I Became The Only Healer In The Academy [EN]: Chapter 136

136

Leech was the only female ability user within the top 10 highest-ranked Hunters.

Leech’s abilities were so strong and overwhelming that they dispelled any lingering prejudices.

With Leech directly intervening to mediate, Padron could no longer cause trouble.

“…Consider yourself lucky.”

“I assume you’re talking to yourself?”

“Both of you, that’s enough. It’s about time we moved.”

Leech’s mediation ended the argument with Padron, and in the meantime, the remaining Hunters had arrived and were waiting to depart.

“We will depart now.”

The schedule here was entirely free.

The only mandatory events were the evening gala and participation in the Grade 1 Gate subjugation.

‘This is on a different level than the Academy.’

Back then, it was merely a small festival-like event to allow aspiring Hunters to experience a grand stage.

Compared to being under strict rules and regulations, today was completely different.

The existence of top-ranking Hunters meant they wielded considerable power.

Since the world would soon perish without them, the benefits they received were substantial.

And one of those benefits was freedom from regulations.

At the Academy, there were rules against using abilities except during sparring, but this time it was different.

You could use your abilities anytime, anywhere.

Of course, the purpose mattered.

The road to the accommodation was ordinary and peaceful.

Each country had a luxurious limousine and a dedicated driver assigned to them.

“I’m Phillip. I’ll be your driver.”

Phillip was the dedicated driver for South Korea.

Following Phillip’s guidance, I got into the luxurious limousine, and during the less than 10-minute drive from the airport to the accommodation, I opened the window and waved to the people on the street.

“If you have any places you’d like to visit, please let me know. I hope you all have a pleasant stay.”

It was a blatant way of saying they would be monitoring our movements, but since it was American soil, I didn’t have any particular complaints.

Each person was assigned a room on the highest floor.

The interior was filled with luxurious, likely single-use furniture, all existing for just one person.

“The treatment is definitely good.”

What Sung-hyun needed right now was some time.

This was because of the healing he had done for people before leaving the country. He hadn’t been able to properly check the notifications that appeared due to the pain that rushed in after healing those people.

“How many Faith targets were added?”

Among the numerous people Sung-hyun had healed, there were naturally Hunters and the families of Hunters.

The total number of Faith targets added was about 300.

Considering he had healed nearly 90,000 people, it could be considered a small number.

If he had visited and healed each person individually, he could have obtained a much larger number of Faith targets, but it probably would have taken dozens of times longer.

“Now that the number of Faith targets has increased…”

This wasn’t the end.

Naturally, things that hadn’t been visible before began to appear.

[The number of Faith targets has reached a certain level.]

[The number of Faith targets has reached a certain level.]

[The number of Faith targets has reached a certain level.]

……

Content that always brought welcome news, except for one instance.

What kind of content would it bring this time?

[Existing abilities are slightly enhanced.]

[Proficiency in Healing and Purification has reached a certain level.]

[Enhanced Healing: Can heal even severed wounds.]

[Enhanced Purification: Grants immunity to all negative effects for a certain period. Duration: 1 minute]

“Severed wounds can be restored…?”

It was definitely positive, but frankly speaking, if this situation continued, inflation [power creep] would accelerate too easily.

“Well, it’s not my problem to worry about.”

I was just glad that we had taken one step, or rather, several steps closer to the extinction of the Demonic Beasts.

And that wasn’t all.

A combination I hadn’t seen in a long time.

But the combination wasn’t with a new ability.

[List of combinable abilities]

[Enhanced Healing, Enhanced Purification]

[Combination Result: Blessing]

[Blessing: Fully restores the target’s major wounds and purifies all that is impure. Briefly enhances all of the target’s abilities.]

[The effects before the combination are fundamentally present.]

[Would you like to start the combination?]

“Of course.”

And here was content I hadn’t checked yet.

That was the content that existing abilities would be enhanced.

As that curiosity grew, the windows began to pop up like crazy, as if they had been waiting.

[The Materialization ability has been enhanced, slightly increasing the range that can be created.]

[The Self-Sacrifice ability has been enhanced, slightly reducing the side effects.]

[The Stigma ability has been enhanced, creating illusions comparable to pain.]

[The Conversion ability has been enhanced, now allowing Conversion to be used on all targets, not just those with hostility.]

[The Summoning ability has been enhanced; the abilities of summoned creatures are now affected by the summoner’s magic power.]

[The Descent ability has been enhanced, allowing it to be used twice a day on the same target.]

[Authority has been enhanced, allowing all swords to be combined into one.]

“…”

I was speechless.

I had expected that there would be quite meaningful results since the number of Faith targets had increased at once, but this level of growth was beyond imagination.

“Am I… even human anymore?”

The fact that these windows were appearing meant that someone had definitely planned this, but what was the intention behind growing me to this extent?

But good things don’t always come alone.

Just like before, a window appeared, telling me about the source of an unknown power.

[The second clue to the source of the unknown power has appeared.]

[Source of Unknown Power: Grade 2 Gate 0/10]

[The frequency of Grade 2 Gates increases, and the moment 10 Grade 2 Gates are cleared, a place connected to the owners of the Grade 4 and Grade 3 Gates will appear.]

The window had become very helpful compared to before.

It was as if the stronger Sung-hyun became, the kinder it became.

Perhaps the reason was that the window could only function properly if Sung-hyun became stronger.

“The frequency of Grade 2 Gates is increasing…”

A level of speed that was unimaginable compared to before the regression.

It might just be my imagination, but it felt like the frequency of occurrence and mutation, and even the timing of when the owners of each Grade Gate appeared, were determined by the speed at which Sung-hyun grew stronger.

Moreover, this time I would meet the owners of the Grade 4 and Grade 3 Gates.

Whether it would be two Demonic Beasts or one owner managing the two Gates, whatever it was, it wouldn’t be ordinary considering how strongly it was making me.

I couldn’t just be happy about getting stronger at an abnormal and illogical speed.

“Does controlling my growth rate also prevent the frequency of occurrence from increasing?”

Strengthening the people around me in the meantime was also one method.

If I did that, I would definitely have more leeway, but the problem was that it would take too long.

“In the first place, it’s also because of me that things have sped up like this.”

If I were to list the things that have changed now compared to before the regression, there would be dozens of them.

But if you follow the stems of those dozens of things down to the roots, it all came down to the fact that Sung-hyun had regressed.

“The rankings of the top Hunters and whatnot, they’re not my concern.”

The problem was that it was the concern of everyone else except Sung-hyun.

I didn’t particularly want to show them my strength and flaunt it, but if I wanted to avoid even a little bit of trouble, it was wise to show them properly and reign at the top.

“Show my strength at this subjugation?”

I had to watch the situation first.

Now I had to pour all my strength into the extinction of the Demonic Beasts, but since the mastermind behind the assassin hadn’t been revealed yet, it wouldn’t be good to leave any찝찝 [unresolved/sketchy] variables.

“Hunter Kim Sung-hyun. The banquet will begin soon.”

“Ah, has it already… I understand.”

“The clothes you will wear to the banquet are prepared in the room, so please change into the clothes you like and take your seat.”

“I will.”

While checking the new abilities and organizing the newly arising questions, the time for the banquet was already approaching.

“Let’s meet and decide for now.”

It was impossible to grasp Leech’s tendencies from just a brief encounter at the airport.

She was famous as a Hunter whose inner thoughts were unknowable even before the regression, so it was impossible to judge without having a direct conversation.

“Since that opportunity has come…”

Sung-hyun chose the neatest and most presentable clothes among the prepared outfits.

“Please come out when you are ready, and I will guide you to the banquet hall.”

The voice of the driver who had guided me outside was heard, and Sung-hyun, who had neatly finished looking in the mirror, left the room and said to the driver.

“Let’s go.”

——————————————–

“The Hunters from South Korea are entering.”

A banquet that was reminiscent of a medieval noble’s ball.

It seemed they liked these kinds of formalities quite a bit since they had so much, and a smile burst out.

“Hehe, Hunter Kim, you look quite good in those clothes?”

As Guild Leader Lee Soo-jung of the Gahee Guild looked at Sung-hyun with a lecherous gaze, Sung-hyun smiled and replied.

“Are you smitten?”

“Oh my… I think I might really fall for you now?”

“Ahem, ahem! Behave yourselves.”

“Hmph. That’s why you’re a solo for life, Guild Leader Park Yeon-seok.”

“Wh, why is that coming up in this place?!”

The sight of the two, who resembled In-hwan and Sang-yeon, made the little bit of tension that remained disappear.

Since South Korea’s prestige ranking was 9th, the entry order was the very last, and not long after entering, the announcement to start the banquet was heard.

“From now on, we will begin the banquet.”

The first order of the banquet followed the old tradition exactly.

That was to raise a toast with the glass of whiskey each person received upon entering.

The toast was given by the president of the American Hunter Association.

“Thank you all for coming to this place. For the safety and prosperity of all Hunters, all of humanity, sacrificing your daily lives…”

The not-so-short toast ended, and the president raised his glass and said.

“For humanity.”

That was all for the set order of the banquet.

From now on, it was everyone’s free time.

It was a place that was openly created, so no one cared who met whom, but this banquet was a little different.

That was the existence of Sung-hyun.

As soon as the toast ended, the eyes of all the Hunters were focused on Sung-hyun.

“…It seems like it will be a little tiring…”

“Raise your glass if you need help.”

“Pardon?”

“Then I hope you have a good time.”

As soon as Lee Soo-jung’s words, which I didn’t know what kind of help she was offering, ended, Padron approached Sung-hyun first.