A Fistful of Healing
By the time we finished running the dungeon-type gate twice, the sun was already sinking below the horizon. We quickly sold off the mana stones nearby. The money we got... honestly, it was a total letdown. It came out to barely under a hundred thousand won.
Considering we spent nearly nine hours clearing the gate, that was a little over thirty thousand won per person. Once you deducted expenses like transportation? We were left with less than thirty thousand won each. That was less than working a minimum-wage job.
"That's a lot less than I expected..." I muttered, disappointed by the meager sum.
"It's just because we're still lacking in skill," Ah-young said, remaining optimistic. She believed that if their skills improved and they could clear the dungeon faster—maybe managing three runs a day—their payout would grow much larger.
"I suppose so."
Besides, we only cleared the second run faster because I stepped in. What if I participated right from the start? What if I stopped holding back and actually tried? If things went well, we might even manage four runs. Of course, if we did that... it would be pitch black by the time we finished.
"Um... what should we do from now on?"
I pondered Ah-young's hesitant question. These two were good people. Not in terms of skill, but in character. Traveling with them, I wouldn't have to worry about clashing opinions or petty arguments. But their actual combat capabilities were a failing grade. Ah-young had trained her body diligently, but she still barely exceeded the level of an ordinary person, and Gyuri's skill, of all things, was... Even with me carrying them, their potential for growth was likely slim. Still...
"Should we keep partying up for the time being?"
"R-really?!" Gyuri looked genuinely startled.
"Yeah, I need to get used to things here too."
It wouldn't be a bad way to ease back into things and gain some experience. Having decided to stick together for a while, I exchanged contact info with Gyuri. We grabbed dinner together and reviewed our performance in the dungeon today.
"Um, Nix, with your buffs, don't you think we could try a more lucrative gate?" Gyuri asked, casting a cautious glance my way.
"I don't think so."
"Huh? Why not?"
"If we're being honest about today's run, it's just not realistic. First of all, I don't know if Ah-young can hold her ground against stronger monsters, and you had mana issues right in the middle of combat, didn't you?"
I understood their desire to grow. But frankly, both of them had very clear limits to their talent.
"Ah..."
"Besides, didn't you say hunters can sometimes acquire new skills if they keep active? For now, it's best to stick to places that match your current level and look for new opportunities there."
Who knew? Maybe Gyuri would awaken a new branch of magic, and Ah-young would get a skill to compensate for her lack of stamina or physical strength.
"Nix is right," Ah-young agreed. "Once we get new skills, we'll naturally be able to tackle better gates."
Of course, whether they would actually get those skills was another story. In fact, it was highly likely they wouldn't. If simply working hard guaranteed good skills, every Tom, Dick, and Harry would be a high-rank hunter. It was precisely because that wasn't the case that ranks existed and hunters were treated differently based on them...
At any rate, we parted ways after discussing our future plans over dinner. The walk home felt strangely nostalgic, reminding me of the days when I used to head back after a long day of work... But there was one key difference now. When I got home, I wouldn't be alone.
It was already bedtime by the time I unlocked the front door. "You're late," my sister greeted me. Yes, this was it... a feeling I could never experience back when I lived by myself in a studio apartment. The simple joy of having someone waiting for you.
"Oh, yeah. It was our first day, so we had a lot to talk about."
"Really? How are your party members?"
Party members... Ah-young and Gyuri were fundamentally decent people. Though their abilities left much to be desired, they were genuinely likable, and they weren't the type of people who would drag you down with toxic drama.
"They're nice enough."
"Is that so...? Do you want to join our guild with them?"
Huh?
"Our guild is currently nurturing prospects anyway, so it's fine if you bring other hunters along..."
Why is she...?
"Plus, if you join our guild, you'll get proper support..."
It sounded like a great offer, but... I had no idea why Seohui was suddenly suggesting this.
"Are you in a rush or something?"
"N-no, it's not that..." Despite her denial, she was shifting her eyes guiltily.
"I appreciate the offer, but I'll have to pass."
"Why...?"
"To be blunt, their skills are pretty terrible."
Seohui hesitated for a moment before replying, "What does that matter? The guild can just train them."
"No, they really don't have any talent..." Of course, that was just by my standards. I should probably hear out my sister's perspective. I laid out the truth about Ah-young and Gyuri's skills and performance.
"Those two must really trust you, Sis."
"Uh... really?"
"Yeah. Even in the same party, hunters rarely reveal all of their skills to each other."
She explained that even party members kept secrets from one another. Revealing too much could lead to trouble, and sometimes, subhuman scumbags would use that information to stab you in the back.
"Do people really do that?" I asked, but honestly, I had seen plenty of those types in the other world. From traitors who would sell out their comrades just to save their own skin, to absolute human garbage... I had even run into someone like that on Earth recently. That woman who slandered me out of pure jealousy... Just thinking about her soured my mood.
"Yeah, seriously." Seohui had joined a guild early on, so she hadn't witnessed the absolute worst of it, but she'd still seen her fair share. Come to think of it, there were guilds that refused to treat injuries, right? If a guild found out about a hunter's unique abilities, they might try to poach them, or even arrange a fatal "accident" to get rid of them if they couldn't have them. Having witnessed so much depravity in my life, my mind naturally jumped to all the ways people could exploit others. Humans on Earth wouldn't be any different.
"I guess you're right."
"But hearing your description, their situation does sound a bit tricky..."
"Right?"
"But you said they have good personalities?"
"That's the only reason I'm staying with them."
Seohui fell silent for a moment, then shook her head. "For Ah-young, she might be fine if she learns how to manipulate qi and gets some physical enhancement skills..."
Qi...? She probably meant mana. "You mean manipulating mana?"
"Yeah. The moment an Awakened gets a skill, they gain mana. It's meant to fuel their skills, but that's not all it can be used for."
Apparently, learning to manipulate it in other ways could make a hunter much stronger. In the Murim Alliance, they called this power qi, and the technique to control it was named qi gong. She said a hunter had to master qi gong to truly establish themselves. It was a technique that many failed to grasp even when taught... but on the flip side, anyone who managed to learn it could reach at least B-class. In short, mastering qi gong was the key to unlocking greater strength.
"I see... but I'm still not sure."
"Okay... Sorry for pestering you about it."
"It's fine. Don't worry about it."
It seemed the Murim Alliance was suffering from a severe shortage of talent.
"Um, just so you know, the offer stands. We can take them in whenever you want."
It seemed my sister was willing to take in two mediocre talents just to bring me into the fold... I didn't know if she actually had that kind of authority, but considering she had been with the guild since its inception, she might just have the pull to make it happen.
"Got it."
For now, I planned to stick with our three-person party. I would be fine anywhere, but what about them? Perhaps joining an established guild, receiving proper instruction and support, would be better for their growth. That was why I couldn't bring myself to give her a flat-out refusal.
Today, I found myself back at the Goblin's Den gate in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province. Having woken up early two days in a row, I was a bit tired... but I was in high spirits. Unlike yesterday, I fully intended to cut loose today, so I had borrowed a weapon from my sister. It was just a small shortsword, but it was better than nothing. Around the same time and place as yesterday, I met up with Ah-young and Gyuri.
"Hello, Nix."
"Morning."
The two of them—or more specifically, Gyuri—were noticeably more polite than yesterday. It seemed witnessing my abilities had shifted her perspective. I found her change in attitude quite adorable.
"Let's work hard today too."
"Yes, ma'am!" Ah-young replied energetically.
But as we made our way toward the gate... someone blocked our path.
"Ahem!" A man cleared his throat, striking a try-hard, showy pose. "Ladies? Are you heading to the gate by any chance?"
His expression and voice were incredibly greasy. And honestly, he was downright ugly. If I had to stretch the truth... I suppose you could call him rugged or masculine? But personally, his face did absolutely nothing for me.
"W-who are you?" Gyuri stammered, looking flustered. Well, with a height difference of nearly twenty centimeters, he probably looked pretty intimidating to her.
"Since fate brought us together like this, why don't we tackle the gate as a team? I'm actually pretty strong, you know." The man let out a booming laugh, oozing confidence... He looked exactly like a mountain bandit. Meanwhile, my two companions were trembling, unable to even muster a refusal. To be fair, he did have a terrifyingly fierce face.
"Hey. Piss off," I said flatly.
"What?"
"I said beat it. You look like a mountain bandit. Who do you think you're hitting on?"
"Ha." The man scoffed and stepped closer, his face contorting into a scowl. "You want to die?"
As he closed the distance, I...
"What is this dumbass even saying?"
Without holding back, I threw a full-power punch straight at his jaw. Of course, I infused the strike with my holy power—specifically, the energy of healing.
Crack!
With a resounding impact, the man's body collapsed like a house of cards. The sound was so loud that nearby passersby turned to stare.
"Huh?!" Ah-young and Gyuri stared at me, completely dumbfounded.
"What? It's fine to treat an idiot like him this way." They looked like they wanted to say something about violence being wrong. I casually kicked the collapsed man in the head. Naturally, I infused the kick with holy power... the power of healing.
"N-Nix?!"
"It's fine. Look, he's completely unharmed." Indeed, his face was perfectly clean, without a single scratch.
"Huh?"
"I hit him while channeling healing magic." I explained with a grin. The onlookers quickly lost interest and went back to their own business.
"Is it really okay to just leave him like this?"
"He'll probably wake up in about ten minutes."
They still looked highly skeptical.
"Seriously, it's fine."
Let him report me if he wanted to. He was the one who approached us aggressively first, and he didn't have a single scratch on him. Even if he claimed I assaulted him, it would just be dismissed as a minor scuffle between hunters and ruled as self-defense. We left the man lying on the ground and headed toward the gate. If he had a problem with it, he was welcome to chase after us. That is, if he even could.