The More the Healer Gets Hit the Stronger He Become

43 – Is it them?

When the urgent battle with the Sand Worm concluded with Kangwoo’s remarkable performance, within the sudden silence, the party members decided to resume their journey towards the temple.

As many events had unfolded in a short period, there were many questions to ask and matters to clarify. However,

they couldn’t afford to waste time, not knowing when the Sand Worms that had escaped might change their minds and return.

“…It’s truly over now.”

So finally, now that they stood in front of the temple, the party members all stopped in unison. Before crossing that portal, there were still unresolved matters that needed to be settled.

“Um… we, we didn’t do that on purpose, you know?”

The first one to break the silence was Joo Sungbin, whose complexion had been gloomy since the end of the battle.

In the midst of a battle where life hung in the balance due to a momentary mistake, he hadn’t thought about it, but now that the battle was over and leisure had returned, unanswered questions invaded his mind.

‘What… should I do?’

He had run away, leaving his comrades behind in the trial. Openly ignoring the calls and even knowing that they could die.

‘If they start spreading this truth, I…!’

There was no party willing to accept an awakened individual who fled, leaving comrades behind.

The moment this fact became known, he was undoubtedly forced to give up any further ascent.

“I, um, excuse me? Everyone?”

“….”

In the chilling atmosphere.

Awkward laughter from Ju Sungbin filled the silence.

“Uh… I was really scared…. Yes…! Startled by the presence of those monsters! So, I was genuinely frightened, and I didn’t even realize why—”

“… Hyung, you made eye contact with me.”

“What……? Seung Ho, I…! I was really out of it then! So, that’s why it happened. A mistake, it was a mistake…! Seriously!”

“Yes, because of that mistake, I almost died. And that wasn’t the only thing, right?”

“… What?”

“During the fight. You intentionally let the attacks come my way while dodging, did you think I didn’t notice? Sand Worms will abandon you if there’s another prey in front of them. You sacrificed yourself. To live, hyung.”

“I, I…!”

“That’s right. I can understand the first time running away, it was scary. Even I would have been scared. But the second time was really…”

The once cheerful face of Kim Seung Ho now showed determination.

‘Damn.’

He realized he was in trouble.

“Ga, Kang Woo? M-Magician?”

“….”

Ju Sungbin wandered around, searching for a new escape route. If anyone sided with him, the usually amiable Kim Seung Ho might reconsider. But.

“What’s the fuss about? He’s still a decent kid. Seems to have a mind despite the rumors… I can’t do that.”

“What… what is this?”

For the first time facing this ordeal, the corners of the magician’s mouth lifted brightly.

Jun Seongbin’s face, paradoxically eerie in that bright smile, paled as if it were powdered.

“Name’s Jun Seongbin. 21 years old. Power? Explosive strength. Just the name might not tell much, but with age and ability, it’s not hard to pinpoint someone in this narrow world of awakened individuals.”

“!!”

“Join a guild, you’re known in that guild. Join an association, you’re known in that association. Whatever you do, I’ll track it until the end, spreading rumors. The guy who abandoned his comrades on that cursed tower to live for himself. Trust him, and you might get stabbed in the back anytime, so be careful.”

“No, please… I, I made a mistake. No, I was wrong! Seung Ho? Kang Woo! Just spare me this once! Please, don’t do this, Mr. Magician. Please, if you forgive me just this once…!!”

For other awakened individuals, it was possible to dismiss the gossip as mere nonsense uttered by that guy spouting gibberish.

Among awakened individuals of similar grades, it was clear which words would carry more weight – those of a comrade and those of a stranger.

However, when the subject was a magician, the story took a different turn.

A fire magician, an extremely rare existence even among rare magicians.

As soon as he left the tower, he would undoubtedly receive love calls from various guilds, given that a fire magician in the modern era was a power in itself.

But for such a magician to give personal advice, that changed the nature of the conversation.

An awakened individual marked by a fire magician.

Even if they were just C-rank, no enterprise would embrace an awakened individual with a mundane explosive strength ability, especially if they incurred the hatred of a magician.

Their values were too distinct.

“Please…! Please, I truly messed up…!!”

“If you had genuinely reflected, you should’ve begged for forgiveness from the first word when opening your mouth. Instead of awkwardly trying to pass it over, when my hand was about to choke you, that’s when you should’ve started begging.”

“I truly, I-!!”

“Ah, it’s too noisy. Can’t you shut up? Should I just silence you now?”

Whoosh-

Joo Sungbin, watching flames bloom at the magician’s fingertips, closed his mouth.

But he had no intention of letting them go like this. For him, it was a matter of his future livelihood.

As Joo Sungbin searched for another breakthrough, observing others, he suddenly stretched out his body.

Choi Kangwoo, sending a cold gaze, seemed to have no intention of listening to his words, while Kim Seungho, momentarily hesitant at the magician’s words, bit his lip and turned his gaze away.

“….”

It was over.

Even after risking his life to climb to the top and finally becoming a Class C Awakener, his life had been ruined because of that wretched magician.

First, there was frustration, then soaring anger.

But the subject of his anger, the damn magician, was a talented flame manipulator, and by Kim Seungho’s side was a monster capable of single-handedly killing a Sand Worm.

And so, as Joo Sungbin struggled to find a place to pour out his anger, someone he had forgotten about entered his sight.

“That…!”

Yes, he was there.

“Why isn’t anyone saying anything? He ran away before me!! Why is no one saying anything to him, only me!!”

Joo Sungbin’s index finger pointed towards Shin Jaewon, who had been silently crouching.

Everyone’s gaze now turned towards Shin Jaewon, who had been at the forefront, fleeing when the Sand Worm first appeared. And upon receiving their gazes, Shin Jaewon…

“Sob…!”

Began to burst into tears.

“I’m, I’m sorry, everyone…! Seungho-ssi too… I’m really sorry…!”

“W-What, what’s with the sudden crying?”

“I’m fine with whatever rumors or actions you want to spread. This job, ugh. It seems like it doesn’t suit me… I’m going to quit climbing from now on.”

“… No, what will I become if you suddenly start crying?!”

From Noble mtl dot com

“Ugh, I’m sorry…”

‘…f*ck.’

Through his tightly closed eyes, Ju Sungbin’s ears confirmed the sound of a gunshot.

“Jaewon apologized to me earlier.”

As the attention of Kang Woo and the magician turned back to Ju Sungbin, the atmosphere became even colder.

***

“I, I also want to talk to Kang Woo hyung…!”

“Just go out and see him. Spread rumors. Isn’t that what you have to do before you gather your teammates and escape to the next trial?”

In the trial room, where Ju Sungbin persistently clung on and Shin Jaewon continued to sob, they were pushed out as if they were being dismissed.

Kim Seungho, who stubbornly refused to leave when the magician told him to go out and talk alone with Kang Woo, finally gave in when Kang Woo nodded his head slightly and pretended to leave.

“Hyung! When you come back to the safe zone, you should look for me first! If you don’t find me, I’ll chase you to the end of the earth and reveal your personal information!”

“Yeah, yeah. I got it, so you go out first.”

Even Kim Seungho, who vowed to serve and protect his benefactor for the rest of his life, left the trial.

In the scorching desert, only Kang Woo and the magician remained.

“What do you want to say…?”

Compared to clearing the trial alone, it wasn’t a difficult fight, but the harsh environment of the desert alone drained their stamina just by standing still and breathing.

I don’t know what it is, but I hope they hurry up and send me away…

Through Kang Woo’s ears fixed on the portal, he heard the magician’s words.

“Is that him?”

“… Yes?”

Suddenly, what was that sound? Kangwoo, wearing an impression as if enduring the piercing heat, slowly solidified his expression in the ensuing silence.

“… Him?”

Even though I didn’t understand that endless talk, anxiety surged as the silence continued.

“All of a sudden, what’s with that…?”

Then, as expected,

The instinctual warning that had come through was uncomfortably accurate.

“That person.”

“….”

For a moment, dozens of thoughts flashed through his mind.

Should I deny it? Pretend not to know who that person is? Or just take a portal and escape?

The third option was quite tempting, but Kangwoo knew well that it wasn’t the wise choice.

And above all,

“… You seem sure of it.”

There was no sign of evasion. He merely spoke to convey the fact that he noticed, and his face suggested that your response was unnecessary.

“… When did you notice?”

“Oh, I thought you might deny it at least once. It’s good that things are progressing quickly.”

The wizard, who burst into laughter as if delighted, lifted one corner of his mouth.

“The helmet, the armor. All made of plate, right? I knew from the first glance. So, he’s a guy who passed the trial with a 5-member party. Still, it’s fortunate that there’s at least one proper guy among them. Well done.”

The plate armor in the shop started at a minimum price of 5,000 points. In other words, predicting that the strongest, who adorned themselves with items requiring a minimum of 10,000 points, had passed the trial as a level 5 awakened individual was not difficult.

“Well, it’s a bit unusual to purchase two sets of armor instead of your usual weapon… but since it’s a place where all sorts of people gather, I thought it could happen.”

“….”

“Until you blocked the Sand Worm’s attack, that is.”

When the wizard’s words reached this point,

Kangwoo predicted the rest and sighed.

“A shield….”

“Yeah. Your shield. Whether it was blocking the attack or when the Sand Worm deliberately bit into it, not a single scratch.”

“….”

“Such a shield wasn’t distributed at the Starting Plaza, and if you bought it with points… then, how many points would you need to buy a shield that doesn’t even get a scratch from a C-class monster’s attack?”

Even the wizard couldn’t figure that out.

But one thing was certain, to wear plate armor, a plate helmet, and more, on a shield that was unpredictable.

“It’s impossible for a 5-member party to purchase all those items even if you wake up after dying. Unless, like ‘that person,’ you clear the trial alone.”

It was an undeniable, perfect deduction.

“….”

Kangwoo admitted it.

He had exposed his identity to that woman, whose name he didn’t even know.

The fact that he carried around expensive items in a golden box.

While Kangwoo was conscious of the shield hanging on his forearm, he remained alert, ready to pull out a weapon from the spatial ring at any moment.

The woman’s ability was throwing exploding fireballs. As seen when she threatened Ju Sungbin earlier, her depleted mana had now been replenished.

‘Surely….’

Throwing a fireball at oneself wasn’t as difficult as it might seem.