I Got Money!
About three minutes after Yoo Sumi left the truck.
I opened the car door and stepped onto the asphalt.
People were fleeing in all directions. And over at the intersection, a crimson gate was spewing out monsters.
"Eeeh..."
Is this really a good idea? Wouldn't it be better to just stay quietly inside the truck?
Honestly, I was scared to death.
It wasn't because my courage had shrunk along with my body into a middle school girl; I had always been a coward.
But how could I just sit back and watch?
It wasn't like I had to get up close and personal in a fistfight.
I could just stand far away, safely out of reach, and throw heals and buffs.
"H-Here goes!"
I let out a little shout to pump myself up and started sprinting down the road.
Pitter-patter—
The intersection was quite a distance away. And until yesterday, I was a total shut-in.
The kind of person who got winded just climbing a single flight of stairs...!!
But why wasn't I tired?
Even though I was shorter now, it felt like I was running way faster.
My body felt light as a feather, and I was barely even out of breath.
However...
"Whoa!"
A massive crowd of people was rushing toward me.
No matter how fast I was, there was no way I could push through a human wall of that scale.
I hesitated for a moment, but I didn't stop. I kept weaving forward, darting through the gaps between the fleeing people.
And then...!!
"Su-Sumi!"
Up ahead, I saw Yoo Sumi facing down dozens of wolf monsters.
"Take my buff!!"
Shouting at the top of my lungs, I activated my skill.
Overflowing Vitality
With the sensation of a massive amount of mana draining from my body, the constructed skill enveloped Sumi.
"Gack."
And just like that, I was swept away by the stampeding crowd.
"...Huh?"
For a split second, Sumi caught sight of Lee Jiyun, her hood pulled low, amidst the crowd.
And her shout to take the buff.
Immediately after, an overwhelming surge of power flooded her body.
Sumi had plenty of experience receiving buffs from allied healers.
But this buff was entirely different.
It didn't just boost her physical abilities or mana output.
Her combat vision, her decision-making, her physical coordination, her strength, her agility, her mana output, and her control—everything skyrocketed.
And it all harmonized so perfectly, it felt as if it had been her own natural strength from the very beginning.
Normally, when people first received a buff, many struggled to adapt to the sudden spike in power. That was why raid parties trained extensively to get used to their supporters' buffs.
But with Jiyun's buff, there was absolutely no need for that.
As expected of a unique skill from a Unique-grade class.
Sumi smiled and kicked off the ground.
Whoosh, whoosh!
A pure white whirlwind swept through the pack of wolves. Moving at a high speed that was impossible to track with the naked eye, Sumi reappeared on the opposite side of the pack.
And then.
Slash-sh-sh-sh-sh!
In an instant, the wolves were sliced apart like spiraling apple peels.
The alpha wolf, enraged by the sudden loss of its pack, let out a furious howl.
Sumi swung her sword once toward the beast.
Boom, boom, boom!
Colossal ice spikes erupted from the ground, tearing the alpha wolf to shreds.
And that was it.
The flickering gate shrank rapidly before vanishing entirely. Not a single monster remained.
"Wow..."
Sumi let out a soft exclamation of awe.
"With this, I could easily pass for an A-rank."
It was true. If she could consistently exert this level of power, obtaining an A-rank would be a breeze, even if S-rank was still out of reach.
Most healers' buffs weren't potent enough to bump a hunter up an entire rank.
Unless multiple healers stacked their buffs, that is.
Yet a complete rookie who had awakened just yesterday could produce such an effect.
Wee-woo, wee-woo—
Just then, sirens wailed as black SUVs began pulling up.
The local freelance hunters, guilds, and the Association had finally arrived—albeit terribly late.
Though the situation was already resolved.
While handing over the scene to the Association staff, Sumi kept scanning her surroundings.
She was looking for Jiyun.
She had seen her get swept away by the crowd at the end. Was she okay?
"E-Excuse me!"
Just then, a familiar voice called out from behind.
A girl with vibrant green hair, wearing a familiar oversized hoodie, was walking toward her.
"Anyway, you did an amazing job today," Sumi said as we sat in her pickup truck, the sun already setting.
"If it weren't for your buff, things could've gotten pretty dicey. Those other guys took forever to show up."
"Uhehehehe."
I had been basking in a storm of compliments from KeepMeleeAlive for a while now.
I don't think I'd ever been praised this much in my entire life.
Aside from the compliments, I felt incredibly proud. It felt like I had finally taken my first real step as a hunter.
And more than anything, I was glad to have been of help to KeepMeleeAlive, my only acquaintance at the moment.
"You know, just because someone awakens doesn't mean they automatically become a hunter. Plenty of people are too scared to fight and just give up. But you actually ran out there just to buff me."
"Well, I couldn't just hide... Heheh."
"And the performance of that buff was absolutely insane. To think you just awakened yesterday... I can't even imagine how strong you'll get once you start active hunter duties and level up."
"Really?"
I perked up, my eyes sparkling as I looked at Sumi.
"Yeah. In my opinion, you're going to be an S-rank."
"Mwahaha!"
Of course I am. I'm the Hunter Gallery's greatest success story, an EX-rank Healer Royalty, the pride of South Korea.
Nothing but pure happiness lies ahead of me now!
And so, Sumi's pickup truck dropped me off at my place.
Just before I got out of the car after saying goodbye—
"Oh, right. For today's fight, you'll probably get about 1.5 to 2 million won in compensation. Once it clears, I'll send it all to you."
"Wh-What?!"
1.5 to 2 million won? Such an astronomical sum? For me?
"F-For me? Y-You really don't have to... I didn't even do that much."
"You buffed me. You basically saved dozens of lives back there. Just think of it as their bounty."
Sumi gave me a bright, warm smile.
Oh my god... Since when was the world this warm and kind?
Thinking back to the cold, dry teachers at the orphanage who treated us like numbers, I felt tears welling up in my eyes.
"See you the day after tomorrow, then. Sweet dreams. I'll be dreaming of you too, Jiyun."
"Huh?"
Leaving behind a somewhat dangerous parting remark, Sumi drove off.
I stared at the empty space where her truck had been for a moment before heading inside.
My place was a run-down building in a cramped studio apartment district. Usually, walking in here was a one-way ticket to depression, but right now, I didn't care.
Because right now, I was armed with super-ultra-mega-powerful positive energy!!!
"Mwahaha!"
Healer, healer, I'm a Healer Royalty~
Humming a self-made tune, I returned to my sweet home.
I quickly sat down in front of my computer and booted up the Hunter Gallery.
Seeing the lively and energetic reactions of my fellow Hunter Gallery losers brought a natural smile to my face.
As I scrolled through the gallery for a while, another post caught my eye.
"Wait, what? This is from earlier."
It was the exact same intersection where Sumi and I had been. The person in the photo was definitely Sumi.
"Whoa."
My legendary buff was being indirectly praised!
I knew my fellow Hunter Gallery losers would recognize my greatness.
The next evening.
A whopping 2.35 million won had been deposited...!!
Technically, this was the payment for my very first hunter activity.
My pitifully empty bank account was finally overflowing with wealth.
What should I do with this first?
The cookies, cakes, and milkshakes I had at the cafe yesterday flashed through my mind one by one.
They were delicious, but...
"No!"
I snapped out of it and stood up.
Even if I had transformed into a middle school girl, how could I be satisfied with such childish snacks?
As a proud four-year veteran of the Hunter Gallery and a true lover of female hunters, this was unacceptable behavior.
"Then... beef it is!!"
Beef. I couldn't even remember the last time I had eaten it.
Without wasting another second, I put my plan into action.
I pulled my hood down low, ran to the supermarket, and bought a mountain of different cuts of beef, along with some Cham Sauce.
Buying so much beef that it would be impossible for a single person to finish gave me a thrilling rush of pure satisfaction.
Back home, I dusted off my old portable gas stove and set up the grill.
"Ehehehe!"
The beef sizzled beautifully on the grill, filling my cramped room with the rich aroma of roasting meat.
Now this is happiness.
I dipped a freshly grilled piece of meat into the Cham Sauce until it was practically drenched, then popped it into my mouth.
"Uhehehe..."
It was so delicious that I couldn't help but giggle.
It had been so long since I'd tasted something this premium, something that literally melted on my tongue.
In the end, I couldn't even finish half of it.
I guess my stomach had shrunk too...
But my belly was full, so who cares?
"Hehe. Time to lie down right after eating."