Saintess Choi Eunji's Circumstances #2
Choi Eunji was the eleventh female Awakener officially recognized as a Saintess by the Vatican. Her miraculous healings were unparalleled, making it a natural progression, but her true power had yet to be revealed. At the Korean government's request, the Holy See treated her abilities as top secret. Of course, the Vatican would never leak information about a Saintess they had formally acknowledged, no matter what. Korea did this to prevent their prized talent from being poached by other nations, but information has a way of leaking out eventually.
With the Vatican officially recognizing her as a Saintess, the great powers weren't about to just sit idly by. But the conclusion many countries reached after digging into Choi Eunji's profile? Unsuitable for dungeon exploration.
The miracle of healing. Impressive, no doubt. But other Saintesses had healing abilities too. The only edge was that as an S-rank healer, she could heal far more people at once than the rest. Give the others enough mana recovery, though, and they could match her healing prowess just fine.
Even America's Washington Dungeon Exploration Team, the most desperate to recruit her, lost interest the moment they confirmed she was a glass cannon. They already had three recognized Saintess healers, including the most famous one, Kurea, on their team.
Healers typically traded physical prowess for the blessing of mana. But not all were like that—Kurea was proof. A combat healer. Most healers hung back or needed hordes of Awakeners protecting them in dungeons. But America's A-rank healer Kurea could hold her own against decent dealers. She avoided direct combat to conserve mana, but she could defend herself if disaster struck. That's why she led the world's most influential Washington Dungeon Exploration Team.
Choi Eunji, on the other hand? S-rank awakening meant overflowing mana, but honestly, she was such a fragile body that even trash mobs at the Dungeon Entrance could one-shot her. No country wanted to burn bridges with Korea just to snag her. Her healing was top-tier, sure.
Choi Eunji knew her own situation all too well. A typical Saintess should be shrouded in mystique, a goddess existing only in the imagination. But Korea's Saintess Choi Eunji? She was just a social butterfly. An influencer, more or less. She had attendants, but fans could snap photos with her or ask for autographs on sight.
She didn't love the attention, but for image management, she always greeted people with a smile. Her healing was universally acknowledged, though. Her first act after awakening? Reviving her father from a vegetative state, restoring him to perfect health. From there, every brain-dead patient in Korean hospitals returned to their former selves.
Other Saintesses had revived brain-dead patients before, but never with full cognitive restoration. Anyway, Choi Eunji's blessing of healing was on another level entirely. Knowing this, she desperately trained to boost her abysmal stamina and strength stats, while the Korean government scoured for mystical crops that could raise stats.
If she reached even average Awakener levels—let alone matching America's Kurea—her value would skyrocket, elevating Korea's status along with it. She'd be a huge asset for Korean dungeon raids too. But they'd bought and tested every mystical crop from the Dungeon Shop. Temporary buffs only.
Stamina +3 (3 hours). Strength +3 (3 hours). Stuff like that, and way too pricey for raid team budgets. They tried prioritizing her stat growth during entrance raids, pumping her with items, but her stats didn't budge. The nation gave up.
They protected her at a national level and provided maximum lifestyle support because her healing was unmatched. She got about 200 million won a month just for breathing.
* Choi Eunji knew it all. Of course she did—no one knows your situation better than yourself. The government occasionally asked her to heal government Awakeners returning from raids in exchange for the cash, but Korea had other healers, and minor injuries didn't warrant her miracles. She mostly healed Awakeners with severe limb damage. Hard to complain about 200 million a month for that.
She got it. But 'Can't they support me a bit more?' At first, they showered her with elixirs and edibles promising health boosts. Lately? Just the 200 million, no real interest. They at least polished her image through ads, but now her face was everywhere. Stepping out meant everyone recognizing her—it was a hassle.
She tried hiding with hats and glasses, but her signature blonde hair and purple eyes drew stares. In the end, she just walked openly as Choi Eunji.
One day, amid her pampered yet gripe-filled life, lounging at home in just panties, she tuned into a TV docu-ad about Korean dungeon tourism. Her eyes caught a man.
'He's kinda hot…?' Tall, muscular build. Gentle features. A natural hunk guiding tourists without even trying, in a dungeon tour doc.
'Dungeon guide, huh…?'
Truth be told, she avoided dungeons because of her stats. She was scared. If she insisted on going, the government would assign defense specialists, but a single sting from a fist-sized dungeon hornet could kill her glass body. Escorts or not, fear won.
That guide looks familiar… People think that about good-looking folks. Probably just her imagination. But watching him grin while herding thrill-seeking tourists, she smirked unwittingly.
Pretty face…
She figured he got the gig for his looks, like her—praised as Saintess more for beauty than power. It felt kinda sad.
"I'm originally a farmer... but my crops don't have effects yet... so I'm doing dungeon guiding like this... Korea's gates are the world's most beautiful, with those stunning orbs floating over the Han River captivating tourists' hearts..."
Farmer...? A farmer...?
Choi Eunji drifted into deep sleep, Ho Tae's interview fading in her ears. And then, she dreamed.
Is this what a god looks like?
A woman enveloped in pure white feathers. Eerily serene, yet not frightening. Wings folded forward, wrapping her body—grotesque, but beautiful. An aura of true mystery, unlike the government's forced mystique. She embodied "goddess."
Man or woman? Didn't matter—beauty made her a goddess.
The wings slowly unfurled, revealing nude flesh. Definitely female. That feminine allure was real. The winged angel gazed at Choi Eunji. She sensed it, but the face? Unclear. Her mind filled only with beautiful.
Odd, but drowned in beauty. The nude figure raised a hand. White feathers danced like wind toys. Following the gesture...
The TV. Still playing the tourism footage from before sleep. The goddess pointed to a man on screen.
The farmer... the one growing ineffective crops, moonlighting as a guide. The handsome guy.
"Why... why show me... this... Ah... No way...!"
The benevolent goddess smiled. Face unseen, but she knew.
So...
"Is... is that man important to me...?"
The goddess smiled.
"Can... can that man help me grow my abilities...?"
The goddess smiled.
Ah... the farmer guy... the one with no-effect crops yet...
No... way...?!
This was the legendary divine oracle? The goddess descending for her Saintess, revealing the solution to her stat woes.
Overwhelmed, Saintess Choi Eunji awoke. In that brief nap, a goddess had appeared in her dream. And pointed her to the man on screen now—Dungeon Tour Guide Ho Tae, named at the bottom.
This was a true oracle. The goddess herself had commanded: meet that man. Follow him to purge her cursed glass body.
It was certain. He'd said his awakening was farmer. He'd grow the crops to boost her power.
Choi Eunji, who hadn't smiled genuinely in ages, felt her lips curve. Elegant lines blooming. Even claiming her Saintess title through beauty alone wouldn't be exaggeration—she beamed radiantly.