Am I a Healer? You'd Better Think So!-Chapter 69: Everyone Is An Enemy

"I was naive. The biggest clan, one that's been around forever, obviously had some pretty big secrets. I should've been more careful and thought about the possibility of another supreme artifact," Rhea said with regret.

Darian sighed. "Even knowing that, there was no way to guess what its power would be. In the end, you guys would've done something and gotten caught anyway."

Artifacts, just like blessings, could be extremely unique and totally unpredictable. The difference was, artifacts came from other universes — and bringing them to Earth cost so much that only an empire could afford it.

Not to mention, even with all the resources in the world, finding a supreme artifact was pure luck.

That's why any clan that had one only did so through an imperial grant. The empire would choose the best clans to receive one, boosting the odds of success for S-rank missions.

The place went quiet. Rhea had paid a high price for her mistake — her son was killed, and now she had to live beside Darian with that pain.

Darian paused for a few seconds, then let out a breath and looked around at everyone.

"I've gotta be as clear as I can with all of you. My goal, now that I've got the right to keep this clan... is to reach the top of this empire as fast as possible."

Everyone stared at him seriously. If he'd said that before, it would've sounded like a joke. But now that they'd seen even just a glimpse of what he could do... everyone felt like maybe it was actually possible.

"In four years, I need to complete a Rank C mission that'll appear. Then, every five years, one mission of a higher level. In twenty years, we've gotta be the strongest clan in the empire. And after that..."

Darian looked into their eyes, and they back at his. A wild, unstoppable glint lit up his red eyes. Before, when he used to pretend to be someone else, it made him look like a lunatic. But now, he was just showing who he really was.

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Those young people were stunned. Did he just say he'd reach the top of the Empire in twenty years?

"After we reach the top of the Empire, we climb the next mountain. First, Earth — our home. Then, the whole universe." He said it with full conviction.

Everyone swallowed hard. Did they hear that right?

"Yeah, as you probably guessed, eventually every single empire's gonna be our enemy. And after that? Every planet," he went on, not giving them a moment to process what he'd just said.

"It's not just our universe. I've been given a mission to take over the Divine Protection Universe. I'm gonna hunt down every single Risen Lord and save everyone over there."

"I wanna surpass it all, and I'm not backing down — even if I die miserably along the way. So if you decide to stay in this clan, know this: it's a suicide mission. Everyone will become our enemy."

Darian took a deep breath. He wasn't insane. But it was either this, or both universes were gonna be destroyed. He just couldn't tell them that — by his master's orders.

All he could do was hint at his completely insane plans. Still, he couldn't let these people walk into that kind of danger without some idea of what was coming. And at the same time... he knew there was no way he could pull all of this off alone.

Silence hung in the air for a few seconds.

Everyone thought it through carefully. Strangely enough, seeing Rhea — who was supposed to be dead — and that shadow behind Darian, which had been a terrifying enemy... just standing there behind him... they couldn't bring themselves to think he was talking nonsense.

"Good. I want the destruction of the empires too," Leander said firmly.

Rhea glanced at him with a bit of concern, but when she saw the determination in her son's eyes, she realized he had made his own choice — and nothing was going to change it. He was a grown man, and she had raised him to follow his own path.

"I hate the empire too," Harper's voice came out soft. "My family's military — I've seen all the dirty stuff they hide from the public. All they care about is power. Not even their own kids are spared — they're raised from childhood to become tools... I never thought this far ahead, but if I can die helping even a little, that's enough for me."

Everyone turned toward her and nodded, understanding. She always said she lived for Rhea, because Rhea cared for people the way no one had ever cared for her. It was obvious — if she had the chance to go against everything, she'd do it without hesitation.

"I... in the current system, all the regular humans are crushed by the underworld and the empire," Matteo said sadly. "If I get the chance to help the weakest and poorest, even if I fail, I won't regret it."

He clenched his fists. Like Darian, he'd grown up in poverty and knew exactly how harsh life was for humans with no connections or protection. He had nothing to lose — and his will was stronger than his life.

Veyle took a deep breath, then looked at Darian with a steady gaze.

"I want to save the Divine Protection Universe. Here on Earth, we still have some order and relative peace. But the people over there deserve a chance to live. If you want to save them, I'll follow you to the end."

Everyone was surprised. No one had any idea what Veyle truly thought — she was way too shy to ever speak her mind clearly. Her motivation was different, but just as strong.

Darian was shocked — and relieved.

He already believed that everyone there was good and honest. After all, Rhea had brought them together, and she definitely knew how to choose well, even without the powers Darian had.

They'd all lived rough lives, and each of them had found a reason to get stronger and stay alive. But none of them had ever really dreamed of changing anything. They knew they were just ants, living only to survive.

Before, they were already giving 100% just to make it through. But now — standing beside him — if they pushed past their limits, could they actually change everything?

Realizing just how freakish Darian's power was, and hearing what he really intended to do... it was like a spark lighting up inside each one of them.

They didn't want to fight to the bitter end — they just needed a shot. And now, that shot had finally come.

"Damn..." Rhea muttered. "All the others from the clan — or most of them, at least — I'm sure if they had the chance to see what these kids just saw, they'd join us too."

Darian nodded. Unfortunately, his karma wasn't connected to the others. But eventually, he would need to recruit more people — and there was always a chance some of them might come back.

"Well, guess we're all in the same boat now," Darian said casually, turning to Rhea.

She understood, and a second later, her two allies turned into runes and returned to him.

The barrier dropped. Right away, the smell of food filled the room.

"Lucius is a damn good cook. Let's enjoy it while we're still breathing... after this, it's all downhill," Darian added with an honest grin.