Asura in Arknights

A fleeting sense of disappointment crossed Adele's face, and she quickly rallied. "I'll handle the rest myself, but... Mr. Noyce, I hope you won't tell anyone else about this."

"...I'm not the kind of person who talks too much, and as I just said, whatever happens to that guy next is none of my business."

At this moment, Noyce had already left Leon's perception range, and only his voice could be heard from afar.

"We're running low on fuel for the campfire. I'll go find some more firewood."

Li Ang could tell that this was just an excuse; Noyce clearly didn't want to be associated with him and was simply making up a reason to leave.

The memories he had previously acquired only gave Li Ang a basic understanding of the world, but when it came to anything more in-depth, Li Ang was completely clueless, so he had no idea what the two of them had been arguing about.

Only some key information could be gleaned from their argument—he seemed to have contracted something nasty, which frightened the burly man named Noyce so much that he dared not approach him.

So what exactly did he get infected with?

Of course, apart from being unable to see anything, Li Ang didn't think there was anything wrong with his body.

After Noyce walked away, only Leon and Adele remained by the campfire in the camp. The atmosphere between them became somewhat awkward, and neither of them was willing to break the silence first.

Li Ang could sense that Adele was feeling very conflicted and didn't know how to start the conversation.

This stalemate couldn't go on, so Li Ang broke the silence first, "Miss Nauman, is there something wrong with my body again?"

"...Yes, your health problem is very serious."

"If nothing unexpected happens, they have already been infected with Oripathy."

When Adele said those words, she was already prepared. Regardless of whether the other party burst into tears or reacted in any other way after hearing the news, she had already prepared a countermeasure during her struggle.

However, what she got in return was a bewildered Li Ang.

"Ore disease? What's that? Is it serious?"

Ore? Do you mean Originium?

He knew about Originium, but what was Oripathy? If this disease was so terrifying, why wasn't there any corresponding information in his memories?

Seeing Li Ang's reaction, Adele felt a deep sense of powerlessness, as if she had strength but nowhere to use it.

Only then did she realize that the young man in front of her might have always lived in a small village without even moving landmasses. Having never come into contact with Originium products, he naturally couldn't have seen Oripathy.

Although Oripathy is a troublesome disease, the chance of contracting it is very low as long as you do not come into contact with any Originium products.

However, in mobile cities, Originium artifacts are everywhere, making it almost impossible to completely avoid contact. This kind of bizarre situation only occurs in isolated villages like this.

After calming her somewhat confused emotions, Adele patiently explained to Leon what Oripathy was.

"Oripathy, simply put, is an incurable disease."

Terminal illness?

The first words Adele uttered made Li Ang's heart skip a beat.

But after calming down and thinking about it again, I realized that having more debts is not a big deal, and compared to blindness, having another terminal illness is not a big deal.

Through Adele's explanation, Li Ang gradually understood what Oripathy was. It was a disease associated with Originium, and there was currently no cure. All treatments only delayed the onset of the disease.

This disease is quite common in the world. Anyone who comes into contact with untreated Originium products may be infected with Oripathy. Since the natural disaster brought a huge amount of Originium contamination, Li Ang, who was in the center of the disaster, naturally became infected with Oripathy.

Before this, there were hardly any Originium stones to be seen in the village where he lived, so he was naturally unaware of the existence of Oripathy.

“Miss Nauman, are you saying... that my ability to sense your presence is also due to the effects of Oripathy?”

Adele nodded and said, "A very small percentage of talented people may awaken Originium Arts after contracting Oripathy. You should have awakened the Perception aspect of Originium Arts now."

"Originium Arts..."

Li Ang felt a strange, indescribable feeling.

This disease is already incurable, so why are so many people still infected with it? Don't the countries and governments of this world do anything about it? How has this society managed to remain stable and avoid collapse?

Furthermore, people infected with this disease actually have a chance to awaken Originium Arts? Even if the chance is low, it's still a significant number given the large number of infected individuals.

Put yourself in their shoes: if an ordinary person suddenly gets a terminal illness and gains superpowers, what would they do next? The possibility of them taking revenge on society is not low.

Both the disease itself and the world's attitude towards Oripathy struck Li Ang as very strange, as if a crucial clue was missing, making it impossible for him to connect the dots.

As Leon pondered, Adele's solemn warning rang in his ears again, "Mr. Leon, you'd better not use your Originium Arts anymore. If the Infected do this... it will only cause Oripathy to break out prematurely."

For those infected, an outbreak of Oripathy means death.

Upon hearing this, Li Ang couldn't help but give a wry smile.

On one side is absolute darkness unimaginable to ordinary people, and on the other side is a time bomb that could explode at any moment. For him, it is truly a difficult choice...

Chapter Six Fluctuations

The night is already deep.

The cool night breeze blew through the tent, and the chirping of some unknown insects echoed in his ears. The other two had already fallen asleep, but Li Ang lay alone in the tent, unable to sleep at all.

Come to think of it, this should be his first night in the world of Terra. Adele's words to him not long ago still lingered in Leon's ears, about Oripathy and the Infected.

Li Ang has not yet experienced how painful it is to suffer from Oripathy, but he has already personally experienced the discrimination that ordinary people face against those infected.

Based on their previous conversation, Li Ang had gained some understanding of the two of them.

The girl's name is Adele Naumann. She is a volcanologist from Brandenburg, Leitania, who came here to conduct on-site research on the volcano in preparation for her doctoral graduation.

The burly man was named Noyce, without a surname. He was a guide Adele had hired in the surrounding towns, and aside from being somewhat greedy, he was nothing special.

After learning that Leon was suffering from Oripathy, Noyce made no attempt to hide his hostility, even preferring to sleep in the wilderness rather than rest in the same tent with him.

In the end, Noyce decided to spend the night in the SUV.

The general public in this world is extremely hostile towards the infected. If Noyce doesn't agree to help conceal his identity, Li Ang probably won't even be able to enter the town tomorrow.

Of course, this is also largely due to the fact that his mineral disease was in its early stages.

If Oripathy progresses to its later stages, many exposed Originium crystals will grow on the infected person's skin, making it impossible to hide at that point.

A few hours earlier, after instructing Leon not to abuse her Originium Arts, Adele approached Noyce, who had left the camp, and the two argued once again about the infected.

Perhaps due to that unknown Originium Arts, Li Ang's hearing became extremely acute. Even outside his perception range, Li Ang could hear sounds from a great distance.

They probably didn't expect that their hushed argument would reach Li Ang's ears word for word.

“Miss Nauman, you are a good person, that’s why I’m telling you these things.”

“That Agor has already contracted Oripathy and is blind. He won’t survive long even with Originium Arts. It’s better to just leave him somewhere to fend for himself.”

When Li Ang heard Noyce's words, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Although if Noyce were replaced by Leon, he would probably say the same thing, he also became hypocritical when it came to his own situation.

It's understandable, but unforgivable. In Li Ang's heart, his trust in Noyce had dropped to its lowest point.

Li Ang couldn't help but sigh. His dual identity as an infected person and a blind man made his life much more difficult.

Even if one accidentally awakens Originium Arts and can perceive the world, frequent use of Originium Arts is tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst, and will only bring forward the outbreak of Oripathy.

Thinking of this, Li Ang touched the slightly cold bracelet on his wrist.

In the world of Terra, people who can use Originium Arts are generally called warlocks. Whether they mastered Originium Arts through learning or awakened Originium Arts due to Oripathy, there is actually no essential difference between the two types of warlocks.

Adele is a sorceress from Letania.

Whether they are infected warlocks or ordinary warlocks, they all need a medium made of Originium to use Originium Arts, which is a staff in the usual sense.

The difference is that most ordinary warlocks cannot use Originium Arts without a staff, while infected warlocks can use the Originium crystals that grow on their bodies as a staff to cast spells.

However, the consequence of doing so is that the infected area is stimulated, and the crystallized area spreads to other parts of the body at a faster rate. After some vital organs crystallize, the infected person's life comes to an end, and they eventually die from organ failure.

This is why Adele warned Leon to avoid using Originium Arts.

Of course, Adele also understood that if Leon didn't use his Originium Arts, even his daily life would become very difficult, so Adele temporarily lent Leon her spare staff.

That bracelet-like thing is Adele's spare staff.

Infected warlocks can also significantly reduce the stimulation of their own Oripathy by using Originium Arts with their staves.

Li Ang is currently trying to channel his Originium Arts through his staff, which is quite challenging for a novice like him.

However, compared to formally trained warlocks, self-taught infected warlocks have a significant advantage: they can easily control their awakened Originium Arts. Unlike formally trained warlocks who build basic spell modules step by step, infected warlocks can mostly just follow their instincts.

They are somewhat similar to mages and warlocks in D&D.

After more than an hour of trying, Li Ang finally succeeded in releasing his Originium Arts through his staff.

The calm water surface was once again rippled, and the invisible ripples slowly spread outwards from Li Ang himself. After intersecting with other objects, they formed the black and white world in his perception.

This Originium Arts is somewhat similar to active sonar, but upon closer examination, there are still significant differences.

In Li Ang's perceived world, everything possesses a special kind of 'fluctuation'. Not only living things, but even inanimate things have fluctuations, and the fluctuations of each thing are completely different.

Therefore, Li Ang can determine what something is based on the fluctuations of things and the shapes of objects in the black and white world.

The 'resolution' of this black-and-white world has its limits. For example, Li Ang's perception is completely devoid of air, which indicates that he is currently unable to perceive things at the molecular level.

However, as Li Ang became more familiar with his Originium Arts, he was able to perceive more and more things in this black and white world. After trying countless times, Li Ang suddenly noticed that there were some strange substances in the air.

These things are as ubiquitous as dust, but much smaller.

Moreover, ever since discovering this substance, Li Ang has had a strange feeling that he seems to be able to control this substance within a certain range.

Just as Li Ang was about to give it a try, a cold, hard voice interrupted his plan.

Noyce climbed out of the SUV and muttered in the camp, "It's dawn, time for us to set off. We should be able to get back to Duva before sunset today."

As Li Ang continued his attempts, dawn broke without him realizing it.

Chapter Seven Shockwave

Hearing Noyce's shouts outside the tent, Leon stopped what he was doing.

After the experiment, Li Ang discovered that he could indeed control these particles. He had consciously gathered some of the particles, forming several rings that were constantly rotating around himself.

Once the rings are formed, even if Li Ang doesn't actively control them, these particles will move with him, just like an asteroid belt captured by the planet's gravity.

He now somewhat understands what it means for an infected warlock to control their Originium Arts by following their instincts.

Li Ang did have a unique feeling that he could control these particles to do more, but he stopped himself before putting his ideas into action.

He planned to ask Adele's opinion before making a decision.

Li Ang's understanding of Originium Arts was quite limited. What knowledge could a young man living in a small mountain village possibly have? Moreover, the memories Li Ang received were incomplete.

Adele, on the other hand, is a sorcerer from a formal academy. Her understanding of Originium Arts is definitely many times greater than Leon's, so it would certainly not hurt to ask for her opinion beforehand.

If he messes around on his own and triggers an Oripathy attack, things will get complicated. Leon still feels lingering fear after hearing Adele's description of the horrific state of Oripathy attacks in infected individuals.

After straightening his clothes, Li Ang lifted the tent flap and went outside.

Despite not having rested all night, Li Ang wasn't very sleepy; only the places where he had been hit in the earthquake were still aching.

As soon as Li Ang stepped out of the tent, he sensed Noyce standing in the center of the camp.

Compared to yesterday, Li Ang's perception range has expanded considerably, now exceeding three meters, even after the Originium Arts spell cast with his staff were weakened.

Staffs also vary in quality; good staffs are custom-made to fit the individual physical condition of each warlock.

For infected warlocks, the staff that best suits them is naturally their own body. However, whether trading lifespan for magical power is a worthwhile trade is a matter of opinion.

Adele's spare staff was naturally not of such a high grade. According to Li Ang's estimate, if he used Originium Arts, his perception range should be able to reach the five-meter limit.

"Good morning, Mr. Noyce."

As if nothing had happened yesterday, Li Ang greeted the other party with a normal expression.

Upon hearing this, Noyce merely glanced coldly in the direction of Leon before lowering his head to continue with his work. He was loading some items from the camp back into the vehicle, preparing for the return journey.

Li Ang simply shrugged indifferently. He had already given his greetings, so it didn't matter what the other party's attitude was.

Then, about a minute or two later than Li Ang, Adele slowly crawled out of her tent.

"Phew... Good morning, Mr. Lyon, Mr. Noyce."

Adele looked like she hadn't slept well last night; she slapped her cheeks hard to wake herself up.

Come to think of it, for most people, natural disasters are actually a very distant thing, but yesterday Adele not only experienced a natural disaster, she also went deep into the contaminated area after the disaster and rescued Li Ang from it.

This is an extremely energy-consuming task for anyone.

“Mr. Noyce, let me help too.”

Rubbing her eyes, Adele saw Noyce busy in the camp and went over to help.

Noyce shook her head, refusing Adele's help. "I can manage on my own. Miss Nauman, you should rest a little longer."