Chapter 355: 13 Days (VI)

Chapter 355: 13 Days (VI)

Chapter 355

13 Days (VI)

Shawn collapsed helplessly, breathing as though hed just ran a triathlon with nigh a day of preparation, looking at the wall he was simply unable to leap over.

Fifteen seconds, he was unable to endure fifteen seconds even after an exponential increase in his stats due to the items he was gifted, and a better understanding of Domins aura. What hurt his pride even more, however, was one simple sentence that Cain uttered shortly before his 44th failure: You have enough stats and skills to last 33 seconds.

This meant that the way he fought, the way he thought, even how his instincts behaved, was so far behind the pinnacle that he was lagging over twice the length of basic endurance--the gap that can be closed through pure skill alone. He didnt want to believe... but a voice inside of him was telling him that it was true.

Looking at the extended hand and the potion in it, Shawn sighed and accepted it, drinking it whole in a few gulps. It was miraculous--his Mana Pool was completely restored in a couple of seconds. There were no potions in the world--no, that was a lie. A few would crop up here and there as epic rewards for insanely difficult quests. If sold, they reached the kind of price that Shawn couldnt even comprehend.

And yet, this strange man that would still not share his identity had already taken out over a dozen of these Mana Potions. If he sold them out at auctions, he could earn the kind of money that would create generational wealth--for several people. But he seemed entirely unbothered. The party... is insane...

Standing up, he stripped down to his underwear and leapt into the pool, washing out the sweat that had started sticking to his skin. Swimming a few laps before leaving, he cleared his head a bit. He did start noticing a few places where he could optimize his healing more. If anything, repeated failures forced him to reexamine everything he had learned up to this day. It was as though it was all lies--mimicry of something far greater.

Youre getting better, Cain commented. The man spent his days lazing about the pool, drinking cocktails, and chatting away with his two supernaturally-charged pets that were likely stronger than every Conqueror in the world. Shawn had come to understand one thing in the two days hed spent with the man--Cain was not benched. He was likely that long-forgotten, phantom figure that was buried in the vestiges of time and numerous new achievements. The man who woke the second sun above the L.A. The man who held the Earths nations hostage with chains of terror.

Hardly, Shawn commented in his dull tone. I feel embarrassed, having thought I would be the light that would save the party and help it conquer the difficult fight. I did not feel such embarrassment even when Tim Meddel pulled down my shorts in fourth grade in front of the entire class. They called me Tiny Pecker for a whole year.Vissit novelbin(.)c.om for updates

... the more I hear about your life, Cain said. The more I wonder how come you havent become a serial killer. Man, well have to get you a therapist at some point.

All those experiences are merely growing pains, Shawn replied casually, pouring himself a cup of warm milk.

In normal-people-language, we call it abuse, Cain said.

No, Shawn said. What the world underwent when the Towers first fell... that was abuse. There was so much death and suffering in such a short period of time it felt... like a dream. No, a nightmare. So many thought it was their chance to become heroes. Little did we know, heroes come at the expense of the thousands who pave the path for them.

...

Youre trying to be a stretched clothesline capable of holding up the laundry of the entire apartment block. But thats moronic. It worked for the earlier floors because, well, if Im being frank, fucking everything works for the earlier floors. The higher you climb, the more youll realize stretching yourself thin is one of those speedruns to becoming useless.

What should I do, then? Shawn inquired expectantly.

Aemians are at their best when healing people directly, Cain replied, taking a sip. Whether thats through the short-term bursts of semi-decent healing, or with the long-term prep for huge heals when necessary. Yuki, our raids main healer, for instance, is facing the similar problem as you. That kid has fuck all faith in the rest of our Healers, so he tries to be a spot healer, aura healer, emergency healer, and has started inventing some other ways to be a healer, I think. Doesnt work. Shithead runs out of Mana so quickly because most of his healing is simply inadequate for the stage theyre at. Except one part of it--death-prevention. Instead of specializing in emergency healing and death prevention, which would enable our damage dealers to be more reckless with mechanics and, in turn, deal more damage, hes stretched himself too thin, helping nobody.

... I always believed a good healer is the one who can do everything, Shawn said honestly. He wasnt alone in the thought--it was universally accepted that the best healers could cover for everything.

Thats funny, because no such healer exists, Cain said with a faint smile. What, do you think that every damage dealer is the same? That every tank is the same? No. Everyone has their niche. The key to climbing is to combine all those niches into one whole that works like gears in a factory. Take our two dumb tanks. Theyre trying to do the same thing--be good at everything. The truth is, however, the raid depends on having two very, very, very specialized kinds of tanks--the kind that can tank consistent, even, predictable damage for long bouts, and the kind that can take a hit that would have both you and me shitting our pants. Same thing with damage dealers. Everyone likes seeing big numbers, but the truth is that the raid needs the kinds of people whose DPS never drops. It never spikes either, but it also never drops. Its consistent. Even. Predictable. This way, you save those who like having galactic orgasms in the middle of the fight for when you absolutely need short, but insanely fat, burst of damage.

... Shawn remained silent, imprinting lessons deep inside his psyche.

But, as its the human nature, really, the whole worlds leaned into the flashy side of things. And so have you. Tell me--how does Wisdom react with your heals?

Uh... it increases their maximum and minimum potential, Shawn replied after a brief thought.

And?

And... increases potency dependent on how wounded the target is? Ah! he neednt have been told anything else, as he immediately understood. Domins damage is predictable--its a constant. It doesnt tick up or down. As such, I can let myself be harmed to the critical point and, instead of wasting several casts to bring myself back up to full... I can do it in one or two. In the meantime, I can use the dead casts as means of setup.

Hey, you do have a brain in that skull of yours, Cain said.

I must try it immediately! Shawn jumped to his feet, ecstatic to give it a shot, confident he would make it.

... huh? S-six seconds? I... I lasted six seconds? he mumbled in shock.

Of course you did, Cain scoffed. You just reforged the core of how you fought. Do you think youre that big of a genius you could just pick up a new style and have it mastered all in your mind with no practice? Man, you sure are confident...

... Shawn didnt get embarrassed by many things--in fact, one of the things he was most proud of himself was the fact that he never got embarrassed, no matter the circumstances. But... right now, he was embarrassed. He hung his head low in shame and hid his expression.