Chapter 312: Curse

"A disaster happened. Tia, Roan, Mrs. Ophelia, Miss Rae, and many others are still in critical condition, and we’re doing everything we can to keep them alive."

Alex’s expression immediately changed when he heard those familiar names, and he felt a growing sense of unease. He wanted to ask about their injuries and where they were being treated, but Sophia continued before he could interrupt her.

"It happened around four in the morning. The portal above the school suddenly pulsed, and five monsters appeared. They were Level 18 to Level 20 Mid Rank Species, and they looked somewhat like chimpanzees, although they were much larger and stronger," Sophia said.

She glanced toward the destroyed buildings before continuing, "We managed to kill all five, but they were far stronger than anything we’ve encountered before. Almost everyone who fought them was injured, and a few..."

She shook her head.

Alex fell silent upon hearing her explanation. Five Mid Rank Species monsters at those levels were no small threat, especially for the Ascenders living at this base.

Alex believed he could defeat them himself, and the members of his team in Hell Difficulty could probably handle them too, but the situation here was completely different. Most Ascenders at the base were considerably weaker, and Alex doubted that even Roan, who was probably the second strongest person here after him, could defeat all of those monsters alone.

In fact, the fact that they had managed to kill all five was surprising, although it was certainly a pleasant surprise. Considering the difference in strength, it was no wonder that the battle had caused so much destruction.

"Take me to the others. I want to see how badly they’re injured," Alex said.

Sophia nodded and led him toward another large tent that had been established some distance from the destroyed school. Inside, Alex found Roan, Tia, Ophelia, Rae, and several other familiar people lying on makeshift beds, with Priests moving between them.

Most of them were barely conscious, and their injuries were severe enough that even the continuous healing they were receiving seemed insufficient. Alex could tell that the Priests were struggling to keep their conditions from deteriorating.

"One of those monsters was apparently a Priest-type. It left behind some strange Curse that’s interfering with our healing spells. We can keep their conditions stable, but actually repairing their injuries has been extremely difficult," Sophia explained.

Alex approached Roan and carefully sent a small amount of mana into his body. Almost immediately, he sensed a strange concentration of faith-attuned Origin Energy clinging to Roan’s Aura, refusing to separate from it.

He frowned and examined several other patients, discovering that the same energy was attached to their Will. However, upon examining the difference between Roan’s Aura and the Will of other patients, he suddenly realized something interesting.

’Warriors’ Aura is probably an evolved form of Will, just like how a Mage’s heart evolves into a Mana Heart.’

Alex had always been able to sense Will, but after treating so many patients earlier, he had become considerably better at distinguishing it from other forms of energy. Now that he examined Aura more carefully, he realized Warriors had no Will, only Aura.

If his assumption was correct, then Warriors’ souls probably underwent some kind of evolution that allowed them to produce Aura instead of Will. It would also explain why Warriors didn’t possess a dedicated Stat for controlling Aura, unlike Mages, who relied on their Mind Stat to control mana.

Since Will was controlled through the soul, Warriors could probably control Aura through the same method. Alex found the discovery interesting, although he quickly returned his attention to the injured people.

Seeing his expression, Sophia approached him. "You don’t need to worry too much. The energy left behind by the monsters is gradually weakening, so everyone should recover once it disappears. The Priests believe it’ll take another few hours."

Despite her reassuring words, Sophia herself looked worried. Alex looked at her before turning toward the people lying on the beds, understanding that even if they recovered after several hours, they would have to endure their injuries until then.

Moreover, multiple Priests were constantly required to prevent their conditions from deteriorating, while the base remained without several of its strongest protectors. If another emergency occurred and those Priests had to leave, the patients’ lives could be endangered.

"Let me try something," Alex said before approaching Ophelia and sitting beside her bed. Although Roan should have suffered the worst injuries considering how he usually fought, that guy had a habit of saving Stat Points and investing them into Constitution whenever he needed to recover.

Consequently, Ophelia was currently in worse condition. Alex attempted to send his mana into her body, but immediately encountered considerable resistance, since her Aura was stronger than everyone else’s.

However, there was a reason he had approached her first. Although her Aura was the hardest to penetrate, her exceptional control over it might make the actual treatment considerably easier.

"Mrs. Ophelia, can you hear me?" Alex asked, watching as her eyelashes trembled before she gave a weak nod. "I need you to control your Aura and shape a small portion of it into needles. Try to bring the part affected by the strange energy toward the tips."

Ophelia didn’t answer, but Alex soon sensed her Aura beginning to move. Even in her current condition, she managed to manipulate it with remarkable precision, confirming his assumption that her control over Aura was considerably better than most Warriors’.

Alex took a deep breath and created a tiny Disruption Mana Blade. He had already confirmed that Disruption Mana could interfere with other forms of energy, so theoretically, it should also be capable of cutting through the curse.

Ophelia couldn’t simply separate the affected Aura herself, since the strange energy reacted whenever she attempted to manipulate it directly and attached itself even more firmly. However, an external attack might produce a different result, especially if Alex could disrupt the curse before it reacted.

..

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