Defiance of the Fall

Zac mulled it over for a long time . He’d rather not work with a snake like this man to be honest , as he would have to constantly watch his back . But he had made a few good points . Zac desperately needed assistance , both in the form of information and manpower , if he wanted to create a successful town and a sanctuary for his family . Since there were no one else to turn to he could only enter this dubious alliance .

Besides , just having someone to talk to , even if it was a sneaky demon , felt extremely good .

Ok , I’ll keep quiet about it . So , what else can you tell me that’s useful for our short-term goals? - Zac asked , hoping for some simple tips that would save him some coins or increase his chances of beating the quest .

Well now that you asked , are you aware that you have been drinking poison? -

Chapter 68 - Progenitor's Advantage

WHAT?! - Zac immediately jumped to his feet with his axe at the ready , afraid he had fallen into some trap of the demon’s making . He charged up Chop] to a meter long edge and advanced on Ogras .

Calm down , calm down! - Ogras screamed and scrambled out of the chair . - The Cosmic Water you have been drinking! -

You poisoned the pond as well? Why? - Zac glared angrily at the demon , ready to start a war .

What poisoned? It was poison from the start . Only lunatics drink that stuff raw , it burns your pathways from inside . Haven’t you noticed? - Ogras spat back and waved his hands .

The trees rustled in the wind and shadows were flickering all over the ground as Zac glared at the demon , but he eventually stopped his advance .

Explain . - Zac growled through gritted teeth , extremely pissed off that the demon hadn’t mentioned anything about this for the whole duration of their conversation .

That kind of water can be born in areas where there is extremely dense cosmic energy . It was probably created when The Ruthless Heavens crammed a Nexus Vein into the mountain range . - Ogras grumpily explained . - It is pretty rare and somewhat expensive . Normally it’s used as an ingredient in alchemy , but some forces give their death squads some of it to use just in case . It restores your cosmic energy in seconds , but it damages your body and can even kill you . -

But I feel fine? - Zac said doubtfully .

You just used some cosmic energy , try restoring it naturally without using any tools , - Ogras said as he sighed and sat down in his chair again while he muttered something under his breath .

Too stressed out to care about any glib remark from the demon he unsummoned his enlarged blade and tried to sense the cosmic energy entering his body . He wasn’t a cultivator , but even mortals could naturally restore their cosmic energy as the ambient energy slowly entered their bodies . It was normally a slow but steady stream that entered his body , but now it could barely be called a trickle .

Zac’s face went white and he stared at the demon . He was still suspicious but somewhat believed the demon told the truth . It took him hours to restore his cosmic energy even with a crystal , but it almost happened instantly with the azure water . He hadn’t reflected on it before , but how could there be such a good thing with no side-effect?

He simply didn’t notice the effect since he used crystals or more water every time he needed to restore after chugging the Cosmic Water the first time . He had been strapped for time and didn’t have time to wait for his energy to naturally restore itself . He had been angry that he wasn’t given a power boost from bathing in the stuff earlier , but now he was just happy to still be alive .

How do I fix this? - Zac asked .

I’ve heard that there are pills for it , but I don’t know where to get it . It’s extremely rare , because idio… individuals who drink it almost always die within a day you know? - Ogras said . - I think I’ve heard that spending time in energy-rich areas can help your body slowly heal various types of damage to your pathways . So that might work , but I’m not sure how much time it would take . And that is if you still can absorb some energy . If it’s a full stop it’s over for you I’m afraid . -

What happens if I keep using it? Can’t I just refill my energy with crystals if I can’t naturally absorb energy anymore? - Zac asked . He had enough for a lifetime or two in the pond , and while not being able to naturally restore was regrettable , it wouldn’t be the end of the world .

You need to heal up your ruined pathways . If you keep cramming energy into your body in your current state , even if it’s from crystals , you will keep getting worse . First it’s natural energy that stops , then it’s Nexus Crystals . Soon not even the Cosmic Water can restore your energy , and you truly become a cripple until you die of energy starvation . Then what good are you? -