I Became The Only Healer In The Academy [EN]: Chapter 286

286

After his final visit to the Vice-Chairman’s memorial, Seonghyun stopped dwelling on those memories.

He knew a day might come when he’d revisit them, but that would be after the current crisis had passed.

“It’s quiet, though.”

About a week had passed since the incident, and outwardly, little had changed.

Except for the disappearing Rank 5 and Rank 4 Gates.

The disappearance itself wasn’t unusual; it typically happened after a subjugation. However, this time, there was a subtle difference.

Normally, a Gate vanished as if its magical energy instantly evaporated. But now, they were fading slowly, as if gradually transferring their power elsewhere.

“That’s a relief, at least.”

A week wasn’t a short time, and the changes Seonghyun had hoped for were slowly materializing.

The Russian-based hunters had consolidated around Padron, and the already unified United States had further strengthened its forces.

“I can finally breathe a little easier.”

Those non-standard bosses emerging from the Rank 4 Gates…

Padron and Lich possessed the power to subjugate them. Unless a monster surpassing their capabilities appeared, Seonghyun didn’t need to worry.

Seonghyun planned to leverage this stable situation to gain more freedom.

Of course, this freedom was solely for removing restrictions on monster subjugation.

The Association provided Seonghyun with daily reports on the remaining Rank 5 and Rank 4 Gates.

There had once been numerous Rank 5 and Rank 4 Gates, but their rate of disappearance was surprisingly rapid.

The magical energy of the Rank 5 and Rank 4 Gates was steadily declining, and this wasn’t limited to just a few Gates.

The magic power of Rank 5 and Rank 4 Gates all over the world was disappearing.

The Rank 5 Gates had so little magic power left that they were practically gone, and since there wasn’t a big difference in magic power between Rank 5 and Rank 4 Gates, more than half of the Rank 4 Gates’ magic power had already disappeared.

At this accelerating rate, all Rank 5 and Rank 4 Gates would vanish within three days.

“Hunters capable of subjugation will move to where the Rank 3 Gates are…”

Blocking them should be easy enough.

That’s if everything goes as expected.

Three days was ample time to prepare.

The hunters had already gathered around Padron and Lich, and the situation was simple: they just needed orders.

“They’re people who repay trust.”

Since everything that could be done had been done, all that remained was to wait for further developments.

————————

“Everyone, stand by.”

Following Seonghyun’s instructions, Padron stood ready in front of a Rank 3 Gate.

The Rank 5 Gates had already completely disappeared, and since that magic power hadn’t transferred to the Rank 4 Gates, they would vanish within a minute.

“Be careful of outbreaks. If an outbreak doesn’t occur, others stand by, and I’ll go in.”

“Yes. 10 seconds left.”

Of course, 10 seconds was a short time.

He could only hope that a monster capable of overwhelming the boss that emerged from the Rank 4 Gate wouldn’t appear.

“Ready.”

One Rank 4 Gate stood near the Rank 3 Gate, close enough to be within Padron’s line of sight.

The Gate gradually began to fade, and then, in an instant, it disappeared like smoke.

“…This is…”

However, a change that defied everyone’s expectations began to unfold.

As if the magical energy of the vanished Rank 5 and Rank 4 Gates had converged on the Rank 3 Gate, its power began to surge.

“Is the magic power from other Gates concentrated in the Rank 3 Gate?”

Looking at the situation, it seemed logical to assume so, but Padron’s intuition told him otherwise.

He could accept the sudden disappearance of the Rank 5 and Rank 4 Gates, but their magic power had dissipated gradually.

Would there be a need to gather that magic power elsewhere only to concentrate it in the Rank 3 Gate?

No matter how he analyzed it, it was incredibly inefficient and a waste of time.

“This is…could it be…”

A thought suddenly flashed through Padron’s mind.

If one tries to emit more than what one originally has, there is usually a set purpose.

To achieve something by burning oneself out.

The Gate was swelling little by little.

As a result, the inside of the Gate became slightly visible from the outside.

“… ?”

What Padron saw was just an ordinary monster.

He made eye contact with a monster that seemed perfectly suited for a Rank 3 Gate.

If it were the old Padron, he would have cursed and reached out to obliterate the monster’s head, but this monster didn’t seem to warrant that.

Because its eyes were slowly turning red, and it was wearing a bright smile.

And at the same time, the monster’s entire body began to swell, just like the Gate had swelled.

As if it was about to explode.

Was this the reason for the monster’s smile?

Was that smile one of satisfaction, knowing it could die meaningfully?

First,

“Evacuate!! Deploy a magic barrier…”

But it was too late.

There was a significant difference between reacting directly and hearing the order from someone else and then reacting.

Padron’s abilities were based on his physical prowess, and deploying a barrier with magic power, no matter how abundant, was impossible due to the difference in application.

“What the hell…”

The Gate, which had been swelling, vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and then, from a single point, it unleashed an explosion.

Those who hadn’t reacted to Padron’s instructions and those who had reacted the fastest and deployed a magic barrier…

Could an exploding Gate be this beautiful?

The darkness, which couldn’t simply be described as black, temporarily occupied the space where the Gate had been.

And the small fragments within that darkness, whether they were pieces of the Gate or something else, emitted a subtle light like stars floating inside.

Compared to Padron’s urgent voice and the curse that implied something significant had occurred, Padron’s body didn’t even have a scratch.

If he were to be injured by this level of explosion, he would have already perished in a Rank 4 Gate long ago.

But that was just Padron’s experience.

Whether it was the higher-ranking hunter who had deployed the magic barrier or the hunter who hadn’t, they all faced the same grim outcome, differing only in the degree of their suffering.

Usually, beautiful things concealed a great deal.

Many beautiful things also contained poison.

Was it because of the beauty the exploding Gate had displayed for a moment? The explosion, as the fragments spread, began to penetrate the magic barrier and the bodies of the hunters who had deployed it.

“Kuaaak!!”

“Keheok…! I thought I was going to die…!”

The groans echoed soon after.

It would have been fortunate if only fragments had spread, but that was just the beginning.

The darkness containing the star-like fragments expanded.

Rotting and decaying everything it touched.

“Keueuk…”

Even Padron’s skin was slightly affected.

The magic barrier, already breached, couldn’t stop this darkness, and everyone who came into contact with it soon lost their original form and began to writhe on the ground.

“What the…”

No one could escape this.

It hadn’t spread slowly but rather erupted from the recoil of the explosion.

‘I have to save those who are still breathing.’

Those who had used the magic barrier were still alive, so Padron immediately rushed to retrieve the elixirs.

The elixir Seonghyun had given him wasn’t meant for drinking but for spraying.

The intention behind providing a large quantity was to treat many people, but if it had to be consumed, it would be nearly impossible to administer effectively.

Padron immediately threw several bags containing the elixir into the air.

“Heup!”

Simultaneously manipulating magic power, he punched the bags, and the bottles containing the elixir shattered, scattering their contents.

Thanks to Padron’s actions, at least some were able to save their lives.

“Hoo…”

Other locations were probably experiencing similar situations.

Since Padron wasn’t present, they had deployed personnel capable of using the elixir, and even if their response was slower than Padron’s, it wouldn’t have been too late.

“Heoeok…heoeok…”

“Keok! I almost died…!”

Should he call it fortunate?

About half of the hunters in this location had perished.

Padron ordered the Vice Guild Leader to assess the situation in other areas and report back, then immediately contacted Lich.

“Lich.”

“Yes.”

“Is the situation okay?”

“…It’s hard to say it’s good. Nearly half of the hunters…”

“It’s the same here.”

Fortunately, the damage was less severe where Lich was stationed compared to Padron’s location.

Seonghyun had given the ring to Lich before leaving, and manipulating magic power was Lich’s specialty.

“No one expected it.”

“It can’t be helped. There has never been an incident where a Gate exploded, even in historical records.”

To think that the Gate would explode.

At most, he thought it would end with a monster appearing that far exceeded the original level, like the Rank 4 Gate.

By causing the Rank 5 and Rank 4 Gates to overflow, they had already conditioned humans to expect the next change to be another overflow.

They created a situation where they had no choice but to deploy as many hunters as possible near the Rank 3 Gate and detonated it.

Although it was closer to a suicide attack than an explosion.

‘Carelessness…I guess.’

He didn’t want to admit it, but he had become complacent.

He was so certain that the Rank 3 Gate would also cause an overflow just because the Rank 5 and Rank 4 Gates had done so.

“What about Kim? [Referring to Kim Seonghyun]”

“That side will be relatively okay. They were able to stop the process of the body rotting away with purification.”

“Hoo…okay. I understand. I’ll contact you again later.”

If there was any good news, it was that the affected area wasn’t very large, so it didn’t cause any harm to civilians.

That’s why he was even angrier.

It meant that they had perfectly predicted that hunters would gather in this place and proceeded with their plan.

What kind of enemy are they facing?

The recent incident where the Vice-Chairman of Korea died.

That incident had shocked not only Seonghyun but also many hunters like Padron and Lich.

Many people might not know, but Padron and Lich were well aware that Seonghyun had gone to that location.

The fact that there was someone Seonghyun couldn’t protect, even though he arrived there directly and promptly.

What if Padron or Lich had been in that place?

Predictably, the outcome wouldn’t have been much different.

Padron sighed deeply and called the Vice Guild Leader again.

“It’ll be tough, but select the personnel who are in relatively good condition and have them stand by in front of the Rank 2 Gate.”

The Rank 5 and Rank 4 Gates had disappeared, and the Rank 3 Gate had also vanished, albeit with disastrous results.

Now, all that remained were the Rank 2 and Rank 1 Gates.

He had instructed the Vice Guild Leader to prepare for that, but the response he received was unbelievable.

“The Rank 2 Gate is…”

“The Rank 2 Gate is what?”

“It has become huge.”

“…What?”

What on earth was he talking about?

That the Rank 2 Gate had become enormous.

“I’m going. Just be on guard.”

“Understood.”