Chapter 2

2

Swordmaster Healer Chapter 002

Chapter 1: Reincarnation (1)

After waking from a dream, Seung-joon took a shower and left his house. His destination was the Seoul Dungeon Management Bureau.

"Welcome, Hunter. I'm Officer Lee Yeon-ju. How can I assist you?"

"I want to check the matching results."

In the Dungeon Management Bureau, the act of connecting hunters with similar skills to dungeons is called 'matching.' A look of annoyance briefly crossed Yeon-ju's face when she heard Seung-joon's request.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but we notify you separately once the matching is complete."

"Just in case... I came."

"That won't happen. If we haven't contacted you, it means the matching hasn't been successful."

"Can you check one more time? I've been waiting for a month now."

Yeon-ju sighed. It was impolite to show such behavior in front of a client, but Seung-joon seemed used to it, a bitter smile playing on his lips.

He knew it was a futile request, but the reality that forced him to do so was heartbreaking.

"Understood. Could you please tell me your name and rank?"

"Kang Seung-joon. C-rank Healer."

"Oh, Mr. Kang Seung-joon? The legendary Healer?"

"Hehe, yes... that's me."

Seung-joon gave an awkward laugh in response to Yeon-ju's question. 'Legendary' was the nickname given to Seung-joon, the first C-rank Healer to awaken, known for his unusually low healing power.

"That hunter is the legendary one."

"Why is he legendary?"

"His healing power is incredibly low, so while most Healers are B-rank or higher, he's only C-rank."

"What, hahaha."

The whispers were loud. Seung-joon hid his discomfort with a smile. Most Healers have strong self-esteem, but this doesn't apply to Seung-joon, who has low healing power.

Thanks to the rarity of Healers, he barely managed to get a C-rank rating, but in reality, he was weaker than a D-rank combat Hunter. Being mocked was something he was used to.

'Someday, I will definitely succeed...'

He didn't care about others' opinions as long as he could achieve his goal.

"Let me check. Please wait a moment."

Her voice clearly showed her annoyance. Seung-joon, who was looking at her with earnest eyes, immediately noticed. She checked the tablet and shook her head with a small sigh.

"The match hasn't been made. You'll have to wait a bit longer."

Her expression clearly said, 'Please stop bothering me and leave.'

"I'll come back."

Seung-joon returned home, hiding his bitter feelings. He lifted his smartphone to check his balance.

The 500,000 won he earned from clearing an F-rank dungeon a month ago was almost gone. Most of it was spent on living expenses and his father's medical bills, leaving only about 45,000 won.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

Due to his low success rate in dungeon clearing, his rating was low, making it difficult to get matched for dungeons.

He would like to work part-time at a hospital, but his low healing power and almost non-existent mana made him too exhausted after a few healings, making it hard to work there.

"This is getting dangerous..."

Just as Seung-joon weakly put down his smartphone, a familiar ringtone sounded. He lifted it again to check the screen.

With a sense of relief, he brought the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

-Hello, Hunter. This is the Dungeon Management Bureau. You've been matched for a D-rank dungeon. The party consists of five people, including you. Would you like to proceed?

The words 'I'll proceed' got stuck in his throat at the mention of D-rank. For ordinary C-rank Hunters, forming a party would make it easy to clear, but for Seung-joon, who had skills worse than D-rank, it was a terrifying place.

Fear overcame him, but he soon thought of his bank balance and forced himself to speak.

"I'll go."

He arrived at the meeting place an hour before the designated time. Despite the humiliating nickname 'Legendary' and his low healing power, he had learned how to survive as a weakling, barely managing to get by.

"Seung-joon, right...? You're here early."

A middle-aged Hunter armed with a greatsword approached. Seung-joon knew who he was.

"Ah, Mr. Kim Sang-min!"

Kim Sang-min.

A D-rank combat Hunter. Seung-joon knew his skills were good from the few times they had cleared dungeons together.

'This should be easy to clear.'

A smile spread across Seung-joon's face. But when he saw the next Hunter, he had to hide his sour expression.

"What? The Legendary is here?"

The man who appeared with a mocking tone was a D-rank combat Hunter named Jo Deok-su. Next to him was a Hunter who seemed to be his girlfriend, fawning over him.

"Bro, what's the Legendary?"

"Our Jina is new, so she doesn't know. Simply put, it's someone who is useless but still takes a share of the loot."

"Oh, I see!"

Sang-min frowned at their conversation.

"Those people..."

But he didn't intervene. To Sang-min, Seung-joon's position was just that. Deok-su took a few steps closer to Seung-joon and spoke.

"I'll give you 100,000 won if you just leave."

Seung-joon bit his lip at Deok-su's words. He thought he was used to it, but sometimes words cut deep.

Right now, for example.

"Deok-su, that's going too far."

"Just kidding, hahaha!"

Sang-min, who had been watching, intervened, and Deok-su stepped back. When a seemingly clumsy E-rank Hunter named Han Gi-seok joined, they received permission from the Dungeon Management Bureau and entered the dungeon.

"Everyone, stay alert! This is a D-rank dungeon!"

Sang-min drew his greatsword. The dungeon, like most, was underground. When Gi-seok raised a magic lantern, the party started moving forward.

"They're coming!"

Gi-seok shouted and took a few steps back as monsters appeared from the darkness, their red eyes gleaming.

"Goblins!"

Gi-seok shouted. A battle ensued. Sang-min and Deok-su, buffed by Jina, took care of the goblins at the front. Gi-seok guarded Jina, and Seung-joon stood at the back.

"Phew! Is that it?"

Sang-min wiped the blood off his greatsword.

"It looks like a boss room."

Gi-seok said. A massive stone door stood before them. After several battles, they had finally reached this point.

"The goblins were the only ones, so the quality of the mana stones isn't good. I hope the boss drops a decent item..."

Deok-su grumbled and approached Seung-joon. He extended his right arm, showing a wound from a goblin's dagger.

"Heal it."

"Sure, just a moment."

Though it was an order, Seung-joon hid his true feelings and cast a healing spell. White light enveloped the wound, and it began to heal slowly, but...

"What, the healing speed is really slow. It's different from the Healers I've seen."

"Jina, he's the Legendary. He has the worst healing power."

"Oh, right! That's true!"

Due to the random nature of matching based on ratings, you can't choose your party members. If you want to choose, you have to apply for a duo match or join a designated party.

The two laughed loudly, finding it amusing. Seung-joon, having healed Deok-su's wound to some extent, moved towards the stone door.

There was a stone tablet.

"'Temple of Reincarnation'...? 'O one who is ready to awaken to reincarnation, draw the sword.'?"

He read the foreign language on the tablet aloud. Sang-min, curious, approached with sparkling eyes.

"Can you read foreign languages?"

"A little."

"Pretty good."

Seung-joon smiled shyly at Sang-min's light praise.

"Come on! Let's go!"

Deok-su urged everyone. When he triggered a mechanism, the stone door opened. Sang-min and Gi-seok, who moved forward first, raised the magic lantern to dispel the darkness.

Just as Seung-joon, standing at the back, stepped into the spacious stone chamber...

Bang!

The stone door closed with a dull sound.

"O, oppa?"

"It's okay, we'll open it again once we defeat the boss."

Deok-su reassured Jina, and Sang-min, along with Gi-seok, inspected the chamber. A sword was embedded in the central altar, and suits of armor were visible on the walls. There were magic lanterns, but they didn't work.

"Those aren't Living Armors, right?"

"They only appear in dungeons B-rank and above, you know."

In response to Seung-joon's question, Sang-min replied. Still, Seung-joon couldn't shake off an inexplicable unease.

"It's not a hidden dungeon, right? Haha!"

Hidden dungeons reveal themselves in the boss room and are hard to detect even by the Dungeon Management Bureau.

They offer special rewards but increase the difficulty level. Most parties are matched based on their ratings, so a hidden dungeon disguised as a low-difficulty dungeon is a terrifying trap.

"Can't pull it out. Shall we all try?"

At Gi-seok's suggestion, everyone moved to the altar with curious eyes.

"It's safe. You can touch it."

After confirming it was safe, everyone tried to pull the sword from the altar, but it didn't budge. Just as Seung-joon was about to try, the stone chamber shook, and the magic lanterns on the walls lit up.

-SSS-rank reincarnation detected. Classification: Sword Star. The test for awakening will now begin.

As the voice echoed, the suits of armor transformed into Living Armors.

"No way! Living Armors in a D-rank dungeon?"

Gi-seok was shocked.

"This, this is a dream! It must be a dream!"

Deok-su panicked at the appearance of the Living Armors. Amid the chaos, the desire to survive was the only clear emotion.

Living Armors appear in dungeons B-rank and above and can easily tear apart a C-rank Hunter in a short time.

"Everyone, gather! We'll die if we scatter!"

"You don't have the authority... cough...?"

Gi-seok, who was about to challenge Seung-joon's authority, couldn't finish his sentence. A Living Armor's mace shattered his head.

Their movements were not agile, but their power was absolute.

"Seung-joon is right! We need to stick together!"

"No! I want to live!"

"Oppa!"

Deok-su abandoned Jina and fled. I have to survive! I must survive! But there was nowhere to run. He was impaled by a Living Armor's spear.

"Kuh, cough!"

Deok-su spat out a mouthful of blood, and three Living Armors approached, slashing him with swords and spears.

"Ah, aaaaah!"

"O, oppa!"

His terrifying scream ended with his last breath.

"We should stick together."

Sang-min said, eyeing the approaching Living Armors and swallowing hard.

Despite the urgent situation, Seung-joon remained calm and collected his thoughts. He recalled the words on the stone tablet.

'O one who is ready to awaken to reincarnation, draw the sword.'

"Draw the sword..."

Seung-joon muttered to himself. Everyone had tried to pull the sword, but not Seung-joon. He hadn't tried yet.

'I will pull the sword!'

However, the sudden chaos had put some distance between him and the altar. The Living Armors were closer.

"Haaat!"

Sang-min's greatsword struck a Living Armor's helmet. Living Armors, being slow-moving, were not hard to hit.

The problem was their defense.

As expected, Sang-min's greatsword failed to scratch the Living Armor's helmet.

"Damn it!"

Sang-min cursed, and Seung-joon, drawing a dagger he carried for self-defense, spoke.

"Jina, please give me a buff!"

"What makes you think you can order me around! Get lost! Get lost, I said!"

Seung-joon's eyes turned cold. Jina, overwhelmed by the fear of death, had lost her mind. She was unaccustomed to such a situation, having lived comfortably under Deok-su's protection.

"Get lost, I said!"

Jina's sharp scream echoed through the spacious stone chamber. He couldn't count on her help. Seung-joon started running towards the altar alone.

Living Armors, while slow, were still faster than other monsters. He was covered in blood from their attacks.

"Kuh!"

Soon, Sang-min fell. Seung-joon, despite being stabbed repeatedly, finally reached the altar.

Meanwhile, Jina was surrounded by Living Armors.

"Please!"

With blood-stained hands, he grabbed the old sword embedded in the altar. In the next moment, the sword, which had not moved for others, was pulled out.