I Became The Only Healer In The Academy [EN]: Chapter 155

The tea the man offered was unexpectedly ordinary green tea.

The taste he used to hate as a child.

“First, to answer your first question… we are, literally, the owners of this supply route. Ah, let’s call it the Gate from now on. We manage everything.”

“Does ‘manage everything’ mean you are also responsible for creating Gates in our world?”

“That’s right. However, while it is true that we did it, we didn’t open them of our own volition.”

“If it wasn’t by your volition… does that mean there’s someone above you?”

“Indeed. In fact, we have no real responsibility for being the Gate’s owners.”

Not having responsibility seemed like a good thing, but for some reason, the man’s expression wasn’t very bright.

“We are the Gate’s owners, and the fate of every being inside this Gate is determined by our hands. Even their birth.”

As he said that, Sung Hyun met the man’s eyes, and from that focal point, a scene gradually expanded and completely changed.

A village that seemed to be inhabited by people.

Just like the place he had entered to obtain the inheritance, it was an ordinary village where humans lived.

“The scenery you’re seeing now is part of my Gate. They don’t create new life unless I want them to. Of course, that has never happened.”

The man disappeared from view, but his voice sounded as if he were right next to him.

“The reason we have no responsibility is the same as saying we have no freedom. It doesn’t matter what we do in this Gate, but our will itself belongs to them.”

“Does that mean we have to think as if we want something even when we don’t?”

“Well, something like that. Otherwise, we’ll be annihilated.”

This time, the scenery changed again.

The scenery that changed in an instant showed a village with a much lower level of civilization than the one where people seemed to live.

“They are also part of my Gate. Inside the Gate, they don’t fight each other. They are made so that such thoughts don’t even occur to them.”

“…”

Then the scenery changed again, returning to the table where he first met the man.

“Has some of your curiosity been satisfied?”

“…Yes.”

“Then may I ask a question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why, or rather, how did you regress [return to a previous state or time]?”

The man’s eyes were truly shining as he asked.

Like a scientist who has just discovered an unknown mystery.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know either.”

“Hmm… that’s truly a shame. Then what happened right before your regression?”

“At that time…”

Sung Hyun explained what happened right before his regression.

His mother and younger sibling dying from the rampaging mana beasts.

And Sung Hyun dying without even avenging those mana beasts.

“Interesting. So the condition for regression is death, and the driving force is revenge? Did you have any thoughts when you died?”

It was a slightly more sensitive question, but Sung Hyun didn’t care.

He just thought it was a dream.

“That my beginning was unfortunate.”

Having an ability that was useless and only shone for a moment.

“And… that I wanted to save my mother and younger sibling even if it meant sacrificing my soul.”

He didn’t seem to have any other thoughts besides these two.

“Oh ho… then perhaps, no. Now it’s your turn to ask questions. The conversation must be fair.”

What question should he ask now?

Could the owner of the ability that the owner of the inheritance mentioned be related to the beings above them?

“Then who is the owner of your will?”

“…”

In an instant, the man’s expression hardened.

“It wasn’t an unexpected question, but I didn’t think it would come up so soon. Who do you think regressed you?”

“This… I couldn’t have predicted at all. I didn’t see any clues…”

“Although I have never seen the owner of my will directly, I think the one who regressed you and the owner of my will are beings of similar caliber [level of ability or quality].”

“Similar… caliber?”

“Yes. Every being has a caliber. I am very fortunate to belong to an ordinary caliber.”

What were these stories about?

From the beginning, it seemed a bit far from what was happening in Sung Hyun’s world.

“Congratulations.”

“…Pardon?”

Suddenly congratulating him.

What on earth was he talking about?

Sung Hyun looked at the man with a puzzled expression.

The man’s expression was no different from before.

“When you leave this Gate, your caliber will change to an ordinary being.”

“What does that…”

“Right now, you are a being of insignificant caliber. The others in your world are beings to whom you can’t even attach the word ‘caliber’.”

“There are many in my world who can block the attacks from inside this Gate.”

“Hmm?”

At Sung Hyun’s words, the man laughed for a long time.

After laughing loudly for a while, the man stopped laughing and said.

“The standard for caliber is not strength.”

“Then what on earth…”

“Knowledge and wisdom. These two are the standards for caliber.”

“…”

“It will be hard to accept right now, I suppose.”

As the man said, Sung Hyun had a rather complicated expression.

If knowledge and wisdom are the standards for caliber, what would be the standard for that knowledge and wisdom?

It was clear that it couldn’t be met with simple standards like being smart or clever.

“As you may have already noticed, there are countless worlds that can be called worlds. However, there are not many places connected to the world you live in.”

“Then how many places are connected to my world?”

At Sung Hyun’s question, the man held up two fingers and said.

“Two places.”

“Two places…”

It felt like the puzzle was slowly coming together.

The one who regressed Sung Hyun and the owner of this man’s will.

There was a slight possibility that these two were the same person, but there was a greater possibility that they were from two different worlds.

“Haha.”

The man, who had been watching Sung Hyun’s troubled appearance, soon showed a satisfied smile as if he was pleased.

“Congratulations.”

“Pardon?”

“Your knowledge has finally reached an ordinary caliber.”

Caliber is determined based on knowledge and wisdom.

That meant that one of the two possibilities Sung Hyun had just thought of was the correct answer.

“What caliber is the owner of your will? Since you are of ordinary caliber, that person must be of a higher caliber, right?”

“…”

The man was silent.

Usually, silence means affirmation, but it was not that kind of silence.

A silence as if he couldn’t say any more.

“This is it.”

“Pardon?”

“This is all I can tell you.”

“…”

“Would you like another cup of tea?”

“Yes. It tastes good.”

At Sung Hyun’s words, the man smiled lightly and poured more green tea from the old teapot.

“It’s all cold.”

While Sung Hyun savored the cold tea, the man disappeared for a moment and then reappeared.

Holding something wrapped tightly in leather in his hand.

“What… is this?”

“I’ll explain it slowly. Before that, there are a few things I need to tell you.”

The man placed the leather-wrapped object on the table and continued.

“You are fully aware that you will become an ordinary caliber the moment you leave this Gate, right?”

“Yes, I am.”

“When you leave, the Gates in your world will be further strengthened.”

“Are you talking about the 4th and 3rd class Gates?”

“I don’t know what those 4th and 3rd class mean, but it’s probably right since it’s similar to the level of this Gate that I am currently the owner of.”

After hearing the man’s words, Sung Hyun felt like he had been hit in the head.

When dealing with the owner of the previous 5th class Gate, he chose that direction because the condition for the 5th class Gate to disappear was to significantly reduce the number of mana beasts [magical creatures].

But now?

‘If the mana beasts are strengthened, it’s different from the 5th class disappearing.’

The possibility of the Gate causing a flood would increase, and the number of casualties among the hunters who were subjugating the existing 4th and 3rd class Gates would also increase.

While the number of mana beasts remains the same.

If Sung Hyun had known this result in advance, he would not have chosen to enter the Gate.

He would have taken it outside and fought.

It felt as if his thoughts and actions were being read in advance.

“Are you… okay?”

“Ah, yes. Please continue.”

“Anyway, that Gate will be strengthened. Although it will be weaker than the Gate of a higher caliber than me.”

“…That’s not welcome news.”

“What can you do? Everything has a price and a consequence.”

“Do you happen to know about the other Gate owners? What kind of abilities they have, or what to be careful of.”

However, the man did not answer Sung Hyun’s words.

He simply handed Sung Hyun something wrapped in leather that he had placed on the table.

“…?”

“Unwrap that first.”

As the man said, when he unwrapped the leather, there was a black dagger inside.

“I am not injured by any attacks. The same will be true of your abilities.”

“Then this sword is…”

“That’s right. It’s the only weapon that can hurt me.”

“W-Why are you giving this to me…”

The man let out a light laugh at Sung Hyun’s complicated expression.

“Do you remember what I said earlier?”

“What…”

“That we don’t take responsibility.”

“Yes. I remember.”

Responsibility was something that came as a burden to some and pressure to others.

But, as far as the man was concerned, the meaning was different.

“Ah…”

The man, who was staring at the sword with a seemingly ecstatic expression, soon grabbed the sword and handed it directly to Sung Hyun.

“I have finally become able to take responsibility.”

The man grabbed Sung Hyun’s hand holding the sword with both hands.

Then he brought it to his heart and said.

“For promoting you to an ordinary caliber. For taking responsibility for saying things I shouldn’t have said.”

“Don’t tell me…”

The man nodded instead of answering.

As if telling him to take responsibility quickly.

“It’s the first time.”

“…”

“Acting according to my will and taking responsibility for it.”

With those words, the man was slowly stabbing the sword into his heart.

The red drops of blood that were forming and falling soon began to form a single stream.

“I wanted to act more according to my will and take responsibility, but anything more than that is beyond the scope that my existence’s caliber allows.”

“So… so…”

Was that why he had a bitter expression at Sung Hyun’s question?

He wanted to tell him more, but because the question that required him to take responsibility came out early.

“Thank… you…”

The stream of blood that had formed became thicker and thicker.

The blood that had been flowing only from the stabbed area soon flowed down the man’s mouth.

“…”

The man, who closed his eyes with a satisfied smile and expression, scattered into the air and disappeared as if to announce that he was definitely dead.

Along with the weapon that stabbed his heart.

[You have dealt with the owners of the 4th and 3rd class Gates.]

[An unexpected process has been discovered.]

[There is no clear reward.]

[The 4th and 3rd class Gates are strengthened.]

[The Gate will soon disappear.]

“…Right. I need to get out of here first.”

He thought that the one who was the owner of this man’s will might have been watching this moment, but the window that appeared now eliminated that suspicion.

That an unexpected process has been discovered.

He might have seen the man disappear now, but he wouldn’t have heard the conversation he had with the man.

“I enjoyed the tea.”

Sung Hyun poured all the remaining green tea in the teapot into the teacup.

Then he placed the cup in front of where the man had been sitting and left the place.