Chapter 24
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: 4. The Value of Potions (1)
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Now I know too.
My potions are pretty effective.
They seem way better than others in the same class, no question.
So his words made sense.
And to the protagonist, I'd smoothly settled into the role of that half-friend who's useless inside dungeons but handy for making potions outside.
In the midst of everything going so smoothly, the chance had arisen for me to provide him with the potions he'd need for conquering the Cataclysm Dungeon—just hand them over, no strings.
All my worries about how to get him to accept them without us being that close? Pointless now.
He was offering to do it himself!
I nodded eagerly, my heart light.
"Remember."
"What? What did I say, Hari?"
Hee asked sharply.
"You said you'd spend about a month with me in the workshop after school. And that you wouldn't take payment for the potions..."
"What?"
"...You sure that's okay with you, Han-seong? I feel like I'm getting way too much help."
I tossed out the hint for even better potions down the line, while Hee let out a startled noise behind me.
Yoo Han-seong glanced at Hee with amused eyes before turning to me.
"I'm fine with it."
I looked at him for a moment, then dipped my head slightly before lifting it again.
Wearing an expression of deep gratitude, I said,
"I really feel like coming here was the best decision ever."
Both of them turned to me with suddenly puzzled looks.
"Everyone here's just so kind and good."
This was the honest truth.
Something I'd realized after watching them for a week.
I'd sensed it from day one, but they all had a basic sense of justice. And even though it wouldn't be weird for them to act cold toward an F-class healer whose abilities tied directly to survival issues, they were surprisingly gentle most of the time.
They weren't picking fights with me anymore, either.
Sigh.
The nicer they were, the more I hoped they wouldn't enter dungeons—not just me, but everyone here.
Or if they had to go, that they'd at least be safe.
That made me work even harder.
Thanks to that, my skills had grown so rapidly over the past week that even Erich was impressed.
'Well, it was something I had to do anyway, but now I've got real motivation.'
Two days ago, I'd finally given Lee Hae-sol a spirit barrier potion as a gift.
These two didn't know about it yet, but they'd find out soon enough.
From then on, I'd be able to steadily supply Han-seong with the potions he needed for the Cataclysm.
Of course, it wasn't all smooth sailing.
Actually, I was surprised at how good Yoo Han-seong's relationships were turning out.
'In the original story, this vibe didn't show up until way later.'
Not just with me—his ties with the future S-ranks.
Except for Lee Sang-hee, all the future S-ranks in Class 8 were now chatting a lot with Yoo Han-seong.
'Friendship is... a separate issue, maybe.'
Still, lots of conversations meant they were getting closer, right...?
The problem was that I seemed to be lumped in with his group.
Well, no need to worry about getting dragged into dungeons just yet.
"I could do it, Han-seong."
"What are you talking about? I heard you're in the student council now. That's no small job. If you try to catch two rabbits and end up with none, it'll be embarrassing."
"...You already heard about me going in this morning? Heh."
"I recommended you. Figured you'd be great at it."
"Hehehe."
"That formation on the workshop door—your family's, right? You've had a rough time. You can relax now, Yu-hee."
"Hoo..."
"Oh, before you go, you should probably erase that formation today. You've got time for that, yeah?"
See? Our conversations had definitely picked up.
Yu-hee had already joined the student council, huh.
In the original, she'd volunteered at the end of freshman year, as I recalled.
'She got the offer around then and accepted.'
Her family had pushed her into it, I think.
She'd hated it back then. What about now?
Suddenly worried, I tapped Hee's arm and asked,
"Hee-ya, you joined the student council?"
"...Hoo. Yeah. This morning, grrr."
I swear I heard teeth grinding somewhere.
No way it was from angelic Yu-hee, so it had to be Erich.
[......]
Whatever.
"They offered?"
"Yeah. They said there's some pretty useful magic formations there. I accepted to study them... Shouldn't have. I could've done it myself..."
Her words and voice were pure angel...
But today's Yu-hee looked ready to murder Yoo Han-seong with her glare.
'This is just part of them getting close, right?'
Han-seong wouldn't act carelessly, so this must all be part of his plan.
I shook off the unease and drew Yu-hee's gaze back to me.
"I'm okay. And even without your help, I can always give potions to my friends for free. You too, Han-seong. No matter how I think about it, this doesn't feel like proper payment. I'm just selling them to put your minds at ease."
This was acting mixed with real feeling, so I couldn't quite keep the sulky tone out of my voice.
The two of them stared at me silently for a moment, then exchanged a cryptic glance.
Then Hee said to me,
in her usual soft, relaxed voice.
"I'll definitely remember that kindness. Thanks, Hari. Guess I'll head to the student council then. With Han-seong here. Today, I just... kinda want to take it easy."
I checked her expression, then smiled faintly and nodded.
"Yeah. See you tomorrow!"
She patted my shoulder lightly and crossed the hallway.
Once her figure vanished, a murmur of small voices echoed from the end of the corridor.
Yoo Han-seong turned to me.
"Let's go."
"To the workshop?"
"Yeah. Oh, got a minute before that?"
I tilted my head and started walking.
"Why? Something up, Han-seong?"
We headed to the end of the hallway behind the school.
A quiet classroom few people visited.
Long windows let sunlight slice diagonally across the walls.
Han-seong stopped and spoke slowly.
"Shall we finish that talk from before?"
His silver eyes looked down at me, piercing straight to my heart.
A bit of tension crept into my arms.
"What talk?"
Yoo Han-seong tidied a chair for me, then leaned against the wall by the window, watching me.
"There's something I need to tell you."
I tensed up briefly.
Okay, whatever it was, once this conversation ended, I'd have a reliable channel to deliver my potions to him. That was my gut feeling.
"You know what the sparkling phenomenon is?"
"Yeah."
"In the training dungeon."
He continued lowly.
"Your potions are causing a resonance. But everyone's hesitant to tell you directly."
I drew in a sharp breath.
Ah.
So that's it.
Something must've happened among the students back from today's training.
The weird atmosphere made sense now.
I stared at him wordlessly.
"Hari."
He continued in an extremely cautious tone.
"It's clear now. Your potions work even better inside dungeons than outside."
Now I understood why people had been staring at me oddly since morning.
"I didn't know."
I nodded slowly.
And answered calmly.
"I can't go into dungeons. So yeah, I didn't."
"You don't seem that surprised."
"How to put it... Ever since I saw the sparkling, I kinda suspected."
"Ah."
"But what's this about everyone being careful? They can't tell me?"
Maybe they thought I'd jack up the prices. The idea flashed through my mind.
But his answer was unexpected.
"Because if word gets out, you'll be in a tough spot."
Immediate response.
His silver eyes had quietly darkened.
They were worried about me?
If that was true, then not just Class 8—everyone in this school knew and was keeping quiet.
Hard to believe.
I couldn't speak for a moment, then barely managed,
"...Why?"
"Is that 'why' asking why they'd worry about you being in a tough spot?"
My eyes met the protagonist's—bright silver, yet somehow shadowed.
Harder than ever to read him.
I nodded silently, and after a pause, he said,
"Would anyone want to see someone who's working hard come to harm? What do you think?"
"......"
"Especially when that hard work is to help others—and it actually does."
"I'd be... grateful."
"Exactly. That's why."
"But."
I'm F-class.