I Became The Only Healer In The Academy [EN]: Chapter 16

“What…!”

The Japanese side shot up from their seats, attempting to protest, but the United States delegation quickly silenced them.

“Let’s table this for now. It’s an issue to be decided during the formal meeting anyway.”

“Tch…”

Since the statement came from the U.S., Japan had no choice but to begrudgingly sit back down.

“Speaking personally… I question whether a dedicated meeting is even necessary.”

With the U.S. taking such a firm stance, no one dared to challenge them.

And their assessment wasn’t inaccurate.

“Then, I’ll take it there are no objections.”

Today’s meeting concluded abruptly.

Without Seonghyun’s intervention, South Korea’s standing would have significantly diminished during this session.

Following the meeting, the association president and vice president paused in the lounge before exiting the conference room.

“Hoo… I can finally breathe.”

“You’ve worked hard. Japan… they were particularly aggressive this time around.”

“Well, what else is new? It’s practically tradition at this point.”

“Regardless, it’s a relief. Thanks to Kim Seonghyun…”

The vice president sighed in relief, but the association president’s expression remained somber.

In fact, it was rather grim.

“Honestly, the press release might not have been the wisest move. It feels like we pressured Kim Seonghyun into sacrificing himself for national pride without offering him adequate protection.”

“Still, the gains outweigh the risks.”

The association president sighed deeply, sank onto the sofa, and lit a cigarette.

“Hoo… How does the academy schedule look?”

“The representative selections are coming up soon.”

They needed to achieve strong results in the National Competition at the year’s end.

Failure to do so could reverse the gains in national standing achieved today.

“Any promising talents emerging?”

At the association president’s inquiry, the vice president frowned slightly, lost in thought.

Seeing that his contemplation showed no sign of ending, the association president offered a wry smile and said,

“I gather there aren’t any exceptionally noteworthy talents.”

“But isn’t Kim Seonghyun noteworthy?”

“It’s not solely about raw ability.”

The National Competition was far from a simple tournament.

It was more than just a comparison of skills; it was a genuine battle where lives were on the line, akin to a modern-day Colosseum.

“Provide Kim Seonghyun with as much support as possible. Given the shift in national standing, we can’t predict what challenges lie ahead.”

“Yes.”

The association president exhaled the last of his cigarette smoke with a sigh, extinguished the butt in the ashtray beside him, and stood up.

“Let’s go.”

Seonghyun arrived near the 1-Person Exclusive Gate, scheduled to open today.

“Not yet?”

He couldn’t recall the precise opening time, so he had arrived near the location as soon as the academy day ended and began to wait.

Sitting on a bench, he overheard a voice nearby.

“Yeah? No, that’s right. Yeah, right.”

‘Wait a minute, isn’t that…’

He looked vaguely familiar.

But it wasn’t someone he had encountered in this life.

‘That’s the person!’

The individual who had entered the 1-Person Exclusive Gate was that very person strolling down the street, engrossed in a phone conversation.

‘That means…’

Seonghyun swallowed hard, a wave of nervousness washing over him.

As if confirming his suspicions, he sensed something alien from behind, causing his back to prickle.

‘It’s open…’

Realizing the gate had opened, he turned around, but it offered him no time to prepare, immediately drawing him in.

“Kugh…!”

The sensation of passing through this gate was unlike anything he had experienced before, intensely stimulating all five senses and even his sixth sense.

Unlike a normal gate, where he felt a sense of floating and saw only darkness, this was the complete opposite.

Even with his eyes closed, the light was blinding, and his skin tingled as if burning.

“Haa… I’ve only just entered, but…”

He was already experiencing overwhelming pain throughout his body.

[Forgotten Temple]

[You have entered the Forgotten Temple, a place unremembered by anyone.]

Unlike the system windows he was accustomed to, the voice seemed to whisper directly into his ear.

“Oh…”

The 1-Person Exclusive Gate was indeed different.

It contained elements unseen in other gates.

True to its name, Forgotten Temple, structures resembling those from the Roman era were scattered around him.

Of course, most were partially or completely collapsed.

“…Why is it so quiet?”

An unsettling silence hung in the air.

He felt as though there were no living creatures present.

And the area was vast.

Typically, gates of this type had limited internal space, but this one seemed boundless.

[Proceed to the center of the temple.]

The voice continued to guide him, indicating the path.

“The center of the temple…”

Seonghyun identified the massive structure in the distance.

The roof was gone, and the pillars were crumbling, but it was unmistakably a temple.

“Do I simply proceed?”

The absence of any perceptible presence heightened his anxiety.

If monsters had appeared upon entry, he could have reacted, but maintaining constant vigilance was exhausting.

Remaining alert, he entered the path leading to the temple, flanked by buildings resembling houses on either side.

“What is that?”

Approaching a dark mass, he discovered that the building’s floor was covered in corpses with completely decayed skin.

“…What the hell.”

Clinging to a sliver of hope, he checked the other buildings, only to find them similarly filled with black-skinned corpses, some burned, others rotten.

“…”

An inexplicable unease settled over him, but remembering the voice’s instruction to reach the temple, Seonghyun resumed his course.

Arriving at the temple’s entrance, he saw statues resembling gargoyles flanking either side.

“Figures.”

Seonghyun drew his sword from his inventory, bracing for the statues to animate.

“…”

Minutes passed in tense anticipation, but the statues remained motionless.

[…Enter the temple.]

“…O-Okay.”

Hoping for the best, he cautiously moved past the statues, but they remained inert.

Inside the temple, an altar stood in the center, with a towering, sacred-looking statue, perhaps representing the deity they worshipped, positioned behind it.

“Now… what do I do?”

[Protect the temple from the night.]

[Time remaining until night: 1 minute]

“What? 1 minute?”

The path to the temple had been bathed in daylight.

But now, it was night.

Seonghyun immediately turned to look outside.

“This is…”

Torches flickered beside the two statues at the entrance, casting a dim light that barely penetrated the oppressive darkness.

[Night has come.]

[Time remaining until the end of the night: 18 hours]

“E-Eighteen… hours…?”

How much of the day would be consumed by night?

Even in the dead of winter, would it last 18 hours?

“But… what am I supposed to protect the temple from?”

As soon as Seonghyun finished speaking, a bizarre sound emanated from below.

“W-What is it?”

The sound grew closer, and although the speed seemed slow, he could tell that the number of creatures was immense.

“That’s…”

They came close enough to be visible in the torchlight.

They possessed black skin and vaguely human forms, but their eyes were empty sockets, and they lacked ears and noses. They were clearly not alive, and they were ascending the temple steps.

“Can I even survive, let alone protect it…?”

At a glance, there were easily dozens, no, hundreds of them.

So many that the path Seonghyun had taken was now swarming with them.

Seonghyun immediately drew his sword from his inventory and adopted a fighting stance.

He had enhanced his physical abilities with the Spirit of Sacrifice, and he also possessed Healing.

Since there were no restrictions on using abilities within this gate, he could endure even a prolonged battle.

“…”

Seonghyun took a deep breath.

Meanwhile, the grotesque beings reached him.

“They don’t seem fast.”

The physical capabilities of these creatures were inferior to even the lowest-ranked hunter.

They weren’t even as strong as an average adult male.

Their only advantage was their sheer numbers.

The strength of their bodies matched their appearance. Whether they were truly rotten or burned, they were easily sliced through like vegetables with a light swing of the sword, and the severed enemies quickly oxidized and vanished without a trace.

“At this rate… it’s manageable.”

[Time remaining until the end of the night: 16 hours]

“…Did I just take care of about 1/10th…”

The enemies were slow and weak, making them easy to block.

[Time remaining until the end of the night: 12 hours]

He thought the sky was getting a little brighter, or was it just his imagination?

Soon, he would at least be able to see the sky brighten.

[Time remaining until the end of the night: 9 hours]

It was a delusion that it was getting brighter.

Maybe this was what it meant to say the sky was turning yellow.

“Hoo…”

Seonghyun healed a minor scratch on his arm.

‘There’s a limit.’

When he first used Healing, his stamina had also been restored.

But with repeated use, the amount of stamina restored diminished.

Fortunately, these numerous beings were unlikely to inflict serious injuries unless he became severely fatigued.

‘How many times have I used Healing? 3 times? 4 times?’

When his stamina neared its limit, Seonghyun deliberately inflicted small wounds and healed them.

This restored both his stamina and healed his injuries simultaneously.

“Now half…”

The enemies still densely packed the area all the way to the bottom of the temple steps.

[Time remaining until the end of the night: 5 hours]

The sky was genuinely getting brighter now.

It wasn’t just a trick of the light; it was truly becoming brighter.

“Haa… haa…”

Seonghyun was breathing heavily.

Now that his stamina was depleted, he was sustaining injuries not deliberately, but because he could no longer effectively evade attacks.

After continuously swinging his sword for 13 hours without food or rest, the sword that he had initially wielded with both hands was now being swung with one hand at a time, and his legs trembled with exhaustion.

[Time remaining until the end of the night: 1 hour]

“Finally…”

The number of enemies had dwindled to the point where he could count them.

Without the Healing ability, he would have perished long ago, let alone survived until now.

[Time remaining until the end of the night: 40 minutes]

“Ugh…”

Seonghyun tossed his sword aside and collapsed to the ground.

[You have defeated all enemies before the end of the night.]

Seonghyun tilted his head back and gazed at the interior of the temple.

“Huh?”

The statue that had been positioned in the center seemed to have shifted slightly, but it stopped moving as soon as it sensed Seonghyun’s gaze.

[I pay my respects to your bravery in defeating the evil things before the end of the night.]

“…Thanks.”

[Before the second night begins, place the evil thing on the altar.]

“What? Second night…?”

Seonghyun quickly regained his composure and sat up straight.

Second night?