A Hole in the Wall

To get stronger... "Ehehe..." Just looking at the money made me smile. The amount displayed in my bank account: a whopping 6.8 million won. Compared to the past, when it always hovered around 500,000 won, this was a complete transformation. It meant I didn't have to check my balance before buying something, nor did my hands have to shake when paying for Netflix. Forget Netflix, I could even subscribe to YouTube Premium! When something this happy happens, I should share the joy with my fellow Huntards, right?

Sigh. To think there were still non-believers out there.

I ran a random draw among the sixteen applicants and distributed the vouchers to three winners. Perhaps because the post lacked credibility, there weren't many applicants compared to the view count. In the end, the wonderful Huntards who placed their trust in me had a pretty high chance of winning.

The winners posted proof of their winnings along with tearful expressions of gratitude. The announcement post was immediately flooded with clamoring demands for more giveaways. Mwahaha. So this was the thrill of giving away vouchers! A rush of pure pleasure washed over me at the thought of manipulating people's emotions. It felt like watching pigeons flocking to a single breadcrumb in my hand.

Fine, I'll be generous. This great Healer Royalty shall bestow three more vouchers upon you. After all, I'm going to make about a hundred billion won in the future anyway.

But just as I was about to write another giveaway post...

"Huh?"

"Wh-What the...!!"

What on earth was this unni doing? Her cute little sister was finally turning the gallery's mood around, and she just had to swoop in and hijack the entire forum with her capitalistic flex of fifteen vouchers? How was this any different from a grown adult winning an arm-wrestling match against a toddler and gloating about it?

It was incredibly unfair, but I had no way to fight back. There was no way to reclaim the spotlight with a measly three vouchers. Of course, I could do it if I gave away more, but... I wasn't that rich yet... T_T.

I was going to make so much more money. I'd make hundreds of times more than that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dummy SaveTheMeleeDps, drop five hundred vouchers in the gallery, and crown myself the permanent Gallery Owner!

Right then, my phone started buzzing with incoming messages.

I wanted to get stronger.

That was the conclusion I reached after that ridiculous incident. The logic was simple. If I got stronger, I could enter higher-rank gates, make more money, perform heroics when an Outbreak Gate suddenly appeared in the city, receive a standing ovation from the entire nation and a barrage of questions from reporters, become an ultra-famous national-level hunter, and become so incredibly famous that I would permanently reign as the Gallery Owner of the Hunter Gallery.

But how could I get stronger?

I decided to text Yoo Sumi first, since she was the only hunter I knew at the moment.

As hunters accumulate experience and active service, their mana capacity increases, they acquire new skills, and their physical and magical capabilities rise. Guilds even build massive training facilities and design specialized training programs for their hunters. While combat classes naturally grow stronger the more they fight, I had no idea what a healer was supposed to do to get stronger.

Yes. I wanted to make bank. Doesn't everyone fantasize about what they'd do if they won the lottery? Building an ultra-high-end gaming PC, getting a new phone, moving into a spacious house, and maxing out my favorite characters in gacha games. For me, that fantasy could actually become reality. There's a saying that even a dog's day will come—now that I had awakened and could clearly see a path to the top, I guess you could say I was getting greedy.

Well, that was true. If I just stood in the back, healing and buffing, that would be enough. But I wasn't like those other healers, was I? When I looked it up, about 20% of all healers didn't even have a basic means of self-defense. That meant 20% of them were just passive totems who only knew how to heal and buff. And even among the rest, most only had extremely limited offensive ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠options or passively survived by wrapping themselves in shields.

But I had the Great Tree's Bow, which was both a unique skill and an offensive ability. My class wasn't 'Healer' or 'Priest' either—it was 'Elf'. In my opinion, this Elf class wasn't just a simple healing totem. The initial skills I had were focused on support, but there was endless potential for expansion in various directions. Giving a healer a bow was proof of that. In a way, it meant there was a possibility I could learn archer-type skills too.

Exercise. That sounded like a good idea. When the gate erupted at the intersection earlier, I had realized my physical abilities were surprisingly decent. A vivid picture immediately formed in my mind: darting swiftly across the battlefield, sniping the weak points of monsters with my bow, and orchestrating the battle as a maestro of the frontlines while supporting my allies with heals and buffs.

"Ehehehe."

Just imagining it was incredibly cool. Come to think of it, I hadn't actually used the Great Tree's Bow yet. Since we were on the subject, I should give it a try.

I focused my mind and activated the ability that had been naturally engraved in my head upon awakening. Mana began to gather in my left hand, swirling into a brilliant, flashing light.

Fwaaash!

And then, a bow materialized in my hand.

"Whoa..."

It was stunningly beautiful. The wooden frame was wrapped in vibrant green vines, giving it an elegant, gorgeous, and ornate appearance. It looked exactly like a magical bow straight out of a fantasy novel. The size was perfect for me, and the grip was just the right thickness.

But...

"Where's the bowstring?"

It was definitely a bow, but there was no string. What was this? A steamed bun without red bean paste?

"Hmm..."

Since it fired mana arrows instead of physical ones, did it not need a physical bowstring? I raised the bow and took a stance. Then, with the intent to shoot, I channeled my mana, just as I would when activating any other skill with a clear will.

Shhh...

A glowing string formed across the bow, and a mana arrow materialized in my opposite hand.

"Whoaaa...!!"

So if I just let go, it would fire...! Although the string was fully drawn, I felt absolutely no strain on my arms. The bow itself was so light that I could probably hold it all day without getting tired. Am I seriously this amazing? Is it even legal to be this cool? My heals are broken, my buffs are broken, and I even have an offensive skill? Can one person really be the main DPS and the support at the same time? I'm already about to steal all the other healers' jobs—if I start taking the damage dealers' jobs too, is the National Damage Dealers Association going to protest?

"How dare a healer do DPS! Protect our jobs!"

"Ehehehe..."

Thwip.

...Uh-oh.

I had lost my grip on the arrow while giggling like an idiot. I looked up and saw the arrow neatly embedded in the far wall.

"..."

A moment later, the arrow dissolved into light and vanished, but the hole in the wall remained perfectly intact.

Oh no...

Yoo Sumi's daily life was nothing special. When she wasn't inside a gate, she spent the entire day rolling around in bed, scrolling through social media, or watching YouTube. Sometimes, if her friends called, she would go out for drinks. Strictly speaking, she spent more than twenty-five days a month just playing around. It wasn't exactly what you'd call a productive life, but it was a lifestyle made possible by being a hunter who made millions of won per gate.

However, that didn't mean her days were exciting. Lounging in her room was fun for a day or two, but it quickly became boring. Recently, though, a new source of excitement had entered her mundane routine. It was none other than the presence of the "SuperGeniusCapableElfGirl," Lee Jiyun.

Jiyun had an appearance so adorable that Sumi wanted to stare at her all day, and her slightly clumsy behavior made her even cuter. Whenever Sumi bought her delicious food, Jiyun ate it with such pure relish that it made the purchase entirely worthwhile, her face lighting up with a joy that naturally made Sumi happy too. Since they frequented the same online community, their humor and sensibilities matched perfectly. Jiyun also possessed incredible talent and passion as a hunter, making her a blast to guide. Her unfortunate circumstance of living alone without parents only fueled Sumi's protective instincts and desire to look after her.

As a result, Sumi spent most of her free time these days texting Jiyun or waiting for her to text back. And right on cue, another DM from Jiyun popped up.

Once again, Sumi got her daily dose of laughter, all thanks to Jiyun.