Chapter 5

5

Swordmaster Healer Chapter 005

Chapter 2: Our Healer Has Changed (1)

The atmosphere changed as he drew his sword. The killing intent that had only been felt by Ho-yeong now spread subtly, dominating the surroundings. It felt as if sharp ice shards were piercing his entire body. The onlookers took a few steps back and swallowed hard.

"The moment Gang Ho-yeong drew his sword and swung it, it was recognized as self-defense. Now, if Legend kills Gang Ho-yeong, it won't be a problem. The self-defense among hunters is ruthless."

Someone in the crowd explained Ho-yeong's situation. The onlookers showed mixed reactions to his explanation.

"What, is Legend such a scary guy?"

"The air is so cold..."

"This is killing intent. I didn't know Legend had such hidden claws."

Some were shocked by the change in Seung-joon's aura.

"Gang Ho-yeong, you're going to die."

"Yeah, just from the killing intent, even an A-class combat hunter would back down."

"Legend was hiding his skills."

"Has a decent opponent finally appeared...?"

Some focused on the changed Seung-joon.

"Come on, attack! You damn bastard!"

Ho-yeong shouted. At first glance, he seemed brave, but in reality, it was self-hypnosis to shake off his fear. In contrast, Seung-joon was calm. He simply held his sword and took a stance.

It was the same stance that the man in the waves of memory had taken.

"It seems to be a stance specialized for real combat."

"Yeah. Both offense and defense. It looks advantageous in all situations."

High-level combat hunters in the crowd evaluated.

"I'm looking forward to it..."

At the moment someone let out a cold laugh.

"Die, die!"

Ho-yeong moved first. Seung-joon easily deflected the sword he swung. Just as Ho-yeong was about to attempt another attack, Seung-joon was already gone.

"No, no..."

Feeling the chilling killing intent from behind, Ho-yeong felt despair.

He saw death.

"Choke!"

Ho-yeong felt a dizzying pain and spat out a mouthful of red blood.

"This should be enough. No need for an apology. I'll forgive you."

Seung-joon coldly said as he pulled Roel out of Ho-yeong's body. He thought this was enough to set an example.

"You... pierced my heart... cough..."

"Didn't you want to kill me? So I pierced your heart too. Is there a problem?"

Ho-yeong writhed in the face of death, but the bleeding only worsened. His strength drained, and his vision turned black.

"Save... me..."

He pleaded for help from the onlookers. An S-class recovery hunter might be able to fix his damaged heart, but no one helped him.

"Shouldn't someone help him?"

"There's no need, I think."

"Scumbag! Serves you right!"

Hearing the cold responses, Ho-yeong felt despair. In the rising despair, Ho-yeong's breath was cut off. Seung-joon shook the blood off Roel once and put it back in the scabbard.

And as he took a step.

"Ouch, the pain..."

It wasn't the intense pain he felt in the "Temple of the Previous Life" dungeon, but his whole body ached slightly.

"The more strain my body takes, the more severe the pain becomes."

Experiencing the pain twice, Seung-joon realized that with his current body, it was impossible to perfectly execute the sword techniques from his distant memories.

"I need to activate my body quickly."

The more mana, the source of a hunter's power, is used, the more the body is activated. While he was organizing his thoughts, a new presence approached.

"Are you okay?"

The security guards who arrived late surveyed the situation. Seung-joon nodded in response.

"We need to accompany you for a moment. If it was indeed self-defense, you only need to write a simple statement."

"I hope you can finish it quickly."

"Once the investigation is complete, we will give you the first priority waiting number."

The security guard took a low stance. If the information he received upon joining the scene was true, the man in front of him had killed a C-class combat hunter in one strike.

The power of a C-class hunter is not to be underestimated. Seung-joon, despite being a C-class hunter, had a healing ability so low that he was often ignored, a unique case.

"This way."

Seung-joon followed the security guard to the investigation room. There, the investigator was checking the CCTV footage from the lobby.

As Seung-joon opened the door and entered, the investigator quickly stood up from his chair.

"Nice to meet you. I am Investigator Lee Gi-tae from the Dungeon Management Bureau."

Seung-joon smiled inwardly at Gi-tae's polite demeanor. Both the security guard and the investigator were courteous, unlike when he was called "Legend" and ignored by the staff.

'Treatment changes when you have power.'

Seung-joon let out a bitter smile.

"Please sit down."

"Thank you."

Gi-tae, with a tense voice, invited him to sit. Seung-joon, in a polite manner, responded and sat down. Since the other party was courteous, Seung-joon matched it.

'I'm not a psycho who destroys everything, you know.'

He only deals firmly and coldly with enemies who draw their swords.

"I confirmed the self-defense on the CCTV. Please give a simple statement of the situation at the time."

As Gi-tae said, the investigation was quickly over.

"It's done. The self-defense is clear, and there is no fault on the hunter's part."

"Thank you for finishing it quickly."

"Hehe, I'll escort you to the counter without needing to draw a ticket and wait."

Seung-joon smiled softly. The Dungeon Management Bureau recognizes and treats skilled hunters with thorough courtesy.

From Gi-tae's attitude, it seemed Seung-joon was recognized as a skilled hunter.

"Hello, Hunter. How can I assist you?"

Just a moment ago, there was a sword fight in the lobby, but the clerk greeted Seung-joon with a bright smile.

With the awakening, PKs in the streets, while not common, occasionally occur. Therefore, the staff of the Dungeon Management Bureau are somewhat accustomed to it.

'Awakening comes randomly.'

Awakening of human scum was also rare, and such cases often led to crime. Seung-joon hid his bitter smile and spoke.

"Dungeon matching..."

Seung-joon hesitated as he was about to apply for dungeon matching.

Was there a need to match? Could he solo a low-level dungeon? Soloing a dungeon is dangerous but saves time compared to matching and allows for the exclusive acquisition of mana stones upon success, making it an attractive method.

After organizing his thoughts, Seung-joon spoke again.

"I want to apply for soloing a D-class or lower dungeon."

"Are you talking about soloing?"

The clerk's expression changed at the word "soloing." Her surprise was evident. When she asked for confirmation, Seung-joon nodded.

"I am a C-class hunter, so I believe I qualify."

The clerk, seeing the bloodstains in the lobby, suppressed the urge to say, "But you're a recovery hunter."

"Soloing can help raise your rating, but due to the risks, the Dungeon Management Bureau does not recommend it to hunters. Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Don't worry. Nothing will happen."

Seung-joon answered with a smile.

"I'll bring the dungeon list. Please wait a moment."

Soon, the clerk brought the dungeon list. The most straightforward choice was an E-class dungeon created a week ago, but Seung-joon chose a D-class dungeon.

"Are you sure you want to choose a D-class dungeon?"

The clerk doubted her eyes. D-class and higher dungeons have significantly increased difficulty. Even for a D-class dungeon, it is recommended to form a party of at least three hunters of the same level.

Yet, a recovery hunter was applying for soloing? Despite witnessing the sword fight just now, the clerk couldn't help but suspect that Seung-joon was going to commit suicide.

"Yes. Please set the schedule as soon as possible."

Soloing, even with a low rating, is relatively easy to schedule, but it is dangerous because it must be done alone. Even for soloing, a Dungeon Management Bureau staff member must be dispatched, so a schedule must be set. The clerk nodded and adjusted the schedule with Seung-joon.

Fortunately, they agreed to start the soloing the next morning at 9 AM. Back home, Seung-joon turned on Hunter.com.

The lobby of the Dungeon Management Bureau was noisy due to the events of the day. However, there were no hunters cursing Seung-joon; instead, many posts criticized Ho-yeong for swinging his sword recklessly at the Dungeon Management Bureau.

Reading these, Seung-joon reflected on the day's events.

His more excited reaction than usual was hard to understand logically.

'Could it be the influence of the previous life's awakening...?'

He couldn't shake off his doubts.

'I need to be more careful in the future.'

Seung-joon smiled and lay down on his bed. With a soloing schedule set for 9 AM the next morning, he needed a good night's sleep.

And as he fell asleep, the man appeared in his dream.