System notifications I didn't read start pouring in. Most of them are repeats or the system yelling at me that I'm dying, just like last time. My title [On the Edge] triggered a few times, but I never reached zero hit points.

[On the Edge B

Being able to stay on the edge of life and death for long periods is a commendable effort.

You have a 1% chance of not dying when struck by a finishing blow.

Affinity with Undead +15]

The title hasn't changed except for a measly increase of affinity to "undead."

My health isn't draining, but my stats are getting worse and worse. I'm up to -91% now.

"Wha..."

I tried to ask, "what happened?" But I couldn't even finish the first word before my body decided to give up. Master Wang cued in on my curiosity when he started talking. His hands are still in my chest.

"I have good, bad, terrible, and okay news. The good news is that you have succeeded, and your attunement process should be feasible. If you live. That's the terrible news.

My daughter is searching my private collection for something to buy sometime."

I give him a glassy-eye stare.

"Your life force is leaking. It's a curable condition. Unfortunately, by the time it naturally heals, you'll be dead. Ironically, if your vigor was any higher, your body would have exploded."

I look at my bath water. It's more blood than potion, and it reeks.

"The bad news is that you are so saturated with healing potions that you would've died from a potion overdose if it wasn't for your resilience."

My poison resistance grew as well as a few others.

[Resistance: Poison 405 > 500 (600)]

[Resistance: Slashing 300 > 465 (565)]

[Resistance: Blunt 730 > 777 (877)]

[Resistance: Force 265 > 499 (599)]

[Resistance: Mental 189 > 243]

[Resistance: Exhaustion 150 > 200 (300)]

I was poisoned, ripped apart at the seams, and mentally tortured. That lines up. Where did all those needles go? Actually, I don't care.

"The okay news is that I washed my hands before breaking your ribcage and handling your organs. I had to rearrange a few things. Something fell out, but you should be fine since I put it back."

"..."

"At least you won't be worse off."

"..."

"When I prestiged a stat, I shat out my organs. Did the surgery to put them back myself." Master Wang tried to break the tension with a joke that sounded too real. I'm too tired to handle master Wang's shenanigans.

I stopped silently contemplating my life when Rain walked into the dojo. She looks at master Wang before crouching next to me. She tries to stab me with a syringe but fails to prick my skin. She tries again, but where my skin hasn't healed. It fails to pierce my exposed flesh.

"Fucking kid is on his death bed but hasn't fucking got any easier to stab. Shit." Rain mutters under her breath.

"Dad, stop molesting his hearts for a second. I got to inject it directly."

"Just stab harder."

"Maybe if this was acupuncture, but I'm administering medicine here. Plus, this is one of your syringes. If it gets damaged, it'll be on you."

"Fine, do whatever."

Master Wang carefully pulled his bloody hands out of my thoracic cavity, and I could tell he wasn't in there for fun. Both my hearts are dormant. Rain stabs the needles straight in my first heart and presses down on the plunger.

A rush of endorphins shoots through my body like a donkey kick. It restarted both my hearts. I almost jump right out of the tub.

"Holy shit! What was in that thing? I feel great!"

"Concentrated adrenaline from a [Richter Boar], name brand opiates, and a little bit of nitroglycerin. I synthesize it myself using adrenal glands and prescription medicine."

"Now what? I have an overwhelming urge to run in a marathon or run to the ends of the world!"

"Don't. You'll die. That concoction I gave you is enough to stop the heart of creatures ten times your weight. I figured since your hearts weren't beating anyways, it wouldn't matter too much as long as you take it easy and not exert yourself any more than you need to."

"How much time did this bring." Master Wang asked. He plucks the syringe out of my heart and tosses it nearby.

"Long enough to come up with an actual solution, or six hours whatever comes first."

"I just need some mana."

Rain looks at me with a curious expression.

"Do you think your healing skill is enough to patch up a lifeforce leakage? Sure, whatever. Wait an hour or two. If another potion enters your body in this state, you'll undergo potion sickness, and that's the last thing you need right now. That'll kill you."

"Can't you inject me with something?"

"I don't know or have any means of giving mana to you via injection. Actually… No. That'll cause a reaction like you got a transfusion of the wrong blood type. That'll kill you."

"What won't kill me?"

"A shower."

~

I had used the remaining mana to close up my chest and let my regeneration take it from there since my hearts now beat again. It took over an hour and a deep scrubbing before I felt any resemblance of cleanliness. I am glad I got my haircut when I did because washing blood from all that hair would be a nightmare.

Awaiting for me outside the shower was a shimmering blue potion and a change of clothes. There is a note saying, "Take sips."

I drink some of the potions while I get dressed. It tastes fruity, but I can't recognize what exact fruit. I flood my mana, where I feel the leakage until it stops. I had to drink half the potion before I felt normal again.

Not 'normal' necessarily since my stats are still lowered. I will regain my strength with rest and time, but I could probably brute force it with enough healing. I'm going to take that nap I wanted. That concoction is no longer filling me with endless energy. Instead, what I got injected with is starting to make me feel good. Really good.

I checked the time, and it's been three hours since I swallowed those pills. I don't know how much that was in pain or when I was unconscious. I double-check and triple-check that I'm not leaking anywhere. I feel a leak coming from somewhere else, so I patch it up.

It feels like I'm putting duct tape on a leaky balloon, except I'm the balloon. Before I could leave the bathroom, I felt another leak, one I'm sure wasn't there before. It's slightly smaller, maybe. It's hard to tell.

I sip some more of the mana potion before plugging the leak. I can't tell what the overarching problem is. If I could locate my life force, I could target it as a whole.

It's too bad that master Wang and Rain aren't healers. They are closer to a drug dealer or pharmaceutics rather than a doctor. After I told them of my current state, they didn't know what to do. The plan they came up with while I was showering won't be necessary anymore.

They were pioneering a new medicine to help my condition until it fixed itself or I died from natural causes, whatever came first. They know that bedrest will eventually fix the problem if I survive long enough since my life force is relatively young and "fresh."

But since my ability can heal anything, they don't need new medicines. They need me to not exert myself and drop dead for being a dumbass. They reckon I'm safe enough to sleep, but if I wanted a second opinion, they would drive me to the hospital.

I'm good.

My room on master Wang's estate is barely lived in. Inside is nothing but a mattress with bedding. No pillow, no frame.

I lay down and began to sleep, but something tickled my ear. I look around and find nothing. There aren't any bedbugs or anything else in this room. It's been a long time since I heard voices while I slept, and I'm not breaking that streak.

I text Rain and master Wang that I'll be heading out, but I'll be fine and hop into my mansion. They will have questions I want to avoid, so I'm going to sleep instead. I pass by Duchess, pull myself up the stairs, and collapse in my room.

~

When my eyes open, the first thing I do is check my stats. Still fucked, but better. I'm relieved. More leaks formed, so I patched them up before heading out of my bedroom. Flash Gordon watched me while I slept, giving me peace of mind. He's a bit too heavy for me to take with me at the moment, so he can do whatever he wants.

Once I recover, I'm going to take some proactive measures. My health total should be 8,225 when everything is back to normal. I should abuse this leap to grind my resistance stats until I can take on modern weapons with just my body alone.

If the Stricklands are after me, I can make it harder for them. I am currently someone who would be hard to make "disappear" since I'm a representative of humans. However, I don't know if that would change at some point. I have masters who can watch over me, but they will eventually force me out of their nest.

I need to worry about recovering, attuning, and advancing my classes. I need to worry about regrinding levels for my beasts so they may evolve again.

I go down the stairs, but before I leave the mansion, I get telekinetically dragged into the library.

[What happened?]

"You can tell?"

Since she's asking outright, Duchess must not have been close enough to read my mind.

[When you walked past last night, thisss one noticed your mental defenses lowered by at least 90%. It's better now, but still lower than typical.]

"Curious. You can probe that kind of thing?"

[Naturally.]

I confessed. I told Duchess everything, from master Wang's smack talk to the internal dialogue I had before consuming the pills and struggling to survive. She sat there looking at me. Sometimes it's easier to read Rob's expression than Duchess'.

[When you informed us that you were undergoing an endeavor, you worded it to sound like you were taking vitamins.]

"Yeah… It was more intense than I expected"

[...If you died, would we, your tamed beasts, be damned to starve in this pocket dimension when resources would run out? This one will not police your actions. This one will eventually be your Bishop in your kingdom, your adviser. You should utilize thisss one.]

"I'm sorry, Duchess. My next question isn't to demean what you just said, but what could you have done?"

[Thisss one owns a mana organ from a creature teeming with life energy. Thisss one has been analyzing it for a very long time. It wouldn't be too far-fetched for thisss one to be of some assistance when you were cracking your life force.]

"Next time I do something like that, you'll be there."

[Good. Take thisss one and the skeleton to Giles. He should be expecting us soon.]

"I'm in no shape to travel. I'll see if master Giles can pick up and drop you two off.

Can you show me your two new forms?"

[Thisss one sees no point since thisss one will lose the ability after visiting. Perhaps later when thisss one regains the skill. Now that thisss one knows what is coming, thisss one can make the appropriate decisions ahead of time.]

"Sure, sure. Whatever you say."

I leave the mansion with Rob and Duchess. Rob keeps staring at me and poking my body, showing great concern. I think he can see that I'm in a terrible state with his [Sense Life] skill. When I told him that master Giles was coming over to pick him up, he adamantly refused.

I guess he wanted to stay by my side, but he relented after I told him I would have to walk him manually down the master Giles estate if he refused.

Then I called master Giles and asked him if he would come down and pick up my two beasts.

*Ring Ring* *Ring Ring* *Click*

"Disciple, when are you coming over? My mission isn't over yet, and I don't want to dilly-dally."

"I almost broke my lifeforce, so can you pick my beasts up and drop them off when the ritual is finished."

"..."

"..."

Giles' light-hearted tone shifted into a deeper, menacing one.

"...If Wang forced you to do something he didn't want you to do-"

"I have my regrets, but I consented, and I'm alright with the outcome. I need time to recover, master Giles. I'm not in any immediate danger."

"...I'll come by and check for myself."