Chapter 480: Creed (2).
’Such as?’
{Vineheart cannot regenerate tissue that has been completely destroyed or separated from your body. Your arm was severed by Captain Orpheus. Vineheart could not regrow it—only the genetic modification procedures and Divine Elixirs accomplished that restoration. Similarly, if your heart or brain were destroyed entirely, Vineheart would fail to save you}.
That was important to know. Nero had wondered briefly why his arm hadn’t simply regenerated on its own. He had understood that it was a limitation of the skill, but having it spelled out, he was suddenly very grateful for the Oracle.
{The stamina enhancement operates on a different principle. Vineheart improves your body’s efficiency at converting stored energy into usable force. You tire more slowly, recover from exertion more quickly, and can maintain peak performance for extended periods. This is why you can fight for hours while others would collapse from exhaustion}.
’Is there a limit to that as well?’ He asked
{Yes. Vineheart does not create energy from nothing. You still require food, water, and rest. It simply makes more efficient use of what you provide. Prolonged exertion without replenishment will eventually exhaust you, though it will take far longer than it would for a normal human}.
Nero thought about the implications. In a prolonged battle or extended hunt, Vineheart gave him a significant advantage. But it wasn’t unlimited, he figured. It was true that his appetite increased when he was healing his injuries. Perhaps that his body’s way of telling him that he’d need to be mindful of his reserves.
{Additionally, Vineheart has been working hard, slowly purifying the Nordian Worm implanted in your abdomen. The worm’s dark grasp are being changed into something of a much more benevolent nature towards the Heretic. Essentially, Vineheart is consuming the parasite and incorporating its biomass into your own system. This process will eventually complete, at which point you will be free of the worm’s potential mental and physical inhibition effects}.
Nero nodded to himself. That was excellent news. Vineheart was still purifying the thing they had put inside him. And from what he could tell, for some reason, Lyon seemed to not have discovered the existence of Vineheart within him. He could always feel the worm’s presence at some point in the past, but had completely forgotten about its existence.
It was now over two months since it had been implanted into him. He was curious how much longer until it was entirely purified.