The Only Enhancer - Chapter 25

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 25
Chapter 25 – Semifinals (1)
Most healers underwent a personality shift after awakening to their role.
Jang Ji-won, once unremarkable, was no exception.
Suddenly showered with respect and recognition, his shoulders had swelled with pride.
Yet paradoxically, the more he was elevated, the deeper his inferiority complex festered.
Not all healers were created equal.
He strutted about boasting of his affiliation with the Changgong Guild, one of the Top 5 Guilds, but as a healer, he was hardly exceptional.
Jang Ji-won’s abilities as a healer were precisely average.
Neither exceptional nor deficient.
Through careful networking, he’d managed entry into the Changgong Guild, one of the Top 5, but that was the extent of it.
Consequently, his social maneuvering had become quite refined.
Flattering superiors while trampling inferiors—the archetypal bully who crumbles before authority.
Today was no different.
‘Should I entertain these mediocre friends of mine?’
Classmates who hadn’t risen as far as he had.
Well, they were still old schoolmates, so naturally he’d look after them. Who else would?
So when he arrived at the Hunter Market Restaurant, he was told the healer section was full and to wait in the general seating area.
These fools needed to learn their place.
How dare they seat a healer in the general section?
Of course, his friends watching from behind factored into his reaction too.
His reputation was on the line.
But then,
‘What did that person just say?’
Jang Ji-won initially thought he’d misheard.
He’d never imagined anyone in this establishment would dare speak to him that way—a healer.
But after hearing the follow-up, he realized it was no mistake.
He’d overheard a muttered comment?
Such audacity was almost a talent in itself.
Yet he couldn’t act rashly.
‘Step in suddenly?’
Even after I’d identified myself as a healer?
Jang Ji-won’s mind raced through the possibilities.
How many people could afford to act so boldly in such a situation?
Several scenarios came to mind, but one possibility stood out as most likely.
That person sitting on the sofa—they had to be a healer too.
Otherwise, how could they speak to a healer that way?
The problem was that despite his announcing his affiliation with the Changgong Guild, this person had still stepped in. That meant they had considerable confidence.
Jang Ji-won knew better than anyone.
True elite healers didn’t belong to guilds—they operated as independent contractors.
That guy could be one too.
Or perhaps a famous healer from one of the other Top 5 Guilds.
Since I’d never seen his face before, the former seemed more likely than the latter, but either way, this was troublesome.
‘What do I do?’
And he was right, too.
I’d only stepped forward to save face in front of my friends.
Nothing more, nothing less.
After all, I didn’t have the spine to talk back to someone who outranked me.
I’d shrunk back in that typical display of bravado followed by cowardice, but somehow, with my friends around, a sliver of courage had surfaced.
“Uh, what’s your deal?”
Just in case.
I spoke respectfully, glancing sideways at him.
“Look, if there’s no seating, you have to wait. I get that it’s embarrassing with your friends here, but don’t hassle the staff—if you’re going to wait, do it quietly, yeah?”
A fair point.
As the tension escalated, I felt relieved that this was enough.
‘This should be good.’
I didn’t want this to go any further than this.
I didn’t even know what kind of healer that guy was.
Sure enough, my sharp-witted friend quickly stepped in.
“Ah, haha, Ji-won, why are you like this? Let’s just go. We can eat something else.”
“Y-yeah.”
They began trying to stop me one by one.
I sighed deeply, as if I’d been waiting for this, and spoke.
“Fine, I’ll back down for you guys. Let’s go.”
As I said we were leaving, Min-jun looked at me with a slightly dazed expression.
It was the look of someone who found the whole thing absurd, but he didn’t say anything more.
I felt relieved and wiped my chest.
‘I won’t see him again, right? Phew, I’m alive.’
As I disappeared from the lobby in relief.
Min-jun let out a small laugh, finding it somewhat ridiculous.
‘So it really was just saving face.’
I’d thought I’d never see him again, but Jang Ji-won was different.
I suddenly remembered that Jang Ji-won was from Changgong Guild and scratched my head.
There was a chance I’d see him in the next raid.
I wondered if I’d been too harsh, but I didn’t think I was wrong.
It was definitely a problem to come at a civilian like that.
Maybe I’d see him in the next raid, but there was no rush to think about that now.
With that thought, I quietly browsed Hunter Net again.
Other people murmured as they looked at me.
“Wow, I’ve never seen a healer stand up for someone else like that before?”
“That’s excellent manners.”
“Wow, I wish our guild’s healer would treat us like that.”
“Right? Tell me about it.”
I heard the murmuring but deliberately ignored it.
Before long, the murmuring died down a bit.
Then I noticed someone approaching me and lifted my head, curious about what they wanted.
“I was in a difficult situation, and I’m truly grateful.”
“Oh! No, that’s just what anyone should do in that kind of situation, right?”
Whether someone’s a healer or not, if you see someone being treated like that on the street, you should at least tell them to stop.
The problem was that no one stepped in because the other person was a healer, but that’s why I did.
I said it was no big deal.
The staff member bowed deeply, genuinely moved.
“Thank you so much. And a healer position just opened up—would you like to join?”
“Oh, then I should be the one thanking you.”
A position opened up just like that.
Did the staff member pull some strings?
Well, it doesn’t matter.
Good things are good things, right?
I answered that way and stood up from my seat.
The people’s gazes focused on the healer who had driven out the healer who’d been abusing the staff—they seemed impressed.
“If all healers in the world were like that, life would really be worth living.”
“Seriously.”
“Sigh, but it’s still better because people like that exist.”
“Right, having one person like that among all the abusive healers makes it feel almost heavenly.”
“Usually, people like that are also more skilled as healers.”
Everyone praised me in unison, and I pretended not to hear as I followed the staff member into the restaurant.
0.
After finishing my meal, what I did was purchase furniture and sell three +1 reinforced items.
Furniture was expensive these days, so quite a bit of money went out, but when I sold three +1 reinforced items, even more money came in.
Money was literally being duplicated.
This time, the branch manager wasn’t there, so a regular staff member handled the sale.
So was that the end?
It wasn’t.
There was something else I bought besides furniture.
None other than ten unrefined items.
‘I said I was going on a raid, but I never said I wouldn’t buy unrefined items and reinforce them.’
If I could, I’d buy hundreds of them and hide away to reinforce them all at once, but that’s not possible.
It’s the perfect way to raise suspicion.
A healer buying hundreds of unrefined items all at once?
That looks way too suspicious.
That’s why I only bought ten items—a reasonable amount.
Since I was now running Disaster Level 2 raids, I couldn’t obtain non-reinforced items anyway.
I deliberately selected only the smallest items available.
I also bought some accessories to avoid suspicion.
The reason I bought so many was obviously for reinforcement.
Not to earn money, but for experience.
‘Now that I know reinforcement gives experience, there’s absolutely no reason to waste it.’
Selling works fine if I occasionally bring three +1 reinforced items at a time—it draws less suspicion.
This is precisely one of the advantages of working as a mercenary healer.
No one can know exactly what items a healer possesses.
For now, my materials are sufficient.
Ten non-reinforced items and fifteen +1 reinforced items I’d prepared at home beforehand.
‘More than enough.’
If I combine everything and raise all the newly purchased items to +1, I’d have a total of twenty-five +1 reinforced items.
Of course, I had no intention of stopping here.
If my goal was to earn money, I could start selling +2 items soon enough.
After all, running Disaster Level 2 raids revealed nothing suspicious about it.
Now that I know reinforcement grants experience, keeping items at merely +1 is wasteful.
At minimum, +3.
‘First, I’ll raise everything to +3.’
+3 reinforcement, which I estimated would yield the most experience.
And.
‘I’ll attempt +4 as well.’
The destruction probability was a steep 20%, but it was manageable.
Min-jun had the Reinforcement Artisan’s Blessing and Mana Enhancement, after all.
I was genuinely grateful for that.
‘Mana Enhancement is truly incredible.’
I’d assumed the buff skill that amplified the power of the target’s skills only increased basic attack power, but it didn’t work that way.
I hadn’t tested it, but I understood naturally.
‘It adds an extra 5%.’
It wasn’t a 10% boost like the Reinforcement Artisan’s Blessing, but 5% was nothing to scoff at.
Considering the base +4 success rate was 5%, if Mana Enhancement added 5% and the Reinforcement Artisan’s Blessing added 10%, that would be a total of 20%!
I could reinforce at the same probability as +3 before my level increase.
The destruction probability was 20%, but if it matched the previous +3 rate, it was definitely feasible.
Even before my level increased, I’d successfully created +3 items three times.
‘I’ll definitely create at least one +4 item.’
The moment I received the message that the move-in cleaning was complete, I came over and began reinforcing while gazing at the panoramic view of the Han River.
There was no furniture yet, but it didn’t matter.
I’d brought my bedding from my previous place.
‘Then shall I begin in earnest?’
1.
I hadn’t used the Reinforcement Mage’s Blessing.
Using it to enhance all my equipment to +2 would have been overkill.
Mana Enhancement was sufficient.
How much time had passed?
Several items lay scattered haphazardly around me as I picked one up and called out.
“Item Reinforcement.”
The moment I activated the skill, a pale blue orb materialized in my hand, circling and dancing around the item.
I adjusted the reinforcement’s luminescence to make the effect visible.
It possessed an ethereal, sprite-like grace, yet I could sense it.
Whoooosh!
Success again.
‘That extra 5% really makes a difference!’
Though it was merely 5%, the practical impact felt far greater than expected.
Thanks to it, I could reach +2 far more smoothly than before.
Above all else.
‘Light of Reinforcement is absolutely broken. Seriously.’
Mana Enhancement helped considerably, but Light of Reinforcement was the real game-changer.
A skill that absorbed the light from reinforced equipment and increased mana recovery by that amount.
Initially, I wondered how much it would actually restore.
What previously restored 10% per hour now filled 30% per hour when I wore my full standard equipment set.
Consequently, enhancing all my equipment to +2 took barely three hours.
With my increased level, reinforcing to +2 consumed only 7% mana.
‘Alright, from here on it gets difficult.’
Even with the increased success rate, +3 reinforcement was never easy.
Though my higher level meant +3 only cost 14% mana, it still felt daunting.
I clasped my hands together with a somewhat tense expression, reverently bestowing Mana Enhancement upon myself.
“Mana Enhancement.”
As I activated the skill, sacred light descended from above my head.
I closed my eyes reverently before that magnificent radiance and accepted it.
Simultaneously, my spirit felt abundantly fulfilled.
Whoooosh.
The very essence of mana itself seemed to elevate.
Words could only inadequately capture this sensation.
Yet this wasn’t enough.
Despite feeling spiritually replete, a sense of insufficiency lingered.
Then I would fill it.
“Reinforcement Mage’s Blessing.”
Mana surged outward from my body, enveloping me in its embrace.
All preparations were complete.
Now it was time to attempt it.
Min-jun picked up one of the newly purchased +2 wands that was closest at hand.
Though the wand had been upgraded from +0 to +2, he didn’t bother checking its options.
He could verify them once it was complete anyway.
“Item Reinforcement.”
Without hesitation, he activated the skill.
Once again, a sphere of light materialized, but unlike before, it shimmered with a brilliant azure hue.
The crystalline blue sphere, possessing all the clarity and purity of the world, approached not the item but Min-jun himself, playfully caressing his cheek.
As it danced back and forth before him, he couldn’t help but feel the illusion that it was waving its hand in reluctance.
The sphere of light began to dim like a candle being extinguished, and it made a sound.
Fsssssh.
Despite the 45% success rate granted by the Reinforcement Artisan’s Blessing and mana enhancement, it had failed.
But Min-jun remained unfazed.
If it had failed this time.
‘Then this time I’ll succeed!’
He activated the skill once more.
Yet something was different.
It was the same brilliant azure sphere as before, but the quality seemed altered somehow.
No, that wasn’t it.
The sphere of light, moving as if truly alive, drifted through the air, scattering luminous dust throughout the room.
And it seemed as though laughter could be heard.
[Kyahahaha.]
At the fairy’s laughter, Min-jun watched the sphere intently with an expression of disbelief, and the sphere, having apparently grown bored after thrashing about the room, suddenly charged toward the item.
With a sharp whistle, the sphere of light rushed into the item as if being pulled in, and a fierce radiance swept across the room.
Whoooooosh!
A more intense light than ever before greeted Min-jun, and he could tell without checking.
It had succeeded.
But he hadn’t started this to stop here.
‘It’s momentum.’
When success strikes, one must continue reinforcing with that favorable energy.
Originally, he’d planned to upgrade all three to +3 before attempting +4, but his thoughts had changed.
Breaking this momentum felt wrong.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Min-jun immediately activated the skill.
Hesitation was a luxury he couldn’t afford.
As Min-jun used the skill, far more mana drained from him than during the +3 enhancement.
No dizziness or mana depletion symptoms emerged.
He’d already replenished his mana in preparation for the +3 upgrade.
That was when it happened.
As if time itself had frozen, something emerged from Min-jun’s hand.
It wasn’t mana condensing into a sphere.
A being with faintly crimson-tinged wings—no, a fairy of some kind—materialized before me.
Mesmerized by the ethereal and wondrous form of that fairy, I found myself utterly captivated.
The fairy, bathed in that soft crimson glow, smiled gently and tapped my nose with a playful touch.
It was nothing like the mischievous orbs of light from before.
Circling around me once, examining me with a knowing smile, the fairy flew toward the item and pressed both hands together.
As the fairy approached the item, bowing its head as if in prayer.
It transformed into pure light and was drawn into the item, and a warm, faint crimson radiance enveloped my entire home.
Wow!
Witnessing this spectacle, I found myself murmuring without thinking.
“I… I did it.”
I had succeeded in the 4-star enhancement.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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