Take My Buff
Munch, munch.
I moved my tiny fork.
And poked a piece of fluffy cake, sliding it into my mouth.
...It was delicious.
I took a sip of the yogurt smoothie next to me through the straw and bit into a cookie.
...Seriously, why is this so good?
The embarrassment and shame I felt earlier had vanished without a trace.
Right now, I was just mercilessly destroying the snacks that KeepMeleeAlive had bought for me.
It was a bit funny how easily I was disarmed by mere food... but what could I do? It was just too delicious.
I'd never had anything like this before. Where would I get the money to go to a cafe and slice cake? With that kind of money, I had to buy actual 'rations' to survive.
"Is it good?"
KeepMeleeAlive asked with a smile from across the table.
Her smile was so full of kindness and consideration that I was practically on the verge of tears.
"Yes... it's amazing...!"
"Eat up. I'll buy you more. This big sister of yours has plenty of cash."
"Ehehe. Thank you."
KeepMeleeAlive had black hair styled with light gray highlights running through it.
Plus, her sharp, smiling eyes were so distinct that she'd be easy to spot anywhere.
There was no need to overthink my first impression. Anyone who bought me delicious food was a good person in my book.
Though her staring so intently at me was a tiny bit overwhelming.
But if it was because of this new appearance of mine, well, whatever. If letting her look at my face got me free food, I could let her stare all day, every day.
I really was something else. Scoring fifty or sixty thousand won worth of snacks just with my face.
Just as I completely cleared one plate, KeepMeleeAlive spoke up.
"You're a good eater. I guess you like sweet things?"
"It's my first time trying this kind of stuff... hehe."
"It was worth buying, then. Even the way you eat is cu—no, that's not what we're here for. Shall we talk about you now? Jiyun, what's your class? A priest or a healer?"
The moment I had been secretly waiting for had finally arrived.
She was going to lose her mind the second she heard about my one-of-a-kind, ultra-powerful class.
I set my fork down with a clink and wore a triumphant grin.
"Do you know what an... Elf is?"
"Hmm... like the ones in games?"
"That's me. My class is literally 'Elf.'"
For a moment, KeepMeleeAlive's face went completely blank.
Totally understandable. Don't worry, I'll explain it slowly so you can wrap your head around it.
I opened the Hunters App and activated the precise mana measurement function.
After about thirty seconds of measuring, my class and skills were displayed on my profile.
When I showed it to her, Yoo Sumi's jaw dropped.
"...It's real? Elf? A class like that actually exists?"
"Mwahaha. It seems I'm the only one. That's also why I'm wearing this hood. People wouldn't stop staring."
I pulled back my hood slightly to reveal my pointed elf ears.
Seeing Yoo Sumi's eyes widen to the size of saucers filled me with immense satisfaction.
"It must be some crazy, overpowered, EX-rank super class, right?"
"Y-yeah. Honestly, it might be. What's this one? Spring Wind's Healing?"
Yoo Sumi was now showing interest in my skills.
"It's a healing skill. That's what I used yesterday to bring that plant back to life."
"I've never heard of a skill like that either. Is it a unique skill?"
Skills are divided into two categories: common skills and unique skills.
Common skills are, as the name suggests, skills that anyone can learn with enough effort.
For example, if your class is a warrior, you can learn warrior-type common skills.
But unique skills are different.
Most unique skills are innate abilities granted upon awakening, and it's impossible for anyone else to learn them.
On top of that, even if they have similar functions to common skills, unique skills are vastly more powerful.
Apparently, having just one unique skill is enough to get you treated as an irreplaceable asset within your class.
The Hunters App database compiles all sorts of information, including a list of every skill discovered so far.
I had just checked, and Spring Wind's Healing was nowhere to be found on that list.
In other words, I had hit the unique skill jackpot.
But then...
"Overflowing Vitality? What on earth does this skill do?"
Amplifies the target's mana, drawing out their unknown potential. Significantly increases the level of all abilities, including senses, physical capabilities, and magical power.
"...Apparently, that's what it does. I think it's a buff skill."
Yoo Sumi hurriedly searched the Hunters App on her own phone. Then, she stared at me with a dazed look in her eyes.
"This isn't in the database either...? Normally, buff skills only increase physical durability with something like 'Copper Skin,' or just strength with 'Beast's Might.' A skill that comprehensively boosts all stats is incredibly rare."
"Huh...?"
My head began to spin.
Joy, confusion, and dopamine swirled together, with the endorphins from the sweets I'd just eaten trickling in to join the mix.
I felt like my brain was going to melt.
"This must be a unique skill too. Two unique skills...? Then what does that make me...?"
"A-and that's not all! Isn't there one more?"
Out of my three skills, the last one remained: Great Tree's Bow.
Yoo Sumi searched it on Hunters first this time. A moment later, her phone slipped from her hand and clattered onto the table.
"This one isn't showing up either. Haha..."
Summons the bow of an elf and fires arrows of condensed mana.
"...Apparently."
"Wait, I thought you said you were a healer."
"I am."
"My head hurts. You even have an offensive skill? Is it because you're an Elf and not just a regular healer? Like, shooting bows and climbing trees?"
"I guess so."
"When I first awakened, I had to scrape by with just one common skill."
"That must have been tough..."
"In all my life, I've never seen a 'skill spoon' who awakened with three unique skills."
"Mwahaha."
My cheeks and shoulders felt like they were going to ascend to the heavens.
This wasn't just a "rags to riches" story. They say getting even one unique skill is like plucking a star from the sky, and I started with three?
It sounded like the title of a web novel.
"Well, anyway. Your parents must be thrilled. Awakening a one-of-a-kind class in the entire world with three unique skills? You've basically won the lottery for life."
"......"
I didn't expect the conversation to take this turn.
Seeing my goofy grin vanish into silence, Yoo Sumi looked puzzled.
"What's wrong?"
"...Well, they're not around."
"Huh?"
The cheerful atmosphere instantly turned ice-cold.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up."
"It's okay."
"So do you live alone? Or... in an orphanage?"
"I live alone. I have my reasons."
I did have my reasons, but it was impossible to explain them honestly.
If I tried to explain that I used to be a guy and all that, would she even believe me? Not that I wanted to talk about it anyway.
"W-would you like another slice of cake...?"
Feeling guilty, Yoo Sumi tried to offer me more food.
Hey, if she's buying, I'm eating.
In the end, another sweet slice of cheesecake was placed in front of me.
"Anyway, congratulations on awakening as Healer Royalty. As you can probably tell, my class is Magic Swordsman. Have you heard of it?"
"Yes. You use a sword as a medium to cast magic, right?"
"Exactly. So I have a wide variety of attacks, and I can even damage ethereal monsters that are immune to physical attacks. It's a pretty high-tier class among melee DPS. Specifically, I specialize in ice magic."
"Then I can just buff you from behind!"
"Right. I'd love to receive one of Jiyun's unique buffs."
"Mwahaha."
After chatting about this and that, it was time to part ways.
Once again, KeepMeleeAlive showed incredible kindness. She actually offered to drive me home in her car.
Since she was a veteran hunter, her ride was absolutely spectacular...
"Whoa...!! Is that a pickup truck?"
"Cool, right? This has been my dream ever since I first became a hunter."
It was a massive, badass black pickup truck. The kind of vehicle that looked like Ironhide from Transformers.
The moment KeepMeleeAlive sat in the driver's seat, she threw on a baseball cap and sunglasses. She looked so cool I almost drooled.
"We're entering the gate the day after tomorrow. Just wear something comfortable. It's only a D-Rank dungeon, so it won't be too hard. Just wait in front of your place, and I'll pick you up."
"Thank you..."
When KeepMeleeAlive stepped on the gas, the pickup truck roared forward with a deep rumble. Its presence was so intimidating that the surrounding cars practically scrambled to make way for us.
It was when we were briefly stopped at a red light at The Intersection.
I was staring at the traffic light, wondering when it would turn green.
Blink, blink, blink, blink.
Suddenly, all the traffic lights began flashing red at a rapid pace.
As I wondered what was happening, a shrill, beeping alarm filled the car.
"Whoa!"
Startled, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Sure enough, it was a gate alert.
"U-uh?"
"Is that a gate alert?"
"Yes. But what should we..."
"First, buckle up and stay still!"
With a sharp command, KeepMeleeAlive yanked the steering wheel. She boldly attempted an illegal U-turn to escape the area, but—
Screeech—!!
Someone else must have had the exact same idea. Right behind us, another car tried to pull a U-turn and scraped loudly against the truck's bed.
"Ah, damn it..."
KeepMeleeAlive let out a frustrated, annoyed groan.
"A-are we allowed to do this?"
"Hunters are. It's in the emergency response regulations. I'm going to pull over first and handle this! Jiyun, grab the sword in the back seat!"
"U-uh, what?"
Too much information flooded my brain all at once, causing it to short-circuit.
Barely managing to snap out of it, I reached back and grabbed the sword in the back seat.
This had to be KeepMeleeAlive's weapon.
But why was it so heavy? I had to use almost all my strength just to drag it forward.
"Here's your sword!"
"Got it. You stay here."
Parking the pickup truck by the sidewalk, KeepMeleeAlive prepared to dash out.
"Y-you want me to stay here?!"
"Yeah. Hide safely inside. You're still a civilian."
"Uh..."
Slamming the door shut, KeepMeleeAlive sprinted away at an incredible speed.
She was right. No matter how unique my class was or how many unique skills I started with, right now, I was basically just a civilian with zero experience.
But...
Thud, thud!
KeepMeleeAlive, Yoo Sumi, leapt across the roofs of the cars packed tightly in the street.
Normally, when a gate opens in the city, regulations dictate that drivers must stop their vehicles immediately and evacuate to a nearby building.
However, there were still plenty of people who believed driving away was faster than running on foot.
As a result, cars tangled together, completely paralyzing the road. Countless people were trapped inside their vehicles.
The only solution was to resolve the gate crisis as quickly as possible.
Rumble—
With a heavy, grinding noise, a bright red crack began to tear open in the middle of the intersection.
It was an Outbreak Gate, spewing out a horde of monsters along with a violent surge of mana.
All she had to do was hold off the monsters until the gate's mana was completely depleted, but...
The problem was the location. Since it was right in the middle of the intersection, the monsters would scatter in every direction.
And Yoo Sumi was the only hunter currently on the scene.
"Those Baekhwa Guild bastards are going to be late again."
Muttering to herself, Yoo Sumi drew her sword.
Hiss—
Frost immediately coated the blade, and a freezing chill radiated from it.
It was the skill she had obtained when she first awakened: Frost Blade.
Beast-like monsters began pouring out of the crimson gate one by one.
Yoo Sumi went forward without hesitation and swung her sword in a swift arc.
She left shallow cuts on five or six monsters, but the freezing cold instantly spread from the wounds, turning them into solid ice statues.
Shatter!!
Yoo Sumi kicked the frozen statues, shattering them into pieces.
She continued to skillfully slash and thrust, thinning the monsters' numbers one by one.
Fortunately, the monsters were relatively weak. If local civilian hunters or a guild arrived to support her, they would easily be able to hold the line.
But as if mocking her expectations...
Nearly twenty wolf-like monsters poured out of the gate in a massive pack.
To make matters worse, there was a giant wolf that looked like their alpha.
"Well, this is bad."
There were too many of them. Whether they scattered to cause chaos or focused their attacks on Yoo Sumi, the situation was incredibly dangerous.
Should I pull back for now?
Technically, this was Baekhwa Guild territory.
If those bastards had been patrolling properly, a defensive line would have been set up by now.
Or should I try to draw their aggro myself?
"No choice, then."
It would look pathetic to run away after boasting so much in front of Jiyun.
Yoo Sumi shifted the sword she held in both hands to her right, then extended her left hand.
Crack—!!
An icy sword formed in her left hand. Now wielding dual blades, Yoo Sumi lowered her stance.
Just as she was about to charge into the pack of twenty wolves...
"Y-Yoo Sumi-ssi—!!"
Huh?
What was that?
Glancing back, she spotted a flash of green hair amidst the crowd of fleeing people.
Why on earth did she get out of the car...?!
"Take my buff!!"