I Became The Only Healer In The Academy [EN]: Chapter 220

Sunghyun dedicated all his time to Sammy’s lab, practically living there, until his scheduled meeting with the leader.

He ate, slept, and rested there, meticulously tracing and analyzing all of Sammy’s routines and movements.

Sammy, seemingly unfazed by Sunghyun’s constant presence, continued to wander around the lab, occasionally bringing him information.

It wasn’t that Sammy was careless; rather, Sunghyun’s abilities far surpassed the security measures of the lab, rendering the special material walls ineffective against him, leaving her with no other option.

“…Sammy. Have you been living with the Pilgrim [a person on a quest or journey, often with religious or spiritual significance] here this whole time?”

“What about it? We even provided him with mobile equipment.”

“Ha… really… I can’t even take back what’s already been given. The leader hasn’t said anything about this yet, has he?”

“It’s okay. The Pilgrim isn’t someone who should be treated poorly, you know?”

Envy seemed to have more to say, but realizing further argument was pointless, he sighed and turned away.

“Then, Pilgrim?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go. He’s waiting.”

“Right now?”

“Yes. Right now.”

Sunghyun looked a little surprised, though in truth, this was slightly later than he had anticipated.

He wasn’t sure what Envy had been thinking, but a normal reaction would have been to arrange the meeting sooner after capturing the Pilgrim.

“I understand.”

He was about to leave when Envy stopped him.

“You must take this with you.”

Envy produced another piece of equipment from his arms.

It appeared identical to the other devices, but it looked quite worn, suggesting frequent use.

“Is this equipment exclusively for traveling to see the leader?”

“That’s right. Only Sammy and I possess this particular device.”

“The level of technology you have seems quite advanced.”

“Doesn’t that simply prove that ordinary people are not worth surviving? Aside from Demarche’s equipment, there’s nothing comparable to or more advanced than ours.”

A hunter with the ability to create equipment also made equipment, but the hunter wasn’t responsible for the entire process.

Ordinary people with skills or knowledge were also involved, and Envy was indirectly implying that they were now worthless.

“If production volume is high, that might be the case.”

Contrary to Envy’s expectations, the Pilgrim responded calmly.

Just because they had decided to collaborate didn’t mean they shared the same ideologies.

That’s why Envy was wary of the Pilgrim, a sentiment that hadn’t changed much even now.

However, the Pilgrim’s response completely deviated from Envy’s expectations.

Envy’s statement implied that ordinary people weren’t worth living, and the Pilgrim showed no reaction to those words, instead responding as if he regretted the low production volume.

Knowing that the Pilgrim had completely dismantled his arguments and manipulated his subsequent actions, such a reaction could only mean one of two things.

Either they had become like-minded, sharing the same ideology and beliefs, or the Pilgrim was simply biding his time, looking for an opportunity.

“…That’s right. The production volume is a shame.”

And of course, Envy believed it was the latter.

However, the outcome of the Pilgrim’s meeting with the leader wouldn’t change, so Envy silently placed the equipment in his hand.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Was Sunghyun any different from Envy?

Sunghyun, who could clearly see what was going on in Envy’s head, merely wore a subtle smile beneath his hood and placed his hand on the equipment as well.

The same sensation as when he first arrived at Sammy’s lab.

And instantly, the scenery before him completely transformed.

Unlike before, this time it felt like a place where people actually lived.

Subtle lights illuminated the walls, and it seemed like crystals were embedded in every crevice.

“Follow me.”

Following Envy’s lead, they walked deeper and deeper until a large, medieval-style door awaited Sunghyun and Envy.

“Is there anything I should be particularly careful about?”

“No. He’s not a very strict person.”

Envy, offering a reassuring smile, knocked on the door and announced in a slightly louder voice, “I’m here.”

The leader’s voice echoed from beyond the door.

Before and after the regression [returning to a previous state or time], not only Sunghyun but likely everyone else was hearing the leader’s voice for the first time.

Except for Kabulski.

The door slowly began to open, revealing the leader’s figure behind it.

To be precise, the back of him sitting in an ordinary chair.

“Are you the Pilgrim?”

“Yes. I am the Pilgrim.”

“Welcome.”

A voice with an excessively calm tone was heard, and soon the leader slowly turned his head.

Because of Sammy’s case, he seemed to be instinctively anticipating a familiar face.

Fortunately, the leader’s face was completely new.

It was a face he had never seen before, either before or after the regression, so Sunghyun breathed a sigh of relief internally.

“I’ve shown you my face, but you have no intention of revealing yours?”

“No. I don’t.”

The leader displayed a surprised expression at the immediate response.

The attitude that Sunghyun, as the Pilgrim, was exhibiting didn’t reflect someone who considered the leader his superior.

He was using honorifics, but he was treating him as an equal.

“It’s as if there’s a great secret hidden behind that face. Is that right?”

“It doesn’t matter what you think, but I won’t show my face.”

The leader nodded as if he couldn’t argue.

“Then I can’t force you. Why don’t you sit down first?”

Sunghyun took a seat in the place the leader indicated, and the leader stared at Sunghyun without uttering a word.

“First, I’m Carl Rhoden. You can call me Carl.”

“I understand. Carl.”

He initiated the conversation, so Sunghyun expected him to say something more, but the leader remained silent afterward.

He simply stared intently, as if trying to discern the Pilgrim’s face hidden beneath the hood.

“Strange.”

“…?”

The first word spoken after staring at Sunghyun for a long time.

Just one word: strange.

Sunghyun looked at Carl with a puzzled expression, and Carl looked back as if he could see through the hood.

“Do you know about my abilities?”

“I don’t know.”

Carl slowly rose from his seat and retrieved a book from the side.

“…Are you going to show me that?”

Envy, who was observing, intervened, but Carl only glanced at Envy for a moment without responding.

Instead, he simply placed the book in front of Sunghyun.

“Will you look at it?”

Carl’s eyes conveyed that he knew what choice Sunghyun would make.

Sunghyun, after staring into those profound eyes for a moment, reached out to examine the book.

“Or…”

At that moment, Carl’s hand grasped Sunghyun’s hand.

It was a hand that felt surprisingly smooth, as if he hadn’t engaged in combat against demons.

“Will you listen?”

Seeing and hearing.

The two choices seemed similar, but they represented a significant difference.

Carl was testing Sunghyun.

The biggest difference between these two choices was that seeing involved examining Carl’s past records.

Listening, on the other hand, meant hearing Carl’s current thoughts.

While the book might offer a glimpse into Carl’s past thoughts and an objective perspective, listening would undoubtedly be influenced by Carl’s current intentions and purpose.

Carl was deliberately presenting these two options to gauge Sunghyun’s intentions.

Was he there to understand Carl or to demonstrate his abilities and receive appropriate treatment?

“I…”

Sunghyun hesitated before answering.

The fundamental reason for his presence was singular.

To locate their base and bring everything to an end.

He could have acted immediately, given his position facing Carl, but Sunghyun refrained.

There was one thing he was curious about.

How had they operated for so many years without leaving a trace?

It was a feat that couldn’t be achieved simply by hiding something.

Therefore, there was only one answer.

To hear it directly from Carl’s mouth.

At the very least, he needed to assess their other assets.

“I will listen.”

Perhaps pleased with Sunghyun’s answer, Carl offered a faint smile and placed the book beside him.

“My ability is simply to see the future.”

“The ability to see the future…”

“However, it’s not the current me who sees what will happen in the future, but the future me who tells the past me the results.”

“That’s a pretty complicated ability.”

He wondered about the difference between the two, but there was a significant distinction.

Like the choice Sunghyun had just faced.

Receiving results from a future version of himself who had already experienced those events would be vastly different from simply seeing them.

Because he would know everything about what he felt at that time, and what was wrong if the result was wrong.

“Do you know that I am meeting you now?”

“No. Unfortunately, there are people who are not visible. There was originally one, but now one more has been added.”

Judging by Carl’s gaze and reaction, it seemed the new invisible target was Sunghyun himself.

And the variable that Kabulski had sensed was also Sunghyun.

“Who is the other one?”

“Kim Sunghyun.”

“That’s him.”

“Yes. The only… no, now there are two invisible people with the appearance of the Pilgrim.”

Perhaps frustrated by the fact that he was invisible, Carl drank the water beside him.

Carl, after roughly drinking the water to the point where it spilled down his mouth, slammed the glass on the table and stared at Sunghyun, or rather, the Pilgrim.

“Since he is an invisible person, we have conducted extensive research in our own way.”

Carl then turned to Envy and gestured, and Envy nodded slightly and left the room.

“There’s something I want to show you.”

Until Envy returned, the two remained silent, their eyes locked on each other.

Soon, Envy re-entered the room, carrying two bottles filled with liquid.

Sunghyun had created it, so there was no way he wouldn’t recognize it.

The liquid in those two bottles was elixir.

“Do you know what that is?”

“That is…”

“You probably can’t deny knowing.”

Carl said, taking the two bottles from Envy and placing them on the table.

“Because you made it yourself. Isn’t that right? Kim Sunghyun?”

Carl’s expression wasn’t probing.

It was the expression of someone who was already convinced.