I hope you enjoy the chapter... and I'll see you on Tuesday.

  It's strao think of “healing” a stone. I think the correct term is purifying. If I do that, I might be able to reveal its true form.

  Shinin~~

  It was much more difficult than with the herbs. I had to use both hands this time. I don't know if it enhahe spell or if it was just a question of posture, but I defiried harder.

  It took a long time, but it's done!

  Hm? That stone... Actually, it's not really a sto's more like some kind of ore.

  Its shiny, slightly transparent blue color allows me to see my enrged hand oher side, albeit in a distorted way. It's beautiful, remi of a diamond, but it's not that fragile. I tested its resistah a few knocks and realized that it withstand siderable impacts. It's funny to think that one of the most valuable and sharpest materials in the world is also one of the most fragile, giving way under little pressure.

  Hm?

  The ore... is being corrupted again. Its color is gradually returning to that dark, impure purple. This time, uhe herbs, the corrosion was much more obvious. I watched for a while and, in just five mihe crystal had already been pletely ed again.

  If I tried to purify it again, the result would probably be the same. To restore it permaly, I would have to purify the entire cave. But that would take me a siderable amount of time - not to mention the fact that I don't even know if this corruption is natural. Nature has uable ways of maing itself, especially ohat I still don't uand. Who knows? maybe I'm interfering in an ecosystem without realizing it. But it doesn't matter now.

  With one more experieny powers, I headed off in the dire the stream flowed.

  The lighting in the cave oor, so I used my magic to light the way. The glow was intense, but the range was limited. At least it was enough to see around me.

  The damp was more evident. The ground was now muddy. That's a good sign. It means I'm getting closer to my new goal.

  I just hope I'm prepared for what's to e.

  Or, at worst, I could be meeting my end right now...

  ***

  I kept wandering aimlessly around the cave.

  I've never been the hiking type. My maximum exercise amouo a few sit-ups and push-ups every couple of weeks. I wasn't athletic, but I couldn't afford to sit still either. Even if I ate little, and even if I overdid it, I wouldn't gai armingly.

  Perhaps I would have made more progress if I hadn't made so many stops along the way. I was still expl my new gift, which remained a mystery - as did the rest of the cave.

  As more stones appeared in front of me, I tried to purify them with my healing power. It was then that I noticed something strange. Uh the herbs, my power seemed to have reached a limit. Maybe it was because I wasn't ing them anymore? But when I purified one and ate it, nothing ged. Had I stagnated?

  Still, there was no reason to feel bad. For someone who didn't even know magic existed, having a power was already a great advantage. What's more, it was useful information.

  Now that I know how far my ability extends, I realize that it's not as powerful as I thought. Perhaps it's a natural meism to stop me overdoing it. I have a bad track record with this - so much so that I ended up dying because of my recklessness. But is this really a limitation? It's more like I'm stu a single level.

  In s, when you plete all the objectives in a dungeon, it bees easier. As a sequehe pyer gains less experience, and even the drop rate decreases dramatically. Could this be what's happening to me? Am I in some kind of game?

  No... The VRMMOs of our time aren't that ultra-realistid if they were, this would be something along the lines of Night Souls or Elder King, throwing the pyer straight into hell from the start. Who knows? Maybe that's exactly what it is, and I just haven't realized it yet...

  Anyway, luckily for me, I haven't entered any hostile creatures yet. If that happened, I wouldn't know what to do apart from heal myself - which wouldn't help much if I kept getting hit without being able to fight back. If only I had a sword or something to defend myself, it would be a different story.

  But fortunately, this cave seems peaceful. Or maybe I'm just in a safer part of it. In fact, I don't even know how deep I am. I could be close to the surface or in a hole with no way out. I know I shouldn't be pessimistic, but I like to face facts as they are. If that's the case, all I do is accept it.

  As for my powers... Yes, I've reached a limit. But that doesn't mean they're weak.

  As far as their effectiveness is ed, I still purify a medium-sized circur area. The herbs are restored without difficulty, but I've had enough of eating them for now. The unknown ores, oher hand, remain an enigma. I mao purify them to a certaient, but after a few mihey are once again taken over by the corrupting miasma.

  I'm not very good at naming things, but that's the feeling they give me.

  It's like trying to dry a sponge on a soggy surface. Even if I squeeze it and remove all the water, sooner or ter it will absorb it again. So maybe the problem isn't with them... but with this cave.

  I still don't kly how my healing power works, but I assume it's what keeps me safe. My breathing is normal, my body doesn't feel heavy and, as far as I tell, I'm immuo the poisons and corrosion of this pce.

  - Hm?

  I've finally reached my goal. I already see the stream of water.

  As I got closer, the sound of the water became clearer. It wasn't that loud, so I assumed it was just a shallow stream. Of course, I didn't expect to find the source right away, but if there's water, maybe there's a way out.

  Vaku