I Became The Only Healer In The Academy [EN]: Chapter 186

186

Arriving at the airport, Sung Hyun was greeted by a sizable crowd.

Reporters dogged his every step, and the Association President was also present.

“You’ve arrived.”

“It’s been a while. Shall we talk while heading to the gate?”

“Yes, I understand.”

Even a moment’s delay was considered precious.

Of course, those who had entered the gate before Sung Hyun arrived in the US were likely already dead, but leaving a mutated gate unattended was out of the question.

Sung Hyun, settling into the car with the Association President, turned to him and asked, “How is it?”

“You’ve likely received a briefing from the Korean Association President. The mutated Rank 2 gate is about an hour away from the airport, relatively close.”

“That’s a relief.”

“And the top-ranked Hunters are already positioned around the gate. They’ll likely begin the subjugation as soon as Hunter Kim arrives.”

“Has anything else been identified?”

This was the crucial question.

Sung Hyun intended to minimize his direct involvement in the subjugation.

He didn’t want to provide those wary of him with further justification or excuses.

To them, Sung Hyun’s existence was a double-edged sword: regrettable not to have, yet frightening to possess.

Displaying his exceptional combat abilities would likely tip the scales completely.

“We couldn’t enter, so detailed identification was impossible, but there’s one peculiar aspect.”

“A peculiar aspect?”

“Yes. The previous mutation of a Rank 2 gate, a long time ago. Are you familiar with it?”

“Of course. Every Hunter knows about that incident, even ordinary people.”

“According to records, the magic power emanating from that mutated Rank 2 gate was significantly higher than a typical Rank 2 gate. This mutation in Korea exhibits the same characteristic.”

As the Association President explained, the magic power radiating from the mutated Rank 2 gate in Korea was so intense that it made Sung Hyun’s skin tingle.

“However, the magic power emanating from this mutated Rank 2 gate is so weak that it makes me question whether it’s truly a mutated Rank 2 gate. It’s even lower than a regular Rank 2 gate.”

“Lower than a Rank 2 gate?”

This information was unexpected.

The amount of magic power emanating from a gate usually indicates the strength of the monsters within.

If the magic power level was weak, the monsters inside would likely be weak as well.

“There’s no possibility of a measurement error… Is a long-held theory about to collapse?”

“The Association and the Academy are holding daily meetings to address this. If this changes, our current grading system may become obsolete.”

Such a change would have significant repercussions.

“Has a new gate appeared since the mutated Rank 2 gate emerged?”

“Fifteen Rank 4 gates and seven Rank 3 gates.”

“Anything unusual about those gates?”

“Fortunately, the newly created gates are normal. Furthermore, even if a Rank 3 gate mutates, the Hunters entering it are capable of subjugating it on their own, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Hmm… I’ll need to see it firsthand. To determine whether the magic power we’re sensing is all there is, or if there’s a monster strong enough to control its output.”

“If it’s the latter…”

“It could be a difficult fight.”

A gate was simply a connection between spaces, but the dimensions on either side could be vastly different.

If something could control the magic power emanating from the other side, it would require a level of magic power manipulation that even Sung Hyun couldn’t achieve at the moment.

The Association Vice President fell silent, sensing Sung Hyun’s seriousness and the implication of a difficult fight.

He was one of the few who had a good understanding of Sung Hyun’s strength, and Sung Hyun wasn’t one to make negative comments lightly.

“Let’s hope it’s not. And it probably isn’t. To possess that level of control, at least a Rank 1 gate would need to mutate.”

“The mutation of a Rank 1 gate…”

Just imagining it was terrifying.

Even a mutated Rank 2 gate could cause unknown damage, but a mutated Rank 1 gate…

“We’ve arrived.”

At the driver’s announcement, they reached the location of the mutated Rank 2 gate.

The hour spent talking with the Association President had passed quickly.

“I’ll head over immediately.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

As soon as Sung Hyun exited the car, all the top-ranked Hunters present for the subjugation turned to him.

“Welcome, Hunter Kim Sung Hyun.”

Ritchie was the first to greet him.

And then, unexpectedly, Padron offered a greeting.

“You’re here early.”

“I hurried a bit.”

“…That’s sarcasm.”

“I know.”

Sung Hyun offered a welcoming smile and walked past Padron, whose throbbing forehead vein suggested he knew he’d already lost this brief exchange.

“You must have had a long journey.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Shall we head in?”

“Let’s do that.”

Ritchie turned to the top-ranked Hunters, who were ready to enter, and announced, “Then, let’s begin.”

Since Hunter Sung Hyun was the only one who requested support from the United States, this was the first subjugation involving top-ranked Hunters from both countries.

The moment he stepped into the mutated Rank 2 gate, an unfamiliar sensation enveloped him.

Something different from anything he’d experienced before.

The mutated Rank 2 gate was quite peculiar from the outset.

“…A swamp?”

The entire floor was a swamp.

A vast swamp, with no solid ground in sight.

“Ugh… I hate sticky things.”

Padron frowned as he pulled his foot free.

While fatal to ordinary people, the swamp was merely an unpleasant inconvenience for top-ranked Hunters, making their feet sticky and causing them to sink slightly.

“Debrail, can you solidify the entire swamp?”

Debrail, whose abilities were related to water, surveyed the area and replied, “Solidifying it is possible, but it’s too vast. It would take at least a day to solidify this much swamp.”

“Then just determine the swamp’s extent.”

“That’s easy.”

Debrail plunged both hands into the swamp and began manipulating magic power.

Water-related abilities weren’t typically considered powerful enough to reach the top ranks, but Debrail was different.

He could control water almost at the molecular level.

Debrail’s magic power spread rapidly through the swamp.

Sensing the moisture and estimating the width.

“Debrail, how much longer?”

The process was taking nearly ten minutes.

Considering the magic power and control that top-ranked Hunters usually possessed, determining the width shouldn’t take this long, regardless of the size.

Even with Padron’s slightly irritated question, Debrail remained focused on his task before finally answering.

“…There’s no end.”

“No end? How wide is it then?”

“It’s at least as wide as Australia.”

“A, Australia?”

Padron, rarely surprised, was speechless, his mouth agape at the unimaginable scale.

“Yes. And I can sense subtle magic power within this swamp. I don’t know its purpose, whether it’s a natural phenomenon or intentionally placed there.”

There were numerous questions surrounding this place.

It emitted a pathetic level of magic power from outside the gate, and it was a swamp, something never before encountered.

Furthermore, the presence of magic power within a swamp of this size suggested that the magic power felt from the outside was likely the swamp’s own.

It possessed an interior larger than a Rank 1 gate, and after more than ten minutes, no monsters had appeared.

If they were hiding, these top-ranked Hunters would have noticed.

Sung Hyun felt nothing either, so they weren’t lurking nearby.

“First, solidify this area…”

Debrail, about to speak, abruptly pulled his hand from the swamp with a tingling sensation.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Everyone, activate a little magic power.”

“Magic power?”

As everyone followed Debrail’s instructions, they began to feel a slight tingling.

“What the hell is this feeling?”

As Padron said, it wasn’t painful enough to hinder combat, but it was bothersome.

If a monster appeared and they felt pain during the battle, it could be a significant variable.

“Hey! Kim! Use Purification!”

“I was going to anyway.”

It was so weak compared to the mutated Rank 2 gate boss he had faced before coming to the United States, that Sung Hyun’s purification was more than enough to handle it.

“What are you doing? I told you to use Purification quickly?!”

“I used it?”

“What?”

There was clearly no change in how his body felt, but Sung Hyun’s expression was that of someone who had used it.

Padron, using his ability again, silently looked around, still feeling the tingling sensation.

“Oh, is this Purification?”

“I really don’t feel anything?”

“I feel refreshed.”

Everyone was busy praising Sung Hyun’s ability.

Ritchie included.

“That’s a really amazing ability.”

“Your ability is also amazing, Ritchie.”

Padron thought he was mistaken and activated a little magic power again, but the tingling sensation persisted.

“Did that bastard use Purification on everyone except me?”

He was so dumbfounded that he stared blankly at Sung Hyun.

Sung Hyun’s eyes seemed to say, ‘Please use Purification politely.’

No, that was definitely the expression.

“Th, this ba…”

He was so dumbfounded that he couldn’t even swear properly, but Sung Hyun didn’t expect polite words, and soon smiled and reached out to him.

“Okay, everyone is purified.”

Sung Hyun’s gaze was fixed on him.

An expression that said he would let it go this time, but not the next.

“Ha, you’re still arrogant.”

At that moment, the ground began to solidify.

Their feet were stuck, but those gathered here were strong enough to pull them out without effort.

As they took a step, the ground cracked and released their feet.

“With the current magic power, you can solidify a city-sized land…”

Padron shouted before Debrail could finish.

“It’s coming!!”

No one felt it.

Sung Hyun felt something faintly, but it was so insignificant that he dismissed it as non-threatening.

The direction Padron was looking was the sky.

“Solidify the ground? Do all the bastards who come here think they can do something if they solidify the ground?”

In the sky, a small, magic power-less monster was floating.