Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: This Way It Hurts Less
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There's not a single normal skill among them.
But I couldn't deny that the new skills I'd gained were incredibly powerful.
The bizarre activation conditions were the problem, but these were unmistakably high-tier skills.
Of course, they'd burn me white-hot with pain as the price.
Anyway, I decided to mull over the skills later and checked the rest of the rewards first.
Even just the mana stones... how much is this worth...
Lowest-grade mana stones worth a million won each—three of them at first, but with the unexpected achievement reward applied, I ended up with a whopping six.
6 million won... insane.
I'd made more money in a single hunt than my monthly salary.
No wonder everyone quits their job the moment they awaken as a hunter.
Of course, there were minor incidents like getting stabbed in the gut or nearly being vivisected alive while fully paralyzed, but with results like this, the risks were worth it.
Solo play really is the way to go.
This time, I examined the reward items.
What could they be? My heart fluttered with anticipation.
[Goblin's Blowpipe: Launcher - Dart-Type Projectile Tool 『Inhale... kek』]
[Masochist's Cuffs: Bracelet - Increases Pain Resistance 『It hurts less... so it's even better...』]
[Sadist's Riding Crop: Magic Wand - Amplifies Harmful Effects 『It hurts more... so it's even better...』]
The Goblin's Blowpipe wasn't something I could use, so I passed on it for now.
On the other hand, the achievement reward items looked pretty useful, despite their perverse names and ridiculous flavor text.
The cuffs would boost resistance, and the riding crop... it meant heals would hurt even more? Might actually be okay.
But these don't seem like items you'd get from the first floor...
I'd need an appraisal to know their exact value, but they felt so tied to my skills that they might even be class-specific items.
Anyway, these were valuable gains made possible only by going solo.
Skills and items I couldn't even dream of if I'd joined a party.
It was proof that my judgment hadn't been wrong.
I left the first floor and headed to the exchange.
I wanted to go straight home, but I had to offload the mana stones first.
Truth be told, I'd blown all my cash on flame vials and was broke. Those flame herbs were sneakily expensive.
If I wanted to grab a chicken on the way back, I needed to exchange first.
The murmur of voices.
On the way to the exchange, a crowd had gathered in one corner.
Wondering what was up, I turned my head—and a desperate shout hit my ears.
The word "healer" made me approach reflexively before I even realized it.
Then I saw a woman clutching her severed arm, writhing in agony.
Beside her, another woman was frantically trying to staunch the bleeding, not knowing what else to do.
Amid the dire situation, snippets of conversation reached me.
From what I gathered, the lobby healer had stepped away.
I desperately wanted to help, but the side effects were the issue. If she went into shock, things could get messy.
Seeing the woman slump weakly, irritation surged through me for a moment.
Screw it. I couldn't just let her die like this. I approached them.
The woman grabbed my hand desperately. It was covered in blood, but I didn't want to shake it off.
Not fine at all. This heal would make her jump up even with paralysis.
Yeah, no point explaining anyway. Better not torture her with false hope—just get it over with quick.
I gave instructions to the other woman.
But something felt off. If only I could reduce the pain a little...
'Ah! The item.'
I slipped the cuffs onto the fallen woman.
This might make it hurt less. Then, paralysis needles popped into my mind.
'Don't I have a ton of these?'
I quickly pulled out the paralysis needles and jammed them firmly into her arm stump.
The woman beside her stared at me in shock.
I ignored her reaction and focused on the task. Soon, the stump bristled like a hedgehog with densely packed needles.
I gave her a wry look and said,
I calmly extended my hand toward the wound.
Hiss—
The end of a tumultuous day.
I bit into the garlic fried chicken I'd picked up at the convenience store, alongside a canned beer.
The crispiness filling my mouth blended perfectly with the juicy meat. Yeah, chicken's gotta be fried.
Gulp gulp gulp—
I sipped my beer and tallied up the day's gains and losses.
The mana stones sold for about 6 million won. The Goblin's Blowpipe was a hot item in low-level brackets, easily fetching over 3 million each, so selling both would net another 6 million.
Total: 12 million won. Subtract the 1.5 million for the flame vials...
Over 10 million won...
Factoring in the unappraised items, my actual income was even higher.
Even considering it was a one-time achievement reward, it was remarkable.
At this rate, I could scrape together the down payment soon.
"Alright, let's push to the fourth floor for now."
The Tower had gate bosses every five floors, so solo, the practical limit was the fourth.
I needed to farm as much as possible while I could claim solo achievement rewards.
To gather info on the next floor, I browsed Hunter Net.
Title: Newbies Must Know - Floor 2 Strategy Guide
Unlike floor 1, monsters on floor 2 and beyond are random.
It's not totally out-of-left-field stuff—just monsters around the same level appearing randomly.
Bad matchups can make it brutal. When forming parties, don't stack similar class types.
I skimmed a few more posts, but no stage gimmicks seemed to be in play.
So floor 2 would be combat-focused too.
"Gotta snag some decent weapons and armor."
Now that I had money, I was done with the hammer-swinging life.
As I planned and checked the latest info, an intriguing title caught my eye.
Title: Saw Cha Yeonwoo in the Tower today. That S-rank healer guy.
Went to farm other floors since 15th boss seemed impossible.
Witnessed an incident. Snow Flower Guild was tackling floor 40 and their party wiped.
Only the tank and supporter barely made it out alive.
Guess you need a supporter with Emergency Escape unlocked for boss floors?
Anyway, injuries looked super serious. Management Bureau healer hit with early labor crit—total disaster.
No lobby healer on standby, so they couldn't even get to a hospital. Looked like they were gonna die.
Then Cha Yeonwoo showed up.
I was skeptical at first, but recognized him when he healed.
Rumors were true—heal amount is insane.
One heal reattached the severed limb instantly, wound closed in seconds.
But yeah, it hurts like hell. She foamed at the mouth, convulsed, and passed out right after.
First time seeing someone writhe like that. Fuck... scene was so shocking, scared it'll haunt my dreams.
Heard about the party wipe. Poor Snow Flower Guild—they were serious about Tower clears.
Floor 40 really is the Wall of Wailing. How many accidents now?
Other party members got insta-killed? Emergency Escape only saved one...
RIP.
Boss patterns are supposed to be brutal. No solid info out yet.
Cha Yeonwoo’s such a waste. Without the side effects, he'd be top-tier nationally.
But why's he even in the Tower? No party would take him.
The person I healed in the Tower must've been from Snow Flower Guild.
Things happened so fast as they rushed her to the hospital that I didn't even get her name. I'd need to remember if I wanted to bill for the paralysis needles later.
Why are these people so interested in me? It left me feeling uneasy.
I'd have to be extra careful coming and going from the Tower from now on.
That said, I needed to test the new skill, but no suitable target.
Animal tests wouldn't cut it. It had to work on monsters.
"No choice."
In the end, I'd test Pain Release on floor 2. For now, I looked into Pain Accumulation.
I put on the cuffs and grabbed a needle, stabbing my thigh.
It was a motion I'd done several times now, but my hands still trembled.
A sharp sting, followed by a red bead of blood. With a towel stuffed in my mouth, I cast Heal.
[Passive Skill: Pain Suppression +0.01]
[Passive Skill: Pain Accumulation +90]
The next day.
Gripping the War Hammer, I stared up at the Tower with a grim expression.
I looked like a demolition crew reject, but no one paid me any mind.
This was a haven for weapon masters who cared only about damage output, ignoring aesthetics—a gathering spot for damage dealers.
Ah, why is the Tower like this?
To enter the Tower, I handed over my ID. The receptionist stared at me in surprise. What, first time seeing a solo healer heading to floor 2?
The receptionist dashed off somewhere and returned dragging a woman in smart office attire.
A Management Bureau staffer escorted me to a VIP room.
Luxurious sofas and antique tables caught the eye. Female staff neatly prepared drinks.
I suddenly felt shabby and intimidated, but no backing down.
I, Cha Yeonwoo, was the one and only healer to solo clear floor 1. Time for some confidence.
As I sipped coffee uncomfortably, the woman introduced herself.
Undeterred by my prickly tone, she smiled.
Her moist eyes gazed warmly, full lips alluring, her figure seductively captivating.
But whatever—that had nothing to do with me.
What kind of nonsense was this? Trying to play me for a fool?
They smelled honey and the flies were swarming already.
I shot up from my seat.