Chapter 10
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: 1. Surviving as an F-Class Healer (10)
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To fully unseal him, the contractor would have to steadily feed it low-grade potions or mana, just like the original Yoo Han-seong did, and use this earring magic tool that's currently holding him to convert all of its HP and lifespan into mana.
Of course, I had no intention of doing any of that.
Right now, I was trying to indirectly let this kid know about it.
"I'm a healer. An F-class healer!"
[......Uh, F-c-class, hea....]
At my words implying it would be hard for it to eat potions or mana, Erich made a choking sound.
"Erich?"
I pulled out the earring and shook it vigorously to snap it out of it, and the gurgling stopped.
[Stop! Stop it!]
"Okay."
A despairing voice rang out. Good. I continued brightly.
"But you know, that mana conversion thing I mentioned earlier. I was going to practice potion-making, so could you help me with that?"
Erich fell silent for a moment, grumbling, then let out a long sigh.
[......I'll gladly help.]
It was clearly expecting that since I was F-class, even if I succeeded in making low-grade potions, no one would take them, so it'd get them for itself.
"Thanks. Then let's get out of here, Erich."
Even after that, there were a few more sniffles.
Only after I'd spent a long time stargazing did a listless voice finally reply.
[Open the golden box among the remaining ones. Drink the potion inside.]
This wasn't a lie.
'It cursed out Yoo Han-seong, but it's surprisingly docile?'
Of course, the contract oath Yoo Han-seong made had a few more lines than mine, turning it into a complete slave contract of total domination.
The moment he saw it, he gave up on giving it to the freshman rep and made the slave contract first, thinking it might be useful.
The protagonist, really.
'Erich, you should be grateful you got stuck with me.'
Thinking that inwardly, I jumped to my feet.
"Thanks!"
And without any hesitation, I chugged the gray potion from the golden box.
[You... You have zero sense of danger.]
"Huh? You have eyes too, Erich?"
[......]
Oh, right.
I planned to play the slightly dumb human card with it. Erich needed to realize the reality that it had contracted with the weakest idiot and despair.
"If you have eyes, you can watch me while I'm making potions and tell me if I mess up. Looking forward to working with you, Erich!"
I grinned at the silent Erich and put on the earring with him sealed inside.
At that moment, overlapping with Erich's mumbling, I heard the sound of waves.
And the rustling of sand scattering.
When I opened my eyes.
"......Huh?"
"You......"
The first thing I saw was a handsome guy frowning against the backdrop of the dusty workshop.
......Wait, Yoo Han-seong?
Why was he here already?
"Um. Hi?"
I awkwardly waved my hand as if greeting a stranger for the first time.
For now, I was in the situation of snatching one of the magic tools he was planning to take.
That's probably why he was so mad.
So, I needed to make all of this seem like a coincidence.
At the very least, prove that I hadn't intentionally taken Erich.
"We're acquainted, right? Yoo... Han-seong. Han-seong. Nice to see you. But, uh, could you let go?"
As I awkwardly spoke, pretending to have just noticed his name tag, his gaze went to his own hands, which had grabbed both my shoulders the moment we exited the dungeon.
And he flinched.
"......Sorry."
Say 'sorry to you' instead of 'sorry', please.
I laughed with misty eyes at the protagonist's characteristic speech pattern.
"It's fine, it's fine. Did I startle you by appearing suddenly?"
"......Yeah."
"That's why you got surprised. Hmm, what should I call this...... Erich, what just happened to me?"
I shouldn't know it's a dungeon yet.
But maybe because I was wearing the earring? I felt him jolt before he could even speak.
[Don't talk to me!]
"......Huh?"
Come on, but I have to act like an extra who stumbled upon a fortuitous encounter without knowing anything?
Endure it.
"But if I can't talk to you, I can't do the mana conversion."
I mumbled dejectedly, and Erich started screaming like it was bursting with frustration.
How cute.
"......Did you make a contract?"
"Oh, yeah. How'd you know? I kinda talked to Erich without realizing...... I was flustered."
"No. More than that, you knew the contract oath?"
"Yeah."
"How?"
You told me in the original story.
"Was it a week ago? I saw someone talking in a dream from afar. I just tried it on a hunch, and Erich accepted."
[Accepted! Accepted! You damn......! Who told this fool that?!]
I heard Erich whining in my ear but pretended not to notice.
"A dream......"
A week ago, right after he regressed, in the original timeline.
In the original story, several main and supporting characters had fragmentary memories of pre-regression along with Yoo Han-seong's regression, so this should be fine.
I'd have to be more careful with the distance, though.
The venom faded from Yoo Han-seong's eyes.
And his star-filled black eyes trembled faintly before quickly vanishing beneath his eyelids.
When he tightly closed and reopened them, no trace of the earlier agitation remained.
"Uh...... You okay? Your face looks pale. Suddenly feeling sick or something......"
"No."
"No, it could happen. If you feel even a little off, it's better to get out of here quickly. The teacher said the mana here is unstable."
"......I'm fine."
"Come on, quick. Let's go."
I expressed concern as I grabbed his chin and led him out of the workshop.
And while pretending to check his complexion, I read his expression and hurried out of the old school building.
"We learned this in mana class the other day. Being in a place with unstable mana can sometimes cause dizziness or severe pain. They said it's worse the more mana you have. Remember?"
"......"
"Looks like you have a lot of mana, Han-seong. Impressive. So it's nothing to be embarrassed about if you feel bad here. Got it?"
I could feel Yoo Han-seong looking at me with an incredulous gaze.
Whatever.
I started meddling busily, just enough to seem nosy without getting too close, since he had to pay attention to me but I didn't want to get chummy.
In the original, Yoo Han-seong didn't like overly kind people from the start.
Especially skinship from strangers.
'Well, that's obvious. But you grabbed my shoulders earlier too?'
This is all the hole you dug yourself...
"So, how is it? Still dizzy? Nauseous?"
The moment we stepped out the front gate of the old school building, I turned to him with expectant eyes, and Yoo Han-seong was staring at me with a terribly subtle expression.
This much shouldn't make him hate me.
Knowing his personality well as a fan, I confidently waited for his reaction.
"Han-seong?"
Yoo Han-seong glanced back at the old school building.
Then he looked at me again, cautiously let go of my hand, and flicked my forehead with his finger to push me back from him.
'......Wait, cautiously?'
"I'm fine."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Still, just in case, go to the infirmary. You might be sensitive to mana."
"Got it."
That cautious action earlier, and now strangely compliant. It was odd.
I eyed him for a moment, then tilted my head as if wondering why, and spoke.
"Oh, I didn't say earlier, but I was in there to borrow the workshop for practice. I got permission......! If you feel bad because I was hanging around the workshop or something,"
"Practice?"
Yoo Han-seong cut me off and asked.
I paused, then answered.
"Yeah. Potion-making practice. I figure if I practice, I'll improve even a little."
"......"
Yoo Han-seong's expression hardened slightly.
Then something flashed through my mind.
'Oh, maybe he doesn't like the idea of an F-class practicing at all.'
In the early original story, right after regressing, Yoo Han-seong only cared about those with S-class potential.
He didn't openly despise them, but he didn't bother hiding his attitude of 'you're useless, so don't do pointless things.'
Was he like that now too?