The young nurse had just successfully broken through to One-Star, gaining a new skill in the process.
However, her expression was far from pleasant. Understandably so—after all, the potion required to reach One-Star was so vile it was nearly impossible to swallow.
"Hey, are you okay? If you're fine now, how about an introduction? I'm Lucien, and that guy over there is Malrik—the Cult Master of the Cult of the Evil God," Lucien greeted, introducing both himself and Malrik in one go.
They had been working rather quickly up until now, so they didn't even know each other's names. Since they were teammates now, not knowing each other's names would be downright awkward.
But she didn't reply. She felt like she couldn't even open her mouth—the disgusting sensation still lingered, refusing to fade.
"Your endurance is really lacking. If you're this much of a deadweight, why should we even keep you? Should we kill you, or just throw you out?" Lucien's tone was casual, as if her existence truly didn't matter to him at all.
"You've got a point. Let me think about it…" Malrik drawled, his voice dripping with malice.
Of course, neither of them truly intended to abandon her or do her harm. By common sense, not everyone could endure such an ordeal as easily as the two of them.
"Wait! My name is Sierra," she blurted out immediately.
Just moments ago, she had been genuinely frightened. In the short time she had spent with them, she had already realized these two were… strange—and extremely dangerous. Their moods shifted unpredictably, and she was certain they could kill her if they wanted to.
"Haha, no need to panic. He's just teasing you so you can adapt faster. There will be much tougher situations ahead, and that comfortable life you once knew will likely never come back. So, you'd better start getting used to it," Malrik said with a smile, patting her shoulder.
As the Cult Master—the supreme leader of the cult—it was his duty to guide and support the core members. They were the foundation on which the Cult of the Evil God would grow strong, and he shouldn't neglect them.
"Right, did you get a skill?" Lucien asked.
The reason he asked was simple—he wasn't entirely sure if One-Star humans would naturally awaken a skill. With only two people as a reference point, the data was far too limited to draw conclusions.
"Of course she has one. At One-Star, Four-Star, and Seven-Star, a skill will always awaken," Malrik explained.
Hearing that, Lucien nodded, then glanced toward her, clearly curious to see what her skill was.
Sierra, however, simply stared blankly—she didn't even understand what a skill was. Her confused gaze shifted toward Malrik.
"A skill is something you have to sense for yourself. When you break through, some information will appear in your mind. Pay attention to it and you'll understand," he said.
Following his instructions, she began to check. It didn't take long before her expression shifted dramatically, as if in shock.
"This… this… I think I really do have a skill. It's called Crimson Infusion. If I hold a core in one hand and touch someone with the other, I can draw energy from the core to heal them. The exact speed seems to depend on my own strength," Sierra explained, rubbing her chin uncertainly.
"Healing?" The two men spoke in unison, then exchanged a glance.
The spark of interest in each other's eyes was obvious. In an apocalyptic world where combat was constant, injuries were part of daily life. This was clearly a treasure.
"Let's test it. I've got a one-star core here, and Lucien has a few injuries. Try healing him," Malrik said, pulling a core from his pouch.
Sierra didn't waste words. She was also curious—after all, the description in her mind hadn't been very clear.
The moment she touched Lucien, his body felt indescribably comfortable. The wounds on his hands and the bruises on his body began to vanish at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Within minutes, every trace of injury was gone. The wounds hadn't been severe, but the healing speed was still impressive.
"Amazing! I've completely recovered," Lucien said in surprise.
Malrik, however, noticed something else—the One-Star core, solid and tough just moments ago, had suddenly crumbled into dust and dispersed into the air.
"All that for just a few minor injuries? How many will it take when our levels are higher? This ability is good, but the cost is outrageous. If the wounds are serious, we might not even have enough resources to heal them," Malrik assessed.
But it seemed things weren't as bad as Malrik had assumed. Sierra shook her head.
"No, it only used up a small portion. I think the reason it shattered was because the core's structure was no longer intact—it broke apart on its own."
Her analysis made perfect sense. Malrik realized he hadn't considered that possibility earlier.
"In that case, you really are a treasure. Just stick with us—we'll protect you. But you should still learn how to fight. We can't protect you all the time," he advised sincerely.
He didn't want her to relax her combat training just because she'd awakened a healing-type skill.
Not having a skill didn't mean one couldn't fight. If she learned even a little martial arts, her strength would improve considerably.
"Don't worry, I'm not stupid. If I can't protect myself, how would I have the chance to heal you guys in the first place? But don't expect me to be in the vanguard—I'm not very good at fighting," Sierra replied with a nod, making her preferred role clear.
"Relax. If we can handle the fighting ourselves, why would we shove you to the front? Besides, the Cult of the Evil God's main goal is to become the perfect delivery service, not to conquer or fight for dominance. We'll avoid combat whenever possible," Lucien said.
After some interaction, he already had a good grasp of what kind of person Malrik was. The man clearly had an obsession with the idea of being the perfect courier—not a warlord seeking to dominate the world.
Lucien didn't dislike the idea. In fact, Malrik's vision of delivery work was quite appealing—absolute freedom, taking jobs when they felt like it, resting when they didn't, and living life however they pleased.
"Let's go. My current goal is to collect fifteen cores as quickly as possible. If we don't, that guy might leave," Malrik said, before immediately heading out to hunt zombies.