Damned Healer-Chapter 201: That’s My Goal

Darian and the whole group opened their eyes. They found themselves standing right in front of the altar, side by side. In front of them was the Supreme Judge and several other important military officials. This special mission had a set time limit, so everyone was anxiously waiting for their return.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"Good... you managed to survive," the Supreme Judge said, letting out a heavy breath.

Darian was already a walking problem for all of them. And now, dealing with these kids from other planets... all they could do was pray that Darian would finally realize he was just... average. Maybe above average on a good day.

Every single one of those officers had been young once, thinking they were top dogs back then. But the moment they faced the real geniuses from other planets, they all learned the same harsh truth... they were just frogs stuck at the bottom of a well.

Lucy and Niara both scoffed, wanting to say something, but they knew Darian wouldn’t want that right now.

The officers’ eyes flashed as they activated their rings to scan the group... and then their eyes nearly popped out.

"You guys... got essences? T-That many...?"

They saw a pretty damn decent amount—honestly, way more than expected—of essences spread among the four. But when it came to Darian... nothing. Not even a trace. Not even the slightest sign of the two Primordial Seeds he’d claimed.

The concealment ability from the Missionaries that once caused Darian trouble... was now proving to be insanely useful.

Nothing seemed out of place. Since Darian was a healer-type support, it was totally believable that he spent the whole mission sacrificing himself to protect the others. To absorb essences, you had to fully focus on the process, which was super risky. It was normal for someone to stay on alert, skipping the absorption, just to guard the group.

Darian nodded, "Thanks to our human allies and our alliance, we managed to get a shot at absorbing a bit. We also got some pearls... but... those idiots from the other empires... yeah, they betrayed us."

The officers glared at Darian, serious. The Supreme Judge scoffed, "Those sons of bitches, we should—"

"No... doesn’t matter anymore. They’re all dead. Paid for their choices. Our group was the only one from Earth that made it back alive," Darian said calmly.

Hearing that, the officers’ eyes lit up. They almost smiled with joy. These five kids had just earned more than anyone from Earth could’ve dreamed of. Once they fully assimilated those essences... they’d be like dragons ascending to the heavens.

As for the other empires... yeah, they just suffered an absolutely devastating loss.

"Hmph. So their karma’s settled," the Supreme Judge said, trying to hide his excitement.

"You did damn well. Head back and rest. You’re all on leave—you won’t be returning to the training universe for a while. In three months, there’ll be an official announcement from the Empire to the population. You’ll be introduced to all humans, and then... you’ll take part in a selection event."

"If you’re selected, you’ll compete in the Grand Newcomer Tournament, where everyone from Earth gets to show themselves to the wider universe. This year’s rewards... are gonna be real generous. Combined with what you’ve already gained... if you manage to hit top 10, your futures are gonna explode in ways you can’t imagine."

The officers’ eyes were practically glued to the five of them now. It was clear—the rewards were the least of their concerns. This tournament was a fight for the Empire’s status.

The ranking of Earth’s empires was decided through competitions like this. The higher the rank, the better and more rewarding the missions Earth would get afterward... of course, they were also way harder.

These five weren’t even supposed to be the main stars of the tournament. That spot belonged to Nayara and another kid with three rings. But now... yeah, these five could absolutely contribute.

"If you wanna sell your Yin and Yang pearls... the Empire’s ready to offer something real generous," one of the officers added.

But all five shook their heads in sync. Part of it was because none of them were really hurting for resources right now. But the other reason... was Veyle. The moment she got her hands on the first pearl, she mentioned it could be used for pill crafting.

They all wanted to back her up. They trusted her skills. Maybe... just maybe... those pearls could turn into something way more valuable in her hands.

Soon after, they all started moving out, saying their goodbyes. The rewards for this special mission were limited to whatever you managed to grab inside.

As for the twins, they had officially cleared the rookie trial and were now registered members of the Shadows of Heaven clan.

Outside, Leander was waiting. The second he saw everyone was safe, the relief on his face was obvious. But... he also noticed the looks in their eyes. Something terrifying had clearly gone down.

When they returned to the clan, Darian gathered with Rhea and Harper and explained the whole situation.

He told them about the strange ability he had... how it made it so nobody could sense anything inside his soul. Because of that, no one from Earth had any idea he was the real winner... the one who walked away with both Primordial Seeds.

When the whole clan heard about the chaos that had unfolded... they had no idea whether to laugh or cry.

Darian really was talented... at causing terrifying levels of trouble.

...the more they thought about it, the paler they got. The entire population of Earth... had literally been one step away from total annihilation... all because of him.

"Irana and that demon are on our side now. Not everything turned out bad. After everything I did, they’ll get closer and closer to us..." Darian said, letting out a sigh halfway, "Nothing’s free, I know. But, for now, we’re protected."

Everyone let out a heavy sigh. They’d chosen to stand by his side, so they were ready to live with a knife to their throats.

After everything was explained, Leander said, "The main training centers are finished. We’ve got a high-level structure, big enough to handle more than triple the people from the old clan. Like you asked, we’ve got the best training grounds for Spiritual Guardians up to four rings. What’s the plan?"

Darian nodded, satisfied. Past four rings, the resources needed would multiply dozens of times to build proper training grounds. That’s why Leander focused on making everything perfect up to the four-ring limit.

"Our goal is to become the biggest rank C-D clan in the Empire and get priority when it comes to grabbing C-level missions. At the same time, we’ll focus on recruitment," Darian answered seriously.

To rank up as a clan, it was simple. You had to complete the hardest missions available for your rank. Then, the Empire would start offering higher-level missions as tests. If you had enough ring-holders and completed them, the clan would rank up automatically.

Having more members was essential, since missions had to be completed constantly. And if they wanted to be the biggest C-D rank clan, it was just a matter of finishing all the top C-level missions.

But... the C-level mission his master had told him he’d have to take... was coming for the entire Earth. There was no guarantee that the New Arcadia Empire would be the one to get it.

Still... the solution was right in front of them.

"Get ready. My focus is on taking first place in the rookie tournament," Darian stated.

Everyone took a deep breath. First place? The New Arcadia Empire had never gotten higher than third. And honestly, the gap between third and second was so big, it was like they were on completely different levels.

But the one standing in front of them... was the guy who crushed everyone, someone who looked unbeatable to the entire universe while having just two rings. Planets ranked 8 and 9? Not even with supreme artifacts were they stronger than him. Thinking about that, everyone’s heart started racing with excitement.

"After winning, we’ll get a ton of attention. Recruiting won’t be a problem. Plus, our Empire will go up in the Earth Empire rankings. That’ll give us way more power when choosing missions. That’s my goal... for now, at least."

Everyone focused on him, serious, waiting for him to finish.

"You’ll know later. Let’s focus on one thing at a time," Darian finished, leaving everyone deep in thought.