I Became The Only Healer In The Academy [EN]: Chapter 91

91

The silence lingered, thicker than anyone anticipated.

Part of it stemmed from the sheer shock of the unexpected challenge, but also because no one dared to be the first to step forward.

“No one? Still so confident?”

Sung-hyun continued to provoke them, his voice laced with disdain.

He resented these students, who had been quietly observing since the inter-class competition against the third years, now circling him like predators who had finally found their prey.

Holding complaints and grievances, yet unable to voice them fairly and openly.

In his eyes, they were nothing more than a pathetic pack of beasts.

‘I was naive.’

He had believed demonstrating his strength during the inter-class competition would be sufficient.

Especially since it was a display of skill under strictly defined rules.

There was no need to 맞춰줄 [match] their level, but one thought still bothered him.

What if he faced this kind of antagonism every time he came to the Academy?

Everything else was manageable, but this constant friction would be incredibly irritating.

“How are you even planning to compete in the national competition next year with that attitude? Scared stiff of one first-year student?”

It was easier to seize the initiative and set the tone.

He had no desire to dominate them, but he refused to be seen as inferior.

“I’ll apply first.”

The one who raised his hand and stepped forward was a second-year student at the Academy.

A student who typically showed no interest in being a representative or competing.

A classic martial arts archetype, preferring solitary training.

“What’s up with Gi-su stepping up first?”

“Isn’t it rare to see him even use his abilities?”

Even his classmates rarely saw him except during monster subjugation missions.

He was such a recluse, yet he was the first to volunteer.

Choi Gi-su was exactly as his classmates perceived him.

A person who avoided the spotlight and single-mindedly pursued strength.

Aside from hunting monsters, his days were consumed by training from dawn till dusk.

He disliked boasting or even displaying his strength, so why this sudden change?

The reason was simple, yet significant.

‘Strong.’

Sung-hyun, as Gi-su saw him, could be defined by that single, powerful word.

A warrior.

He knew Sung-hyun’s abilities, but the spirit and strength he sensed now were the kind he only felt from kindred spirits.

“Oh, it’s student Choi Gi-su. Excellent. But… is there anyone else?”

The Headmaster was deliberately fueling the situation, as if demanding more challengers.

“Me, me too!”

“I’ll do it too!”

“Me too!”

As expected, the first step was the hardest.

Once Gi-su broke the ice, everyone started raising their hands and stepping forward.

“Isn’t that a bit much, Headmaster?”

The students asked the Headmaster, sneering at Sung-hyun.

As if to say, could he even handle half of them.

The number of students who volunteered was at least twenty.

And these were all skilled enough to be class representatives.

“That’s what they say, but what do you think? Student Kim Sung-hyun?”

“The number is a bit…”

The students smirked at Sung-hyun’s feigned dismay.

“Are you trying to back out now?”

“Are you even a Hunter? You confidently told everyone to come down, didn’t you?”

Just as the backlash threatened to intensify, Sung-hyun chuckled, shrugged lightly, and said.

“The number is a bit… small.”

That composure, which seemed genuine despite their doubts, enraged one of the second-year students.

“This arrogant drug addict…”

The moment he uttered the words “drug addict,” the Headmaster’s face hardened, and he silenced the second-year student with a finger to his lips.

“What… did I just hear you say?”

“H, Headmaster?”

“To utter that word, even though the Academy has verified it, implies you doubt the Academy and its entire faculty, wouldn’t you agree?”

“N, no! I’m sorry!”

“Knowing that, I will conduct an immediate test right here.”

The Headmaster produced a drug test kit and handed it to Sung-hyun, who drew blood from his finger and placed it into the kit.

“Now, it will be proven that student Kim Sung-hyun has not taken any drugs.”

It was a foregone conclusion, but the kit confirmed that he was clean.

“Then it’s time to begin. Decide the order amongst yourselves, and let Choi Gi-su, who volunteered first, step forward.”

The Headmaster left his seat to activate the device, and the remaining students retreated.

Only Sung-hyun and Choi Gi-su remained in the center of the arena.

“Choi Gi-su.”

He was likely the one with the purest intentions among those who had stepped forward.

A gaze devoid of animosity, even one that seemed to respect him.

“…Kim Sung-hyun.”

Sung-hyun bowed slightly, acknowledging one of the few seniors he could genuinely respect, and Choi Gi-su smiled brightly, as if pleased by Sung-hyun’s attitude.

“I look forward to it. I have high expectations.”

“Sure.”

At Sung-hyun’s response, the surrounding scenery began to transform, creating a space perfectly suited for sparring.

A space with nothing but a flat floor.

“I don’t know how to hold back.”

“Neither do I.”

At Sung-hyun’s answer, Gi-su smiled and immediately charged at Sung-hyun.

“…!”

To be honest, he had underestimated him slightly.

He was impressed that the first-year representative had defeated the third years, but in his opinion, the third years relied too heavily on their abilities and lacked fundamental training.

‘Drugs? Complete nonsense.’

Others might believe such movements were impossible without performance enhancers.

But, ironically, only those who were clean could execute such precise movements.

The clean, efficient movements suggested countless hours of dedicated practice, every muscle remembering each action.

‘It’s amazing the current third-year representative lasted that long.’

Gi-su was increasingly impressed by Sung-hyun’s movements, and Sung-hyun felt the same about Gi-su.

‘There was someone like this in the second year?’

More than that.

If he possessed this much skill even before the regression, he would have heard of a similar name, but he had never encountered anyone like this.

“You’re not using your full strength, are you?”

As Gi-su pointed out, Sung-hyun was holding back.

Gi-su was too, but he had already assessed Sung-hyun’s strength, fulfilling his purpose for participating in this sparring match.

“It was quite, no, very satisfying.”

At the words that signaled the end, Sung-hyun tensed, only to freeze in surprise at the sight before him.

Gi-su had just broken his own arm.

“What…”

“There’s no forfeit, so what else can I do? I have to end it like this.”

Gi-su, his expression unchanged despite the broken arm, looked directly at the spectators and said.

“Incapacitated.”

The students who had been watching Gi-su’s battle stared at him in shock as he walked away.

“Hmm. Good job, student Choi Gi-su.”

“Yes.”

“Treatment will be administered after all the battles are over, so please bear with the pain a little longer.”

“Yes.”

Gi-su exited the arena, and the next opponents were the second-year class representatives.

They were the ones who had failed to become the year representative, and Sung-hyun looked at them and said.

“Come up all of you.”

At Sung-hyun’s challenge to a 3:1 match instead of a 1:1, the second-year class representatives’ faces flushed with anger.

“Are you completely crazy? This drug addict… cough.”

“It’s okay. We need to make this bastard realize his place. Let’s go in and crush him instantly and get out.”

“Yeah. Should we start right away?”

The second-year class representatives didn’t trust the Headmaster’s words.

Since Sung-hyun’s ability was healing, they were convinced something was amiss, and that the Academy was turning a blind eye to his drug use.

Otherwise, the second-year representative and the third-year representative couldn’t have been defeated so easily.

In-hwan and Sang-yeon were also slightly suspicious, but exposing Kim Sung-hyun’s corruption would inevitably implicate them as well.

Although it was 3:1, the second-year class representatives weren’t taking it lightly.

They were more serious and determined than they had been during the inter-class competition to determine the year representative.

“…According to the plan.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

As originally planned.

They intended to deal with Sung-hyun swiftly and decisively, ensuring he would never dare to challenge them again.

But, as expected, nothing went according to plan.

If anything was going to plan, it was that the battle would end quickly.

A cracking sound echoed, accompanied by the sound of something breaking.

He wondered what the sound was and tried to look to the side, but it seemed to originate from his leg.

One knee buckled as the pain surged in, delayed by the initial shock.

“H, how!”

“A, ability! Use the ability…!”

He reached out to use his ability on Sung-hyun, but unfortunately, that hand produced the same sickening sound as before.

“Kuaaak!”

Now there was only one person left.

Having lost all will to fight after witnessing two of his comrades defeated instantly, he trembled and backed away from Sung-hyun.

“F, forfeit!”

“…”

Normally, the scenery would change, but not this time.

There was no forfeit, that was the rule.

“S, surrender! Surrender!”

He shouted, desperately looking towards the edge of the arena, but there was no change.

“D, don’t do this. Huh? I, I was wrong…”

Sung-hyun sat down on the floor and broke his exposed leg.

When he grabbed his leg, shattered by a single kick, and groaned in agony, the scenery finally began to shift.

“…”

The second-year class representatives’ miserable defeat.

It wasn’t just a defeat, but an overwhelming one, a defeat without even being able to properly use their abilities, sending shockwaves through the remaining students.

“Hmm. A little disappointing to witness as second years.”

The Headmaster’s blatant ridicule echoed in the ears of the humiliated second-year students.

But no one dared to step forward.

Those who had initially volunteered were still among the top-ranked students in each grade, possessing at least some degree of judgment.

“W, we… give up.”

“Give up… an unexpected result. Then student Kim Sung-hyun? Will you accept the forfeit?”

Normally, he would have accepted it, but today Sung-hyun had dedicated this day to resolving the issue.

Sung-hyun, wanting to eliminate any further sources of trouble at the Academy, planned to eradicate the root cause today.

The second-year students looked at the Headmaster with pleading eyes, but the Headmaster only offered a knowing smile.

Eventually, realizing the situation was irreversible, the second-year students clung to the last vestige of hope, their numerical advantage, and stepped in front of Sung-hyun.