I’m Not a Healer, Okay?

CHAPTER 1: The End and the Beginning (2)

‘The Hunter Association has some capable people.’

I marveled quietly upon reaching the gate. Although I had intended to conserve my strength, the unexpected obstacle forced me to sprint at full speed at the last moment, leaving me slightly out of breath.

Good thing I wore a hat. At this point in time, I wasn’t yet registered as an Awakener. If my face were exposed, I’d be dragged off as an unregistered hunter without a doubt.

“Phew, let’s go.”

Fortunately, the area in front of the gate was already cleared, no civilians in sight. Unless they were crazy, no one would willingly enter such an ominous abyss anyway.

Taking a steady breath, I crossed the restricted entry line.

As I stepped into the swirling black void, a heavy darkness clung to me, pulling me in. I didn’t resist; I merely waited. Soon, my vision darkened, and a new scene emerged.

Dry winds and swirling sand.

It was a desert, a place far from familiar.

As the air shifted, a strong stench of blood wafted through the hot breeze. It seemed like there were already victims.

As I ventured further in, a dense sense of pressure surrounded me. This was at least an S-rank gate. As far as I knew, this gate was a special case where the rank gradually increased—different from usual.

That’s why the initial response failed.

The creatures that emerged outside were merely C-rank fodder, and the gate itself was small below average. Underestimating it, they had dispatched a team with only a single A-rank hunter, expecting an easy clear. In the end, none of them came out.

‘Min Hajun died trying to close the S-rank gate alone in the end.’

I couldn’t count how many times I’d thought about it.

‘If Min Hajun had survived… could things have been different?’

Even when I was exhausted and barely managed to defeat monsters with my teammates and even when I lost them right in front of my eyes.

‘If only Min Hajun—one of the strongest, not just a mere B-rank like me—had lived…’

I consciously blocked out those emotions that naturally resurfaced.

‘It’s already in the past. I can’t undo it.’

Since I’ve been given a second chance, I must seize it.

Kicking off the ground, I ran toward the source of the bloodied stench. The sand beneath my feet caved in, making it challenging to move, but fortunately, I’d learned how to utilize minimal mana to move my body. Given that my overall stats were lower than before my regression, such techniques were proving incredibly useful now.

“Ugh!”

As the scent of blood grew thicker and the sound of struggle reached my ears, about a dozen people appeared in my line of sight.

Most of them were injured and couldn’t stand properly. And in front of them, a man stood as if protecting them.

His sharp blue eyes glowed beneath his wildly scattered silver hair; blood streamed from a wound on his forehead. The situation was objectively dire—anyone could see that. And he himself seemed exhausted.

‘I came as fast as I could.’

Even though I rushed in as soon as I heard the news, it seemed I was slightly late.

The man was facing off against a massive, black-scaled dragon. Judging by the group behind him, they must have been the hunter who thought the gate was only a B-rank. They were in a situation where they could neither retreat nor dodge the attacks. It was a wonder they were still alive in such a position.

Suddenly, the dragon lowered its altitude and flapped its wings powerfully. Due to the movement, a huge sandstorm instantly erupted, but Min Hajun was fast. He immediately created a defensive barrier to protect the people behind him.

It’s no wonder he was ranked number one. Leaving aside his skill usage ability, his split-second decision-making was impressive.

He wasn’t someone who should have died here. He was just… terribly unlucky.

An SS-rank gate had opened first in a distant location, and most of the high-tier Rankers were deployed there. On top of that, since they initially assessed this gate as B-rank, response and reinforcements were delayed for far too long.

‘…And he’s not even in his best condition right now.’

As the sand settled, Min Hajun’s figure became more apparent. Standing tall with a long ice spear, his posture remained steady, but if you looked closely, you would see that he was sweating profusely.

As an awakened person with ice-based ability.

The droplets of sweat running down his sharp jawline caught my attention. The tension felt palpable even from where I stood.

I quietly observed the battle and moved cautiously. The more dire the combat situation is, the more careful one must be. However, as I crept closer, Min Hajun’s gaze suddenly locked onto mine. A flicker of confusion passed through his gaze.

He was probably assessing the battlefield, searching for a way to turn the tide—only to spot an unexpected individual instead.

I gestured with my finger to stay quiet, and Min Hajun subtly nodded his head. After seeing that, I reduced my presence further, moving behind the massive beast. The dragon seemed too preoccupied with his battle against Min Hajun to care about what was behind him.

The closer I got to the back of the beasts, the easier it became to move out of the range of the wind’s influence. I channeled my mana into my legs, leaped high, and summoned a dagger in one hand.

Clang!

I drove the dagger into the slightly softer base of the dragon’s wing, putting my entire weight behind it. A sharp, metallic sound rang out as the steel met his tough exterior, sending burning pain throughout my palm. Yet, I still succeeded in embedding the dagger, albeit shallowly.

‘It wouldn’t have worked if it were an ordinary dagger.’

I briefly thanked the system for providing the weapon. But I didn’t have time to relax any further. The dragon let out a deafening roar, its massive body convulsing as it thrashed violently in response to the sudden attack from behind. I clung on, putting all my strength into gripping the dagger.

My bones ached, and my muscles burned. Nevertheless, my efforts bore some fruit. The tough skin couldn’t withstand the combined force of my weight and the sharpness of the dagger, and the wound gradually widened. I seized the opportunity and increased the output of my mana, applying more strength. The opened wound eventually grew larger and larger.

“Kieeek!”

Soon, the dragon let out a guttural scream, its massive body beginning to lose balance. Confused and unable to evade with me on his back, this was the perfect timing. I quickly let go and rolled on the ground, then shouted.

“Now!”

At my shout, Min Hajun didn’t hesitate. He conjured a massive spear of ice, driving it straight through the dragon’s body. The beast’s blue blood splattered everywhere.

It all happened in an instant.

Even with a gaping hole in his body, the dragon flailed briefly before finally collapsing.

‘Is it over?’

I muttered to myself, immediately regretting it. Ah, I shouldn’t have jinxed it.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

After confirming that the monster had completely stopped breathing, Min Hajun ran straight toward me.

I took his outstretched hand and stood up, wiping the blood that had splattered on my face with my sleeve.

‘He looks better than I expected. Didn’t he die because of this monster?’

“Yes, as you can see, it’s not my blood.”

I gestured toward the blue-stained fabric before straightening my crumpled clothes. Sand had gotten everywhere, making me itch.

“I know that, but you seem to have fallen pretty hard.”

He wasn’t wrong—I did hit my shoulder when I fell in a hurry. But since the sand had cushioned the worst of the impact, I wasn’t seriously hurt.

“I’m fine. Honestly, you look worse than me.”

It felt awkward to stand in front of someone covered in blood. Anyone could tell he was more in need of medical attention than me.

‘For now, the injuries… don’t seem fatal.’

His wounds were covered in ice here and there—an efficient way to stop the bleeding.

But he was still sweating profusely.

“I’m fine. Please, head out first with these people.”

Min Hajun gestured to the group gathered around him. I sighed inwardly.

‘The person who needs to get outside is you.’

But of course, if he were the type of person who would have listened to someone telling him to get out first, he wouldn’t have died here.

“Excuse me for a second.”

Without further explanation, I grabbed his hand. I didn’t have the time or luxury to explain.

Other hunters were nearby, although a bit farther off. Right now, with the monster’s corpse between us and Hajun blocking me with his body, they couldn’t see me clearly, but… it wouldn’t hurt to be careful.

‘And during the fight, I only moved behind the beast, so they probably didn’t see me clearly.’

I didn’t intend to reveal myself entirely here.

That’s why I snuck in here in the first place.

“…?!”

He seemed startled that I suddenly grabbed his hand, but fortunately, he didn’t pull away. Though his eyes widened like a rabbit. That was a relief.

「Purification」

I felt my mana drain all at once. Unlike 「Physical Enhancement」, where I could control the amount of mana used, 「Purification」 consumed a fixed amount based on the target.

Just like larger stains require more detergent, more mana is required for bigger contamination.

“Urgh.”

As expected, curing the poisoning of an S-rank hunter wasn’t a simple task. It felt like I used the most mana I had since my regression.

Especially since my rank is lower, it decreases the amount of my mana I could discharge. But I couldn’t give up after coming this far.

I bit my lip and squeezed out every bit of mana I had. A metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, and I could feel my power flowing through our clasped hands.

The sensation of inspecting someone else’s body never became familiar no matter how often I did it. It must have been even more disconcerting for the person on the receiving end.

The mana I poured into Min Hajun moved inside him, guided by my will. Despite the discomfort of having someone essentially probing his body, he merely frowned slightly and didn’t resist.

‘How admirable.’

That composure just saved your life today.

I focused deeply, immersing myself to the point where even the surrounding wind was imperceptible. I finally found the hardened mass inside him.

I don’t know how to explain it, the way I found the mass of poison within him, sensing it like a clump of sticky goo.

Once located, it was just a matter of unraveling it, like untangling a ball of thread. Easier said than done, though, as both locating and purification required precise mana control.

Min Hajun’s expression shifted as he felt my ability at work. Surprise, mixed with astonishment, gradually replaced his confusion. He likely hadn’t even realized he was poisoned.

The reason why Min Hajun, the strongest hunter ranked No. 1, died here.

His death could have been caused by several factors, but at its core, the primary cause was the gradual deterioration of his condition due to poisoning.

‘I couldn’t believe it when I first heard about it.’

It was absurd.