I Became The Only Healer In The Academy [EN]: Chapter 277

277

Even with the news of the Rank 4 Gate outbreak, Seonghyun wasn’t too worried.

That was until he received the call from Inhwan.

Seonghyun’s guild, by its very nature, had few restrictions on joining.

They had resources to spare, and the hunters who joined were more interested in receiving solid training than in subjugation.

They certainly had enough power to subjugate a Rank 4 Gate, so Inhwan wouldn’t have been heavily involved in their subjugation.

“Half…”

That wasn’t all.

Other hunters who had gone in to save them hadn’t returned either, and now Sangyeon himself had gathered top-tier hunters from other large guilds and headed to the Gate.

A hunter of Sangyeon’s caliber wouldn’t normally be a cause for concern, but the fact that Inhwan had requested support meant that this was not a situation to be taken lightly, so Seonghyun headed straight to the guild building.

“Seonghyun!!”

Inhwan, who had been waiting for Seonghyun, had turned completely pale in that short time.

“Did you find out anything?”

“No. Nothing. The hunters who were supposed to bring back information haven’t returned, so I haven’t found out anything. But there is something strange.”

“Strange?”

“If the monsters inside are strong enough to keep the hunters from returning, the magic power readings outside the Gate should have changed, but they’re exactly the same.”

“The same…”

That meant only one thing.

They were completely blocking the magic power from leaking out of the Gate.

The very fact that this was possible proved that ordinary monsters couldn’t do it, and it would have been impossible to notice anything strange about this right away.

“Where is the Gate that Inhwan went into?”

“Here. It’s about 30 minutes away.”

“I’ll be back.”

“Okay.”

Normally, this would be a worrying situation, but there was no doubt in Inhwan’s mind when Seonghyun said he would return.

————————

“Kugh…”

“Impressive. A battle that exceeds your capabilities.”

The monster looked at Sangyeon, who was panting, as if it was very amusing.

He had heard that there were ranks among humans, and this one seemed to be in the top tier.

“Shut up, you monster bastard.”

“That’s the plan. We don’t need to talk anymore.”

The sudden change in atmosphere signaled that something different was about to unfold.

But he couldn’t respond to it.

‘Too strong.’

It was unpleasant and humiliating to be treated like a toy by a monster, but he had to admit it.

“I don’t know where that magic power comes from, but just having a lot of magic power doesn’t make you strong.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the air became sticky again.

It was the same attack that Sangyeon had torn apart with his hands before, but this time the level was different.

Like having infinite magic power but not enough capacity to wield it at once, the attack far exceeded Sangyeon’s ability to handle it, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

‘One arm and leg…’

One last elixir.

If an arm and a leg were to be blown off, he could regenerate once.

Sangyeon didn’t even try to avoid or block the encroaching magic power.

He was just concentrating the magic power in the air to one side, using everything he could.

Slowly, but surely, so that no one would notice.

“Heh heh, a wise choice.”

But he couldn’t fool the monster’s eyes.

The monster also thought it was his last struggle and was just letting Sangyeon have his way out of pity.

He let the toy have its way, but that didn’t mean he was giving it more time, so the monster used its magic power to tighten its grip on Sangyeon.

“Kuhk…”

The toy couldn’t even put up a proper resistance.

The toy, with its left arm and right leg blown off, fell to the ground with unfocused eyes and stared at the monster.

The toy took something out with a frantically trembling hand.

The monster knew what it was.

“Not anymore.”

He had enjoyed it enough.

The toy that had become boring was either thrown into a corner or used to experience new fun for the last time.

That brief moment of fun he got from completely destroying it beyond recognition.

He wouldn’t be able to get the same toy again, but that’s what made it even more fun.

The toy was about to drink something with its one remaining trembling hand, but the monster didn’t let it.

“Oh, a toy can’t maintain symmetry. That won’t do.”

One arm and one leg left.

If he completely removed them like the other side, he would have a pretty symmetrical toy.

The monster used the air to tighten its grip on Sangyeon’s body.

Precisely on the remaining arm and leg.

The elixir, which had almost reached his mouth, stopped right in front of him.

“Kuek…”

Sangyeon squeezed out every last bit of strength he had.

It was humiliating that the strength he squeezed out was not to attack the opponent, but to drink this one bottle, but there was nothing he could do.

Unfortunately, even if he squeezed out all his remaining strength, nothing would change.

The excruciating pain he felt in the hand holding the elixir.

If he could just drink the elixir in front of him, he could buy himself some time, but even that wasn’t easy.

“Well, thanks to you, it was fun. You’d be considered a strong human here.”

The monster’s expression was like someone who had just finished watching an interesting movie.

It was fun and memorable, but not something he wanted to see again right away.

‘…I’ll have to give up all my remaining limbs.’

The moment the hand holding the elixir exploded, he was going to catch the falling elixir with his mouth.

If not, there was no other way.

“That unidentified liquid… I want to try drinking it too.”

But the monster didn’t move as Sangyeon wanted.

As if it had read Sangyeon’s mind, it used its magic power to take only the elixir into its own hand just before his arms and legs exploded.

“I heard that drinking this heals all the wounds on your body.”

“Keuk…”

“I’ll have to use it when I get a new toy later…”

The monster, who was looking at the elixir in his hand with an interested look, suddenly stopped talking.

“It wasn’t made for monsters to use.”

It was a voice coming from right behind him.

Until he heard the voice, he hadn’t even felt that it was here.

‘A vessel.’

The monster knew instinctively.

What had appeared behind him now was the vessel, the purpose of this mission.

“You’ve finally revealed yourself, vessel.”

“Who are you calling a vessel, you monster bastard.”

Seonghyun raised his hand and slammed the monster’s head into the ground.

“Kuhk!”

‘Is it about the level of the boss of the old Rank 1 Gate?’

He was surprised that Sangyeon was in such a state, but if the opponent was at this level, it was understandable.

“Are you okay?”

“Hoo… yeah. I’m okay now.”

At the same time as he slammed the monster’s head, he finished all of Sangyeon’s treatment, and Sangyeon took a breath and got up from his seat, still remembering the dizzying pain.

“What about the other hunters…”

Looking around, there wasn’t even a corpse left.

Only their equipment and clothes were haphazardly stuck to the cave walls.

“Kek, vessel. Everything belongs to the master…”

“Shut up.”

There was no need to talk.

Seonghyun already knew a lot, and now the existence of the monster was no longer worth talking to.

Seonghyun injected magic power into the hand that had slammed the head and gave it strength.

“Let’s go.”

“O-okay…”

With that one attack, the monster’s head was completely blown off.

Just like he had blown up the other hunters.

“What about the other Rank 4 Gates?”

“Ah, we’re one. Not all Rank 4 Gates are like this, but only the largest Rank 4 Gate is in this situation.”

“I’m glad I wasn’t too late.”

This was the most serious situation Seonghyun had ever witnessed.

He could heal the faithful anywhere, but it was much more effective and certain to find and eliminate the cause than just healing them.

The same was true now.

“Well, I lasted quite a while.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

The words ‘Why didn’t you wait a little longer?’ almost came out of his mouth, but he couldn’t bring himself to say them.

Sangyeon had moved to save the guild members who had entered first.

“But what level is the monster I fought?”

“Um…”

“Please be honest.”

“Do you know the Rank 1 Gate I subjugated before?”

“Of course.”

“It was about the level of the boss of that Rank 1 Gate.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. Really.”

He was strong, strong, but he never thought it would be that strong.

Of course, all he did was hold on, but the weight of the name ‘Boss of a Rank 1 Gate’ was this much.

Sangyeon, who had high pride and self-esteem, was happy even though he was in such a miserable state.

“Why? Do you want to fight him once?”

“Again?”

“I’ll be by your side, and you can feel it now. How different it is from before.”

“That’s true… but isn’t he already dead?”

Sangyeon had already felt the gap with his body, but just having Seonghyun by his side seemed like it would be enough.

“That? He’s not dead yet.”

“…He’s not dead even though his head exploded?”

“He’s not dead. He’s just about to die?”

Sangyeon, who was looking at the monster whose head had exploded and was wriggling, shook his head firmly and said.

“No. I’m done.”

He wanted to fight again, but the thought of Seonghyun feeling the pain of having his head explode like that completely disappeared.

“It’s really okay.”

“I’m done. I’ll win if I fight again.”

Sangyeon said in a confident voice, and then began to collect the equipment inside the cave.

“This is all that’s left of them.”

“…Okay.”

Seonghyun also collected the equipment.

With his own hands.

Among them, Seonghyun recognized some of the equipment.

The equipment worn by the new guild member he had met once.

The equipment worn by the guild member who was a lower-level hunter but had some experience and was the commander of the Rank 4 Gate subjugation team.

Now that he had lost them, the things that came to mind one by one made him feel even more sad.

“…Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Seonghyun and Sangyeon, who had collected all the only traces they had left, silently left the Gate.

“Kek… kekek…”

The sound of laughter coming from behind Seonghyun.

A sound that was no different from spitting something out than laughter.

“Not… much… left…”

Even though his head had exploded, a voice came out, but that was all.

As Seonghyun said, he was just about to die.

No more voices were heard, and the boss of the Gate died as it was.

There were quite a few reporters waiting outside the Gate, but no one could ask questions to Sangyeon, who had returned alone among those who had entered, and Seonghyun’s unexpected appearance.

Just Seonghyun and Sangyeon’s hands holding a lot of equipment.

Looking at the equipment that had lost its owner, with only the name of who had used it left, they could tell what had happened inside the Gate without asking.