He who fights with monsters 31-40

Item: [Oasis Bracelet] (iron rank, uncommon)

A bracelet that draws on the power of water quintessence to bestow the blessings of a personal oasis (accessory, bracelet).

Effect: Keeps the wearer cool and refreshed. Bracelet energy is consumed at a varying rate according to climate.
Effect: Reduces incoming fire and heat damage. This rapidly consumes bracelet energy.
Effect: Consume a water quintessence gem to completely refill bracelet energy.
The bracelet was a cord looped with small round stones. When he first touched a sapphire-like water quintessence gem to one of the stones it had vanished. All the stones then turned from sandy yellow to vibrant blue.

Under the refreshing effect of the bracelet, Jason was happily making his way alongside the others. Now he wasn’t preoccupied with cursing the sun, he had a greater appreciation for the vistas of the barren desert. It wasn’t that different to parts of central Australia.
[HIS BRACELET LETS HIM CASUALLY STROLE THROUGH DESERTS LIKE THE OUTBACK]
- CHAPTER 31
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As they travelled, Jason took Rufus aside.

“I have kind of a delicate question,” Jason said softly.

“What’s that?” Rufus asked.

“Well,” Jason hesitated, “being iron rank does things to your body, right?”

“That’s right.”

“I just… I haven’t needed the toilet in four days. I had a sneaky wee back in the hedge maze, but since then, nothing.”

Rufus erupted into laughter, drawing the attention of the others.

“Really?” Jason asked.

“That’s normal,” Rufus said. “Your body doesn’t waste anything anymore; it can burn almost anything for fuel. I heard about a man that had to live on tree bark for a month.”
[ADVENTURERS DON'T USE THE TOILET AND CAN SURVIVE OFF ANYTHING IF THEY WANT, NOT JUST MAGIC]
- CHAPTER 31
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“It’s perfumed?” he asked.

“No, crystal wash is completely odourless and clears off everything,” Farrah said. “If there’s any stink left behind, that’s just you.”

Gary walked over and sniffed at Jason.

“Why do you smell like flowers?”

The other two crowded around Jason and started smelling him.

“Still naked,” Jason said, boxed in by the trio.

“We’ve seen Rufus naked,” Farrah said. “No one cares about your scrawny body.”

“Hey…” Rufus and Jason said together.

“You do smell like flowers,” Farrah said. “What’s up with that?”

“I think it might be an outworlder thing,” Rufus said. “I knew an outworlder who smelled quite similar.”
[JASON SMELLS LIKE FLOWERS]
- CHAPTER 32
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Desperate, Jason crouched down and wrapped his arms around the elemental, gripping it tightly as he heaved back with all the might he could muster. His strength may have paled in comparison to Gary, but it was still improved over what it had been just a few days ago. With a wild roar of effort he strained to raise his legs, staggering, but successfully standing up.

The creature was lifted completely off the ground. He staggered as he leaned back for balance, but managed to stay upright under the weight. He clenched the monster with one and a half arms, stabbing at it with as much force as just his forearm would allow. It wasn’t powerful but he kept stabbing, with the repetition of a sewing machine. As he did, the creature brought its crude limbs down on Jason’s shoulders and back. He tucked his head in, shielding it as best he could.

Dirt crumbled away under Jason’s knife as he struggled to stay upright under the creature’s weight and the pounding blows it rained down on him. He stumbled, almost collapsing, but more and more of the creature crumbled away in larger and larger chunks. Jason’s breathing was a death rattle as earthen fists hammered force through his back and into his lungs. His arms burned as they barely kept the creature in their air, his shoulders beaten until they felt like pulp. Finally, the creature crumbled away all at once, spilling though Jason’s arms in clumps.

You have defeated [Lesser earth Elemental].


Quest: [Adventure Notice: Lesser Earth Elemental]

Objective complete: Defeat [Lesser Earth Elemental] 1/1.
10 portions of [Pure-Heart Sand] have been added to your inventory.
Quest complete.
100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.
Jason collapsed onto all fours, air escaping in hacking coughs that spat droplets of blood onto the ground. The others all ran up.

“I’ll get you a potion,” Farrah said, but Jason held up a hand to stop her, then put it back down so he wouldn’t fall.

“No,” he croaked. “Familiar… heals.”

“It heals slowly,” Rufus said.

Jason turned to look at him, slowly pushing himself to his feet. He staggered, legs almost giving out again, but he stabilised, defiant. His breathing slowly lost its wheeze, each breath no longer agony. He crouched down and ran his fingers through the dirt.

Would you like to loot [Lesser Earth Elemental]?
He walked up to Rufus as the dirt behind him dissolved into smoke with a sizzling hiss.

[Monster Core (Iron Rank)] has been added to your inventory.
10 [Earth Quintessence] have been added to your inventory.
10 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.
“If the familiar heals me, that ability gets better, faster, right?”

Jason’s voice was still raw and gravely.

“Yeah,” Rufus said.

Jason nodded and started a stumbling walk back in the direction of the main road. Gary followed behind Jason as the other two looked at each other.

“What was all that about?” Farrah asked.

“Jason has a lot of lessons to learn,” Rufus said. “This was him pointing out that I do too.”
[LIFTS UP AN EARTH ELEMENTAL THE SIZE OF HIMSELF AND STABS IT TO DEATH. SLOWLY HEALS THE WOUNDS OF THE FIGHT THROUGH COLIN]
- CHAPTER 32
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He noticed their surrounding had changed in the time the group was meditating. They had been passing through the desolate sand dunes of the western region when night fell, but now they were surrounded by wetlands. The morning light was still dim, but Jason’s now slightly advanced power to see in the dark made everything clear. He could see a couple of villages in the distance, paddy farmers and herds of some large lizard the size of a cow. The docile creatures seemed perfectly happy wallowing in shallow water. Above everything was the familiar magical haze.
[NIGHT VISION]
- CHAPTER 33
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She moved to a nearby cart, Jason and the other man following. The inside of the cart had been filled with bedding, to give as soft a ride as possible to the sick old man laying in it. His skin was clammy and pale, beaded with sweat.

“You shouldn’t have brought him here,” the healthy man said.

“Makes it convenient for me, though,” Jason said. “G’day, old bloke. I’m Jason.”

The old man tried to speak, but only managed a wracking cough.

“No worries, mate,” Jason said. “You just hold on a bit.”

Jason held his hand out over the old man and chanted a spell.

“Feed me your sins.”

Ability: [Feast of Absolution] (Sin)

Spell (recovery, cleanse)
Cost: Low mana.
Cooldown: 20 seconds.
Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)
Effect (iron): Cleanse all curses, diseases, poisons and unholy afflictions from a single target. Additionally cleanse all holy afflictions if the target is an ally. Recover stamina and mana for each affliction cleansed. This ability circumvents all effects that prevent cleansing. This ability cannot be used on self.
The blood-red glow of life force light emerged from the old man’s body. It was far less potent that what he had seen from monsters, even dead ones, wavering as if ready to collapse. Inside the red light were flashes of unhealthy green, like algae in a stagnant pool. There were other colours, although not as prominent; a dirty white and a bleak, pale purple. Jason’s aura sense could feel them tainting the life force. The unhealthy colours immediately started moving, rising up and out of the red glow to be absorbed by Jason’s waiting hand.

You have cleansed all instances of disease [Green Mud Fever] from [Human].
You have cleansed all instances of disease [Arthritis] from [Human].
You have cleansed all instances of disease [Osteoporosis] from [Human].
Your stamina and mana have been replenished.
Stamina and mana cannot exceed normal maximum values. Excess stamina and mana are lost.
Cleansing afflictions has triggered [Sin Eater]. You have gained an instance of [Resistant] for each instance of affliction cleansed.
“I can cure arthritis? Is osteoporosis actually a disease?”

The glow of the old man’s life force was still unsteady, but clearly more vibrant after Jason’s efforts. The other colours were gone, leaving only vibrant red. As the spell faded, the glow retracted into the old man’s body.
[JASON HEALING SOMEONE'S DISEASES AND NOT DISEASES. SIN EATER ALSO MEANS FOR EACH ONE HE HEALS HE CAN RESIST A POISON, DISEASE, OR AFFLICTION HIMSELF]
- CHAPTER 34
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Jory was iron rank, like Jason. He could sense the essences in Jason's aura as easily as Jason could sense his. Jason was still new to aura sensing, but he was getting a handle on it. Ordinary people were faint, barely detectable, while those with essences were much clearer. Most villages had one or two people with an essence, while anyone who had reached iron rank with a full set radiated out like a beacon.

Monsters had an aura strength similar to those of an essence user, but their auras had a different feel to them. Rufus, Farrah and Gary had powerful, bronze-rank auras, but Jason had only caught glimpses. They could all suppress their auras, hiding them from Jason’s senses. Farrah had told him that higher-ranked essences users were expected to contain their auras.
[BETTER AT AURA SENSING. CAN SENSE FROM REGULAR PEOPLE, BUT IT'S FAINT]
- CHAPTER 35
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Jason wandered through the streets of Old City, stopping every now and again to buy something from a street stall.

Special attack [Chittle Kebab] has inflicted [Food Poisoning] on you.
You have resisted [Food Poisoning].
[Food Poisoning] does not take effect.
You have gained an instance of [Resistant].
“Food poisoning?”

Combat Log

You have been afflicted with normal-rank poison [Food Poisoning].
Iron rank gives you increased resistance to normal-rank afflictions.
Ability [Sin Eater] gives you increased resistance to all afflictions.
You have resisted [Food poisoning].
Resisting an affliction has triggered ability [Sin Eater], granting you an instance of [Resistant].
“Sin eater. I’m really starting to like this ability.”

Jason looked at the food in his hand, then at the resistant buff icon, then back at the kebab.

“You are pretty tasty.”

His gaze drifted back to the resistant buff.

“Why not? It’s kind of like training the power.”

He bit into the kebab again.

Special attack [Chittle Kebab] has inflicted [Food Poisoning] on you.
You have resisted [Food poisoning].
[Food Poisoning] does not take effect.
You have gained an instance of [Resistant].
There was now the number two next to his resistance buff indicator.

“Loving this power.”
[RESISTING FOOD POISONING, USES IT TO GIVE HIMSELF INSTANCES OF RESISTANCE]
- CHAPTER 36
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Jory led Jason into a back room, then started bringing patients in, one after the other. For each one, Jason chanted out his spell.

“Feed me your sins.”

Ability: [Feast of Absolution] (Sin)

Spell (recovery, cleanse)
Cost: Low mana.
Cooldown: 20 seconds.
Current rank: Iron 1 (19%)
Effect (iron): Cleanse all curses, diseases, poisons, holy afflictions and unholy afflictions from a single ally or enemy. Recover stamina and mana for each affliction cleansed. This ability circumvents all effects that prevent cleansing. This ability cannot be used on self.
Jason used his feast of absolution power to remove their diseases, along with a few other toxins like alcohol, which registered to his ability as a poison.

“That’s a good cleansing ability,” Gary observed between patients. “Good way to practice it, too. It really gives you stamina back?”

“Mana too,” Jason said. “Can’t use it on myself, though.”

“I knew there had to be a pretty rough restriction, with a power that good,” Gary said.

“I'm surprised people aren't a bit more wary, with an incantation like that," Rufus said.

“These people don’t care what you chant,” Jory said. “If there’s free healing going, they’ll cheer you on as you praise the god of woe.”

With each patient, Jason’s mana and stamina were replenished, until he was back at full strength.

“You alright?” Gary asked. “You look a lot better, but a bit down.”

“It’s just…”

Jason sighed.

“My world doesn’t have magic. We don’t have a way to get rid of some of the diseases I’ve just casually taken away from people today. I cured a dozen people of cancer. Do you know what cancer does to a person?”
[CLEANSING ILLNESSES AND DISEASES FROM PEOPLE RECOVERS JASON'S STAMINA AND MANA - CURES CANCER WITH EASE]
- CHAPTER 39
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The final part of Farrah’s training was aura manipulation. He had gotten lucky, the stone Farrah gifted him awakening an aura ability.

Ability: [Hegemony] (Sin)

Aura (holy, unholy)
Cost: None.
Cooldown: None.
Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)
Effect (iron): Allies within the aura have increased resistance to afflictions, while enemies within the aura have their resistance to afflictions reduced. Enemy resistances are further reduced for each instance of [Sin] they are suffering from.
Jason was happy with the aura effect, which would make his abilities more reliable while protecting his allies from someone like him. He was also fascinated by it being both a holy and unholy ability at the same time. Sadly, he couldn’t think of a good way to passive-aggressively let Anisa hear about it. He knew she was in the city somewhere, but it was probably for the best they hadn’t run into each other.
[JASON HAS AN ABILITY THAT LETS HIM AND HIS ALLIES BE MORE RESISTANCE TO AFFLICTIONS (POISON, STATUS EFFECTS, ETC) AND HIS ENEMIES MORE VULNERABLE TO THEM]
- CHAPTER 40
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“Broadly speaking, you can control your aura in three ways, and I’ll teach you them in order.”

“Sounds good,” Jason said.”

“The first two uses are the easiest,” Farrah said. “They are, broadly speaking, projecting your aura and restraining it. Which is exactly what it sounds like. Projecting is pushing your aura out to affect people, and restraining it is used drawing it in, whether to hide it, or just not be rude.”

“Or make people’s ears bleed,” Jason said.

“Exactly,” Farrah said.

“What about the third one?” Jason asked.

“That’s using your aura to suppress the auras of other people. It’s harder than the others, and you should leave it alone until you reach a certain level of proficiency with aura manipulation.”

“Fair enough,” Jason said.

“We start with projecting, because you’re doing it already.”

“I am?”

“You are. Everyone is, until they learn not to. It's what makes people with no aura control easy to read. I'll also be teaching you how to hide your emotions even as you're projecting your aura to affect people."
[EVERYONE HAS A READABLE AURA UNLESS THEY'RE ACTIVELY SUPPRESSING IT, WHICH ALLOWS JASON TO READ EMOTIONS AND SHIT]
- CHAPTER 40
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