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Eldritch Horror? No, I'm A Doctor
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"What do you mean by that?" Ren asked, feeling the weight of cosmic significance pressing down on the simple question.
The System leaned forward, both halves of its face focusing intently on Ren. "I mean exactly what I said. You will have to decide which kind of power you want to wield from this point forward. Divine power or Horror power. There's no middle ground, no compromise path."
"It will have a massive impact on how you progress," the System continued, its voice carrying the gravity of fundamental transformation. "Not just your abilities, but how you advance as a person, what the essence of your being will become. This choice will define your very nature."
The crystalline table between them seemed to pulse with energy as the System spoke, creating ripples of light that reflected the importance of the moment.
"Think carefully, Ren. This choice will affect you heavily, and you cannot change it in the future. Once you commit to a path, that's who you become forever."
The System gestured with its divine hand, golden light flowing from its fingers.
"Divine power"
The divine half's voice grew warmer, more persuasive.
"The essence of this path is justice and sacrifice, yes, but it's also absolute protection. You would become functionally immortal through divine grace, unable to be truly killed because the universe itself would recognize your righteousness. Divine beings don't die, Ren. They transcend."
"You would have access to miracle-level healing that could save entire populations from plagues, resurrect fallen comrades, and even grant others limited immortality. No corruption could touch you, no madness could claim you. You would be pure, untouchable, eternal through righteousness rather than survival."
Then the horror half took over the explanation, crimson energy crackling around its fingers. "But Horror power will make you a hybrid between support and damage class. The essence will be controlled madness and necessary destruction. However, the system will be more stable, more solid, not the half assed divided thing you see before you now."
Ren sat back in his chair, the weight of the decision settling over him like a physical burden. This wasn't just about choosing abilities or a character class. This was about deciding who he fundamentally was, what kind of person he wanted to be for the rest of his existence.
"What are the real advantages and disadvantages of each path?" he asked, his medical training demanding he understand all the variables before making a life-altering decision.
The System's divine half spoke first.
"The Divine path offers complete moral clarity. You would never have to question whether your actions are right or wrong. Every choice would be guided by absolute justice and the desire to preserve life at all costs. You would become incapable of causing unnecessary harm, a perfect healer in every sense."
"But," the horror half interjected, "you would also become completely dependent on others for protection. Pure support means exactly that. No offensive capabilities, no ability to defend yourself when healing isn't enough. You would have to watch people die because you lack the power to eliminate threats."
Ren thought about his experiences since arriving in this world. The battles with cosmic horrors, the times when healing hadn't been enough, when he'd been forced to become something monstrous just to survive.
"And the Horror path?" he asked.
"Power," the horror half said simply. "The ability to heal through corruption, to fight when necessary, to make the hard choices that pure healers cannot make. You would never be helpless again."
"But you would also lose your moral certainty," the divine half added sadly.
"Every choice would be clouded by necessity versus righteousness. You would have to live with the knowledge that your power comes from embracing darkness, that your healing might require causing harm to others."
Ren stood up and began pacing around the lounge, his mind racing through the implications. The crystallized furniture seemed to respond to his emotional state, the starlight table dimming and brightening with his thoughts.
"Let me think about this systematically," he said, falling back on his medical training.
"Divine path: maximum healing potential, resurrection abilities, moral clarity, but complete dependence on others for protection. I would be useless in any situation that required direct action."
He paused, running his hands through his hair.
"Horror path: hybrid capabilities, independence, the power to protect myself and others through force if necessary, but with the cost of moral ambiguity and embracing corruption."
The System watched him pace, both halves showing patient attention as Ren worked through the decision.
"But what does it mean to 'embrace corruption'?" Ren asked.
"Are we talking about becoming evil? Hurting innocent people? Losing my humanity entirely?"
"Not evil," the horror half clarified.
"Necessary. Sometimes healing requires cutting away diseased tissue. Sometimes saving lives means making choices that pure hearts cannot make. The corruption is about accepting that perfect moral purity is a luxury you cannot afford in a universe filled with cosmic horrors."
"Think about your experiences in the soul ocean," the divine half added.
"You chose to devour other souls to survive. That was corruption, but it was also necessary. The Divine path would make such choices impossible for you."
Ren stopped pacing and stared at the System.
"You're saying that if I choose Divine, I would rather die than compromise my moral purity?"
"Exactly," both halves said in unison.
"And if I choose Horror, I would be able to make those compromises when survival or the greater good demands it?"
"Yes, but you would have to live with the consequences of those choices," the horror half warned.
"Every soul you consume, every life you take, every moral line you cross would become part of you forever."
Ren sat back down, his mind churning with memories and possibilities. He thought about his time as a medical resident, the impossible choices he'd faced in the emergency room. Patients who couldn't be saved, families who needed to hear lies more than truth, moments when following protocol would have meant letting people die.
"Can I ask you something?" Ren said suddenly.
"Of course."
"What kind of doctor was I, really? In my old world, before all of this cosmic horror stuff?"
The System's expression grew thoughtful.
"You were the kind who stayed late to check on patients, who bent rules when protocols would have caused more harm than good. You never reported the resident who showed up drunk because you knew he was dealing with his mother's cancer diagnosis. You lied to insurance companies when the truth would have denied people necessary care."
Ren felt something click into place.
"So I was already making compromises. Already choosing practical help over moral purity."
"Yes," the divine half said sadly. "Which is why this choice is so difficult. You have the capacity for both paths, but your instincts lean toward pragmatic compassion rather than absolute righteousness."
Ren thought about Lu Changcheng, about Hans, Henry, and Irene. His teammates who had fought beside him, who had trusted him to make the hard choices when their lives were on the line.
"If I choose Divine," he said slowly,
"What happens the next time we face something like the avatar of the skin god? What happens when healing isn't enough and someone needs me to fight?"
"You would have to watch them die, but you can resurrect them any time" the System said quietly. "Or hope that others can protect you while you heal."
"And if I choose Horror?"
"You would have the power to fight, you can make the choices that pure healers cannot make. But you would also have to accept responsibility for those choices."
Ren stood up again, this time with decision rather than uncertainty.
"Then there's really no choice at all, is there?"
The System tilted its head. "What do you mean?"
"I became a doctor to save lives and for the most part money. Not to be pure, not to be righteous, but to keep people from dying and live comfortably while doing it. If choosing moral purity means I'll be helpless and die pathetically again I rather not. It stupid who would chose moral comfort at the expense of their own lives."
He looked directly at the System, his expression resolute. "I choose Horror."
The reaction was immediate and explosive. The System's divine half recoiled as if Ren had slapped it, while both halves seemed to struggle with the decision.
"Why?" the System demanded, its voice carrying a note of genuine distress.
"Why do you choose this? Are you insane? Are you some kind of fucking lunatic or something?"
The divine half took over, its voice rising with desperation.
"Haven't you had enough of this horror bullshit? I'm supposed to be a Divine Healer System, dammit! Why the fuck would you make this choice? You could be pure, you could be righteous, you could heal without corruption!"
The System looked like it was about to lose control entirely, both halves flickering rapidly as internal conflict raged across its features.
Ren just smiled, his expression calm in the face of the System's emotional storm.
"Because it's what I truly am," he said simply. "I'm not some kind of justice enforcer or some selfless, merciful saint who throws his life away for others."
His voice grew stronger, more certain, carrying an edge of cold pragmatism.
"I'm a doctor. Just a normal fucking doctor!" he shouted, the words echoing through the cosmic lounge with surprising power.
"But I'm also a survivor. I want to save people, yes, but I won't die for anyone. I refuse to become some pure, helpless saint who gets killed because they're too righteous to fight back."
Ren stepped closer to the System, his eyes blazing with conviction that carried undertones of something darker.
"You want to know why I choose Horror? Because I've already proven what I'll do to survive. I devoured souls in that ocean. I consumed human souls. I became a monster when I needed to."
He spread his arms wide, embracing the decision completely.
"I don't want to be pure if it means being weak. I don't want to be righteous if it means being vulnerable. I want to be eternal, to survive no matter what this universe throws at me."
His voice dropped to something almost predatory.
"So I'll rather become the horror itself, because that's what ensures I keep existing. I'll help people, I'll heal them, I'll save them when I can. But I will never, ever sacrifice myself for them. My survival comes first, always."
Ren's smile became sharper, more honest.
"I'd rather be a corrupted healer who lives forever than a pure one who dies young for someone else's cause."
The System stared at him for a long moment, both halves processing his words. Then, slowly, something like understanding began to dawn in its expression.
"You're choosing Horror not because you want power," the System said quietly,
"But because you want to remain capable of helping people and survive, regardless of the moral cost to yourself."
"Exactly," Ren replied.
"I'd rather be a corrupted healer who saves lives and survive than a pure one who saves lives and dies."
The System's expression shifted, and for the first time since Ren had met it, both halves seemed to be in complete agreement.
"Then," the System said, its voice carrying the weight of cosmic transformation, "let's embrace what you truly are."