The Only Enhancer - Chapter 26

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

Episode 26
Episode 26 – Semi-Finals (2)
How could one obtain a Semi-Final tier item?
Since monster drops appeared at ±1 of the creature’s level, theoretically, with enough luck, even a Disaster Level 3 monster could yield one.
But no hunter actually believed that.
The higher a monster’s level, the far lower the probability of obtaining enhancement items above that level.
Moreover, even enhancement items of identical stats had lower drop rates as the monster’s level increased.
Furthermore, while unenhanced items could drop multiple times per hunt, enhancement items dropped only once per monster.
The value of items only climbed higher with each passing day.
From Disaster Level 2 onward, the statistical probability of identical enhancement items appearing was 30%.
Disaster Level 3 was merely around 20%.
Then what about Disaster Level 4?
-Disaster Level 4? Don’t even mention it. You need over thirty veteran hunters just for the raid party, and at least three healers. All thirty of them need to be equipped with Semi-Final tier items to handle it safely. Those creatures are actual monsters—the kind that could wipe out an entire small city if you let your guard down. The proof? From Level 4 onward, there’s only one per designated zone.
Beings truly deserving the name of monsters.
You need over thirty veterans and at least three healers to safely conduct a raid against them.
After defeating such a creature, does a Semi-Final tier item immediately drop?
Of course not.
-You’d be lucky if one appeared after hunting ten of them. What? You ask why hunters risk such danger in raids?
The answer was far too simple.
-Because Semi-Final tier items come with an additional skill! That alone justifies the value! And if the combination of two skills is good? No explanation needed!
Because they’re worth money.
Recalling an interview with a renowned mercenary healer, Min-jun found himself gazing down at the wand in his hand without realizing it.
Gulp.
His throat bobbed as he swallowed, the sound audible in the silence.
The value of a Semi-Final tier item?
In monetary terms alone, it could fetch hundreds of billions.
Even the cheapest ones easily commanded a hundred billion.
A price in an entirely different dimension from the Third Tier, which started at five hundred million.
As Min-jun recalled the price, the wand seemed to grow heavier in his grasp—or so his mind deceived him.
A wand that appeared to be woven from pale reddish branches.
Unlike his previous wand, this one bore a design of intertwined branches without any gemstones, making it remarkably austere. Yet somehow—
The pale crimson radiance that marked the Semi-Final tier enveloping the item made even the branches gleam with ethereal brilliance.
At first glance, it appeared almost sacred.
But how long could he merely gaze upon it?
He needed to examine it to confirm its true worth.
‘Ah, item confirmation.’
[Sacred Spirit-Wood Root] +4
-A spirit-wood root infused with the rare sacred light of the spirit tree, imbued with holiness.
-The wearer is always blessed with sacred energy.
-If among the possessed skills there exists a buff-type skill, the skill ‘Heal’ becomes available.
-If there are no attack-type skills among your possessed skills, you can use the skill ‘Blink’.
-When using a skill after equipping this, the skill used ignores the barrier of a Disaster Level 4 monster.
└When used against Disaster Level 3 or lower monsters, it ignores their barrier and deals additional damage.
I checked what skill was attached before reading any other description.
The first skill was ‘Heal’, the same as my previous wand.
I’d thought it looked sacred for some reason.
But the important part came next.
“Huh…huh…huh!”
With a gasping breath, I read the description again with trembling eyes.
Had I misread it?
But there was no way I could have misread it.
I’d read it correctly.
“Blink, you say…”
Without bothering to read further explanations, I stood up from my seat and channeled mana.
As mana flowed from my hand into the wand, my body shattered into particles of light, which gathered and flickered in a shimmer.
After the light particles flickered, they gathered again into human form, and as the light faded, I appeared in that spot.
The point where I reappeared was 5 meters away from where I’d been.
Exactly where I’d been looking.
After successfully using Blink, I stared at the wand with a serious expression.
It seemed my main weapon had changed.
‘This is insane.’
This was too good to be true.
A combination of Heal and Blink.
It was an item that could be called the pinnacle for healers.
Just having Blink attached alone gave a healer immeasurable value.
When wearing an option with defense attached and taking a hit from a monster, mana is automatically consumed to block the attack.
With evasion, mana is consumed on impact and you’re pushed backward.
In both cases, mana is consumed.
Moreover, the mana consumed is proportional to the attack.
Even more so than skills.
But with this Blink?
‘I can reduce mana consumption and evade sufficiently.’
A healer’s mana pool was the lifeline of the entire raid party.
Taking hits consumes more mana than skills, but with Blink, I could prevent that.
That’s why all items with Blink attached sold for more than market price.
And I’d just pulled it in one go.
‘…I really made the right choice coming to this home.’
With something like this, I wanted to go on raids anytime.
My hands trembling, I quickly sent a text to Han Tae-jun on my phone.
[I can go on a raid anytime starting tomorrow, so feel free to arrange the schedule as you see fit.]
After sending the message, Min-jun gazed at the items before him, unable to hide his excitement.
All of them emitted a faint blue light—2-star enhancement items.
That meant I still had mana left.
I should push these to 3-star as well.
‘This is going incredibly well!’
I’d started enhancing just to gain experience.
So I hadn’t even expected much.
But I’d pulled a 4-star on my first attempt.
‘Next time, I’ll upgrade everything to 3-star before challenging the 4-star enhancement.’
With a 20% destruction rate attached.
It seemed better to gather them all and do it at once.
So why not spend the night enhancing!
Time to start grinding experience!
2.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The rhythmic sound was suffocating Jang Ji-won’s breath.
In the frigid silence where his breath caught in his throat, Jang Ji-won couldn’t even open his mouth—he could only stare at the man tapping the table before him.
Wearing glasses, with a cold yet striking appearance, it was Han Tae-jun, who oversaw the Level 3 healer division of the Changgong Guild.
Standing before a man famous publicly for reaching Level 3 in record time, Jang Ji-won felt an illusion of himself shrinking, and in his discomfort, he undid his topmost button.
Yet the discomfort didn’t fade.
Jang Ji-won suddenly recalled whether he’d done something wrong.
But nothing came to mind.
He couldn’t have done anything wrong within the guild.
‘What… what on earth is this?’
No matter how much of a healer he was, as long as he belonged to the guild, he wouldn’t cause major trouble.
Moreover, there was even a rumor that if a healer below Level 3 made a mistake and it reached Han Tae-jun’s ears, they’d have to vacate their position the next day.
So while he sat there tensely.
One thing did come to mind.
None other than what happened yesterday at the Hunter Market Restaurant.
Could that person have been someone powerful enough to exercise authority over Han Tae-jun!
‘I’m… insane! I… I made a stupid mistake.’
As cold sweat dripped down and a chill ran through his spine, Han Tae-jun opened his mouth.
“Ah, my apologies. I was lost in thought for a moment.”
“N-not at all, sir! O-of course you’re busy! It’s only natural!”
Observing Jang Ji-won’s excessive flattery, Han Tae-jun frowned slightly, but didn’t pay it much mind.
There was no need to criticize him for appearing servile.
Besides, he had another reason for calling him here.
“I’m planning to add one additional mercenary healer to tomorrow’s raid.”
“Ah, yes!”
Being servile by nature, Jang Ji-won was quick to catch on.
So this mercenary was someone even Han Tae-jun—a man he could barely bring himself to look up to—treated with formal respect.
I couldn’t afford to make a bad impression.
The moment I grasped my position, I answered immediately.
“O-of course! I’ll follow whatever the Level 3 Healer Captain says without question!”
“…I’ve already informed Team 5, so there’s no need for you to say anything.”
“Ah! Yes!”
“Just so you know, since we’ve gone to great lengths to invite someone from outside, I’d appreciate it if you’d give them proper attention. Of course, I’ll be observing the raid myself as well.”
“…The Level 3 Healer Captain will be there in person?! Ah, understood. I’ll be careful!”
Watching Jang Ji-won bow at a perfect ninety-degree angle, Han Tae-jun judged that he’d understood well enough and dismissed him, though his expression grew slightly stern.
There was little dignity in it, but at least he’d grasped the message.
With that, Han Tae-jun opened the text message that had arrived last night and fell into thought.
It was from Min-jun.
The message from yesterday said he could go on a raid today if we arranged it, and Han Tae-jun closed his eyes.
‘It’s not the Sacerdotal Society.’
I couldn’t be certain before, but based on what I’ve learned now, it’s definite.
Since Changgong Guild is one of the Top 5 Guilds, we have connections with them.
I asked a Level 4 Sacerdotal Society member healer, so I’m certain.
There’s no one—not even a candidate—among their new recruits.
In other words,
‘If we play our cards right, the chances of bringing him over have increased.’
According to multiple reports, his skill and potential alone were quite considerable.
I need to move before the Sacerdotal Society catches on.
Something sufficiently favorable and tempting for Min-jun.
Yes, if I present things a healer couldn’t refuse, that should do it.
For instance.
‘A +3 item with a Blink skill should be more than enough.’
A +3 item with Blink—priced at five billion won, ten times the cost of the lowest-tier +3 item.
An item so rare that listings were scarce; it would certainly shake him.
Of course, I’d need to confirm its true value in the raid, but Han Tae-jun was confident.
Five billion won was absolutely worth the investment.
With Blink, it would be more than enough to sway him.
I never even considered the possibility that Min-jun might already possess an item with a Blink skill.
It was an item with no current listings on the market.
Han Tae-jun smiled with confidence and sent a text to Min-jun.
A message inviting him to a raid tomorrow if he had the time.
‘This is exciting.’
Getting thrilled over a mere Disaster Level 2 raid.
Han Tae-jun smiled faintly, anticipating tomorrow, then returned to his other work.
There were quite a few matters besides Min-jun that he needed to handle.
3.
A massive inferno swept across the Battlefield.
More than half the mountain burned, and within that chaos, a monster shrieked as it collapsed.
With a body the size of a hill, its roar alone made the earth tremble.
Disaster Level 4: Stone Mountain Turtle.
Had it appeared in the city, it would have been absolute pandemonium—but not here.
Instead, a raid team methodically pressured it, working with relentless efficiency.
Five tanks wielded shields larger than their own bodies, straining with every ounce of strength to hold back the colossal Stone Mountain Turtle.
Behind them, roughly twenty-five dealers unleashed a torrent of firepower with reckless abandon.
Fire and lightning, arrows and countless magical skills painted the sky, hammering down upon the Stone Mountain Turtle.
The surrounding earth fractured and overturned, its shockwaves reverberating hundreds of meters away.
Yet the Stone Mountain Turtle brushed aside such attacks effortlessly, shrieking again as it opened its maw.
Mana coalesced, and it fired a cannon of energy toward the dealer formation.
Whoooooosh!
A pillar-thick beam of energy tore through the air.
A mere graze would have meant death for any dealer.
Yet neither the dealers nor the entire raid team panicked or showed alarm.
As though it didn’t matter at all.
The instant the energy beam descended upon the dealers, a transparent energy dome flashed into existence.
The massive dome enveloped all the dealers and withstood the pillar-thick energy beam without so much as a crack.
Huuuuuung!
It merely vibrated faintly against the beam, proving its integrity—not even a fissure formed.
Several dealers gazed in admiration at the energy dome, their eyes turning toward one of the three healers behind them.
A man tapping away at his phone with a light, carefree smile—his expression so relaxed you’d never guess he stood on a Battlefield.
The architect of that energy dome, and one of only three Level 5 healers in the entire nation.
“Myung Ha-jin! Thank you! We’re alive because of you!”
“Huh? Oh, what are you saying? Don’t worry about it—just focus on the raid~”
He waved dismissively, his tone making it clear he didn’t want to be bothered.
It seemed careless, but it wasn’t.
With those same casual gestures, he cast skills, providing timely heals to the tanks holding the frontline against the Stone Mountain Turtle.
It was truly demonic talent.
No wonder someone like him could reach Level 5.
Nearby dealers swallowed hard, newly aware of Myung Ha-jin’s capabilities.
Myung Ha-jin, meanwhile, played games on his phone as though bored.
He could still manage the raid just fine.
Though the earth around the Stone Mountain Turtle fractured and heaved, it couldn’t capture his attention.
For a Level 5 like him, a Disaster Level 4 raid was merely a tedious chore.
Then he noticed a call coming in from his closest friend.
What’s this? Could he have found out I’m slacking off?
Nah, no way.
“Hello? What’s up? I was working hard, you know?”
-“…There’s no way that’s true.”
“Puhahahaha! Well, you got me there. A mere Disaster Level 4, so… what exactly did you call me for?”
-“I looked into that person you mentioned yesterday.”
“Yesterday? Ah! The neighbor you mentioned?! Oh! So what? Level 3 after all?”
He was certainly an intriguing individual.
Though I’d said he wasn’t publicly known and thus couldn’t be Level 3, I’d been thinking of him as Level 3.
After all, even assuming Level 3, his potential surpassed that of the prodigy from the legendary Changgong Guild.
There was no way he could be Level 4, and the limit for hidden leveling was only Level 3.
That’s what I’d concluded.
-“…You’re both wrong.”
“Huh? Then?”
-“Level 1.”
“What?”
Myung Ha-jin’s voice turned serious as he asked again, and from the other end of the phone came an amused tone.
-“It’s been a while since you’ve spoken so seriously.”
“Ah! You’re teasing me again! Anyway! We should recruit him, right?”
-“If I listen to what you’re saying, there’s no reason not to recruit him. Rather, we should be the ones bringing him in.”
“You don’t think I’m lying, right? Hey, even I thought he had the momentum of a Level 3! That Changgong brat could never reach that level.”
-“I know. You wouldn’t lie about something like that. That’s why I’m saying it too.”
Myung Ha-jin shared the same opinion.
Talent that absolutely had to be recruited.
If he acknowledged it, no one in his circle would object.
He was effectively the leader, after all.
So permission would be granted.
Myung Ha-jin chuckled and spoke.
“Oh! Great! Then I’ll recruit him!”
-“…No, I should be the one….”
“Nope, I found him, so I’m recruiting him~ Thanks~”
Having hung up like that, Myung Ha-jin grinned and said.
“Let’s finish this quick! Come on, everyone get your buffs!”
With Myung Ha-jin’s serious buffs applied, the Stone Mountain Turtle that had been holding firm until moments ago gradually crumbled, and the raid ended far faster than anticipated.
The raid participants watched Myung Ha-jin leave, saying he was done, with bewildered expressions and muttered among themselves.
“I, is this really a Level 5 healer…?”
“Ah, overwhelming.”
“I thought we were fighting a Disaster Level 3 with buffs.”
“Same here….”
“…That’s, that’s an executive of the Sacerdotal Society.”
Everyone trembled as they recalled his skills.
It was literally a different dimension.

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