The Price of Healing
The moment I set foot in Jerad, the damp scent of earth hit me like a wave. Jerad was a poor medieval village. Most of the houses were built from wood, with bark hanging from the roofs like tangled hair. Beyond the crude fences made of rough timber came the grunts of pigs and cows, while chickens wandered the yards at random, pecking at the bare ground and filling the air with the stench of droppings. Compared to this place, Runen—with its Explorer’s Guild—felt like a proper city.
“So people really do live in places like this.”
When I looked around in fascination, Haneul laughed and jabbed me in the side.
“What kind of thing is that to say?”
“It’s just interesting. Out there you’ve got orcs, goblins, dire wolves and all that running around.”
A village this small would get wiped out by a single werewolf. Living alongside monsters like that… it took a hell of a mentality to pull off.
“The knight’s awake,” Roa whispered, stepping closer.
The knight who had passed out earlier had recovered enough to get out of the carriage on his own, thanks to the healing potion. A healing potion. No wonder he was still alive after chugging something that expensive.
“Where…?”
“Don’t worry. We’re in the village,” the soft-eyed alchemist waiting for him said.
“How are you feeling?” Maya asked with a gentle smile as she looked at the knight.
When a gentle beauty with glossy brown hair smiled at him, the knight answered in a much more relaxed voice.
“I feel quite well. My head’s ringing a little, but I should be fine after a good night’s sleep. I don’t know how to thank you properly.”
The knight didn’t remember much about what had happened to him. He only recalled that some passing explorers had jumped in and fought alongside him.
“Your condition was critical, so I had to treat you on my own judgment… Is that alright?”
“I don’t remember it well.”
“You took four blows to the head from an orc’s club. Your left eyebrow split open when it slammed into your helmet—about five centimeters. If it had been even a little more dangerous, you wouldn’t have gotten away with just fainting.”
“You’re the one who healed me?”
Maya nodded slowly. The knight’s eyes shimmered with emotion.
…He seemed to think Maya had saved a dying man out of pure benevolence. He clearly didn’t understand how cold the world really was.
“How can I ever repay this kindness…”
Maya smiled brightly.
“The total medical fee comes to 1,200 ron.”
“…What?”
Repay it? Of course you repay it with money. The knight probably would’ve preferred to collapse on the ground again. The real tragedy was that he couldn’t faint a second time.
“I used a healing potion that included elixir in the prescription. I’m also a guild-affiliated alchemist.”
“Wait… just wait a moment.”
That knight had probably learned a valuable lesson: if you mess with orcs for no reason, you’ll end up with an insane medical bill. He’d grown a little, in his own way.
Still flustered, the knight asked, “That’s… rather shocking. 1,200 ron? On what basis did you calculate that fee?”
Maya delivered the product explanation in the smooth, practiced tone of someone who had said it many times before.
“The healing potion costs 1,000 ron, and I’m charging an additional 200 ron for my personal labor. It’s not my personal policy—it’s the standard set by the guild.”
Alchemists didn’t form guilds for nothing. Guilds were the most efficient way to suck money out of people.
The knight stayed flustered for a while before letting out a sigh-like breath.
“Just a moment… I need to contact someone, so please wait.”
Of course, Maya could wait as long as necessary.
“Sure! Take your time!”
We spent the rest of the day resting in the village. We had to wait for the knight to return with the money anyway, and everyone was exhausted from the fight earlier and didn’t feel like moving.
“Hajun oppa.”
Roa’s voice came from outside the door.
“Come in.”
Maya was definitely a generous host. Even among alchemists, earnings varied wildly, but it seemed she was on the higher end. After confirming the inn had no other guests, she rented four entire rooms. It was a considerate gesture so everyone could rest comfortably in their own space.
Roa appeared carrying a large tray. A savory aroma wafted from it. It was perfectly roasted chicken.
“Where’d you get that?”
While neatly tearing the chicken into pieces, Roa answered, “That uncle gave it to me. You know, the one who fought with us earlier.”
“Ah. The guy with the helmet?”
“Yes.”
We had received an enthusiastic welcome from the village guards. To explorers, a few goblins were nothing special. But to rural folk who spent their lives farming, they were dangerous monsters. If we hadn’t stepped in, someone might have been seriously hurt.
But against a well-coordinated explorer party, goblins were nothing more than experience points.
Maya and Haneul had already been invited out by the villagers to eat. I deliberately stayed behind. The moment they found out I was a necromancer, it would cause nothing but trouble. The Stench of Death penalty wasn’t there for no reason. In Dungeon Overseer, there were even players who refused to raise a necromancer just because of that one debuff.
“The uncles outside were making a fuss asking where you went.”
“They were looking for me?”
“I told them you weren’t feeling well and were resting.”
Thankfully, Roa was quick on the uptake. She’d noticed I was staying in my room and made up an excuse for me. From what she said, there was a small victory celebration going on outside. Four village guards and one knight had defeated twenty goblins and one orc.
“You should go enjoy yourself too.”
“Their bragging is way too much. They say there were only four of them fighting, but they killed forty goblins. Anyone listening would think they were Gold-rank explorers.”
Roa let out a small giggle.
Well, cut them some slack. This was probably the most exciting moment of their lives. If I were them, I’d be running around telling everyone how the fight went too. Though I wasn’t sure if beating up goblins was enough to qualify someone for Gold rank. I’d have to check.
“A lot of people said they wanted to see the sword you’re carrying, oppa.”
“Ah. This thing?”
So they didn’t want to see me—they wanted to see my saw blade. Apparently the guards had never seen a weapon like a saw blade before. They were pretty shocked watching me slice off an orc’s arm. If they ever found out I was a necromancer later, they’d be even more shocked than that.
“Someone even asked if you were a Slayer.”
“Where the hell did they hear about Slayers?”
Slayer was a class from Dungeon Overseer. A warrior-type class that specialized in two-handed weapons. How did country folk even know about it?
“Never mind going outside. Let’s grab some food before we leave tomorrow.”
While we were eating the chicken, Roa suddenly asked, “Oppa, don’t you drink?”
I did drink. And I could drink pretty well by myself.
“You drink?”
Roa nodded while chewing on a piece of crispy chicken skin.
“Should I go get some?”
The guards were probably drinking heavily by now. Explorers were the same—after seeing blood, everyone tended to drown themselves in alcohol. We had to leave tomorrow, but one drink shouldn’t hurt.
Just as Roa stood up, someone knocked on the door.
“Who is it?”
I figured it was either one of my party members or a drunk guard. It was neither.
“Explorer? Is the explorer here?”
It was some middle-aged woman.
“Who are you?”
“Please hurry to the village hall. Something’s happened with the alchemist girl.”
Roa and I looked at each other in perfect sync. Neither of us had any idea what was going on.
“What kind of problem?”
“The knight and the young lady got into an argument. The knight keeps saying he’ll pay back the debt or he won’t… Aigoo, just hurry!”
What the hell was that about? Before things got any worse, we rushed toward the village hall.
You have entered the village of Jerad.
‘This is going to be a headache.’
Baul, the lord’s advisory alchemist, clutched his head after reading the letter that had arrived from Runen. Although he was currently assisting the lord in Jerad due to personal circumstances, he originally belonged to the Elixir Alchemical Artisan Union in Oricil. He still kept in touch with his seniors and juniors, occasionally exchanging letters with the alchemists of Oricil to stay informed about guild affairs.
‘Maya has returned from the dungeon. How on earth did she survive?’
It had been about two months now. While working as an explorer, Maya had gone missing in a dungeon after an accident. The exploration team had dispatched an investigation unit to examine and analyze the situation at the time of the incident. Maya had clearly been separated from the group during an ant swarm attack. Everyone had assumed she was dead.
But Maya had survived.
‘If she had just died quietly, there wouldn’t have been anything to worry about.’
Lord Ian, the master of Oricil’s Alchemist Guild, had two daughters. The eldest was Maya. The second was Arin. Arin had received systematic alchemical training from a young age. She possessed advanced alchemical skills and was being watched as the next guild master. On the other hand, Maya was a child Lord Ian had brought in from somewhere. Although she hadn’t received the same structured education as Arin, she seemed naturally gifted and kept up with Ian’s teachings surprisingly well.
The alchemists expected one of the two to inherit the guild master position. And Baul believed Arin was far more suited for the role than Maya.
‘Maya already ran away from competing with her sister once. Even if she quits being an explorer now, she won’t be treated the same as Arin.’
Maya had chosen to become an explorer of her own free will. As a result, the number of alchemists in the guild who supported Maya was pitifully small.
‘…But the next master position ultimately depends on what Ian decides.’
The mysterious technique strictly guarded within the guild—the special skill required to synthesize ‘Elixir,’ Magnum Opus. Whoever learned it would become the next guild master. If Master Ian suddenly lost his mind and taught Magnum Opus to some beggar on the street, that beggar could become a Master Alchemist. Of course, if he actually did something like that, the other alchemists would make sure it never happened.
‘What the hell are those idiots in Runen doing?’
It was the alchemists in Runen who had first reported Maya’s disappearance as a death. Although Baul had received word that Maya was heading to Jerad with an escort, he had no intention of plotting anything underhanded. Maya had already been rescued by explorers and returned safely. She hadn’t gone missing in the dungeon—she had come back perfectly fine. If he caused an accident now, he didn’t even want to imagine what the guild master would do to him.
…Though he had heard that someone in Runen had already done something stupid.
‘In any case, Maya can’t beat Arin.’
While Maya had been wandering outside the guild as an explorer, Arin had been building connections with other alchemists and making her mark as a proper guild member. Even without lifting a finger, the chances of Arin inheriting the master position were extremely high.
Baul crumpled the letter and tossed it into the campfire. At that moment, someone knocked on his door.
“Who is it?”
“A guest has arrived. He says his name is Seoryang, a wandering knight.”
“A knight? Let him in.”
A short while later, a young knight entered. His head was wrapped in bandages—an unusual sight.
“Nice to meet you. I am Knight Seoryang.”
Baul couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked, “Where did you get hurt?”
“While fighting orcs, I…”
Seoryang seemed ashamed of his wound. It was an injury he should never have received given his skill level. He believed a momentary lapse in concentration had caused it. The thought that he had been hurt due to carelessness made him feel unjustly wronged.
“I’ll get straight to the point. Are you the secretary serving Lord Yanggol?”
“Temporarily, yes.”
“I heard you worked for the Alchemist Guild.”
Baul offered Seoryang a seat. The knight’s demeanor as he began to speak was far from ordinary. He decided to hear him out.
“That’s right. I was with the Elixir Alchemical Artisan Union in Oricil.”
In a serious voice, Seoryang asked, “Today I suffered an injury and received potion treatment from an alchemist. Yet that alchemist demanded 1,200 ron as the treatment fee. Does that cost make any sense at all?”
“...”
Baul was momentarily at a loss for words. Was this man seriously complaining that the medical bill was too expensive? Compared to the value of his own life, 1,200 ron was practically a bargain.
“Well, of course it…”
Then Baul suddenly remembered the letter he had just read—the one saying Maya was heading to Jerad.
“Wait a moment. Which alchemist treated you? Was it a woman? With brown hair?”
Seoryang nodded repeatedly, as if wondering how he knew.
“Yes. It was a woman with brown hair.”
“And she had other explorers with her.”
The story matched perfectly. The alchemist who had treated Seoryang was none other than Maya.
‘What a strange coincidence. She should have stayed quiet and acted like she was dead…’
Baul looked at the young knight before him. A wandering knight. A wandering warrior who didn’t take requests but instead killed surface monsters and helped people. Wandering knights weren’t as cunning as explorers. They lived difficult lives bound by things like honor and justice. Most of them were naive and easy to manipulate.
Suddenly, Baul’s eyes sparkled.
“Oh dear. It seems the knight has been scammed.”
“Scammed?”
“That woman is not a guild-affiliated alchemist. She has no right to charge a treatment fee.”
Seoryang’s eyes widened. Baul smiled at him.