I Became The Only Healer In The Academy [EN]: Chapter 35

Seonghyun also learned about the 3rd graders from Seongwook.

When asked how he’d found out so quickly, Seongwook explained that Hwang Euihyun, convinced he’d become the academy representative after unlocking his new ability, had briefed him in advance.

‘Now I don’t have to worry about him.’

Seonghyun had been concerned about a potential grudge from Hwang Euihyun, but seeing Seongwook’s increasingly cheerful demeanor, he felt he could finally relax about the situation. If anything did happen, he could always heal Seongwook, who had unwavering faith in him.

‘Now I can finally take a breather.’

About three weeks remained until the next inter-class competition.

Until then, his main focus would be subjugating Gates.

“Should we start exploring other Gates, too?”

“Are you suggesting a three-person raid team?”

Inhwan’s suggestion didn’t seem to appeal to Sangyeon.

“What are you talking about? The association won’t allow a raid with only three people. We need at least five.”

Even with five, they couldn’t tackle every Gate, but they could target those that hadn’t been claimed by other guilds or were yet to be assigned.

“Not bad. The wolf-type monsters are getting too easy.”

Venturing deeper into their current Gate would only lead to mental-type monsters, so there was no point.

“Are there any unassigned 4th class Gates?”

“There are probably plenty of 4th class ones. Decent guilds prioritize 3rd class and higher, leaving the 4th class for weaker guilds.”

Inhwan explained the abundance of available 4th class Gates.

“You remember the meeting of national association heads when our country’s ranking improved, right? That meeting was called because of the increased appearance of 3rd class Gates.”

Inhwan pulled out his phone, showed related articles, and continued, “The same thing is happening here. Decent guilds are requesting mercenaries or support from weaker guilds, exceeding their usual capacity for 3rd class Gates.”

Consequently, many weaker guilds were supporting or acting as mercenaries for 3rd class subjugations, leaving a significant number of 4th class Gates unattended.

“Looking at your abilities, Seonghyun, I think you could even handle 3rd class Gates… but we’re not quite there yet.”

Monsters generally had a higher pain tolerance than humans.

Given that the stigma [Seonghyun’s unique ability] lacked a direct killing function and they had to finish monsters off themselves, their physical abilities might prove insufficient from the 2nd class Gates onward.

“Will they even grant us raid permission? We’re just academy freshmen.”

“The association probably won’t have a choice. I know there are quite a few Gates nearing overflow.”

As Inhwan pointed out, the manpower shortage among guilds handling 4th class Gates led to neglect, increasing the number of Gates on the verge of overflowing.

While many unaffiliated hunters were participating, they were often those who couldn’t join guilds in the first place, limiting their effectiveness.

“What do you think? Should I apply for one?”

Inhwan was already beaming, looking as if he’d secured permission to raid a 4th class Gate.

“It’s always good to be thorough. Let’s apply after we get our equipment from the academy.”

“Ah! That would be much better. Our equipment arrives next week, right?”

“That’s right.”

The difference between having equipment and not was significant.

Seonghyun’s Pendant of the Gods, for example, allowed him to heal multiple targets simultaneously.

‘I need a piece of combat-related equipment.’

He had, of course, requested specific features, but equipment rarely matched requests perfectly.

“Then, shall we go to our usual Gate today?”

“Yeah, but let’s try fighting the monsters alone until we raid a 4th class Gate.”

“Sounds good.”

As they planned for the day and the future, preparing to head to class, Seonghyun felt a sudden unease.

‘But… was the increase in 3rd class Gate appearances originally this early?’

He couldn’t recall the exact details from his past life, but he couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling.

“Hey… let’s postpone the Gate raid until tomorrow.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

Seonghyun, rarely one to change his mind, did so abruptly, causing Inhwan and Sangyeon to look at him with concern rather than annoyance.

“No, it’s not that, but I remembered something I need to do. I can go tomorrow. Let’s head straight there in the morning.”

“Okay, then. Hope it’s nothing serious.”

“Well, it’s probably nothing.”

Seonghyun finished his classes and went straight home.

Subjugating Gates was important, but his complicated feelings made it seem impossible right now.

“Son? You’re home early today?”

“Yeah, I need to rest a bit.”

“Good thinking. Are you going to eat?”

“Yes.”

His younger sibling wasn’t home yet. Seonghyun went to his room and opened a book.

“No matter how I think about it, it’s strange.”

Reflecting on the changes from his previous life, he realized that people who should have died had survived.

And South Korea’s status ranking had risen.

These changes, though few, were significant.

‘But the meeting to discuss the increase in 3rd class Gate appearances was at the right time.’

The problem was that the timing of the increase in 3rd class Gate appearances in ‘South Korea’ was different enough to make him uneasy.

‘The world doesn’t change, but South Korea does?’

He didn’t know if other countries had changed, but South Korea had definitely shifted slightly.

“The cause is probably me.”

Seonghyun recalled the events before his regression [rebirth into the past].

The frequency of 3rd class Gate appearances increased, followed by 2nd class appearances about a year later.

Five years after that, the frequency of 1st class Gate appearances, which required top-tier hunters, increased.

There were slight variations between countries, but the timing was generally consistent.

Fortunately, medical advancements had reduced hunter fatalities compared to the past, and skilled hunters managed to hold out.

“Does that mean the increase in 2nd and 1st class Gate appearances will be accelerated?”

Compared to Seonghyun’s memory, the 3rd class Gate appearances were about a month ahead of schedule.

While a month might seem insignificant, Seonghyun understood the butterfly effect.

The frequency of 2nd class Gate appearances could increase before the year’s end, or 1st class Gates could appear next year.

“In this case, I have to focus all my effort on the inter-class competition.”

He had to revise his plans.

He hadn’t made extensive long-term plans, but now it was necessary.

“Fortunately, it’s not too late.”

Realizing this after the 2nd class Gate appearances increased would have been too late, but he still had time.

The current hunter level wasn’t low, but the gap between the 1st class Gates in Seonghyun’s memory and those appearing now was substantial.

“With my current skills, I can’t even handle a 1st class Gate.”

While the stigma was powerful, it had a critical flaw.

It lacked a direct killing ability and could only be used on one target at a time.

Frankly, the stigma wasn’t designed solely for monsters.

It was a healer’s self-defense mechanism against other hunters.

“…Since when have I been relying only on my abilities?”

He felt a sudden realization.

His changes so far stemmed from unlocking a new ability.

But how did Seonghyun survive before his regression?

He was someone who persevered through effort.

He collapsed because his efforts went unrewarded, but that wasn’t the case now.

“Let’s not focus on using abilities to kill monsters.”

Had he been too focused on healing?

He had no intention of stopping, as it was his new reward and motivation.

However, he needed to utilize his original ability to identify vital points and his current physical abilities.

In the inter-class competition against Hwang Euihyun’s close-combat team, Seonghyun had fought well against two people, enduring more than just surviving.

This was due to the spirit of sacrifice, an ability similar to Hwang Euihyun’s but significantly stronger.

While Hwang Euihyun temporarily converted pain into power, Seonghyun could constantly and permanently convert it.

“I have to win the inter-class competition no matter what.”

Becoming the freshman representative would allow him to commission equipment from the academy. Becoming a national competition representative would grant him the opportunity to commission equipment from DeMargay, a world-renowned equipment master.

DeMargay was selective and didn’t accept every commission.

Even some national representatives couldn’t use his equipment.

“The national competition is at the end of the year, so I can monitor changes until then.”

If 2nd class Gate appearances increased by then, he could adjust accordingly. If not, he could continue preparing.

“The problem is this year’s inter-class competition…”

He had identified some unrevealed information about the 2nd and 3rd graders using Seongwook’s information, but it was difficult to compensate for fundamental differences.

“I need to solidify Inhwan and Sangyeon’s basics in the opened Gates and determine the abilities of the equipment I receive next week.”

From now on, Goo Sangyeon was crucial.

Regardless of the inter-class competition rules, Goo Sangyeon had to endure to showcase potential for the national competition.

“First of all, I want to somehow make these two have faith…”

There was no ulterior motive.

If they became subjects of faith, Seonghyun could heal them without pain and receive an additional 10% effect from the spirit of sacrifice.

As if sensing Seonghyun’s intentions, a window appeared before him.

[A special quest exclusively for sages has arrived.]

“Special quest?”

[Would you like to accept the quest?]

[Content: ???]

[Reward: ???]

Since ancient times, things covered in question marks were either a huge boon or a huge disaster.

Considering the window’s usual attitude, it seemed closer to the latter, but a crisis was always an opportunity, so Seonghyun accepted immediately.

“Okay, I have to see the cards.”