Ch. 37 - Chapter 37

“A healer taking down a three-star (★★★) beast in hand-to-hand combat. That’s something worthy of the news.”

As he exited the dungeon entrance, Yuk Cheolwan shook his head repeatedly. He took off the heavy gas mask and breathed in fresh air.

It was no wonder he was so surprised.

The series of events defied conventional wisdom.

A healer who entered the Poison Dungeon without a shred of armor or any equipment, cut down over ten ‘Evil Horses’ in a single strike, and even defeated the boss monster with bare hands.

It must have been a sight hard to believe even after witnessing it.

“I should’ve brought one more person no matter what.”

“Why?”

“Because no one’s going to believe me. A ‘healer’ who took down the Decoror Wolf to death. No one will believe that.”

“Hmm. I guess so.”

“How in the world did you gain such power? Judging by your healing abilities, you definitely seem to be an S-rank healer, but…..”

Even while receiving healing, Yuk Cheolwan's mouth continued to move incessantly.

After leaving the dungeon, I immediately cast a healing spell on him.

Although he was wearing protective gear over his clothes, Yuk Cheolwan was already in the early stages of poisoning.

It was a good thing he was of the Knight class, had he been an Esper or another type, his face would’ve already turned a sickly blue.

But the moment my hand touched him, Yuk Cheolwan’s poison vanished as if it had never been there.

I didn't know about anything else, but when it comes to healing poisoning, I'm probably a cut above Maria.

Because even before my awakening, I've been wrestling with monster poison every day.

“Normally, even after receiving healing from other healers, I’d be bedridden for days. But right now, I feel like I could head back into the dungeon as soon as tomorrow.”

"That's good. But I think it would be a good idea to replace the gas mask and equipment. They don't seem to perform well given their weight."

“I was thinking the same thing. Luckily, today’s haul was good, so I'm planning to stop by the Device Market on the way back. It’s all thanks to you, Hunter Chun Haesun. I was able to gather the minerals smoothly, without a single nuisance in the way.”

"That's great. But did you find what you were looking for besides minerals?"

Yuk Cheolwan's caterpillar-like eyebrows twitched.

How could he do that? His expression was really amusing.

It was so amusing how everything he was thinking was written all over his face.

“How do you know?”

I had to struggle hard to hold back the laughter bursting out.

Honestly, I asked the question half in doubt.

The reason a B-ranker roamed Poison Dungeons instead of joining a guild.

Minerals do bring in money, but the income isn’t that much different from that of a regular dungeon.

Moreover, he only ventured into dangerous places like the Poison Dungeon.

Considering what’s called the ‘life hazard pay’, it was by no means a profitable business.

That left only one conclusion.

Yuk Cheolwan had another purpose besides the ‘minerals’.

He was expressing, with his entire being, that my deduction was correct.

“That's surprising….. Hunter Chun Haesun, do you perhaps also have the trait called ‘Mind’s Eye’?”

"Not at all. It's just that it seemed like the Clan Leader wasn't having much luck here..."

"This amount of minerals is enough to cover a few weeks' living expenses. I don't have any particular greed for money. I just…”

Yuk Cheolwan swept his scruffy beard back with his palm.

“Just as Hunter Chun Haesun said, I’m looking for a special item. Something called a ‘rare herbs’, you know.”

Wait. 

Did he just say rare herb?

“I’ve only heard of the rare herb through rumors myself. They say it can cure ailments that ordinary medicine can’t. Depending on the grade, there are three types; Cuprum Bloom, Silver Bloom, and Aurum Bloom.”

For an ordinary hunter, that would be quite an intriguing story.

Unfortunately, this one, I had already collected more than ten of those rare herbs.

I simply decided to listen quietly as he explained.

In reality, very few people knew about them.

As the saying goes, a dog in a village school can recite poetry after three years. Perhaps because of his long career as a ‘cleaner’, Yuk Cheolwan knew the true nature of the rare herbs.

"I don't really know how to obtain them either. However, I have a reason why I must get my hands on any one of them no matter what.”

Hearing his explanation, I suddenly felt a pang of sympathy.

Needing an one of the rare herbs meant there was a ‘critical patient’ around him who couldn’t be treated by ordinary methods.

And I could say with certainty that Yuk Cheolwan would never be able to save that person.

Though he may not have realized it, the quality of rare herbs is directly proportional to the difficulty of the dungeon.

Even collecting the Silver Bloom was an immense struggle, so for the Aurum Bloom, the dungeon difficulty would likely need to be at least 7 stars (★★★★★★★) or higher.

Even I couldn't confidently handle a difficulty of that level, so it was certainly not something Yuk Cheolwan could manage.

Yuk Cheolwan seemed to think of rare herbs as something like wild ginseng that can be found by chance.

But unfortunately, such rare treasures only grow in the lairs of high-level bosses.

He hadn’t discovered any rare herbs until now because gathering took priority over defeating the boss and clearing the dungeon.

“Seems like you have someone very sick.”

At my cautious statement, Yuk Cheolwan gave a bitter smile.

“My wife was attacked by a monster and fell into a state of mental corruption. It happened while I was dispatched to another area.”

"......!"

“Haha. You don’t need to feel so regretful. Everyone has their own circumstances, after all. Still, today’s haul was good, so I’m looking forward to going home.”

After saying that, Yuk Cheolwan briskly walked forward.

***

“If you’re going to hesitate that long, just do it.”

“Huh?”

The flow of the conversation felt off.

No, it wasn’t even a conversation.

It was just something my sister blurted out at me while I silently ate dinner.

“You’ve been thinking about it for three days, that’s long enough. I don’t know what it is, but just do it.”

“What was I even doing?”

“Hehehe.”

My sister’s gentle eyes curved into the shape of a crescent moon.

“You probably don’t remember. You were very little. You spent a week worrying and hesitating, then squeezed your eyes shut and asked for a toy robot. Right now, your expression is very much like that.”

"......!"

I thought I wasn’t showing it, but apparently, to my sister, that wasn’t the case at all.

In reality, I was hesitating.

About collecting the Aurum Bloom, to be precise if it came to that.

Mental corruption is a truly dreadful illness.

Those afflicted cannot control their own bodies, forced to lie down every day, and naturally cannot manage even basic functions like using the bathroom on their own.

Moreover, though they can’t express it, the person is forced to wrestle with pain every single day while lying there.

I once saw an interview with a patient who had recovered from mental contamination.

He said that during his battle with the illness, he sent his family desperate looks every single day.

Begging them, in a way, to just let him die.

“There’s someone suffering from a terrible illness.”

“Oh my. Who? Is it very serious?”

“Hmm… It’s similar to the pain I experienced before my awakening.”

"That's really... a truly terrible disease..."

“I want to save them, but to do so, I’d have to go to a pretty dangerous dungeon. It’s not even profitable.”

The Aurum Bloom would be very expensive, but since it would be used immediately for treatment, all that would be left for me is a single Black Core.

From my perspective, it was not a profitable effort.

"Still, seeing you're so worried, I guess this is something you really want to do?"

"Yeah. That's why it's frustrating. It's something I could just turn a blind eye to, but it keeps creeping up on me."

"Why is that frustrating? It's a wonderful thing."

"A wonderful thing?"

"Yes. A wonderful thing. Do you remember what you said to me when you told me you were taking the Hunter Qualification Test?"

Of course I remember.

I would become the most powerful hunter in the world.

So that no one would ever weigh my life against another person’s.

“Weighing….”

I muttered the word as if spellbound by it.

“That’s right, Haesun. If you want to save someone, then just save them. No need to weigh this or that. Even if it doesn’t bring you any money.”

Oh…

Suddenly, my sister looked much older and wiser. I could even say she sounded cool just then.

“You can always charge for the value of a life after saving them, right? Hehe.”

“…….”

The coolness vanished without a trace in three seconds.

But thanks to that, my cluttered mind felt completely cleared.

“Thanks, sis. I feel at ease now.”

“In return, if it really gets dangerous, you’ll stop, okay?”

“I’ll do that.”

I couldn't let my family be sad just because I wanted to save someone else.

And so began the ‘Aurum Bloom Hunting Project’, to save both myself and others.

***

“Wow… you're all geared up so flashy today?”

“Hahaha. It’s all thanks to you, Hunter Chun Haesun.”

One week after clearing the first Poison Dungeon, we arrived at the newly opened 4-star (★★★★) Poison Dungeon in Heukseok Street.

I wanted to rush straight to a 7-star dungeon to hunt for an Aurum Bloom, but we needed time to gradually acclimate to the toxins lingering in the air while waiting.

Of course, it wasn't for me, but Yuk Cheolwan.

"I invested all the profits from the minerals harvesting last time. It looks brand new, doesn't it?"

Indeed, his gas mask, gloves, pants, and all the ‘Poison Dungeon Gear’ had been replaced with brand-new items.

At a glance, the gear looked light and precise, capable of handling even dungeons above 4-star with ease.

“Well… that may be true, though.”

Yuk Cheolwan wore a cautious expression as he asked me.

“Hunter Chun Haesun, may I… purchase some of the antidote you have?”

“Hmm?”

The Poison Dungeon antidote I got from Bisu.

He had vehemently refused before even when I offered to try it, but now he seemed to have changed his mind.

“The last time we came out of the dungeon, I wasn’t in a very good condition. If you, Hunter Chun Haesun, hadn’t healed me, I would have suffered for days. But you were…”

“Too perfectly fine?”

Yuk Cheolwan flinched and waved his hands in alarm.

“Too perfectly fine…?! That’s not what I meant.”

I know.

I knew, but I was just teasing him.

“I just… after seeing the effectiveness of that antidote, all this gear feels kind of pointless…”

“Hmm.”

I understood what he meant.

He was loaded down with ridiculously heavy gear and still got poisoned, but here I was, completely fine after just one pill. That must’ve hit him like a reality check.

In reality, I only carried the antidote that Bisu gave me, I never actually took it.

Even without absorbing anything special, my body itself was basically a lump of healing.

But that didn't mean the drug's effectiveness wasn't proven.

Before going through the Poison Dungeon with Yuk Cheolwan, I'd already run a fair number of dungeons with Bisu.

Its effectiveness had already been more than proven.

At the very least, it would be a far better means than the gas mask he was wearing.

"Here."

I took the antidote out of my pocket and placed it in Yuk Cheolwan’s hand.

“Take one pill every three hours.”

“Th-thank you. For giving me something so precious…”

Yuk Cheolwan carefully tucked the pill away as if it were a sacred relic, then asked me the price.

“No need. Just keep it.”

“Eh? What do you mean by that?”

“We’re in the same clan, aren’t we? We help each other out.”

“Ooh…”

A look of emotion glimmered in the bushy eyes of Yuk Cheolwan.

He already had such a moved expression, so how would he react if I told him about the 'Aurum Bloom'?

"Is this your first time in a 4-star dungeon?"

"No. I've been to 5-star dungeons."

Yuk Cheolwan wasn't a boastful person, so it must be true.

A 5-star dungeon would have been quite difficult.

"Of course... though I never dared to go near the boss mobs in 4-star dungeons..."

Yuk Cheolwan averted his gaze and scratched his bushy beard.

He seemed ashamed that, as a hunter, he’d only ever played the role of a ‘cleaner’.

But there was no need for that anymore.

We would find the rare herbs, defeat the boss monster, and close the dungeon.

Before being granted hunter status, I had to leave the boss monsters alive, but now the association itself was asking us to clear the Poison Dungeon first.

For me, who wielded Exa’s blade, killing a target was nothing difficult.

“Shall we go in?”

Following Yuk Cheolwan’s lead, I stepped into the dungeon entrance.

As soon as we passed through the pitch-black entrance, a thick, damp, humid air enveloped us.

"Clan Leader, be careful. This place…”

"Yes. I can sense it, too."

The damper the air, the faster the toxins spread.

Yuk Cheolwan not only took the antidote but also carefully donned all the equipment he had brought.

“…This is a bit troublesome right from the start.”

It was a cave.

A cave that split into multiple paths.

I’ve only ever dealt with swamps or forest areas before; a dungeon like this was completely new to me.

"What's wrong?"

"I sense a strong poisonous aura coming from this side, and the space is so narrow."

An ominous aura emanated from a narrow hole barely wide enough for a cat to pass through.

While hunting other monsters was certainly enjoyable, there was no benefit in wasting time in a Poison Dungeon.

It’d be too much of a waste to go back.

I wondered if there was a better option.

"Don't worry about it. Please leave this to me."

"......?"

Yuk Cheolwan suddenly stood in front of me and thrust his gloved hand into the narrow hole.

Soon, his forearms swelled up like a balloon.

"Yeeeeaaah!!"

Crack- thud.

Ah.

I'd momentarily forgotten that he was a 'B'-rank Knight.

To my utter amazement, he was tearing away the cave wall with brute force.

Was this a man or an excavator?

In just a few seconds, as he exerted his incredible strength, the hole in the wall widened several times.

It was now more than enough for a person to pass through.

“Wow…”

The cave walls seemed thicker than a person's arm.

To think he considered tearing this apart with his bare hands.

I couldn't help but chuckle.

“Let’s go, Hunter Chun Haesun!”

Perhaps thrilled at being somewhat helpful, Yuk Cheolwan snorted proudly and led the way.

It was convenient to have a hunter who’s just as strong as smart (?) and comes in handy like this.

“Yes. Let’s go.”

With a faint, amused smile, I followed behind Yuk Cheolwan.

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