Jean turned to face the creatures chasing her. She wasn't going to be intimidated by their level. Not after she had felt real fear with a sword in her guts.

The first osquip leapt at her, sinking its long, sharp teeth into her left arm, nearly severing it. Her healing prevented her bones from breaking.

The osquip size made it difficult for the rest of the creatures to advance, so she focused all her love on it, repeatedly hitting it with her sharp rock in the forehead. That shocked it enough so that its bite weakened, allowing her to free her arm.

Eight more strikes to the forehead were enough to calm it down, but that allowed the other osquip to climb over it. Its jaw closed millimeters from her face as a rat sneaked between their legs to bite her left leg.

The second osquip writhed in pain as the rock left it one-eyed forever, tripping over the first. The rat biting her leg was next. A stomp from which it couldn't escape ended its audacity.

Finishing crushing the first one's head was easy with the other one on top. By the time it managed to get up to avenge its disgusting kin, Jean showed the osquip what it meant to challenge her.

In the midst of the confusion, several more rats bit her. A treacherous attack that Jean didn't forgive. But, what could she expect from rats?

[You have defeated Corrupt Rat. Level 4.] x6

[You have defeated Corrupt Rat. Level 5.] x4

[You have defeated Osquip. Level 9.] x2

[Experience bonus awarded for killing creatures corrupted by evil.]

[You have reached Level 10. +5 attribute points.]

[You have learned Sacred Touch— Level 1.

Evil pisses you off? Punish it! You are now able to imbue your body with sacred mana.]

[Healing Hands has increased up to level 10.]

"Finally an offensive one!"

Suddenly, her legs couldn't take it anymore. She leaned against the wall, but that didn't stop her from ending up on the floor either. She had endured it during the combat, but her urge to vomit had only intensified; the thick mucus in her throat kept increasing. The corruption was preying on her.

"No, no, no! I can't fall now!

[You have learned Expel Evil — Level 1.

Evil surrounds you and you can't avoid it? This will help you! You are able to gradually expel evil from your body.]

“[Fast! The osquip bite has drastically reduced the time!]”

The accumulation of mucus in her throat urged her to vomit, but that was a battle she fearlessly lost. She coughed heavily with her body cringing in pain, gasping for air after spitting out the disgusting and slightly purple mucus. She needed to focus on not losing the war.

She healed her injuries to prevent further exposure and conjured Expel Evil. However, despite several attempts, nothing seemed to improve. Was the skill insufficient?

[Expel Evil has increased up to level 2.]

Jean fell on her face, but didn’t lose consciousness. The cold water made her whole body shiver, preventing her from fainting. She remained in that position for thirty long seconds, thinking of her imminent death.

“[Don’t give up yet! Keep conjuring the skill! Your blood is extremely corrupted.]”

Nearby splashing betrayed the presence of more enemies. Six rats cautiously approached from afar. However, realizing that she couldn't get up, they jumped on her and began to bite her viciously.

“This isn't going to beat me!!”

Jean quickly turned around and partially caught one of them beneath her. An elbow to the head made it clear to the rest that she didn't like opportunists.

The closest one didn't hesitate to jump on top of her, but before it could bite her, Jean grabbed her between her hands and conjured Sacred Touch.

The evil that afflicted the rat wasn’t excessive, but it was enough to set it ablaze with dreadful shrieks. At the sight of the flames, the others fled in terror. After healing herself, she conjured Expel Evil over and over again.

[Sacred Touch has increased up to level 2.]

[Expel Evil has increased up to level 5.]

Her mana flowed throughout her body, struggling to stop the relentless advance of the corruption. From the effort, she nearly lost consciousness. She even became delirious with Gabriel commanding rats and an osquip to attack her from all sides.

The hallucinations turned out to be real. After all, hallucinations can't actually bite your arms and legs until you bleed. The whispers screamed to wake her up. Panic took over her, conjuring Sacred Touch all over her body. Nearby rats ran away with their mouths burned, but the osquip wasn't about to back down. It went straight for her throat.

Jean grabbed the creature's jaws with her hands. No matter how hard it tried to close them, Jean didn't let it go until the sacred fire finished it off.

Her father suddenly appeared sitting next to her; that was impossible too. He had died three years ago. She missed him greatly, but his words always accompanied her, renewing her strength. "This is nothing, sweetie! Because...!"

[Sacred Touch has increased up to level 3.]

She opened her eyes. "... nothing can stop me! ... Thanks Dad!”

After 5 hours of constant struggle and sporadic fighting, the suffering paid off. She was finally able to get up again, less tired and sick. However, she didn't succeed alone. Whispers repeatedly saved her ass by healing and relieving corruption while unconscious.

The notifications eventually plagued her, but they felt like a reward after her hard work.

[You have defeated Corrupt Rat. Level 4.] x7

[You have defeated Corrupt Rat. Level 5.] x10

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

[You have defeated Osquip. Level 8.] X2

[You have defeated Osquip. Level 9.] X2

[Experience bonus awarded for killing creatures corrupted by evil.]

[You have reached Level 11. +5 attribute points.]

[Last Breath has increased up to level 3.]

[Low-Light Vision has increased to level 4.]

[Sacred Touch has increased up to level 5.]

[Healing Hands has increased up to level 11. Healing Hands has ranked up, it's now Level 1. Rank 2. Your healing is now twice as effective.]

[Expel Evil has increased up to level 11. Expel Evil has ranked up, it's now Level 1. Rank 2.]

“[Mission »Cure Corruption!« completed. Expel Evil has been enhanced as a reward. You are now able to fight evil more effectively.]”

[Expel Evil has evolved into Evil Coexistence— Level 1.]

[Evil Coexistence — Level 1.

You have been on the verge of death multiple times due to evil. You now eliminate the excess of evil from your body faster. Furthermore, your body is beginning to coexist with it, so you will no longer die from its effects.]

Still dizzy, she bent down to conjure Hunger for Evil over the numerous corpses.

"I have a few questions."

“[Shoot them!]”

"Why hasn't the skill completely eliminated corruption?”

"[You expected too much from a rank 1 skill. It was necessary for it to reach its limit and become rank 2 in order to alleviate your extreme condition.]"

"Yeah, yeah! I get it! One rank every 10 levels and its max level is the same as mine. You haven't answered my question yet!"

“[During your recovery, your condition was cyclically aggravated by the contaminated water in which you kept rolling in and the bites of corrupted creatures that you couldn't avoid!]

“Why has it returned to rank 1 then?”

"[It has been enhanced with new characteristics. Therefore, its level has been reset, lowering its rank.]”

In the process of reducing all the corpses to dust, Jean couldn't help but remember her hallucinations about Gabriel. She couldn't shake his voice and those of his companions in the background from her mind. They were as guilty as he was. They had covered up for him while he viciously attacked her. Gabriel wasn't the only one who needed to provide answers before she made them suffer.

They wanted the relic, but now it was inside her. Cursing and improving her. It would be poetic if the relic helped her kill them. She grinned from ear to ear imagining that possibility. Justice.

"Invest everything in Intelligence! I need to strengthen the power of my spells!"

[You have acquired +2 Perception, +2 Dexterity, +2 Strength,+1 Endurance]

[Hunger for Evil has increased up to level 4.]

[Pupil of Evil has increased up to level 5.]

[You have learned Heightened Senses — Level 1.

Looking for prey? Your enhanced perception will help locate them. This skill has synergy with your Guide skill.]

Jean opened the map on the spot; it sounded too interesting not to try. She looked closely through all the cracks and where she had encountered Rikkon, but saw nothing different.

"Nothing has changed!"

"[Again, you expect too much from a rank 1 skill. You are too far away from any creature.]"

Jean sighed. Her Perception was now higher. How much did she need to be able to detect creatures from a great distance?

“Status!”

Strength: 14

Dexterity: 14

Vitality: 25

Endurance: 12

Intelligence: 25

Willpower: 25

Perception: 16

Still fatigued and somewhat hungry, she trudged to where she had found the first osquip. She saw no vermin along the way or when she got there.

Jean pushed forward, heading into a darker area. It took her a while before some small red dots appeared on the map with the location of rats hidden in the deep cracks. After a few tests, she deduced that the maximum range was 8 meters. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

She was now ready to face Rikkom. She had something pending with him and there was no point in delaying it any longer.

She put the stone in her pocket and retraced her steps. Step by step, she backtracked through the narrow passage surrounded again by sharp rocks. However, this time the cuts on her skin were no longer worrisome, only scratches. Her body was no longer the same.

She opened the map every now and then to see if Rikkon was waiting for her on the other side. Although she doubted that after all this time he would still be there. Stuck.

Halfway through, she located the harness and notebook on the floor. It took her several attempts to pick them up. Bending down in such a narrow place was quite an ordeal.

The notebook was visibly wet; she hoped that nothing important inside had been damaged.

Even after getting out of the passage, she continued to look for Rikkom on the map. He was nowhere to be found, but that didn't lessen her uneasiness.

[Guide and Heightened Senses have increased to level 2.]

[Low-Light Vision has increased to level 5.]

She searched for her weapon among the rocks where she had awakened, only to find three pieces of a staff. A divine magic catalyst that had seen better days. Now it was completely useless.

She sat down and reached for the notebook. There were many pages stuck together. Not wanting to break them, she focused on the driest ones.

The notebook was written in charcoal, somewhat diluted by the humidity. She recognized her own handwriting in the less blurred texts. After reading for a long time, she managed to make several assumptions.

She had appeared in this world around two weeks ago. A world where the only viable option for newcomers was to join the Adventurer’s Guild. There she met Gabriel, a very friendly veteran adventurer.

Gabriel had dismissed the very idea of becoming a fully offensive class from her mind. Those adventurers died very quickly. On the other hand, although clerics took a long time to level up if they only dedicated themselves to healing, they lived longer than the rest. The important thing was to survive. In time, she would learn to fight and close the gap.

She was reluctant, but ended up accepting the suggestion. Every well-organized group of adventurers had at least one. They would defend her above anything else, even with their own lives, since with the right level, a cleric could even resurrect the fallen. Being so appreciated by a group helped her to cope.

Written also was all that Gabriel had done for her. He had paid her membership fee to the Adventurer’s Guild without passing the test that every newbie without funds had to pass. He had even paid her the minimum cleric training, all without expecting anything from her. She seemed like a good person. Why had he betrayed her then?

"I need answers! I refuse to believe that the relic is the only one to blame!"

"[The lust for power knows no feelings.]"

“Maybe...”

She cleansed her body from the exposure to the corrupt environment and stood up.

[Evil Coexistence has increased to level 3.]

[Low-Light Vision has increased to level 6.]

Jean approached where she had previously found Rikkom with the map open. Before passing through the narrow area, his position appeared on the map.

She peeked her head out slightly in fear, only to find him sitting in the puddles. He had his legs tucked in, and his upper body rested on his knees. However, despite his seemingly calm posture, he held his sword in his hand, not in the sheath.

“[Don't underestimate him! It's not like killing a rabid vermin. He is a warrior. He may be weakened by the corruption, but he's still much stronger than you. One wrong move and he'll kill you in an instant.]”

She couldn't refute that, but being a cleric also had its advantages. Her skills were especially effective against evil. She only hoped it would also be effective against him.

Jean advanced at a penguin's pace. She moved so slowly that she felt like she was moving backwards, but at least she didn't make any noticeable noise. The problem was how much she was trembling, she kept remembering everything she had suffered when she looked at his sword. She had to finish him off to overcome her fear.

Everything was going smoothly until she reached an area of jagged rocks. One of the rocks broke under her feet, causing her to lose her balance.

Rikkom abruptly looked in her direction. “Jean... JEAN! HELP ME!”

He stood up so quickly that Jean only thought of jumping on him while her hands glowed with a white aura.

"That's what I'm here for!"