Chapter 43

The wound could not be completely healed. I couldn't ask for more from healers who had reached their limit just by getting rid of the poison.

"I'll do it myself. Thank you for your treatment."

I reached out a bandage from the bewildered healer. Then the healer looked sorry.

"I'm sorry. It's been a while since I've awakened as a healer, so I haven't learned much yet."

"Me too..."

...lack of manpower.

"It's all right. You two should go and rest."

When the healers left, Cheon Sa-yeon, who had been away for a while, returned. Seeing the bandage in my hand, Cheon Sa-yeon raised his eyebrows.

"Use this instead of that."

Cheon Sa-yeon, who took an ordinary bandage from my hand, took another bandage out of his inventory. As I looked at the bandage, I felt a sense of energy.

"A-class bandages you mentioned last time?"

"This would help stop the bleeding if the wound opened in the middle."

Cheon Sa-yeon, who had taken the bandage off his hand, wrapped a bandage around my shoulder and arm with skilful hand movements.

"Cheon Sa-yeon, your hand..."

"Don't mind it."

Cheon Sa-yeon's finger was injured as expected. It was because I chewed as much as I could to endure the pain.

At least, he has an SS-rank body. If it had been an ordinary person's finger, it would have been seriously injured.

"It's an A-grade gate, and I also include Woo Seo-hyuk in, so I purposely assigned a talent healer to another clearing team."

Cheon Sa-yeon's gaze turned to my shoulder.

"I think it's the wrong choice."

"I just let my guard down."

After putting all the bandages on and changing into a new shirt, I asked quietly after confirming that there were no hearing ears around.

"Did you find out the cause?"

"According to the report of the measuring ability, the grade level has increased abnormally. Other than that, nothing."

"What is the current S-grade level?"

"31.2%. Previously, 24.6% of grade A."

It meant that it had risen from 24.6% of A-grade to 31.2% of S-grade.

"With that much difference, I don't think that's gonna make it SS-grade."

"The S+ is well worth considering."

When I said that, Woo Seo-hyuk approached me.

"Are you okay with your injuries?"

"Yeah, that would have been dangerous, but thank you for your help."

I thanked Woo Seo-hyuk.

"No, more than that..."

In a brief moment, Woo Seo-hyuk, who looked at Cheon Sa-yeon's eyes, continued.

"I was able to fly during battle. Is it Han Yi-gyeol-ssi's ability?"

"Yeah, it's because I have wind ability. Did you feel uncomfortable?"

Woo Seo-hyuk shook his head.

"Thanks to you, I was able to deal with monsters easily. It's amazing to be able to use the wind in that way."

"A-rank does not work well against S-rank opponents. That's what I'm gonna do anyway."

Woo Seo-hyuk was silent for a moment at my words. He looked at me with somewhat complicated eyes and then opened his mouth.

"I knew it when I saw the news, but to be honest, when I received it in person, I was surprised that it was much better than I thought."

If you saw the news, you're referring to the footage in Area C13. Even thinking about it again made me sick. I glanced at Cheon Sa-yeon.

"It may sound like too much interference, but how about refraining from using your ability on others in the future?"

"Others, does it include Woo Seo-hyuk-ssi?"

"I have already experienced it, so it is an exception."

"......"

I didn't see this guy like that, but he's surprisingly shameless.

Cheon Sa-yeon, who had been quietly listening to Woo Seo-hyuk's conversation with me, intervened.

"I agree with that."

"No, I don't think I have such a great ability to worry about that."

"It certainly doesn't feel that special if you just look at it..."

"It's different when you take it yourself."

Cheon Sa-yeon spoke softly like an adult.

"Han Yi-gyeol. You need to understand the rarity of your ability. Do you know how much most talented people covet the ability to fly?"

"Uh..."

"On the other hand, most monsters have flying abilities from Grade A or higher. It can only be cumbersome from the point of view of the talented."

"Are you saying that with my help, you have a lot less to worry about?"

"It's more than that. There are no restrictions on movement."

I understood the explanation, but it didn't really make sense to me. Maybe it was because I didn't have any experience dealing with monsters without the wind ability.

"It doesn't matter if you have low-ranking abilities, but if you're high-ranked, you will be very interested in Han Yi-gyeol-ssi's abilities. I don't think that's going to bring any good results."

I pondered for a moment at Woo Seo-hyuk's explanation then nodded. Physically, talented people were basically militant, and the higher their rank, the stronger their tendencies, so there was nothing wrong with being careful.

"I know what you mean."

Up until now, I had only thought of helping, but I had not thought about how the other person would receive it.

First of all, I don't think I'll ever meet a person with a high level of ability, however. As soon as I meekly agreed, Cheon Sa-yeon rose from his seat.

"I'll call it a day. You will have to move with an injured body starting tomorrow."

I nodded and leaned my back against the wall. I was very tired because I struggled quite a bit to get the poison out of my body.

* * *

Still, it was because I had been treated by a healer and had a good bandage wrapped around it, so when I woke up, my condition was much better than I expected. As soon as I finished breakfast, I was told that it was okay by the healers who checked my wounds, I was greatly relieved.

"I'm still not strong enough. It's a little difficult right now and I think it will be possible to treat in the evening."

"Yes, please."

When I smiled and nodded, the healers also smiled at each other. They are good people.

After having a friendly time with the healers, Cheon Sa-yeon, who had been waiting early, looked back at me when I came forward to move.

"How are you feeling?"

"That's all right."

I kept feeling a throbbing, mild, dull pain, but not hurt enough to take painkillers. Cheon Sa-yeon, who looked at me with an unknown expression, said as if it was very unexpected.

"You've become friends with the healers."

"...why are you asking that again?"

My face hardened as I remembered being asked if I was close with Min Ah-rin and Kim Woo-jin. As if expecting this kind of reaction from me, Cheon Sa-yeon shrugged his shoulders and answered skillfully.

"It's because you're more popular than I thought."

Is that a compliment or a curse?

"Stop talking nonsense and let's go."

When I spoke coldly, I found a device that gently opened the door to see Cheon Sa-yeon was talking about it seriously (the random key to enter the rooms like Sa-yeon said in the ). As expected, this time it was a success as well.

"Is this random? No matter how I look at it, it doesn't seem like that."

"I wish you could trust me a little more."

"You are too greedy."

Chwareureuk, kung!

Fortunately, I did not feel the S-grade energy in the next room. As we entered the room, a number of bats hanging from the ceiling roared and rushed towards us.

B-grade monster. It was a vampire bat (흡혈박쥐였다).

The guild members were excited about the first B-grade they encountered after entering the room. Before I, Cheon Sa-yeon, and Woo Seo-hyuk could even step out, the bats were attacked by guild members and fell to the ground like rainwater. A person with a measuring ability who finished the measurement by running hard in the meantime approached Cheon Sa-yeon and reported it.

"The grade B monster was 78.9%. The previous one was 31.44%."

"As expected, it's up."

"The rate of increase is too fast."

That's 78.9%. If we had come in a little later, we would have dealt with an A-grade vampire bat.

"Hey, Master."

The person with the ability to measure made an anxious face.

"It's fine, right? The numbers keep getting weird..."

"If we check the rest of the rooms, it will become clear. You don't have to worry too much. No matter what level monsters appear, I'll make sure we will all be able to get out of here safely."

At Cheon Sa-yeon's relax reply, the person with the ability to measure breathed a sigh of relief. I opened my mouth as I watched the person with the ability to measure leave.

"What's the matter with you? End it like that."

After I said it, I didn't know what to do. I forgot that Woo Seo-hyuk was by my side and talked comfortably, so I noticed it late and felt guilty.

"As the Master, I have to do this."

Cheon Sa-yeon smiled with his eyes bent.

"I've been a pretty friendly Master since then."

"Oh, yes. I see."

I wonder if you have a conscience.

"Hmm..."

Cheon Sa-yeon, who was looking down at me with a funny face, leaned down and whispered in my ear.

"Are you jealous?"

"Cra—" (미―, probably "crazy bastard", thanks FLyingtiger-san!)

I managed to keep my mouth shut as I reflexively shouted not to say anything crazy. Cheon Sa-yeon, who smiled as if it was understandable, made sure that all the bats had been dealt with and headed to the entrance of the next room.

'Because I can't let my guard down anyway.'

If I relaxed a little bit, he would talk nonsense as if he had been waiting for it. I sighed and followed him.

This device leading to the next room was located on the ceiling. As I climbed into the air, I found a flower shape among the murals carved on the ceiling and pressed it down as explained by Cheon Sa-yeon. The iron grate went up with a clicking sound, revealing the entrance to the next room.

Keureureung...

As soon as the door opened, the cry of an animal could be heard through the darkness. According to the data, the monster in this room was Skeleton Cerberus (스켈레톤 케르베로스). A-grade skeleton monster in the form of a three-headed dog.

Kung! Kung!

As we entered the room, the monsters barked and drooling. While looking at Cerberus, who was growling as if it was measuring my power, I turned to Woo Seo-hyuk.

"Woo Seo-hyuk-ssi."

"Yes."

"I don't know if I can ask you this question."

I asked, pointing to Cerberus, which looked like a rather large dog (skeleton to be exact).

"When a dog meets a strong relative, it gets scared and lowers its tail, doesn't it?"

"Yes."

"Won't they be afraid if Woo Seo-hyuk-ssi comes forward? What do you think?"

"......"

"Pfft!"

I asked because I thought the wolf would win if it was a big dog and a big wolf, but Woo Seo-hyuk had an ambiguous expression that was hard to explain, and Cheon Sa-yeon burst into laughter briefly.

I added a word quickly.

"I thought it would be easier to kill if it was scared..."

"...I don't think it's any use because I am not afraid to see the Master with a big difference in rank before my kind."

"As expected."

I was hoping that it might work. I was mixed with the guild members who started the battle with the regrets behind me. If it was an A-grade, I was able to handle it well.

Cerberus, who was aiming for my neck and rushing at me, was blown away with the wind, raising the energy and creating a strong gust of wind throughout the room. Cerberus, who had been holding up with their claws, flew away helplessly in the strong wind and smashed into pieces. I tried it as a test and it worked better than expected.

'It may be difficult to do it in a spacious exterior, but it is usable in a confined interior.'

The downside was that the nearby guild members also have to stop attacking and endure the wind. However, when all Cerberus was killed by the gust of wind, the guild members raised their thumbs up to me, saying it was okay.

I didn't know if it was because they were really okay with it or because I looked close to Cheon Sa-yeon.