Episode 332
Episode 332
"Lee Han?!"
"Huh? What? Did I make a mistake??"
Flustered, Lee Han quickly scanned the fallen knight from head to toe.
He had first treated the deep stab wounds before administering a potion to enhance recovery.
Hadn't he followed the correct order?
'Did I skip something?'
"No... no. You can use Healing Magic? Healing Magic shouldn't be used recklessly..."
Priest Mehrid examined the wounds.
Surprisingly, despite being quite deep, the injuries had been neatly closed—so well that Priest Mehrid had no advice to give.
'Good heavens!'
"...My apologies! I had no idea you were this skilled."
"Ah, no. I only did it because it was urgent. Normally, I wouldn't..."
Lee Han wasn't particularly confident in Healing Magic either.
Unlike other magic, a single mistake could worsen a patient's condition—how could he not feel the pressure?
Right now, his hands had moved purely out of desperation...
"We need to bring the people inside out."
"Which is why we have to send as many people in as possible."
"I get that, but why are you the one giving orders?"
"So you want to take charge instead?"
"Arguing like this is a waste of time. We should just split up and go in separately."
"If you rush in first and make a mistake, the ones behind you will suffer. Where do you get off trying to go ahead? If you want to go separately, go in last."
The adventurers murmured in disarray.
They needed to rescue the injured inside, but none of them trusted each other enough to coordinate.
Most of the flying monsters had been wiped out, but a dungeon was still a dungeon.
Forcing their way in with an unfamiliar group could lead to clashes and heavy casualties.
"Wait. Aren't you the one who exterminated the Ghoul King last time?"
One of the arguing adventurers suddenly recognized Lee Han, who had been casting Healing Magic.
Lee Han, who had been looking for an excuse to stop casting, froze at the sudden remark.
"No..."
"That's right! You're the mage! I've heard a lot from Goo Bon-han. He said they'd all have died in the dungeon if not for you!"
"It wasn't that big of a..."
"Please, Honored Mage, lead us! That would be for the best!"
"That's right!!"
Lee Han wanted to retort—why would they entrust this to someone who hadn't even been an adventurer for half a year?
But Vaisha and Guethse whispered from behind him.
"It'd be better to just accept it."
"If you don't, the adventurers won't unite. The situation is urgent..."
"......"
Lee Han thought, 'So why does it have to be me?' but unfortunately, there was no time.
Suppressing a sigh, he shouted to the adventurers.
"Listen! I am the one who slew the Ghoul King, a mage of the Wardanaz family! All of you, follow me! With the power of great magic, I shall guide you!"
"Woo... wooooah!!"
"As expected of Honored Mage!!"
"Who is that?"
"Didn't you see him casting magic earlier?"
"Isn't he too young?"
"Don't mages use magic to alter their appearance?"
Only about a third of them actually knew what Lee Han had done—the remaining two-thirds just cheered along, figuring he must be some amazing mage since everyone said so.
He must be a really great mage!
'Well, if he's a mage... he'll probably do fine.'
'Better than that bastard, at least.'
The adventurers who had heard of Lee Han were full of expectations, while the rest remained uneasy.
Lee Han knew this but didn't pay it much mind.
'Just do what needs to be done.'
"Eyes, pierce the darkness!"
Without warning, Lee Han cast Darkvision on one of the adventurers.
The abrupt spellcasting left the adventurers bewildered.
He wasn't even casting it on everyone—what was the point?
But their confusion soon turned to shock.
"Eyes, pierce the darkness. Eyes, pierce the darkness..."
"!!!!"
"Crazy! Absolutely insane!"
No one had expected him to cast Enhancement Magic on every single adventurer present.
The adventurers finally understood why mages were held in such high regard.
'So this is why mages are treated so specially...!'
'Now I get why Goo-bon praised him so much.'
"Let's move! I'll cast the next spell while we advance! O feet, tread upon the earth!"
Lee Han shouted as he moved toward the dungeon entrance.
The dazed adventurers snapped out of it and shouted as if possessed.
"Follow behind the mage!"
"Protect the mage!!"
The previously scattered adventurers instantly formed orderly ranks and followed Lee Han into the dungeon.
Vaisharda muttered under her breath at the sight.
"Now that's real magic."
"Don't move! You'll aggravate your injuries!"
"At this point, it's better to try escaping than just staying here..."
The wounded struggled desperately to get up.
Staying put would only mean facing more of the dungeon's native monsters drawn by the scent of blood.
It was better to at least try to get out...
"Everyone stay still! O light!"
"!!!!"
Lee Han first conjured a sphere of light, embedded it into the ceiling, and entered the vast underground cavern.
Signs of collapsed rock walls were visible everywhere, likely from the teleportation's aftermath.
While the attacking monsters had been wiped out, the strike team's condition looked far from good. They lay groaning on the ground with broken bones and slashing wounds.
'Damn it. I hate using Healing Magic.'
Lee Han grimaced as he gripped his staff.
"Arise, O emotions! O space, be perceived!"
As he simultaneously cast Emotion Perception and Spatial Perception spells, the conditions of the fallen wounded systematically mapped themselves in his mind.
Lee Han immediately ran toward those in critical condition.
'Please let these be wounds I can treat!'
Fortunately, most injuries were from close combat—broken bones or slashes that Lee Han could manage somehow.
"Bind! Heal!"
After finishing emergency treatment, Lee Han urgently shouted.
"Bring the potions!"
"Mage! Can we give this one a potion?"
"Wait! Major injuries need direct healing first!"
Recovery potions typically worked by enhancing natural healing to mend wounds.
While safe and reliable, drinking one while suffering multiple severe injuries would dilute the healing effect.
The trick here was to first magically treat critical wounds before administering potions, allowing even minor injuries to heal.
"How is he this fast...?"
"Injured personnel, keep quiet!"
Lee Han finished emergency treatment and handed the patient over to adventurers, who frantically loaded them onto stretchers and rushed upward like the wind.
'Enhancement Magic????'
A fallen knight blinked in disbelief.
These movements were far beyond ordinary adventurers—they had to be wearing artifacts or under enhancement spells.
'All of them...?? What the hell? Who are these people??'
At first, he'd assumed they were a famous adventuring party by sheer luck, but their equipment and attire showed no uniformity.
Which meant the mage had cast Enhancement Magic on random adventurers—was that even possible?
Unless dozens of bored, mana-rich mages had decided to take a field trip here...
"Cough, cough. Wait. Mage."
The knight quickly grabbed Lee Han's wrist. Startled, Lee Han nearly slapped him.
'If you're injured, stay still.'
Seeing wounded people move around while bleeding didn't put him in a polite mood.
Is this why Professor Alkasis became so foul-tempered??
"What? Let go."
"Not me... treat the young knights first... the young knights. Your mana..."
Clearly experienced, the knight knew mages had limited mana reserves.
The knight had spoken up, fearing that if he received treatment first, the younger knights might not get their chance to be healed.
Of course, Lee Han ignored him.
"Stay still. Heal up!"
"No... cough..."
"I said stay still. Hey! Emergency treatment's done, so take him up!"
Lee Han sent the knight, who kept making unnecessary remarks, upward. Two adventurers quickly lifted the knight and hurried up the passage.
"Wait... it's dangerous... in a dungeon...?"
The knight muttered weakly despite his pain.
Though he didn't know which dungeon this was, moving around so carelessly in a dungeon was unwise.
If there were monsters lurking in the darkness, it could lead to a major disaster.
...But strangely, the path ahead was unusually bright.
"???"
The knight blinked in confusion and looked up at the ceiling.
Glowing orbs of light were spaced evenly along the passage, burning brightly.
"...???"
Baishada had already liked the boy from the Wardanaz family ever since he chose the Shadow Patrol over the Wasteland Star-Catchers, but seeing him now, she couldn't help but like him even more.
The boy from the Wardanaz family was single-handedly restoring order to the chaotic scene where dozens lay scattered.
He cast Enhancement Magic on the adventurers to rally their focus, illuminated the dungeon passage as bright as day, tirelessly healed the severely wounded below, and sent them upward.
There were many mages with exceptional talent, but Baishada was certain—no mage in the empire devoted themselves so wholeheartedly.
-Krkrk!
"!"
At the sound from the lower path, Baishada and Ghetse immediately drew their bows.
Wasn't this the moment they had followed for—to ensure Lee Han could focus solely on Healing Magic?
"Move, poison!"
Lee Han extracted the venom from the poisoned knight's wound.
And then, he hurled it.
"Strike!"
-Krelererek!
With a sizzling sound, a monster writhed on the ground.
Baishada, Ghetse, and Nilia stared at Lee Han in disbelief before shouting in unison.
"Focus on Healing Magic!!"
"You can just focus on Healing Magic!!"
"Just focus on Healing Magic, damn it!"
"......"
Lee Han healed another fallen knight and sent him up.
As the cavern gradually emptied, leaving only those with broken bones or similar injuries, Lee Han let out a sigh of relief.
'Somehow, we made it.'
When they first arrived, his heart had sunk, but luck had been on their side.
If nothing else went wrong, they should be able to gather the wounded and head back up.
"Magician! Reinforcements have arrived!"
"Reinforcements? Good."
Lee Han brightened at the adventurer's report after returning from placing the wounded above.
"Did priests come? Which order's priests?"
"No. Given the number of wounded, it seems one or two orders wouldn't be enough to handle it."
"Then?"
"They said they called professional Healing Mages."
"That's a relief. Good."
Lee Han nodded.
Honestly, summoning Healing Mages on standby was far quicker than contacting the city's orders and waiting for available priests.
In situations like this, Healing Mages usually worked in groups—no single mage could handle so many wounded alone.
Now that the Healing Mages had arrived, the rest could be wrapped up.
Even if Lee Han made a clumsy mistake, the Healing Mages would handle the aftermath.
"Thank you, Magician. Sob..."
"Last one! We're done. Let's head up!"
After tending to the final remaining wounded, Lee Han called out to those still in the cavern.
Everyone cheered and clapped, preparing to ascend.
"You've worked hard, Magician!"
"Every knight here owes their life to you, Magician!"
Amid the celebration, only Nilia wore a deeply pensive expression.
Lee Han tilted his head and asked.
"Something bothering you?"
"They said they called professional Healing Mages, right?"
"Yeah?"
"...Doesn't that ring any bells for you? Really?"