No Way It Would Be That Easy

"Hah, that's right. I could've used the self-buff too."

Yoo Sumi clapped her hands together like she'd just remembered.

"That crazy-overpowered buff—if you cast it on yourself, wouldn't you just become insanely strong?"

"It's not that simple. Some skills work, some don't."

"Just try it! If it works, great. If not, no big deal."

I nodded.

Overflowing Vitality. The ridiculous strength of this buff skill had already been proven by Yoo Sumi multiple times.

Just like she said, it inflated all stats to the point where it could turn a B-class hunter into an A-class monster. On top of that, it let you naturally display maximum performance without needing any time to adapt to your newly enhanced abilities.

If I could apply this skill to myself, it would clearly become an incredibly powerful trump card.

"Alright, I'll give it a shot."

"Ooh..."

Yoo Sumi let out an impressed hum, while Kim Seohwa watched with expectant eyes.

Standing in front of them, I cast the skill on my own body.

And then...

"Ugh?!"

The moment the skill took effect, my senses exploded outward.

My vision expanded. My hearing expanded. Touch, smell, taste—every sense was mercilessly stretched to its limit.

"Uh... uh..."

My senses, now amplified dozens of times over, began hammering hundreds of times more information into my brain.

At the same time, my mana began to spiral out of control.

The swollen mana tore through my entire body before bursting outward.

"Whoa, what's happening to her?"

"Wait! Can't you stop that? What's wrong?!"

A headache like my skull was splitting open. Waves of mana flashing before my eyes.

The flood of information pouring in over a single second had completely overwhelmed my brain's processing capacity...

"Ugh..."

And just like that, my consciousness cut out.

"...Hah!!"

My eyes snapped open at some point.

It felt like I'd just taken a trip to the afterlife and back.

"Jiyun!!!"

A piercing voice rang in my ear as something threw itself around me in a desperate hug.

"Uh... ugh... Sumi... unnie?"

Black and gray hair. Must be Yoo Sumi.

I tried to say something, but every inch of my body throbbed with unbearable pain. I couldn't form a single word.

All I could do was twitch my fingers.

"Hey, hey! Get off her. She's suffering from internal injuries right now."

Kim Seohwa grabbed Yoo Sumi by the back of her neck and yanked her away.

It was a rough move, but I was honestly grateful.

My arms, legs, stomach, chest, head—there wasn't a single part of me that didn't hurt. I genuinely couldn't move at all.

What the hell just happened?

I'd cast the buff on myself. Then my senses and mana had gone completely berserk.

What was that about?

"You okay? If you can understand me, blink twice."

At Kim Seohwa's words, I blinked twice.

"Okay. Looks like it's not an immediate emergency. Stay right here. I'll go grab a healer from another party or something."

Only then did my head start to clear a little.

I gently circulated mana inside my body.

Thankfully, moving my mana didn't seem to be a problem.

In that case...

Healing of the Spring Breeze.

A green aura swirled over my body, and...

"Hup!!"

I shot upright.

Whoa. I was completely back to normal.

As expected, my healing skill was totally broken.

"Wha—?! No! You can't get up already... Lie back down! Lie down!"

Yoo Sumi shouted in a panic, but I just shook ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my head slightly.

"I just used my heal. I'm totally fine now."

"You're really okay?"

Even Kim Seohwa, who had been about to run off to find a healer, looked full of worry.

"You just caused a mana overflow. That's at least a serious injury. In the worst case, you could've died. You can't just brush this off."

"Mana overflow...?"

Wait, I just used a buff skill on myself. Why would that cause a mana overflow?

Why the hell was this insane skill attacking its own user?

"Why... why did this happen? I only used a buff skill."

"Can you read the exact description of that skill for me? Word for word, don't miss anything."

At Kim Seohwa's request, I opened my status window.

"...That's what it says."

"Draw out unknown latent potential?"

Kim Seohwa muttered.

"There aren't any other buff skills with similar wording, right?"

"Nope. Usually it's just stuff like increased skin toughness, increased muscle strength, or increased magical power."

Kim Seohwa and Yoo Sumi started discussing back and forth.

Before long, they delivered their conclusion to me.

"It looks like you caused a buff overload."

"Overload?"

"Yeah. The power boosted by the buff skill was stronger than what your body could handle, so it went out of control. That's what caused the internal injuries."

"If you focus on the phrase about drawing out unknown latent potential, it could mean the buff's effect varies depending on each person's potential. In your case, it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠might have worked too strongly and backfired."

So basically...

The buff was so ridiculously powerful that it did this to me?

My skill draws out unknown latent potential, and when I tried to draw out my own, it only ended up giving me internal injuries.

Doesn't that mean my latent potential is actually on an absolutely insane, next-level scale?

"...So that's the conclusion?"

Yoo Sumi muttered.

"It's possible. You were fine even after receiving the buff. That just means your talent is average. On the other hand, Jiyun has a Unique-class, no matter what anyone says. Her potential is probably on a completely different dimension, just like that American hunter Eleanor Carter."

"There you go again, making it sound annoying. Anyway, it's a relief the skill itself doesn't have any flaws. We just won't use it on herself anymore."

I nodded.

It was a little disappointing, but there was no way the world would let me get that kind of free power-up so easily.

"Maybe once I grow more later, I'll be able to handle casting the buff on myself."

"Probably. By then, you'll be the world's strongest hunter that makes America tremble."

"It's actually kind of awe-inspiring. What kind of talent makes you unable to handle your own buff?"

I stood up and brushed the dirt and bits of grass off my clothes.

Now that I thought about it, we were still inside the gate.

"By the way, how long was I unconscious?"

"...Hmm? About a minute? Two? Maybe less than that?"

"Probably around that. I was surprised you woke up so quickly."

"Sorry for worrying you..."

"No need to apologize. It was an accident."

"Yeah. Once we get out of the gate, let's go to a buffet. Get some proper food and try all the desserts."

"Okay..."

For a moment, silence fell over us.

"What should we do? Keep clearing the gate like this?"

Yoo Sumi asked.

"Shouldn't we stop and come back next time? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Even if Jiyun feels fine now, there might be problems later."

"I'm ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fine. I used my heal, so I'm really okay. My healing performance is amazing too. The buff skill's reliability took a hit, but the heal is totally trustworthy."

I hopped up and down on the spot.

My condition was perfect, without even the slightest discomfort.

If anything, maybe Healing of the Spring Breeze was the real cheat skill. It had fixed all the internal injuries that had left me groaning in one second flat.

"...It's still a bit worrying. If we're really going to continue, let's take it slow. If your condition feels off at all, you have to tell us immediately."

"Yes!!!"

And so we resumed clearing the gate.

Because of the existence of my Bow of the Great Tree, my position in the party had changed a bit.

Originally I'd just stayed at the very back, keeping my distance and hiding. Now I was planning to position myself a little closer to the front lines.

I needed to shoot the bow as much as possible to get a proper feel for it.

It didn't take long before we encountered a massive 3-meter-tall Mountain Bear.

It was a biological-type monster with a huge body that made it easy to aim at—the perfect target for archery practice.

I decided it would be good to establish my combat style here.

Right before engaging, I quickly dashed to the side of the Mountain Bear.

Then, at the same time as Kim Seohwa, I began launching ranged attacks.

I fired about six arrows, but only half of them hit.

On the other hand, Kim Seohwa's flame magic scored perfect hits on every shot.

Yoo Sumi then neatly sliced up the tattered Mountain Bear, turning it into bear steak to finish it off.

In the middle of the fight, Yoo Sumi got her arm slashed by the bear's claws, but I immediately healed her.

With sharp senses and quick reaction speed, I could respond instantly to everything happening around me.

I decided to only use the buff when we were facing a particularly tough fight.

There was the mana consumption issue, but apparently if they got too used to the boosted stats, their own combat instincts would grow dull.

"Okay, clear! Moving to the next section!"

We continued hunting monsters while I gradually expanded my range of actions.

Instead of just healing, I kept attacking their flanks with arrows, working to raise my bow proficiency and draw the monsters' attention.

I used the agility I'd discovered while running to hit and run multiple times.

The more actively I participated in combat, the more I felt like I was getting the hang of it.

How fights with monsters progressed. What kind of role I should play.

And then, when a boss-level Mountain Bear that reached a full 5 meters appeared.

"What do we do?! Should we just back off? This looks like it needs at least six people for a proper raid!"

The Mountain Bear roared loud enough to shake the heavens.

But standing before it, I declared that we would fight.

"I'll buff both of you! Let's try it!!"

This would be the first time Kim Seohwa received my buff.

And it was also the first time I'd ever buffed two people at once.

Kim Seohwa looked momentarily startled when the buff landed, but she quickly began pouring out attacks.

Her firepower was two or three times stronger than what I'd seen before.

The flames she unleashed roasted the Mountain Bear's hide until it sizzled.

With one fire attack, its entire fur burned away, turning it into a completely bald, hairless bear.

Yoo Sumi's sword strikes focused on the bear's legs, slicing them apart and pinning its feet in place.

And about 50 meters away, I quietly drew my bow.

Since I'd started using the bow in earnest, I'd realized something.

This body—and I—had considerable talent for archery as well.

Aiming the blue mana arrow, I slowly exhaled. My eyes locked only on the bear's head and neck.

The moment I felt my senses sharpen, I released the arrow.

Thud.

It sank into its neck.

Compared to the Mountain Bear's massive body, the arrow was like a chopstick.

But you couldn't ignore a chopstick relentlessly stabbing your neck.

The Mountain Bear roared in fury and swung its arm, smashing trees to pieces.

When Yoo Sumi was knocked back by the swing, I glanced in her direction even while aiming my next shot.

A green aura immediately swirled around her as my heal landed.

I fired another arrow right after.

Whoosh—

This one hit its forearm but had little effect.

In that case, I needed to aim for weak points like the eyes.

Could I pull it off?

I didn't think twice.

It wasn't a question of whether I could. If it was me, I could do it.

After all, there wasn't another healer-archer hybrid like me in the entire world.

In a split second, within a sensation like time itself had stopped, I released the arrow.

Thud.

Amid the chaotic battlefield of smashing and exploding attacks, the sound of my arrow striking rang out clearly.

Clean hit to the right eye.

"Gwoooooooar!!"

The Mountain Bear howled in agony and frantically rubbed at its face with its right paw.

But what good would that do? All it accomplished was driving the arrow deeper into the wound.

Yoo Sumi and Kim Seohwa didn't miss the opening, landing a decisive blow.

And just like that, the boss-level Mountain Bear—which would normally require at least six B-class hunters to take down—collapsed.