewards had been substantial.

[System Notification: You have slain a Hobgoblin (Rank-E). Contribution calculated. 100 CP gained.]

[You have successfully defended dependents during the First Trial. 100 CP gained.]

[You have completed the First Trial. 1000 CP gained.]

That was a lot. Additionally, she had gotten 40 CP for healing Cassis and Benny. And after acknowledging that she had played the bait to give Cassis a chance to kill the hobgoblin the system rewarded her 30 CP. This brought her up to a staggering 1290 CP total. She had no idea what to do with this wealth. Her FP had also jumped up by 10.

This made her think of the last announcement all of them had received.

[Recorded in Avaria’s Hall of Fame.]

She had never heard of Avaria’s Hall of Fame. Neither had Cassis. And that unsettled her. How was it that in all their knowledge of the future, this had never come up?

Then there were her levels—four in total, bringing her to 10 (+1). She was at the threshold of class evolution, but she knew better than to rush it. Cassis would have advice. He wasn’t a cleric, but his experience would be invaluable.

Her other gains were just as intriguing:

[Advanced Cleric Mana Circuit Pattern gained.]

[Skill: Bludgeon upgraded to Basic.]

[Skills: Baiting and Willpower gained.]

[Title: Chaotic Healer gained.]

[Title: Protector of the Weak gained.]

[Title: Giant Slayer gained.]

[Item: Experience Sharing Bracelet gained.]

[Titles: Monster Bane I, Superior Survivor gained.]

She had expected some rewards, but this... this was more than she had dared hope for.

Curious, she focused on her five new titles.

[Monster Bane I]

Given to an awakener who has slain 100 F-rank monsters.

Bonus: Your attacks against F-rank monsters are more effective, and some F-rank monsters may choose to flee instead of fight.

She arched a brow. A hundred? She hadn't been keeping count, but between the goblins, the stray beasts, and the hobgoblin, it must have added up especially if the system counted the party kills as hers, too. The bonus was useful—having some monsters run instead of fight could save her trouble.

[Protector of the Weak]

Given to an awakener who has successfully completed the First Trial.

Bonus: When fighting in defense of dependents or someone at least 10 levels weaker than you, your attack, defense, and mana and health regeneration rise by 10%.

Now this was a title she was proud of. It aligned perfectly with what she wanted—to protect those who couldn’t fight for themselves. The bonus wasn’t massive, but in a battle, even a small boost could mean the difference between life and death.

[Superior Survivor]

Given to an awakener who has finished the First Trial early.

Bonus: Increased health and mana regeneration.

A simple but effective bonus. Faster recovery meant she could heal or fight for longer.

Then came a title that made her pause.

[Giant Slayer]

Given to an awakener who has killed a monster more than 20 levels higher than them.

Bonus: When fighting a monster more than 20 levels higher, your attack, defense, and mana and health regeneration rise by 20%.

Arianna blinked. “Wait… what?” she muttered. Twenty levels higher? That hobgoblin had really been that much stronger? She had known it was a tough opponent, but this confirmed just how close to death they had been.

And then, there was the last one.

[Healer of Chaos]

Given to a cleric who fights as much as they heal, sending their enemies and allies into chaos.

Bonus: Physical skills start from level Basic instead of level Low.

Arianna stared at the description. Then she groaned.

“The line about sending my allies into chaos is unnecessary,” she mumbled sulkily.

It felt like the system was reprimanding her, but the effect of the title was actually great. Mages and healers were magic types, so their spells always started at the Basic level, but their physical skills were weaker, beginning at the lowest rank—aptly named Low. Meanwhile, warriors and rangers had the opposite problem, with magic starting at Low and physical abilities starting at Basic.

This title… changed that for her. It made her more effective in a fight.

She thought back to the battle in Danielle’s home office, where she had spent most of the time feeling useless, sitting back and waiting for someone to get hurt instead of fighting by Cassis’ side. With this, she wouldn’t be quite so helpless next time.

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Even if the system was mocking her for fighting instead of playing the role of a pure healer, she was still grateful for the boost.

The other titles were great too, and they would make a real difference in future battles.

She stretched her legs out on Cassis’ bed, her mind still buzzing with everything that had happened. But she wasn’t finished yet.

Next Arianna scrolled down to her newly acquired skills, her brows furrowing as she read them.

[Baiting]

A monster will focus solely on you.

Her eye twitched.

"Really?" she muttered.

She knew that her actions during battle or training influenced what skills she received, but this felt like the system was outright mocking her. This was essentially a weaker version of a warrior’s taunt skill—but warriors were built to take hits. She wasn’t.

She could already picture Cassis’ face when she told him about this. That smug, knowing look, followed by some dry remark about her reckless actions during the fight. Damn it, she thought. She had drawn attention to herself by healing—the first time it was an accident. She really hadn’t thought the hobgoblin would be so fast. And she had almost died for that mistake. The second time had been an experiment to see if it would still run straight for her. And it did. The third and last time had been to give Cassis a chance to kill it and she had succeeded.

Maybe if she learned more defensive spells, she could actually use this skill instead of just viewing it as a death sentence.

Pushing that aside, she moved on to the next skill.

[Willpower]

Even if injured heavily, you will not lose focus and can cast spells.

Now this was a good skill.

Normally, when someone was seriously wounded, they couldn’t concentrate enough to cast a spell, even if it was premade by the system. A certain level of focus was always required. With this, she wouldn’t have to worry about that anymore.

It would have made a huge difference during the last battle.

She flexed her fingers and thought back to the fights that she had been in since choosing her class. She had been too reckless with her healing at first—just flooding everyone with her mana instead of controlling it. That was what had led to her mana depletion at the Morrisons’ house so quickly. But as the battles went on, she had learned.

Her biggest realization came right after her first mana depletion—her heal spell had a range of five metres and she had at first used it from that distance during the fight in the Morrisons’ garden. That had tapped her out very quickly. The next time she healed she touched the person, and the mana cost had been a lot less. So, she had discovered the first problem: the farther the distance, the more mana the heal spell consumed.

Then since she had discovered her mana affinity, she had been getting better at directing her mana more efficiently. Now, she could control the amount of healing she gave. Instead of wasting energy on full-body restoration like in the beginning, she could target only the injuries that needed to be healed. That was the second problem: if she didn’t actively direct her mana the system would just send so much mana into the other person to heal every last scrape leaving her with a big chunk of wasted mana.

This new method of healing alone had saved her a lot of mana and kept her going.

She exhaled slowly, gripping the fabric of Cassis’ sweatshirt.

If she hadn’t been a Patron with access to the shop, she would have died in the fight against the hobgoblin. A normal cleric wouldn’t have been able to heal herself in that situation – with a hole through her stomach and a crushed throat.

She had already given up, not able to concentrate on anything other than coldness and pain, slipping further away. But suddenly her sapphire necklace had warmed and then she had heard Cassis’ voice. When Cassis’ voice had broken through it reminded her that she could buy a healing potion. That single moment had saved her life.

But now… now things were different. She wasn’t just an ordinary cleric anymore. She wouldn’t be so helpless next time.

But all this made her curious about something. She turned her attention inward, focusing on the ebb and flow of mana within her body and instinctively checked her mana saturation. She was startled to find it had risen to 11%. That explained a lot—the growing endurance she had shown during the battles, the ease with which she had directed her healing magic in the end.

Her gaze flickered to another gain she had received: the Advanced Cleric Water Mana Circuit Pattern. It was a very long name. The moment she concentrated on it, a vision unfolded in her mind.

She saw an ocean—vast, endless, shimmering with energy. From above, the surface rippled with countless waves, rolling and receding in a rhythmic dance. But then, the pattern pulled her deeper, beneath the surface, where the true complexity lay.

Beneath the waves, streams of mana flowed in intricate formations. Some spiraled gracefully, others wove through invisible pathways, converging and diverging in an elegant, ever-moving system. Currents merged seamlessly, redistributing energy with purpose, ensuring balance across the vast expanse. There was structure in the chaos, an underlying harmony that dictated the movement of each thread of mana.

It was mesmerizing—and overwhelming. The depth of it, the sheer intricacy, made her head spin. How was she supposed to replicate something so immense within herself?

Arianna barely had time to process before the soft creak of a door snapped her back to reality. The vision of the ocean shattered, and she blinked rapidly, disoriented.

Cassis stood in the doorway, his sharp gaze immediately locking onto her.

"You okay?" he asked, stepping inside.

Arianna exhaled, rubbing her temples. "Yeah… Just got lost in something."

His brows furrowed slightly, but he didn’t press. Still, the weight of his curiosity lingered in the air.

Shrugging Arianna filled Cassis in on the Advanced Cleric Mana Circuit Pattern, explaining the vision she had seen—the vast ocean of mana, the intricate streams flowing in perfect harmony beneath the surface. Cassis listened intently, nodding as he processed the information. He admitted he hadn’t taken a look at his own gains yet, having spent the time helping his parents clear out the ruined furniture from the living room before finally grabbing a quick shower himself.

Now, standing in front of her in a simple sweatshirt and jogging pants, with damp hair he hadn’t bothered to dry, he looked almost boyish—far younger than his true age. Physically, his body was 28, but his soul carried 42 years of experience. And yet, even ten years in the future, he had looked the same except for some more scarring. The system ensured that awakeners above F-rank level 10 remained at their peak fighting condition, freezing them in time at the prime age of around 30. Older awakeners had even begun to grow younger as they leveled up—she had already noticed subtle changes in Danielle, Marcus, and Joseph. Fewer wrinkles, less gray hair, increased mobility.

Right now, though, Cassis didn’t look like a hardened warrior or a man who had once lived through the apocalypse. He simply looked like… an ordinary young man.

Oh.

Arianna realized, a bit belatedly, that she had been staring at him in silence. Cassis raised an eyebrow, waiting. She quickly cleared her throat, masking her embarrassment.

“So… what do you think about the mana circuit?” she asked.

“It’s a great gain,” he said immediately. “Building a mana circuit yourself is incredibly difficult. Having a structured pattern to follow will save you a lot of time and effort.”

He then revealed that he had also received a pattern—one tailored for warriors.

Encouraged, Arianna moved on to tell him about her new titles and skills. As expected, his lips twitched in amusement when she mentioned Chaotic Healer, and he didn’t even try to hide his smirk.

“I knew the system would call you out on your reckless fighting style,” he teased.

Arianna huffed but let it slide. She had been expecting that reaction.

However, when she mentioned her Baiting skill, his expression changed entirely. The humour drained from his face, his posture stiffening. When he spoke, his voice was quiet but firm.

“Don’t use that skill.” His gaze locked onto hers, intense and unwavering. “I won’t allow it.”

Arianna bristled at that. Won’t allow it? He should know better than to think he could control what she did in a fight. She opened her mouth, ready to argue, but exhaustion dragged at her limbs, dulling the sharp edge of her temper. She let out a slow breath instead.

“I’ll use it if it’s necessary,” she said simply.

Cassis exhaled, clearly displeased, but he didn’t push further.

They moved on. He was impressed by her other titles and skills, especially her refined control over her Heal spell. Though he had never been a magical class in the past future, he had picked up some spells from mages—like the fire spell Flame Burst he had used to blind the hobgoblin and save her.

“Tomorrow,” he said, after a moment of silence. “We’ll go over everything else tomorrow. You need to rest. I need to rest.”

Arianna wanted to protest, but she was exhausted. The only problem was… she had no idea where she was supposed to sleep.

“…Where should I—?”

“In my bed,” Cassis answered before she could finish the question. “I’ll take Liam’s.”

Arianna blinked. “Then where did the two mattresses we used in Danielle’s home office come from?”

Cassis sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “My mother hoards everything in the attic. Old furniture, appliances, you name it. Apparently, even mattresses. This time, I have to admit, it came in handy.”

Arianna chuckled softly. Danielle Walker, apocalypse prepper by accident.

With the sleeping arrangements settled, they exchanged quiet goodnights. Cassis switched off the lights, shutting the door behind him as he left.

Arianna lay down in the unfamiliar bed, staring at the ceiling. The house was silent. Then, sometime later, she heard Danielle and Marcus coming up the stairs, murmuring their own goodnights to Cassis before retreating to their room.

Then—nothing.

She turned onto her side, closing her eyes, but sleep didn’t come easily. Her mind kept drifting, replaying the battles, the system notifications, the lingering warmth of mana beneath her skin.

So, she focused on the ebb and flow of her own power instead, tracing the currents of water mana within her body, feeling its subtle movements…

Slowly, finally, she drifted off to sleep.