The More the Healer Gets Hit the Stronger He Become

Chapter 10

10 – You Ignorant Fool

“Groan-.”

Kang Woo, who was in a deep sleep, woke up, tossing and turning.

Unconsciously scanning around, there was no one else present.

“Sigh…”

Even though he knew, his heart was uneasy. Kang Woo sighed and slowly got up.

The fatigue from the second floor was completely gone thanks to the deep sleep, but his physical condition was not great.

“Ah…!”

Feeling a sting in his legs, Kang Woo lowered his gaze and found lingering wounds.

Legs and wounds. When these two were combined, Kang Woo widened his eyes.

“Status Window!!”

In a hazy state of mind, Kang Woo opened the status window, thinking it couldn’t be a dream. Seeing the comforting numbers unfold in front of his eyes, he felt a sense of ease.

[Strength: 10]

How satisfying it was, a number that made him feel full even without eating.

Smiling contently, Kang Woo first used healing on his legs.

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[Strength has increased by 0.1.]

“Huh?”

She thought it was just a minor injury from a slight prick, but as the alarm sounded, her heart involuntarily chilled.

The fact that her physical strength had increased meant the injury was more serious than she thought…

“Was I almost killed…?”

With a faint nausea, Kang Woo finished applying the healing potion.

Thanks to the surge in magical power during sleep, there was no problem using her abilities.

After another notification of increased physical strength and three more potions, Kang Woo breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, then.”

Kang Woo’s lips curled up as if to open the shop and check her points. However, as if sensing her thoughts, the system spoke up.

[Trial completion reward: 250 points]

[Monsters defeated: 83⨉17 points]

Kang Woo’s eyes widened.

She killed that many like a maniac?

[You have cleared the trial in record time.]

[Great achievement. All rewards will be doubled.]

“Gasp!”

Kang Woo took a deep breath.

They’ll do it again, right? The great achievement she secretly hoped for applied once more.

Excitement.

Her heart raced.

The system seemed to know his anticipation, whispering in a sweet voice.

[The total reward points are 3,322.]

“Yeaaah-!!!”

Injuries to his legs? He didn’t care at all.

“Three thousand? Three thousand two hundred? That’s insane!”

The reward system of the tower was meticulous.

The rewards for completing trials were individual, and the points obtained from defeating monsters were evenly divided by the number of party members.

The points one could get from the single-digit floor that Kangwoo knew about, the lowest floor, were only a few hundred. Even if you flew and jumped, you wouldn’t exceed a thousand points.

But 3,322 points. This was an amount you could only touch after surpassing at least the twentieth floor.

Of course, this was based on the standards of defeating monsters tremendously with a really minimal party.

“Sto, store. Store, store!”

The desire to buy surged.

As Kangwoo quickly looked around the store, he felt awkward.

Half-price sale. That was no longer available.

“I’m rolling around like this because of someone, and that someone isn’t even doing a light event like a sale.”

Muttering.

“It would be really nice if there was a sale. Because of the increase in healing power, I can’t just throw away my staff, and it would be nice to buy a proper weapon with similar effects.”

Muttering.

“Without a party, I don’t know how to break through the third-floor trial. Ugh. At this rate, I might die on the third floor…”

Sparkling.

[SPECIAL SALE ITEMS!]

“Yes!”

The original items were cleared away, making room for the special sale items on the screen.

With excitement, Gangwoo, dressed in vibrant colors, examined the sale items.

[“Shut up. You can’t do this whenever you want. You ignorant punk.” – Recommended Tough Bread: 5 points → 4 points]

“…”

The cheapest bread in the store. It was a tough bread that had dropped from 5 points to 4 points.

Crunchy.

Even after rubbing his eyes and looking again, no other sale items besides the tough bread were visible.

“If you’re going to nag, at least give me something decent.”

Still, one thing became certain.

“That pervert was indeed watching me.”

Snap. Was the sound of wrinkles forming on Gangwoo’s forehead just an illusion?

Realizing that half-price sales were impossible, Gangwoo quietly left the store.

No matter how cheap it was, he had no intention of eating that kind of bread.

“Mana… Mana…”

Gangwoo’s eyes became intense.

Mana. How acutely he felt the lack of mana in this trial.

During battles, not to mention the second nature, even when skillfully (or not so skillfully) skewering the goblin he had captured with good words(?).

Using abilities until the precursor symptom of mana depletion, dizziness, occurred, he could only do so a maximum of five times.

Even though the magical power had increased by 1 compared to before, there was no noticeable difference.

If healing were possible just two times… no, even one more time, I could have increased my strength by 0.5…

“Oh!”

Kangwoo, who had categorized and subcategorized, discovered items that could increase magical power and brightened with a smile.

However,

It didn’t take long for that smile to disappear.

“What the…?”

[Forgotten Witch’s Failed Bracelet]

[Wearing it increases the efficiency of magical power by 5%.]

I don’t know where they see this as a failure, but it’s truly perfect. However…

[Price: 4,800 points]

“Are you kidding me?”

4,800 points?

Even if I look around, this bracelet has the lowest price among magical power-boosting items.

No. Shouldn’t the price of an item be somewhere in the middle?

Starting from 4,800 points. Should I endure and save up like a dog or just give up on this?

Both hands were trembling.

Feeling pleased as if I owned the world with 3,322 points, looking at that amount made my points seem pitiful.

“… I guess I’ll buy it next time.”

For a moment, Kangwoo contemplated asking the fist of rage if there was no half-price sale, but quickly resigned himself.

It would be a bit disappointing if not available, but it wasn’t inconvenient enough to worry, especially considering he could purchase it after overcoming the next trial.

Of course, this was a unique idea since Kang Woo was solo-playing the trial. Those who cleared trials in ordinary party play could hardly dream of such an amount.

“Well, then I need… water, jerky, and also clothes…”

3 bottles of 500ml water for 8 points each, 6 packs of jerky for 90 points, and a black top and bottom set for 50 points to change into torn clothes.

Choosing essential items, Kang Woo swept away the things he regretted during the previous trial.

40 points for a thick rope that was regrettable as there was nothing to catch and tie up, 700 points for a leather armor set since you couldn’t trust healing forever, 40 points for a pocket watch since you couldn’t know the time, 45 points for a compass to know the direction, and finally, a towel for cleaning a dirty weapon for 15 points.

After collecting what he needed, there were still 2,334 points left.

“Hmm…”

He had more pocket money left than he thought. As Kang Woo was searching the store to see if there was anything else he needed, he stopped at one item.

[Intermediate Healing Potion – 1,000 points]

He had already experienced the performance of the Intermediate Healing Potion in the safe zone on the 1st floor.

Although it might not completely clean wounds that couldn’t survive even if he poured healing five times, its remarkable effectiveness was enough to ensure survival without dying.

The hesitation was brief.

[Purchased Intermediate Healing Potion.]

[1,000 points deducted.]

No matter the price, money should not be spared for an item that could postpone death.

[Remaining points: 1,334]

With this, his abundant points disappeared by more than half.

Without hesitation, Kang Woo closed the store. Points remained, but this was intended to contribute to buying the magical bracelet.

***

He meticulously organized the items he bought from the store in his backpack, diligently polishing the weapons until they gleamed, the dry bloodstains giving way under his determined efforts.

He also found time to lie down and catch some sleep, tossing and turning, occasionally gnawing on strips of jerky.

And so, two days of rest passed.

Having checked the cloth armor layered over his clothes and the two daggers strapped to his waist, Kang Woo rose from his position, slowly.

He had already confirmed the exit leading to the modern world on the second-floor safe zone.

An exit that never deviated from his expectations, ejecting anything foreign with a bounce.

“Sigh…”

Thus, it was the only choice available to him.

Kang Woo moved towards the door shrouded in pitch-black darkness.

To face the next trial.

***

As he crossed the door of the trial, the pitch-black darkness enveloped Kang Woo.

If not for the sensation beneath his feet, he wouldn’t have known where the ground was in this profound darkness.

Taking a few steps, the darkness vanished as if it were a lie, replaced by a blinding white light.

Blinking rapidly, Kang Woo surveyed his surroundings.

“A meadow…?”

A vast horizon unfolded before Kang Woo, with no end in sight, a green sea of grass stretching as far as his eyes could see.

No matter where he looked, it was nothing but a sea of green leaves.

“What is this?”

The backdrop could be a meadow, but why…

“Where are the monsters?”

Kangwoo, fixing his shield in front of his torso and holding the staff, was full of doubt as he scanned the area thoroughly. Even after a close examination, not a single glimpse of a monster was to be seen.

“Is this trial one without monsters…?”

Contemplating this strange phenomenon, Kangwoo was about to make some deductions when the awaited system initiated communication.

[You have challenged the third trial.]

[Mission: Reach the shining tree visible in front.]

As the words finished, Kangwoo’s gaze, eerily prompted, turned toward the front. And there, unseen before, a gigantic tree made of transparent light revealed itself.

[The trial will end upon completing the mission.]

“Hmm?”

Kangwoo, who thought there might be additional constraints, widened his eyes.

“Is that all? I just need to reach that tree??”

Even though the location of the transparent tree was so far that it was hard to discern, Kangwoo couldn’t fathom that merely reaching a tree would be the culmination.

Shouldn’t trials become more challenging as one progresses? Now, with no monsters and the sole task of reaching a tree on the third level?

As Kangwoo bewildered, the system, as if confirming that was indeed the end, concluded its statement.

[The trial is beginning.]

Indeed, the trial had begun. There wasn’t even a specified time limit.

In a daze, Kangwoo took hesitant steps forward.

The provisions, armor, and potions that had been brought along for this trial felt utterly useless.

“No. Let’s not let our guard down. You know how absurd this tower can be.”

Kangwoo carefully moved forward, scanning the floor.

Currently, there was no sign of monsters anywhere, not even a hint of their noses. Perhaps the primary threat of this trial could be traps set on the floor.

So, for about 20 minutes, he moved cautiously, keeping an eye on his surroundings.

When nothing happened, and Kangwoo’s mind began to relax, thinking if they had only reached the tree, a change occurred.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.

Something unusual happened.

It began with a vibration, a faint vibration transmitted through the soles of his feet.

At first, he thought it was a mistake. As the vibration grew stronger, he also doubted that the trial could be this intense.

Is the ground cracking? What kind of trap is this?

Kangwoo, who was calmly preparing for battle, noticed a bizarre phenomenon.

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Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.

The ground—or what he thought was the horizon beyond the ground—was moving.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.